Culinary Medicine Recipe | Food as Medicine & Physician-Led Health Conversations

Are you suffering from hormonal imbalance and would you even know if you were? From diabetes and weight gain to infertility and moodiness, hormonal imbalance can cause many health problems for both men and women. In this episode, Dr. Kyrin Dunston MD, a board certified Obgyn and Functional Medicine practitioner, discusses the various hormones in our body and why diet can play an important role in hormonal balance. She shares her own personal and professional journey to achieving better health outcomes and offers diet tips to balance hormones.

In this episode you’ll hear:

2:00 – Dr. Dunston’s personal and professional journey to becoming a functional medicine practitioner; from being overweight, anxious, depressed and suffering from chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia to discovering functional medicine and regaining her vitality.
10:30 – Difference between functional medicine and mainstream medicine
12:30 – Functional medicine and the cause of health problems: hormone imbalance, toxicity, nutritional deficiency, energetic imbalance
14:30 – Are most functional medicine practitioners MD’s?
15:00 - What to do when you’re not feeling right
16:45 - Symptoms of sex hormone imbalance in all ages
19:45 – Perimenopause, menopause and different types of hormone replacement therapy (synthetic hormone replacement, bioidentical hormones)
23:00 - Dr. Dunston’s position on bioidentical hormones
26:10 – At what age should a woman check her sex hormone levels?
30:40 – Types of hormones and can we address hormonal imbalance with diet?
34:20 - Blood sugar roller coaster – are you hangry?
38:00 – How should we eat?
43:00 – The problem with standard diets today
50:45 – Dr. Dunston’s top food picks
56:00 - Greenwashing

Think back to biology 101 when you learned that mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. These mitochondria need nutrients to function properly or else chronic disease can result, according Dr. Mel Litman MD, a family physician whose practice follows the principles of orthomolecular medicine. Unfortunately, our diets today are low in critical nutrients plus we are being bombarded with toxins that disrupt our system even more. In this episode, Dr. Litman explains the connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and chronic disease, and the importance of choosing clean and nutrient dense foods that help us “get the good stuff in and the bad stuff out”.

In this episode you’ll hear:
2:40 - What is orthomolecular/nutritional medicine?
4:40 - Is orthomolecular medicine the same as functional medicine?
5:30 - Why is nutrition so important?
6:00 - “Hope is an indispensable ally of the physician and an absolute right of the patient.”
8:40 - Dr. Litman’s professional journey
14:00 - What are mitochondria?
17:15 - What happens if mitochondria don’t function properly? (e.g. neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, auto-immune diseases, psychiatric problems)
19:30 - Testing
20:30 - Nutrient deficiencies and toxins
21:45 - What is toxic to the mitochondria? (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, certain medication)
23:10 - How Dr. Litman gets the health picture of his patients
26:15 - Can we get the recommended nutrients from diet alone?
27:00 - Depletion of nutrients in food supply
28:00 - The role of supplements
31:20 - Science-based evidence
31:50 - How to find good quality supplements
34:40 - Dr. Litman’s success rate
36:10 - Is medical school teaching this area?
37:00 - Cancer and mitochondrial damage

In part 2 of our interview with Integrative Psychiatrist Dr. Linda Plowright, we continue the conversation about the role of diet in creating healthy brain cells. Dr. Plowright discusses the importance of certain vitamins and minerals, whether a good diet can increase the efficacy of certain medication, and practical tips for meal preparation.

Can your diet affect your mental health? In part 1 of a 2 part interview, Integrative Psychiatrist Dr. Linda Plowright, MD discusses how nutrition plays a role in the treatment of mental illness. Dr. Plowright shares scientific research on the connection between inflammation and psychiatric illness and provides practical examples of pro and anti-inflammatory foods. Great science-based information for people both in and outside of the healthcare profession.

What should you do if you have a dental problem during the COVID pandemic? In this episode, Dr. Y. Lenga, DDS, MSC, FRCDC, DIP discusses what people can do if an emergency or non-emergency dental problem arises. He discusses infection prevention from his perspective as a dentist and provides food tips to reduce oral inflammation.

What can you do to strengthen your immune system? At the time of the recording of this podcast, there is an outbreak of the coronavirus called COVID-19. In this episode of Doctors+, Dr. Esther Konigsberg, MD CCFP, discusses integrative strategies to boost the immune system. You’ll learn about foods and vitamins that can boost the immune system, and what to avoid if you have COVID-19.

In this podcast you’ll hear:
2:35 - Can a strong immune system prevent someone from getting COVID-19?
4:30 - Prevention strategies
5:30 - Can the severity of symptoms be lessened with a strong immune system?
6:40 - Viral load
7:20 - Boosting the immune system with sleep, stress management, exercise
12:00 - Boosting immunity and reducing inflammation with diet
16:30 - Vitamin C and other natural health products to boost immune system
19:00 - Cautions on what natural health products to avoid during symptoms of infection or if test positive for COVID-19. *NOTE*: FOR UPDATED DISCUSSION ON VITAMIN D, LISTEN TO EPISODE 13 OF DOCTORS+, "COVID RECOVERY: WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK", WHERE DR. KONIGSBERG PROVIDES NEW INFORMATION ABOUT TAKING VITAMIN D WITH COVID SYMPTOMS.
23:00 - Supplements that can boost immune system, continued.
25:00 – Importance of consulting a qualified healthcare practitioner
26:30 – Frozen v. canned food
28:00 – Safe grocery shopping
31:15 - Healthy snack ideas for kids
32:00 – Dispelling COVID myths

The connection between the gut and the brain is fascinating! In this episode, Dr. Simran Rattan, MD, an integrative medicine physician, integrative health coach, meditation coach and tai chi instructor, explains the gut-brain axis and how inflammation, mental health and chronic disease fit in. You’ll learn about leaky gut, our microbiome and what causes gut imbalance. Plus, discover what foods can help restore gut balance, including a discussion about prebiotics, probiotics and fermented foods.

In this podcast you’ll hear:
5:45 - Gut-brain Axis: a 2 way street
8:15 – Microbiome and leaky gut
10:15 - Gluten sensitivity and leaky gut
11:15 -The connection between gut imbalance and eczema
12:47 -Signs of leaky gut (bloating, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, mood changes, abdominal pain)
13:20 – Stomach aches & migraines in children
17:00 – Mind-body therapy
17:35 - What causes gut imbalance?
19:00 -Relationship between gut health, nutrition and mental health
19:20 -Whole foods
19:40 -Anti-inflammatory foods & Mediterranean diet
22:50 –Fermented foods, prebiotics & probiotics
27:55 –Mental health and mind-body therapy

What can you do to prevent foodborne illness? How long does food poisoning last? In this episode of Doctors+, Dr. Ashley Salomon, M.D., discusses what foodborne illness is and how to avoid it both at home and while travelling.

What are heavy metals and why are they in our food? In this episode Dr. Ashley Salomon, MD, provides examples of toxic heavy metals, the big food offenders, and the symptoms and illnesses associated with heavy metal exposure. You’ll learn what foods can protect us plus hear about some great alternatives to foods that are high in heavy metals. Brown or white rice? How should you rinse rice? If you’re a fan of sushi, seafood, rice and/or wine, you’ll want to listen to this one!

In this podcast you’ll hear:

1:00 - Dr. Salomon’s educational and professional background
3:25 - What is functional medicine
10:20 - Examples of heavy metals
12:00 - Symptoms and illnesses associated with heavy metal exposure
16:37 - Arsenic in rice; brown rice v. white rice
17:40 - Recommendation for soaking rice
18:45 - Mercury in fish; fish with higher metal levels v. lower metal levels
20:20 - Who should avoid foods with heavy metals
22:50 - Alternatives to foods with high heavy metal levels
24:00 - Water and water filtration
26:00 - Protective foods
29:00 - Pesticides and heavy metals
30:45 - Wine
31:40 - Heavy metals in medicinal herbs & supplements
34:00 - More on wine and heavy metals
37:30 - Testing for heavy metals

This is Part II of AFN’s interview with Dr. Esther Konigsberg, MD CCFP, where she discusses the role of food and nutrition in integrative medicine versus western medicine. While food and nutrition are often discussed in the context of maintaining general good health, what about food as medicine? Do students in medical school learn about nutrition? Diet changes to help with pain, inflammation and digestive problems are just a few of the topics discussed in this podcast. In this podcast you’ll hear:
1:50 – The large role of food and nutrition in integrative medicine
3:20 – Inflammation and diet
5:30 – Gluten-free diet
6:55 – Is diet and nutrition being taught in medical school?
11:50 - Dr. Konigsberg’s recommendations for educating current and future MD’s about nutrition
16:05 – Listen to your body
17:50 – The misinformation about soy
20:13 - Nutrition in the media