Chris Palmer, author of "Achieving a Good Death: A Practical Guide to the End of Life, gave a wellness talk on Swedish death cleaning, or "döstädning" during the GW Office of Integrative Medicine & Health's A Mindfulness Experience. Swedish death cleaning is a trend resulting from the Swedish cultural tradition of decluttering and organizing one's life before passing away.

Chris is also an activist, wildlife filmmaker, conservationist, retired American University professor, and grandfather. He is a hospice volunteer, runs an aging, death, and dying group for the Bethesda Metro Area Village, and is obtaining a certificate in End-of-Life Care.

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Related Links:

Chris Palmer's website: chrispalmeronline.com; Chris' handouts, including a free copy of his book and info on decluttering your home, how to write an ethical will (legacy letter), and more: bit.ly/4poQ4iT.

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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.

Today, we have with us the co-founders of the gut health company, Good Bacteria – CEO Anabel González and Chief Well-being Officer Leigh Frame, PhD, MHS.

Anabel founded Good Bacteria to create science-backed solutions that connect whole foods with microbiome support. The company's main product is a 28-day rotating synbiotic, developed with Dr. Frame, that changes its probiotic strains, prebiotic fibers, and postbiotic weekly.

Dr. Frame is a nutrition scientist and a recognized expert on Integrative Medicine, the gut microbiome, and the gut-brain axis. She’s also the OIMH’s executive director, associate professor in the departments of Clinical Research & Leadership and Physician Assistant Studies, co-director of the Frame-Corr Lab here at GW, and co-host of the GW Integrative Medicine podcast.

Related Links

Good Bacteria

https://bit.ly/4hKANWL

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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.

An estimated three million Americans use cannabis for medical purposes, primarily for chronic pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, nausea, seizures, and other conditions. Yet, most healthcare practitioners and students in the health professions report feeling unprepared to counsel patients or integrate cannabis into care. Currently, standardized education on the therapeutic use of medical cannabis remains absent from most medical school curricula.

On this episode of the GW Integrative Medicine podcast, we discuss a new study published in JAMA on the importance of standardizing and integrating medical cannabis into the medical education curricula. We have three of the article’s co-authors here with us today.

• Dr. Ethan Russo is a neurologist, preeminent psychopharmacology researcher, and founder and CEO of CReDO Science. A renowned global expert, Dr. Russo is author of some of the most influential and scientifically important books within the field of medical cannabis research. He has been actively researching medical cannabis and cannabinoids for nearly 30 years.

• Dr. Leslie Mendoza Temple is the chair of the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board for the Illinois Department of Public Health. Dr. Temple is the and Owen L. Coon Chair of Integrative Medicine, Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at Endeavor Health and a clinical professor of Family Medicine at the University of Chicago Pritzker (PRIT-skur) School of Medicine.

• Dr. Misha Kogan, chief medical officer of the GW Center of Integrative Medicine, co-author of “Medical Marijuana: Dr. Kogan's Evidence-Based Guide to the Health Benefits of Cannabis and CBD,” and an associate professor of Medicine here at GW. 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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Developing Medical Cannabis Competencies: A Consensus Statement (JAMA Article) https://bit.ly/4o82GtM

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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.

Research has shown that diets high in ultraprocessed foods are linked to more than 30 health conditions, according to an umbrella review of meta-analyses that was published in The British Medical Journal. Meanwhile, more exposure to ultraprocessed foods was associated with a higher risk of dying from any cause.

Ultraprocessed foods now account for nearly 60% of U.S. adults’ calorie consumption. Among American children, that portion is close to 70%. In other words, ultra-processed food is starting to overwhelm the American diet.

On this episode of the GW Integrative Medicine podcast, John Neustadt, ND, gives a lecture on “Ultra-Processed Foods: Health Implications and How to Talk to Patients.”

Dr. Neustadt has been recognized by the world's largest medical publisher, Elsevier, as one of the Top 10 Cited Authors in the world for his work. He's spent decades researching the underlying causes of disease and working with clinicians and patients to improve health outcomes through natural and Integrative Medicine.

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Slide presentation

https://bit.ly/4pxiQ1o

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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.

Today, we discuss ketamine and mental health with integrative psychiatrist Scott Shannon, MD, one of the world’s leading experts on the therapeutic use of psychedelics in psychotherapy.

In 2010, Scott is the founded the Wholeness Center, the largest integrative mental health center in the U.S. In 2019, he helped launch the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute or PRATI. This visionary institute provides a platform to train professionals in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, do research, and provide a deeper connection to self and nature.

Scott has published four books on holistic and integrative mental health including the first textbook for this field in 2001. And he has also published numerous articles about cannabidiol in mental health.

As a passionate advocate for transformative care, Scott has traversed the globe delivering lectures to professional groups.

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Related Links

The Wholeness Center (Mental Health and Functional Health Services): https://bit.ly/4oZyUsI

Ketamine paper on burnout: https://bit.ly/41mP9WC

Overview of ketamine therapy: https://bit.ly/45zxz46

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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.

Today on the pod we discuss whole-person leadership and reimagining Integrative Medicine through a health equity lens with Scarlet Kali Soriano, MD, an internationally recognized expert on Integrative Medicine, health equity, and community-based health.

Dr. Soriano is the executive director of the Leadership Program in Health and Well-Being for the Duke University Health System, where she leads a multidisciplinary team in innovation aimed at addressing gaps in our healthcare delivery structures through equity-based health and well-being interventions.

Dr. Soriano is a member of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) and a founding member of its Black, Indigenous and People of Color Committee.

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Related Links

Dr. Soriano's bio

https://bit.ly/4o5egGZ

Reimagining Integrative Medicine Fellowship Core Competencies with a Health Equity Lens https://bit.ly/4l4ZP3a

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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.

Note: This episode was recorded before the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. Today, we discuss poverty, the social detriments of health, and safety net programs in the U.S. with Robert Greenstein, founder and former president of the D.C.-based think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). He is also a Visiting Fellow – Economic Studies, The Hamilton Project, at the Brookings Institution.

Bob is one of America's leading experts on federal budget, tax policy and safety net programs. Odds are that you or someone you know got more services from the government—health insurance, financial help, food assistance—because of Bob’s life work. Over the past 40 years, he has worked tirelessly to address poverty in U.S. and help make healthcare accessible to all.

Bob and CBPP played a major role in expanding our nation’s nutritional programs like SNAP (a.k.a. food stamps) and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. He and the CBPP helped expand the earned income tax credit (EITC) for low- and moderate-income families. And he and the organization helped get Obamacare passed and continue to defend it and Social Security from all comers.

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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.

Today, we talk about Fitness Psychology with leading experts in the field -- Katy Bowman and Diana Hill, PhD, authors of “I Know I Should Exercise, But... 44 Reasons We Don't Move and How to Get Over Them.”

The book is that it offers a toolkit of psychological tips and strategies that not only help get your body more movement, but can be applied to other areas of your life as well.

Katy is a biomechanist, bestselling author, founder of the movement education company Nutritious Movement, and host of the Move Your DNA podcast. Diana is a clinical psychologist, international trainer, author, sought-out speaker on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion, and Host of the Wise Effort podcast.

Katy and Diana wrote the book specifically to provide health professionals with the tools to better connect with and support their patients.

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Related Links

I Know I Should Exercise, But... 44 Reasons We Don't Move and How to Get Over Them

https://a.co/d/2dLoYBe

Dr. Hill's website: https://drdianahill.com/

Katy's website: https://nutritiousmovement.com/

Move Your DNA with Katy Bowman podcast: https://bit.ly/4dV04f6

Wise Effort Show with Dr. Diana Hill podcast: https://drdianahill.com/podcast/

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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.

Friend of the pod Aly Cohen, MD, one of the world’s leading experts on environmental health, returns to GW Integrative Medicine to chat about her new book “DETOXIFY: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them.”

Dr. Cohen is a clinician researcher and tripled board certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, and integrative medicine. She is also an author/collaborator for Dr. Andrew Weil's Healthy Living Guide Series. Dr. Cohen is on the faculty of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, Southern California University of Health Sciences, and the University of California, Irvine, where she creates and manages environmental medicine curriculum for doctors and researchers.

She is the founder of The Smart Human website and host of a popular podcast of the same name. The Smart Human seeks to educate, coach, and empower the public to make safer, smarter choices to reduce chemical and radiation exposures, prevent illness, and optimize both physical and mental health.

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Related Links

Dr. Cohen's website: https://alycohenmd.com/

Detoxify: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them: https://bit.ly/4kiFirL

The Smart Human website: https://thesmarthuman.com/

The Smart Human podcast: https://thesmarthuman.com/podcast/

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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.

This is the podcast’s 100th episode! (Give or take an ICYMI episode.) We are coming full circle with today’s guest—John Pan, MD ’70, RESD ’74, the Father of Integrative Medicine at the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS), the Office’s founding medical director, and the founder of the GW Center for Integrative Medicine. Sitting in are co-hosts Dr. Leigh Frame, Dr. Misha Kogan, and Janette Rodrigues.

Historically, GW was on the leading edge of the Integrative Medicine movement. Early on, the SMHS recognized the value of combining conventional and complementary medical therapies into health care. In 1998, Dr. Pan, then a clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, founded the GW Center for Integrative Medicine, one of the first of its kind to be established at an academic medical institution.

Dr. Frame is now the Chief Wellness Officer of GW Medicine, Executive Director of the Office of Integrative Medicine & Health, Director/Research Director of the GW Resiliency & Well-being Center, Associate Professor in the Departments of Clinical Research & Leadership and Physician Assistant Studies and co-director of the Frame-Corr Lab here at GW.

Dr. Kogan is the Chief Medical Office of the GW Center for Integrative Medicine, Associate Professor of Medicine here at GW, Founder of the nonprofit Access to Integrative Medicine Health Institute, and author of "Medical Marijuana: Dr. Kogan's Evidence-Based Guide to the Health Benefits of Cannabis and CBD."

◘ Transcript bit.ly/3JoA2mz

◘ 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.

◘ 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.