Gladden Longevity Podcast -- formerly Living Beyond 120

On this episode, Mark and Dr. Gladden talk about autoimmune disorders, what they are and what can be done to help manage them. Dr. Gladden describes what a leaky immune system can do in your body. He discusses some of the common treatments for autoimmune diseases and the problems that can occur with certain medical interventions. They consider what you can do to help "seal the borders" of your digestive tract, protecting yourself from things that can breach the boundaries. They offer advice about decreasing exposure to environmental pollutants, reducing stress, eating a better diet for you, and healing from systemic attacks. With autoimmune disorders, boosting one's immune system can be problematic. Balancing it is the better goal. Dr. Gladden lists a number of possible supplements and peptides that could be used to help maintain a better balance.

Mark and Dr. Gladden invite Dr. Dale Bredesen on the podcast to speak about the science of cognitive decline and its prevention. Dr. Bredesen is an expert on neurodegenerative diseases, and he discusses multiple risk factors for Alzheimer's and dementia, including those both genetic and environmental. They examine crucial things you should do in your routine and environment to help reduce the risks that contribute to cognitive decline. Mark and Dr. Gladden review a number of advances in longevity research, considering the impact they might have on improved cognitive function. About the guest: Dale E. Bredesen, M.D., UCLA and Buck Institute Professor, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA Founding President and CEO, Professor Emeritus, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA Dr. Bredesen received his undergraduate degree from Caltech and his medical degree from Duke. He served as Resident and Chief Resident in Neurology at UCSF, then was postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Nobel laureate Prof. Stanley Prusiner. He was a faculty member at UCLA from 1989-1994, then was recruited by the Burnham Institute to direct the Program on Aging. In 1998 he became the Founding President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and Adjunct Professor at UCSF; then in 2013 he returned to UCLA as the Director of the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research. The Bredesen Laboratory studies basic mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative process, and the translation of this knowledge into effective therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, leading to the publication of over 220 research papers. He established the ADDN (Alzheimer's Drug Development Network) with Dr. Varghese John in 2008, leading to the identification of new classes of therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease. He and his group developed a new approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and this approach led to the discovery of subtypes of Alzheimer's disease, followed by the first description of reversal of symptoms in patients with MCI and Alzheimer's disease, with the ReCODE (reversal of cognitive decline) protocol, published in 2014, 2016, and 2018. His book, The End of Alzheimer's, is a New York Times Bestseller. Visit his website, https://www.ahnphealth.com/dr-bredesen.html. Follow him on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/drdalebredesen/

Mark and Dr. Gladden invite Ariel Garten to discuss the neuroscience behind Muse™, an EEG device that uses advanced signal processing to interpret your mental activity to help guide you toward better focus in meditation. Ariel is a co-founder of InteraXon Inc., the company that makes the device. On the show, they discuss how meditation and focus can help improve your overall life and health. They talk about how the brain is instrumental in being able to achieve peak performance and fight aging (or, in the reverse, hold you back or cause you to age faster). Ariel discusses her own meditation practice, as well as the other habits she uses to promote her own health and performance, including a healthy diet, exercise and social connection. Special Guest: Ariel Garten is a Canadian artist, scientist and intellectual. She was an avant garde clothing designer with a store called Flavour Hall (now closed) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is deemed to have made a "significant contribution to the field" for her work in integrating art and science. She is pursuing cutting edge art and performances in other media, including dance, music, percussion, and cutting-edge instruments (such as hydraulophone, quintephone, and other). She creates work that explores the intersection of art and neuroscience. Garten lectures about interdisciplinary neuroscience topics, such as "The Neuroscience of Morals" (on TVO's Big Ideas televised lecture series), "The Neuroscience of Molecular Gastronomy," as well as psychotherapy and mental health. Garten is co-founder (with Trevor Coleman) and Chief Executive Officer of InteraXon, a Canadian company specializing in software for Non-invasive Brain-computer interfaces. Garten is also a psychotherapist trained in Neuro-linguistic programming. She has performed in many venues, including The Power Plant, and shown at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Banff Center for the Arts and sold her fashion across North America, including Holt Renfrew in Toronto, and lectured in North America and Europe. Learn more about Muse™ here: https://choosemuse.com/ Follow Ariel on Twitter: @ariel_garten.

On this episode, Mark and Dr. Gladden turn the tables, and Mark is the expert on hypnosis. They discuss how hypnosis actually works in the brain to unlock the resources that already exist for you. They discuss what types of issues hypnosis can help solve for people, and Mark walks through some examples of guiding a person through therapeutic hypnosis. He talks about PTSD and neuro-associations, explaining how trauma is linked to certain events and how hypnosis could help break free from the connection. They discuss the implications of how much power one's brain has over a body, especially when hypnosis can make such an impact on both mental and physical states.

On this episode, Mark and Dr. Gladden discuss the digestive system and its part in the entire ecosystem of your body. Many people suffer from leaky gut syndrome, a condition where the intestines becoming increasingly permeable and bacteria and other toxins can spread into the body. Also, a number of physical and mental conditions are often linked to excessive inflammation that starts in the digestive tract. They explore some of the symptoms that people can suffer because of failing digestive health, or from eating a diet that causes their GI tract distress. They talk about how to identify and eliminate what foods might be causing problems, as well as what foods and supplements you can add to start healing your digestive tract. Dr. Gladden explains the role of bacteria in our digestive system. He describes the difference between prebiotics and probiotics, and they discuss the overuse of antibiotics and antibacterial agents in our culture.

Mark and Dr. Gladden open the show discussing some of Mark's health and fitness progress, and they touch on how to safely obtain and use peptides. Next, they invite Dr. Kevin Wacasey onto the show. After a background in emergency room care, Dr. Wacasey opened a direct patient care (also called direct primary care) practice in 2013. He started this in reaction to seeing his patients paying massive amounts for basic care, because of their insurance. They discuss a number of issues related to our "sick care system" that exists in the U.S., calling for an end to the managed care model. They talk about the independent healthcare mindset and how patients need to be educated about what they're actually paying for. As insurance dictates what tests or procedures you can or cannot get, you may be denied the care you really want. Our current insurance system is profit-driven, not outcome-driven or patient focused. To be at our best health and performance, we must take control of our own health care. Special Guest: Dr. Kevin Wacasey Kevin Wacasey studied at the University of Texas at Arlington and fulfilled his residency in Emergency Medicine at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Kevin has held a certification from the American Board of Emergency Medicine since 1999. Dr. Wacasey has published two books focusing on health insurance and healthcare. His first book called The Guide to Buying Health Insurance, and Health Carewas published in 2016 and second called Healthcareonomics – 1,000 Crazy Ways American Health Insurance Controls America's Health Carewas published a year later in 2017. To go along with his two publications, Dr. Wacasey also has a blog and YouTube Channel that he contributes to regularly. Both the blog and YouTube Channel are called "Healthcareonomics". Currently, Dr. Wacasey is the attending physician and owner of Concierge Medical Practice in Fort Worth, Texas. Connect with Dr. Kevin Wacasey: Website: healthcareonomics.com; health-best.com Facebook: facebook.com/Healthcareonomics LinkedIn: linkedin.com/kevinwacaseymd Twitter: @Hconomics YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel

On this episode, Dr. Gladden and Mark welcome Dr. Jeff Spencer on the show to discuss his experiences and insights about setting and achieving goals. As an Olympian, sports scientist, author, doctor, artist and advisor to many high-profile business clients, he has developed a proven roadmap to help himself and others tackle challenges and win in life. They have an extensive conversation about the mindset needed to succeed, applying these lessons to winning in a variety of situations – including achieving longevity. Special Guest: Dr. Jeff Spencer makes winning BIG the normal for his clients. He knows how because he's been there – Olympian, sports scientist, artist, author, doctor, father and advisor to many of this era's most prolific achievers. Using his Goal Positioning System™ he has helped athletes win 40+ Olympic, World, National, and Tour de France gold medals; entrepreneurs and businesses grow exponentially and thought leaders moved to next level. His clients include Hitachi, Nike, Bulletproof and the rock band U2. Here's what people say about Jeff: "Enables the impossible", "My secret weapon", "Beyond, coach, mentor, or expert…Cornerman". Dr. Jeff has appeared in Fortune Magazine, GQ, and the Huffington Post. His most important achievement is the adoption of his daughter from rural Colombia at age 10. Learn more at https://www.drjeffspencer.com/and contact him at jeff@drjeffspencer.com.

The CDC is now categorizing insufficient sleep as an epidemic, associating the problem with increased risk for numerous health conditions and injury. Mark and Dr. Gladden discuss the slippery slope of poor sleep habits, the "fly-wheel" effect that can have a negative impact on your health in so many different ways. Sufficient, quality sleep supports our health, creativity, intellectual capacity and much more while we're awake. Mark and Dr. Gladden explain the natural, complex process of the sleep-wake cycle. They offer a number of suggestions to reduce things that often hinder good sleep and recommend good habits to improve sleep.

First, Mark and Dr. Gladden discuss the difference between body types that are more comfortable in warmer or colder temperatures, which can be determined with genetic testing through services like Athletigen. They also discuss how the body performs better when it is challenged by different extremes. Next, they discuss non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is an epidemic that is the most common liver disorder in developed countries. In a traditional medical model, this diagnosis is considered irreversible. Mark's father died from this disease, and Mark was also diagnosed with a cirrhotic liver. He was referred to a liver transplant specialist. Dr. Gladden and Mark walk through a number of measures that Mark took, outside of traditional medicine with Gladden's guidance, to improve his condition. They talk about his incredible results, because his customized plan was based very specifically off his genetics.