The Intelligent Medicine Podcast

Clinical Focus: Pain and America’s Opioid Epidemic, Part 1
July 6, 2017
America is in the grips of an unprecedented opioid epidemic. This time, it’s not just about heroin, confined to the inner cities among impoverished minorities. It’s spread to suburbs and rural areas and is affecting predominantly white middle-class populations. It started when, under marketing pressure from makers of pain medications, doctors were encouraged to view pain as “the fifth vital sign,” on a par with blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature. But pain is subjective, and not amenable to such a simplistic formula. More people see doctors for pain than for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined! Along with liberal prescribing, the ubiquity of powerful, long-acting drugs, and more lenient sentencing of drug sellers have fostered a surge in drug overdoses. Moreover, we have created a huge underclass of addicted, hopeless, unemployable, debilitated Americans, who often succumb to suicide. Statistics show far too many people take more medication than is prescribed, stockpile or share medications, doctor-shop to obtain more prescriptions, mix drugs with alcohol, and continue use of medications for purposes other than pain relief. Unscrupulous doctors often sell prescriptions. We need a total reassessment of the way we treat pain in America. As a society, we have far too little tolerance for transient (physical and psychological) pain, and the medical profession and drug companies are all-too-wiling to oblige. Experts now call for a closer look at alternative modalities like yoga, meditation/mindfulness, Tai-Chi, QiGong, acupuncture, core-training, acupuncture, etc. Diet may play a role in curbing inflammation; certain supplements like fish oil, curcumin, boswellin, vitamin C and D, and magnesium may help pain. The revolutionary work of the late Dr. John Sarno, who urged patients to let go of stress that perpetuated their pain syndromes, also deserves consideration. Click HERE for part 2.

Clinical Focus: Pain and America’s Opioid Epidemic, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his talk on chronic pain, the opioid epidemic, and natural treatment of pain. Click HERE for part 1.

Q&A with Leyla, Part 1
July 5, 2017
Should I cut back on my vitamin D given Dr. Gaby's recommendations? Why did it take several years of taking 8,000 IU vitamin D every day to get my levels in the 50's? Is there a benefit for a healthy, active retiree to get IV vitamin C or glutathione regularly? Is it safe to consume water from Type 1 PET plastic bottles (polyethylene terephthalate)? Click HERE for part 2.

Q&A with Leyla, Part 2

My husband has bipolar and his meds make him feel terrible, would lithium orotate be a good alternative? Recently I switched from Synthroid to WP thyroid and now I'm having palpitations--help! Sometimes I feel dizzy before having a bowel movement, why does this occur? Click HERE for part 1.

ENCORE: The True Metabolic Basis of Cancer, Part 1
July 4, 2017
Pioneering cancer researcher Dr. Thomas Seyfried argues that we’ve taken a massive wrong turn in cancer exploration by ignoring the true metabolic basis of cancer. Dr. Seyfried cites the work of Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Otto Warburg, who identified the Warburg Effect in the 1930s. Featured in a recent NY Times article entitled “An Old Idea Revived: Starve Cancer to Death,” Dr. Seyfried argues that depriving cancer cells of glucose and glutamine, their prime metabolic fuels, offers a non-toxic way of curbing cancer growth. This can be achieved, in part, via a ketogenic diet, in conjunction with certain blocking drugs. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) provides an ideal accompaniment to the diet. What precisely does a true ketogenic diet consist of (Hint: It’s not Atkins!)? How can patients following the diet monitor whether they are achieving true ketosis? What role does the Charlie Foundation (CharlieFoundation.org) play in supporting patients following ketogenic diets? What new research is Dr. Seyfried pursuing? Why has the Cancer Establishment been slow in accepting this paradigm? Click HERE for part 2.

ENCORE: The True Metabolic Basis of Cancer, Part 2

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Thomas Seyfried, pioneering cancer researcher, who argues that we've taken a massive wrong turn in cancer exploration. Click HERE for part 1.

Intelligent Medicine Radio Show for July 1, Part 1
July 3, 2017
Remembering iconoclastic physician John Sarno, author of "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection", who died this week at 93; To your health--immune-enhancing probiotic beer debuts; What type of Magnesium is best? When to take L-glutamine for exercise; Is there no limit to human longevity? Does frequent sex make you smarter, live longer? Hydrogen breath test to detect Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Click HERE for part 2. Click HERE for articles and resources relating to this podcast episode.

Intelligent Medicine Radio Show for July 1, Part 2

Cavemen binged on starch, got cavities; Fossil evidence of prehistoric dentistry; Substitutes for Lipitor; Cocoa polyphenols are good for the brain, sharpen attention within minutes; Parkinson's Disease starts in the gut; Benefits of EGCG from green tea; Qi Gong delivers health dividends; Your smart phone can make you dumber. Click HERE for part 1. Click HERE for articles and resources relating to this podcast episode.

Leyla Weighs In
June 30, 2017
This is part 2 of Nutritionist Leyla Muedin's talk on incorporating powdered "superfoods" like maca, spirulina, baobab, moringa, etc. into our diets compared with fresh vegetables and fruits that are perhaps a bit less "super."

ENCORE: Are Statins Really Safe? Part 1
June 29, 2017
Dr. Peter Langsjoen, cardiologist and CoEnzyme Q10 researcher, weighs in on statin drugs; citing research, he argues that statistical deception has created the illusion that statins are safe and effective in preventing cardiovascular disease; He details the numerous side effects of statins, and suggests that even when symptoms are not obvious, cholesterol-lowering drugs may do the body irrevocable harm; Dr. Langsjoen shares new studies which suggest that statins may neutralize the artery-protecting benefits of vitamin K2; CoQ10 may reverse some of the adverse effects of statins, but it offers only partial protection; Dr. Langsjoen reprises the history of CoQ10’s use in treatment of heart conditions, and relates how the introduction of Ubiquinol has offered a potent new weapon against heart failure; How much CoQ10 or ubiquinol should patients with various conditions take? Testing blood levels of CoQ10, a technique that Dr. Langsjoen pioneered, can help inform clinicians whether patients are taking enough to enjoy its therapeutic benefits; New research soon to be unveiled will further our understanding of how CoQ10 helps the heart. Click HERE for part 2.