WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.850 --> 00:00:10.535 Welcome to Rooted in Wellness with me, wellness advocate and holistic nutritionist, Mona Sharma. 2 00:00:11.055 --> 00:00:21.243 Together, we will take a journey to discover natural healing practices from imbalance to balance guided by ancient wisdom and modern scientific insights. 3 00:00:22.064 --> 00:00:31.687 I was raised living summers on an ashram, so I learned early on that food is medicine and your kitchen is your greatest source of healthcare and prevention. 4 00:00:32.187 --> 00:00:40.730 After facing two heart surgeries, anxiety, and weight challenges, I discovered that just because your symptoms are common doesn't mean that they are normal. 5 00:00:41.370 --> 00:00:51.293 Together with some incredible guests, we will explore the power of our mind, body, and soul connection, returning to our roots to rediscover our greatest well-being. 6 00:01:05.097 --> 00:01:16.081 If you have ever walked into a room and forgotten why you're there, you felt your focus slipping or watched someone close to you lose themselves to dementia, this conversation is going to feel personal. 7 00:01:16.401 --> 00:01:20.823 Most of us are taught to think about brain health only when something starts to feel wrong. 8 00:01:21.323 --> 00:01:31.675 Memory changes, brain fog, a diagnosis in the family, a fear that aging means losing the sharpness, independence, and connection that makes us feel like ourselves. 9 00:01:32.276 --> 00:01:36.621 The scary part is that the brain may be changing long before we even notice it. 10 00:01:37.181 --> 00:01:49.408 Research now suggests that cognitive decline can begin 20 to 30 years before symptoms appear, and Alzheimer's is projected to affect nearly 14 million Americans by 2060. 11 00:01:49.969 --> 00:01:57.133 At the same time, only about 6% of American adults are considered metabolically healthy, which raises a much bigger question. 12 00:01:57.813 --> 00:02:03.477 What are our daily choices doing to the brain years before memory starts to slip? 13 00:02:04.117 --> 00:02:21.320 In this episode of Rooted in Wellness, I sit down with the incredible Dr. David Perlmutter, a board-certified neurologist, six-time New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most trusted voices in brain health today, to talk about the hidden brain health conversation that most people are not yet having. 14 00:02:21.660 --> 00:02:31.262 We talk about what's happening beneath the surface, why metabolism and inflammation matter so much, and how the brain is responding to the way that we live every single day. 15 00:02:31.822 --> 00:02:38.228 If you've ever felt scared about your brain's future, I hope that this episode reminds you that you are not powerless. 16 00:02:38.668 --> 00:02:41.170 Your brain is not passively waiting to decline. 17 00:02:41.571 --> 00:02:49.378 It's responding every day to how you eat, move, sleep, manage stress, connect, and care for your metabolism. 18 00:02:49.878 --> 00:02:53.001 And that means that there's so much that you can begin doing right now. 19 00:02:53.541 --> 00:02:54.162 Let's get rooted. 20 00:03:00.718 --> 00:03:03.459 Dr. David Perlmutter, welcome to Rooted in Wellness. 21 00:03:03.999 --> 00:03:05.280 I'm delighted to be here, Mona. 22 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:06.361 Thank you for having me today. 23 00:03:06.741 --> 00:03:07.541 It's such an honor. 24 00:03:07.741 --> 00:03:13.184 You've been, you know, a big part of the lives of so many of my clients, enjoying all of your work. 25 00:03:13.284 --> 00:03:17.445 I've been following you for such a long time, so I'm excited to get to what we're just speaking to. 26 00:03:17.465 --> 00:03:22.908 And as we were mentioning about the podcast, it's ultimately to support people in becoming more rooted again. 27 00:03:23.488 --> 00:03:27.551 and whether that means rooted in themselves, their health, their happiness. 28 00:03:27.911 --> 00:03:33.035 But what I believe is really all of our own kind of inner wisdom and knowing that we can all heal ourselves. 29 00:03:33.515 --> 00:03:36.117 So to kick things off, we ask everyone the same question. 30 00:03:36.437 --> 00:03:39.379 Tell me two or three things that help you feel more rooted in who you are. 31 00:03:40.057 --> 00:03:44.180 Well, I think gratitude helps root me to all that's going on around me. 32 00:03:44.861 --> 00:03:55.009 And I constantly express to myself, and in fact, quite often verbally to others, about gratitude. 33 00:03:55.109 --> 00:04:00.494 So gratitude for all the things that are going on around me, I think helps me be very, very rooted. 34 00:04:00.914 --> 00:04:03.697 I think my work from a science basis too, 35 00:04:04.437 --> 00:04:11.325 is deeply rooted ultimately in planetary health and human health and cellular health and subcellular health. 36 00:04:11.385 --> 00:04:17.271 So I think the work that I do really keeps me grounded, meaning rooted, and connected. 37 00:04:17.612 --> 00:04:19.714 And that's what being rooted is all about. 38 00:04:20.194 --> 00:04:25.999 And, you know, the contrapositive of that, of course, is not being rooted, not being connected. 39 00:04:26.380 --> 00:04:33.806 At a cellular level, the lack of connectivity is what we see in Alzheimer's, that we lose connection of one brain cell to the next. 40 00:04:34.307 --> 00:04:42.674 That manifests on a human level as lack of that individual to be able to connect with his or her loved ones and environment. 41 00:04:43.054 --> 00:04:44.456 And, you know, we look at... 42 00:04:45.430 --> 00:04:55.475 from a population level, lack of connectivity really, you know, kind of defines to some degree the state of the world today, that we don't feel connected to each other. 43 00:04:55.515 --> 00:04:58.637 We don't feel connected to the planet and the planet's wellbeing. 44 00:04:58.737 --> 00:05:07.381 So I think the major question that you led off with really, you know, summarizes what I do and that is to reestablish connectivity. 45 00:05:07.891 --> 00:05:08.752 I love that so much. 46 00:05:08.812 --> 00:05:11.034 And I love that you tied in the connection to the planet. 47 00:05:11.054 --> 00:05:14.136 You're probably the first one to say that in over a hundred episodes. 48 00:05:14.677 --> 00:05:18.900 And I, you know, how can we have connection with each other if we're not connected to where we come from? 49 00:05:19.121 --> 00:05:19.381 Right. 50 00:05:19.741 --> 00:05:27.067 And so much of this podcast is ultimately reminding us of what the planet gives us to really not only sustain us, but to help us thrive. 51 00:05:27.488 --> 00:05:27.808 All right. 52 00:05:27.888 --> 00:05:32.212 Next question would be, you know, you've obviously been doing this for such a long time. 53 00:05:32.232 --> 00:05:32.332 Yeah. 54 00:05:32.893 --> 00:05:37.379 and you've witnessed so much, and I'm sure along the path you probably got unrooted. 55 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:44.609 Do you notice when you drift from your practices and your daily schedules, and are there specific things that cause you to feel uprooted? 56 00:05:45.195 --> 00:05:50.620 Well, I'm gonna answer that question in just a moment, but I wanna go back to a comment you just made, because I think it was really important. 57 00:05:51.200 --> 00:05:54.903 And it was something along the lines of what causes us not to thrive? 58 00:05:55.424 --> 00:05:56.805 And I think it's the disconnection. 59 00:05:56.905 --> 00:06:04.592 And I think it's the disconnection of the signaling that we are sending to our wonderful gift, which is our genome that we've inherited 60 00:06:05.252 --> 00:06:24.485 from tens of thousands of previous generations that have created a genome for us, given us this beautifully sculpted, very malleable though, very adaptable genome that allows us to be responsive and to thrive, to use your word, in multiple environments. 61 00:06:24.605 --> 00:06:32.771 And I think the root of all disease is really sending the wrong signals to our genome that we do now, 62 00:06:33.191 --> 00:06:35.874 through the changes that we experience in our environment. 63 00:06:36.014 --> 00:06:54.692 So, you know, I've long talked about this so-called environmental evolutionary mismatch, where we are living a life that is really challenging our genome with signals that it's not equipped to deal with appropriately, and therefore leading to misfiring of the genome, if you will, and producing ill health. 64 00:06:55.172 --> 00:07:01.440 So, you know, our bodies do everything they can to keep us on track and keep us healthy and vibrant. 65 00:07:01.780 --> 00:07:08.369 But, you know, the modern world, I think, is really kind of destabilizing as it relates to the signaling via our environment. 66 00:07:08.809 --> 00:07:10.552 And so what takes me off track? 67 00:07:10.612 --> 00:07:13.696 And I can get off track actually regularly. 68 00:07:14.176 --> 00:07:16.538 very easily, and I notice it when I'm working. 69 00:07:16.738 --> 00:07:19.119 And I just don't fight it, I think it's fine. 70 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:25.764 The challenge becomes, how do you remember what you're doing to get back on track to whatever that task seems to be? 71 00:07:26.144 --> 00:07:28.526 But I don't let it, I don't fret. 72 00:07:28.866 --> 00:07:31.108 Oh, I never used that word before in my life, fret. 73 00:07:32.188 --> 00:07:38.073 I don't strike over the fact that I can be distracted to think of something else and pursue that. 74 00:07:38.133 --> 00:07:55.005 So I, you know, I have enough leeway in the work that I do now that if suddenly something comes up and I want to pursue that briefly or spend more time doing it, whatever, I don't let that really bother me because I generally these days leave myself enough time to accomplish the task at hand. 75 00:07:55.845 --> 00:07:59.088 So I'm not bothered by distractibility that much. 76 00:07:59.652 --> 00:08:00.312 That's beautiful. 77 00:08:00.533 --> 00:08:12.781 I love the answer because I have a feeling a lot of our listeners, they might expect someone like you or myself or any expert in this field to have it all figured out and that life doesn't happen or that we've cracked this code. 78 00:08:13.102 --> 00:08:16.304 And one of the expressions that I can't stand is like falling off the wagon. 79 00:08:16.744 --> 00:08:20.267 Life is so inevitable and unpredictable at the same time. 80 00:08:20.707 --> 00:08:28.753 And yet we just have to take it as is without just saying that we've fallen off of anything that has happened, just accepting everything in the here and now. 81 00:08:28.953 --> 00:08:30.355 Oh, I think that's so true. 82 00:08:30.555 --> 00:08:33.919 And, you know, is it the 80-20 rule? 83 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:34.540 I don't know. 84 00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:44.512 I really kind of reject that because if 20% of your time is spent doing illicit drugs, then the 80-20 rule isn't going to be doing you that much good. 85 00:08:44.652 --> 00:08:45.053 Out the window. 86 00:08:45.093 --> 00:08:45.253 Yeah. 87 00:08:45.653 --> 00:08:53.475 I will say, and I'm still thinking about it, that last week my wife and I went out to dinner and I ordered the pasta something or other. 88 00:08:53.495 --> 00:08:54.155 I don't know what it was. 89 00:08:54.195 --> 00:08:57.976 I think it was truffles and red sauce. 90 00:08:58.696 --> 00:09:00.277 I was blissed out. 91 00:09:00.357 --> 00:09:01.877 It was the most delicious meal. 92 00:09:01.977 --> 00:09:08.379 And it's not typically something I eat to keep my blood sugar under control and do all the right things, of course. 93 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:12.120 But again, second time I'll use the word, I didn't fret. 94 00:09:14.442 --> 00:09:16.584 In matter of fact, I just enjoyed every minute of it. 95 00:09:16.604 --> 00:09:24.593 I think, you know, there's benefit to that level of enjoyment of somebody that, you know, you know, it's not something you want to do frequently. 96 00:09:24.613 --> 00:09:28.977 And therefore, it's not that you cheated, but you you treated. 97 00:09:29.598 --> 00:09:30.579 You treated them. 98 00:09:30.719 --> 00:09:37.423 I learned that from a guy named Jason Wachob, who is MindBodyGreen, runs MindBodyGreen, who I spoke with. 99 00:09:37.563 --> 00:09:41.865 I had an interview with him just at the last hour before connecting with you today, Mona. 100 00:09:41.885 --> 00:09:43.986 So treated, not cheated. 101 00:09:44.046 --> 00:09:47.148 I think he wrote about that in a book that he wrote with his wife. 102 00:09:47.468 --> 00:09:49.529 And I think, you know, enjoy your life. 103 00:09:50.270 --> 00:09:51.411 No one's perfect. 104 00:09:51.871 --> 00:09:54.392 And it's good to have a little bit of slack in the line. 105 00:09:55.493 --> 00:09:55.733 Yeah. 106 00:09:55.913 --> 00:09:58.515 I always say, if you're going to have those meals, enjoy every second of it. 107 00:09:58.535 --> 00:09:58.835 That's right. 108 00:09:59.353 --> 00:09:59.593 Right. 109 00:10:00.113 --> 00:10:02.294 And thank you for hovering on the environment piece as well. 110 00:10:02.314 --> 00:10:08.277 Something that I say quite often is, you know, I wish everyone listening could go and experience what ashram life is like. 111 00:10:09.078 --> 00:10:10.038 We're all very busy, though. 112 00:10:10.438 --> 00:10:11.659 But the stage is set. 113 00:10:11.999 --> 00:10:14.400 The stage is set to live in nature. 114 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:17.321 The stage is set to live with community. 115 00:10:17.361 --> 00:10:21.343 The stage is set with the right foods and herbs and supplementation and practices. 116 00:10:21.583 --> 00:10:22.204 The stage is set. 117 00:10:22.224 --> 00:10:24.605 And I think we all have the power to do that within our own homes. 118 00:10:24.865 --> 00:10:29.388 But I think what you're going to showcase today is maybe the necessity of really understanding what that means. 119 00:10:29.508 --> 00:10:33.750 So to start things off again, we're going to go into some rapid fire questions. 120 00:10:33.830 --> 00:10:34.110 All right. 121 00:10:34.210 --> 00:10:38.072 So we're going to go deeper into all of these topics, but whatever comes to mind first. 122 00:10:38.152 --> 00:10:38.973 The bonus round. 123 00:10:39.013 --> 00:10:39.513 Here we go. 124 00:10:39.853 --> 00:10:40.334 You go. 125 00:10:40.414 --> 00:10:40.834 Let's go. 126 00:10:41.234 --> 00:10:45.316 So the worst daily habit for your brain that most people don't even think twice about. 127 00:10:45.717 --> 00:10:47.137 The worst daily habit for the brain? 128 00:10:47.157 --> 00:10:48.038 Mm-hmm. 129 00:10:48.058 --> 00:10:48.218 Mm-hmm. 130 00:10:48.630 --> 00:10:52.132 is probably sedentarity, meaning being sedentary and not moving. 131 00:10:52.633 --> 00:10:53.553 Gosh, that's a tough one. 132 00:10:53.693 --> 00:10:54.874 All right. 133 00:10:54.894 --> 00:10:56.675 Can I amplify that? 134 00:10:56.695 --> 00:10:59.137 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 135 00:10:59.377 --> 00:11:01.538 Actually, some research was published just last week. 136 00:11:01.578 --> 00:11:11.945 It's really quite fascinating that shows that physical movement actually helps with the brain's pulsation to the extent that it helps clear debris from the brain. 137 00:11:12.225 --> 00:11:15.627 We've all been talking for the past few years about the brain's glymphatic system 138 00:11:16.167 --> 00:11:28.298 and how we need deep sleep to activate the glymphatic system to help the brain purge itself of the toxic debris that accumulates during the process of brain metabolism, if you will, and other types of debris. 139 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:35.105 But it turns out that movement similarly is a pretty powerful trigger of that glymphatic system as well. 140 00:11:35.628 --> 00:11:36.408 So powerful. 141 00:11:36.428 --> 00:11:39.890 It's like, you know, not that we even need science to prove these things. 142 00:11:39.930 --> 00:11:42.371 We just know we feel better after doing them also, right? 143 00:11:42.551 --> 00:11:43.011 We all know that. 144 00:11:43.592 --> 00:11:44.192 All right, next one. 145 00:11:44.892 --> 00:11:47.793 One food that you'd remove from every kitchen, if you could. 146 00:11:48.454 --> 00:11:50.374 One food I removed from every kitchen. 147 00:11:50.394 --> 00:11:53.156 Gosh, there's a long list here. 148 00:11:53.756 --> 00:11:57.478 What is the, I think, is it that we'd find in every kitchen? 149 00:11:57.958 --> 00:12:02.760 If I could, I would, I would remove foods with more than three ingredients. 150 00:12:03.485 --> 00:12:04.326 That's a good answer. 151 00:12:04.486 --> 00:12:05.126 That covers a lot, though. 152 00:12:05.146 --> 00:12:07.808 That's going to cover a lot, I think. 153 00:12:07.828 --> 00:12:08.308 True or false? 154 00:12:08.488 --> 00:12:11.270 If you feel mentally sharp right now, your brain is healthy. 155 00:12:11.710 --> 00:12:13.751 I would say that's not necessarily true. 156 00:12:13.831 --> 00:12:14.612 So it's false. 157 00:12:15.032 --> 00:12:21.716 I mean, you could feel mentally quite sharp and have a tumor growing, for example. 158 00:12:21.916 --> 00:12:28.100 So there's really, you know, it's obviously a plus, but there's things that could be happening in your brain. 159 00:12:28.420 --> 00:12:32.102 You could have a neurodegenerative condition that doesn't necessarily affect your cognition. 160 00:12:32.302 --> 00:12:35.184 You could have a developing motor issue. 161 00:12:35.204 --> 00:12:40.908 I mean, in early Parkinson's, most of those patients are actually cognitively intact. 162 00:12:40.968 --> 00:12:52.057 But interestingly, a new study came out just this, actually today, that demonstrated that when you look at Parkinson's brains, 50% of them have changes that we see in Alzheimer's. 163 00:12:52.677 --> 00:12:54.939 And the converse was true as well. 164 00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:59.143 So these neurodegenerative conditions tend to run in tandem. 165 00:12:59.843 --> 00:13:12.134 And interestingly, that's what my new book is about, is about the fact that upstream of what makes a good brain go bad are fundamental mechanisms across the board of all neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's. 166 00:13:12.847 --> 00:13:18.790 and frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's and MS and long COVID and PTSD and major depression. 167 00:13:19.211 --> 00:13:22.452 There's a unifying mechanism that underlies all of these events. 168 00:13:24.413 --> 00:13:27.055 We'll talk about the power of now when it comes to healing. 169 00:13:27.475 --> 00:13:32.658 Next, what's the most underrated thing that a person can do for their brain that costs absolutely nothing? 170 00:13:33.398 --> 00:13:41.324 I think the most underrated issue, again, is to embrace the fact that you hold the cards, that you are controlling your brain's destiny. 171 00:13:41.344 --> 00:13:43.846 That is upstream of all the rest of them. 172 00:13:44.066 --> 00:13:52.112 I could have said sleep, exercise, diet, social connectivity, minimizing stress, getting into nature, all the things, right, all the pillars. 173 00:13:52.573 --> 00:13:57.717 But none of them matters unless you are willing to embrace the fact that they matter. 174 00:13:58.437 --> 00:14:04.942 Once you get that and then you implement the program and you create what's called the stack, right? 175 00:14:05.022 --> 00:14:05.782 That's a new term. 176 00:14:07.043 --> 00:14:08.264 And you layer these things on. 177 00:14:08.304 --> 00:14:15.269 But until you recognize that the most important thing is embracing the fact that you are the one in charge, then nothing else matters. 178 00:14:15.909 --> 00:14:16.470 Beautiful. 179 00:14:16.650 --> 00:14:16.970 I love it. 180 00:14:17.170 --> 00:14:18.031 Ownership over your health. 181 00:14:18.611 --> 00:14:22.614 What's a number everyone should know about their metabolic health, but almost no one does? 182 00:14:23.106 --> 00:14:24.910 They're fasting insulin level. 183 00:14:25.411 --> 00:14:26.594 We'll go into labs later. 184 00:14:26.814 --> 00:14:27.315 Don't worry. 185 00:14:28.277 --> 00:14:32.927 Overrated or underrated brain training apps and puzzles for cognitive health. 186 00:14:33.625 --> 00:14:36.928 I think adequately rated. 187 00:14:37.329 --> 00:14:39.030 That wasn't one of your answers. 188 00:14:39.511 --> 00:14:41.473 So I'd have to say both. 189 00:14:42.474 --> 00:14:56.548 I think we are seeing even right now the development of some very, very fascinating apps that not only train your brain, but are coupled with validated cognitive assessments to demonstrate that they are effective. 190 00:14:57.408 --> 00:14:58.029 Good answer. 191 00:14:58.650 --> 00:15:10.481 All right, let's get back to one of these questions, which is the fact that, you know, millions of people are walking around right now, and they truly believe that brain disease begins, their memory starts to fail sometime when we get older. 192 00:15:11.081 --> 00:15:19.850 And in your book, which I'm excited to learn more about, is the fact that science is really telling us that something different's happening, and it's confronting, but it's also very hopeful. 193 00:15:20.410 --> 00:15:22.292 So it seems that your work's 194 00:15:22.532 --> 00:15:24.194 It keeps coming back to the central idea. 195 00:15:24.534 --> 00:15:33.064 It's about what's happening in the here and in the now and how we can be proactive and maybe even creating a sense of urgency and taking ownership over this. 196 00:15:33.504 --> 00:15:35.306 So where does that conviction come from? 197 00:15:35.707 --> 00:15:39.952 How can you tell people that they're actually in more control of the future of their brain health? 198 00:15:40.393 --> 00:15:45.436 Well, I think that it's much like the term heart attack. 199 00:15:46.117 --> 00:15:56.564 A heart attack happens when you're walking down the street, you're minding your own business, and out of the blue, one of your heart vessels is closed off and then you have a big heart attack. 200 00:15:56.904 --> 00:15:58.145 That's not how it works. 201 00:15:58.365 --> 00:16:04.029 That's when you finally see the manifestation of decades of changes in your coronary arteries. 202 00:16:04.069 --> 00:16:05.050 It gets to a point finally, 203 00:16:05.470 --> 00:16:14.012 that either a plaque breaks off in an embolus forms or the artery just becomes too narrow for the demands of the physical activity that you're pursuing. 204 00:16:14.292 --> 00:16:15.292 So it didn't happen. 205 00:16:15.352 --> 00:16:16.852 It's not an attack out of the blue. 206 00:16:17.232 --> 00:16:19.353 And the same thing holds with respect to the brain. 207 00:16:19.393 --> 00:16:30.195 I mean, people say, you know, it's, I've started to notice that my cognitive, that they won't say cognitive, that my memory isn't where it used to be, or I walk into the room, I don't remember why I went there, 208 00:16:30.675 --> 00:16:32.757 Or my, you know, we have nine grandchildren now. 209 00:16:32.777 --> 00:16:35.700 I can't remember each of their names and certainly not their birthdays. 210 00:16:36.241 --> 00:16:40.445 So they begin to, you know, experience these events. 211 00:16:41.246 --> 00:16:44.189 And we laughingly call them senior moments. 212 00:16:44.369 --> 00:16:46.070 They are not to be laughed at. 213 00:16:46.090 --> 00:16:47.652 They're very, very serious. 214 00:16:48.193 --> 00:16:52.176 And what is really, I think, very spot on with respect to your question is, 215 00:16:52.877 --> 00:17:08.911 is that the changes that are beginning this whole process actually begin decades prior to the actual cognitive or what we call subjective cognitive impairment, where the individual experiences or notices that these changes are happening. 216 00:17:08.971 --> 00:17:18.119 These metabolic changes that affect the brain's immune system and lead to the brain's decline are occurring decades ahead of time. 217 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:18.979 And by and large, 218 00:17:19.800 --> 00:17:28.067 These are issues, first, that are metabolic, like elevated blood sugar, insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure, elevated body fat. 219 00:17:28.788 --> 00:17:32.912 And number two, that these are issues over which we definitely have control. 220 00:17:33.412 --> 00:17:41.479 So the messaging has to be, again, as John Kennedy said in his inaugural address, that the time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining. 221 00:17:41.499 --> 00:17:42.160 Right. 222 00:17:42.300 --> 00:17:50.305 And that means that if we are waiting until we are cognitively impaired, we set ourselves up to be in a really challenging situation. 223 00:17:50.946 --> 00:17:51.986 Let's be preventive. 224 00:17:52.086 --> 00:17:55.609 There is actually now a journal of prevention of Alzheimer's. 225 00:17:56.089 --> 00:17:57.770 That's the name of the journal. 226 00:17:58.671 --> 00:18:11.619 And so we've really got to let people understand that prevention really is the way to go on this because once that disease is established, it becomes very, very compelling and challenging to try to turn that back around. 227 00:18:11.931 --> 00:18:13.752 The numbers are actually quite frightening. 228 00:18:14.313 --> 00:18:19.876 My father-in-law, he was just recently diagnosed with Parkinson's and it's progressing pretty quickly. 229 00:18:19.896 --> 00:18:25.259 I have so many friends who have parents or grandparents who've been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. 230 00:18:25.740 --> 00:18:29.922 And when we look at the stats, it's projected to affect 14 million people by 2060. 231 00:18:31.083 --> 00:18:42.095 So when we're thinking about this lens of prevention, is this happening right now because of like, you know, years of poor dietary recommendations, years of ultra processed foods that were on set? 232 00:18:42.455 --> 00:18:46.719 It seems pretty promising that it's something that we can change around with the state of health and wellness today. 233 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:53.827 But right now, walking into any hospital, you see that there is such a rise of these neurodegenerative disorders and it's really frightening. 234 00:18:54.027 --> 00:18:59.891 Well, what you're observing is certainly well-documented in the literature. 235 00:19:00.052 --> 00:19:14.062 And I think that it's a consequence pretty much of our metabolic mayhem, of the fact that metabolically, you know, in America, about 94% of American adults has at least one marker of mortality. 236 00:19:14.242 --> 00:19:26.200 metabolic syndrome, whether it's elevated blood sugar or blood pressure or dyslipidemia or elevated triglycerides, whatever it may be, body fat, meaning that about 4.5% of Americans, adults, 4.5% is intact. 237 00:19:30.586 --> 00:19:40.589 All the rest, because they're metabolically compromised, are experiencing an increased risk exactly describing what you just described, exactly supporting what you just described. 238 00:19:40.829 --> 00:19:43.050 And so it isn't surprising at all. 239 00:19:43.210 --> 00:19:52.893 And it is absolutely getting worse with time, as are rates of certain cancers in younger and younger people, like colon cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers in younger people. 240 00:19:53.453 --> 00:19:56.274 So this is not a genetic issue. 241 00:19:56.594 --> 00:19:59.855 If it were a genetic issue, then the numbers wouldn't be changing with time. 242 00:20:00.375 --> 00:20:04.397 About 3% of Alzheimer's is really related to genetics. 243 00:20:04.457 --> 00:20:17.701 The rest is related to environmental factors coming in juxtaposed to our genetics, where there's this conflict or this mismatch, what I call a mismatch between environment and evolution, i.e. 244 00:20:18.001 --> 00:20:19.662 what's going on around us in terms of 245 00:20:20.082 --> 00:20:24.103 modifiable factors like the choices we make and our genome. 246 00:20:24.143 --> 00:20:25.944 So your observation is spot on. 247 00:20:26.864 --> 00:20:44.850 Now that we are understanding that, we're hopefully starting to move away from myopic ideas about treatment and really begin to embrace the idea that prevention is what really makes sense economically, socially, emotionally, keep people healthy. 248 00:20:46.070 --> 00:20:53.693 they will be less likely to experience this issue or their family member will be less likely to experience brain decline. 249 00:20:53.733 --> 00:20:54.733 And it's a rough road. 250 00:20:55.074 --> 00:20:59.115 I mean, as in Rawls, I experienced that with a lot of people. 251 00:20:59.175 --> 00:21:08.579 And as the son of somebody who died of Alzheimer's, that's an experience that really makes you want to double down on what you're doing with your life. 252 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:12.260 In my case, getting the word out that it doesn't have to be that way. 253 00:21:12.645 --> 00:21:14.827 Yeah, which is why your work is so powerful. 254 00:21:14.887 --> 00:21:25.315 And I think that like you and so many doctors that come on this show, so many of us have gone through something in order to really understand that nothing matters when you don't have your health. 255 00:21:25.775 --> 00:21:26.476 Nothing matters. 256 00:21:27.116 --> 00:21:29.078 And yet a lot of people out there, and it's not about. 257 00:21:29.518 --> 00:21:38.141 And it can be, you know, it is something that we have the data indicating what these lifestyle choices are doing in terms of dementia risk. 258 00:21:38.681 --> 00:21:44.523 One study published in the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's demonstrated this was a study of 1,375 people followed for 20 years. 259 00:21:44.543 --> 00:21:45.543 Average age was, I think, 68.5. 260 00:21:52.425 --> 00:21:57.947 And it followed them in terms of what did they eat and who got Alzheimer's disease and what did they find? 261 00:21:58.447 --> 00:22:05.149 That as an average, having one serving per day of ultra-processed foods, i.e. 262 00:22:05.289 --> 00:22:11.811 a handful of chips per day, that's it, or a flavored yogurt, what a day, increased your risk of Alzheimer's by 13%. 263 00:22:13.712 --> 00:22:20.040 10 or more servings a day, and that's not uncommon, increase your risk by about 2.7 fold. 264 00:22:20.561 --> 00:22:28.932 In other words, the 270% increased risk of developing a disease for which we have no pharmaceutical fix at all. 265 00:22:28.992 --> 00:22:29.292 Right. 266 00:22:29.773 --> 00:22:41.842 That said, consider the fact that in America, 60% of the calories coming into adults is in the form of ultra-processed foods. 267 00:22:42.382 --> 00:22:44.884 So what's that question you asked me earlier? 268 00:22:45.064 --> 00:22:47.786 What's the thing we should be looking at in terms of food? 269 00:22:48.246 --> 00:22:50.068 What's the one thing I would take out of the house? 270 00:22:50.108 --> 00:22:52.950 And that would be foods that have more than three ingredients. 271 00:22:53.330 --> 00:22:57.573 That's a clear indication that that food's been ultra-processed when there are more ingredients. 272 00:22:58.272 --> 00:23:08.782 my blood starts boiling because I think about the food that's being served in our school system and how everything is ultra processed and the fact that it is all highly addictive. 273 00:23:08.822 --> 00:23:14.748 And these kids, the blueprint for their training when they go to school is that that's real food, right? 274 00:23:14.768 --> 00:23:14.868 Yeah. 275 00:23:15.927 --> 00:23:19.010 So it's important to have them all. 276 00:23:19.150 --> 00:23:22.292 I think the term ultra-processed food is an oxymoron. 277 00:23:22.753 --> 00:23:24.915 If it's ultra-processed, it isn't food. 278 00:23:25.075 --> 00:23:27.377 So you can't even put those two words together. 279 00:23:27.637 --> 00:23:29.098 And I hear what you're saying about schools. 280 00:23:29.819 --> 00:23:31.821 You know, I absolutely get that. 281 00:23:32.101 --> 00:23:36.765 But what I've always wondered is, why is the worst food in town at the hospital? 282 00:23:37.185 --> 00:23:37.625 Oh, yeah. 283 00:23:37.886 --> 00:23:41.969 Where you really need nutrition to heal from your surgery or whatever treatment you're getting. 284 00:23:42.329 --> 00:23:43.550 That's when you need it most. 285 00:23:43.770 --> 00:23:46.933 And yet the hospital food is notoriously awful. 286 00:23:47.588 --> 00:23:48.108 You got it. 287 00:23:48.808 --> 00:23:50.049 Gosh, we could do a whole episode on that. 288 00:23:51.049 --> 00:24:06.195 Let's pull back first and understand a lot of the symptoms that seem to be really common these days when we think about depression or the rise in anxiety, the numbers of stress that continue to rise that we've just become so accustomed to living with, and even maybe some mild cognitive decline. 289 00:24:06.675 --> 00:24:12.097 Is there a common route connecting all three that medicine is almost never acknowledged? 290 00:24:12.437 --> 00:24:13.217 And what does that mean for 291 00:24:16.038 --> 00:24:28.047 Well, I think it means good things because I think we're now at a stage where we're recognizing some much more upstream fundamentals involved in mood disorders than we have previously recognized. 292 00:24:28.067 --> 00:24:34.832 You know, depression was basically thought to be a neurotransmitter deficiency, generally serotonin. 293 00:24:35.252 --> 00:24:58.552 And as such, once that theory, the serotonin deficiency idea came into popularity, well, forward-thinking pharmaceutical companies decided to go ahead and start working on creating drugs to allow serotonin to hang around longer by turning off their reuptake using what are called SSRIs, drugs to keep that serotonin. 294 00:24:58.572 --> 00:24:58.792 Yeah. 295 00:24:58.952 --> 00:25:01.394 Hanging around longer like that would be the magic bullet. 296 00:25:01.695 --> 00:25:02.255 Didn't work. 297 00:25:02.615 --> 00:25:08.601 I mean, the effectiveness of those SSRI antidepressants is, I think we'd all agree, is minimal. 298 00:25:09.041 --> 00:25:11.604 It's just minimally above placebo. 299 00:25:12.004 --> 00:25:14.146 Maybe that means placebo is a good thing. 300 00:25:14.446 --> 00:25:25.411 But to answer your question more directly, I would say that we now understand that inflammation and the brain's immune system are playing central roles in things like mood disorders. 301 00:25:26.152 --> 00:25:29.933 And that is certainly upstream of any change in the neurotransmitters. 302 00:25:30.013 --> 00:25:31.294 And what's really exciting... 303 00:25:31.654 --> 00:25:53.435 is that this is the same kind of issue mechanistically that goes on in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and PTSD and long COVID and all the neurodegenerative conditions are all united by the fact that these changes in the brain's immune system that can be brought on by a number of inroads like inflammation in depression, for example, 304 00:25:53.875 --> 00:26:00.902 all filter through the changes in the immune system that then leads to changes in brain functionality. 305 00:26:00.982 --> 00:26:10.230 So now we have kind of a global entree for brain health across multiple domains of risks, of illnesses, for example. 306 00:26:10.631 --> 00:26:16.096 Things like depression, things like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, all united by a similar mechanism. 307 00:26:16.782 --> 00:26:17.122 Mm-hmm. 308 00:26:17.563 --> 00:26:17.903 It's funny. 309 00:26:18.423 --> 00:26:19.804 The word inflammation is buzzing. 310 00:26:20.324 --> 00:26:24.527 And, you know, we can now link it to every system within the body. 311 00:26:24.947 --> 00:26:27.708 And I think this is something about ancient wisdom that they've always done. 312 00:26:27.749 --> 00:26:30.330 They looked at the body as a whole instead of in parts. 313 00:26:30.790 --> 00:26:37.174 And the fact that now we understand that we can't separate mental health from metabolic health is really, really key. 314 00:26:37.274 --> 00:26:39.295 But I have a feeling that's still not known. 315 00:26:39.676 --> 00:26:42.197 Like that's still not mainstream knowledge yet. 316 00:26:42.597 --> 00:26:42.817 And I 317 00:26:43.958 --> 00:26:51.774 Has it taken some effort for you being a pioneer in this field and kind of making that connection in the field of neuroscience to other practitioners? 318 00:26:52.437 --> 00:26:54.799 Well, I'm not alone in that, that's for sure. 319 00:26:54.839 --> 00:26:57.361 I mean, this is, as you say, really what's going on. 320 00:26:57.921 --> 00:27:00.603 But again, I think it's the world that you live in, the world that I live in. 321 00:27:00.983 --> 00:27:03.925 We see these exciting developments. 322 00:27:04.286 --> 00:27:13.692 You know, the book Brain Energy, for example, being published, the work of Dr. Uma Naidoo at Harvard as it relates to mood disorders, et cetera. 323 00:27:14.113 --> 00:27:19.016 So I think, you know, you and I live in a world where we're more exposed to this. 324 00:27:19.056 --> 00:27:20.417 I think mainstream... 325 00:27:21.598 --> 00:27:29.065 neurology and psychiatry are, you know, still depression is treated with a prescription and that's your 15 minutes. 326 00:27:29.625 --> 00:27:31.647 We'll see you in six months and I'll refill it for you. 327 00:27:31.727 --> 00:27:43.277 And that's, you know, exceedingly unfortunate because it really doesn't allow the incorporation of techniques to really target what is the underlying issue here. 328 00:27:43.678 --> 00:27:45.720 It is not serotonin 329 00:27:46.300 --> 00:27:48.641 deficiency or norepinephrine deficiency. 330 00:27:48.741 --> 00:27:51.141 It's upstream of that, but it's happening. 331 00:27:51.241 --> 00:27:52.202 It's happening slowly. 332 00:27:52.282 --> 00:27:56.643 You and I are much more aware of it, of course, because of the things we read and we're exposed to. 333 00:27:57.523 --> 00:28:01.304 And again, I don't think the general public really is embracing that yet. 334 00:28:01.664 --> 00:28:04.985 That's the reason we do the things we do like podcasting and write books. 335 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:06.280 You got it. 336 00:28:06.761 --> 00:28:14.552 So we alluded to the fact that, you know, changes that can really lead to neurodegeneration can begin 20 to 30 years before. 337 00:28:15.173 --> 00:28:18.138 For everyone listening right now, add 20 or 30 years onto your life. 338 00:28:18.579 --> 00:28:21.383 And I want you to start imagining how you want to feel then and really get 339 00:28:21.603 --> 00:28:23.584 crystal clear on what you want to feel. 340 00:28:23.604 --> 00:28:27.065 I think that's a big part of planning for optimization. 341 00:28:27.645 --> 00:28:38.068 But do you have a message for people who feel fine right now, who may be new to this world, what are some tips that you really are finding that can really slow or prevent these symptoms from occurring? 342 00:28:38.627 --> 00:28:47.271 It's interesting you ask that question because in one of my presentations, I have a cartoon slide of a man falling. 343 00:28:47.591 --> 00:28:52.754 He's falling out of a building and he's passing by a window and there's a woman with the window open. 344 00:28:52.794 --> 00:28:56.315 She's looking at him and he says as he's passing by, why should I worry? 345 00:28:56.475 --> 00:28:57.156 I feel fine. 346 00:28:57.858 --> 00:29:00.379 and in three seconds he's gonna hit the ground. 347 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:08.421 It's challenging for us to get the message out that what you do today is going to affect your brain in 30 years. 348 00:29:08.541 --> 00:29:11.122 30 years is never gonna happen, never gonna come. 349 00:29:11.142 --> 00:29:11.602 You know what? 350 00:29:12.423 --> 00:29:13.703 It happens before you know it. 351 00:29:14.383 --> 00:29:19.105 20 years, 30 years, and we're seeing Alzheimer's in younger people now as well. 352 00:29:19.805 --> 00:29:32.876 And so I think that the question to ask is when you are 70 years old or whatever, 65 years old, let's say 70 years old, do you want to be cognitively intact or not? 353 00:29:33.397 --> 00:29:36.359 And the answer is generally, of course, yes, that's what I want. 354 00:29:36.379 --> 00:29:37.420 That's what I fear most. 355 00:29:37.760 --> 00:29:41.323 I fear loss of cognitive function more than I fear cancer. 356 00:29:41.683 --> 00:29:44.546 That's statistically what people are most concerned about. 357 00:29:45.006 --> 00:29:52.894 then you have to indicate that the brain changes begin with metabolic changes and those metabolic changes are already happening in your body. 358 00:29:53.194 --> 00:30:02.603 If for no other reason, then your chronological age, if your chronological age is 40, then you're already on the road to metabolic, what I call metabolic mayhem. 359 00:30:03.483 --> 00:30:08.927 And, you know, certainly if you're already pre-diabetic, what's your blood sugar, fasting insulin, we're going to talk about that. 360 00:30:09.307 --> 00:30:13.550 What's your body weight, you know, your waist to hip ratio, all of the things. 361 00:30:13.630 --> 00:30:15.412 What's your level of physical activity? 362 00:30:15.452 --> 00:30:16.592 How well are you sleeping? 363 00:30:16.792 --> 00:30:20.295 All of the metrics and the variables that we talk about. 364 00:30:20.535 --> 00:30:21.356 It's a challenge. 365 00:30:21.656 --> 00:30:26.720 I know it's a challenge because when I was 30 years old, I was completely invincible. 366 00:30:26.840 --> 00:30:31.644 Nothing I did could ever have been construed as posing a threat to my future health. 367 00:30:31.985 --> 00:30:33.726 I now know quite differently. 368 00:30:33.786 --> 00:30:34.947 I know I got too much sun. 369 00:30:35.347 --> 00:30:37.149 I know I injured myself in various sports. 370 00:30:37.609 --> 00:30:39.231 You know, the list goes on and on. 371 00:30:39.491 --> 00:30:41.693 And if we all had it to do over again, 372 00:30:42.253 --> 00:30:44.114 we would have done it differently, that's for sure. 373 00:30:44.194 --> 00:30:46.355 But that's part of the messaging now. 374 00:30:46.375 --> 00:30:55.518 For years, my messaging was to families of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients saying, well, here's what we're gonna do for dad, for mom, et cetera. 375 00:30:55.918 --> 00:31:10.944 But I really, not that I don't do that now, of course I do, but I still want to emphasize that I have shifted a lot of my messaging towards the younger population to set the seeds of better metabolic health 376 00:31:11.484 --> 00:31:13.145 so that you're not going to be a victim. 377 00:31:14.045 --> 00:31:14.506 Beautiful. 378 00:31:15.126 --> 00:31:18.047 Yeah, I spend a lot of time speaking with my kids about this. 379 00:31:18.087 --> 00:31:24.111 Instead of labeling foods as good or bad, I'm trying to support them and understanding why and how and what the impact will be. 380 00:31:24.371 --> 00:31:28.673 And when I'm working with my clients, more often than not, I'll partner with a functional medicine doctor. 381 00:31:29.073 --> 00:31:34.116 So on one side, we understand the diagnostics and protocol, but ultimately a lot of what I do is the coaching. 382 00:31:34.676 --> 00:31:38.158 And with that, and the reason why I ask that question to this community is, 383 00:31:38.798 --> 00:31:41.360 It's so important to have a why on where you're going. 384 00:31:41.821 --> 00:31:49.427 I often say that my goal is to support people with the here and the now, but I want you to imagine how you, what's your posture gonna be like when you're 90 or 100? 385 00:31:49.487 --> 00:31:55.952 And I've got this visual of me on a mountain with my grandkids on my back, hiking up a big mountain. 386 00:31:55.992 --> 00:32:02.978 Like as we get older, these kind of superficial goals around health and wellness dissipate and having a bigger why really, really matters. 387 00:32:03.318 --> 00:32:05.300 So thanks for bringing on that. 388 00:32:05.360 --> 00:32:07.462 You know, Alzheimer's is not old timers. 389 00:32:08.420 --> 00:32:09.001 Yeah, exactly. 390 00:32:09.021 --> 00:32:13.147 Well, you know, it's a senior moment and I'm aging and it's expected. 391 00:32:13.648 --> 00:32:15.611 No, it doesn't work that way. 392 00:32:15.991 --> 00:32:23.843 We can absolutely keep ourselves cognitively intact as we physically or rather as we chronologically age. 393 00:32:25.064 --> 00:32:26.926 and biologically age for that matter. 394 00:32:27.547 --> 00:32:30.190 And these are levers that each of us can pull. 395 00:32:30.891 --> 00:32:36.216 It's just a question of having 1% determination and then 99% perspiration, i.e. 396 00:32:36.577 --> 00:32:42.904 you gotta do the stuff and you're gonna be so richly rewarded for it as you get older. 397 00:32:43.304 --> 00:32:44.165 You get extra years. 398 00:32:44.746 --> 00:32:50.109 You know, I, I have friends that are my, I'm 71 friends, my age, they can't do things anymore. 399 00:32:50.149 --> 00:32:53.030 You know, some, uh, some have died of course. 400 00:32:53.110 --> 00:32:58.493 And, uh, but you know, my friends, I, I can't call them up and say, Hey, let's go do whatever it is. 401 00:32:58.853 --> 00:33:07.378 There are a few that are out there, but you know, a lot of them would just, they'd rather go on the cruise and, and have the buffet all day and, and watch the sites go by. 402 00:33:08.107 --> 00:33:08.587 Wow. 403 00:33:09.228 --> 00:33:10.209 All right. 404 00:33:10.529 --> 00:33:12.330 Let's put this into real terms then. 405 00:33:12.370 --> 00:33:17.934 Metabolic health obviously is a core driver, yet 6% of Americans are truly metabolically healthy. 406 00:33:18.454 --> 00:33:20.036 So what's happening right now? 407 00:33:20.076 --> 00:33:24.519 What does that mean for that 94% of people and their brains? 408 00:33:25.192 --> 00:33:27.294 Well, it doesn't bode well. 409 00:33:27.694 --> 00:33:29.776 And I'm going to offer some good news first. 410 00:33:30.136 --> 00:33:36.281 In the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2025 was published something called the Pointer Study. 411 00:33:36.301 --> 00:33:40.084 And the Pointer Study, easy to remember, Pointer, people can look it up. 412 00:33:40.124 --> 00:33:45.489 It's actually online free access, studied 20,111 individuals who were non-demented, 413 00:33:49.732 --> 00:33:53.777 and who had metabolic issues, weren't in the best of health. 414 00:33:53.797 --> 00:34:01.927 Some of them carried a specific gene variant called APOE4, which meant that they were at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease. 415 00:34:02.468 --> 00:34:05.752 And this was a two-year study and they had two groups. 416 00:34:06.613 --> 00:34:17.357 Group one had very significant oversight, coaching, the exercise coaching, dietary coaching, lifestyle modification for stress management, all the things, right? 417 00:34:17.437 --> 00:34:23.679 And the second group had received that information but didn't really get any kind of hands-on. 418 00:34:23.699 --> 00:34:26.980 They had six meetings during the two-year period as opposed to, I think, 33 meetings. 419 00:34:27.560 --> 00:34:28.801 meetings in the first group. 420 00:34:29.021 --> 00:34:31.523 So they didn't really have hands-on supervision. 421 00:34:31.543 --> 00:34:35.345 They were given a list of things you should do, but not really supervised. 422 00:34:35.745 --> 00:34:37.046 So here's what the study showed. 423 00:34:37.727 --> 00:34:42.250 Two years, people, and these are like 68 to 70 year old people, actually I think some were 75. 424 00:34:43.190 --> 00:34:52.133 that in the two-year period of time, the intervention groups, people that had the coaching, they didn't decline in their cognitive function, actually improved. 425 00:34:52.173 --> 00:34:53.834 They stabilized or they improved. 426 00:34:54.234 --> 00:34:55.674 That's unheard of. 427 00:34:56.115 --> 00:34:56.735 Can you imagine? 428 00:34:56.915 --> 00:34:58.395 And there's no drug that will do that. 429 00:34:58.756 --> 00:35:01.537 But what about the other group that didn't have the supervision? 430 00:35:01.777 --> 00:35:02.237 Guess what? 431 00:35:02.717 --> 00:35:03.957 They improved as well. 432 00:35:04.338 --> 00:35:04.718 Not to the 433 00:35:05.938 --> 00:35:19.028 But just giving these people the information, they arrested cognitive decline, and they were high risk cognitive decline because of exactly what you just described, they were metabolically compromised, but their cognitive decline was arrested. 434 00:35:19.068 --> 00:35:20.549 In fact, many of them improved. 435 00:35:20.889 --> 00:35:34.619 Their level of improvement was not as high as the group that was coached all the time, but nonetheless, it really speaks volumes about the idea of getting out this information to preserve cognitive function. 436 00:35:35.199 --> 00:35:52.120 So I'm actually working on a project right now, which is an AI influenced, interactive online way that we can interface with individuals to be with them every step of the way and coach them with their diets and exercise and sleep patterns, et cetera. 437 00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:56.162 And we will harvest incredible data from that and really prove the point. 438 00:35:56.422 --> 00:36:02.165 So look, in the new book, I talk about some of the most exciting new technologies being developed. 439 00:36:02.205 --> 00:36:03.005 And there are some. 440 00:36:03.386 --> 00:36:14.171 I am so thrilled with some of the technology, the way leading-edge institutions are looking at basically modulating the brain's immune system to bring about better health. 441 00:36:14.551 --> 00:36:17.253 But the tools are within our hands right now. 442 00:36:17.773 --> 00:36:18.794 We just have to implement. 443 00:36:18.894 --> 00:36:24.697 And the tools are what we know and what has been proven as it relates to the brain. 444 00:36:25.117 --> 00:36:27.719 Let's talk about diagnostics then and testing. 445 00:36:28.219 --> 00:36:31.941 You know, I love that functional testing is becoming more accessible to a lot of people. 446 00:36:32.361 --> 00:36:39.266 Is there a demographic or age range that you're suggesting that people should start looking into things like fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c? 447 00:36:39.646 --> 00:36:41.647 Any other key biomarkers that you recommend or suggest also? 448 00:36:42.147 --> 00:36:50.990 Fasting glucose, A1C, and insulin, I think should be, you know, I used to say that would be something you'd want to start doing in your 50s. 449 00:36:51.170 --> 00:36:52.211 I don't say that anymore. 450 00:36:52.831 --> 00:36:59.893 I think it really should be in our 20s because we are setting the stage for our metabolic health earlier in life. 451 00:37:00.614 --> 00:37:07.036 The reality is even adolescents, you know, the rates of diabetes in adolescents is skyrocketing. 452 00:37:07.756 --> 00:37:12.943 In 1970, about 5% of adolescents were obese. 453 00:37:13.184 --> 00:37:14.606 Now it's 20%. 454 00:37:15.126 --> 00:37:17.269 So that number has increased fourfold. 455 00:37:17.409 --> 00:37:22.436 So we're going absolutely in the wrong direction as it relates to metabolic health. 456 00:37:23.617 --> 00:37:33.562 And frankly, the gestational health is critical as it relates to inflammation and metabolism once you're born and as you go through life. 457 00:37:33.622 --> 00:37:37.205 So, you know, when should, back to your question, when should those tests begin? 458 00:37:37.385 --> 00:37:41.607 Absolutely in our 20s and even perhaps younger in our adolescence. 459 00:37:41.667 --> 00:37:42.328 We should know. 460 00:37:42.548 --> 00:37:49.772 We should know what teenagers are starting to develop elevation of their fasting insulin levels and elevation of their blood sugar. 461 00:37:50.326 --> 00:37:52.547 especially because of the state of our food system. 462 00:37:52.927 --> 00:38:04.433 And it's funny, when I go speak at a conference, if I'm asking people to put their hand up on who's waking up with low energy every day or anxiety or sadness or any type of mood disorder, every single hand is up in the air. 463 00:38:04.933 --> 00:38:07.935 And what's really cool is that we can now understand our physiology. 464 00:38:07.975 --> 00:38:14.118 And when we do that, it's almost like it takes away the need for a protocol because you know what your body's asking for. 465 00:38:14.138 --> 00:38:15.979 So you're giving it what it needs, right? 466 00:38:15.999 --> 00:38:17.920 Taking it what it doesn't need and giving it what it needs. 467 00:38:18.440 --> 00:38:19.281 I hear you. 468 00:38:19.621 --> 00:38:33.268 And the problem is though, that I think many people, a lot of people have become dissociated from being able to be aware of and respond to those signals of what the body needs. 469 00:38:33.868 --> 00:38:37.510 And it's more about what my body wants. 470 00:38:37.710 --> 00:38:38.650 And what do I want? 471 00:38:38.710 --> 00:38:41.472 I want sugar, I want salt, and I want fat. 472 00:38:42.332 --> 00:38:55.832 You know, the idea that I need and I'm going to cater to what I need based upon what I sense or what is told to me, what I know is right, what my prefrontal cortex knows is right versus my amygdala, which is telling me what I want right now. 473 00:38:57.614 --> 00:39:09.686 And the more inflammation that people experience for the basically because of their inappropriate lifestyle choices, the less able they are to bring about those correct or better decisions. 474 00:39:10.106 --> 00:39:13.249 And the more they respond simply to their wants rather their needs. 475 00:39:14.488 --> 00:39:14.828 Good one. 476 00:39:14.868 --> 00:39:15.869 Okay, you said the word sugar. 477 00:39:16.310 --> 00:39:18.872 And you know that we live in a culture of extremes. 478 00:39:19.313 --> 00:39:23.156 Sugar is either poison or everything in moderation. 479 00:39:23.537 --> 00:39:35.269 So from your studies, then, when we're looking at sugar that comes from fruits or processed foods or even dairy, and how those could be linked to an increase in dementia risks, where's the line? 480 00:39:35.589 --> 00:39:36.230 How do we hold that? 481 00:39:36.749 --> 00:39:39.151 You know, I think it gets back to laboratory testing. 482 00:39:39.832 --> 00:39:41.894 Fruit contains fructose, hence the name. 483 00:39:42.194 --> 00:39:48.701 And that's pure sugar of a form that we know has significant metabolic consequences. 484 00:39:49.361 --> 00:39:52.024 There are about five grams of sugar in a typical apple. 485 00:39:52.044 --> 00:39:53.045 That's not going to hurt you. 486 00:39:53.725 --> 00:39:59.711 But 36 grams in a 12-ounce glass of orange juice is a big slug. 487 00:39:59.751 --> 00:40:03.374 It's far more than your small intestine can deal with or carry. 488 00:40:03.434 --> 00:40:13.504 And that excess fructose, the way it comes into the body very quickly because you're drinking it, stimulates the body to immediately metabolize that fructose into uric acid and 489 00:40:13.824 --> 00:40:17.186 And that uric acid is a terrible threat to our metabolism. 490 00:40:17.406 --> 00:40:20.008 You know, associated with things like obesity and diabetes. 491 00:40:20.568 --> 00:40:28.152 It's actually a survival mechanism, as it were, because when, as Hunter gathers, when do we get fructose? 492 00:40:28.212 --> 00:40:34.696 At the end of the summer and in the fall when fruit would ripen and there would be, that's how we, our sweet tooth served us well. 493 00:40:34.956 --> 00:40:41.440 We'd identify the sweet fruit, we would eat it, and then we'd have a higher uric acid level that told our bodies to make fat. 494 00:40:41.900 --> 00:40:45.181 That's a survival mechanism in the wintertime when you can't get food. 495 00:40:45.681 --> 00:40:59.466 Nowadays, when you're bombarding your body with that signaler, that fructose from all the sweetened foods, it's been estimated that 60% of packaged ultra-processed foods have added sweetener in them. 496 00:40:59.506 --> 00:41:09.869 So we're eating sweetened foods day in and day out, and we're tapping into that mechanism that's telling our bodies to make and store fat because winter is coming. 497 00:41:10.269 --> 00:41:11.310 That's what's going on. 498 00:41:12.050 --> 00:41:14.092 Uh, do people love those foods? 499 00:41:14.512 --> 00:41:15.773 You bet they do. 500 00:41:15.873 --> 00:41:22.697 We are deeply programmed from a survival perspective to eat sugar, to like sweet. 501 00:41:23.138 --> 00:41:30.503 We gravitate to sweet because sweet tells us that that food is safe and that food is going to allow, allow us to survive. 502 00:41:30.843 --> 00:41:35.146 That's why we, you know, when we were hunter-gatherers, we would eat berries and things like that. 503 00:41:35.166 --> 00:41:35.366 Uh, 504 00:41:35.946 --> 00:41:45.511 that are ripened and even over-ripened such that they were now fermenting, giving us great natural probiotics, as it were, when that fruit would drop to the ground and would rot. 505 00:41:46.051 --> 00:41:47.712 And we'd eat it anyway because we were hungry. 506 00:41:48.212 --> 00:41:50.893 It gives our body a load of good gut bacteria. 507 00:41:51.353 --> 00:41:57.156 So again, it is the sweet tooth that we have that needs to be overridden. 508 00:41:57.416 --> 00:42:01.158 And I would submit that the answer is not to... 509 00:42:01.498 --> 00:42:09.055 reach immediately for a GLP-1 ozempic-like agonist drug to counteract that sweet tooth and deal with our excessive hunger. 510 00:42:09.290 --> 00:42:10.351 Thank you for bringing that up. 511 00:42:10.671 --> 00:42:12.813 Yeah, you know, it's an addiction. 512 00:42:13.013 --> 00:42:15.555 It's a full addiction for a lot of people that I work with. 513 00:42:15.935 --> 00:42:23.181 It takes time to acclimate the body to taking in less sugar every day, even if it is a lot of fruit that they're consuming for breakfast, for lunch, and for dinner. 514 00:42:23.501 --> 00:42:30.606 But you said something unique about an apple, which is a fruit that is very sweet that is also merged with a lot of fiber. 515 00:42:31.167 --> 00:42:35.050 And when we think about this, maybe you can say something about the fact that we used to think about the gut 516 00:42:35.290 --> 00:42:37.931 and the brain is two separate systems completely. 517 00:42:38.271 --> 00:42:48.135 But now the science that's emerging from optimizing the gut microbiome and the microbes within the gut, even the diversity of the foods that we take in, the diversity of fiber as well. 518 00:42:48.155 --> 00:42:49.356 Can you tell us about that science? 519 00:42:49.836 --> 00:42:54.518 Yes, I came up with this idea the other day, and that is that we have our five senses. 520 00:42:55.018 --> 00:42:56.759 I think we have a sixth sense. 521 00:42:56.919 --> 00:43:04.542 I think that our gut bacteria sense what's going on around us by virtue of what we eat, 522 00:43:05.202 --> 00:43:10.404 and then create signaling molecules to the rest of the body, including the brain, to get back to your question, your point. 523 00:43:10.684 --> 00:43:27.951 And therefore, that's a sense in a way, because we are able to perceive chemically, not through smell or taste, but chemically through what the gut bacteria are transmitting, a signal based upon what they are receiving, based upon the foods that we choose to consume, and other things, like medication, 524 00:43:28.752 --> 00:43:31.796 And therefore, it's changing our physiology by definition. 525 00:43:31.836 --> 00:43:32.797 I think that's a sense. 526 00:43:33.318 --> 00:43:35.201 So I need to work on that a little bit. 527 00:43:35.221 --> 00:43:38.004 I think I want to develop that a little bit more, maybe write a blog about it. 528 00:43:38.024 --> 00:43:40.648 But I'm playing with that idea. 529 00:43:41.008 --> 00:43:45.334 But yes, that's our first line of understanding what's going on around us. 530 00:43:45.895 --> 00:43:46.396 chemically. 531 00:43:46.496 --> 00:44:04.873 I mean, we see things, we hear things, we taste, we smell, we feel, but the gut is able to perceive where we live, what is the season, what is the status of the food that we are eating, should we preserve calories and ratchet down our metabolism or should we burn calories because food is overabundant. 532 00:44:05.173 --> 00:44:08.656 There's a lot going on there and those signals go directly to the brain. 533 00:44:10.339 --> 00:44:17.914 So our gut bacteria are modifying our genetic expression in our brain cells. 534 00:44:18.735 --> 00:44:19.597 That's pretty heady. 535 00:44:20.607 --> 00:44:21.628 Yeah, absolutely. 536 00:44:22.108 --> 00:44:25.430 You'd mentioned also around testing, right? 537 00:44:25.490 --> 00:44:35.976 So I think a lot of people are tuning into the quality of digestion and how improving their digestion could optimize how they feel specifically around their mental health, their energy and their mood. 538 00:44:36.316 --> 00:44:40.218 But when it comes to testing, you'd mentioned the APOE4 test. 539 00:44:40.538 --> 00:44:47.042 Maybe you're not even doing testing, but you see somebody in your family and you see that this is a genetic marker that is prevalent in your family. 540 00:44:47.062 --> 00:44:47.162 Yeah. 541 00:44:47.522 --> 00:44:54.391 What do you say to the person around the research that's emerging and really just getting into the epigenetics around that and how it can be prevented? 542 00:44:54.890 --> 00:44:57.792 Well, I don't, you know, it's not going to be prevented. 543 00:44:57.852 --> 00:45:01.074 If you carry an APOE4 allele, that's hardwired. 544 00:45:01.474 --> 00:45:05.897 The issue is though, how does it express itself once we understand that? 545 00:45:05.917 --> 00:45:07.758 And I'll tell you how that works in just a moment. 546 00:45:08.578 --> 00:45:13.401 And what are the offsets then for carrying that APOE4 allele? 547 00:45:13.461 --> 00:45:19.105 And I will tell you that, you know, there's no question that carrying an APOE4 allele, you get two of them. 548 00:45:19.845 --> 00:45:29.250 versus APOE3 or APOE2, carrying APOE4 is definitely associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's by it as much as five-fold. 549 00:45:29.530 --> 00:45:31.151 But recall, you do get two of them. 550 00:45:31.572 --> 00:45:41.477 So you can be an APO2-4, which has very little increased risk, or 3-4, but you can also have APOE4-4, and that has been associated... 551 00:45:41.877 --> 00:45:45.501 with as much as a tenfold increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. 552 00:45:45.941 --> 00:45:46.722 How does it work? 553 00:45:47.203 --> 00:45:59.215 Multiple issues involved here, including inflammation, including increased polarization of our brains, immune cells, away from being supportive to becoming destructive. 554 00:45:59.255 --> 00:46:03.079 That was work done by Dr. Sarah Marzai at the Marzai Lab in England. 555 00:46:03.840 --> 00:46:11.165 So there are a lot of things that APO4 does that are pro-inflammatory, that are not supportive of good mitochondrial function. 556 00:46:11.525 --> 00:46:14.086 But recall what I told you about the pointer study. 557 00:46:14.507 --> 00:46:24.433 In that pointer study, people who engaged in a program either supervised or not did not demonstrate loss of brain function, actually improvement of brain function 558 00:46:25.213 --> 00:46:33.176 even including the APOE4 carriers who, by previous knowledge, should have declined, but they did not. 559 00:46:33.496 --> 00:46:46.241 So I think we're really getting to the point where we're very much able to get our arms around the idea that we can offset the potential risk of carrying one or two APOE4 alleles. 560 00:46:46.261 --> 00:46:49.182 It's very obvious that that's where we're going. 561 00:46:50.982 --> 00:46:52.243 So if you're someone who... 562 00:46:53.109 --> 00:46:57.893 see somebody around you and your family who is suffering, it doesn't predict your destiny then. 563 00:46:58.453 --> 00:47:03.557 And I'm sure in your book, you're going to talk about a lot of the modern stressors that happen from our environment. 564 00:47:03.597 --> 00:47:10.822 And we've touched a little bit on it today, but in our modern world today, what are the biggest assaults then that we're experiencing? 565 00:47:10.842 --> 00:47:10.922 I'm 566 00:47:11.462 --> 00:47:20.184 You know, I think people are wanting me to answer that question, and probably you are too, in terms of what are the biggest assaults environmentally as it relates to the brain? 567 00:47:20.684 --> 00:47:29.126 And I guess some would be thinking, oh, PM2.5 particles, microplastics, glyphosate, an herbicide, all the things. 568 00:47:29.666 --> 00:47:31.307 And I think the biggest assaults. 569 00:47:32.287 --> 00:47:40.570 on brain health is the level of stress that we are engaged in in our day-to-day lives. 570 00:47:40.930 --> 00:47:46.592 I mean, the news right now and over the past few years has just gotten worse and worse. 571 00:47:46.932 --> 00:47:56.775 I think people are confronted with the sense of we don't know what tomorrow will bring, that whatever it is according to the news channels is going to be bad. 572 00:47:57.615 --> 00:48:09.487 And that doesn't matter whether you're liberal or you're conservative, either of those networks that tend to cater to each of those populations sends out equally bad information. 573 00:48:09.507 --> 00:48:11.408 You know, they say if it bleeds, it leads. 574 00:48:11.528 --> 00:48:20.297 So, you know, I think that's the biggest stress, the biggest threat is the fact that we are confronted by so much adversity day in and day out. 575 00:48:20.677 --> 00:48:21.457 Yeah, I get it. 576 00:48:21.477 --> 00:48:22.638 The air pollution is a thing. 577 00:48:22.898 --> 00:48:25.458 The wildfire smoke is definitely a problem. 578 00:48:25.799 --> 00:48:37.382 The PM2.5s that they generate are clearly brain-threatening, clearly associated with Alzheimer's risk, as is the risk imparted by being exposed to glyphosate as it relates to Parkinson's. 579 00:48:38.082 --> 00:48:40.884 and paraquat with respect to Parkinson's as well. 580 00:48:41.424 --> 00:48:43.045 We consider those environmental threats. 581 00:48:44.286 --> 00:48:58.454 But that said, I think that from the moment people get up until they go to sleep at night, there's always that issue in the background that there's stuff going on over which I have no control, but nonetheless is... 582 00:48:59.395 --> 00:49:01.156 potentially threatening my future. 583 00:49:01.656 --> 00:49:10.020 And to be in a situation where you're feeling threatened and you cannot respond is really, really damaging for the brain. 584 00:49:10.567 --> 00:49:20.509 And honestly, I'm so happy that you answered that way because more often than not, the messages that I get is just the overwhelm that people are feeling right now around what to do. 585 00:49:20.549 --> 00:49:21.169 There's so much. 586 00:49:21.209 --> 00:49:22.290 There's so much information. 587 00:49:22.370 --> 00:49:24.170 Everything's toxic for me now. 588 00:49:24.530 --> 00:49:33.012 But it's the core state of stress that we're all experiencing every single day, which is a predictor for so many imbalances within the body that we're now ignoring, right? 589 00:49:33.272 --> 00:49:37.273 And I think that by the time symptoms turn into symptoms that you actually feel, you 590 00:49:37.713 --> 00:49:41.516 where inflammation becomes too high, we're not tuning in until then. 591 00:49:41.976 --> 00:49:50.802 So my happiness around you answering that way is just for listeners who do feel overwhelmed to really just wake up every day and just assess your level of stress. 592 00:49:51.162 --> 00:49:51.702 Are you coping? 593 00:49:51.762 --> 00:49:52.543 Are you getting by? 594 00:49:52.563 --> 00:49:57.146 Are you shifting your lifestyle in a way that can really support you in getting through today? 595 00:49:57.206 --> 00:50:00.648 Because yeah, to your point, we're experiencing more stress than we've ever had in history. 596 00:50:00.748 --> 00:50:05.912 I think that is extremely underrated and hugely, hugely important. 597 00:50:06.392 --> 00:50:33.424 And, you know, whether you want to look at your heart rate variability, if you're wearing an Oura ring or an Apple watch or any of the wearables that will give you that information, that's a pretty good metric in terms of not just how much you're experiencing, but what is your set point as it relates to your sympathetic fight or flight nervous system or your parasympathetic nervous system, you know, the rest and digest calming nervous system. 598 00:50:33.985 --> 00:50:34.385 And that's, 599 00:50:34.965 --> 00:50:41.853 The level of heart rate variability strongly correlates to whether you're sympathetic or parasympathetic dominant. 600 00:50:42.253 --> 00:50:45.376 You want a higher heart rate variability. 601 00:50:45.416 --> 00:50:50.942 You want that beat-to-beat distance or time to be more variable over time. 602 00:50:50.962 --> 00:50:52.063 It shows resiliency. 603 00:50:52.083 --> 00:50:53.165 It shows plasticity. 604 00:50:54.005 --> 00:50:56.067 And then you look at that number. 605 00:50:56.167 --> 00:50:59.090 That's the metric that I think is perhaps most valuable. 606 00:50:59.731 --> 00:51:01.132 All the other ones are great. 607 00:51:01.212 --> 00:51:03.214 The fasting, insulin, all the things we're talking about. 608 00:51:03.754 --> 00:51:06.277 But I think this is incredibly undervalued. 609 00:51:08.919 --> 00:51:11.340 And it's modifiable too. 610 00:51:11.920 --> 00:51:17.742 It might be that you don't watch the evening news at night and your life goes on, believe it or not. 611 00:51:18.062 --> 00:51:20.483 You miss the evening news for five nights in a row. 612 00:51:20.983 --> 00:51:22.243 You don't miss much. 613 00:51:22.484 --> 00:51:24.424 You really don't miss a whole heck of a lot. 614 00:51:24.744 --> 00:51:29.246 Maybe watch the weather if you want to know what the weather's going to be like or look it up on the computer. 615 00:51:29.266 --> 00:51:32.647 But the news is so aggressive, threatening. 616 00:51:33.469 --> 00:51:39.660 and destabilizing and represents a clear and present danger as it relates to your brain health. 617 00:51:40.059 --> 00:51:46.801 Oh gosh, that even applies to social media and even in health and wellness with these clickbaits that are coming up, right? 618 00:51:46.861 --> 00:51:49.402 There's a lot of fear-inducing information out there. 619 00:51:49.842 --> 00:51:53.423 So mind your mind, you digest what you watch and what you listen to as well. 620 00:51:53.723 --> 00:51:54.183 I love that. 621 00:51:54.283 --> 00:51:54.843 Good points. 622 00:51:54.943 --> 00:51:57.584 So we mentioned inflammation that comes from our environment. 623 00:51:57.684 --> 00:52:00.085 Now, let's go back to food then. 624 00:52:00.365 --> 00:52:05.846 Can you just really explain at a biological level then the impact of metabolic health these days? 625 00:52:05.886 --> 00:52:08.507 So a lot of people, they might think that they're eating healthy, 626 00:52:08.907 --> 00:52:14.313 Often when I go through my clients' cabinets and, you know, there's a bulk of food that comes from their pantry. 627 00:52:14.633 --> 00:52:23.843 And on that box, it says gluten-free, paleo, but it's still a packaged, boxed, dead food with really great food labeling. 628 00:52:24.243 --> 00:52:30.950 Tell us about the impact of these ultra-processed foods, the healthy ones as well, and what that's doing to us consistently over time. 629 00:52:32.127 --> 00:52:33.848 In a word, it's increasing inflammation. 630 00:52:34.389 --> 00:52:41.013 And that is a bad thing because when there's inflammation in the body, it leads to degradation of every organ system. 631 00:52:41.613 --> 00:52:45.535 We're focused on the brain today and what inflammation does in the brain. 632 00:52:45.916 --> 00:52:52.900 And make no mistake about it, when we consume ultra-processed foods, those inflammatory chemicals make their way to the brain. 633 00:52:52.960 --> 00:52:53.060 They 634 00:52:55.081 --> 00:53:06.711 cytokines, interleukin-1-beta, important, two endocrosis factor alpha, they actually shift our brain's immune cells from being brain defenders to being the evil twin. 635 00:53:07.272 --> 00:53:18.342 From being a brain-defending, what we call microglial cell, M2 microglial cell that nurtures our neurons, that keeps our synapses functioning, that keeps the blood-brain barrier intact, they shift 636 00:53:18.862 --> 00:53:27.407 to becoming the evil twin that digests away our synapses, that threatens our neurons, and leads to actual leakiness of the blood-brain barrier. 637 00:53:27.447 --> 00:53:34.290 That's not a good thing, because once that blood-brain barrier becomes leaky, it lets in things that are pro-inflammatory. 638 00:53:34.650 --> 00:53:36.011 So the cycle continues. 639 00:53:36.051 --> 00:53:43.115 So inflammation that arises anywhere in the body for any reason is ultimately going to be a brain threat. 640 00:53:43.135 --> 00:53:46.797 I mean, that's the central thesis of Brain Defenders of the new book, is that 641 00:53:47.297 --> 00:53:57.238 We've got to do what we can to limit inflammation because our immune cells in our brain respond to that and become polarized to a form that is brain-threatening. 642 00:53:57.601 --> 00:54:07.123 There's a pattern, let's say, in history where, you know, shifting paradigms or ways of thinking, they're initially dismissed and they take some time. 643 00:54:07.423 --> 00:54:12.444 Obviously, this is probably a great source of your inspiration to get your work out into the world. 644 00:54:12.804 --> 00:54:15.565 But in the world of neurology, is there any pushback? 645 00:54:15.645 --> 00:54:19.306 Is there any like longstanding system that really needs to shift? 646 00:54:19.326 --> 00:54:22.246 There's been massive pushback over the years. 647 00:54:22.947 --> 00:54:24.427 But just recently, 648 00:54:25.107 --> 00:54:32.814 I was looking at reviewing what were the poster presentations at the American Academy of Neurology. 649 00:54:33.274 --> 00:54:50.850 And I was surprised to see things like the microbiome being mentioned, that dietary fiber being associated with a 46% higher consumption of dietary fiber, a 46% risk reduction for the development of Alzheimer's disease at a very mainstream, fairly conservative level. 650 00:54:51.410 --> 00:54:52.210 neurology meeting. 651 00:54:52.671 --> 00:54:53.531 So it's happening. 652 00:54:53.651 --> 00:55:01.033 And I think that one of the motivators for this is the abject failure of Alzheimer's drugs. 653 00:55:01.814 --> 00:55:06.115 There was what is called a Cochrane analysis that came out about three weeks ago. 654 00:55:06.135 --> 00:55:15.719 And it was a summary evaluation of all the major studies dealing with the so-called Alzheimer's drugs that take beta amyloid out of the brain. 655 00:55:16.119 --> 00:55:19.420 That is an FDA-approved Alzheimer's treatment 656 00:55:19.780 --> 00:55:26.422 It's FDA approved and the Cochrane study indicated that the effectiveness was trivial. 657 00:55:26.822 --> 00:55:28.402 Basically, it doesn't work. 658 00:55:28.882 --> 00:55:32.223 And there was pretty dramatic risk associated with these drugs. 659 00:55:32.663 --> 00:55:34.724 So I think the word is getting out about this. 660 00:55:35.604 --> 00:55:37.544 Many of us have been writing about it, blogging about it. 661 00:55:37.564 --> 00:55:40.085 My new book has a whole section talking about the... 662 00:55:40.925 --> 00:55:51.512 just the inadequacy of the drugs in the treatment of Alzheimer's specifically, and really calls into question, how are we approving these drugs that don't work? 663 00:55:52.012 --> 00:55:58.436 With now this Cochrane analysis that looked at 17 studies, 20,342 individuals represented in the studies, studied for 18 months, showing that these drugs had... 664 00:56:07.422 --> 00:56:20.353 what they said, trivial impact on the rate of decline of these individuals in the studies using the drugs and, you know, significant risk of very big time side effects like brain hemorrhaging and brain swelling. 665 00:56:20.413 --> 00:56:33.044 So that's, I want you to think about that total failure along with the study done by Dr. Rudolph Tanzi and Dr. Dean Ornish Tanzi at Harvard. 666 00:56:33.164 --> 00:56:33.425 Right. 667 00:56:33.885 --> 00:56:46.213 showing reversal of Alzheimer's symptoms in 70% of defined Alzheimer's patients diagnosed who simply changed lifestyle. 668 00:56:46.233 --> 00:56:48.434 More news, more studies. 669 00:56:48.474 --> 00:56:49.055 Exactly. 670 00:56:49.075 --> 00:56:50.956 It's low-hanging fruit. 671 00:56:50.976 --> 00:56:51.476 It really is. 672 00:56:51.576 --> 00:56:52.597 And cost-effective. 673 00:56:53.032 --> 00:56:54.933 And cost-effective, absolutely. 674 00:56:55.473 --> 00:56:57.735 And do you see, I'm starting to notice a narrative. 675 00:56:57.815 --> 00:57:06.359 Do you think that eventually, speaking about these drugs, do you see a world where GLPs are going to be prescribed as a form of prevention for people? 676 00:57:06.900 --> 00:57:08.341 As a form of prevention? 677 00:57:08.381 --> 00:57:12.263 Well, interestingly, one study demonstrated that diabetic patients 678 00:57:12.803 --> 00:57:20.529 who were taking semaglutide, using semaglutide, ozempic, for their diabetes actually had a lower risk of Alzheimer's. 679 00:57:21.110 --> 00:57:22.371 So what does it tell you? 680 00:57:22.431 --> 00:57:30.477 It tells you that targeting metabolism and mitochondrial function, which those types of drugs do, may have some play in terms of protecting the brain. 681 00:57:30.618 --> 00:57:39.725 A more recent study looked at actually administering oral semaglutide to patients who already had Alzheimer's and indicated that 682 00:57:40.405 --> 00:57:43.869 it didn't reach its targets in terms of effectiveness. 683 00:57:43.949 --> 00:57:51.655 But one researcher who was not involved in the study commented that, you know, it did lower C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation by 30%. 684 00:57:51.956 --> 00:57:53.217 That's got to be valuable. 685 00:57:53.617 --> 00:57:56.560 I will indicate that in Brain Defenders. 686 00:57:56.680 --> 00:57:57.941 I have a copy right here. 687 00:57:57.961 --> 00:57:59.522 I'll just hold up the book. 688 00:57:59.542 --> 00:58:00.103 Please do. 689 00:58:00.684 --> 00:58:04.707 We actually, I have a section actually dedicated to the GLP-1 drugs. 690 00:58:04.907 --> 00:58:05.167 Why? 691 00:58:05.188 --> 00:58:05.268 Why? 692 00:58:05.828 --> 00:58:06.108 Great. 693 00:58:06.389 --> 00:58:10.293 Because I'm not signing on to them right now, but they do have potential. 694 00:58:10.714 --> 00:58:20.505 You know, I think the idea of using a GLP-1 as a weight loss strategy needs to consider the idea that you're committing to a lifelong utilization of this drug. 695 00:58:20.525 --> 00:58:26.611 Because when you stop the drug, you are exceedingly likely to gain back that amount of weight and then some. 696 00:58:27.192 --> 00:58:42.027 However, in a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, although the oral form didn't work, I'm all for the idea of considering a lifelong utilization of a GLP-1 agonist drug if it's going to reverse cognitive decline. 697 00:58:42.387 --> 00:58:48.474 We've already seen it stop the decline in Parkinson's disease published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 698 00:58:49.014 --> 00:58:53.135 a trial of 153 individuals over a two-year period of time. 699 00:58:53.916 --> 00:59:03.179 In comparison to the control group, that group getting the GLP-1 agonist drug, their disease was stopped dead in its tracks. 700 00:59:03.399 --> 00:59:07.740 Again, published in perhaps our most well-respected medical journal on the planet. 701 00:59:08.440 --> 00:59:15.903 So I'm keeping an open mind, and I'll put anything in the toolbox as long as it satisfies risk-benefit ratio. 702 00:59:16.403 --> 00:59:16.903 You got it. 703 00:59:16.963 --> 00:59:18.684 Thank you for having that on that. 704 00:59:18.944 --> 00:59:19.584 It's so powerful. 705 00:59:19.604 --> 00:59:21.005 And I think there is a time and a place. 706 00:59:21.065 --> 00:59:25.827 But again, it has to come back to a more full spectrum kind of integrative approach. 707 00:59:26.307 --> 00:59:26.447 Right. 708 00:59:26.467 --> 00:59:36.932 A lot of people are kind of looking at these drugs and it's simply masking a whole other bag of issues or lifestyle practices or dietary practices that need to be addressed at the same time. 709 00:59:37.432 --> 00:59:39.033 So I hope everyone takes that into mind. 710 00:59:39.073 --> 00:59:40.675 And thank you for pointing out those studies. 711 00:59:40.735 --> 00:59:42.296 It is sort of the easy way out. 712 00:59:42.856 --> 00:59:46.619 And I would indicate that who wouldn't be tempted by that, right? 713 00:59:47.239 --> 00:59:47.700 Absolutely. 714 00:59:47.740 --> 00:59:56.967 Who would suddenly gain the willpower not to overeat, to lose this massive amount of weight, get your blood sugar under control, maybe have some benefit for my brain. 715 00:59:57.827 --> 01:00:00.630 And heart, who wouldn't want to participate in that? 716 01:00:01.490 --> 01:00:03.692 But all that glitters is in gold. 717 01:00:03.712 --> 01:00:04.192 Exactly. 718 01:00:06.074 --> 01:00:07.775 Let the buyer beware. 719 01:00:08.395 --> 01:00:09.156 Beautiful advice. 720 01:00:09.956 --> 01:00:15.260 A lot of what we've been alluding to today is these incredible advances in science and neuroscience. 721 01:00:15.601 --> 01:00:22.106 They're really validating what we started the conversation with, which is all these Eastern traditions that we knew to heal the body. 722 01:00:22.586 --> 01:00:30.332 Things like movement, fasting regularly, optimizing sleep, time in nature and community, time outside, connecting with others. 723 01:00:30.852 --> 01:00:34.794 Where do you see this fitting into the future of medicine in the world that you're doing? 724 01:00:34.894 --> 01:00:39.137 And I'm assuming you also have a portion on this in Brain Defenders also. 725 01:00:39.677 --> 01:00:43.099 I think it's a, they are tools in the toolbox. 726 01:00:43.139 --> 01:00:55.147 I think it's part of a comprehensive multimodality approach to regaining heart health and brain health and bone health and kidney function and blood sugar stabilization. 727 01:00:55.167 --> 01:00:55.987 Mm-hmm. 728 01:00:58.289 --> 01:01:07.135 I don't, you know, I think it's good for us to get away from this notion of monotherapy that, well, what's the pill for blank? 729 01:01:07.616 --> 01:01:09.097 What's the pill for diabetes? 730 01:01:09.317 --> 01:01:19.124 And, you know, the problem with that is we fall into this mentality that when we take a diabetes drug, we think we're treating diabetes. 731 01:01:19.664 --> 01:01:20.225 We are not. 732 01:01:20.245 --> 01:01:22.847 If you take a blood pressure pill, you think, well, I'm treating my 733 01:01:23.667 --> 01:01:24.948 blood pressure, hypertension. 734 01:01:25.328 --> 01:01:25.929 No, you're not. 735 01:01:26.229 --> 01:01:31.032 Because if you're treating the problem, then hopefully it should go away if the treatment works. 736 01:01:31.532 --> 01:01:37.757 If you stop your diabetes drug, your blood sugar, the symptom of diabetes goes right back up in a day or two. 737 01:01:38.197 --> 01:01:38.817 Watch it happen. 738 01:01:39.097 --> 01:01:40.218 You shouldn't do it. 739 01:01:40.338 --> 01:01:42.440 I mean, I'm not suggesting you do that. 740 01:01:43.080 --> 01:01:49.765 The point is that we need to get upstream of what's going on with the disease itself and treat the fire, not just the smoke. 741 01:01:50.225 --> 01:01:53.608 Treat the underlying problem, not its manifestation. 742 01:01:53.868 --> 01:02:01.093 The underlying problem in diabetes has to do, of course, with insulin sensitivity and the way that insulin is able to work or not. 743 01:02:01.293 --> 01:02:05.837 And that can be reestablished by doing things like a ketogenic diet. 744 01:02:06.397 --> 01:02:10.320 Can actually reset the insulin functionality as does fasting, 745 01:02:10.880 --> 01:02:11.980 as does exercise. 746 01:02:12.620 --> 01:02:21.102 And, you know, this is the way then you can reduce, this has been demonstrated in several studies, reduce or even eliminate medication. 747 01:02:21.283 --> 01:02:22.143 Can you imagine? 748 01:02:22.923 --> 01:02:28.604 Even in type 1 diabetes, not type 2, type 1 autoimmune diabetes. 749 01:02:28.624 --> 01:02:37.846 I had an MD on my program who wrote a book about reversing his diabetes significantly by going on a ketogenic diet and was able to dramatically 750 01:02:40.707 --> 01:02:43.049 That's treating the fire. 751 01:02:43.089 --> 01:02:44.570 That's getting to the root of the problem. 752 01:02:44.590 --> 01:02:49.233 That's what we are doing in Brain Defenders as it relates to neurodegenerative conditions. 753 01:02:49.674 --> 01:02:55.518 It's not the accumulation of alpha-synuclein or beta amyloid or these wacky proteins. 754 01:02:55.858 --> 01:03:02.483 Those are the manifestations of the metabolic derangement that affects the brain's immune cells. 755 01:03:02.864 --> 01:03:04.565 That's what we want to target moving forward. 756 01:03:05.063 --> 01:03:07.665 It all goes back to the foundations of health, right? 757 01:03:08.766 --> 01:03:14.351 I think they're essential to look at before we go on any medication or any additional pillars. 758 01:03:14.411 --> 01:03:20.016 Like, master the foundations first and notice how health improves, how health outcomes improve. 759 01:03:20.936 --> 01:03:25.020 Most people feel a difference generally after, you know, one or two... 760 01:03:26.121 --> 01:03:39.891 And the side effects of doing these lifestyle management programs are better heart health, better blood sugar control, weight loss, mental clarity, you know, better digestion, all the things, right? 761 01:03:40.691 --> 01:03:41.212 All the things. 762 01:03:41.332 --> 01:03:44.834 All these chronic degenerative conditions that we just feel like we're supposed to get. 763 01:03:45.915 --> 01:03:49.378 So that said, yeah, that's the downside. 764 01:03:49.398 --> 01:03:52.380 That's the side effects of engaging these programs. 765 01:03:53.173 --> 01:04:05.060 I want to dive in a little bit deeper about the brain's immune system and understanding the microglia of the brain and this finding that you speak to and really understanding how the brain can adapt and how it can heal over time. 766 01:04:05.715 --> 01:04:11.658 Well, again, we've not really focused on the brain's immune system until very, very recently. 767 01:04:11.678 --> 01:04:12.338 Yeah. 768 01:04:12.538 --> 01:04:14.179 It's always been about the neuron. 769 01:04:14.840 --> 01:04:16.080 What makes a good neuron? 770 01:04:16.120 --> 01:04:17.561 What makes a good neuron go bad? 771 01:04:18.021 --> 01:04:26.786 And now we realize that controlling the neurons, dictating whether they will survive or not and how well they function are these microglial cells. 772 01:04:26.826 --> 01:04:29.147 They make up about 20% of the brain cells. 773 01:04:29.447 --> 01:04:44.167 and they are involved in either nurturing and keeping that brain cell functional and allowing synapses to form, or when they are shifted because they've been threatened by inflammation or metabolic issues, they become, again, the evil twin, and they, 774 01:04:44.648 --> 01:04:49.671 really set up an environment that leads to destruction of the brain's synapses. 775 01:04:49.692 --> 01:04:50.772 That's huge. 776 01:04:51.153 --> 01:04:57.837 The brain loses its ability to connect one neuron to the next, so it's a bunch of neurons that aren't talking to each other anymore. 777 01:04:57.897 --> 01:05:01.480 That translates to declining brain function very rapidly. 778 01:05:02.060 --> 01:05:08.602 The take-home message is that we have powerful control over whether that shift happens or not. 779 01:05:08.782 --> 01:05:14.963 And if it has happened, bringing it back to being supportive by making the changes that I describe in the book. 780 01:05:15.083 --> 01:05:16.143 And they're not difficult. 781 01:05:17.064 --> 01:05:22.245 And these are the keys to the kingdom because we don't live in a time where there's a magic drug. 782 01:05:22.605 --> 01:05:28.253 I mentioned earlier, I'm thrilled with the developing research and technology that we're seeing. 783 01:05:28.613 --> 01:05:29.234 Super cool. 784 01:05:29.514 --> 01:05:37.665 But you've really got to do the work underlying the support of a healthy brain by doing this metabolic and anti-inflammatory type of lifestyle. 785 01:05:38.162 --> 01:05:38.682 You got it. 786 01:05:38.923 --> 01:05:39.163 Yeah. 787 01:05:39.643 --> 01:05:48.070 So many people right now, they're being conditioned to thinking that they could just throw a supplement at the body and expect that to undo the lifestyle behaviors. 788 01:05:48.090 --> 01:05:49.671 Can we dive in? 789 01:05:49.691 --> 01:05:51.373 I'm sure a lot of people, they want to know about supplements. 790 01:05:51.413 --> 01:05:52.914 I know that you're going to talk about this in your book. 791 01:05:53.234 --> 01:05:54.775 We focused on good quality fats. 792 01:05:54.816 --> 01:06:01.941 You had mentioned fiber as well, but supplementation daily, is this something that you recommend and other benefits for proactive supplementation? 793 01:06:01.961 --> 01:06:03.603 Well, let's, you know, the term supplement... 794 01:06:04.366 --> 01:06:05.007 What does it mean? 795 01:06:05.167 --> 01:06:08.289 It means to add to if there's a need. 796 01:06:08.690 --> 01:06:23.462 So in an ideal world, if we were eating a great diet, everything was fresh and we got adequate amounts of protein and the right types of fats, and there wasn't contamination of our food with poison that is by and large what's happening today. 797 01:06:23.842 --> 01:06:25.563 There wasn't processing of our foods. 798 01:06:26.024 --> 01:06:33.470 We might not need to supplement our diet with these pills that we take, but we do need to supplement basically 799 01:06:33.730 --> 01:06:35.872 by and large, because people aren't eating it. 800 01:06:36.232 --> 01:06:38.694 Most people are not eating the perfect diet. 801 01:06:39.134 --> 01:06:43.258 We don't get enough DHA, a form of omega-3 in our diet. 802 01:06:43.278 --> 01:06:46.841 So that's, I think, one of the critical players that we should supplement. 803 01:06:46.861 --> 01:06:50.844 We don't support our mitochondria as well as we should and could. 804 01:06:51.064 --> 01:06:55.488 And therefore, I think adding something like creatine monohydrate is very important. 805 01:06:55.548 --> 01:06:59.711 I think across the board, we are low in vitamin D. I think people need it 806 01:06:59.831 --> 01:07:11.266 test their vitamin E levels, D as in David, and determine what their needs are and get their levels up, not to be just in the normal range, but to be in the optimal range, somewhere around 80%. 807 01:07:12.582 --> 01:07:20.347 I think even in the trace element world, like magnesium, that there's a huge issue with low levels of magnesium in Americans. 808 01:07:20.747 --> 01:07:23.989 So I think magnesium is really something we should be supplementing. 809 01:07:24.029 --> 01:07:26.350 Now, probiotics as well. 810 01:07:26.390 --> 01:07:33.474 A good probiotic goes a long way to keeping the microbiome in a better place as validated by clinical studies. 811 01:07:33.914 --> 01:07:35.215 You know, that's top tier. 812 01:07:35.816 --> 01:07:46.544 And there are a lot of other things I describe in the book that we can add to the program, like higher levels of methylated B vitamins in people who have elevated homocysteine, for example. 813 01:07:47.505 --> 01:07:53.189 You know, kind of novel products to enhance mitochondrial function like urolithin A. 814 01:07:54.150 --> 01:07:56.892 Rosmarinic acid, dihydromiracetan. 815 01:07:57.713 --> 01:08:00.735 There are a lot of different things, an oil called spermidine. 816 01:08:01.016 --> 01:08:07.621 So there are a lot of different kind of niche, unique supplements that are out there that really can move the needle. 817 01:08:08.041 --> 01:08:11.964 So, you know, I take a lot of supplements. 818 01:08:12.004 --> 01:08:13.145 I'm gonna have to admit that. 819 01:08:13.225 --> 01:08:16.748 I haven't had my blood transfused from a younger person quite yet. 820 01:08:17.869 --> 01:08:25.017 But I do take a variety of something, some of which I desperately need because I happen to be low in iron, so I need iron. 821 01:08:25.037 --> 01:08:30.002 I happen to have had in the past an elevated homocysteine, so I take methylated B vitamins. 822 01:08:30.743 --> 01:08:33.886 But believe me, I'm a huge proponent of DHA. 823 01:08:33.926 --> 01:08:34.206 DHA. 824 01:08:35.468 --> 01:08:40.115 A good, high quality fish oil DHA doesn't have to be from fish. 825 01:08:40.175 --> 01:08:41.657 It can be from marine algae. 826 01:08:42.258 --> 01:08:47.166 But this is, I mean, for the brain, this terrible pun is a no-brainer. 827 01:08:47.226 --> 01:08:49.309 We need lots of DHA. 828 01:08:49.409 --> 01:08:50.952 And if it's not, then it's a no-brainer. 829 01:08:51.847 --> 01:08:56.789 I think what you'd mentioned, it actually is a no-brainer because we're just not getting what we need from our food anymore. 830 01:08:56.809 --> 01:08:58.310 And obviously, I'm a nutritionist. 831 01:08:58.410 --> 01:09:04.173 I think that your first line of defense when it comes to your health care starts in your kitchen and in your fridge. 832 01:09:04.433 --> 01:09:07.394 But we don't always get that, especially if we're busy. 833 01:09:07.534 --> 01:09:08.275 That's reality. 834 01:09:08.295 --> 01:09:08.535 Yeah. 835 01:09:09.035 --> 01:09:11.477 For all of us, let's be clear about it. 836 01:09:11.497 --> 01:09:14.980 For all of us, when you travel, you know, it's something very difficult. 837 01:09:15.020 --> 01:09:17.482 It's often very difficult to find good food. 838 01:09:17.502 --> 01:09:19.003 I got it. 839 01:09:19.043 --> 01:09:21.425 That's why, you know, that's why you supplement. 840 01:09:21.445 --> 01:09:25.148 That's why I travel with, you know, plenty of supplements, you can be sure. 841 01:09:25.547 --> 01:09:25.787 Yeah. 842 01:09:25.867 --> 01:09:29.049 And look, getting a micronutrient test now is actually also so simple. 843 01:09:29.069 --> 01:09:31.250 So it takes a lot of the guesswork out of it as well. 844 01:09:31.270 --> 01:09:34.952 A lot of people don't know that from their primary care, but it's something that you can ask for. 845 01:09:34.972 --> 01:09:39.134 I was excited to meet with you today because just yesterday I opened up a box. 846 01:09:39.154 --> 01:09:41.995 I often get a lot of companies sending me products to try. 847 01:09:42.115 --> 01:09:46.517 And this one supplement, which I've never been sent before, had lithium in it. 848 01:09:48.058 --> 01:09:54.000 Tell me about lithium and the studies that are showing around low dose supplementation and the benefits for brain health. 849 01:09:54.080 --> 01:09:57.201 Well, lithium's kind of interesting and kind of hot right now. 850 01:09:57.261 --> 01:09:59.862 And there's a whole section of the book dedicated to lithium. 851 01:10:00.502 --> 01:10:07.404 Lithium has been found to be associated when it's low with Alzheimer's risk. 852 01:10:07.724 --> 01:10:11.565 That doesn't mean that making it high would offset that risk, but one would assume so. 853 01:10:11.865 --> 01:10:17.367 In laboratory animals, lithium, in the laboratory Alzheimer's model, rodent model, 854 01:10:17.847 --> 01:10:25.710 A lithium supplementation does in fact, offset some of that risk for Alzheimer's in comparison to those rodents who did not receive lithium. 855 01:10:26.510 --> 01:10:36.053 And finally, we know that lithium specifically targets those microglial cells and helps nudge them back to being supportive as opposed to destructive. 856 01:10:36.613 --> 01:10:40.116 So I don't know, do you consider a supplement or a pharmaceutical? 857 01:10:40.176 --> 01:10:41.617 It is available without a prescription. 858 01:10:42.057 --> 01:10:47.661 But I think the idea of taking five milligrams of lithium or rotate a day makes absolute sense. 859 01:10:47.681 --> 01:10:48.802 And that's why I put it in the book. 860 01:10:49.443 --> 01:10:50.304 Fantastic. 861 01:10:50.904 --> 01:10:52.085 What are the chances I got that? 862 01:10:53.285 --> 01:11:02.331 Yeah, I'm thinking about this, especially through the lens of perimenopause and menopause and so many women out there who are considering all the many imbalances that come with brain function. 863 01:11:02.391 --> 01:11:03.772 So that's good to know. 864 01:11:04.032 --> 01:11:08.114 And your book, by the way, I just want to mention to everyone, it's available for pre-order right now. 865 01:11:08.354 --> 01:11:10.296 It is Brain Dependers. 866 01:11:10.556 --> 01:11:12.077 Do you have a copy? 867 01:11:12.797 --> 01:11:13.237 I'll show it. 868 01:11:13.558 --> 01:11:13.818 Not yet. 869 01:11:13.838 --> 01:11:14.498 You ordered it last night. 870 01:11:14.518 --> 01:11:15.579 I'm very proud of Brain Defenders. 871 01:11:15.799 --> 01:11:16.519 Yeah. 872 01:11:16.619 --> 01:11:17.500 I cannot wait to get it. 873 01:11:17.520 --> 01:11:21.623 Yeah, it's available right now for pre-order on any online store. 874 01:11:22.723 --> 01:11:37.232 I'm excited more so for this book, I think, than any I've written because it really brings together the ideas back to Grain Brain and all the books that followed that Brain Maker with respect to the microbiome, all the things that I've written for many, many years. 875 01:11:38.053 --> 01:11:38.853 And interestingly... 876 01:11:40.114 --> 01:11:43.319 You know, we're still pre-publication, though the book's available. 877 01:11:43.539 --> 01:11:46.965 It's already been bought by 16 different countries, different languages. 878 01:11:47.045 --> 01:11:47.265 Wow. 879 01:11:47.906 --> 01:11:48.988 Yeah, that's exciting. 880 01:11:49.088 --> 01:11:53.995 So I'm very, very pleased about that because getting this book translated into – 881 01:11:55.217 --> 01:12:05.288 Polish, German, Italian, French, Chinese, allow people in speak different languages to really understand that the message of the book. 882 01:12:05.388 --> 01:12:15.959 And that is, here are the tools to ensure that your brain is much more likely to be with you as you age, as opposed to you being sidelined by having cognitive decline. 883 01:12:16.510 --> 01:12:17.711 sidelines aren't necessary. 884 01:12:17.731 --> 01:12:22.595 And I think that this is where knowledge and the work that you do is really a form of preventative healthcare. 885 01:12:22.835 --> 01:12:27.799 And I think for anyone who wants to become the CEO of their own health, you have to learn how these things impact you. 886 01:12:28.000 --> 01:12:33.985 And a lot of the people that I work with, they're so fearful around this brain degeneration as we age. 887 01:12:34.465 --> 01:12:35.085 I hear you. 888 01:12:35.166 --> 01:12:36.547 It's the number one fear. 889 01:12:36.787 --> 01:12:41.391 It's more fear than cancer that you don't have the ability to take care of yourself. 890 01:12:41.491 --> 01:12:43.452 People are most fearful about that. 891 01:12:43.572 --> 01:12:43.653 And 892 01:12:44.953 --> 01:12:47.754 this is far more preventable than cancer. 893 01:12:48.375 --> 01:12:49.075 Far more preventable. 894 01:12:49.095 --> 01:12:49.455 Incredible. 895 01:12:50.616 --> 01:12:57.038 I think that's the greatest takeaway from today also is just understanding that your brain is not passively waiting to decline. 896 01:12:57.078 --> 01:12:58.859 No, your brain is part of your body 897 01:12:59.539 --> 01:13:03.702 and is therefore influenced by everything that's good for your body is good for your brain. 898 01:13:03.762 --> 01:13:04.822 It's not distant. 899 01:13:04.882 --> 01:13:05.923 It's not separated. 900 01:13:05.943 --> 01:13:06.923 You mentioned that earlier. 901 01:13:07.003 --> 01:13:14.248 So, but I want to say, you know, I appreciate the opportunity to spend time with you today and really get this message out. 902 01:13:14.448 --> 01:13:15.428 And that's my hope. 903 01:13:15.448 --> 01:13:19.571 You know, my hope is people say, I can't wait for a medicine to be developed. 904 01:13:19.731 --> 01:13:21.172 I need to do these things today. 905 01:13:21.332 --> 01:13:23.473 And that's, you know, really what this is all about. 906 01:13:24.030 --> 01:13:24.611 Absolutely. 907 01:13:24.651 --> 01:13:25.952 I'm so grateful for your time. 908 01:13:25.972 --> 01:13:26.432 Thank you. 909 01:13:26.472 --> 01:13:27.413 To close things off. 910 01:13:27.593 --> 01:13:32.437 Tell me, what's something that you're most excited about in the future of brain health? 911 01:13:33.097 --> 01:13:36.440 Well, I'm going to tell you what I'm most excited about, and then I'll tell you in the future of brain health. 912 01:13:36.460 --> 01:13:39.983 What I'm most excited about is we're going to have a granddaughter in September. 913 01:13:40.003 --> 01:13:41.044 So I'm excited. 914 01:13:41.452 --> 01:13:44.754 I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about that. 915 01:13:45.454 --> 01:13:50.878 But in the future of brain health, what I'm excited about is something that we're going to do. 916 01:13:50.898 --> 01:14:02.704 We're going to create an online AI protocol so that people can be taken by the hand and given instruction in terms of what they need to do. 917 01:14:03.045 --> 01:14:03.785 Are you doing it? 918 01:14:04.085 --> 01:14:05.186 How's it working out for you? 919 01:14:05.326 --> 01:14:10.689 Cognitively test these individuals and really set people back on their feet. 920 01:14:11.069 --> 01:14:18.693 in a non-drug way, in a non-for-profit way, really move the needle here in terms of what people are exposed to. 921 01:14:18.773 --> 01:14:20.814 So that's what I'm excited about in brain health. 922 01:14:21.422 --> 01:14:21.942 Incredible. 923 01:14:22.023 --> 01:14:23.284 I'd love to learn more about that. 924 01:14:23.624 --> 01:14:28.087 One of the questions you should know that I ask everyone that I work with is who is a part of your care team? 925 01:14:28.508 --> 01:14:33.051 And 99.9% of the time people say my primary care, I guess. 926 01:14:33.412 --> 01:14:34.933 You now, Mona, that you're on board? 927 01:14:35.233 --> 01:14:35.934 Nobody knows. 928 01:14:36.274 --> 01:14:41.698 And when we think about, we've talked about integrative healthcare for so long, but we're not necessarily practicing yet. 929 01:14:41.758 --> 01:14:46.522 So about a year ago, I launched an AI platform and I'm still missing a category on brain health. 930 01:14:46.722 --> 01:14:49.825 So I'm going to connect with you offline to figure more about that. 931 01:14:49.845 --> 01:14:49.945 Yeah. 932 01:14:50.365 --> 01:15:00.828 Yeah, because I think that, you know, going back to the knowledge point, knowing who to go to that you can trust where the science is there, but also the tangible tools that you can practice every single day. 933 01:15:00.988 --> 01:15:01.408 100%. 934 01:15:01.428 --> 01:15:02.488 And they're not hard. 935 01:15:02.548 --> 01:15:03.348 They're not hard. 936 01:15:03.448 --> 01:15:03.928 No. 937 01:15:04.348 --> 01:15:04.949 You got it. 938 01:15:05.229 --> 01:15:08.709 You know, my job is to, the word doctor doesn't mean healer. 939 01:15:08.750 --> 01:15:09.590 It means teacher. 940 01:15:10.030 --> 01:15:11.370 And that's what I do. 941 01:15:11.510 --> 01:15:18.772 I'm giving, and teaching means giving out good and hopefully good empowering information to make changes and, and. 942 01:15:19.352 --> 01:15:20.132 make things happen. 943 01:15:20.212 --> 01:15:21.613 So that's what we do. 944 01:15:22.413 --> 01:15:23.574 And that's what you do too. 945 01:15:23.954 --> 01:15:28.215 But I will tell you that the number one person in my healthcare program is me. 946 01:15:28.615 --> 01:15:34.697 And that's what everybody should be thinking, that it's really at the end of the day, it's up to what I decide to do. 947 01:15:34.717 --> 01:15:36.378 I mean, people can guide you. 948 01:15:36.778 --> 01:15:41.580 You can get information, hopefully from your healthcare practitioner, whoever that may be. 949 01:15:42.220 --> 01:15:44.701 You might say, well, it's my spouse that really encourages me. 950 01:15:44.721 --> 01:15:45.641 Well, at the end of the day, 951 01:15:48.582 --> 01:15:53.525 So that's an interesting, uh, a bit of responsibility, isn't it? 952 01:15:53.605 --> 01:15:56.147 As it relates to what your brain destiny is going to be doing. 953 01:15:56.527 --> 01:16:00.070 You implement and then you inspire the people around you, which is a beautiful thing. 954 01:16:00.290 --> 01:16:00.470 Yeah. 955 01:16:00.590 --> 01:16:01.591 And I preached to everyone. 956 01:16:01.831 --> 01:16:02.692 We're just the guides. 957 01:16:02.992 --> 01:16:04.673 You are your greatest healer ever. 958 01:16:05.513 --> 01:16:06.834 So thank you for echoing that. 959 01:16:07.295 --> 01:16:08.736 Um, thank you so much for being here. 960 01:16:08.776 --> 01:16:10.897 I can't wait to meet you in person one day. 961 01:16:10.917 --> 01:16:11.578 I'll have to get you back. 962 01:16:11.598 --> 01:16:13.319 Thank you so much for this opportunity. 963 01:16:13.339 --> 01:16:13.679 Thank you.