Degrees of Health

Join Glen Jeffery, a Professor of Neuroscience at UCL, as he sheds light on the fascinating connection between light and cellular health. Discover how red and near-infrared wavelengths can rejuvenate mitochondria, potentially reducing aging and inflammation. Glen discusses the surprising applications of light therapy in hospitals, aiding recovery, and even influencing insulin regulation. He emphasizes the urgency of sharing this crucial information for public awareness, blending science and practical health into an illuminating conversation.

We all have that tendency to go against our own better judgement when it comes to making decisions for our health - but why do we do it when we know there’s a better option there for us? The frustration it incurs! Not to mention the time wasted… and the guilt. It most certainly isn’t a lack of information available on how to be happy and healthy - that’s abundant. So, why is it that we often don’t actually do the things we know we should?We ask this and more with psychologist and coach, Dr Karen Doll. Karen practices what she preaches in supporting high performers with tools for psychological fitness. She asks the million dollar question - is it possible to be challenged, strive, achieve and grow without unnecessary anxiety and distress? Karen believes it absolutely is. The key? We have to be intentional about it. We dive into:⚖️ Sweet spot of energy and vitality without unnecessary anxiety and distress💗 You’re never the only one struggling🌎 “Not Enough” - a universal of human experience🎯Why we self-sabotage and challenging core beliefs💼📊Comparison, workaholism and successism - external to internal acceptance📱Smart phones for psychological fitness - generative or destructive?A big thought point for us was the following question and we’d love for you to explore it too and see how it applies in your own life. If we don’t know ourselves or what we want to be different, how will we even start the process of change? Find Karen:WebsiteLinkedInHarvard University Flourishing at Work NetworkMentioned:Book - Building Psychological Fitness by Karen Doll Book - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan HaidtRoulette - Addiction by Design by Natasha Dow SchullBook The Good Life by Robert WaldingerBook Fallen Leaves by Will DurantWant to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thomas Seager joins us again for a conversation challenging the conventional understanding of cancer. Thomas argues that the war on cancer, launched over 50 years ago, has failed to make significant strides in combatting the disease due to a fundamental misunderstanding of its origins.With scientific clarity, Dr. Seager explains:🔬the theory of cancer as a metabolic disease, beginning with defects in mitochondrial DNA, rather than the previously believed nuclear DNA🍯 how glucose metabolism plays a crucial role in cancer growth💧 ketosis and cold exposure therapies in inhibiting tumour growth🏆 inspiring case studies using cold water to combat cancer (see episode with Dean Hall)⚠️ the limitations of traditional cancer treatments (chemotherapy and radiation) and the need for more research and openness towards alternative and/or adjunct therapies focused on metabolic health, mitochondrial function, and lifestyle choices.If you know of someone with cancer at the moment, share this with them. Or better yet, read the papers and books mentioned below and entertain the possibility that there may be additional things you can do to revolutionise their cancer care and improve the prognosis for a loved one. Surely that's worth a read.Find Thomas:SubstackTwitter & Instagram: @seagertp EmailMentioned in this episode:Book: Uncommon Cold by Thomas SeagerIce Bath and Cancer ScienceStudy - Cancer as a metabolic disease: implications for novel therapeuticsStudy - Can the Mitochondrial Metabolic Theory Explain Better the Origin and Management of Cancer than Can the Somatic Mutation Theory?Book - Cancer As A Metabolic Disease by Thomas SeyfriedStudy - Brown-fat-mediated tumour suppression by cold-altered global metabolismDNA repair and anti-cancer mechanisms in the longest-living mammal: the bowhead whaleWant to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We can all talk a good game - but how often do we actually deliver on the goods? If we know what we need to do to feel good, to attain and maintain good health, and achieve our goals and desires - why is that we find ourselves not doing the things?! Professor John Parkinson and Ben dive head first into the theories of behavioural psychology behind these patterns in us - where they come from, why they develop and what we can do to change them.Here we cover:🎯 The Intention-Action Gap 💡 The need for specificity in setting and achieving goals🧠 Optimists and pessimists - do you believe you can or you can’t?🏆 Fear of failing - we all know it, so what do we do with it?🎲 Gamifying life - “how would you live differently if you viewed life as a game?”👫 Gender differences in achievement, and optimism. 💪 Self-determination theory and 3 core motivating categoriesListen in to John and Ben's open discussion on how to stack the deck in your favour through understanding what is driving our behaviour, self-awareness and optimising your environment for goal achievement. Find John:Google ScholarPublic Health Wales - Behavioural Science Unit WebsiteWales Centre for Behavioural Change blogMentioned in this episode:Psychology Students’ Marathon Achievements Book - Super Better by Jane McGonigalStudy - Motivation and Behaviour Change in Parkrun ParticipantsBook - Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanBook - Determined: Life Without Free Will by Robert SapolskyWant to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. James Kinross, a leading consultant surgeon and lecturer at Imperial College London, isn’t just at the forefront of gut microbiome research—he’s also written the book on it. Dark Matter delves into the vital role micro-organisms play in our bodies and the profound impact their balance (or imbalance) has on our health. Dr. Kinross’ research explores how the gut microbiome seemingly influences everything about how we interact with our environment and the impact it has on our health and our life as we age.Here, we discuss:👤 The symbiotic relationship between humans and their microbiome🚨 Bowel cancer: Why 95% of cases Dr Kinross operates on are preventable💊 The global misuse of antibiotics and its consequences💩 Fecal microbiome transplants—yes, it’s a thing!🧠 The crucial link between gut health and mental health🔬 The challenges of modern medicine working in silos📊 The future of microbiome science as a tool for population healthDr. Kinross is shaping our understanding of the hidden world within us, and this conversation might just change the way you think about looking after it.Find JamesInstagramBook - Dark MatterWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Fecal microbiota transplant overcomes resistance to anti–PD-1 therapy in melanoma patientsSweaty T-Shirt ExperimentAre single odorous components of a predator sufficient to elicit defensive behaviors in prey species?The Human Gut Microbiome as a Potential Factor in Autism Spectrum DisorderThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism - Shoshana ZuboffWant to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristi Storoschuk couldn't sit back on her laurels and only write about science, she followed her academic curiosity into conducting the research herself, to deepen all of our understanding of metabolic health, healthy ageing and prevention of chronic disease. Kristi is active in developing a career around science communication and truly believes understanding why we make a lifestyle change dictates how well it we stick with it. Kristi is making a real difference in the health industry, and we're grateful she took the time to tell us how. Here, we cover:🙂 How we can improve our metabolic health with high intensity exercise (and why we should care about it)📈 Where is what you're doing going? - the trajectory of your health activities👟The many ways to achieve a health outcome - one size might not fit all here!💪 Muscle mass vs muscle quality - yep, there's a difference🏃Carbohydrate feeding vs fasted exercise😮‍💨 VO2 max, mitochondrial content and metabolic healthKristi practices what she preaches and loves a challenge - we're talking triathlons on a whim, self-scripted high intensity workouts, EMOMs - just take a look at her instagram for inspiration and to try one out for yourself.Find Kristi:InstagramWebsiteLinkedInMentioned in this episode:Right Thing Right Now - Ryan HolidayJordan Jonas on Lex Friedman PodcastWant to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here, with globally recognised women’s health expert Dr Felice Gersh, we talk about PCOS. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is on the rise with 1 in 10 women currently suffering with or managing the condition - sadly, most are the former. The imbalance affects the entire metabolic system and leads to inflammation, fatigue, and perhaps most prevalent in the reproductive era, fertility issues - it is the number one cause of female infertility. Quite right that this requires plenty of attention then. Dr Felice Gersh explains where we may be exacerbating the problem (birth control pills), but also where there is scope to reduce PCOS symptoms (shifts in lifestyle) that serve to address the underlying cause of the condition. We go into:🤰PCOS - what it is, why it’s on the rise, and the knock on inflammatory health and fertility implications🧠Endotoxins, inflammation in the body and the brain 🍓Fertility as a sign of health💊The birth control pill - why to exercise caution using BC for acne and facial hair♀️The use of GLP1, Metformin, Bioidentical Hormones and Lifestyle Medicine for improvement in PCOS and overall health.If you are looking to find out more about PCOS and how to manage it, Dr Felice makes the science of what us happening in the body very accessible, and also provides expert advice on what to do that proactively aids its management.For much more on PCOS and women’s health, find Felice at the links below:YouTubeLink TreeIMGI Google Scholar - all published articlesBooks: Menopause: 50 Things You Need to KnowPCOS SOS: A Gynecologist's Lifeline To Naturally Restore Your Rhythms, Hormones, and HappinessWant to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The opportunity to sit down with an Olympic gold medallist is a rare one - but an even rarer opportunity is to speak with an Olympic athlete-naturopath-nutritionist-performance coach-author-keynote speaker in one. Don't believe us? Introducing Dr Lauren Burns, PhD OAM OLY. Lauren has a unique perspective of how we can each tap into our inner resources to bring about desired outcomes in our lives and has developed her career to foster that in others through her coaching, speaking and books.Here, Ben and Lauren discuss:⭕ The Circle of Lifestyle - Lauren's holistic method to elevate individual potential🔄 Supportive networks and feedback loops in and out of high-performance sports ⌛ 20-Year Plans and Seasonal Plans - where people struggle most with goal-setting 🤝 Stress resilience in relationships - the benefits of quality alliances🧍 Personalised medicine and tailored health practices💭 Reframing negative self-talkIf you don't get the opportunity to watch the whole thing - we invite you to think about this question from Lauren: When you get to the end of your life, what do you want to look back and have done? Life is too long not to.Find Lauren:InstagramWebsiteLauren’s Books: Fighting Spirit (autobiography) & Food from a Loving Home (cookbook)Mentioned in this episode:-Supportive interpersonal relationships: a key component to high-performance sportLending a Hand: Social Regulation of the Neural Response to Threat-Lifestyles and mindsets of Olympic, Paralympic and world champions: is an integrated approach the key to elite performance?Want to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russell Foster is a Professor of Circadian Neuroscience and the Head of Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford. Russell has received globally renowned prizes, medals and awards for his discovery of non-rod, non-cone ocular photoreceptors - which he explains in this episode is revelatory in our understanding and application of circadian biology.Here, we learn:😴 Disrupted sleep-wake cycles and associated health issues⏰ Sleep individuality - aligning sleep-wake patterns with your biology🔵 Blue light blockers may not be as effective as previously thought💤 Melatonin as a mild modulator of sleep and not a sleep hormone👫 Gender differences in the circadian system - and the future of this research💡 Potential of light therapy to optimise sleep and treating sleep-related disordersFind Russell:Book - Life TimeResearch papersMentioned in this podcast:Study - Effect of early and late light exposure on the inherited retinal degeneration in ratsLux Measurement Apps - search on App StoreStudy - Sex Differences in Behavior and Learning Abilities in Adult RatsStudy - Efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for sleep improvement in patients with persistent delusions and hallucinationsStudy - Shift Work Disorder Among Oil Rig Workers in the North Sea Want to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Gabrielle Fundaro, PhD, is educated in several areas of academia including human physiology in exercise and sport, skeletal muscle and hyper trophy, microbiome and metabolism, and gut health. More recently, Gabrielle has aggregated this knowledge and turned her focus to dismantling diet culture and weight stigma through nutritional coaching. Gabrielle supports her clients to build confidence outside of our external physique and synergise self-awareness with nutritional knowledge - all with great compassion having had her own years with body image disturbance and a misplaced definition of 'healthy'.This episode covers:•Unlearning the diet narrative, weight stigma and ‘smallness=healthier’ in the female physique•Body image disturbance and disordered eating masquerading as ‘health’•Self-worth, self-trust and freedom with food•Hunger training and habituation - are we eating for satiety and satisfaction, or something else?•Interoceptive sensitivity and awareness - learning to trust internal cues again with RPE eating cyclesThis episode is for you if you have ever felt like:you have a very considered, careful, analytical, fearful, strict or restrictive relationship with food and or your bodyyour self-worth is based on your weight or physique Having spent some time with Gabrielle, I wish I had met her when I had needed guidance with body image disturbance and disordered eating. I believed I was stuck in that loop for all eternity but thoughts equally tormented me that if I didn't change something, I'd live only a half life. The journey was lonely, uncertain and very bumpy. Now, I have so much freedom and confidence in what I can achieve with my body when I take care of it properly, but I wish I'd had someone like Gabrielle around offering a safe, personal and considered space to support the process. If you find yourself reading this thinking - it will never change, I'm stuck like this, or even maybe you see a way out but don't know if you really want to change it because you're scared of possible weight gain and food freedom (we see you), please get in touch with Gabrielle - it could just be the best health decision you ever make.Find Gabrielle:Link TreeInstagramNew Podcast - Salto De Fe. Leap of Faith.LinkedInWant to watch this on video? Subscribe on YouTubeInstagram  @degreesofhealth Tik Tok @degrees_of_healthDisclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.