The Mind-Gut Conversation

In this episode of the MGC podcast, I talk to Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl, a Professor of Neurology at UCLA where she currently holds the Jack H. Skirball Chair. Dr. Voskuhl is the Director of the UCLA Multiple Sclerosis Program, and is the faculty neurologist for the UCLA Comprehensive Menopause Care Program. She is an internationally recognized expert on women’s health and the role of female sex hormones in cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders. With over 20 years of numerous grants and continuous funding from the NIH and NMSS, her lab discovered a novel estrogen treatment strategy that can be neuroprotective through actions on estrogen receptor beta (ER) in the central nervous system. Dr. Voskuhl has been the Principle Investigator on three clinical trials showing neuroprotective effects of estriol treatment on cognition and cortical brain atrophy underscoring the translational nature of her research. In this podcast, I talk to her about the following topics: • The role of estrogen on specific receptors in the brain and its implications for the development of neurodegenerative disorders • Why women are more likely to develop early cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease • Why the earlier clinical trials with estrogen receptor replacement failed • What women can do to slow cognitive decline after menopause

In this episode of the MGC podcast, I talk to Matthew Lancor, the founder of the startup company, Kombuchade. Matt combines his background in material science engineering and a passion for rugby into his entrepreneurial venture. With a keen understanding of the science behind fermentation and a personal commitment to fitness and health, nurtured through years of playing rugby he has successfully created a kombucha brand tailored for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Under his leadership, Kombuchade has quickly grown from a home-brew project into a popular wellness brand, emphasizing organic ingredients, sustainability, and community involvement. His journey from an engineer and rugby player to a health-focused entrepreneur embodies a fusion of science, sports, and sustainable business. In this podcast, I talk to him about Kombuchade, the benefits of fermented drinks for elite athletes, and the following: What is unique about Kambuchade? You are a startup family business competing with a lot of big companies in the space of kombucha and fermented drinks. A fermented carbonate drink is not the first thing you would think about as a beneficial beverage for elite athletes. What are the functional benefits of fermented beverages like Kombucha for "Peak Performers"? What are quantifiable/measurable differences that someone could expect from drinking Kombucha and exercising on gut health/overall health? How would someone know that their gut health might be inhibiting them from "Peak Performance"? How many days does it take to balance the microbiome if you were to start a new routine of fermented foods and exercise ... 30 days or more? Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with nor receiving compensation from Kombuchade.

In this episode of the MGC podcast, I talk to Larissa Trinder, Assistant Vice President of Arts in Medicine at New York City Health + Hospitals who is responsible for stewarding a collection of more than 4000 works of art, the largest such collection in New York City. In addition, she has been creating and implementing programs for patients, staff and the community that utilize the arts as a tool in healing. Larissa is a staunch advocate for the importance of the arts and humanities within a healthcare system to advance patient health outcomes, enhance staff engagement, morale and retention and to empower communities. In this podcast, I talk to Larissa about the emerging role of art as an important component of healing environments. Here are just some of the topics we address: 1. What is the new Department of Arts in Medicine at New York City Health + Hospitals? 2. How did it develop in the 1930s, and how has it been able to survive economic downturns and financial crises? 3. What is the role of art in an effective healing environment? 4. How does art affect patient health outcomes, staff engagement and morale, and entire communities? Follow Dr. Mayer: https://linktr.ee/emayer

In this episode of the MGC podcast, I talk to Shawn Stevenson, creator and host of The Model Health Show, featured as the number #1 health podcast in the U.S. with millions of listener downloads each year. Shawn recently published the The Eat Smarter Family Cookbook, a companion cookbook to his acclaimed Eat Smarter book. Here are just some of the topics we address: 1. Can you describe the most important steps in your transformation from growing up with your grandparents in Ferguson, Mo to becoming a nutrition expert, #1 podcast host and bestselling author of two very important books? 2. Some of your early experiences make you some kind of “wounded healer”, in particular your health issues. It seems your own experiences stimulated your interest in science about food. Can you expand on this? 3. You call yourself a “nutritionist who no longer believes in food in the conventional sense”. And you make a key point that you no longer make the mistake that many people make, considering food primarily as fuel. 4. You write about how eating with others can have profound benefits on overall health. On the other hand, eating with others during celebrations and holidays is a major cause of weight gain for many people. 5. Can you expand on the relationship between stress and unhealthy eating patterns. You write that 1/3 of people make unhealthy food choices because of stress.

Leo Grady, AI expert and CEO of the microbiome company Jona, discusses the use of AI in microbiome analysis and the translation of scientific findings into clinical practice. Topics include personalized recommendations, quality control, AI in article writing, and the translational gap in microbiome research.

Nancy Zucker, PhD, is a clinician, researcher, and teacher at Duke University School of Medicine, where she founded and directs the Duke Center for Eating Disorders. Dr. Zucker is a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Psychology and Neuroscience. She is the author of 131 professional publications, an author of the revised practice guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders from the American Psychiatric Association, and most recently her new book Treating Functional Abdominal Pain in Children. Dr. Zucker’s major clinical and research interest is in understanding how to help young people develop a healthy awareness of their bodies’ signals and learn how to match these to actions that allow them to flourish. In her new book, she Her research and clinical work has been featured on ABC’s “Nightline,” the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Time, and other major news outlets. The topics we address in this episode include: • What is the new approach you take in teaching young children about their body signals? • How does such early “body education” affect the prevalence of chronic abdominal pain and IBS in adults? • Does your approach benefit both the young patients and their parents? • What would the impact on our current healthcare system be if your approach were adopted widely?

Welcome to the latest episode of the Mind Gut Conversation Podcast, a place to learn from thought leaders in the area of health, food, the science of mind-body interactions and the environment. Today, I have the great pleasure to speak to Sonu Shivdasani, a visionary Indian wellness resort entrepreneur who is the CEO and founder of Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani, as well as other luxury wellness resorts in Southeast Asia. Having just spent 10 days at the SOUL Festival on Soneva Fushi, I am still amazed at the scope and uniqueness of the experience, touching every aspect of human life from the physical, emotional, spiritual and planetary. By speaking with him, it became clear that this unique experience was a reflection of Sonu’s own beliefs and core values in synergy with his wife Eva. In this episode, I ask Sonu several questions, including: - How did you become this unique individual? What were the key life experiences that made you that person? - You have achieved some amazing accomplishment, despite having to overcome several serious challenges to your own well-being, your health and your business success, demonstrating a remarkable resilience. What has been your secret? - You make no secret out of your successful battle with cancer. What have you learned from this life threatening situation? - Which are the accomplishments you are most proud of? - You have had a fairly conservative education at Eaton and Oxford. How has this education shaped who you are today? - Running several luxury resorts you must come in contact with many well to do individuals many of whom believe that happiness comes from the accumulation of material wealth and luxury. As we talked about at the recent festival, there is another form of happiness called Eudaimonia, doing meaningful things and things that benefit others. Is Eudaimonia your guiding principle in making decisions? - You have had personal experiences with the Western healthcare system but also with many alternative healing practices which are being offered at your resorts. What is your view of the benefits of either one of these approaches to human health? - Speakers at the SOUL festival addressed many aspects of our current world of polycrises, from personal wellness to climate change and planetary health. Are you an optimist or pessimist regarding the direction the world is moving in, and how does your view affect your decision making? - The SOUL festival certainly had a big impact on many participants. How many participants do you believe will change their behaviors after this experience? Thanks for listening! Follow Dr. Mayer: https://linktr.ee/emayer⁠

In this episode of the MGC podcast, I talk to to Dr. Pedro Bastos, a world renowned nutritionist and researcher from Portugal, affiliated with Lund University in Sweden and the European University of Madrid, in Spain. He co-founded CEAN, a Spanish institution providing advanced education in Nutritional Sciences for health professionals. Dr. Bastos lectures globally on nutrition, lifestyle, and health in four languages, and has co-authored several scientific papers in the field in high profile journals, including Nature Medicine and Nature Reviews in Cardiology. Here are just some of the topics we address: - What is an inflammatory diet? - Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the lifespan. - Pros and cons of the Mediterranean diet. - What can we learn from traditional societies. Follow Dr. Mayer: https://linktr.ee/emayer⁠

In this episode of the MGC podcast, I talk to Dr. Elissa Epel, an international expert on stress, well-being, and optimal aging. Dr. Epel is the co-author of the New York Times best-seller “The Telomere Effect: A revolutionary approach to living younger, longer” with Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, and the author of the new “Stress Prescription,” an independent bookstore best seller. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, at the University of California, San Francisco, where she is Vice Chair of Psychology and directs the Aging Metabolism Emotions Center. She studies the environmental, psychological, behavioral, and social factors that impact cellular aging such as telomeres, inflammation, and mitochondria. Her research interests include how self-care practices such as meditation and positive stress can promote psychological and physiological thriving and is interested in large-scale interventions for communal well-being and health equity. Here are some of the topics we address in this episode: 1) Why chronic stress is toxic to the body 2) The relationship between chronic stress, telomer shortening and aging 3) The different physiological stages of stress 4) How to become stress resilient 5) What are lifespan, health span and disease span Follow Dr. Mayer: https://linktr.ee/emayer⁠

Dr. Tracy Bale discusses how parental trauma can affect the offspring. Topics include the influence of stressful environments on offspring behavior and health, novel signaling mechanisms in trauma, transmission of parental experiences to the offspring through maternal-infant interactions, attachment styles, and more.