Nourish Balance Thrive

It’s been about three years since NBT began using supervised machine learning to predict the results of more expensive or unattainable biomedical tests. With our bloodsmart.ai software, we can forecast infections and inflammation, xenobiotic and heavy metal toxicity, and metabolic health indicators like fatty liver and elevated insulin - all without directly testing these markers. As a result, we’ve dramatically shifted our clinical work away from direct testing, instead focusing on basic blood chemistry and supervised machine learning to guide decision making. It's one of the things I'm proudest of building. Sometimes I get asked how bloodsmart.ai compares to other blood chemistry programs. I used the other programs for years before coding my own, and rather than ML, they use what I call “hand-rolled algorithms.” For example, if alkaline phosphatase is low, then it must be a zinc deficiency. Unfortunately, biology is way more complicated than that, and supplementing with zinc with just one indicator never helps. On this podcast, my Scientific Director Megan Hall and I are discussing how to interpret the forecast on a bloodsmart.ai report and how we use the results in our work with clients. We talk a little about how the algorithms work under the hood and how we know the forecasts have predictive value. We also explain what might be going on when the forecasts don’t match direct testing.  To get the most out of this podcast, be sure to follow along with Megan’s outline. Here’s the outline of this podcast with Megan Hall: [00:04:39] bloodsmart.ai software. [00:04:47] Supervised machine learning. [00:06:36] Pain as the amazing protectometer; Video: Pain, the brain and your amazing protectometer - Lorimer Moseley. [00:08:25] Karl Friston. [00:09:38] eLife podcast and eLife Journal. [00:10:06] Machine learning in embryology: Bormann, Charles L., et al. "Performance of a deep learning based neural network in the selection of human blastocysts for implantation." Elife 9 (2020): e55301. [00:12:16] Machine learning for identifying prostate cancer: Hood, Simon P., et al. "Identifying prostate cancer and its clinical risk in asymptomatic men using machine learning of high dimensional peripheral blood flow cytometric natural killer cell subset phenotyping data." Elife 9 (2020): e50936. [00:13:18] Podcast: How to Interpret Your White Blood Cell Count with Megan Hall. [00:14:38] Paper: Wood, Thomas R., et al. "An interpretable machine learning model of biological age." F1000Research 8.17 (2019): 17. [00:14:53] Podcast: How to Measure Your Biological Age, with Megan Hall.  [00:15:24] How do we know the models have skill? Article: A Gentle Introduction to k-fold Cross-Validation. [00:17:40] What the forecasts are and what they’re not. [00:19:18] A "cloudy crystal ball". [00:23:21] Using bloodsmart.ai forecasts in clinical practice. [00:24:25] Book: How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, by Annie Duke. [00:26:17] The “Archer's Mindset”: The value of taking aim. [00:28:09] Podcast: Environmental Pollutants and the Gut Microbiome, with Jodi Flaws, PhD.  [00:28:45] Article: How to do better at darts and life.  [00:32:33] Health history and symptoms; Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) (example). [00:35:30] 7 minute analysis. [00:36:53] bloodsmart.ai bar chart (example). [00:37:56] Food journaling. [00:42:27] Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep and Healthy Living App; Think Dirty Shop Clean App. [00:43:03] Podcast: Air Pollution Is a Cause of Endothelial Injury, Systemic Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease, with Arden Pope, PhD. [00:44:23] Titanium bottle kickstarter: Keego. [00:46:04] Discrepancies between forecast and directly measured marker. [00:48:42] Forecasts that tend to be seen together. [00:53:34] Forecast detail view (example). [00:55:30] Josh Turknett's 4-Quadrant Model.  [00:58:22] Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution, with Josh Turknett, MD. [01:01:38] Book a free 15-minute starter session.

My guests today are certified Primal Health Coaches Laura Rupsis and Erin Power. Both maintain successful private practices while training others through Mark Sisson’s Primal Health Coach Institute (PHCI) and collaborating as hosts of the Health Coach Radio podcast. As the admissions director for PHCI, Laura is also behind the friendly voice you’ll reach when you’re seeking information about training as a health coach. On this podcast Laura, Erin and I are talking about becoming a health coach: the training, the clients, and strategies for growing a successful practice. We look at some of the recent developments in the field, including national board certification and the new PHCI Level 2 Certification Course, recently introduced to meet the board requirements. We also discuss finding your niche, getting clients, and a realistic timeline for building a coaching business. Here’s the outline of this interview with Laura Rupsis and Erin Power: [00:02:26] Mark Sisson. [00:01:20] Erin's health journey. [00:03:02] Laura's health journey. [00:10:43] Simon Marshall, PhD and triathlete Lesley Paterson; Values Guided Actions Worksheet. [00:12:47] Podcast: The Community Cure: Transforming Health Outcomes Together, with James Maskell. [00:16:07] Do you need a credential to be a health coach? [00:19:21] Information does not cause change. [00:20:29] National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). [00:23:48] Primal Health Coach Level 2 Certification Course. [00:31:07] Getting clients as a health coach, finding your niche. [00:40:25] Dr. Jade Teta, women's hormone specialist. [00:45:51] Building your coaching practice. [00:48:55] Getting traffic; problems with Facebook. [00:51:06] Superhuman email interface. [00:52:44] Is health coaching scalable? [00:54:36] Toastmasters for public speaking. [00:57:43] Primal Health Coach Institute; Book a call with Laura; Facebook, Instagram. [00:58:19] Health Coaching Success Virtual Masterclass; Enroll here. [00:58:40] Health Coach Radio podcast.

Author, speaker and entrepreneur James Maskell is passionate about healthcare transformation. He is the co-founder of the Functional Forum, the world’s largest integrative medicine conference. He lectures internationally, and has been featured on TEDMED, Huffpost Live, TEDx and more, and is a contributor to Huffington Post, KevinMD, thedoctorblog and MindBodyGreen. He also serves on the faculty of George Washington University’s Metabolic Medicine Institute. On this podcast, James discusses the importance of disrupting the current state of medicine and accelerating its future. He describes his goal to empower clinicians to transition to a functional medicine model and to become leaders and change agents toward healthcare that is preventative and sustainable. We also talk about the importance of community and it’s critical role in avoiding chronic illness. Here’s the outline of this interview with James Maskell: [00:01:34] Living in a commune in Colorado. [00:03:16] Book: The Community Cure: Transforming Health Outcomes Together, by James Maskell. [00:05:00] Podcast: Free to Learn: Unleashing the Instinct to Play, with Peter Gray, PhD. [00:08:10] Making functional medicine the standard of care. [00:10:05] Functional Forum. [00:10:43] Problems with scaling up functional medicine. [00:13:22] Micropractice. [00:15:19] Solving the problem of loneliness. [00:15:50] Video: George Slavich, PhD: How Much Does Social Stress and Isolation Affect Health? [00:19:23] Book: Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, by John T. Cacioppo & William Patrick. [00:20:30] Nuclear families as the current norm. [00:20:45] Book: The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease, by Daniel Lieberman; “dysevolution”. [00:25:44] Book: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous, by Joseph Henrich. [00:30:32] Organizing health coaches and the value of groups. [00:35:35] Simon Marshall, PhD and world champion triathlete Lesley Paterson. [00:37:19] Podcasts featuring Julian Abel, MD: Building Compassionate Communities to Improve Public Health and Maintaining Social Connection in the Era of COVID-19. [00:37:31] How a practitioner can start utilizing groups. [00:41:28] Autoimmune Protocol (AIP); Mickey Trescott at Autoimmune Wellness; Podcast: The Nutrient-Dense Kitchen: Applying the Autoimmune Protocol. [00:42:14] Health sharing systems. [00:46:00] Knew Health health sharing; Liberty Health Share. [00:48:46] Evolution of Medicine; The Community Cure; Instagram.

There’s a common misconception that you need to run expensive advanced biomedical tests to fix your health. Over the years we’ve found just the opposite, that you can learn much of what you need to know from basic blood chemistry. Perhaps the best example is the information gained from a Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Differential. As the most common blood test, it is widely used to assess general health status, screen for disorders, and to evaluate nutritional status. On this podcast, NBT Scientific Director Megan Hall and I are talking about leukocytes, also known as white blood cells (WBCs), as critical elements of the CBC blood test. Megan discusses the various types of leukocytes and what it means when your count is outside the reference range. We talk about what leukocytes tell you about your nutritional status, why some people “never get sick” as well as signs you’ve got chronic inflammation or physiological stress. Megan also discusses how to use this information to determine the next steps in your health journey. Here’s the outline of this interview with Megan Hall: [00:01:04] Forum post: Chronically Low White Blood Cell Count. Get access when you support us on Patreon. [00:01:45] Leukocytes = White Blood Cells (WBCs) found on CBC with differential blood test. [00:02:58] Different types of white blood cells. [00:04:18] Phagocytosis video. [00:06:10] Absolute vs relative counts of WBCs. [00:09:15] Optimal range of WBCs in relation to all-cause mortality. [00:11:25] Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging: Ruggiero, Carmelinda, et al. "White blood cell count and mortality in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging." Journal of the American College of Cardiology 49.18 (2007): 1841-1850.  [00:12:57] Study: Shah, Anoop Dinesh, et al. "White cell count in the normal range and short-term and long-term mortality: international comparisons of electronic health record cohorts in England and New Zealand." BMJ open 7.2 (2017): e013100.  [00:15:30] bloodsmart.ai. [00:18:00] Why WBCs might be high: Leukocytosis. [00:18:45] Paper: WBCs are predictive of all cause mortality: Crowell, Richard J., and Jonathan M. Samet. "Invited commentary: why does the white blood cell count predict mortality?." American Journal of Epidemiology 142.5 (1995): 499-501.  [00:20:00] Podcast: Air Pollution Is a Cause of Endothelial Injury, Systemic Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease, with Arden Pope, PhD. [00:21:57] Association of leukocytosis with metabolic syndrome; Study: Babio, Nancy, et al. "White blood cell counts as risk markers of developing metabolic syndrome and its components in the PREDIMED study." PloS one 8.3 (2013): e58354. [00:22:15] Megan's outline for this podcast. [00:22:41] What to do if you have elevated WBC counts. [00:22:54] Impact of stress; Studies: 1. Nishitani, Naoko, and Hisataka Sakakibara. "Association of psychological stress response of fatigue with white blood cell count in male daytime workers." Industrial health 52.6 (2014): 531-534. and 2. Jasinska, Anna J., et al. "Immunosuppressive effect and global dysregulation of blood transcriptome in response to psychosocial stress in vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus)." Scientific reports 10.1 (2020): 1-12.  [00:23:32] Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson; Podcast: How to Manage Stress, with Simon Marshall, PhD. [00:24:08] Reasons WBC counts might be low; Leukopenia. [00:27:57] "I never get sick". [00:30:40] What to do if your WBCs are low. [00:30:56] Effects of low energy availability: Studies: 1. Johannsen, Neil M., et al. "Effect of different doses of aerobic exercise on total white blood cell (WBC) and WBC subfraction number in postmenopausal women: results from DREW." PloS one 7.2 (2012): e31319. and 2. Sarin, Heikki V., et al. "Molecular pathways mediating immunosuppression in response to prolonged intensive physical training, low-energy availability, and intensive weight loss." Frontiers in immunology 10 (2019): 907.  [00:31:44] Articles by Megan on energy availability and underfueling: 1. Why Your Ketogenic Diet Isn’t Working Part One: Underfueling and Overtraining; 2. How to Prevent Weight Loss (or Gain Muscle) on a Therapeutic Ketogenic Diet; 3. What We Eat and How We Train Part 1: Coach and Ketogenic Diet Researcher, Megan Roberts; 4. How to Carbo Load the Right Way [00:31:52] Podcast: How to Identify and Treat Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), with Nicky Keay. [00:33:03] Ranges may slightly differ by ethnicity; 1. Haddy, Theresa B., Sohail R. Rana, and Oswaldo Castro. "Benign ethnic neutropenia: what is a normal absolute neutrophil count?." Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 133.1 (1999): 15-22; 2. Palmblad, Jan, and Petter Höglund. "Ethnic benign neutropenia: a phenomenon finds an explanation." Pediatric blood & cancer 65.12 (2018): e27361; 3. Grann, Victor R., et al. "Neutropenia in 6 ethnic groups from the Caribbean and the US." Cancer: Interdisciplinary International Journal of the American Cancer Society 113.4 (2008): 854-860.  [00:34:39] Absolute Neutrophil to absolute Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as indicator of systemic inflammation; Studies: 1. Gürağaç, Ali, and Zafer Demirer. "The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in clinical practice." Canadian Urological Association Journal 10.3-4 (2016): 141-2; 2. Fest, Jesse, et al. "The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is associated with mortality in the general population: The Rotterdam Study." European journal of epidemiology 34.5 (2019): 463-470.  [00:36:19] Elevated NLR associated with poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Studies: 1. Yang, Ai-Ping, et al. "The diagnostic and predictive role of NLR, d-NLR and PLR in COVID-19 patients." International immunopharmacology (2020): 106504; 2. Ciccullo, Arturo, et al. "Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and clinical outcome in COVID-19: a report from the Italian front line." International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents (2020); 3. Liu, Jingyuan, et al. "Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts critical illness patients with 2019 coronavirus disease in the early stage." Journal of Translational Medicine 18 (2020): 1-12.  [00:37:41] NLR predicts mortality in medical inpatients: Isaac, Vivian, et al. "Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts mortality in medical inpatients with multiple chronic conditions." Medicine 95.23 (2016).  [00:38:21] What to do if NLR is out of range. [00:39:23] NLR on bloodsmart.ai (found on the Marker Detail View page). [00:40:01] NLR as a marker of physiological stress: 1. Onsrud, M., and E. Thorsby. "Influence of in vivo hydrocortisone on some human blood lymphocyte subpopulations: I. Effect on natural killer cell activity." Scandinavian journal of immunology 13.6 (1981): 573-579; 2. PulmCrit: Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR): Free upgrade to your WBC. [00:41:59] Schedule a 15-minute Starter Session.

Jessa Zimmerman, MA is a licensed couples counsellor and nationally certified sex therapist based in Seattle, Washington. She specializes in helping couples who find that sex has become stressful, negative, disappointing, or pressured. In her practice, she counsels and supports couples through an experiential process that allows them real-world practice in changing their relationship and their sex life. She is also the author of the book, Sex without stress; a couple’s guide to overcoming disappointment, avoidance, and pressure, and hosts The Better Sex Podcast. On this podcast, Jessa and I discuss the all-too-common struggles encountered by couples in long-term relationships who are experiencing a disconnect in sexual desire. She debunks some of the myths about sexual desire that often leave people feeling broken and confused once the initial flame of a relationship dies down. Jessa also shares one of her most powerful exercises for couples to start reconnecting if they’ve been avoiding sex. Here’s the outline of this interview with Jessa Zimmerman: [00:00:44] Kelly Casperson; Class: You Are Not Broken. [00:01:13] Jessa's background. [00:02:46] Sex positivity. [00:04:40] The Better Sex Podcast. [00:05:17] Book: Sex Without Stress: A couple's guide to overcoming disappointment, avoidance and pressure, by Jessa Zimmerman. [00:06:29] The WEIRD perspective - Westernized, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic; Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristen Hawkes, PhD. [00:07:54] Monogamy; Anthropologist Helen Fisher; The neurological effects of being in love: Fisher, Helen E., Arthur Aron, and Lucy L. Brown. "Romantic love: a mammalian brain system for mate choice." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361.1476 (2006): 2173-2186. [00:09:48] Podcast: How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex and Pornography, with Megan Maas, PhD. [00:10:01] The role of pornography. [00:12:21] Defining sex. [00:13:38] Brad Stulberg; Book: The Passion Paradox; Podcast: How to Harness Productive Passion and Avoid Burnout [00:17:20] The giver/receiver exercise. [00:21:39] Spontaneous vs reactive sexual desire. [00:22:00] Rosemary Basson on the sexual response cycle; Basson, Rosemary. "The female sexual response: A different model." Journal of Sex &Marital Therapy 26.1 (2000): 51-65. [00:22:11] Emily Nagoski. [00:26:22] Only 6% of women lack both spontaneous and responsive desire; Study: Hendrickx, Lies, Luk Gijs, and Paul Enzlin. "Prevalence rates of sexual difficulties and associated distress in heterosexual men and women: Results from an Internet survey in Flanders." Journal of sex research 51.1 (2014): 1-12. [00:27:11] Growth mindset; Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck; Podcast: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, with Simon Marshall, PhD. [00:30:11] Beverly Whipple, PhD; Book: The G Spot: And Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality. [00:33:10] Measuring sexual excitability and inhibition. Emily Nagoski’s assessment tools. [00:35:43] You are responsible for your pleasure. [00:37:34] Vulnerability vs openness. [00:38:57] Podcast: The Neurophysiology of Safety and How to Feel Safe, with Stephen Porges, PhD. [00:40:36] Books: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers, by Karyl McBride, PhD. and Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha, by Tara Brach, PhD. [00:40:51] Chimp purge exercise; Article: Lieberman, Matthew D., et al. "Putting feelings into words." Psychological science 18.5 (2007): 421-428. [00:43:05] Book: The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness, by Steve Peters. [00:43:23]  The Elephant and the Rider, an analogy introduced by Psychologist Jonathan Haidt. [00:45:54] Jessa’s online course: Intimacy with Ease. [00:46:35] Webinar - How to Help Your Partner Want More Sex. [00:48:55] Facebook, Instagram.

Returning to the podcast today is speaker, NY Times bestselling author, coach, and lifelong athlete Brad Kearns. Decades removed from his status as a #3 world-ranked pro triathlete, Brad has now turned his attention to broader fitness goals aligned with healthspan. Always finding new ways to challenge himself, In 2018 Brad broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest single hole of golf ever played, and this year he ranked #1 in the USA and #3 in the world for Masters Track & Field high jump, age 55-59. On this podcast, Brad and I discuss what it takes to preserve competitive intensity throughout life. Brad talks about his current focus on male optimization - the MOFO movement - created for men who don’t want to get old and soft on the sidelines of life. We also recall some of the most informative guests Brad has interviewed on his podcast. Here’s the outline of this interview with Brad Kearns: [00:04:03] Cold exposure. [00:04:03] Brad’s previous NBT podcast: How to Win More by Training Less; Video: Brad’s speed golf world record. [00:05:02] Dr. Steve Jeffs. [00:09:22] Jeff Kendal Weed; YouTube, NBT podcast: How to Create a Career Doing a Sport You Love. [00:13:23] Mark Sisson. [00:15:20] Article: HIIT Versus HIRT by Dr. Craig Marker. [00:18:43] Podcast: Science and Application of High Intensity Interval Training, with Paul Laursen, PhD. [00:20:05] The Get Over Yourself podcast. [00:22:13] Books by Brad Kearns. [00:23:46] Lessons learned from Brad’s podcast guests. [00:24:28] Books by Mark Manson: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life, and Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope. On the Get Over Yourself podcast: Mark Manson: The Subtle Art Of Connecting With Your Emotional Brain, Seeing Yourself With Honesty and Vulnerability, And Connecting The Emotional Brain With The Rational Brain. [00:25:48] Peter Attia, on NBT podcast: The Critical Factors of Healthspan and Lifespan; On the Get Over Yourself podcast: Peter Attia: Longevity, Diet, And Finding The Drive. [00:26:15] Rip Esselstyn on the Get Over Yourself podcast: Rip Esselstyn: The Plant Strong Movement, Challenging Your Beliefs, And The Magical Peak Performance State Called “The Feel”. [00:28:58] The inverse power of praise; Article: How Not to Talk to Your Kids, by Po Bronson. [00:29:10] Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck. [00:29:13] Books by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman: NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, and Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing. [00:32:24] Podcast: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, with Simon Marshall, PhD. [00:33:15] Book: The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children, by Alison Gopnik. [00:35:14] Cate Shanahan, MD; Book: The Fatburn Fix: Boost Energy, End Hunger, and Lose Weight by Using Body Fat for Fuel, Get Over Yourself podcast: Dr. Cate Shanahan – The Fatburn Fix. [00:37:49] Book: Two Meals a Day - coming in 2021. [00:38:12] Books by Ben Greenfield: Boundless: Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize Your Body & Defy Aging, and The Christian Gratitude Journal. [00:40:31] NBT Podcast: Ready to Run with Kelly Starrett; Get Over Yourself Podcast: Dr. Kelly Starrett: Mobility King. [00:42:20] Book: Keto for Life: Reset Your Biological Clock in 21 Days and Optimize Your Diet for Longevity, by Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns. [00:44:02] Podcast: Free to Learn: Unleashing the Instinct to Play, with Peter Gray, PhD; Book: Free to Learn. [00:44:23] Katy Bowman. [00:47:23] bradkearns.com; MOFO mission. [00:48:20] Free ebook: Becoming a Modern Day Mofo. [00:48:50] Brad’s nutbutter.

Back when we first started working with clients we ordered all the fancy tests for everyone who walked in the door. We tested the gut (not one test, but two), hormones, cortisol, and organic acids, to name a few. It got to be pretty expensive but it seemed to be the best way to figure out exactly what to do next. Our process has evolved over the years, and now we start with just simple, inexpensive blood chemistry. This saves our clients a ton of money and time, and they still get great results. On the podcast today, NBT Scientific Director and coach Megan Hall and I discuss the advanced (and not-so-advanced) biomedical tests we’ve run for clients over the years. We talk about the ones we still use and the ones we quit - and why. Megan explains why you should be sceptical of genetic testing, and the wealth of information you can derive from basic blood chemistry. We also talk about bloodsmart.ai, the software we use at NBT to give personalised predictions of problems in your body that can help you decide on further testing and/or actions you want to take. We also talk about some software improvements I’ve made recently. Here’s the outline of this interview with Megan Hall: [00:02:23] Megan's outline for this podcast. [00:02:39] Testing in the early days on NBT. [00:05:43] Chris and Jamie on Ben Greenfield’s podcast in 2014: 7 Signs Your Cortisol And Adrenals Are Broken. [00:06:32] Ben Greenfield podcasts with Christopher Kelly: The Little-Known Test That Tells You Everything You Need To Know About Your Metabolism and Why Is My Cortisol High Even Though I’m Doing Everything Right? Hidden Causes Of High Cortisol, The DUTCH Test & More! [00:07:00] Gut tests. [00:07:42] NBT podcasts featuring Lucy Mailing, PhD: 1. How to Optimise Your Gut Microbiome and 2. Microbiome Myths and Misconceptions. [00:09:00] Hormone testing. [00:09:25] Books by Robert Sapolsky: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Third Edition, and Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst. [00:10:07] Hans Selye. [00:13:37] Entraining circadian rhythm; Podcasts: How to Use Time-Restricted Eating to Reverse Disease and Optimize Health, with Satchin Panda, PhD; Why You Should Eat Breakfast (and Other Secrets of Circadian Biology), with Bill Lagakos, PhD, How to Entrain Your Circadian Rhythm for Perfect Sleep and Metabolic Health, and Morning Larks and Night Owls: the Biology of Chronotypes, with Greg Potter, PhD. [00:16:09] Genetic testing. [00:17:31] Podcast: How to Win at Angry Birds: The Ancestral Paradigm for a Therapeutic Revolution, with Josh Turknett, MD. [00:18:38] Direct to consumer genetic testing: 40% of variants in raw data were false positives; Study: Tandy-Connor, Stephany, et al. "False-positive results released by direct-to-consumer genetic tests highlight the importance of clinical confirmation testing for appropriate patient care." Genetics in Medicine 20.12 (2018): 1515. [00:18:59] Promethease. [00:19:46] 95% of the genome is "non-coding". [00:21:59] Growth mindset; Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck; Podcast: Why Most People Never Learn From Their Mistakes - But Some Do, with Simon Marshall, PhD. [00:24:19] Jeff Kendall-Weed; Podcast: How to Create a Career Doing a Sport You Love. [00:25:06] Andrew D Huberman on Joe Rogan, Rich Rolls, Instagram. [00:27:06] Glycomark. [00:28:34] NutriSense; Podcast: Continuous Glucose Monitoring to Prevent Disease and Increase Healthspan, with Kara Collier, RDN. [00:29:59] Salivary 1,5-anhydroglucitol inversely related to dental caries in children; Study: Syed, Sadatullah, et al. "Salivary 1, 5-Anhydroglucitol and Vitamin Levels in Relation to Caries Risk in Children." BioMed research international 2019 (2019). [00:30:34] Tests that have stood the test of time. [00:33:32] Josh Turknett’s 4-quadrant model. [00:34:48] bloodsmart.ai. [00:36:02] The value of a basic blood chemistry. [00:38:23] NBT podcasts featuring Ivor Cummins: How Not to Die of Cardiovascular Disease and Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC): A Direct Measure of Cardiovascular Disease Risk. [00:38:33] NBT podcasts featuring Malcolm Kendrick: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World. [00:39:26] CAC scan: Find a scan centre near you; Widowmaker movie; Irish Heart Disease Awareness website. [00:43:02] Items that can be forecast by bloodsmart.ai, with their sensitivity and specificity. [00:43:45] PhenoAge (example); Podcast; How to Measure Your Biological Age. [00:44:17] Optimal vs Standard reference ranges. [00:48:41] Testing: the future. [00:50:02] Recent bloodsmart.ai software updates. [00:50:32] Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 9/24/20 press release: Recommendations About the Use of Dental Amalgam in Certain High-Risk Populations: FDA Safety Communication. [00:51:43] Take the 7-minute analysis. [00:54:48] Email us with your ideas for bloodsmart.ai. [00:55:24] Book a free 15-minute starter session.

Researcher and educator C. Arden Pope, III, PhD is the Mary Lou Fulton Professor of Economics at Brigham Young University. Contributing to over three decades of published research, he is one of the world's most cited and recognised experts on the health effects of air pollution. He has taught and published on various natural resource and environmental issues and collaborated on a series of seminal studies on the human health effects of air pollution. On this podcast, Dr Pope and I discuss the harmful effects of air pollution on health and longevity. He describes the impact of fine particulate matter generated from industrial processes and explains what makes some forms of pollution much worse than others. He also describes the disastrous effects of air pollution on endothelial function and the cardiovascular system and offers advice for limiting exposure and taking action. Here’s the outline of this interview with C. Arden Pope: [00:01:26] Dr. Malcolm Kendrick podcasts: Why Cholesterol Levels Have No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease (And Things to Think about Instead) and A Statin Nation: Damaging Millions in a Brave New Post-health World.  [00:02:21] Studies describing effects of air pollution on the cardiovascular system: 1. Pope III, C. Arden, et al. "Exposure to fine particulate air pollution is associated with endothelial injury and systemic inflammation." Circulation research 119.11 (2016): 1204-1214; 2. Pope III, C. Arden, Aaron J. Cohen, and Richard T. Burnett. "Cardiovascular disease and fine particulate matter: lessons and limitations of an integrated exposure–response approach." Circulation research 122.12 (2018): 1645-1647. [00:05:13] Hospital admissions in Utah Valley related to steel mill; Pope 3rd, C. A. "Respiratory disease associated with community air pollution and a steel mill, Utah Valley." American journal of public health 79.5 (1989): 623-628.  [00:11:17] Air pollution as the 5th leading contributor to global burden of disease. [00:11:48] Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. [00:17:26] Book: The Big Smoke, by Nathan Srith. [00:19:05] The Great Smog of London, 1952. [00:19:56] Respiratory physiologist, David Bates. [00:23:53] Harvard six cities study: Dockery, Douglas W., et al. "An association between air pollution and mortality in six US cities." New England journal of medicine 329.24 (1993): 1753-1759, and the American Cancer Society Cohort Studies. [00:24:22] PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) and adverse health outcomes. [00:31:20] Large vs small particles in the air. [00:39:37] Inflammatory effects of fine particulate matter; slide from this talk. [00:43:26] Air pollution associated with increases in inflammatory markers. [00:47:29] Peter Backx, PhD; Podcast: Arrhythmias in Endurance Athletes. [00:49:21] Wildfires; Air pollution from wood smoke vs "urban dirt". [00:58:47] Air pollution and life expectancy; Pope, C. Arden, and Douglas W. Dockery. "Air pollution and life expectancy in China and beyond." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110.32 (2013): 12861-12862. [01:00:14] How to reduce exposure. [01:06:24] Elementary school absences related to air pollution in Park City, UT; Study: Hales, Nicholas M., et al. "A quasi-experimental analysis of elementary school absences and fine particulate air pollution." Medicine 95.9 (2016). [01:10:12] Global burden of disease attributable to air pollution; Study: Cohen, Aaron J., et al. "Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015." The Lancet 389.10082 (2017): 1907-1918. [01:13:16] Supporting the Clean Air Act. [01:15:15] Dr Pope’s CV and publications. [01:20:45] Video: Keynote: Air Pollution and Human Health—Science, Public Policy, and Controversy. See here for additional videos featuring Dr Pope.

We’ve got exercise physiologist Mike T. Nelson, PhD, MSME, CSCS, CISSN back on the podcast today. Mike’s areas of expertise include metabolic flexibility, heart rate variability, and human performance. He’s an adjunct professor for the Carrick Institute of Functional Neurology and the American College of Sports Medicine and has published research in both physiology and engineering journals. He also works 1 on 1 with clients seeking to optimise their performance. On today’s podcast, Mike and I talk about his new Flex Diet Certification, a metabolic flexibility course for trainers, coaches, gym owners and fitness enthusiasts. Mike discusses some of the different components of his 8-week course, as well as why he created it and who should (and should not) take it. We also talk about recent developments and research in the areas of cannabidiol, heart rate variability, and blood flow restriction training. Here’s the outline of this interview with Mike T. Nelson: [00:05:10] Mike's previous appearances on NBT podcast: 1, 2, 3, 4. [00:05:23] Cannabidiol (CBD). [00:05:43] DEA prohibits synthetically-produced Delta-8, as of August 2020. [00:06:41] Sleep and CBD. [00:07:31] Review of cannabinoids in the treatment of PTSD: Cohen, Jacob, et al. "Cannabinoids as an Emerging Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorders." Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology 37.1 (2020): 28-34. [00:08:28] Heart Rate Variability (HRV). [00:08:41] HRV fails to predict readiness to train; Studies: 1. De Oliveira, Ramon Martins, et al. "Effect of individualized resistance training prescription with heart rate variability on individual muscle hypertrophy and strength responses." European journal of sport science 19.8 (2019): 1092-1100; 2. Thamm, Antonia, et al. "Can heart rate variability determine recovery following distinct strength loadings? A randomized cross-over trial." International journal of environmental research and public health 16.22 (2019): 4353. [00:14:17] Oura Ring. [00:16:49] Oura Ring’s ability to differentiate sleep stages; Study: de Zambotti, Massimiliano, et al. "The sleep of the ring: comparison of the ŌURA sleep tracker against polysomnography." Behavioral sleep medicine 17.2 (2019): 124-136. [00:20:57] Flex diet certification. [00:31:55] Book: The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It, by John Tierney. [00:34:01] Physiology flexibility. [00:37:46] Wim Hof breathing exercises. [00:43:05] Exercise training can alter how the body handles a large meal; Review: Goodpaster, Bret H., and Lauren M. Sparks. "Metabolic flexibility in health and disease." Cell metabolism 25.5 (2017): 1027-1036. [00:44:06] Pop tart test. [00:45:19] Article: The Porcelain Doll Diet. [00:48:55] Breathing as a homeostatic regulator. [00:52:18] Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training; Podcast: Blood Flow Restriction Training for Improved Strength, Performance, and Healthspan, with Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD. [00:55:12] Hypertrophy from walking using BFR training; Study: Abe, Takashi, Charles F. Kearns, and Yoshiaki Sato. "Muscle size and strength are increased following walk training with restricted venous blood flow from the leg muscle, Kaatsu-walk training." Journal of applied physiology 100.5 (2006): 1460-1466. [00:55:31] Moxy muscle oxygen monitor. [00:57:10] Fat Gripz. [00:57:15] Supplements. [00:58:07] Beta-alanine; Meta-analysis: Dolan, Eimear, et al. "A systematic risk assessment and meta-analysis on the use of oral β-alanine supplementation." Advances in Nutrition 10.3 (2019): 452-463. [00:59:45] Sodium bicarbonate. [01:01:14] Lactate; Cytosport’s Cytomax. [01:01:46] Recent study evaluating IV lactate: Ellekjaer, Karen L., et al. "Lactate versus acetate buffered intravenous crystalloid solutions: a scoping review." British Journal of Anaesthesia (2020). [01:03:21] Flex Diet Podcast, hosted by Dr Mike T Nelson. [01:04:31] Dom D’agostino on the Flexdiet Podcast: Dr Dom D'Agostino on Red Light, Ketones, Fasting, Zapping Monkeys and More. Dominic on the NBT podcast: Dominic D'Agostino: Researcher and Athlete on the Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet. [01:05:52] flexdiet.com; miketnelson.com.

Stephen W. Porges, PhD. is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behaviour and emphasises the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioural problems and psychiatric disorders. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers across numerous behavioural and neurobiological disciplines. On this podcast, Dr Porges explains the Polyvagal Theory, including the biological effects of perceived safety or danger and the resulting impact on our social behaviour. He describes his music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol, that is used by more than 1,400 therapists to reduce hearing sensitivities and increase emotional control and behavioural organisation. He also discusses how the threat of COVID-19 can impact neurophysiology, and he shares practical strategies for creating feelings of safety. Here’s the outline of this interview with Stephen Porges: [00:00:14] Sue carter podcast: Oxytocin: More Than Just a “Love Hormone”. [00:02:25] Book: The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology), by Stephen Porges. [00:02:38] Book: The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology), by Stephen Porges. [00:04:06] Polyvagal theory, described. [00:12:28] Social behaviour as a noninvasive vagal nerve stimulator. [00:14:36] Book: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships, by Marshall B. Rosenberg. [00:14:44] Book: I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships, by Michael S. Sorensen. [00:15:05] Biological rudeness. [00:15:57] Argument as a shift in physiological state. [00:16:38] We are terrible listeners. [00:21:43] Humor - the violation of expectancy within the containment of safety. [00:25:46] It's not what you say, it's how you say it. [00:27:13] Extracting human voices. [00:29:41] Sociality is a product of our body feeling safe. [00:30:57] Auditory hypersensitivity in autism. [00:34:22] The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). [00:38:57] Study validating SSP: Porges, Stephen W., et al. "Reducing auditory hypersensitivities in autistic spectrum disorder: preliminary findings evaluating the listening project protocol." Frontiers in Pediatrics 2 (2014): 80. [00:39:29] Polyvagal Study Group on Facebook. [00:41:15] COVID-19, the effect on neurophysiology; Article: Porges, S. W. "The COVID-19 Pandemic is a paradoxical challenge to our nervous system: a Polyvagal Perspective." Clin Neuropsychiatry 17 (2020): 135-8. [00:46:53] Creating feelings of safety. [00:50:50] Posture, dance; Yoga: Sullivan, Marlysa B., et al. "Yoga therapy and polyvagal theory: The convergence of traditional wisdom and contemporary neuroscience for self-regulation and resilience." Frontiers in human neuroscience 12 (2018): 67. [00:51:37] Article: Porges, Stephen W. "Vagal pathways: Portals to compassion." The Oxford handbook of compassion science (2017): 189-204. [00:54:41] Youtube videos featuring Stephen Porges. [00:55:24] Deb Dana, LCSW. [00:56:23] Stanford University’s The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE); Videos: 1. CCARE Science of Compassion 2014: The Psychophysiology of Compassion, 2. The Science of Compassion: Origins, Measures, and Interventions - Stephen Porges, PhD. [00:56:56] Video on spirituality: Dr Stephen Porges speaks about spirituality concepts from a Polyvagal perspective. [00:57:00] Article in Spectrum Newsletter: Brain-body connection may ease autistic people’s social problems, by Stephen Porges. [00:58:00] Dr Porges’s website.