Doctor Aly Cohen is a triple board-certified physician in rheumatology, internal medicine, and integrative medicine, and one of the country's leading medical and legal experts in environmental health. She's on the faculty of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, Southern California University of Health Sciences, and the University of California, Irvine. She is the author of the new book Detoxify: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them, a coauthor of Nontoxic: Guide to Living Healthy in a Chemical World, co-editor of the textbook Integrative Environmental Medicine, has collaborated with the environmental working group Cancer, Schmancer, and other disease prevention organizations, and has received countless awards for her work in health education. She hosts the Smart Human podcast and sees patients in her medical practice in Princeton, New Jersey.

Aly joins me on Conversations for Health for a discussion about the connection between immune-disrupting chemicals and chronic conditions, including autoimmune disease. She underscores the epidemic of autoimmune disease cases that practitioners are facing today, and offers tactics for supporting patients in making healthier lifestyle choices and managing kidney and liver function and lymphatic systems in a very toxic world.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Dr. Aly Cohen - https://alycohenmd.com/

The Smart Human - https://thesmarthuman.com/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library, which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

01:30 Dr. Aly Cohen feels lit up by her son’s acceptance into college.

02:35 Aly’s journey into rheumatology and environmental chemicals.

07:03 The effects of immune-disrupting chemicals, including BPA and PFAS.

11:00 The impact of forever chemicals on the immune system?

16:45 The body has not evolved to detoxify the current level of chemical exposure.

19:35 Questions to ask patients to determine toxic exposure.

24:25 Stories of exposures to toxic chemicals.

28:55 Conventional lab testing that is generally covered by insurance.

31:51 How to implement the Four A’s framework with patients.

36:57 Practical first steps for patients when making lifestyle changes.

41:26 The importance of reverse osmosis filtered water.

45:45 Findings from studies regarding sweating out toxins.

48:42 Key differences between sauna and exercising for sweat.

51:30 Advancements that made the biggest difference over the course of Aly’s career as a rheumatologist.

54:05 Improvements that are being made as a result of increased awareness.

57:40: Measuring minerals and other vitamin status with rheumatology patients.

1:02:14 Dr. Cohen’s personal favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and her disillusioned and reinvigorated take on medicine.

Dr. Sam Shay is a functional medicine expert who has dedicated his career to understanding addiction, brain health, and personalized recovery strategies. He solves health puzzles for busy, health-conscious parents, entrepreneurs, and professionals, women, and adults on the spectrum so they can exit survival mode and reenter community by improving resilience, energy, and brain health through personalized, data-driven genetics and lab testing. He has an extensive academic and clinical background, including three bachelor's degrees, a Doctorate in Chiropractic, a Post Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture, and eight years as a functional neurologist with the Carrick Institute before switching full-time to virtual practice in functional medicine. He is certified with the Institute for Functional Medicine and studied with Dr. Kailash of the Kailash Institute for 4 years. He has studied nutrition for over 25 years and has an extensive background in mind-body medicine.

On this episode of Conversations for Health, Dr. Shay and I explore the neurobiology of addiction, the role of functional genetics, and how lab testing can provide deeper insights. We discuss Sam’s 5-phase model of addiction and the power of looking at this through a functional medicine lens. Our conversation is filled with valuable tips on clinical applications, testing, and treatment strategies for patients with any level of addiction.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Dr. Sam Shay - https://drsamshay.com/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library, which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

01:48 Dr. Sam Shay is lit up about his upcoming stand-up comedy performance.

02:55 Sam’s journey into health and comedy started with tragedy.

09:13 Defining addiction and the 9 official signs of addiction.

14:04 Bulletproof red flags in addiction of any kind.

15:16 Tame the BEAST framework and the 5 phases of addiction.

21:39 7 types of consequences that addicts experience.

28:20 The role of functional medicine in the second phase of addiction.

34:10 Dangers in the anesthesia phase of addiction.

36:01 Conceptualizing boredom, children, and screens within the model.

41:30 Examples of solutions and overcoming addiction from Sam’s practice.

46:04 The critical role of community in overcoming addiction.

48:00 Prioritizing genetic testing and SNPs in lab testing.

53:25 COMT genes, magnesium threonate, and inflammatory genes warnings and recommendations.

58:47 Dr. Shay’s top recommendation for patients in active addiction.

1:00:33 Dr. Shay’s favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and his evolved perspective on addiction.

Dr. Deanna Minich is a nutrition scientist, lecturer, educator, and author. She has over 20 years of experience in academia and the food and dietary supplement industries. She has been active as a functional medicine clinician in clinical trials and her own practice. She's the author of seven books on wellness topics for book chapters and over 50 scientific publications.

On this episode of Conversations for Health, Dr. Minich and I explore the possibilities of phytochemicals, chronobiotic agents, circadian nutrients, and food supplements. She highlights the importance of honoring circadian rhythms and whole-health healing with rainbows and rhythms. She offers a variety of tips for practitioners who want to encourage patients and clients to eat more seasonally, to slow down and honor circadian rhythms, and to customize their diet template based on an evening or morning chronotype to foster a better gut milieu and functionally, biochemically and physiologically better biomarkers of health.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Dr. Deanna Minich - https://deannaminich.com/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

01:40 Dr. Deanna Minich is lit up about light, seasons and our food supply.

03:18 Phytochemicals and nutrition captured Dr. Minich’s attention in grad school.

07:25 Definitions of circadian biology, chronobiology, and chrononutrition.

10:14 Timing supplements for optimal gut health.

13:34 Is the out-of-sync circadian rhythm to blame for our unhealthy population?

16:33 Practical tips for encouraging patients and clients to eat more seasonally.

25:12 Considerations of antinutrients and phytochemicals in gut health.

32:20 Strategies for timing food intake with ideal rhythms.

38:09 Customizing the template based on an evening or morning chronotype.

40:50 Tips for irregular shift workers and travel disruptions.

48:10 How can practitioners encourage patients to slow down and honor circadian rhythms?

51:08 Hormonal rhythms, month of birth and disease connection, and seasonal influxes in autoimmune disease.

54:10 Maximizing the benefits of fruit and vegetable intake.

59:55 Dr. Minich’s favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and her refined perspective on nutrition as art.

Dr.Andy Franklyn-Miller is a world-leading specialist in sport and exercise medicine and the Chief Medical Officer at Nuritas. He is a highly accomplished physician with expertise in physiology, clinical design, and science communication, has a Ph.D. in Biomechanics, and served in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines for 16 years. Dr. Franklyn-Miller has extensive experience in working with high-profile sports teams and elite performers, has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers, is an editor of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and has authored a textbook and an IOC Handbook. With his expertise in machine learning, clinical trials, and end-user analysis, he oversees several departments at Nuritas, including software engineering, data curation, data science, proteomics, lab, and regulatory departments. Together, Dr. Franklyn-Miller and I explore the science behind PeptiStrong, a groundbreaking peptide developed by Nuritas, and discuss its clinical applications and research. If you have patients who are concerned with muscle retention as they age, who aren’t recovering as quickly as they would like after exercise, or who are on GLP-1 medications and need to retain lean muscle mass, this conversation will be particularly engaging to you. Together, we cover the latest peptides data and studies and what it all means for healthcare practitioners.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Dr. Andy Franklyn-Miller - https://www.nuritas.com/team/dr-andy-franklyn-miller/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library, which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

02:28 Dr. Franklyn-Miller is feeling lit up by his current data analyses.

3:00 The ability to increase health in millions of people drew Dr. Franklyn-Miller to Nuritas.

4:02 What are peptides, and what are their function and benefits related to athletic performance?

7:33 Does PeptiStrong negatively impact those with a G6-PD deficiency?

8:52 Why don’t PeptiStrong peptides break down as amino acids?

11:33 Three human clinical studies and their results and mechanisms of action.

14:09 The importance and controversy of the mTOR 1 and 2 pathways.

17:19 Key findings about muscular energy from the second human study.

20:58 Factors that effectively inhibit pathways that lead to sarcopenia.

22:22 The third study examines the impact of PeptiStrong on both men and women.

24:59 The impact of PeptiStrong on reducing inflammation and the effect on TNF-Alpha and on ATP production.

28:12 Prioritizing creatine, HMB, and leucine benefits with peptides in a synergistic way.

30:27 Creating optimal impact of PeptiStrong on various patient outcomes.

33:04 Studies that will address muscle mass at each stage of a woman’s life.

38:52 Clinical guidelines for taking peptides to maximize effectiveness.

40:09 Observations from Dr. Franklyn-Miller’s personal experience with taking PeptiStrong.

43:36 Optimal designs for future clinical trials and the role of peptides in shaping the future of healthcare.

55:35 Dr. Franklyn-Miller’s personal favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and his evolved perspective on what food and medicine are really about.

Dr. Anthony Youn is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, anti-aging expert, and the award-winning author of The Age Fix, In Stitches, and Playing God. Known as ‘America’s Holistic Plastic Surgeon’, Dr. Youn is recognized as a leader in his field. He is the host of the public television special “The Age Fix”, and also hosts the podcast The Dr. Youn Show, He is the most followed plastic surgeon on social media with close to 15 million followers, and his new book Younger For Life is a bestseller and holistic guide to turning back the clock using the process of auto-juvenation. Dr. Youn is also the founder of The Youn beauty product line. Dr. Youn and I discuss the intersection of aesthetic medicine and wellness, nutrition for beauty, and his experience with business and social media. He shares supplement protocol recommendations to limit post-surgery complications, recommendations for nutrition integration in plastic surgery practices, and key lifestyle factors that affect accelerated skin aging. Dr. Youn also underscores the importance of helping patients avoid surgery and find self-acceptance in the face of aging.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Dr. Anthony Youn - https://www.dryoun.com/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

01:24 Dr. Youn lights up when he interacts with foster dogs.

4:04 The decision to become a plastic surgeon didn’t come immediately for Dr. Youn.

6:18 Growing a social media following required Dr. Youn to think outside the influencer box.

10:10 Creating high-quality, engaging content is a critical component of a successful social media platform.

13:31 The importance of authenticity for social media success.

15:22 Dr. Youn’s weekly schedule reflects his attempt at a healthy work-life balance.

20:15 Forming relationships is a critical component of whole-life success.

23:05 Dr. Youn’s trailblazing approach to combining nutrition with procedures.

29:05 Supplement protocol recommendations to limit post-surgery complications.

32:46 Recommendations for nutrition integration in plastic surgery practices.

35:20 Key lifestyle factors that affect accelerated skin aging.

38:10 Supplement recommendations to support collagen.

43:05 Additional key supplements to support healthy aging including Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and zinc.

45:08 Incorporating nutrition supplementation for each patient’s post-surgery protocol.

47:05 The hottest trends in aesthetics and plastic surgery and the ones Dr. Youn wishes would disappear.

51:50 The importance of avoiding surgery and finding self-acceptance in the face of aging.

55:35 Dr. Youn’s favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and his evolved opinion of chiropractors.

Stella Lizotte Talkie is an Experienced Functional Medicine Consultant and Certified Pregnancy Health Coach who supports women and families through trying to conceive, pregnancy, and the postpartum period. She has a Bachelor's degree in Food & Nutrition Science from Florida State University and works to help women optimize their nutrition, find solutions to health problems, prepare for birth, build their dream birth team, and achieve overall wellness in body, mind, and spirit. Together Stella and I discuss pregnancy complication prevention strategies including metabolomics and acid testing, addressing gaps in traditional OB care, and how functional medicine practitioners can step in to provide better support. We also discuss prenatal and other supplements to support women at each stage of pregnancy, as well as Stella’s unique experience of growing up with parents who started Designs for Health.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Stella Lizotte Talkie - https://www.stellarosewellness.com/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

01:44 Stella is feeling full of love and family as the new year begins.

2:22 Stella’s personal and professional path was shaped from childhood by parents who started Designs for Health.

05:15 The decision to work at Designs for Health wasn’t an obvious one for Stella.

06:26 As a certified pregnancy health coach, Stella once was terrified of pregnancy and birth.

09:40 Stella’s services as a pregnancy health coach aim to optimize women’s health.

11:43 Patterns of the findings from the Designs for Health metabolomics spotlight test.

15:40 Prenatal vitamins that Stella uses and recommends.

21:52 Probiotics timing and strains and considerations for preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.

26:04 Examples of supplements that have successfully addressed pregnancy insomnia and other sleep problems.

31:30 The optimal timeline for preparing for pregnancy for both men and women.

34:27 Addressing the gaps in traditional OB care and assembling a dream birth team.

38:02 Tools that aid in implementing the advice of a pregnancy health coach.

40:27 Postpartum care and support from a health coach.

46:07 Stella’s personal favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and the changing fad diets that she has changed her mind about in her childbearing years.

Jenna Hilton is a Certified Physician Assistant, specializing in Family, Internal Medicine, and Medical Aesthetics. She co-founded Vibrant EDU courses at Vibrant Skin Bar and regularly performs one-on-one training with fellow injectors. She teaches Aesthetic and Advanced Injectable Courses at the National Laser Institute, has been named Preceptor of the Year, and is an Adjunct Faculty Member at Midwestern University. In our conversation, Jenna and I discussed all things aesthetics, from detox and gut health to the importance of nutrient therapy in aesthetics. Jenna shares nutrients and supplements for treating acne, her systemic approach to patient healing, and the protein, nutrient deficiencies, and hormonal changes that affect aging patients. She also covers topical and stimulating treatments for hair loss patients, menopause-induced hormone imbalance changes that can be treated with bioidentical hormones, and the critical role of functional medicine in the constant evolution of the aesthetics industry.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Jenna Hilton - https://vibrantskinbar.com/meet-the-staff/jenna-hilton/

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

01:32 Detox and gut health conversations are lighting Jenna up in the new year.

1:56 Jenna’s skin health journey as a passionate PA began in college with a roommate's fatal rash.

5:02 The importance of nutrient therapy in aesthetics.

6:18 Nutrients and supplements for treating acne at different stages of a patient’s life.

9:21 Liposomal glutathione dosing for skin brightening and insights into melasma treatments and procedures.

14:00 Jenna’s systemic approach to patient healing.

16:12 The ‘skintelligent’ patient wants to age gracefully and focuses on gut and hormonal health in addition to outer aesthetics.

18:38 Protein, nutrient deficiencies, and hormonal changes that affect aging patients.

22:52 Lifestyle coaching in Jenna’s office is supported in-house.

24:54 Post-procedure nutrient standard protocol for biostimulation and hair loss patients.

27:49 Topical and stimulating treatments for hair loss patients.

29:13 Hormone imbalance changes that are common in perimenopause and menopause that can be treated with bioidentical hormones.

32:25 Jenna’s success story of pairing an aesthetic treatment with supplements for an incredible outcome.

33:51 The role of functional medicine in the constant evolution of the aesthetics industry.

35:50 Jenna’s personal favorite supplements, current health practices, and the gut health/skin link that she has changed her mind about.

Dr. David Brady is the Chief Medical Officer for Designs for Health, Inc. and Diagnostic Solutions Labs, LLC and an expert consultant for nutritional supplements and clinical laboratory industries. He has over 30 years of experience as an integrative practitioner and more than 25 years in health sciences academia. He is a licensed naturopathic medical physician in Connecticut and Vermont; he is board certified in functional medicine and clinical nutrition; and he is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He held the long-time position as Vice President for Health Sciences and Director of the Human Nutrition Institute at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, where he continues to serve as an Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences, and he maintains a private practice, Whole Body Medicine, in Fairfield, CT, USA.

Dr. Brady has returned to the podcast for a discussion about fibromyalgia and offers a variety of clinical pearls throughout our conversation. He highlights the differentiating features between fibro and pseudo-fibromyalgia, explains the evolution of our understanding of fibro diagnostic markers and subsequent treatments, and details the environmental triggers, predisposition and trauma that tend to lead to the onset of fibromyalgia. He also offers potential solutions that utilize supplements for mitochondrial support and deficiencies and offers an update on long COVID and increased autoimmunity in the population at large.

I’m your host, Evelyne Lambrecht, thank you for designing a well world with us.

Episode Resources:

Dr. David Brady - https://dss.designsforhealth.com/blogs/faculty-member/david-m-brady

Design for Health Resources:

Designs for Health - https://www.designsforhealth.com/

Designs for Health Practitioner Exclusive Drug Nutrient Depletion and Interaction Checker - https://www.designsforhealth.com/drug-nutrient-interaction/

Visit the Designs for Health Research and Education Library which houses medical journals, protocols, webinars, and our blog.

https://www.designsforhealth.com/research-and-education/education

The Designs for Health Podcast is produced in partnership with Podfly Productions.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro.

01:50 Dr. Brady is looking forward to the future of Designs for Health.

3:00 A definition of fibromyalgia and the parts of the body that are widely affected by it.

7:33 Differentiating features between fibro and pseudo-fibromyalgia.

9:32 The evolution of our understanding of fibro diagnostic markers and subsequent treatments.

15:25 Common nervous system set up that leads to fibromyalgia later in life.

18:25 Findings and actions resulting from cytokine testing, heightened neural inflammation, and glial cell activation.

23:00 Updates on the link between fibromyalgia and long-haul COVID 19.

26:14 The use of 5-HTP in regulating limbic system dysfunction, neurotransmitters and heightened pain receptors.

31:55 Utilizing botanicals in calming adaptogens and those that are not stimulating.

33:05 5-HTP use for those with SNPs in MAO-A or -B for brain retraining in calming and relaxation.

36:36 Fibromyalgia pain is presented in constant and regular symptomatology.

38:45 Environmental triggers that bring on fibromyalgia, in addition to the intersection of predisposition and trauma.

44:06 Gender and hormonal differences in the onset and presentation of fibromyalgia.

45:50 Potential solutions that utilize supplements for mitochondrial support and deficiencies.

51:56 Managing inflammatory and joint pain in fibromyalgia.

54:42 Dietary patterns and food sensitivities that are common in patients with fibromyalgia.

56:48 Peptide therapy options for patients with fibromyalgia.

59:29 An update on long Covid and increased autoimmunity in the population at large.

1:02:48 Dr. Brady’s latest intrigue supplements, current health practices, and the need to be right all of the time that he has changed his mind about.