Evolution of Medicine Podcast

Sandra Scheinbaum, PhD is the founder and CEO of Functional Medicine Coaching Academy. As a leader in the field of integrative psychiatry, she joins James to speak about the advantages of leveraging a group coaching model for mental health services. For many reasons—from the current shortage of licensed clinical psychologists to improved patient compliance—mental health group coaching offers compelling advantages. Patients often feel more comfortable being honest and open with coaches they can relate to more as peers. Because traditional therapy still carries a cultural stigma, shame is a common barrier that prevents people from seeking support. Coaches, on the other hand, can be more approachable and provide a friendly dynamic that builds trust with patients. There is also a strong economic rationale behind practitioners adopting a coaching model: demand for mental health care is increasing, while the supply of licensed therapists is limited. Dr. Scheinbaum shares ample evidence of the benefits group coaching offers both patients and mental health practitioners. We also encourage more people who are interested in supporting their community to either employ coaches or consider becoming a coach via the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy. Listen to the full episode to learn more about: The data on the effectiveness of health coaching Conditions that often co-occur with mental health challenges The downsides to patients over-identifying with mental health diagnoses Issues with and opportunities for billing coaching sessions to insurance

We are all familiar with functional medicine and perhaps even functional fitness, but have you heard of functional joy? Our guest for this podcast episode is Radha Agrawal, a successful entrepreneur and the author of the book Belong. Radha joins us to discuss her organization, Daybreaker, which spans 28 cities and five continents with a mission to foster joy and community. Daybreaker’s very first events in 2013 were community dance meetups held early in the morning that aimed to replicate the positive aspects of nightlife while excluding alcohol. The scope of their work continues to expand nine years on, but dance is still their primary tool. Radha is now writing another book and developing a curriculum to teach clinicians and others to systematically foster joy in their communities. Community is a factor critical to chronic disease prevention and reversal, so we invited Radha to share her extensive experience with this powerful predictor of health outcomes often overlooked by healthcare institutions. Download the episode to learn about: Consciously building communities How to foster joy for yourself and your patients The importance of hospitality and designing welcoming spaces in medicine The biochemistry of joy (D.O.S.E.) And much more! If this episode uplifts and inspires you, we encourage you to share it with your friends, colleagues and community. EvoMed listeners have access to a 25% discount off the Dose membership with code "EVOMED."  http://dose.daybreaker.com?code=evomed

Patrick Holford is the author of 46 books on nutrition and lifestyle factors for wellness. He is also the founder of a charity, Food for the Brain Foundation, and the voluntary director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Project. He joins James on this episode to showcase the foundation’s resources for reversing cognitive decline and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. They discussed targeted nutrition approaches and other tools available to patients and practitioners on the foundation’s website. Listen to the full episode to learn more about: Which nutrient deficiencies correlate with poorer cognitive function How to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease through supplementation The success rates of targeted nutrition therapy for reversing cognitive decline—and how nutrition therapy can be more successful than pharmaceuticals Cognitive function data collected from 377,000 participants via the foundation's test Discover more valuable resources on the Food for the Brain Foundation’s website, where you can also register for their virtual Masterclass on Alzheimer’s prevention. Registrants will have access to a recording if they cannot attend the live event on November 1, 2022.

This episode features Leo Galland, MD, who outlines a systems biology approach to understanding and treating post-COVID syndrome. Dr. Galland created the graphic below to model factors and biological repercussions of long COVID. In the interview, Dr. Galland walks us through each element in the web of long COVID. During the pandemic, he also created and published two hour-long videos—one for patients and one for providers—containing research and recommendations on addressing long COVID. The information he shares is intended to empower and educate both health care providers and patients. Download and listen to this episode to learn more about: The deficiency that both contributes to and results from long COVID Key information about what causes long covid How to prevent severe infection and address symptoms Downstream effects of viral damage that should be addressed by functional medicine providers   Episode assets: Understanding Long Covid: a comprehensive presentation for health professionals ACE2 in Immune Resilience, Presentation to American Nutrition Association Healing Long Covid, video presentation for patients

Julie Funt is the CEO of Juliet Funt Group and author of A Minute to Think, which describes the importance of metaphoric white space in everyone’s regular schedule. Her firm provides efficiency training to change the way we work, making it more sane, more human, and a more positive experience for all. In this Business of Functional Medicine episode, Kristen Brokaw speaks with Juliet about how this concept applies to the medical field, and we learn from the author some practical habit adjustments that can create more productive “white space.” Download and listen to the full conversation to learn more about: Why we need white space to be creative, productive and decisive Studies showing how small breaks improve performance Why pushing harder does NOT always equal better results Practical tips to conquer busyness and communicate efficiently And much more!

Our guest in this episode, Greg Leyer, PhD, has an academic background in deadly pathogenic bacteria, such as botulism and other foodborne illnesses. Now, he focuses on healthy bacteria and joins James to discuss benefits of probiotics for the vaginal microbiome. While gastrointestinal health is thought to depend on microbiome diversity, the vaginal cavity requires a more homogenous population of Lactobacillus species. By producing organic acids—mainly lactic acid—lactobacilli help maintain a pH below 4, which prevents bacterial vaginosis. Listen to the full episode to learn more about: How and why taking oral probiotics affects the vaginal microbiome Forms of microbiome supplementation, like probiotics, spores and heat-inactivated bacteria Efficacy of probiotic supplementation in different geographic locations and ethnicity And check out Dr. Leyer’s ongoing work: Your Health - Our Science UREX™ – The world’s most documented probiotics for women’s urogenital health Women's Health | The Probiotics Institute by Chr. Hansen

Dr. Shane Holland joins this week’s podcast to share his experience with the Practice Accelerator. Shane’s story is one we hear over and over amongst our Practice Accelerator participants. In this series, Success Leaves Clues, we celebrate alumni stories in conjunction with our current open enrollment period, running September through October 2022. Shane began his career as a teacher and later became an emergency medicine physician, and he is currently transitioning into operating a functional medicine practice. Over the years, Shane has been interested in treating patients with chiropractic manipulation, herbs and supplements, and lifestyle adjustments. Still, he did not have access to a clear path toward building his own clinic around those strategies.   As an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Holland observed that roughly 90% of his patients did not require emergency care and were using emergency services in lieu of primary care. The training he received from The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) provided him with greater clinical insights into preventative medicine to better serve his community, and the Practice Accelerator program then guided him through building his practice.   Listen to the full episode to hear Dr. Holland’s story, including: The challenges he faced during his journey His clinic’s payment model and layout How the Practice Accelerator supported the launch of his new clinic The benefits of scheduling a concierge call with our coach, Patrick

Dr. Tom Guilliams, our go-to expert for anything related to nutrition research, returns to the Evolution of Medicine podcast for the second part of our Controversies in Nutrition series. Dr. Guilliams has written several books on the therapeutic uses of nutritional supplements. Our guest opens the discussion by rebutting attempts by major medical journals to discredit nutraceuticals. He breaks down the weaknesses of their research and arguments, along with how the studies are biased and unscientific. He also reviews the limitations of specific nutrient biomarkers, realistic expectations for improving methylation through folic acid supplementation, and how to assess optimal vitamin D levels in individuals who receive plentiful sun exposure. Listen to this episode if you’re interested in: Why treating based on genetic testing may or may not be beneficial The significance of tracking homocysteine levels in patients When to evaluate methionine levels The NAC controversy between the FDA and Amazon

Sandi and Steve Amoils are Medical Doctors who built a multi-disciplinary functional medicine clinic in Cincinnati, which includes chiropractors, energy healers, therapists and doctors. They talk about what first steps they took to work towards this vision, how they made their business work in a cash-based model, and why they partnered with a larger hospital system. Their clinic also runs an accredited fellowship integrative medicine program. Download and listen to the full episode to learn more about: Their insights on how they became successful Increasing patient demand for functional healthcare Building credibility for functional medicine Why a large hospital system wants to run an integrative health clinic, and why the doctors singed onto that partnership And much, much more!