This episode of the Thinking Health Podcast features a great friend of mine, Dr. Anthony Gustin. Dr. Gustin is the founder of Perfect Keto and Equip and is actively building out many different businesses aiming at fixing the food system, improving the health of our society, and correcting the damage that happens to our environment daily.  In this episode, we talk about Dr. Gustin's wedding which I had the pleasure of attending. We discussed how this wedding was much different than any wedding I had attended and how important rituals and rights of passage have traditionally been for our society as a whole. We also talk about the benefit of doing hard things. How our society as a whole has become comfortable with being comfortable and is content with not challenging ourselves to get better. We also discuss how this is a big reason why people are unhappy. They are not living in accordance with their human biology and what is necessary for fulfillment and personal growth. Another topic we dive into is the importance of supporting entrepreneurs who have causes that aim to better our world. We discuss one category of these causes, regenerative farming, and how Anthony is hoping to continue helping spread the word on the importance of this movement and help others take action in supporting it.  Dr. Gustin has always been a mentor for me and has played a major role in shaping my thought processes and trajectory in life. I think you guys will catch a glimpse of that in this episode and hopefully experience something similar yourselves! 

Dr. Chris 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. In this episode, we cover topics like the impact of mental health meds on our metabolic health, the role of metabolic health in mental health, the Brain Energy model for mental health, and how nutrition and lifestyle interventions can play a major role in the treatment of mental health disorders.  Dr. Palmer is a wealth of knowledge and has an incredible ability to take complex topics and break them down into easy-to-understand conversations. Thus, this episode features a ton of practical information that you can use to help make an action plan for taking control of your mental health. Dr. Palmer is the author of the newly published book Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health - and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More. I can't recommend this book enough as it is everything you need to fully understand the role our metabolic health plays in mental health and it's a sneak peek into where the world of psychiatric medicine is headed!  

Dr. Jaime Seeman, known as doctorfitandfabulous on social media, is a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist with a background in nutrition, exercise, and health science. She is also a current Fellow in Integrative Medicine, a Board Certified Ketogenic Nutrition Specialist, and the Chief Science Officer at BioCoach. Dr. Jaime has a passion for preventative medicine and is an expert in women's health. In this episode, we dive into a few very critical and hard-to-discuss topics like birth control, difficulties getting pregnant, and the importance of muscle-building for women. Dr. Jaime talks about the ways women can optimize their health if they are taking birth control including the specifics of certain nutrients that are often depleted in these circumstances. We also talk about the importance of nutrient-sensing pathways that play a critical role in signaling that the female body is in an optimal environment to reproduce and how this is a big reason why so many people are struggling to get pregnant. Dr. Jaime puts a big emphasis on the importance of muscle building for women when it comes to anti-aging, hormones, and even metabolic health. Dr. Jaime also gets into the nitty gritty of her new book Hard to Kill and how important it is for us to take control of the 4 pillars of health to increase our resilience and set us up a longer, happier, and healthier life. In addition to Dr. Seeman's book, she offers an academy for Hard to Kill where she leads you through her program providing you with the support you need to make the incredibly beneficial lifestyle changes she recommends. 

This episode of the podcast breaks down a couple of interesting new keto studies published in the last couple of months. The first study relates to the ketogenic diet and heart health and the second study is on the ketogenic diet and hunger hormones. Keto is often touted for its weight loss potential and ability to improve metabolic health. A lesser-discussed benefit of the diet is the impact it can have on our cardiovascular health. A recent study that reviewed the available research found that the keto diet can reduce cardiovascular risk factors like weight, glucose, and cholesterol levels. The interesting part of this study is that they found this to be the case both short term and long term. Listen to the podcast for more details on the study. Keto is also often touted for its ability to reduce hunger and cravings. A new study published about a week ago looking at the ketogenic diet versus two different carbohydrate-based diets found that the keto diet DID NOT lead to improvements in ghrelin levels or the subject's perceived hunger levels. As I discuss in this episode, there is a little more than meets the eye with this study!

Debbie Potts has been in the fitness industry for over twenty-five years. She was a competitive endurance athlete for twenty years and has accomplished many goals along the way.   Debbie was nominated as one of the top one-hundred best trainers in the U.S. by Men’s Journal in 2004 and 2005 and she’s participated in 15 Ironman Triathlons, five of them in the Hawaii World Ironman Championship.   Debbie has also owned and operated her own fitness studio and she currently teaches her WHOLESTIC Method Nutritional Therapy program to transform the WHOLE person from the inside out.   In this episode, Debbie shares everything she’s learned on her 25+ year journey from being a competitive endurance athlete (who also happened to be low-carb) to helping other athletes achieve optimal health, recovery, and longevity.   Debbie discusses why health goes beyond just exercise training and nutrition, what other factors play a huge role in health, what it’s like to be a low-carb athlete, how she started down that path, and more.   You’ll also hear about how Debbie adjusts training and nutritional strategies for women, whether she thinks it makes sense to sync your training plan with your cycle, what Debbie focuses on for health and aging, and the biggest lessons she’s learned along the way.   Here’s a breakdown of the topics Debbie and Chris get into: 00:00 Introduction to the Keto Answers podcast 00:29 Introduction to this episode’s guest, Debbie Potts, plus the topics Debbie and Chris Irvin discuss  03:45 Debbie shares her journey of becoming a low-carb athlete 08:53 What the biggest changes over the last 20 years have been since Debbie first got into being a low-carb athlete 17:05 What Debbie recommends for endurance athletes to focus on 24:52 What it was like to recover from being burned out and how long it took Debbie to do so 31:36 Transitioning out of marathons and Ironman races and what Debbie’s training looks like now 38:09 What Debbie suggests focusing on when it comes to diet and aging    40:17 The training and nutrition adjustments women can make to improve health and performance 46:25 Strategies Debbie’s uncovered for herself that she now carries over to using on her clients 52:02 Adjusting training and nutrition strategies as you age   Resources mentioned in this episode: Debbie Pott’s website with free resources Debbie Pott’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter Debbie’s ebooks, Life is Not a Race… It Is a Journey and The WHOLESTIC Method Manual and Workbook Debbie’s podcast, The Low Carb Athlete Podcast

Adam Von Rothfelder is a movement guru, self-proclaimed “motivational mind bomb,” a former professional MMA fighter, and the Founder of The Strong Coffee Company, a coffee brand that was created to help people reach their full potential.   Adam also recently starred on NBC’s “Strong” where he modeled for Versace alongside well-known model GiGi Hadid and he’s a movement advisor for Legendary Laird Hamilton and Gabrielle Reece for XPT.   As a former professional fighter, Adam knows that it takes hard work, dedication, and resilience, among other things, to get what you want in life. He comes on the show to discuss how he’s able to do so much despite being a business owner, father, and someone who maintains his health along with what makes his brand of coffee so different and unique.   Adam also shares the journey behind his coffee company and what that looked like from inception to where it is today.   Here’s a peek inside this episode: 00:00 Introduction to the Keto Answers podcast 00:30 Introduction to this episode’s guest, Adam Von Rothfelder 02:30 How giving away free samples can hurt your product’s perceived value  03:28 How Adam got started with his Strong Coffee Company 11:43 Adam’s personal story and background 21:02 How Adam overcame painfully difficult situations in life and bounced back even stronger 24:26 How Adam does it all while running a company, staying lean and low in body fat, and as a father of two 29:56 Adam’s best kept secret for better health and why he uses a Meditation at Play approach 39:11 Adam’s impressive physical stats  40:59 How Adam trains these days   Resources mentioned in this episode: Adam Von Rothfelder’s Strong Coffee Company’s website and their blog Adam’s Instagram and Twitter Adam’s Strong Coffee Company’s Instagram

Chris Irvin, well-known author, nutrition science researcher, Head of Education at Perfect Keto, and The Ketologist, has a strong passion and focus for understanding the ketogenic diet.   He holds a Master’s degree in exercise and nutrition science and spent his time in graduate school studying the keto diet for therapeutic applications and performance.   In this special topic episode, Chris dives into all things Alzheimer’s and Dementia related, including what’s causing these neurodegenerative diseases, whether or not Alzheimer’s is genetic, can a keto diet cure Alzheimer’s, and more.   He also shares helpful tips for what you can do to prevent developing Alzheimer’s if you’re at high risk for it, how ketones can help, and the role that diet and nutrition play with brain metabolism.   Here’s a peek at the topics Chris Irivn discusses in this episode: 00:00 Introduction to the Keto Answers podcast 00:34 An introduction to how this episode differs from a typical one 01:42 The topics covered in this episode 03:40 What is a neurodegenerative disease? 05:54 Why don’t we have good treatment options for people suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia? 10:27 Why do some people get Alzheimer’s and Dementia? Plus, why Alzheimer’s has been labeled as Type 3 Diabetes 15:21 Is Alzheimer’s genetic? 16:39 What can we actually do to prevent Alzheimer’s and alleviate symptoms? 17:28 What happens when you feed the brain ketones 21:14 How ketones can help people who suffer from Alzheimer’s symptoms 22:20 How the benefits of ketones extend past just giving the brain energy 26:19 Can going on a keto diet reverse Alzheimer’s? 27:57 Exogenous ketones versus endogenous ketones for Alzheimer’s treatment and symptom relief 29:38 How diet and nutrition can play a role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s   Resources mentioned in this episode: Chris Irvin’s Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Dr. Dale Bredesen - How to Prevent and Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease Max Lugavere on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast  Stephen Cunnane, PhD: The Potential for Brain Energy Rescue in Mild Cognitive Impairment The ketogenic diet as a potential treatment and prevention strategy for Alzheimer's disease Dietdoctor.com

Leanne Vogel is a certified Holistic Nutritionist and Functional Blood Chemistry Specialist who has been helping women use a ketogenic diet to balance their hormones since 2007.    She specializes in addressing chronic root cause issues such as parasites, mold, and metal toxicity using standard blood work. Leanne is also the international best-selling author of The Keto Diet paperback, the founder of HealthfulPursuit.com and the voice behind the longest running keto podcast, The Keto Diet Podcast.    She works one-on-one with clients from all over the world, helping them understand their blood work and coaching them through their root cause issues.    Leanne comes on the show with Chris Irvin to discuss her personal experience with parasites. You’ll hear how her unexplainable health symptoms actually pointed to a parasite, what she did to treat her parasites, how long she had to do this protocol for, and so much more.   You’ll also discover how to tell if you could have a parasite through your blood work, what to do if you suspect there is one, and how common it is for people to have parasites living in their guts.   Here’s a peek and breakdown of what this episode looks like: 00:00 Introduction to the Keto Answers podcast 00:30 Introduction to this episode’s guest, Leanne Vogel 02:46 Quick check in with how Leanne’s doing with the recent hurricane that swept through 05:33 Leanne’s story and how she went from studying keto to taking a break from keto and studying parasites, mold, functional blood medicine, and more instead 10:15 The weird symptoms Leanne experienced from having parasites 13:58 Her experience with pathogenic parasites and how she eventually found them 15:54 How long it took Leanne to get rid of the parasites and how she could tell they were truly gone 20:40 What affects the severity of parasites? 25:35 How many people do you think have parasites and don’t know it?  28:55 Functional blood chemistry, including what that is, why someone would turn to this, and more. This section also includes blood patterns and what to look for in lab results to see if parasites are an issue 45:20 What to do if you suspect you may have a parasite   Resources mentioned in this episode: Leanne Vogel’s website Leanne Vogel’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channel Leanne’s free resource on What Labs to Request from Your Doctor  Leanne’s Parasite Protocol The book Leanne mentioned in the episode, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma The Keto Answers Podcast S2E12: Dr. Jaban Moore - How to Spot and Treat Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, and Chemical Toxicities   Additional resources: The Keto Answers Podcast S2E22: Dr. Mike Mallin - Precision Medicine: Using Your Genes as the Blueprint for Reaching Optimal Health The Keto Answers Podcast S1E2: Dr. Will Cole - Investigating Underlying Factors of Chronic Diseases to Restore Health

Author, nutrition science researcher, Head of Education at Perfect Keto, and The Ketologist, Chris Irvin, has a strong passion and focus for understanding the ketogenic diet.   He holds a Master’s degree in exercise and nutrition science and spent his time in graduate school honing in on the keto diet for therapeutic applications and performance.   In this Q&A style episode, Chris answers top questions like these and more: Should you track blood glucose or insulin levels? Is red meat bad if you have fatty liver disease? Can keto cure Alzheimer’s?   You’ll find the answers to those questions at the following timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to the Keto Answers podcast 00:30 Introduction to this episode’s Q&A style 01:46 What’s more important - your blood glucose or insulin levels? 10:32 Do you really think keto can cure Alzheimer’s disease? 18:38 My father was diagnosed with fatty liver and was told not to consume red meat by his doctor. Is that a good recommendation? 23:41 Are you actually following a keto diet?   Chris Irvin’s website Chris Irvin’s Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

Dr. Mike Mallin is a former ER doctor who has also taught tens of thousands of physicians and the co-creator of the Ultrasound Podcast, which is an ultrasound education tool for physicians, and the Ultrasound Leadership Academy, a non-profit education company that has taught all over the globe.   Dr. Mallin is also the co-founder of Wild Health, a company that uses advanced machine learning and combines it with DNA analysis, biometrics, microbiome testing, and phenotypic data to give you a personalized blueprint to optimize your health and lifespan. Dr. Mallin and his team are upending a broken medical system and they’re creating an incredible, individualized, and better approach to healthcare.   In this episode, Dr. Mallin discusses the differences between genetics and epigenetics, how often DNA testing should be done, what precision medicine is and how it differs from standard medicine, the issues with relying on traditional blood work alone, and so much more.   Here is the episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction to the Keto Answers podcast 00:29 Introduction to this episode’s guest, Dr. Mike Mallin 02:55 Dr. Mallin’s background and what brought him to the precision medicine space 08:28 Should you test your DNA often and after implementing intervention strategies?, What’s epigenetics?, and How does epigenetics differ from genetics? 12:15 If you have genes that say you can’t metabolize certain nutrients, does it mean it will be that way forever? 18:45 Is a weight loss plateau connected to your epigenetics? 26:57 How Dr. Mallin uses his traditional medical background while practicing precision medicine 41:34 Do you test blood work or genetics first to determine the best plan of action? 45:26 Are there genes that can tell you more about your behavior? 48:35 What the data shows on the long-term success rate of a precision medicine approach   Resources mentioned in this episode: Dr. Mike Mallin’s website, Wild Health Dr. Mallin’s Instagram and Twitter Dr. Mallin’s Wild Health podcast