GW Integrative Medicine

Today, we discuss vitamin D, sunlight, and disease prevention with Dr. William B. Grant, a pioneer in research on vitamin D, solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) exposure, and chronic disease prevention. He trained as a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, and had a distinguished, decades-long career in atmospheric science. His move into health research produced one of the earliest articles linking diet to risk of Alzheimer’s disease, in 1997. In 2002, he published an influential study linking solar UVB exposure with lower mortality from 13 types of cancer.

Dr. Grant is the director of the nonprofit Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center, where he continues his research, education, and public health advocacy. He is author or co-author of 344 articles about vitamin D, sunlight and health—and done of the most cited authors in the field of vitamin D and sunlight to defeat disease.

He is also one of the first recipients of the inaugural GrassrootsHealth Baggerly-Garland Vitamin D Scientist Award, which will be presented on November 2, World Vitamin D Day.

Disclosure: Dr. Leigh Frame serves on the GrassrootsHealth scientist panel, and she and Dr. Grant are collaborators on a manuscript on vitamin D dosing.

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Related Links

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bi3xhruvdfa5wsqj2ybi5/110126-Show-Notes-Links.docx?rlkey=qj6a7gsegyabznlxm87m2cyp5&st=xzhky5kd&dl=0

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Transcript:

https://bit.ly/3WJ9LZr

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

Currently, psychedelic science is a bit of a Wild West. It's expanding rapidly, bringing major scientific breakthroughs alongside distinct "growing pains" across methodology, regulation, and clinical translation, according to a 2025 article published in the journal Bioethical Inquiry. But it doesn't have to be that way. We talk about responsible psychedelic science research, psilocybin therapy, and brain health with leading psychedelics researcher Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a founding member of Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, the world’s largest psychedelic science research center, which is advancing the scientific understanding of psychedelics and their potential for treating mental health disorders, enhancing well-being, and expanding our understanding of consciousness.

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Related Links:

About Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu, https://bit.ly/4sB70pa; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, www.hopkinspsychedelic.org/; Dr. Garcia-Romeu's publications, https://bit.ly/3Ui4Rlr

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Transcript:

https://bit.ly/4jN0zg9

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

In her new book “Medicine for All People: Science and Ancient Wisdom for Revolutionary Healing,” Dr. Geeta Maker-Clark expands the definition of modern medicine by combining scientific rigor with time-tested ancestral practices. A nationally recognized Integrative Medicine physician, educator, and thought leader, she advances a more just, nourishment-centered future of healthcare. She is the founder of Food Is Power, a nationally recognized health literacy and food justice initiative launched in Chicago Public Schools that centers decolonized nutrition education, food sovereignty, and culinary medicine.

Dr. Maker-Clark serves as director of integrative nutrition and advocacy at Endeavor Health, clinical assistant professor and co-director of the Culinary Medicine Program at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and faculty for the University of Arizona Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda Fellowship.

With more than two decades of clinical, academic, and global experience, her work bridges integrative medicine, nutritional and botanical therapeutics, mind-body medicine, and ancestral healing traditions. Her work invites clinicians to expand the medical lens beyond biochemistry alone—integrating culture, history, environment, and lived experience as essential drivers of health, resilience, and chronic disease outcomes. We talk to her about the above and more during this episode of the GW Integrative Medicine podcast. Listen, learn, and live!

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Related Links:

Dr. Maker-Clark’s website, https://drgeetamakerclark.com/; “Medicine for All People

Science and Ancient Wisdom for Revolutionary Healing” by Geeta Maker-Clark, MD, https://bit.ly/4hNsxH6

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Transcript

bit.ly/4xBETay

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

Today we discuss peptides and why we should care about them with Misha Kogan, MD, Professor of Medicine at GW, Chief Medical Officer at the GW Center for Integrative Medicine, and Founder of Access to Integrative Medicine Health Institute.

Dr. Kogan is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and Integrative Medicine. He is a leading expert in the field of Integrative Geriatrics, healthy aging, and medical cannabis.

He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences on the topics of Integrative Medicine and Geriatrics, neurodegenerative diseases, and the use of medical cannabis. When he isn’t in the clinic or the classroom, authoring a book, or being published in scholarly peer-reviewed journal, he’s one of the co-hosts of this podcast.

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Related Links

GW Center for Integrative Medicine, www.gwcim.com

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Transcript

https://bit.ly/4xBETay

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

Julie Wendt, MS, LDN, CNS, adjunct instructor, Integrative Medicine Programs, Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, recently gave a talk on staying hydrated as the temps and humidity rise to summertime highs.

As Licensed Dietician Nutritionist (LDN), Julie is a highly trained food and nutrition expert. LDNs and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) are the only credentialed professionals legally qualified to provide medical nutrition therapy, assess nutritional needs, and build specialized meal plans for specific medical conditions. She is a LDN is Maryland, a Licensed Nutritionist in D.C., and a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS). Julie earned a Masters of Science in Integrative Health and Nutrition from Maryland University of Integrative Health.

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Related Links

Julie Wendt Nutrition

www.juliewendtnutrition.com

Julie's Hydration Checklist

https://bit.ly/4w0xx00

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Transcript

bit.ly/3JoA2mz

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

Today, we discuss the new book “Heal Faster: Unlock Your Body's Rapid Recovery Reflex” with author Victoria Maizes, MD, an internationally recognized physician, author, and pioneering leader in the field of Integrative Medicine.

Drawing on forty years of medical experience and cutting-edge research, Dr. Maizes shows that complete recovery is possible for a wide range of conditions when you know how to support your body’s natural healing processes.

Dr. Maizes serves as the Founding Executive Director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine and is a Professor of Medicine, Family Medicine, and Public Health at the University of Arizona. She is also the author of “Be Fruitful: The Essential Guide to Maximizing Fertility and Giving Birth to a Healthy Child,” and cohost, with Dr Weil, of the Body of Wonder podcast.

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Related Links

Dr. Maizes' website, https://www.drvictoriamaizes.com/

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Transcript

bit.ly/3JoA2mz

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

The Baby Boom generation pioneered the counterculture movement of the 1960s so it's not so surprising that 50 years later they are using compounds like psilocybin and LSD with the goal to improve their overall quality of life.

​Today, we get into all of the above with Abbie Rosner, the author of the forthcoming book “Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging.” She researches and writes about how her generation of Baby Boomers is exploring the drugs of their youth to enhance their experience of aging.

In "Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging," she suggests that the growing underground movement of older adults using psychedelics is helping rewrite the narrative around aging —as a time of healing, growth, spiritual deepening, joyous intimacy, supportive community, and acceptance of the inevitability of death.

Abbie is a freelance journalist, writer, and public speaker based out of Washington, D.C., and she has written extensively on older adults, cannabis, and psychedelics for Forbes, Double Blind, and other journals since 2018. Her new book comes out in July 2026.

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Related Links

Abbie Rosner's website

https://www.abbierosner.com/

Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

https://www.hopkinspsychedelic.org/

NYU Langone Health’s Center for Psychedelic Medicine

https://bit.ly/4dvwAG6

UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics

https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/

GW Integrative Medicine Podcast Medical Cannabis, Psilocybin, & More Playlist

https://bit.ly/3RO8q0Z

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Transcript

bit.ly/3JoA2mz

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

Boy howdy do we have something to talk about with our favorite medical cannabis subject matter expert today!

On April 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) signed an order reclassifying (rescheduling) state-licensed medical marijuana and FDA-approved marijuana products from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act).

Let’s get into it with Dr. Mikhail “Misha” Kogan, chief medical officer of the GW Center for Integrative Medicine, associate professor of Medicine at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, and author of the highly acclaimed book “Medical Marijuana: Dr. Kogan's Evidence-Based Guide to the Health Benefits of Cannabis and CBD.”

Along with being an internationally recognized expert on medicinal cannabis, Dr. Kogan has extensive training and expertise in internal medicine, geriatrics, palliative care, social and primary care medicine, integrative medicine, herbal medicine, and craniosacral therapy. He specializes in diagnosing and developing treatment plans for the most complex health challenges, offering hope to even the most desperate patients. His specific area of interest is utilizing cannabis as a solution to reduce polypharmacy in the geriatric patient population. He is a renowned international speaker in the field of medical cannabis.

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Related Links

The Society of Cannabis Clinicians

https://bit.ly/48xFsrR

Medical Marijuana: Dr. Kogan's Evidence-Based Guide to the Health Benefits of Cannabis and CBD

https://bit.ly/4tMfWI1

GW Integrative Medicine Podcast: Medical Cannabis, Psilocybin, & More Playlist

https://bit.ly/4n2A325

Science Friday interviews Dr. Kogan (25 min.)

https://bit.ly/429HsTE

Developing Medical Cannabis Competencies: A Consensus Statement

https://bit.ly/4cN9wlK

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Transcript

bit.ly/3JoA2mz

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

When we think about loneliness, we don’t associate it with risks comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. But a growing body of research shows that loneliness significantly impairs physical and mental health. Loneliness is linked to a 29 percent higher risk of heart disease, a 32 percent increased risk of stroke, accelerated cognitive decline, and increased mortality. Chronic, profound loneliness triggers high inflammation, weakens the immune system, and contributes to depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.

Clinician researcher Alison Warren, DAOM, MSHS ’17, PhD student, of the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, gave a wellness talk on loneliness and how it impacts your overall health–and ways to counteract it. An adjunct assistant professor in the SMHS, she specializes in the intersection of Integrative Medicine, neuroscience, and psychology. She is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Institute for Brain Health and Dementia in the GW Milken School of Public Health and an instructor with the Harvard Extension School.

Dr. Warren’s research, particularly in 2025-2026, focuses on loneliness as a significant, modifiable determinant of health and a driver of physiological damage. Her work explains that chronic social disconnection causes wear and tear across multiple systems, including immune, neuroendocrine, and cardiovascular systems.

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Related Links:

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s How Right Now (information and resources on loneliness and other emotions)

https://www.cdc.gov/howrightnow/index.html;

NIH Social Connection Toolkit

https://www.nih.gov/health-information/your-healthiest-self-wellness-toolkits/social-wellness-toolkit;

GW Resiliency & Well-being Center’s resources page on loneliness

https://rwc.smhs.gwu.edu/loneliness;

Dr. Warren’s slide presentation on loneliness

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fdrc6v7kjua6y0j88og6j/UPDATED_Warren_GW-Resiliency-Center-Loneliness-1.pdf?rlkey=5fpz4h7naach2ss1anpxch7ea&st=k2k958gr&dl=0;

Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation 2023, The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf;

Warren, A. (2026). Loneliness as a sex-specific risk factor for cognitive aging. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 20, 1784613. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2026.1784613;

Warren, A. (2026). Loneliness as a Vital Sign: Toward a Biopsychosocial Reframing of Social Disconnection. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 17, 21501319261426724. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319261426724;

Warren, A., Wynia, Z., Corr, P. G., Devin, M. F., Celikkol, Z., Gordon, L., Farah, M., Karam, M., Villarreal, D., Jackson, S. A., & Frame, L. A. (2026). The microbiota–gut–brain axis in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease: A scoping review of human studies. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 22(1), e71023. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71023;

Warren, A. (2025). Loneliness as a driver of allostatic load: Mechanisms linking social disconnection to physiological dysregulation and health disparities. Stress, 28(1), 2594067. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2025.2594067

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Transcript

bit.ly/3JoA2mz

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This podcast features the song “Follow Your Dreams” (freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Ho…ur_Dreams_1918) by Scott Holmes, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial (01https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) license.

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports that preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) like abuse, neglect, household dysfunction could reduce the number of adults with depression by as much as 44%. ACEs are critical to identify and understand because they are highly common that cause lasting toxic stress that fundamentally changes brain development and health outcomes across a lifespan.

Understanding them is crucial for preventing chronic diseases, mental health disorders, and, through early intervention, breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma. On today's show, we’re discussing ACEs with Clare Anderson, MSW, Senior Policy Fellow Emeritus at Chapin Hall, a policy research institution in Chicago that focuses on child welfare and family well-being.

Clare is a national expert on child welfare policy and practice and national thought leader on economic and concrete supports. She was among the chief architects of the effort to address trauma, ACEs, and toxic stress in children known to the child welfare system.

Also joining us for the conversation is Michelle Clausen, PhD, a nurse midwife, researcher, and fellow with the Primary Care Research Training Program and post-doctoral scholar at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Her research focus is on developing interventions that incorporate trauma-informed strategies and spirituality to improve health outcomes.

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Related Links:

CDC's About Adverse Childhood Experiences page, https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html; Adverse California Surgeon General’s Clinical Advisory Committee' Childhood Experience Questionnaire for Adults, https://bit.ly/4aUJewT; California Department of Health Care Services' ACEs Aware information website, https://www.acesaware.org/; Navigating Economic Shocks: Public Policy Can Support or Stress Families with Clare Anderson, https://bit.ly/3ZH3dsA; Chapin white papers about ACEs, https://bit.ly/4kCQsc2

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Transcript

bit.ly/3JoA2mz

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This podcast features the song “Follow Your Dreams” (freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Ho…ur_Dreams_1918) by Scott Holmes, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial (01https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) license.

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Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.