The Better Movement Podcast

Paul Ingraham, author of the amazing website PainScience.com, discuses his career writing evidence-based articles and e-books about musculoskeletal pain, including: his involvement in the skeptic community; his work as an editor at the Science Based Medicine blog; his own experience with chronic pain; his recent studies into neuroinflammation and its potential role in medically unexplained symptoms.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toddhargrove.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the fourth episode of the Better Movement podcast. My guest is James Steele. James is an Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at Solent University, and the principal investigator at the ukactive Research Institute. He's also a member of the team of experts helping the UK revise its official guidelines for physical activity.James has published extensive research on exercise, especially strength training, and the connection between low back pain and low back extensor strength. He's also written about a subject I find especially interesting - an evolutionary perspective on exercise and low back pain, including discussions of how the low back and pelvis evolved in humans, and the kinds of physical activities engaged in by hunter-gatherer communities.In this podcast we talk about all those subjects, as well as the prevalence of low back pain in hunter-gatherer populations, whether low back pain is a diseases of civilization, why humans have weak backs and strong hips, James' interest in high-intensity resistance training, and many other subjects.Listen hereApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toddhargrove.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the third episode of the Better Movement Podcast, featuring Dr. Melissa Farmer. Melissa has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from McGill University, and did postdoctoral research in pain neuroscience at Northwestern University. She spent several years working at the lab of Dr. Vania Apkarian, where she helped produce a fascinating line of research about the brain’s role in chronic pain. I discussed this research in a previous blog post here, and the basic gist is this: there are differences between the brains of people with and without chronic pain, and these can be observed on MRI. Some of these differences involve increased activity in areas related to emotional learning, and these may play a causal role in the transition between acute and chronic pain. In this podcast, we discuss this line of research as well as: * the limits of MRIs in detecting what someone is actually thinking or feeling * whether MRIs can find a neural “signature” for pain * the connection between chronic pain and emotional learning* the value of mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy in treating chronic pain* Melissa’s most recent project with Aivo Health, an app for helping people with chronic pain. Listen onApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsFor more information about Melissa, you can visit her website Visceral Mind, see the new product she is working on, or visit her page on Twitter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toddhargrove.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the second episode of the Better Movement Podcast. I’m very excited that my good friend Stephan Guyenet agreed to be a guest. Stephan is a neuroscientist who studies obesity, especially the role of the brain in regulating body fat. He’s also an expert in the diets and health of non-industrial populations such as hunter-gatherers.Stephan received a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Virginia, and did a post doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington, where he did original research that has received more than 3,000 citations. He's the author of an excellent book called The Hungry Brain, which was positively reviewed in the New York Times. Stephan is also the author of the amazing Whole Health Source blog, a senior fellow at Give Well, a reviewer at Examine.com, and the founder and director of Red Pen Reviews, a website that provides free reviews of popular nutrition books to assess their scientific credibility. Stephan lives here in Seattle so we get to chat over beers from time to time.In this podcast we talk about the diets of hunter-gatherers, the true cause of the obesity epidemic (no, it's not sugar), how to get your kids to eat broccoli, my severe addiction to dark chocolate, and the role of the brain in weight regulation.Listen at Apple PodcastsListen at SpotifyListen at Google Podcasts This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toddhargrove.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the first episode of the Better Movement Podcast. The subject matter will be more expansive than the blog. It will be centered around the main topics discussed in the blog (pain, motor control, and play) but move into new areas like nutrition, sport science, evolution/biology, and science in general. The plan is to have a new show every two weeks, and most shows will be interviews with experts. My first guest is Greg Lehman, a researcher and clinician who helps people with musculoskeletal pain.Most of my readers will know from his excellent blog, his lively Twitter feed, and his very popular course called Reconciling Biomechanics With Pain Science, which I highly recommend. Greg’s main expertise is evaluating the research about connections between pain and “dysfunctional” posture or movement. He makes a strong case that mainstream opinions and practices related to these issues are inconsistent with the evidence. We had a lively talk that covered many different topics, including: * the real reasons exercise helps with pain * whether pain treatment requires a diagnosis* what actually happens when your back “goes out”* Greg’s own recent terrifying experiences with pain* the need to be humble about the limits of our knowledge * what kinds of research Greg would do if he had infinite time and moneyEven if you are familiar with Greg’s work I think you will find some new insights here. Hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit toddhargrove.substack.com/subscribe