The Health Bridge

We are moving all episodes of The Health Bridge to the Urban Monk! If you're a fan of Pedram Shojai, you might already know he has another podcast titled The Urban Monk! If you're already subscribed to both shows, you don't have to do anything. But if you aren't subscribed to The Urban Monk, just search for the show in iTunes! It will be the same Health Bridge show, still released on Mondays, but with the added bonus of Urban Monk episodes on Thursdays! We were having trouble trying to separate Pedram across two separate shows and decided to focus on just one feed so that we can just bring you the best content without trying to split it up across two feeds. Just search "The Urban Monk" in iTunes!

You may have heard that a big part being in shape is the role of genetics. It might be easy enough for Chris Evans to be in shape, he's born with those good genes. For the rest of us, are we just stuck fighting our genetics to get that flat belly? Today's guest, Dr. Sharon Moalem, suggests that there's a way to work WITH our DNA even if we weren't born to get the biceps of Captain America. How can we get in touch with our genetics? How do we know what kind of genes we might have? Once we know what actions will help us work with our genes? What effects can result if we follow Dr. Moalem's model? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

We have heard of people having all sorts of various out-of-body experiences when having near-death experiences. Today Pedram welcomes a guest to The Health Bridge who has had an experience of his own, but is also a doctor with over thirty years of experience as a cardio anesthesiologist. How did his experience of leaving his body change him? What did he experience and see when his consciousness left his body? How did his background in the medical field frame his understanding of what his consciousness went through? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Anyone with kids knows how hard it can be to get them to eat fruits and vegetables. It's an even harder battle when you have to fight the advertisements they may see for less nutritional choices. Today's guest on The Health Bridge is an assistant professor of Consumer Sciences at Ohio State University who has done a lot of research into food advertisements and how they affect children. Dr. Drew Hanks is a behavioral economist whose primary interests are in consumer food choices and the economic and psychological factors that influence these decisions. What role does advertisement play in the food choices we make? How does the branding we see in grocery stores affect what we eat at home? How does the food industry influence what food is available to children in their school lunch rooms? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Today's guest on The Health Bridge is a man focused on solutions. Dr. Andrew Lustig volunteers his time, energy, and knowledge to people in need all over the globe. He is the founder and president of Global Outreach Doctors which gathers a team of dedicated medical professionals who volunteer their time and expertise. The difference though with Global Outreach Doctors is that they provide both western and eastern medical practitioners. Not only are there doctors, nurses, and paramedics, but also naturopaths, homeopaths, acupuncturists, and even psychologists. What does it mean to people to provide health services beyond the general medical care? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

With the rise of social media and all of its forms, between Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Snapchat, it's hard to determine a post that seems like genuine sharing and one that is posted just to try to get as much attention as possible. How do we determine what is narcissistic behavior? To help Pedram with this issue, today's guest is a clinical psychologist and instructor of Psychology for Harvard Medical School, Dr. Craig Malkin. He has written articles providing advice and insight on relationships for publications such as Psychology Today, Time, Women's Health, Men's Health, and the Huffington Post. What makes a person a narcissist? Is narcissism more prevalent nowadays with the daily use of social media? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

For the past several years in health care, it seems like the "gut" has been on everyone's mind. Pedram has talked at length with various guests about the gut and its processes on this program, but in this episode, he welcomes Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine at UCLA, to discuss how the gut isn't just a self-contained system doing its thing automatically. No, Dr. Mayer joins the program to discuss how the mind and its processes can also affect the gut. Dr. Mayer has been the go-to researcher on brain-gut interations for nearly 25 years. What is the mind-gut connection? What role does the mind play in gut health? In what ways can we improve mental and physical health when focusing on the mind-gut connection?

For the past several years in health care, it seems like the "gut" has been on everyone's mind. Pedram has talked at length with various guests about the gut and its processes on this program, but in this episode, he welcomes Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine at UCLA, to discuss how the gut isn't just a self-contained system doing its thing automatically. No, Dr. Mayer joins the program to discuss how the mind and its processes can also affect the gut. Dr. Mayer has been the go-to...

Many of us who have struggled with our weight surely have tried a good variety of methods to reach our weight goals. There's the obvious "eat less, exercise more" that we start with before moving on to any variety of dieting plans. But what if there was a way to optimize our own hormones to help with the weight loss? Well today Pedram welcomes to the program Dr. Warren Willey. He's a board-certified osteopathic physician and the medical director of a hormone management and medical weight loss center. He believes the simple "eat less, exercise more" method doesn't cut it and weight loss is more about what you eat, how you eat, and when you eat. It's also a matter of using food to adjust and control your hormones. Why doesn't eating less and exercising more work for everyone? How can food be used to optimize our hormones? What hormones can even be regulated? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Did you know that 70% of your immune system is located in your gut? So if your digestive system is off, it could possibly lead to some other serious health problems such as chronic inflammation, allergies, autoimmune disease, eczema, psoriasis, diabetes, and even arthritis. What does it mean to have an off system? What is leaky gut? Today's guest is an expert on diagnosing, treating, and preventing leaky gut. Dr. Josh Axe is a doctor of natural medicine and clinical nutritionist who specializes in teaching people how to use food as medicine. Leaky gut is a relatively new term, is it actually a new phenomenon or are we only recently beginning to understand the digestive system better? What is the cause of leaky gut? What are the symptoms and how common is it? Josh also talks about the importance of having a good relationship to dirt, but why? What will that do for our general health? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Depression affects 14.8 million American adults and women experience it at twice the rate of men. According to the World Health Organization it is the leading cause of disability worldwide, but the National Institute of Health reports that 80% of those treated for depression show an improvement generally between 4 to 6 weeks. Today's guest joins the program to discuss another possible way to help lessen depression. Dr. Kelly Brogan, a holistic women's health psychiatrist, helps treat depression by not just focusing on the mind, but the whole body. For starters, what is the clinical definition of depression? What are the truths and misconceptions of depression? How does depression manifest itself in people? Dr. Brogan discusses the use of antidepressants and how she doesn't always think they're the best treatment. How do they work? What are the pros and cons of taking antidepressants? And what is the actual biology behind depression? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death with an estimated 600,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone. That means every 60 seconds someone in the U.S. dies from heart disease. To talk about these staggering numbers, Pedram Shojai welcomes Dr. Joel Fuhrman to The Health Bridge. Dr. Fuhrman is here to discuss the ways in which heart disease can actually be reversed and how it is not just a natural consequence of aging. Dr. Fuhrman is a board-certified family physician, a New York Times best-selling author, and an internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing. What are ways to reverse heart disease? What are ways to prevent it in the first place? What role does food and diet play in affecting our chances of getting heart disease? In what ways has modern science and healthcare taken a handle on treating heart disease?

The human body's largest organ, our skin, covers an area of about 20 square feet and weighs about 8 pounds on its own. It protects us from the elements, from microbes, helps control body temperature and transmits the sensations of touch and temperature. It's also the first thing most people see of us. It also plays a significant role in how we see ourselves. This week Pedram Shojai welcomes Dr. Anthony Youn. He's the rare plastic surgeon who strongly believes in doing everything he possibly can to keep people OUT of the operating room. He's spent the last 16 years researching the secrets of dermatologists, dietitians, plastic surgeons, and makeup artists and put it all in a new book, The Age Fix. He's here to discuss why skin care is so important and how much of a difference it can make. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

You might know someone with an allergy if you don't suffer from one yourself. It's estimated that 30 percent of adults suffer from an allergy ranging from asthma to hay fever to eczema and food allergies. What's more alarming however is research that is revealing the rise of hidden allergies, that is, allergies that lead to weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, depression, ADHD and much more. To talk about the latest research in allergies, Pedram Shojai welcomes guest Dr. Leo Galland to The Health Bridge. He's a board-certified internist and leader in integrated medicine. He's here to help Pedram understand what allergies even are. Why do people have them while others don't? What causes them? What are symptoms of allergies? How do we treat them? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

It takes a lot of courage to admit to an addiction. But sometimes we can overlook the idea of being addicted to food. Some of us might just think we're chronic overeaters before we admit to ourselves that we're just plain addicted. For some it might just be a case of overeating from time to time, but for other people it's a serious addiction that needs to be controlled. Today Pedram Shojai welcomes Susan Peirce Thompson back to The Health Bridge. She's the founder and CEO of Bright Line Eating Solutions, a company offering a road map to success for those ready to take a hard look at their relationship to food in order to drop weight and keep it off for good. Susan herself has had struggles with her own weight and body image in addition to being addicted to much more than food. Are some people cursed with an addictive personality? Are all foods addictive? What makes foods addictive? Are they similar to drugs in that way? How does one approach treating food addiction?

This week on the Health Bridge, Pedram turns the focus on a huge mystery some of us may have to deal with on a daily basis: What exactly is going on in a teenager's brain? To help us decipher this mystery, Pedram welcomes Dr. Frances Jensen, a world renowned neurologist. She is a professor and chair of the neurology department at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She also has a new book out aptly titled "The Teenage Brain: A Neurologist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents & Young Adults" which made the New York Times' bestseller list. What is it about teenagers that requires a survival guide? How is the teenage brain different from ones younger and older? Previously, very little research was dedicated to the brains of teenagers. Why is that? What do we now know thanks to the research of Dr. Jensen? Why do parents and adults perceive the teenage brain as being irrational? Is there any overall advice that can be given to a teenager and to the adults responsible for steering them towards adulthood? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Here on The Health Bridge we've discussed how health care and the right things to do to be in better health can vary wildly from person to person. So while we on the show do our best to provide information that can help a large number, it's hard to say that something is right for every listener of the show. Well that's where this week's guest comes in to help. Pedram welcomes Matt Reimann of PH360 to the program to discuss software he's developed that can help determine the right healthcare plan for YOU. How does this program work? How detailed can a computer program be? What role will programs like these play in giving a doctor a complete look at your health? And how will so much information help in the action we take for ourselves? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Chances are if you follow our podcast, you know the importance of nutrition, but what can easily be overlooked is the importance enzymes play in our digestion and absorption of nutrients. Today Pedram Shojai welcomes Wade Lightheart to The Health Bridge to talk about enzymes helped rebuild his body from the inside out. He's a 3-time All Natural National Bodybuilding Champion, advisor to the American Anti-Cancer Institute, and director of Education at BiOptimizers. He has also authored a best-selling book, "Staying Alive in a Toxic World." Wade combines the principles of high performance training and nutrition, eastern philosophy, and cutting edge scientific technology to help people achieve optimal levels of performance, health, and vitality. For more on Wade Lightheart's Enzyme program, visit http://well.org/enzymes Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Health insurance is now mandated by federal law. We all have to have it. But what are all the options out there? Are we all forced into high-cost plans with little actual benefits? What alternatives are out there? Well this week on The Health Bridge Pedram Shojai welcomes guest Tom Blue to talk about Medical Cost Sharing. Tom is the program director for Liberty Direct, which is leading the launch of a new program offering health conscious people freedom from the burden of high cost healthcare. To start, why is healthcare so expensive to begin with? And what is Medical Cost Sharing and how is it an alternative to expensive healthcare? What does it offer and how does it compare to traditional health coverage? From Tom's perspective, what does the future hold for medical healthcare insurance in the U.S.? For more on the Liberty Direct program, visit http://well.org/liberty Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

What is the relationship between intimacy and connection between couples and that relationship in regards to God? What role does the spiritual play in a relationship? To help explore relationships on this unique level is Dr. Anna Cabeca. She's a gynecologist and obstetrician and board-certified in anti-aging and regenerative medicine. When dealing with health on such clinical terms, how does she feel about exploring spirituality with her patients? Back on a more human level, what sorts of issues does she see in relationships? Are there things men are doing wrong? Are there things women doing wrong? Or is it a combination? Is the issue agnostic against genders? Is there some sort of bio-chemical cause that can create rifts in a relationship? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/ Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast Connect with us: http://well.org/ Facebook - http://well.org/facebook Twitter - http://well.org/twitter Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel