Welcome to this special episode of The Health Upgrade Podcast! This episode is actually an interview of our host Dr. Navaz Habib with Dr. Michael Kaye, a functional medicine practitioner at The Center for Functional Health in Sellersville PA. In this episode, Dr. Kaye asks Dr. Habib all about the Vagus Nerve, how it is related to chronic inflammatory health conditions, and its connections to the immune system. They also get into the emerging science of electrical Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a gam...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Hello, everybody! Welcome back to the Health Upgrade Podcast. I am very excited about today’s show because we will have one of the members of our team, Emma Ford. She is a Certified Clinical & Holistic Nutritionist (CNP); founder of Gut Rooted—a virtual nutritional counseling practice focused on gut health, digestive disorders & preventative health. She specializes in gut health, digestive disorders & the gut-brain connection. Her goal is to empower individuals to restore their gut s...
Apr 26, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast. In today’s episode, we had an awesome conversation with the well-known “Vagus Nerve” guy, Sterling Cooley. Sterling Cooley is the CEO & Founder at Vagus Nerve Stimulation & Repair Program. Where he currently works on activating the Parasympathetic Central Vagal Nervous system using direct to consumer Vagus Nerve stimulation technology. Sterling is also a consultant for leaders and managers of fast growing, and innovative companies...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Hello and welcome to the Health Upgrade Podcast! I am honored to have this wonderful conversation with the master of HRV - heart rate variability, Greg Elliot. Greg is an exercise physiologist, kinesiologist and osteopathic practitioner who has worked with various hospitals, universities, clinics, fitness facilities and sports teams in Canada, the USA and around the world. He completed his Master of Science in Exercise Science at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and is passionate about teac...
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Hi everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast. Today, our focus will be centered on bone health, where we will delve deep into the intricate mechanisms of bone health and explore the challenges that lead to bone density loss or bone mineral loss. Our bones consist of three different types of cells - osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes, which work in perfect harmony to maintain bone homeostasis. Moreover, the involvement of the nervous system and autonomic nervous sys...
Apr 05, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast. In today’s episode, we have a very special guest Dr. Chris Kleronomos. He is the medical director of MediPro and works with patients on Complex Pain (AAPM), Functional Medicine, IV & Peptides, Biotherapy, and more. He became interested in medicine as a Corpsman in the U.S. Navy, where he served with the Marine Corps elite Special Operations Teams; Force Reconnaissance. He is also a multi-disciplinary integrated professional, holding g...
Mar 29, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Hi everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast. Today, in our mini episode we are going to dig into the topic of metabolic disease and understanding of what adipose tissue is and how its dysregulation could lead to so many other problems. Metabolic disease has to do with two types of serious medical conditions which are type two diabetes and hypertension. These conditions arise in individuals with high body mass indices or BMIs, more specifically in those with a high perce...
Mar 22, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Hello, everybody! Welcome back to the Health Upgrade Podcast. I am thrilled to have this amazing conversation with Dr. Michael Kennedy. He is a chiropractor and earned his doctor of chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University. He is the owner of Chanhassen Wellness Chiropractic where he practices chiropractic, neurology, chiropractic care and vagus nerve stimulation for his patients in Chanhassen Minnesota. His goal is to help his patients achieve optimal health and wellness...
Mar 15, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast In this episode, we are exploring Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Migraines with Dr. Michael Hoffmann. We discuss the link between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurological diseases, as well as the role of the immune system in brain health. Today on the Health Upgrade Podcast, we were honored to have Dr. Michael Hoffmann with us. He is a neurologist and obtained his medical degree from the University of Witwaters Brand in Johannesbu...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Hello and welcome to the Health Upgrade Podcast! Today, we'll have a brief episode providing an overview of the fundamentals of the autonomic nervous system, the vagus nerve, vagus nerve stimulation, and their effects on the immune system. The autonomic nervous system is a network of nerves that regulates bodily functions that we don't consciously control. It consists of two branches: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. In this discussion, we'll focus on the parasympathetic branch. When a p...
Mar 01, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Hi everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast. Today, we'll be discussing a few essential cellular processes that are necessary to ensure optimal body and cellular function. The first one is mitochondria. Every cell in our body, except for red blood cells, contains mitochondria, which produce the energy needed for the cell to perform its functions. Dysfunctional mitochondria can lead to chronic disease. The second process we'll be discussing is the effect of the vagus ner...
Jan 04, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Hello, everybody! Welcome back to the Health Upgrade Podcast. I am really excited about this wonderful conversation that we're about to dig into with Dr. David Yoder. He is a doctor, teacher, researcher, and the CEO of the David Yoder Wellness Center In today’s episode, we are discussing the philosophy behind David’s practice and his unique approach. We are also analyzing the importance of vagus nerve stimulation in chiropractic practice and how we can utilize neuromodulation to help support the...
Dec 28, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Hello and welcome to the Health Upgrade Podcast! I am very excited about today's special episode. I am here in Florida and we have the pleasure of talking with a special guest - Dr. Mike Becknell. We are very excited to have this wonderful discussion today. Dr. Brecknell is a functional neurologist and a chiropractic physician since 1989. He is a graduate of Life Chiropractic University as well as the Carrick Institute out of Florida and for graduate studies. That's where he did his functional n...
Dec 21, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In today’s episode we have the pleasure of talking with Abigail Butterfield. She is an Adult and Geriatric Nurse Practitioner certified to practice by the American Academy of Nurse Her practice combines traditional and alternative treatment modalities to create a sanctuary in which all people collaborate in their healing - mind, body and spirit - and are empowered to engage in their own health and wellness. She completed her graduate degree at Walden University in 2010 earning a Master of Scienc...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Hello, and welcome back to the Health Upgrade Podcast Today we are going to jump in on the topic of sleep. Sleep with regards to the autonomic nervous system and to the function of microglial cells in the brain. Also, we are going to discuss the role of the cells in different stages of sleep, why they're so important, and what function they have during each of these different stages. We're going to come up with some fun analogies for you along the way. And I'm really excited to share this with e...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Hi everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast. In today’s episode, we will continue talking about the effects of psychedelics mainly LSD and DMT on the body and on the autonomic nervous system. LSD is probably one of the hallucinogenic drugs that has some potential to be addictive and the autonomic nervous system is affected by LSD which can cause pupil dilation, increased blood pressure even body temperature changes. It also increases circulating cortisol levels and othe...
Nov 30, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Hello everybody. Welcome back to the Health Upgrade Podcast! For today’s episode we are going to shift gears from recreational drugs that have been used in addictive ways, to different types of drugs that are called psychedelics, hallucinogens and dissociative medications. These drugs are mind altering. They literally change your brain. They don't share generally the same addiction as recreational drugs. But that doesn't mean that they're not dangerous, and that they don't have significant socia...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 21
Hello everybody and welcome on the Health Upgrade Podcast In today’s episode, we have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Marie-Eve Tremblay from University of Victoria. She is Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair (Tier II) of Neurobiology of Aging and Cognition Dr. Tremblay’s research focuses on aging and cognition, using both animal and human brain models to explore the significance of microglial remodeling of neuronal circuits and elimination of synapses in the pathogenesis of brain disord...
Nov 16, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Welcome to another episode of the Health Upgrade Podcast. Today's episode is a continuation of our last discussion where we were breaking down addictive drugs and types of medications. But we're now going to step into the effects of these medicines on our body, our brain and how to overcome these challenges when we become addicted to it. What happens in opioid abuse, cocaine abuse, and methamphetamine abuse is that we end up seeing a change in how neuropathology works. Where we will have an inab...
Nov 09, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Hello, everybody and welcome back to the Health Upgrade Podcast! Today, we will be talking about drug addiction and how the autonomic nervous system is affected by the use of opioid medication and drugs. These drugs are mainly heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Becoming addicted to these medications will lead to lots of health problems, ranging from cognitive issues to digestive and degenerative issues. The addiction to these drugs is actually driven by hacking the neurotransmitter...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Hello everybody and welcome to the Heath Upgrade Podcast In today’s episode, we have a very interesting topic which is the complex tie between macrophages and angiogenesis, in both health and in disease, as well as the development and production of the network of blood vessel in angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the process by which we produce new blood vessels and macrophages plays an important role in the production and maintenance of these blood vessels which is why they are a pair. Without macro...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In today's episode, we are excited to discuss a new topic that will lead us into understanding reproduction and the importance of macrophages. Macrophages is very vital and essential in the production of our hormone, and producing reproductive organs, both male and female. These cells chaperone the production of reproductive organs and reproductive cells through development, and through life in general. We will also be digging deep into the autonomic nervous system and the entire process of repr...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Welcome back to another episode of the health upgrade podcast! I am Dr. Nevaz Habib and I am here in person with JP Eriko. I'm back in Florida, speaking at a conference, and today we're going to talk about Vagus Nerve Stimulation. For me, this is a major piece of the future of healthcare. I think the Vagus Nerve has been overlooked for too long. I think that the use of Vagus Nerve Stimulation has started to really blow up for people to understand how this works, and what we can utilize in a clin...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Hello, everybody and welcome back to the Health Upgrade Podcast In today’s episode, we're going to dig into a new topic, which has to do with the nutrition and the function of macrophages. And we're specifically talking about a particular nutrient that is absolutely essential to the function of these macrophages, which is iron Iron is one of those important minerals that need to get to and be present in so many different organs and so many different cells. And today, we're going to dig into how ...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 14
Our topic today is very scientific, heavy, and wonderful. It's something that I think, as we go through, it's clearly going to open your eyes to understanding the immune system, how the immune system has been misunderstood for quite some time, and the cells that are actually required for our homeostatic optimal function. So today, we're going to dig into macrophages and all the different types of macrophages within the body. We are analyzing their role in development, homeostasis, and in inflamm...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Hello everybody and welcome to the Heath Upgrade Podcast Today we’ll be discussing functional gastrointestinal disorders and some of the research that's been coming out with regards to vagus nerve stimulation, as well as how it can have a specific role in the therapy of these particular conditions. We’ll briefly touch on the diagnosis of the functional gastrointestinal disorders, what's causing them, and analyze the research showing the therapeutic efficacy of Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Rate and r...
Sep 21, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 12
In today’s episode, we are going to dive into digestion and how the vagus nerve is involved in the digestive process. We are also explaining how the nervous system involves in that from an evolutionary standpoint and how our brain and our gut interact with one another. Digestive sequencing and the process by which we digest our food to get those nutrients into our body is obviously very important for our survival. But how do we make sure that our digestion is functioning really well? Stay tuned ...
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In today's episode, we are digging into neuroimmune dysfunction and development. We are talking about how our immune system dictates the development of our brain and dysfunction, as well as, what inputs are going on environmentally, and how those dysfunctions can lead to many conditions early on in childhood, later on in life, and even in the middle of life, as well. We'll talk about different conditions like autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. And we'll get into an understandin...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In today's episode, we're really excited to have a special guest, Dr. Chris Czura. He is a molecular immunologist who has been studying Vagus Nerve Stimulation for the past 20 years! Chris has also participated in other early-stage companies in bioelectronic, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and wearable and off-buddy diagnostics. He served as vice president of Scientific Affairs of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, overseeing all aspects of laboratory operations, and the annual budget for...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Hello everybody and welcome to the Health Upgrade Podcast So today we want to dig into a slightly new topic which is autoimmunity. Specifically, we are going to discuss what autoimmune disorders are, how autoimmune conditions begin, and the pathophysiology behind many of them. We are also going to explain how our personal internal immune system is actually acting against our own cells, and what can we do to prevent that. Rate and review before the next episode. If you want to know more about us ...
Aug 24, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 8
