Neuroveda Podcast for Complex Health

Let's talk about all thing's food, particularly as it relates to the Pentad community.What kind of barriers exist for people, especially with me/CFS.Why do we often see resistance to changing our diets and eliminating certain foods.How might our nutritional needs be different from the general population.What kind of resources are available to us.How do we make it a sustainable endeavor.What are some emotional or psychological tools we can employ for success.What's the best way to do an Elimination Diet.Why should somebody look to their diet for improvementWhat types of illnesses respond best to dietary restrictions.BIO:Rachel Riggs is the author of an incredible new cookbook called "in Good health' which is California-style light & fresh cooking but the twist here is that she has been suffering with ME/CFS that started in 2003, had had what is an unfortunately typical course which was waxing & waning, requiring 12 years for diagnosis and then a big exacerbation and has now been house-bound x 12 years, in fact, mostly bed-bound. She is a former specialty food shop owner whose life was upended by ME & had to sell her shop. She has worked with Dr Robert Naviaux in San Diego as his study coordinator for the last 9 years so we'll dive into the Cell Danger Response some.Blog:https://www.rachriggs.com/cookbookhttps://rachelriggs.substack.com/https://tinyurl.com/5adxvt6uhttps://www.healthrising.org/blog/2025/01/29/rachel-riggs-allergen-aware-cookbook/

Dr. Aly Cohen, a board-certified rheumatologist and environmental health expert, discusses her new book highlighting the link between everyday toxins and immune disorders. She offers practical solutions for reducing exposure to harmful chemicals and emphasizes the importance of informed lifestyle choices. The conversation covers the rise of synthetic chemicals, the benefits of reverse osmosis water filtration, and a 21-day detox program for better health. Dr. Cohen advocates for safer cleaning products and healthier choices to improve overall wellness.

We're thrilled to announce that our podcasts now qualify for Nursing Continuing Education (CE) credits through RNegade.pro! Nurses can now not only gain valuable insights and practical knowledge from our episodes but also earn CE credits while listening.RNegade is not your typical nursing CE provider. RNegade believes that nurses are more than just caregivers—they’re innovators, leaders, and change-makers. That’s why RNegade is committed to breaking the mold of traditional CE by offering content that goes beyond the status quo and inspires nurses to learn and think differently. They are about pushing boundaries, exploring new ideas, and redefining what it means to be a nurse in today’s world.In today’s busy world, healthcare pros are already tuning into podcasts for inspiration, insights, and the occasional laugh during their commute or downtime. With RNegade.pro, those same moments can now lead to real CE credits. It’s as simple as listen, reflect, and earn.🎧 The Podclass RevolutionThat’s right: no traditional lectures, no PowerPoints. Just engaging conversations with industry leaders that spark ideas and challenge norms. Think cutting-edge topics, bold conversations, and real-world relevance—paired with a reflective process that lets listeners earn their credits with ease.  And now, we're proud to say, our podcasts will help you fulfill your CE requirements.Here’s the other cool part! When you decide you love what you just learned on one of our podcasts, you can share your affiliate link from the RNegade platform with your colleagues, you can earn revenue for every nurse who signs up and earns CE credits. You’re not just offering another CE option—you’re helping nurses break free from traditional learning and step into a new era of education that’s exciting, relevant, and practical.RNegade is launching with a collection from our library and will be adding more episodes on a monthly basis.  Here’s the incredible news . . . if you’ve already listened to one of our older podcasts in the library, you can still earn CE.  As long as you’ve listened to the episode within the last 2 years, it qualifies as a CE credit. Start listening, learning, and earning with RNegade today!www.rnegade.pro

In this episode of the Neuroveda podcast, Dr Gillian Ehrlich and Dr. Julianna Giles explore the immune system from both Ayurvedic and Western perspectives. They discuss the complexities of cancer, autoimmunity, and chronic infections, emphasizing the importance of understanding the underlying factors that contribute to these conditions. The conversation delves into the roles of psychoneuroimmunology, cellular biology, and the Ayurvedic concepts of Prana, Tejas, and Ojas in maintaining health and wellness. Practical approaches to healing and supporting the immune system are also highlighted, along with the significance of lifestyle choices and conscious awareness in promoting overall health.takeawaysThe immune system is complex and multifaceted.Cancer and autoimmunity are not singular diseases but a spectrum.Chronic infections can exacerbate immune dysfunction.Psychoneuroimmunology bridges the mind-body connection.Ayurvedic principles emphasize cellular health and balance.Disruptions in Prana, Tejas, and Ojas lead to disease.Holistic approaches are essential for healing.Breathwork and lifestyle choices significantly impact health.Ojas represents immunity and vitality in Ayurveda.Conscious awareness can lead to positive health changes.

Dr. Brianna Cardenas, a Physician Assistant specializing in chronic illness and founder of Healed and Empowered, shares her insights on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, informed by her experience with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She and Dr. Andrew Maxwell, a Pediatric Cardiologist with expertise in environmental health, dive into the anatomy of CSF leaks, their symptoms, and why they often go undiagnosed. They discuss innovative treatments like blood patches and the role of fascial therapy, emphasizing the importance of patient advocacy in navigating complex health challenges.

Professor Prita Lal Bio:Bio: Raised as a child of South Asian immigrants in theAmerican South, Professor Prita Lal became interested in social justice issues at a young age and now teaches at Evergreen State College at the intersectionsof food and environmental justice, social movements, Black studies, solidarity economics, cooperative education, healing justice and community-based learning.Dr Lal completed her BA in French & anthropology at Tulane, her Master’s & Doctorates in Sociology at Stony Brook University. Her teaching style focuses on education for transformation and liberation. She also has completedextensive training in yoga and Ayurveda (an ancient system of healing from South Asia), which she integrates through somatic and trauma-informed teaching practices. Her work analyzes the root causes of social problems, not intending to paralyze, but rather inform just alternatives to transform (rather than recreate) systemic injustices. Path AffiliationEnvironmentalStudies , Psychology,Health, and Community , PoliticalEconomy, Global Studies, and Environmental Justice , Foodand AgricultureFields of StudyAfricanAmerican Studies , Sociologyand Anthropology , PoliticalEconomy and Political Science , FoodSystems , FoodStudies , FoodJustice , EthnicStudies , CommunityStudies , Climateand Environmental Justice , AgricultureObjective today: explore the intersection betweenwellness & justice. 1.     Tell us your story- what are you doing & howdid you get here?  2.     What’s the problem here? Our perception is thatwellness requires resources that are often the realm of the rich. The problems created by a widening gap between rich & poor. What is the role of power?  3.     The circles that we’ve been in for wellness& the circles we’ve been for justice. What are the ways that these overlap or don’t overlap or could or should overlap.  4.     Let’s shift to talking about how our health hasbeen colonized- what does that mean? How do we define ‘decolonizing our health.’ Connecting to inner power.  5.     Now let’s talk about Ayurveda- what is it &what is its power & potential to offer us wellness AND justice? What is spiritual by-passing & how is this used go maintain status quo.  6.     What are the steps to address this? a.     Finding our inner powerb.     Connection to self & planetc.     Connection to each other & then socialjustice movements – calling in vs calling out to challenge internalizedcolonialismd.     Embracing mistakes vs being defined by mistakes,perfectionism is an element of white supremacy culture

Thomas Mandel Clausen, PhD, is a glycobiologist whose research spans cancer, COVID-19, and malariavaccines. He discusses the endothelial glycocalyx, revealing it as a dynamic structure crucial for vascular health, inflammation, and signaling. The impact of glycans on diseases like arthritis is highlighted, along with their link to cellular communication. He also addresses heparin sulfate's role in COVID-19 treatment and the importance of maintaining glycocalyx health for overall well-being. Clausen emphasizes glycobiology's potential in enhancing patient outcomes.

Dr. Shouhed is a nationally renowned, board-certifiedminimally invasive weight loss surgeon with expertise in Robotic Bariatric, Gastrointestinal, and Complex General Surgery. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with adegree in Human Physiology.  Dr. Shouhed earned early recognition, a Phi Beta Kappa induction, and a near-perfect MCAT score, which secured him a placeat UCSD School of Medicine with the highest merit-based scholarship. Dr. Shouhed completed his general surgery residency training at Cedars Sinai (#2Hospital in the country), where he graduated as Administrative Chief Resident.  He completed his fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, the first fellowship in the country, where he focused on minimally invasive bariatric, foregut and complex general surgery. Dr. Shouhed is also Medical Director of the Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Weight Loss Center, Providence Saint John’s Hospital.  Our focus today is really about the vascularabdominal syndromes that we can see so prevalent in connective tissue disorders & complex conditions. Please get us started with a description of the anatomy of the abdomen, including the GI organs, but also the ligaments &connective tissue that holds these organs in place and the vasculature that feeds them oxygen & carries away metabolic wastes.     Now, let’s get into the syndromes that we wantto focus on today & we’re going from the top down because that’s how they might be unlocked, meaning closest to the heart to the most distant to the heart and in the pelvis, that’s from chest to pelvis direction.     a. MALS: median arcuate ligament syndromeb. SMAS: superior mesenteric artery syndrome(duodenal comp) (meat?)c. Nutcracker: renal vein compressiond. May Thurner: iliac vein compressione. Pelvic congestion syndromes including pelvicvenous insufficiency, vaginal/ labial varices  For each we talk about: a. Symptomsb. Evaluation c. Treatment: ancillary tx? Visceral manipulation? What would a patient look for in a provider? Whois doing this care? How easy/ common are folks doing these treatments? Howoften can or do treatments go wrong? We end with discussing: where is research going with this? To find out more about our clinic (and request a call back): ⁠https://www.neurovedahealth.com/⁠- Phone: 206-379-1213- Email Reception@neurovedahealth.com

Chiropractor Kim Bruno furthered her training with the Institute of Functional Medicine, ILADS, Horowitz Lyme Master Classes and holds a board-certification as a Certified Clinical Nutritionist. She owned a private practice for 17 years and was the functional medicine medical director for the largest immunology clinic in Colorado. She comes to us today as the Senior Medical Science liaison for Vibrant Wellness Labs. Today we discuss their panel of 48 neurologically-oriented antibodies: the Neural Zoomer Plus. We start by discussing the lab technology itself, which is somewhat unique in the testing world- it’s an 'Immunochip’, also called a protein-peptide microarray as viewed through chemiluminescence which can be more sensitive than historical Eliza testing. The sensitivity (the ability to find the needle in the haystack) ranges from 95-98% and the specificity (it’s definitely a needle, and not a pin or nail or something similar that is not actually a needle) is 96-100%. The range is because each analyte has its own metrics. Here, we take a tangent into describing the limitations of Eliza & Western Blot testing, especially in light of tick-borne testing for Lyme disease & co-infections. Then we touch on PCR- polymerase chain reaction testing and the use of glass beads to break up biofilms in test samples for even more accurate results.   Our next chapter (around 14:30) focuses on the immune system itself. Listen in for some helpful analogies for the immunoglobulins-IgM for ‘marines vs IgG for ‘ground troops’, IgA with affiliation with mucus membranes like the gut or respiratory linings, and IgE for anaphylactic allergic reaction. This gives the total pool from which the Neural Zoomer Plus antibodies are pulling from as a sort of clinical calibration to weigh the presence of the specific antibodies.   At 22:20, we dive into the Neural Zoomer Plus test itself. Dr Bruno shares her brilliant ‘hierarchy of consideration’ for putting these antibodies into a context. While she states outright ‘this is not a diagnostic test’, the larger truth is that this test cannot be used for diagnosis by clinicians who don’t have the scope to make diagnostic conclusions, for example dieticians or health coaches. For our purposes at Neuroveda Health, we absolutely use this test for clinical decision making and diagnosis. Dr Bruno calls out molecular mimicry against pathogens or even foods or toxins that can confuse the immune system. We consider the Cunningham Panel (recently renamed the Autoimmune Brain Panel), which has been used longer for PANDAS evaluation. And we walk through each category of antibody included on this test.   We finish with a discussion about treatment approaches based on results from this test, including the Neuroveda Health approach to evaluating and addressing neuroimmune disease. FOR MORE INFORMATION: To look at a sample report of this test: https://hello.vibrant-wellness.com/hubfs/Sample%20Reports/MK-0072-01NeuralZoomerPlusSampleReport.pdf To find out more about the Neural Zoomer Plus test: https://www.vibrant-wellness.com/test/NeuralZoomerPlus To get testing, contact us to schedule an appointment with a clinician at Neuroveda Health: - Phone: 206-379-1213 - Email Reception@neurovedahealth.com To find out more about our clinic (and request a call back): https://www.neurovedahealth.com/

Description: Dr Todd Levine, with 20 years of experience as a clinical neurologist with specialty in disorders of the peripheral nervous system, shares with us about the Syn-One skin biopsy run by his company, CND Life Sciences. Against a backdrop of clinical information about the divisions of the nervous system (central vs peripheral and sensory vs motor vs autonomic), we review the 3 tests in this procedure: small fiber nerve counts, synuclein and amyloid deposition. Dr Levine notes that brain & skin both come from ectoderm tissue in the embryo, meaning they arise from similar roots soon after conception The skin, unlike the brain, is readily available for testing, and can offer insight to what’s potentially happening in the central nervous system without having to go there directly. It’s also a fascinating conversation that one-half to one-third of all neuropathies end up classified as ‘idiopathic’, meaning we can’t identify a trigger, like toxic chemical insult or injury. Most likely, these neurons are injured by ‘an accumulation of small insults” which can include low but recurrent or persistent viral illnesses and environmental chemical exposure all further complicated with and by metabolic syndromes. His most exciting area of research is looking at the potential of this test to give predictive insights for diseases decades in the making (like Parkinson’s or Lewy Body Dementia), all work that we agree with & support at Neuroveda Health when we apply personalized medicine plans for your best health. BIO: Dr. Todd Levine has over 20 years of experience as a clinical neurologist with a sub-specialty in disorders of the peripheral nervous system. He received his medical degree from Duke University and did his residency and fellowship at Washington University in St Louis. He has served as Chairman of the Neuromuscular Division of the American Academy of Neurology. In 2010, he founded his first medical diagnostics company called Corinthian Reference Lab (CRL), and has processed over 50,000 skin biopsies, receiving specimens from over 4,000 different neurologists across the US and Canada. Dr Levine is one of the three founders of CND Life Sciences and serves as its Chief Medical Officer, playing a key role in the delivery of diagnostic services and ongoing technology development. Dr. Levine also serves currently as the Director of Neuroscience Research at the Honor Health Research Institute in Phoenix, AZ. For more information about CND Life Sciences: https://cndlifesciences.com/