💬“The mistake people make is thinking the route to mental health is in self deprivation - in discipline - and I think that is probably misguided.” -Camilla Nord

⚡️ Camilla Nord is an award-winning neuroscientist, leads the Mental Health Neuroscience programme of research at the University of Cambridge, and is the author of The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health.

⚡️ In this episode Camilla and I discuss what’s happening in your brain when you experience issues like depression and anxiety, as well as actionable strategies on how you can improve your mental wellbeing - whether you’re currently suffering or not.

🎧 Stay tuned to find out:

➡︎Why we need to get better at interoception - understanding our internal bodily signals

➡︎Why some people are more likely to suffer mental health problems

➡︎The truth about serotonin and dopamine

➡︎How closely linked mental health is to gut health

➡︎Why classic mental health advice sometimes backfires

📕 Chapters

(2:08) Interoception

(4:55) Your brain when depressed

(8:51) How perception affects experience

(16:11) Negative vs positive self-talk

(20:09) Genetics vs experiences: which causes depression?

(21:32) Why treatment is lacking

(26:08) We need to stop blaming neurotransmitters

(29:40) Brain stimulation

(33:44) Link between gut health and mental health

(38:55) How to improve your mental wellbeing

(47:31) Why neuroscience is important

📱 Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

🔥 For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

🎙️ An OG Podcasts production.

“We have, because of the nature of our information landscape now, essentially zero capacity to hold any accountability to sources of misinformation. So it's a really terrible time to be an evidence-based healthcare professional.” -Dr Alan Flanagan

Dr Alan Flanagan is a major myth buster in the nutrition space, holding an MSc and PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey.

In this episode Alan and I debunk common nutrition advice you might be following, and explain the dangerous real life impact online influencers and “gurus” are having on your health.

Stay tuned to find out:

Chapters

(2:12) Real life consequences of misinformation

(8:00) Why people look to online “gurus”

(13:17) Personalised nutrition con

(20:36) Continuous glucose monitors

(26:59) Seed oils are healthy!

(32:50) Artificial sweeteners

(39:49) Cancer misinformation

(45:18) Does the time you eat matter?

(49:22) Microbiome research

(54:21) How to spot a charlatan online

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.

“The human body is made for pleasure. Every bit of your body can give you an intense amount of pleasure. It just depends on how you treat it” -Seema Anand

Seema Anand is an expert in sexual health and pleasure and an authority on the ancient Indian text the Kama Sutra.

In this episode Seema and I break the taboo around sex and she explains how people can find a deeper sense of pleasure and sexual satisfaction in their relationships.

Stay tuned to find out:

Chapters

(2:03) Religion and sex

(4:51) Truths about the Kama Sutra

(12:09) The orgasm gap

(16:19) Increase your pleasure diet

(26:00) How men can pleasure their partners

(33:55) How to increase libido

(36:28) Tackling shame in relationships

(38:36) Bedroom red flags

(42:10) “No fap” and other myths

(46:02) Why we’re having less sex

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.

“The vegans hate the carnivores. The carnivores hate the keto people. And a lot of these folks are in a battle for a non-existent entity, and that entity is the crowned king of ‘this is the best diet for everyone’.” -Dr Mike Israetel

Dr Mike Israetel is an exercise scientist, bodybuilder, YouTuber and founder of Renaissance Periodization. He’s known for his no-nonsense, science backed approach to fitness and diet.

In this episode, I ask Mike just how often and how hard you have to workout for health, and whether there really is one diet that is best for everyone.

Stay tuned to find out:

Chapters

(2:00) How little can you workout?

(10:19) Calories in, calories out

(18:57) Which diet tribe is right about health?

(26:25) Are artificial sweeteners bad for you?

(34:46) Why diet is so individualised

(40:35) The benefits of creatine

(47:47) Nutrient timing and protein absorption

(55:26) Dr Mike’s 4 tenants for success

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.

“If you enjoy coffee, just go and enjoy coffee, and the data in general suggests that actually caffeine or coffee consumption overall is very beneficial for a number of health outcomes.” -Dr Bryan Saunders

Dr Bryan Saunders is a researcher at the University of São Paulo, who specialises in the study of caffeine, and in particular its effects on exercise performance. He’s co-authored multiple studies on the topic and sheds light on many of the myths that are perpetuated online.

In this episode, I ask Bryan how caffeine is affecting our bodies, everything from the mechanisms behind its ergogenic effects to the truth behind habitual coffee consumption.

Stay tuned to find out:

Chapters

(1:56) Morning coffee effects and your adenosine system

(8:27) Does caffeine affect habitual coffee drinkers?

(10:58) Placebo effect of morning cuppa

(14:29) Non-caffeine benefits of coffee

(15:40) Boosting exercise performance

(21:57) The dose you need

(24:10) Ideal time to consume caffeine

(25:38) Negative effects of overconsumption

(30:13) Feeling more TIRED after caffeine?

(34:23) Do you need a caffeine fast?

(37:45) Half-life of caffeine and sleep impacts

(43:34) Long-term physiological effects of caffeine

(45:33) Differences between coffee beans

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.

“A lot of women's health stuff - there's no easy diagnosis. So very, very often women's health things end up getting put into, you have fibromyalgia, you're a hypochondriac, or something like irritable bowel syndrome.” -Dr Karen Tang

Dr Karen Tang is a gynaecologist who specialises in the treatment of pelvic pain, endometriosis and fibroids. She also does a great service educating the public on social media, raising awareness of women’s health issues.

In this episode, I ask Karen how people can figure out what’s causing their pelvic pain, what surprising habits may be causing problems, how patients can better advocate for themselves, and how she’d reimagine sex ed.

Stay tuned to find out:

Chapters

(1:24) Stabbing butthole pain

(4:36) Endometriosis - more than a pelvic condition

(6:43) Endo vs IBS

(8:45) How much pain is too much?

(10:38) The link between gynaecological conditions

(13:20) Being proactive about your health

(16:14) How to advocate for yourself at the doctor’s

(21:56) Actionable tips for perimenopause/menopause

(26:04) How to take care of your pelvic floor health

(31:36) What the uterus actually looks like

(34:49) Reimagining sex sed

(36:53) Teaching children about sexual health

(38:26) The plague of misinformation

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook
An OG Podcasts production.

“Like most other herbal medicines, CBD is understudied, unregulated, and often wrongly vilified.” -Dr Jeff Chen

Dr Jeff Chen is co-founder of Radicle Science and is doing tons of research advancing our understanding of CBD and other herbal remedies.

In this episode, I ask Jeff about the new science of CBD - both its potential health benefits and challenges. We also explore the promising trials into another cannabis compound - CBN.

Stay tuned to find out:

Chapters

(1:54) What is CBD?

(3:27) Why herbal remedies are dismissed

(8:59) Crowd-sorucing data on CBD and CBN

(14:13) Avoiding bias and determining placebo

(19:46) Science of the endocannabinoid system

(25:11) Safety of OTC CBD supplements

(29:30) Optimal delivery route of CBD

(33:21) Best cases for CBD in clinical settings

(36:46) Choosing the right product - an unregulated market

(48:07) Benefits of lion’s mane mushrooms

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.

“Ozempic has changed the conversation around obesity. Unfortunately a lot of people are misusing the medication.” -Dr Andres Acosta

Dr Andres Acosta is an obesity expert at the Mayo Clinic, and regularly helps patients achieve double digit weight loss thanks to semaglutide, often branded as Ozempic or Wegovy. But as healthy people look to it for a quick fix, he raises a red flag about the drug.

In this episode I ask Andres how Ozempic works, what are its side-effects, and who should actually be taking it. Plus what else works for treating obesity.

Stay tuned to find out:

Chapters

(1:55) Misusing Ozempic

(4:35) Ozempic for longevity and health

(7:49) Diet and exercise vs Ozempic + risks

(10:55) Do you need to take Ozempic forever?

(14:24) Link between the gut and obesity

(19:16) Why obesity is rising

(25:43) Weight loss vs fat loss vs health

(25:36) Cutting edge therapies for obesity

(40:19) A cure for obesity?

(43:12) The problem with BMI

(47:21) Why “fat” doesn’t equal “lazy”

(49:51) The body positivity movement

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.

“Women’s pain and women’s suffering has just been ignored” -Dr Jen Gunter

Dr Jen Gunter is an OB/GYN, known for busting myths about women’s health online. She’s the author of Blood, The Menstruation Manifesto and The Vagina Bible.

In this episode I ask Jen for the truth behind the biggest period myths, from cycle syncing, to menstrual cycles, to the effects of food and why period blood is considered dirty. We also discuss PMS, endometriosis, birth control and more.

Stay tuned to find out:

Highlights

(1:31) The taboos of menstruation

(3:15) Period myths

(5:36) Why the lack of medical research and awareness?

(10:20) The truth about cycle syncing

(12:21) Can certain foods stop periods?

(21:53) How to manage PMS symptoms

(28:47) How women’s pain has been ignored

(37:10) Endometriosis

(40:32) The truth about the birth control pill

(48:07) Toxic tampons and forever chemicals

(52:24) Probiotics for the vagina

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.

“The last 55 years of banning psychedelics is the worst censorship of research in the history of the world.” -Professor David Nutt

Professor David Nutt is THE go-to expert on psychedelics. His charity Drug Science is on a mission to break the stigma around hallucinogenic drugs, and inform the public on the real science behind their effects.

In this episode I ask David how drugs like magic mushrooms, MDMA, cannabis and Ketamine are able to treat brain disorders, like depression, so effectively - and why we’ve been led to fear these drugs.

Stay tuned to find out:

Highlights

(1:41) 50 years of censorship

(7:12) Emerging research

(10:24) Safety of psychedelics

(12:47) The stoned ape theory

(19:12) How psychedelics treat depression

(22:48) When will they be legal?

(25:38) Physiological changes in the brain during use

(29:54) Psychedelics versus conventional methods

(32:47) Recreational use

(35:47) Microdosing

(39:06) Enduring benefits of psychedelics

(42:26) Misinformation

(44:05) Treating addiction

(47:13) Future legalisation

Connect with me:

TikTok: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan

Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr

For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book “This Book May Save Your Life”: https://geni.us/DrKaranBook

An OG Podcasts production.