Dr. M's Women and Children First Podcast

This week I sit down with Dr. Elisa Song to discuss her new book, Healthy Kids, Happy Kids. Dr. Song is a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in political Science. She then attended New York University for her medical degree and finally a stop at the University of California San Francisco for pediatric residency training. In her own words, Dr. Song is a holistic pediatrician. She founded Whole Family Wellness, an integrative pediatric practice in Belmont, CA – one of the first and most highly regarded holistic pediatric practices in the country. She created Healthy Kids Happy Kids – dedicated to empowering parents to take charge of their kids’ health … naturally! She lectures around the world for the Center for Education and Development in Clinical Homeopathy (CEDH), Academy for Pain Research, Institute for Functional Medicine, and Holistic Pediatric Association, A4M among others. In this interview we look at health through a prevention first lens with a deep look at the intestinal microbiome and nutrition. Dr. Song's immense fund of knowledge is on full display in her book and this interview.

Please enjoy my conversation with Dr. Elisa Song,

Dr. M

Sleep Part IV

Continuing the sleep education from a few weeks ago.

Sleep is a most special event that we all need to continue to focus heavily on in order to live a healthy and long life. It may be the single most important event that we do daily.

Here are a few more quick hits on sleep from the Matthew Walker's Book and other publications.

1) Aim for a minimum of 7 hours nightly to maintain adequate memory consolidation, immune health and emotional regulation. Young children and teens need 8-14 hours depending on age.

2) Do not eat close to bedtime. Stop eating three hours before you plan to go to sleep. Avoid rapidly digesting refined carbohydrates as they turn into energy quickly raising core temperature which makes it harder to fall asleep as we need our body temperature to drop 3 to 4 degrees F at night to fall asleep. Heavy protein meals at night are not a great idea. Eat the heavier proteins early (before 6 pm) if at all in the evening....plus a section on summer Covid surge.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Sleep Part III

Finally, the other elephant in the room related to sleep is STRESS. Stress alters the function of the hormone cortisol and can significantly alter night sleep function. There are three major chemicals that affect sleep: cortisol, adenosine and melatonin.

In normal conditions, adenosine rises during the day making you sleepy, cortisol hits its low point at night and melatonin rises as the sun goes down. This combination puts pressure on you to feel sleepy and want to go to bed. Unfortunately, modern life has made many of us feel stressed and sympathetically fired up which affects cortisol function. Instead of being at its nadir at night, the stress response causes cortisol to rise at inappropriate times disrupting sleep onset and maintenance. Couple this stress with facebook addiction and screen induced melatonin suppression and you have a recipe for insomnia and disrupted sleep. (Hanson et. al. 2010)....Plus, a section on cellphones and driver knowledge.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

This weeks guest is Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe.

Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe is a researcher and a thinker with persistence. Throughout history, these are the human qualities that lead people to develop amazing products and lead projects for the world to benefit from. Her story is one of discovery, passion and caring.

Dr. Cutcliffe holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Biochemistry from Wellesley College. Her scientific background is complemented by her experience in managing both research and operations teams in the biotech sector. Before founding Pendulum Therapeutics, she held senior positions at Pacific Biosciences and Elan Pharmaceuticals, where she was instrumental in developing various technological platforms. She is the co-founder and CEO of Pendulum Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative solutions to improve gut health through microbiome-based interventions. With over 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, Dr. Cutcliffe has become a recognized leader in microbiome science, applying her expertise to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical, consumer-facing health solutions. At Pendulum Therapeutics, Dr. Cutcliffe has led the development of novel probiotic formulations specifically designed to address metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Her work has been pivotal in the growing recognition of the microbiome's role in human health, pushing forward the concept of targeted probiotics as a potential therapeutic option. Under her leadership, Pendulum Therapeutics has gained recognition for its scientific rigor and innovative approaches to personalized nutrition.

Today, we discuss the story of her discovery and the fact that her work is the beginning of a hopeful wave of change for humans through gut microbiome manipulation. Dr. Cutcliffe helps us understand the basics of the microbiome, what helps it stay balanced and conversely, what upsets it. How does it support our metabolism and health in general. The main thrust of her work comes into the spotlight with Akkermansia mucinophilia, a keystone species for positive health.

Please Enjoy my conversation with Dr. Cutcliffe,

Dr. M

Epigenetics and Pregnancy

Epigenetics is the study of environmental signals and their effects on our genes. Our genes are not altered so much as they are read and used differently based on the environmental inputs. Epigenetic effects are critical during the pregnancy period as the environmental signals can alter an offspring’s outcome both in good and bad ways. Making sure that we control for better environmental signal exposure while pregnant can go a long way to protecting our children’s DNA from dysfunction and thus their outcome with health. It is well known that chemicals are generally negative insults to our epigenome while anti-inflammatory whole foods are positive. These epigenetic marks can be conserved over multiple generations making them extraordinarily beneficial or dangerous. Here we will discuss the lifestyle mitigating factors for a positive pregnancy and newborn outcome....plus an ode to Brenda Wassum.

Dr. M

Sleep Part II

Let us pause here! So far we now know that humans at all ages will suffer from memory dysfunction and brain sewage cleanup problems leading to inflammation and damage long term. What ages are most at risk? They are likely mirrored by other physiologic events that are at risk based on age. Teenagers, infants and toddlers are rapidly growing creatures requiring more macro/micronutrients, water, and toxin avoidance for success. It is likely that sleep follows these same principles.

Going to a simple google scholar search for "sleep deprivation age risk" brings up countless articles on the effects of sleep deprivation in mothers and children on risk of obesity, diabetes, premature birth and much more.

....Plus more on gender and emotion as well as a recipe of the week.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Kenneth R. Pelletier, MD, PhD is a Clinical Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine; Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Department of Psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine (UCSF) in San Francisco. He is Director of the Corporate Health Improvement Program (CHIP) which is a collaborative research program between CHIP and 15 of the Fortune 500 corporations including Ford, Oracle, Prudential, Apple, Dow, Lockheed Martin, Pepsico, IBM, American Airlines and NASA.

Dr. Pelletier served as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Stanford University School of Medicine. He was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, studied at the CG Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland and has published over 300 professional journal articles in behavioral medicine, disease management, worksite interventions, alternative/integrative medicine, and epigenetics.

At the present time, Dr. Pelletier is a medical and business consultant to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Business Group on Health, the Federation of State Medical Boards, and major corporations including Cisco, IBM, American Airlines, Prudential, Dow, Disney, Ford, Mercer, Merck, Pepsico, Ford, Pfizer, Walgreens, NASA, Microsoft ENCARTA, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Health Net, the Pasteur Institute of Lille, the Alpha Group of Mexico, and the Singapore Ministry of Health.

Dr. Pelletier is the author of fifteen (15) major books, including the international bestseller Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer and Change Your Genes – Change Your Life: Creating Optimal Health with the New Science of Epigenetics.

Today we enjoy the amazing viewpoint that Dr. Pelletier has for humanity. We have control over our destinies individually and collectively. This conversation is the culmination of years of incredible study.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Sleep Update for 2024

Sleep has always been a necessary function of everyday life for all mammals. From an evolutionary perspective this cannot be a mistake as during the period of sleep you are vulnerable to predation. Therefore, there has to be a really good reason for mammals to sleep for extended hours. What is that reason? Why are toddlers and frankly all of us more cranky when we do not sleep enough? Why are our genes tied so tightly to circadian rhythms? Why are people so metabolically unwell when they are sleep deprived?

...plus updates on heat exhaustion and covid.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Klotho Part II

Last week we discussed Klotho as a protein that has pleotrophic effects in the body as it relates to cellular aging. This week let us focus specifically on the brain. What are the effects of klotho as it relates to cognition and function over time? Klotho has neuroprotective effects based on studies that show that better cognitive performance in translational models over time occur with the injections of klotho. Klotho is also shown to have neuroprotective effects if naturally elevated, i.e. individuals with host genetics that promote more klotho production over time without being taken or given.

The pivitol research occurred in 2015 in a mouse model of Alzheimers Disease (AD) where Dr. Dena Dubal and colleagues looked at two groups of intervention mice with and without higher levels of Klotho. and a literature review on micro plastics and screentime.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Jeff Kessler, FACHE

Allergy Choices

This week I sit down with Jeff Kessler to discuss allergies and sublingual immune therapy.

Jeff Kessler is a business leader and a thought leader in the allergy therapy space. His relevant backstory goes back to 1999 when he had the fortunate opportunity to work on a project to select and implement an Electronic Medical Record system for the Allergy Associates of La Crosse (AAOL) clinic in La Crosse WI. Fortuitously for his daughter who at the time suffered profoundly with allergies, asthma and eczema, this opportunity presented a new course of therapy that would eventually be taken for the entire family leading to allergic disease modification. Enthralled with the therapy and company, Jeff dedicated his career in the healthcare industry from that point on to the allergy treatment approach that he witnessed change thousands of lives including his families. The growing AAOL organization became linked to Allergychoices, an education company dedicated to teaching healthcare providers around the U.S. on the protocol (La Crosse Method - LCM) that had been perfected since 1970. Jeff has served as President of Allergychoices since its formation and its services have grown to help providers deliver immunotherapy using the LCM to their patients directly at the primary care level. Bringing together AAOL, the most advanced allergy immunotherapy clinic in the U.S. and Allergychoices, capable of delivering the benefits of disease modifying allergy immunotherapy to anyone, anywhere, the distinctive competencies of these companies continue to help hundreds of thousands of allergy sufferers of all types, including foods.

Jeff earned a bachelors in science from the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse before he received his MBA in Strategic Planning from University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management in 1987.

Please enjoy my conversation with Jeff Kessler,

Dr. M