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.