Top Ten Intelligent Medicine podcast episodes of 2024
| By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
‘Tis the season! As the pace of work and school slows and the freneticism of shopping and parties abates, people are hopping into cars, buses, planes, and trains to reach holiday destinations. Or else, they collapse and simply enjoy cocooning at home with family.
It’s a perfect time to relax while catching up on some of our best Intelligent Medicine podcast episodes of 2024 that you may have missed (we’ve generated over 200 shows with timely, original, free content this year alone!). To date there have been over 12 million downloads since we launched our popular podcast series!
While we’ve worked hard to make all of our Intelligent Medicine podcast episodes great this year, here are ten personal favorites I’d like to highlight:
1) Media, Medicine, and Money: Sharyl Attkisson’s Pharma Exposé: Have you ever wondered about the strings that control the narratives in health journalism? Sit tight as Sharyl Attkisson, a seasoned investigative reporter and author of Follow the $cience: How Big Pharma Misleads, Obscures, and Prevails, peels back the curtain on the pharmaceutical industry’s grip over media and public health policy.
2) Why the Standard Treatment for Hypothyroidism Often Fails: Hypothyroidism, also commonly referred to as Hashimoto’s disease, affects millions. Antonio C. Bianco, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago and author of Rethinking Hypothyroidism: Why Treatment Must Change and What Patients Can Do, explains why the standard treatment for hypothyroidism fails many—and offers an empowering call for change.
3) The Role of Science-Based Herbal Medicine in Healthcare: Mark Blumenthal is founder and Executive Director of the American Botanical Council (ABC). We commemorate the 35th anniversary of the ABC, the 40th anniversary of HerbalGram, an informative publication about botanical medicine, and Mark’s 50th anniversary as an herbal advocate, consultant, educator, and researcher. His Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program is a resource to the natural products industry to combat fraud, contamination and toxicity of herbal products. We discuss the science underlying such nutraceuticals as curcumin, berberine, maca, ashwagandha and black cumin. Mark traces the development of the botanicals industry from its origins with teas and tinctures to today’s standardized and scientifically vetted products.
4) Nutrition-Based Approaches as an Alternative to Psychiatric Medications: The most powerful way to change brain chemistry is with food, because that’s where brain chemicals come from in the first place. Georgia Ede, MD, is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing in nutrition science, brain metabolism, and mental health. She discusses her new book, Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health. Dr. Ede empowers you to understand how unscientific research methods drive fickle nutrition headlines and illogical dietary guidelines, how to weigh the risks and benefits of your favorite foods so you can make your own informed choices about what to eat, and evaluate yourself for signs of insulin resistance—the silent metabolic disease that robs your brain of the energy it needs to thrive, and improve your mental health with a choice of low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets that you can personalize to your food preferences and health goals.
5) Lifestyle-Based Healing v. Pharmaceuticals to Treat Chronic Health Conditions: The medical industry has long relied on pharmaceuticals to treat chronic health conditions to the exclusion of lifestyle changes. Troy Duell, health educator and veteran pharmaceutical marketing exec, pulls back the curtain on pharmaceutical industry secrets, raising a red flag on the industry’s marketing strategies where medications are increasingly peddled as lifestyle staples rather than temporary remedies. Duell advocates for a paradigm shift, emphasizing the profound satisfaction and health triumphs experienced by individuals who conquer ailments like hypertension or high cholesterol through lifestyle overhaul instead of prescription drugs, and he offers actionable tips for people looking to reclaim control over their health.
6) The Hidden Risks of Modern Technology: 5G, Cell Phones, and Your Health: Dr. Devra Davis, Founder, Senior Fellow & President Emerita of the Environmental Health Trust, and author of Disconnect: A Scientist’s Solutions for Safer Technology, reveals the health risks posed by electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from everyday devices like cell phones, earbuds, and wireless routers. She and I delve into the suppression of critical information by the telecom industry and the need for safer technology practices and regulatory standards.
7) Where Diabetes Treatment Has Gone Wrong and How to Fix It: Gary Taubes, author of RETHINKING DIABETES: What Science Reveals About Diet, Insulin, and Successful Treatments, explores the history of diabetes research to look towards more effective treatment in the future. Taubes re-examines this research alongside the most recent studies to provide new insights that show the current standard treatment is not enough. He argues for doctors to look beyond prescribing drugs to incorporate dietary and lifestyle changes as an essential part of treatment. Taubes’ proposed changes could revolutionize how people live with diabetes and help the millions of struggling Americans.
8) Turning the Tide on Psychiatric Drug Overmedication: Dr. Mark Horowitz’s Approach to Deprescribing: Dr. Mark Horowitz, a Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry from the UK and co-author of The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentinoids and Z-drugs, delves into the complexities of deprescribing psychiatric medications such as antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and sleep aids. Dr. Horowitz outlines the origins and importance of the deprescribing movement, explaining how polypharmacy and overprescription have necessitated a careful approach to reducing medication dependency. He discusses the physiological and withdrawal challenges faced by patients on long-term psychiatric medication, emphasizing the vital role of slow and individualized tapering processes.
9) Cancer Screening 2.0: Integrating Functional Medicine with Advanced Detection: New tests promise to revolutionize cancer diagnosis. Dr. Gary Goldman is a board-certified ob-gyn and one of America’s leading Functional Medicine practitioners, and is also a member of the speakers’ bureau for Grail, developer of the Galleri cancer test. What are some of the limitations of current cancer tests like mammography, colonoscopy, PSA, CA-125, PAP smears, and CT scans? What’s the difference between sensitivity and specificity? How does the Galleri test enhance our ability to detect cancers? How was it developed? How accurate is it? Will it lead to overdiagnosis? Why is there controversy over a £140 million NHS trial using Galleri to detect cancer? Can “liquid biopsies” be used to find out whether cancer is recurring before it’s visible on imaging? What about new genetic tests that predict your likelihood of developing cancer? Why the arguments over frequency of colonoscopies, mammograms and PAP smears? Is there a certain age when you can forego them? Is the new colon cancer blood test a good alternative to colonoscopy?
10) The Intersection of Politics and Natural Health—What are the Prospects for the New Administration to “Make America Healthy Again”?: Dr. Rob Verkerk, Executive & Scientific Director of Alliance for Natural Health International & Alliance for Natural Health USA, shares insights into the significance of RFK Jr.’s potential appointment and its implications for natural health advocacy. We explore RFK Jr.’s unique trajectory, from environmental activism to becoming a controversial political figure, and discuss the challenges and opportunities his nomination presents. The conversation also touches on the FDA’s regulatory overreach, the limitations placed on the natural health industry, and ongoing efforts to promote health freedom and natural health practices.
Enjoy these and other podcasts in our vast audio library, and best wishes for a safe, healthy, prosperous and fulfilling holiday season for you and your loved ones!
