How loneliness and purpose determine your wellbeing | Leo Pruimboom | #011 Master Change

“Genes don’t control your life – your life controls your genes,” says Dr. Leo Pruimboom in the eleventh episode of Mastering Change. A clinical psychoneuroimmunologist, researcher and pioneer in systems-based medicine, Dr. Pruimboom is challenging everything we think we know about trauma, disease, genes, psychology and mental health. 

“You can take a human being out of nature, but you can’t take nature out of the human being.”  

Dr. Pruimboom makes a compelling case for the role of environment, connection, and behavioural agency in reversing modern illness. As he explains, we’re currently living in – and desperately trying to adapt to – a world we’re not made for. But thankfully, we have the capability to adapt: he reports the research showing that 120mins in nature per week can down regulate our blood pressure. 

We discuss

• Why most autoimmune diseases are misnamed (and aren’t autoimmune diseases at all) 
• How loneliness rewires our organs 
• The power of purpose – and how purpose of life intervention can shrink tumour size by 50%  
• That genes do nothing on their own: it’s our environment or choice that activate or silence them 
• The importance of spontaneous neural activity – and how doing nothing is medicine 

Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. 

Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast

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