My Top 5 Listens – Q3 2020

From time to time I share highlights from what I’ve been listening to in recent months primarily in the world of health and wellness. The following is a list and summary of my top five listens I found absolutely fantastic…great content, enriching, and free. Four of the five are from the Rich Roll Podcast…incredible host and my favorite.

1. How to Change Your Brain with Dr. Andrew Huberman
   • “Behavior first. Thoughts, feelings and perceptions follow.”
   • Dr. Huberman shares “the brain’s inherent ability to modify itself based on experience and how we can advantageously leverage this process–through focus, mindfulness and restorative sleep–to not only learn new skills but also improve all essential aspects of well-being.”
   • This was one fascinating example he shared in how our brains work:
     • The number one area people want to stimulate based on the reward system in the brain:
       • Frustration and Mild Anger
     • Dr. Huberman states how it’s like a hit of dopamine more than anything else…so we get a big reward boost when we are frustrated or angered…
     • He also adds how our beliefs and information that supports our prior beliefs increases the activity of these reward systems….more of the dopamine and adrenaline released in our system
     • Think about interactions with others, social media, etc…this can create a bigger divide for sure.
   • Dr. Huberman states how our ability to control our internal state is the way out of this challenge and shares tactical ideas on how to do so.
   • This and so many other helpful examples and tips…
2. The Gut Health MD: Dr. Will Bulsiewicz on Optimizing Your Microbiome
   • A conversation about all things microbiome and gut health, the mechanisms behind it and latest research findings.
   • This was one example he shared:
     • There is antibiotic resistance in the gut microbiome for those consuming animal products along with destruction of the lining leading to immune system breakdown, sickness and chronic illnesses. 80% of antibiotics in the U.S. are used on animals, not humans.
     • “We’re creating a system that is the definition of short-term gain and long-term loss because the animals receive the antibiotic not because they are sick. They receive it because the studies show they gain 15% more weight. Which by the way scientifically speaking that’s because you are destroying their microbiome. When you destroy a person’s microbiome they gain weight.” Think about how this is playing out…
   • Dr. Bulsiewicz shares great information on how to fuel the body and microbiome for a powerful immune system and overall health including how important it is to eat a diverse amount of plant-based foods. Diversity is the key and to change it up regularly. Such great useful information gained in this episode.
3. How to Survive a Pandemic: Dr. Michael Greger
   • Dr. Greger shares his responses to questions on all things pandemic including:
     • What is the difference between COVID-19 and a typical flu?
     • Why do some fall gravely ill while others experience only mild symptoms?
     • How do we make sure our immune response is intact and healthy?
     • Why are there so many tests, which one should I take and when should I consider getting tested?
     • Should I be disinfecting everything (like my groceries)?
     • What exactly is the utility of masks and does it matter what kind of mask I wear?
     • What are the most effective things we should focus on for prevention
     • How can we stop the emergence of pandemics in the first place?
   • As many specialists in infectious diseases state, these pandemics are only going to grow in frequency with mortality rate risk in some much, much greater than COVID-19. Dr. Greger shares how factory farming is the breeding ground for these pandemics. We have an abundant number of these in the U.S. and the globe. It’s not if, but how soon will we be facing our next pandemic? There are things we can do to mitigate these risks but are we making the connections? Listen and find out…
4. How Not to Diet with Dr. Michael Greger
   • “The most important decision we make is what we put in our mouths.”
   • This is so important with what Rich Roll shares in the show notes – “When it comes to reliable nutrition information, the internet is a warn-torn, metastasizing mushroom cloud of toxic half-truths and misinformation. How do we sort through the tribal wars? How do we separate fact from fiction? Let’s start with seeking out the experts. And the best, most objective science available.”
     • Who would be a doctor who devotes his career to this charge? Dr. Michael Greger…he is all about the science – not funded by industry or agenda. He does the work of sifting through this so we don’t have to.
     • I remember once when he was questioned if he was biased because he is plant-based. His response was that he was and is biased to science, not a particular diet. It just so happens that eating a whole foods plant-based diet is the healthiest for us.
   • Dr. Greger shares countless examples how nutrition can help fuel us and if we have a desire to lose weight, how to do so in a healthy manner.
   • This conversation is a compliment to his book, How Not to Diet, released this past December. I found it loaded with countless useful examples and already is a standby reference for me.
5. The Exam Room Live from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
   • • This is a daily (Monday-Friday) update show at noon EST . Along with the host, PCRM’s stable of doctors cover COVID-19 updates along with information about overall health and wellness with a heavy emphasis on nutrition. They have a Q&A session at the end where doctors provide their insights and science via questions coming through the live Facebook feed.
     • The link above is to previous recordings of the show via their YouTube channel and in addition, daily you can watch live there or on the PCRM Facebook page.
     • This is fantastic way to educate yourself regularly and obtain answers and tips to common questions.

I hope you find these summaries or previews helpful and I look forward to hearing what you learn if you take a dive into one of them.

– Add Health to Your Life