
Medicine Redefined
Dr. Darsh Shah & Dr. Altamash Raja interview practitioners who challenge the norm and promote health during a time when the healthcare system is broken. Learn how experts in the fields of sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress resilience, rehabilitation, lifestyle medicine, and others are using new-age thinking to move the needle forward and redefine medicine as we know it.
Latest episodes

Feb 7, 2022 • 55min
48. Cherie Chu, MD: Lifestyle Medicine & Wellness in Pediatrics
Cherie Chu, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician who is a certified diplomat of Lifestyle Medicine. She is a native Californian receiving her BS in Biochemistry/Cell Biology at UCSD and her medical degree at UC Irvine. She completed her pediatric residency at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. She currently practices outpatient pediatrics in a large multispecialty medical group located in San Diego. She incorporated her knowledge of Lifestyle Medicine into her daily interaction with her pediatric patients and their families. She is also the founder of the website Wellness Pediatrician.
Wellness Pediatrician is dedicated to empowering parents and physicians to promote healthy lifestyle habits in children. It focuses specifically on 6 specific areas in lifestyle medicine: healthful eating of whole food, plant-predominate diet, physical activity, sleep, stress management, connection with others to form meaningful relationships, and avoidance of risky substances. Dr. Chu believes that teaching children healthy lifestyle habits when they are young will have exponential returns on their long-term health.
Wellness Pediatrician Website
Wellness Pediatrician Facebook Group
Cherie Chu Instagram
Doctor Moms Lounge - Coming Soon!
LEAP Study

Jan 31, 2022 • 55min
47. Jade Wu, PhD: The Link Between Insomnia and Anxiety, Sleep Psychology & Sleep Hygiene
Dr. Jade Wu is a clinical psychologist and Board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist and researcher at Duke University School of Medicine. Her current research focuses on treating sleep disorders in those with chronic illnesses. She is a frequent guest on popular TV, radio and podcast shows like NPR and ABC, and her work is featured in publications like New York Times and Huffington Post. Dr. Wu’s mission is to spread the gift of sleep so that people can be their healthiest, organizations can be their most innovative, and societies can sleep their way towards justice and healing.
In this episode we discuss:
- The link between anxiety and insomnia
- The differences between insomnia and sleep deprivation
- Are there long-term health complications with lack of sleep?
- Components of sleep hygiene
- The use of wearables to track sleep
Jade Wu Website
Jade Wu Instagram
Jade Wu Twitter

Jan 25, 2022 • 38min
46. Lessons Learned: Colin Zhu, Peter Valenzuela & Louisa Nicola
In this episode, Darsh and Altamash recap the prior three episodes with Colin Zhu, Peter Valenzuela, and Louisa Nicola. Be sure to listen to their full episodes for an in-depth conversation!

Jan 17, 2022 • 1h 24min
45. Louisa Nicola: The Neuroscience Behind Improving Performance
Louisa Nicola joins the show to discuss the world of neuroathletics - where brain health and physiology intersect with performance. Louisa Nicola is a Sydney University trained neuroscientist and neurophysiologist. She is the founder of Neuro Athletics, where she serves as a performance advisor to professional athletes, teams, health tech companies, and more. She currently lives in NYC and focuses on bringing a unique and fresh voice to the most complex machine in the world - the human brain - through her podcast, The Neuro Experience.
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
SubStack

Jan 12, 2022 • 1h 11min
44. Peter Valenzuela, MD, MBA: Healthcare Problems and their "Comical" Solutions
Dr. Peter Valenzuela joins the show to discuss the current state of our healthcare system in the US. Peter is a Family Physician who has worked in multiple healthcare settings over the past few decades. He's well known for his comics doc-related, which in his words were “inspired by experiences both as a physician and now as an executive who continues to practice medicine on a part-time basis.”
He is routinely invited for national and international presentations on topics related to provider well-being and engagement, clinical leadership development, practice management, and medical innovation. Over his career, he’s been recognized twice by the Medical Group Management Association and American College of Medical Practice Executives (MGMA-ACMPE) with the Harwick Innovation Award for meeting the challenges of the new healthcare system head-on and developing innovative solutions that enhance the effectiveness of healthcare delivery and Physician Executive of the Year for exhibiting leadership deemed outstanding to achieve exceptional medical group performance in the delivery of healthcare.
In this episode we discuss:
Peter's background and his journey to writing an awesome book
Passion for comedy and using it as a medium for discussion of real issues
Differences between patient experience and patient satisfaction
A brief overview of the US insurance model and contrasting with other countries
Billing, coding, reimbursements, and electronic medical records
A path forward to better healthcare delivery
Instagram: @doc_related
Website: https://www.doc-related.com/
Doc-Related - A Physician's Guide to Fixing Our Ailing Health Care System
Woo Girl! Rose

Jan 3, 2022 • 55min
43. Colin Zhu, DO: How to Thrive and Elevate Your Life with Culinary Medicine
Dr. Colin Zhu is Board-Certified in family practice/OMT and lifestyle medicine. Passionate about the intersection of medicine, food, and nutrition, Dr. Zhu trained as a chef and a health coach at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition following completion of his medical degree. To share his unique blend of medical knowledge with a wider audience, Dr. Zhu launched TheChefDoc in 2017, an online wellness and lifestyle education platform which has been featured in several publications. Dr. Zhu is an international speaker, the author of "Thrive Medicine: How To Cultivate Your Desires and Elevate Your Life,“ and is the podcast host of Thrive Bites in which he interviews the latest health and wellness experts about incorporating a plant-powered lifestyle, enhancing emotional wellness, and creating a thriving mindset! His latest venture is his signature event for 2021 is a self-educational masterclass series experience called The THR5 Formula™ where he combines inspiration, education, and practical tools on how to THRIVE! Here you will learn the 5 To THR5™ Pillars: Food As Medicine, Functional Fitness, Relationships, Community, & Emotional Resilience!

Dec 27, 2021 • 1h 58min
42. Shawn Arent, PhD, CSCS*D: Nutrient Timing, Ergogenic Aids & Individualization (Ep 4 Rebroadcast)
Dr. Shawn Arent joins us to discuss all things related to nutrient timing. He elaborates on the well-known "anabolic window," and discusses how the opportunity for nutritional optimization may be much longer. We discuss the various fallacies of nutritional science and how lifestyle impacts successful sustainable nutritional practices.
-Professor and Chair for the Department of Exercise Science at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina
-Director of the UofSC Sport Science Lab
-Past president, and current fellow of the International Society Of Sports Nutrition
-Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine
WORKOUT coffee

Dec 20, 2021 • 2h 1min
41. Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI: Gut Health, Being Fiber Fueled & The Microbiome (Ep 16/17 Rebroadcast)
This is a rebroadcast of popular episodes 16 and 17 with none other than gastroenterologist and social media presence Will Bulsiewicz, MD!

Dec 13, 2021 • 47min
40. Lessons Learned: Kelly Starrett, Janeeka Benoit & Neil Paulvin
Darsh and Altamash break down the lessons they learned from episodes 37, 38, and 39.
Guests:
Kelly Starrett, DPT
Janeeka Benoit, DO
Neil Paulvin, DO
Barefoot Shoes Science
NMN/NAD+
Spermidine Article

Dec 6, 2021 • 52min
39. Neil Paulvin, DO: Mitochondrial Health: NAD, Peptides & Spermidine
Dr. Paulvin is Board Certified in Family Medicine, Anti Aging and Regenerative Medicine, Osteopathic Manipulation, Functional Medicine, Craniosacral Therapy, and Medical Acupuncture. He has helped top executives, Olympic athletes, top trainers, and celebrities optimize their health. Dr. Paulvin has been featured in the NY Post, Nutritious Life, Fasting MD, and many other publications and podcasts. Dr. Paulvin's practice is based in Manhattan. He also serves clients in multiple states including Florida, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut over telemedicine. Dr. Paulvin uses traditional and alternative treatments to help his patients. Patients see Dr. Paulvin for his expertise in Biohacking and Health Optimization. In addition, he specializes in helping his patients with hormone optimization, Peptide Therapy, Nootropics, and natural options for pain relief.
Neil Paulvin
Instagram
Spermidine Life