Melatonin has taken center-stage in terms of interest from both the scientific community as well as the general population. And there are really good reasons for all this attention. Recently, with the Covid pandemic, melatonin has been looked upon as a way of "boosting the immune system." We've looked at melatonin for many years as a sleep aid and as a way of dealing with jet lag. We know that melatonin has antioxidant properties and even anti-inflammatory activity as well.   But, all of...

We are so often told that one of our fundamental goals in life is to find our “passion” and follow it. If we can identify this goal, we are led to believe, then everything will magically fall into place. According to Terri Trespicio, our guest on the podcast today, if we are busy looking for our passion we might well miss out on opportunities that may come our way. These opportunities may be related to our work or even our relationships. Terri makes it clear that it’s “OK not to know” as it...

Who doesn't want to be happier? My good friend Dr. Daniel Amen, in his new book, You Happier, addresses that challenge and gives us meaningful actions to take, right now. Interestingly, Dr. Amen takes a personalized medicine approach to regaining happiness or  at least improving happiness as it were, by demonstrating that what can enhance our happiness is, to some degree, patient specific. Sure, there are the general recommendations with respect to our day-to-day lifestyle choices including...

Today we're going to talk about the book, Your Healthiest Healthy, written by Samantha Harris. You can find more information about her down below, but let me tell you about the book and our interview.  Samantha was basically on top of the world, hosting various television programs and had everything going for her when she developed breast cancer. Initially, the book describes her diagnosis and treatment protocol, and interestingly, how the ultimate plan was put into play based upon her deep...

Trauma in our lives has lasting effects both in terms of our mental and physical wellbeing. Trauma, and its running partner, shame, affect our metabolism, our immune function, and even our gene expression. Further, trauma accelerates multiple markers of aging.   On the podcast today, I have the opportunity to spend time with Paul Conti, MD, author of the new book, Trauma, the Invisible Epidemic,  with a foreword by Lady Gaga. It’s a powerful look behind the curtain at the role of trauma in...

Today on the Empowering Neurologist I am delighted to welcome back Dr. Anna Cabeca. Her new book, Menupause, actually present five different dietary approaches for women approaching or during menopause that is specific in terms of a woman's particular set of goals. Whether it's to improve insulin sensitivity, balance immune function, regain control over body fat, or various other goals, Dr. Cabeca has skillfully created these recipes that are truly outstanding. This is a very interesting...

Multiple sclerosis (MS), is an auto-immune condition affecting more than 1 million Americans. And like other autoimmune conditions, it it's becoming more prevalent. The role of genetics in MS is not significant. Lifestyle choices however may play important roles in regulating the immune system, and therefore should certainly be looked at as it relates to this and other autoimmune conditions.   My guest today, Dr. Terry Wahls, is herself a multiple sclerosis patient. On the podcast she...

We are hearing so much these days about the benefit of a ketogenic diet. But while there may be benefits, it's not necessarily the easiest diet for everyone to engage. Further, staying in ketosis for an extended period of time may actually be associated with some fairly significant threats to our health.   Today I'm speaking with Dr. Steven Gundry about his new book, Unlocking the Keto Code. I have to admit that at first, I thought this was going to be another way of engaging the ketogenic...

One of the most important levers we can pull as it relates to improving our brain function currently as well as paving the way for a healthier brain in the years to come is choose to eat foods that nurture the brain. My guest today on the Empowering Neurologist, Max Lugavere, has been deeply involved in exploring food as brain medicine for many years. Let me tell you a little bit more about him. Max Lugavere is a filmmaker, health and science journalist and the author of the New York Times...

As it relates to COVID-19, there seems to be an incredible amount of interest in the death rate which happens to be exceedingly, exceedingly low. Why I find this challenging is because there is another problem associated with this infection that isn't...

We spend quite a bit of time talking about what we can do to protect and even enhance our brains. So much of our messaging deals with lifestyle choices like exercise, sleep, and certainly the foods that we eat. Basically, these are interventions that...

Urolithin-A. Powerful Mitochondrial Therapy So much of our health is dependent upon the function of our mitochondria, the energy providers found in each of our cells. Keeping our mitochondria functioning well is the reason that we, for example,...

Douglas Abrams is the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, the first book in the Global Icons Series. Can you imagine having the...

Fructose and Uric Acid – What Once Helped Us Survive Now Poses an Existential Threat The interest in uric acid, well beyond its role in gout, focusing on its pivotal role in metabolic issues, is expanding rapidly, and globally. Without question, one...

One of our main areas of interest and outreach has been Alzheimer’s prevention. Now with 6.2 million Americans carrying this diagnosis, and no meaningful treatment in sight, exploring how lifestyle choices influence risk is more important than ever. There is another part of the Alzheimer’s story that is also in need of attention. And this is the impact that this diagnosis has on the families, loved ones, and caregivers involved with Alzheimer’s patients. No one is prepared for what lies...

Ulcerative colitis is one of the most common autoimmune conditions of our time. In this podcast, I have the pleasure of spending time with Danielle Walker. We discuss her new book, Food Saved Me. And when you read the book, you’ll realize that it quite literally did. In the face of advancing disease and profound reactions to medications, Danielle was able to gain control of her ulcerative colitis and regain her general health as well.

So much of our health depends on metabolism. And specifically, one of the most important players in this space is how well controlled is our blood sugar. Our guests today include Dr. Momo Vuyisich. Dr. Vuyisich was actually able to predict how people would respond to specific types of foods, in terms of their blood sugar response, by looking at these bacterial metabolic markers.

There is so much new and exciting information making its way to the health and wellness arena related to the pivotal role of uric acid in terms of threatening our metabolic health. Perhaps the most widely recognized leader in this research is our guest today, Dr. Richard Johnson. On the program we will explore the central role of uric acid in metabolic disorders, how to bring uric acid under control, how fructose enhances uric acid production, and the future of uric acid research.

How can a woman go from considering her menstrual period as being an archenemy to a place of celebrating its arrival every month? How can a woman eat in such a way as to honor her menstrual cycle, through menopause and beyond? Why are orgasms so important for female health? These are some of the intriguing questions we will explore today on the podcast.

Can aging be reversed? This is certainly a question that’s been asked for a long time. Dr. Kara Fitzgerald has just published what I consider to be a landmark paper. Using the most widely accepted state-of-the-art measurement of aging, a specific lifestyle intervention program has led to age reversal. Today on The Empowering Neurologist we talk with Dr. Kara Fitzgerald about her exciting research, how the study was designed, and most importantly, what are the implications of this work.

Call it like it is, we live in a very very toxic world. Our ability to detoxify the more than 90,000 chemicals that have been introduced into our existence is certainly less robust than it needs to be. Today on the program I speak with Dr. Aly Cohen who has written a wonderful book entitled Non-Toxic: Guide to Living Healthy in a Chemical World along with her co-author Frederick S. vom Saal, PhD.

One of the most common complaints that people have today when visiting their doctors is that they're just tired out. Unfortunately, this is a complaint that doesn't readily lend itself to a quick pharmaceutical remediation. In Dr. Gundry's new book, The Energy Paradox, he makes it very clear so much of what goes on in our lives these days threatens the function of our mitochondria and therefore directly relates to our feelings of generalized fatigue.

Hormone levels and activity are highly influenced by diet. As a statement of fact, most diet plans are created by men and for men, and as such have little value for women. Today, I interview Dr. Sara Gottfried. Her new book Women, Food, and Hormones demystifies the relationship of hormones to metabolism as well as the relationship of diet to hormones. Dr. Gottfried empowers women with the tools they need to regain control over their blood sugar, lose weight, and attain a higher level of...

There is so much going on in the lungs that we need to unpack, from their pivotal role in immune function, to how they affect gene expression, to the incredible fact that the lung itself harbors its own microbiome! I've just finished reading a remarkable book entitled Breath Taking by Dr. Michael J. Stephen who is our guest today. He is a leader of numerous clinical trials and has been on the front lines caring for COVID-19 patients. So take a deep breath and enjoy the program!

We all want to feel content and connected, and what we are going to explore today is the idea that contentment and connectedness relates to keeping the neurotransmitter dopamine in check. In her new book, Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure ultimately leads to pain, and more importantly, what each of us can do about it.