Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

This week’s episode is all about the immune system and my guest is Dr Roger Seheult. He is a California based medical doctor, who practises as a critical care doctor also specialising in pulmonology and sleep. 

Although you might expect an intensive care doctor to be concerned only with emergency medicine and quick fixes, Dr Seheult is really passionate about prevention. And when it comes to understanding inflammation and immunity, I can’t think of a better person to explain the science. Whether you’re worried about coronavirus, you want to avoid other winter bugs, or your goal is fending off chronic disease, I think you will find this conversation really useful.

We begin by discussing the link between inflammation and immunity. We speak in depth about the link between low vitamin D levels and coronavirus, how it might be used as both preventive and treatment, and exactly how much we should all be taking. Vitamin D is produced on exposure to sunlight, which leads us to talk about the importance of light – and dark – at the right times, for our circadian rhythms. This of course impacts on sleep and what Roger has to say about its vital role in immunity might just persuade any night owls out there to turn in early tonight.

From hot and cold therapies to nutritional supplements, food to forest bathing, stress-relief to spirituality, there’s so much useful stuff here. I hope you enjoy this conversation and can use it as a toolkit for feeling your best as we head into the colder months.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/206

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.

Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on https://www.facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stress is a physiological cycle that has a beginning, a middle and an end. And by understanding how to complete the stress response cycle, you can get rid of the stress even if you can’t remove the stressor.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 60 of the podcast with authors of the book ‘Burnout: The Secret to Solving the Stress Cycle’, Drs Emily and Amelia Nagoski.

In this clip, they explain the importance of understanding the stress cycle, and the powerful and practical tools we can all use to minimise stress in our lives.

Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/60

Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Sunday 3rd October, I’ll be one of 40,000 people taking to the streets to run the Virgin Money London Marathon. So, in preparation for what I’m told will be a life-changing day, I spoke to its Event Director, Hugh Brasher. But this episode is more than a conversation about running. It’s about the magic that happens when hundreds of thousands of people come together and revel in what’s possible.

We begin by talking about its history, the famous atmosphere, crowd support and many other factors that make the London Marathon experience unique. We also talk about the vision behind the London Marathon, its inspirational aims and objectives that are still based around those drawn up by Hugh’s father, who co-founded the race 40 years ago. And they have more to do with social unity than sporting prowess.

If it’s running tips you’re after, there are plenty of them here. But we also discuss the importance of personal goals – how there’s more to marathon success than a certain finishing time. We talk about making mass-participation events more diverse, supporting the ‘back of the pack’ runners but also how we can use physical activity as a tool for life transformation.

Whether you run, walk, spectate, volunteer, or watch it on TV, I hope this conversation might inspire you to get involved one day with the London Marathon. Or perhaps you’ll seek out an event more local to you. The point, which Hugh makes so beautifully here, is that the sport is almost secondary. This event is about community, commitment, coming together and celebrating the human spirit. I’ll see you on the start line. 

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/204

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.

Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on https://www.facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you sleepwalking through life, or are you really living it?

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 30 of the podcast with award-winning author and expert in mindfulness and meditation Danny Penman.

It’s easy to live our day-to-day lives on autopilot and, in this clip, Danny gives some great tips on how we can use mindfulness to become more present and to fully connect with life.

Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/30

Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caution: Contains themes of an adult nature.

The term ‘inspirational’ can be overused when it comes to describing public figures. But in the case of today’s guest, it couldn’t be more fitting. Ramla Ali is a professional sportswoman who became the first-ever boxer to compete for Somalia in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Her incredible story is told in her new book Not Without A Fight: Ten Steps To Becoming Your Own Champion, and I’m honoured to hear it from her first hand.

Ramla is a former refugee whose family fled from Somalia to Kenya after the civil war. After settling in the UK, she describes a pivotal moment in her teenage years when she was attacked by a group of boys for wearing a hijab. This, together with advice from her GP that she was obese, proved an incentive for Ramla to begin boxing. But it was a secret she kept hidden from her traditional, religious family.

We talk about the range of feelings these events gave rise to, sharing our thoughts on the immigrant experience, and on being the subject of parental disapproval as well as pride. And we discuss Ramla’s journey to the Olympics and how much the African experience differs to that of Western athletes. Until she found sponsorship, modelling helped to pay Ramla’s way in sport. Yet she talks with touching honesty about struggles with confidence, self-esteem and finding her identity as a Somali woman in the public eye.

Today, Ramla’s confidence comes from the knowledge she has achieved all this against the odds – and that her fight helps women and girls of all backgrounds, races and religions to be seen. She’s giving back not just through this platform and as a Unicef Ambassador, but through her Sisters Club, a free boxing club that provides a safe space for women in London to access the sport. Ramla is a true role model and living proof that we can all be our own champions. I really think you are going to enjoy listening.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/202

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.

Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on https://www.facebook.com/DrChatterjee

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Experts say that with the right lifestyle, the chances are you may live up to a decade longer. But we all want to make sure we stay fit, healthy and active in our old age too.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 67 of the podcast with National Geographic Explorer and author Dan Buettner

Dan has led teams of researchers across the globe to discover the secrets of Blue Zones – geographical areas where high percentages of centenarians live long and active lives. In this clip, he explains what we can all learn from his findings in order to live a healthy, happy and full life.

Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/67

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.

Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m kicking off this season of the podcast with a very special guest. Dr Andrew Weil is a pioneer in the field of integrative health and is the founder and Director of the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine – where he’s also Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health. He’s achieved global recognition as an expert on medicinal plants and alternative medicine and is blazing a trail for medical education reform in the US and around the world. Andrew has been out there for more than 50 years promoting a healing-oriented approach to healthcare, bringing together mind, body and spirit.

Andrew describes integrative medicine as the “Intelligent combination of conventional medicine with natural and preventative strategies and selective use of alternative medicine.” It puts an emphasis on lifestyle medicine, mind-body interactions and the patient-practitioner relationship.

We discuss this relationship and the lost art of listening. We talk about the shortcomings of modern, Western medicine – how being a doctor today can mean simply giving out drugs to mask symptoms (which can ultimately prolong and even worsen them). It’s this frustration at being unable to truly help that drives most medics to study Andrew’s revolutionary course.

We delve into the topic of chronic inflammation – now a widely accepted cause of many serious health conditions, thanks in no small part to Andrew’s instincts and research. He shares some practical suggestion from his own anti-inflammatory eating plan, as well as the importance of mitigating stress. Breathwork, he says, is the game-changer here. Stress is a clear example of the mind-body connection at work, yet it remains a link modern medicine fails to address. We talk about how terms like psychosomatic or ‘all in your head’ have negative connotations, when the placebo effect is in fact proof of our mind’s healing power. When it comes to research and treatments, it’s a result scientists should be ruling in, not out.

This is a whistle-stop tour of wellbeing, from the healing potential of psychedelics and the benefits of matcha tea, to the future of national healthcare systems, the value of sacred rituals, and some good news about dark chocolate. So much of my approach to health is aligned with Dr Weil’s and it was a joy to discuss our common ground and goals. This is a positive and practical conversation that I hope will inspire you.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/200

Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com.

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CAUTION: This podcast episode contains mild swearing.

Today’s guest believes that the only thing separating you from living your perfect life, is the dialogue that exists within your subconscious mind. This philosophy is very much in alignment with my own and so I was delighted to welcome Peter Crone, a.k.a ‘the mind architect’ back onto the podcast for the third time. Peter is a writer, speaker and thought leader in human potential and has worked with world-famous actors, athletes and the business elite yet the lessons he teaches are universal truths that apply to each and every one of us.

We begin the conversation discussing how the biggest illusion that humans have is believing that their experience is generated from circumstance – that they only feel the way they feel because of what is going on around them. This makes us a victim of circumstance. Peter explains that in fact, the suffering we feel is caused and created by ourselves and we have the power to choose how we respond to any situation. This he says, is true freedom. 

This way of thinking applies to all areas of our life, including our relationships. Our primal desire to be loved and accepted often means that we put the onus on the people around us to provide security and our sense of worth. We expect others to behave a certain way towards us and when they don’t, we feel hurt and sometimes rejected. Peter explains what is really going on in these situations and what we can do to start changing them.

We also talk about how holding onto a sense of identity can be problematic, the role emotions play in disease and how parents can help their children reduce the likelihood of developing negative thought patterns.

If you heard my last conversations with Peter, you’ll know how life-changing this way of thinking can be. This conversation has even more anecdotes and I think it will leave you with lots of ideas to reflect on in your own life.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/199

Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on https://www.facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

RE-RELEASE: This episode first aired in December 2020.

Today’s guest joins me fresh from a run of autumn camps with the England football team. He’s their manager, Gareth Southgate OBE, and I speak to him about his new book, Anything Is Possible. It’s not really a football memoir, but more a guide to life and there are brilliant lessons for all of us in there – non-football fans included!

Gareth had an illustrious career as a professional football player in the 1990s and as England manager, took the England team to the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years. We discuss how Gareth achieved this by employing psychologists (such as my former guest Pippa Grange), modelling emotional intelligence and communicating with each player as an individual. He promotes a mindset of positive drivers not negative drivers: focusing on what players might achieve, rather than what might go wrong. Most importantly, he reinstated a sense of fun. I love his humble, warm, inclusive approach. Under his watch, footballers have started to look more like role models again.

Gareth explains how he used to be a shy teenage player and with his book, he aims to help youngsters get over self-limiting beliefs, nerves and anxieties and learn to be brave – and he shares some great dressing-room stories with me as examples. It may be written for children and young people, with Gareth’s role as ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in mind, but it contains universal wisdom for all ages.

I had so much to ask him, and we managed to cover topics from how players cope without a crowd, to how he breaks the news when someone’s not made the team and the real meaning of bravery. We talk about the pressures on players from social media but also how it can be a force for good, helping Raheem Stirling and Marcus Rashford change attitudes and lives through their respective campaigns against racism and childhood hunger.

I can’t emphasize enough that you don’t need to be into football to appreciate this conversation. It’s about having confidence, working hard, taking responsibility and being authentic. It was such an honour to speak with Gareth and he’s certainly reignited my love of the beautiful game. I can’t help but agree with him that when we come together in a positive way over sport, it has the potential to change the world. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/140

Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on https://www.facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Life can be busy, and it’s easy to forget to make time to catch up with friends– but spending time with your friends is more important than you think.

Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Today’s clip is from episode 80 of the podcast with my good friend and fellow podcast host Dhru Purohit.

In this clip, he explains why our friendships are so important, and why we need deep connections to others to truly thrive.

Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/80

Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore

Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee

Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee

Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices