Experience, embrace, and discover how our simple every day choices affect our biology, mood, energy, creativity, and well-being. Each week host Dr. Sharon Bergquist talks with renowned researchers, physicians, nutritionists and wellness experts exploring the science behind true health and living to your fullest physical, emotional, and spiritual potential.
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In this episode, Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, 'The Brain Docs,' clarify the critical distinction between Alzheimer's prevention and reversal, stressing that the disease's long preclinical phase offers a significant window for intervention. They introduce their NEURO framework—Nutrition, Exercise, Unwind, Restorative Sleep, and Optimize Cognitive Activity—as a powerful, evidence-based strategy to reduce dementia risk by up to 90%. The discussion also covers essential metabolic health markers, the interplay of genetics and lifestyle, and the importance of scientific rigor over social media hype.
About Michelle: Michelle is an award-winning, NIH-funded researcher at the University of Michigan with thirty years studying how to help people change their healthy behavior in sustainable ways. Her work focuses on how to adopt physical activity and other lifestyle behaviors in ways that can be sustained within the unpredictability of the real world - and her client list includes Kaiser Permanente, The Permanente Medical Group, Business Group on Health, Walmart, WW, and Anytime Fitness. Michelle...
Emeran A. Mayer is a Gastroenterologist, Neuroscientist and Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the Executive Director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress & Resilience at UCLA and Founding Director of the Goodman Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA. As one of the pioneers and leading researchers in the role of brain gut interactions in health and chronic disease, in particular in IBS, his scientific c...
About Brady: Brady Holmer is a researcher and science writer. He has a Master’s degree in Human Performance from the University of Florida. He frequently writes about exercise and nutrition in his popular newsletter, Physiologically Speaking, a publication dedicated to providing the latest science-based information on health and human performance. Links: Learn more about Brady at his website, bradyholmer.com Follow Brady on X (@B_Holmer)...
About Robynne: Dr. Robynne Chutkan is an integrative gastroenterologist and the author of four books, Gutbliss , The Microbiome Solution , The Bloat Cure and The Antiviral Gut . Educated at Yale and Columbia, she is a faculty member at Georgetown Hospital and the founder of the Digestive Center for Wellness in Washington, D.C. A former Governing Board member and Training Committee Chair of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, she's authored dozens of scientific articles and lectu...
About Sam: Sam Cutler is a Harvard-trained nutrition health coach and the founder of MINDFULL, a wellness brand dedicated to empowering individuals to take control of their health through sustainable, evidence-based practices. With a deep understanding of the intricate connection between nutrition, mental well-being, and physical health, Sam advocates for a holistic approach to wellness that goes beyond the scale. Her expertise has transformed the lives of countless people, helping them achieve ...
About Matt: Dr. Matthew Dawson attended medical school at The University of Kentucky before completing his residency in emergency medicine at The University of Utah, where he served as both chief resident and fellow. After practicing medicine and serving as an associate professor at the University of Kentucky for seven years, Dr. Dawson developed a deep interest in genomics and epigenetics, realizing their potential to revolutionize our understanding of health and longevity. As the CEO of TruDia...
About Susannah: Susannah Fox is a health and technology strategist. Her book, Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care , was recently published by MIT Press. She is a former Chief Technology Officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she led an open data and innovation lab. She has served as the entrepreneur-in-residence at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and she directed the health portfolio at the Pew Research Center’s Internet Proje...
About Scott: Scott Fulton is a unique leader in the aging space. He lectures on aging at two university campuses, is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, sits on the prestigious True Health Initiative Council, and is past president of the National Aging in Place Council. He is the author of Whealthspan, More Years, More Moments, More Money. Scott is also an Ironman triathlete and lives with his wife in Charlottesville, VA. Links: Find Scott's book, Whealthspan, More Years, Mor...
About Richard: For the past 25 years, workplace health pioneer and thought leader Richard Safeer, M.D. has assessed cultures, trained leaders, and conducted and explored research on the intersection of individual and organizational behavior. Dr. Safeer currently serves as the Chief Medical Director of Employee Health and Well-Being for Johns Hopkins Medicine where he leads the Healthy at Hopkins employee health and well-being strategy. Previously, he was the Medical Director of Preventive Medici...
About Neal: Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Dr. Barnard has led numerous research studies investigating the effects of diet on diabetes, body weight, hormonal symptoms, and chronic pain, including a groundbreaking study of dietary interventions in type 2 diabetes, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that paved the way f...
About Peter: Peter Grinspoon, M.D. is a primary care physician and a cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of the new book ‘Seeing Through the Smoke: A Cannabis Expert Untangles the Truth about Marijuana’. He is a TedX speaker, a certified physician life coach, a board member of the physician advocacy group, ‘Doctors for Drug Policy Reform’ and an advisor to 'The Parabola Center'. He is the author of the gr...
About Peter: Dr. Sprague holds the positions of Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics in Emory University’s School of Medicine. His primary teaching appointment is within the Physical Therapy Division in the Emory School of Medicine where he is the co-course coordinator for the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation course, the course coordinator for the Introduction to Interventions course, and course coordinator for a course he developed entitled “A Mov...
About Peter: Dr. Sprague holds the positions of Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics in Emory University’s School of Medicine. His primary teaching appointment is within the Physical Therapy Division in the Emory School of Medicine where he is the co-course coordinator for the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation course, the course coordinator for the Introduction to Interventions course, and course coordinator for a course he developed entitled “A Mov...
About Jonathan: Jonathan Fisher, MD, FACC, is a cardiologist, certified mindfulness teacher, and well-being and resiliency leader at Novant Health, supporting a team of 38,000. He is also the founder of Mind Heart Now LLC, delivering keynotes and workshops on mindfulness, stress mastery, total well-being, and heart-centered leadership for teams and organizations globally including IBM, Bank of America, IE Business School (Madrid), the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and many others. He i...
A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, M.D., is a physician and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition. His science-based nonprofit, NutritionFacts.org , offers a free online portal hosting more than 2,000 videos and articles on myriad health topics. Dr. Greger is a sought-after lecturer and has presented at the Conference on World Affairs and the World Bank, testified before Congress, and was invited as an expert witness in Oprah Win...
ADAIRA LANDRY, MD, MEd, is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studied and trained at University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; New York University; and Harvard with almost a decade of experience mentoring students and early-career professionals. She is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and award winning mentor. She co-founded Writing in Color, a nonprofit that teaches the craft of writing. RESA E LEWISS MD is a professor of emergency medicine, T...
Krystyna R. Morgan, MPH, NBC-HWC serves as Director of the WHSC Office of Well-Being (EmWELL) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. The focus of the office is to lead the design, direction and implementation of well-being programs that address the current environmental stressors among clinicians, health professionals, faculty and staff in clinical, research and academic health sciences areas. The goals of the office include facilitating system-wide changes that enable team members to effectively p...
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., received his B.A. from Yale University and his M.D. from Western Reserve University. In 1956, pulling the No. 6 oar as a member of the victorious United States rowing team, he was awarded a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He was trained as a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and at St. George’s Hospital in London. In 1968, as an Army surgeon in Vietnam, he was awarded the Bronze Star. Dr. Esselstyn has been associated with the Cleveland Clinic since 1968. During that t...
David Goldman, MS, RD, CSCS, CPT, is the Chief Science Advisor to The Game Changers. He has a dual Ivy League graduate degree in physiology and nutrition and helped build Facebook HQ's nutrition program from scratch. David has years of experience as a dietitian and strength and conditioning specialist that spans from obesity research to coaching Olympic athletes and celebrities. David talks about the evidence-based nutrition science for optimal athletic performance, addresses some common myths a...
Zach Bush, MD is a physician specializing in internal medicine, endocrinology and hospice care. He is an internationally recognized educator on the microbiome as it relates to health, disease and our food production systems. Dr. Bush founded *Seraphic Group to develop root-cause solutions for human and ecological health and extend his passion for educating the world on topics such as the state of our soil - including the need to eradicate toxins such as glyphosate from our farming chain - and th...
Robby Barbaro, MPH graduated from the University of Florida and is the cofounder of Mastering Diabetes and Amla Green. He worked at Forks Over Knives for six years before turning his attention in 2016 to coaching people with diabetes full time. Robby was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 12 and has been living this lifestyle since 2006. In that time, while eating pounds of fruit every day, his HbA1c value has never exceeded 6.4%, and his blood glucose has been stable and easy to manag...
Michael Greger, MD, FACLM, is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized professional speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and the International Bird Flu Summit, among countless other symposia and institutions; testified before Congress; has appeared on shows such as The Colbert Report and The Dr. Oz Show; and was invited as an expert witness in def...
Brenda Davis, RD, is a leader in her field and an internationally acclaimed speaker. As a prolific nutrition and health writer, she has co-authored 12 books with nearly a million copies in print in 14 languages. Her most recent works include Nourish (to be released Nov. 2020), Kick Diabetes Essentials (2019), The Kick Diabetes Cookbook (2018), Becoming Vegan: Comprehensive Edition (2014) and Becoming Vegan: Express Edition (2013). Both Becoming Vegan books have won awards, including the Canada B...
Dr. Michelle Tollefson is a lifestyle medicine expert and obstetrician-gynecologist. She is a pioneer in women’s health and lifestyle medicine and a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is the editor-in-chief of the textbook Improving Women’s Health Across the Lifespan and co-authored PAVING a Woman’s Path through Menopause and Beyond with Drs. Frates and Comander. Dr. Tollefson was one of the first physicians ever trained as a wellness coach. She is an international speaker...
William H. Foege, MD, MPH is the Emeritus Presidential Distinguished Professor of International Health at Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University and the Gates Fellow at The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He is an epidemiologist who worked in the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. Dr. Foege became Chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Smallpox Eradication Program, and was appointed director of CDC in 1977. In 1984, Foege and several coll...
Valter Longo is the director of the Longevity Institute at USC in Los Angeles, and of the Program on Longevity and Cancer at IFOM (Molecular Oncology FIRC Institute) in Milan. His studies focus on the fundamental mechanisms of aging in simple organisms and mice and on how they can be translated to humans. Dr. Longo received the 2010 Nathan Shock Lecture Award from the National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH) and the 2013 Vincent Cristofalo "Rising Star" Award in Aging Research from the American Fed...
Carrie E. Levine is a certified nurse midwife, an Institute of Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner, the founder of the Whole Woman Health Clinic, and the author of Whole Woman Health : A Guide To Creating Wellness For Any Age and Stage. She helps women find wholeness in imperfection, helping them restore their health at any age or stage. In her two decades of innovative healthcare practice, Levine has harnessed science and intuition to connect her patients’ physical symptoms and test resu...
Preeti Sudheendra, MD is a breast cancer medical oncologist at Ohio State/The James Cancer Hospital and has been in practice for almost 15 years. She also has an expertise in seeing patients who may be at high risk for developing breast cancer in the future due to genetic or other predispositions. Dr. Sudheendra has been involved with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine since 2022 and is the incoming co-chair for the ACLM Breast Cancer Subcommittee. Links: Connect with Dr. Sudheendra on T...
Dr. Dawn Harris Sherling is a board-certified internal medicine physician who is also board-certified in obesity medicine. She began studying journalism before switching to pre-med studies at the University of Florida where she graduated with honors and as a phi beta kappa. She earned her M.D. with honors from the Yale University School of Medicine and then completed her residency at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she went on to serve as an attending physician and Instructor in Med...
