37. Dr. Cheng Ruan, MD On How Breath, Chewing & Body Structure Can Impact Brain Function

So much of our lives and health is dependent on our brain health. Everything from our mood, memories, sleep, and daily activities relies on a healthy brain. What can we do to keep our brain in its best shape? Today Dr. Cheng Ruan joins us to do a deep dive into how our breath, skull health, and lifestyle impact our brain health. Dr. Ruan is a board certified internal medicine physician, a functional medicine practitioner and founder of the Texas Center for Lifestyle Medicine. He works with patients to find the root causes of their condition using the best of lifestyle and nutrition. Join us for a conversation about how our brains are impacted by breathwork, meditation, chewing, skull health and what actions we can take to support our brain health for the long term. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 2:45 - Why Dr. Ruan became an integrative doctor 6:45 - Eastern and western medicine 7:55 - How the pandemic has changed healthcare 11:10 - What conditions Dr. Ruan works with 14:28 - Top three causes of brain dysfunction 18:45 - How head structure impacts breath 23:23 - How body structure impacts brain health 26:11 - Symmetry and breath 29:00 - Brain health and inflammation 35:20 - Nutrition recommendations for brain health 38:27 - Breath and digestion 41:18 - Meditation impact on brain health 48:47 - Importance of connection 53:45 - What does Dr. Ruan do to cultivate joy? 55:37 - How to get in touch with Dr. Ruan