Self-professed “psychonaut” Matt Zemon discusses his book “Psychedelics for Everyone: A Beginner’s Guide to these Powerful Medicines for Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Expanding Consciousness.” Removing the stigma around psychedelics—emerging science is demonstrating their utility for a variety of psychiatric conditions. Psilocybin, ayahuasca, ketamine, ibogaine, peyote and others are regaining currency among innovative health professionals. Zemon describes how these might work—by opening new avenues of consciousness and rejiggering neurotransmitters. We discuss safety and optimal guidelines for use. Unfortunately, prescribing is limited by draconian and antiquated drug laws. Zemon maintains what’s needed are legal avenues for obtaining properly regulated medications delivered in ideal settings. 

Part 1: Rethinking Fluoridation

Rethinking fluoridation; Riboflavin improves cognitive performance in older adults; Podiatrists highlight foot problems associated with Crocs; Mom’s pregnancy diet impacts brain size, intelligence of offspring; This year’s flu shot underperforms (why I’m a flu shot agnostic); Are there alternatives to Eloquis? 

Part 2: Curbing Back Pain

The tricky business of boosting vitamin D; New doubts over prospect of extending lifespan to 150; Reduced sitting time found to curb back pain; GSK settles Zantac lawsuits for $2.2 billion; Incorrect arm position may lead to false elevation in blood pressure readings. 

References and Resources

Implausibility of radical life extension in humans in the twenty-first century
Nat Aging (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00702-3

Association between vitamin B2 intake and cognitive performance among older adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES
Sci Rep 14, 21930 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72949-0

Riboflavin Deficiency
StatPearls NCBI Bookshelf, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.

Lots of kids wear crocs, but are they bad for young feet?
By Maria Godoy, NPR.org  October 8, 2024

Diet quality during pregnancy, adolescent brain morphology, and cognitive performance in a population-based cohort
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Available online 8 October 2024

High-dose recombinant influenza vaccine: NNT=3000 to prevent one more infection, no impact on hospitalization
Am Fam Physician. 2024;109(4):372

Vaccines to prevent influenza in healthy adults
2018 Feb 1;2(2):CD001269. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001269.pub6.

Who should take the flu vaccine
By Jennifer Robinson, MD, Webmd February 25, 2024

Most of today’s children are unlikely to live to 100
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN  October 7, 2024

GSK agrees to settle about 80,000 Zantac lawsuits for up to $2.2 billion
By Brendan Pierson, Reuters  October 9, 2024

Reducing daily sitting may prevent back pain
BMJ Open, 2024; 14 (9): e084305 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084305

Implausibility of radical life extension in humans in the twenty-first century
Nat Aging (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00702-3

ENCORE: Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: Life Expectancy

• Report: US will trail other nations in life expectancy by 2030
• Obesity rates a contributing factor to decreased life expectancy in the US
• What are your views about the use of AMPK? 

ENCORE: Q&A with Leyla, Part 2: The Choline in Eggs

• What dosage of Nicotinamide Riboside is optimal in increasing mitochondrial biogenesis?
• I’ve been treated for SIBO in the past but haven’t yet tried rifaximin. Do you recommend it?
• Is the choline in eggs causing thousands of people to suddenly form blood clots?
• Is the EBCT still the most accurate, least-radiation-exposure test for coronary calcification?
• How many milligrams of SAMe do you recommend for depression? 

Menopause can pose severe challenges to women: hot flashes, cognitive impairment, sleep problems, and sexual difficulties, often compounded by weight gain. ObGyn Dr. Anna Cabeca is schooled in mainstream medicine but has added a natural medicine repertoire to her practice. She recounts how she learned to overcome her own devastating symptoms of early menopause. She believes that diets need to be individualized for menopausal women. Find her quiz to determine your menopause type at www.DrAnna.com/mpquiz. We discuss the role of supplements and bio-identical hormone replacement to augment tailored diets. Her book, “MenuPause: Five Unique Eating Plans to Break Through Your Weight Loss Plateau and Improve Mood, Sleep, and Hot Flashes,” highlights the role variations on the keto diet and intermittent fasting can play in alleviating menopause symptoms and reversing mid-life weight gain. 

Guest Dr. Stephen Hussey, a chiropractor and functional medicine practitioner, discusses the importance and impact of a metabolic revolution. Dr. Hussey shares his personal journey of overcoming inflammatory conditions and managing type 1 diabetes through lifestyle changes, focusing on diet and functional medicine principles. The discussion highlights the flaws in conventional medical approaches to chronic diseases and the need for a holistic view of health. Emphasizing the benefits of a low-carb diet and the potential detrimental effects of excessive insulin, the episode explores the benefits of metabolic flexibility. The conversation also introduces the initiative MetabolicRevolution.org, which aims to demand better health guidelines from government agencies, urging a focus on research-based recommendations and reducing industry influence. Dr. Hussey’s insights underscore the potential for personal health transformations and advocate for systemic changes to improve public health.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for January 11, Part 1: Does toasting bread make it carcinogenic?

Announcing the return of Intelligent Medicine to WOR 710 AM in New York City—its original home where the show debuted in 1988! Which is better—being thin or being fit? Why you shouldn’t succumb to pitches for “free” medical devices from Medicare; Does toasting bread make it carcinogenic? Belgium takes lead in protecting the “Anxious Generation” by banning cell phones in schools; The remarkable health benefits of urolithin A (Mitopure®️). 

Intelligent Medicine Radio for January 11, Part 2: Why 70 is the New 60

“Active holistic therapy” for prostate cancer with diet and fish oil helps defer need for surgery, hormone blockade, radiation; Why 70 is the new 60; Long-term harmful effects of acid-blockers; Do memory supplements pass the blood-brain barrier? Fish oil, krill oil, olive oil for cardiovascular prevention; Paxlovid aggressively promoted but overprescribed for otherwise healthy patients. 

References and Resources

The NCA guide to coffee & prop 65
ncausa.org

Does burnt toast cause cancer?
Cancer Research UK

Being in shape is better for longevity than being thin, new study shows
By Gretchen Reynolds The Washington Post  January 8, 2025

Consumer alert: urinary catheter scams
oig .hhs.gov

Children start their day at the Bogaerts International School near Brussels by putting their smartphones in a locker
By Peter Haeck, Politico  September 2, 2024

Why 70 is the new 60 for many baby boomers
By Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph  December 19, 2024

Pfizer bumps up revenue outlook by $1.5B in Paxlovid rebound amid criticism from activist investor Starboard
By Zoey Becker, Fierce Pharma October 10, 2024

Active Holistic Surveillance: The Nutritional Aspect of Delayed Intervention in Prostate Cancer
J Nutr Metab. 2016 May 5;2016:2917065. doi: 10.1155/2016/2917065

No, moderate drinking won’t give you cancer
By Allysia Finley, WSJ January 5, 2025

Adverse effects associated with long-term use of proton pump inhibitors
Cureus. 2021 Jan 18;13(1):e12759. doi: 10.7759/cureus.12759

Paxlovid COVID treatment is most beneficial for unvaccinated people with risk factors. Others may not need it
By Riis Williams edited by Lauren J Young, Scientific American  April 12, 2024

Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: The Anxious Generation

• Update on another supplement: Maca
• A book recommendation: “The Anxious Generation”
• A comment from a listener about Trump’s nomination for Surgeon General
• Hasn’t the vaccine/autism link been thoroughly debunked?
• How much Mitopure should I take to help increase muscle mass?

Q&A with Leyla, Part 2: Vitamins D3 and K2

• My husband’s doctor is recommending a statin even though his lipid panel is great.  What say you?
• Anti-vaccine doctor wins bid to resume medical practice in Australia.
• Do I need to take vitamin D3 and K2 together? Can I take them at different times of day?
• My liver function tests are normal but my SMA test remains high.  What do I make of this?

Understanding Constipation: Carmen Fong, MD, FACS, author of “CONSTIPATION NATION: What to Know When You Can’t Go,” discusses the pressing issue of constipation. The conversation delves into the definition and causes of constipation, the importance of diet, hydration, and regular bowel habits, and misconceptions around the condition. Dr. Fong shares insights on natural remedies, modern treatments, and factors contributing to early-onset colorectal cancer. The episode also covers hemorrhoid treatments and new medical advances in constipation management.

Headlines are sounding alarms over the widespread use of melatonin—especially as a sleep aid for young kids. Dr. Deanna Minich has authored a comprehensive review of melatonin, in which she likens it to vitamin D in its potential utility for a variety of ailments—not just for insomnia and jet lag, but also for metabolic syndrome and diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, brain disorders, autoimmune conditions, eye problems, tinnitus, PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, viral infections, and even ADHD and autism. Additionally, melatonin may confer anti-aging benefits. She affirms its overall safety, but cautions that some formulations are sketchy and may contain contaminants or vastly exceed or undershoot their claimed melatonin content. She discusses how modern life, with its ever-present artificial light, shift work, and travel across time zones may disrupt our circadian rhythms and put us in a state of darkness deprivation, with consequent melatonin depletion. For many conditions less is more, and use in children should be limited to special cases. Dr. Minich also emphasizes that lifestyle factors like properly timed light and darkness exposure, blue blocker glasses and screen apps, exercise and diet are cornerstones to optimal melatonin production, with melatonin supplements constituting only part of a holistic approach.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for January 4, Part 1: Commemorating 38th Year of Intelligent Medicine

Commemorating 38th year of Intelligent Medicine; A pricey prostate drug advertised on football games may extend life for mere months without promise of cure; You dutifully threw out your “toxic” black plastic spatulas—was it faulty math? Air pollution robs marathoners of record times—and may be responsible for deaths of millions; Indian man, declared dead, taken to hospital after awakening on funeral pyre.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for January 4, Part 2: Doctors Fleeing Medicare

Doctors fleeing Medicare—leaving patients stranded; CEO murder heightens scrutiny of United Healthcare’s Medicare Advantage coding shenanigans; Can blood pressure spikes cause strokes? Does a calcium score of 20 call for a statin Rx? Treatments for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS); New “improved” tea bags release millions of plastic microparticles; The surprising trigger of a bout of hives.

References & Resources

For optimal marathon performance, check training plan, gear, nutrition, weather—and air quality
Sports Med (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-024-02160-8

Air pollution in India linked to millions of deaths
Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institute  12/12/24

Indian man awakes on funeral pyre
AFP November 23, 2024

Strive for Plu Victory
PLUVICTO® (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) | HCP

Viral study about black plastic spatulas had a big math problem
By Danielle Echeverria, San Francisco Chronicle  December 17, 2024

Doctors cut back on seeing Medicare patients as another pay cut loom
By Joyce Frieden, Medpagetoday.com  October 4, 2024

UnitedHealth’s army of doctors helped it collect billions more from Medicare
By Christopher Weaver, Anna Wilde Mathews, Tom McGinty, Wall Street Journal  Dec 29, 2024

Commercial yea bags release millions of microplastics, entering human intestinal cells
by Autonomous University of Barcelona, Medicalxpress.com  December 20, 2024

Kombucha SCOBY: What it is and how to make one
www.healthline.com