
the NUANCE by Medicine Explained.
From Medicine Explained on TikTok:
“The Nuance” covers topics in health, the human experience, community health, and the intersection of human and environmental health. We explore the nuance, depth, and complexity that has been lost in today’s conversations.
We have conversations to help educate and empower people toward a healthier life and community.
This is for educational purposes only, not medical advice. Visit medicineexplained.org to see our full disclaimer and privacy policy.
© 2024 Medicine Explained, LLC. All rights reserved.
Latest episodes

Jan 6, 2023 • 50min
77: What happened to our creativity, attention, and imagination? From What If to What Next. | Rob Hopkins
Rob Hopkins is a cofounderTransition Network, and the author of The Transition Handbook, and most recently, From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. He hosts the wonderful podcast series ‘From What If to What Next‘ which invites listeners to send in their “what if” questions and then explores how to make them a reality.
In 2012, he was voted one of the Independent’s top 100 environmentalists and was on Nesta and the Observer’s list of Britain’s 50 New Radicals. Rob is an inspiring speaker, who has spoken at TEDGlobal and three TEDx events. His ideas and perspective on imagination are crucial today in order to solve our most pressing issues, like climate change. He is thoughtful, open-minded, and imaginative.
He blogs at transtionnetwork.org and robhopkins.net and tweets at @robintransition.
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4 snips
Dec 20, 2022 • 54min
76: BRAIN ENERGY: Mental health is metabolic health, how obesity affects mood, and quitting sugar. | Chris Palmer, MD
Christopher Palmer, MD received his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine. He did his internship and psychiatry residency at McLean Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He is currently the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
For the past 25 years, he has been an academic physician with administrative, research, educational, and clinical roles.
Dr. Palmer has been involved in psychiatric research for over 23 years. He has served as a research physician in the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory and the Sleep Research Laboratory, both at McLean Hospital, where he worked with teams pursuing wide-ranging research in the areas of addiction and sleep.
Most recently, his research interests have turned to the areas of metabolism, metabolic disorders, and their connection to mental disorders. Interestingly, the connections are widespread and span across numerous mental and metabolic disorders. He is focused on combining and understanding epidemiological data, basic science research, and clinical studies in order to better understand what role metabolism plays in mental illness.
Link to Dr. Palmer's book: https://www.chrispalmermd.com/

Nov 29, 2022 • 46min
75: BODY ON FIRE - A cardiologist explains the impact of NUTRITION on chronic illness. | Dr. Monica Aggarwal, MD
Monica Aggarwal, MD, is a board certified cardiologist and adjunct Associate Professor in the University of Florida’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine where she conducts research on the impact of nutrition in chronic illness. She also serves as the Chief Medical officer of the not-for-profit, 4Roots Farm which is looking at how to improve food quality to improve human health.
Dr. Aggarwal’s own path to understanding the impact of nutrition in illness started w/ her own journey, which she will share details about in this podcast. Through learning about the microbiome (gut), its impact on the immune system and the role of nutrition in affecting the gut, she was able to truly heal and became determined to change the face of medicine.
Dr. Aggarwal gives talks around the community, country and internationally. She was named a “Next Generation Innovator” by Cardiology Today. She is the author of the book “Body on Fire: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It,” and Body on Fire Cookbook which provides whole food, healthy recipes to help implement change.
This is not medical advice, this is intended for educational purposes only. For full privacy policy, please go to MedicineExplained.org.

Oct 13, 2022 • 46min
73: Why a Harvard doctor cares so much about climate change. | Dr. Rose Goldman, MD, MPH
Dr. Rose Goldman, MD, MPH is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is the founding Chief of Occupational; Environmental Medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance, and currently Director of Faculty Affairs for the Department of Medicine. Her career has combined clinical occupational and environmental medicine (focus on toxicology) with public health and education, and has authored numerous publications.

Sep 23, 2022 • 53min
72: How to fix your microbiome, why you need to eat real food, and how the new farm bill affects you. | Mary Purdy MS, RDN
Mary Purdy, MS, RDN is an award-winning Integrative Eco-Dietitian and nutrition educator with a Master's Degree from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington (USA) where she has been adjunct faculty since 2015. She teaches and lectures for numerous Universities, institutions and professional educational platforms and is a regular speaker at national and state conferences on both nutrition and sustainability. She has been in clinical practice for over 13 years using a personalized medicine and functional nutrition approach and is currently the Nutrition and Sustainability Adviser and Community Builder for Big Bold Health led by Dr. Jeffrey Bland. She is also the Director of Education for The Planetary Health Collective which serves to leverage the skillsets of nutrition professionals in the movement around the climate crisis. Additionally, she regularly moderates educational panels, hosts the podcasts “The Nutrition Show” and "The Good Clean Nutrition Podcast" and authored the books “Serving the Broccoli Gods" and "The Microbiome Diet Reset." She adores kale, chocolate and avocados.

Sep 2, 2022 • 45min
71: Why am I sick? How to reverse and prevent chronic disease and why farmers and doctors should work together.| Dr. Scott Stoll
Dr. Scott Stoll is the co-founder of The Plantrician Project, The International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention, and the Regenerative Health Institute, a unique collaborative project with the Rodale Institute that integrates a regenerative vision for human health, agriculture, and the environment. He is a member of the Google FoodLab, serves on the advisory board at Whole Foods for their healthcare clinics and served as a member of the Whole Foods Scientific and Medical Advisory Board.
Every year, Dr. Stoll hosts the very popular one week health immersion, Dr. Stoll’s Total Health Immersion and helps attendees restore and optimize their health, overcome addictions, and develop a sustainable regenerative lifestyle. Dr. Stoll has authored several books, scientific articles, and featured in numerous documentaries. As well as being a published author and member of the 1994 Olympic Bobsled Team, he is a highly sought-after international speaker.
https://plantricianproject.org/

Aug 12, 2022 • 33min
70: The most exciting climate solutions that could affect everything. | Greg Dalton, Climate One
Greg Dalton founded Climate One at The Commonwealth Club in 2007 after traveling to the Russian Arctic on a global warming symposium with climate scientists and journalists. Today Climate One produces a weekly radio show broadcast on public stations in California and across the country in addition to a podcast that is heard around the world. Greg also hosts a monthly TV show on KRCB TV 22 on Comcast and DirecTV.
Climate One is the only regular talk show that engages high-level leaders from business, policy, advocacy and academic circles in a conversation about building sustainable economies, resilient communities and a healthier future.

Jul 13, 2022 • 57min
69: What is my anxiety telling me? The root cause of anxiety, how physical health and mental health influence each other, & the nuance of psychiatric medications. | Dr. Ellen Vora
Ellen Vora, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, acupuncturist, and yoga teacher, and she is the author of The Anatomy of Anxiety. She takes a functional medicine approach to mental health—considering the whole person and addressing imbalance at the root. Dr. Vora received her B.A. from Yale University and her M.D. from Columbia University.
We speak about the root causes of mental health and some interventions that we can take to prevent anxiety. We talk about the nuance of psychiatric medication and the holistic approach she takes to mental health. We talk about the mind body connection and how the mind is always informing physical health and our physical health from things like diet, toxicants, or sleep can affect our mental health.

Jul 5, 2022 • 52min
68: How to advance the rights of the Earth and Indigenous people. | Dr. Yuria Celidwen
Dr. Yuria Celidwen, PhD is a native of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent, born in Chiapas, Mexico. She received a Ph.D. and focuses on the intersection of Indigenous studies, cultural psychology, and contemplative science. From her work, she is uncovering Indigenous contemplative practices from the world, and finding their place in contemplative studies.
She works at the United Nations to support international humanitarian efforts for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Her specific concentration is the advancement of Indigenous peoples’ rights and the rights of the Earth. She also teaches Indigenous epistemologies and spirituality and her work pioneered the Indigenous contemplative experience within contemplative studies.
Medicine Explained is 501(3)(c) organization dedicated to increasing health literacy - by meeting people where they're at on social media and podcasts. It's run by Dr. Daniel Villavecer MD, MS and Dr. Amanda d'Almeida MD, MPH. Please contact us if you would like to help us continue to produce free educational content for everyone.

Jun 20, 2022 • 50min
67: A doctor's approach to climate change and helping communities in need. | Dr. Kinari Webb
Dr. Kinari Webb, MD graduated from Yale University’s School of Medicine with honors and completed her residency in family medicine at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez, California. She then founded Health In Harmony an international nonprofit dedicated to reversing global heating, understanding that rainforests are essential for the survival of humanity. Based on information gleaned from a year spent traveling around Indonesia, Health In Harmony’s project, ASRI, was sited in Sukadana, on the border of Gunung Palung, in 2007. The key focus of the work has always been radically listening to communities and responding to the needs they identify.
She speaks regularly on topics ranging from the health and future of the forest, community involvement and social capital, healthcare in the global south and the link between human and environmental health. She is the author of the inspiring book Guardians of the Trees: A Journey of Hope Through Healing the Planet: A Memoir.