Causes or Cures

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Professor Maureen Cropper, Chair of the Economics Department at the University of Maryland and a leading environmental economist, about her recent research on the health and economic impacts of toxic chemicals in plastics.We explore how an economist came to study chemical exposures and what her research reveals about the true cost of common compounds found in everyday plastic products. The conversation focuses on three major groups of toxic chemicals (BPA, DEHP, and PBDEs) and the serious health risks linked to them. Professor Cropper explains where these chemicals are commonly found, who is most at risk, and how she estimated both the public health burden and the economic costs tied to ongoing exposure.You’ll also hear about what she believes needs to change: the policy actions, regulatory strategies, and paradigm shifts necessary to move toward safer, healthier materials. If you're concerned about chemicals in consumer products, interested in environmental health policy, or curious how economists quantify health risks, this episode is a great listen! Professor Maureen Cropper is a Distinguished University Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland and Chair of the Economics Department. She is also a Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future and a former Lead Economist at the World Bank. Dr. Cropper is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her research focuses on valuing environmental amenities, estimating consumer preferences for health and longevity improvements, and analyzing the trade-offs inherent in environmental regulations. Her recent work examines the public health and economic impacts of toxic chemicals found in plastics. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textDisclaimer: Causes or Cures is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and no medical claims are being made. Always talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your personal health.In this episode of Causes or Cures, we explore insights into brain health and longevity with NYT bestselling author and neurologist Dr. Dale Bredesen.Dr. Bredesen explains why he believes cognitive decline is not an inevitable part of aging and outlines six biological processes he identifies as impacting brain aging. He also shares practical tools he recommends for assessing how well your mind is functioning. We discuss the alarming rise in early-onset dementia among people in their 30s and 40s and the potential causes behind this increase. Dr. Bredesen also talks about the links between COVID, sugar intake, and dementia risk. He offers science-based advice on diet, sleep, and lifestyle strategies that support an ageless brain.Additionally, Dr. Bredesen addresses how the for-profit healthcare system can hinder Alzheimer’s management and shares his comprehensive ReCODE Protocol™, which he presents as a promising approach to preventing and potentially reversing cognitive decline, though it has sparked passionate discussions and differing opinions in the Alzheimer's and broader medical communities.About Dr. Dale Bredesen Dr. Bredesen is an internationally recognized expert in neurodegenerative diseases and the author of The Ageless Brain and The End of Alzheimer's Disease. He earned his M.D. from Duke University Medical Center, completed his neurology residency at UCSF, and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in Nobel laureate Stanley Prusiner’s laboratory. He has held faculty positions at UCSF, UCLA, and UC San Diego, and was founding President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Dr. Bredesen’s pioneering research has led to innovative treatments and the development of the ReCODE Protocol™, offering new hope in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textDisclaimer: Causes or Cures is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and no medical claims are being made. Always talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your personal health. In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with aging and longevity expert Dr. Heike Bischoff-Ferrari about whether simple lifestyle interventions, like supplementation and exercise, can actually make us biologically younger.Dr. Bischoff-Ferrari breaks down: • What DNA methylation clocks are and how they’re used to measure biological age  The design and findings of the DO-HEALTH Bio-Age Trial  Whether vitamin D, algae-based omega-3s, and exercise can turn back your biological clock  The science behind how these interventions may work  Practical takeaways for longevity and healthy aging  What’s next in this fast-moving fieldDr. Bischoff-Ferrari is a physician and researcher with board certifications in geriatrics, internal medicine, and rehab. She’s a professor at the University of Zurich where she chairs the Department of Geriatrics and Aging Research, and the principal investigator of DO-HEALTH, Europe’s largest study ever on healthy longevity. With a doctorate from Harvard and a long-standing commitment to aging research, she’s at the forefront of understanding how to extend not just lifespan, but healthspan. You can learn more about her here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Listen to the very short satire wellness audio book Yours in Wellness! Read Manic Kingdom.Support the show

Send us a textDisclaimer: Causes or Cures is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and no medical claims are being made. Always talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your personal health.  In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Nazlie Latefi about her new research on an over-the-counter (OTC) product that takes a fresh approach to tackling cold symptoms. They explore how the common cold is defined, its massive economic impact, and why many popular OTC medications surprisingly lack scientific support. Dr. Latefi, co-founder of Applied Biological Laboratories, discusses her innovative approach to treating the common cold and why Biovanta is different from what’s currently available. She also reveals the promising results from a recent randomized controlled trial and shares insights into her ongoing research in respiratory health.🎧 Curious about why many cold remedies fall short and how new research is changing the game? Tune in for the full conversation.You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Amir Baniassadi about how indoor temperature affects the aging brain.Dr. Baniassadi shares what we know so far about the relationship between temperature and cognitive function, and explores the theories behind how temperature might influence cognition as we age. He discusses the findings of his recent study on temperature and cognition, including what surprised his team most. He also touches on an earlier study he conducted on temperature and sleep, and offers practical tips for optimizing your home environment. Is there a “sweet spot” for room temperature that supports both clear thinking and better sleep?Dr. Baniassadi is an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a scientist at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research. His work focuses on the aging brain and how environmental factors affect health and well-being in older adults. He holds a PhD in Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering from Arizona State University and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tehran. He also completed postdoctoral training in Translational Research in Older Adults, as well as a fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.Learn more about his work here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Dr. Mary Abed Al Ahad about how long-term exposure to air pollution is quietly driving people to the hospital. Drawing from her recent study, Dr. Abed Al Ahad breaks down which specific pollutants were linked to higher hospitalization rates and how those effects vary—some pollutants hit the lungs harder, others may affect the immune system or even mental health. They also explore the science behind why certain pollutants cause different kinds of harm, and wrap up with ideas for how we can clean up the air and protect our health. If you've ever wondered what’s really in the air you breathe—and what it’s doing to your body—this episode is worth a listen. Dr. Abed Al Ahad is a researcher and associate lecturer in Population and Health Geography at the School of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews in Scotland. You can learn more about her research here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. David Amaral and Kathy Stein about the powerful impact of brain donations through Autism BrainNet in advancing our understanding of autism. Dr. Amaral offers a comprehensive overview of autism, exploring what science currently knows about its risk factors and potential causes. He discusses the rising rate of autism and explains how brain donations provide researchers with a rare and invaluable opportunity to study autism at the neurological level—offering insights that can’t be uncovered any other way. He also shares key discoveries that have already emerged through Autism BrainNet’s efforts.Kathy Stein joins the conversation to share a deeply personal story: that of her brother Ed, who lived with autism and viewed it as "a different way of seeing the world." After Ed’s passing, Kathy donated his brain to Autism BrainNet, a decision she describes as a gift to science, one that reflects her commitment to supporting research that might bring answers to families in the future. Together, Dr. Amaral and Kathy explain how the brain donation process works, what it means for scientific discovery, and why it's an act of profound generosity.Dr. David Amaral is a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC Davis. He serves as the scientific director of Autism BrainNet and was the founding research director of the renowned MIND Institute, a center for autism research founded in collaboration with parents of children on the spectrum. He is also a past president of the International Society for Autism Research and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of its journal, Autism Research.Kathy’s brother Ed called Concord, New Hampshire home for 25 years. A beloved community member, Ed worked at the Concord Monitor, operating the advertisement insert machine until his retirement. A familiar and friendly face at the Concord Public Library, Ed had a wide range of passions—including steam trains, photography, travel, and musicals. He lived with warmth, curiosity, and an enduring grace that left an impression on all who knew him.You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a text In this episode, Dr. Eeks is joined by neuroscientist Dr. Dwayne Godwin and cartoonist Dr. Jorge Cham, the creative duo behind Out of Your Mind, a book that makes neuroscience both fun and digestible—perfect for Nerds and Nerd Nots alike (yes, that’s my podcast tagline). They kick things off with love—what it is, why we fall for some people and not others, and whether science could create a love potion that turns romance into a biochemical hostage situation. From love, they move to hate and how some people actually get addicted to hate. They'll also discuss AI—whether it could ever develop consciousness and what that might mean for humanity—before diving into addiction and the ongoing debate over how much of it is choice versus biology. They'll talk about happiness, whether money can actually buy it, and a bizarre true medical case of a man who, after a brain surgery gone wrong, was left permanently stuck in the present moment.  Finally, they'll explore what happens when we die and whether the authors ever get existentially bummed out thinking about how fragile and robotic we really are. If you like science with a side of humor and deep, slightly absurd questions, this episode is for you. Dr. Dwayne Godwin is a neuroscientist, educator, and professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. His research focuses on abnormal brain rhythms, exploring calcium channel function, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury to develop potential treatments for neurological diseases. Beyond the lab, he is passionate about science outreach, co-creating Mind in Pictures for Scientific American Mind and contributing to blogs for the Society for Neuroscience and the Museum of the Moving Image. Dr. Jorge Cham is a Daytime Emmy-nominated, best-selling cartoonist and the creator of PHD Comics, a popular online comic strip about academia. He is the co-creator, Executive Producer, and Creative Director of Elinor Wonders Why, a top-rated PBS Kids animated series. Cham has co-authored several popular science books, including We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe and Frequently Asked Questions about the Universe, as well as the children’s book Oliver’s Great Big Universe. He also co-hosts and co-creates the hit podcast Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. Originally from Panama, Cham earned his Ph.D. in robotics from Stanford University and was a researcher at Caltech.You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks sits down with Dr. Kevin Maki to dive into his systematic review on the impact of beef consumption on heart disease risk factors. Dr. Maki breaks down the complexities of defining red meat in research, highlighting the challenges and inconsistencies in dietary studies. He explains the key differences between processed and unprocessed meats, and the comparison groups used in these studies, offering a deep dive into the heart health risk factors that matter most. Tune in as Dr. Maki shares the interesting findings from his research, how they should shape our diets and dietary recommendations, and the innovative dietary interventions he believes could optimize heart health in the future. (Since they are currently dominating the news...,he also discusses interesting research about seed oils!)  If you're curious about the science behind beef, heart disease, and what dietary changes might make the biggest impact, this episode is for you. Dr. Maki is the President and Chief Science Officer of MB Clinical Research and Consulting, LLC, specializing in clinical studies on nutrition, metabolism, and chronic disease risk management. He holds adjunct faculty positions at DePaul University and Illinois Institute of Technology and is a Fellow of the National Lipid Association, The Obesity Society, and the American College of Nutrition. Dr. Maki has contributed to over 250 clinical trials and published more than 200 scientific works. With a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and an M.S. in Preventive Cardiovascular Health, he is an expert in cardiometabolic disease prevention and the science of genetics, lifestyle, and chronic disease risk. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Listen to the very short satire wellness audio book Yours in Wellness! Read Manic Kingdom.Support the show

Send us a text Disclaimer: Causes or Cures is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and no medical claims are being made. Always talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your personal health.In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks to Dr. Sarah Daccarett about the "hidden hormone crisis" affecting women long before menopause. They dive into the basics of hormones—what they are, how they function, and the signs that something’s off when imbalances occur. Dr. Daccarett shares her thoughts on birth control, hormone replacement therapy, and the myths surrounding both. She also explains her unique, all-natural, bio-identical hormone approach to helping women feel their best. Dr. Daccarett is a physician, hormone specialist, anti-aging expert and founder of Inner Balance. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show