Dr. David Rakel Talks about the connection between good medicine and the Doctor-Patient connection

Bio: David Rakel, MD is professor and chair of the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Rakel joined DFMCH faculty in 2001. He founded the integrative health program (now known as the Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Wisconsin-Madison) and received the Gold Foundation’s Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, the school’s highest honor for excellence and compassion in care. His team worked with more than 50 clinical systems within the Veterans Health Administration to implement changes to make care more personalized, proactive, and patient driven. 

An author of both academic and popular writings, one of Rakel’s missions is to communicate medical information in a way that is accessible to people of all backgrounds. He has published eleven books, including the Textbook of Family Medicine, Current Therapy, and Integrative Medicine, as well as peer-reviewed research on the impact of measures such as mindfulness meditation and the power of the therapeutic encounter. His 2018 book The Compassionate Connection focuses on how compassionate relationships can influence health outcomes. 

AGENDA: 

1.             This podcast today is about good medicine being rooted in the doctor-patient connection. Let’s start with your study on the common cold, including the unexpected twist, which makes me cry nearly every time I tell your story. 

2.             Why is the patient-doctor connection so important? What is ’the clinician effect’ and its non-specific influences on health? 

3.             What does the research say about this? What research should we be seeking to understand and amplify this effect further? 

4.             What is the bare minimum we need to recreate this in a patient-doctor visit today? What would the ideal scenario be? Talk to us about some innovations in primary care delivery. 

5.             What are the examples in which you see this working well in the world today? What’s happening in the Functional Medicine world? What’s been the transformation that’s happened in the VA? Where else? 

6.             What advice to you give patients seeking to connect with their busy doctors? What advice to you give to clinicians, new & old, who yearn or ache for this but aren’t sure how to make it happen? 

7.             Let’s end on an optimistic note- what are some truths and magic that you’ve seen come out of an intact patient-doctor connection? 

HER STORY

Dr Wahls is the clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.A., where she teaches internal medicine residents in their primary care clinics. She also does clinical research and has published over 60 peer-reviewed scientific abstracts, posters, and papers. In addition to being a doctor, she is also a patient with a chronic, progressive disease. She was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2000; around the time she began working at the university. By 2003, she had transitioned to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. She underwent chemotherapy to slow the disease and began using a tilt-recline wheelchair because of weakness in her back muscles.

It was clear: Eventually she would become bedridden by the disease and wanted to forestall that fate as long as possible.

FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING

When diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Dr. Terry Wahls had two choices for the example she could set for her children. She could model giving up, or she could model that even though life’s not fair, you get up every day and you do the best that you can. She chose the latter. Now, Dr. Wahls has a new mission: to create an epidemic of health and help millions of people reclaim their lives.

She is the author of The Wahls Protocol®: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine, The Wahls Protocol®: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles (paperback),and the cookbook The Wahls Protocol® Cooking for Life: The Revolutionary Modern Paleo Plan to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions

AGENDA:

1. Tell us your story about MS & what you learned through its course.  
2. Talk to us about the various types of brain cells and the role they play in turning MS on or off.
3. What does the research say about your program and the various components.
4. How widely applicable is this type of program? Yes for MS, but what about other autoimmune conditions? Toxic conditions? Alzheimer’s/ Parkinson’s, etc?
5. How has your program evolved over the years and how does it continue to evolve?
6. If you are a person listening to this right now with MS or these other conditions, what are the most accessible points of entry to make change, to potentially change the course of your disease?
7. What are you excited about next in research & complex/ chronic disease development?

Dr. Sascha Sajer is an experienced physician specializing in Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Functional Medicine, with over 30 years of expertise in clinical practice, medical consultancy, and healthcare management. 

After earning his medical degree from the Medical University of Vienna, Dr. Sajer completed his specialization in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

He further enhanced his expertise by obtaining an MBA in Health Management from Middlesex University, London, and an accredited Functional Medicine Certification (IFMCP) from The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) in the USA. Dr. Sajer is the owner and Medical Director of Revisalut GmbH, where he focuses on functional medicine and integrative healthcare.

His previous leadership roles include serving as the Medical Director for the Dr. Dr. Wagner Group, overseeing nine wellness centers and five rehabilitation clinics, as well as leading the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Evangelistic Hospital of Vienna.

With an internation background, he is fluent in English and German, a native Croatian speaker, and proficient in French, Dr. Sajer is also passionate about sports, sailing, photography, and the arts.

Agenda Topics :  

1. What is Inuspheresis & where is it under the broader umbrella of apheresis? 

2.        What is the history & development of inuspheresis? 

3.        What is your background in getting started with inuspheresis as a therapeutic option? For which conditions? 

4.        What comes out in the effluent? Do you do toxicity testing before/ after treatments? 

5.        For which patients is inuspheresis appropriate? Contraindications?

6.        How you do build programs- like how many treatments/ how often/ when to repeat? What other services are typically recommended alongside inuspheresis? 

7.        What are some of your favorite research papers about this Inuspheresis? What research are you looking forward to seeing up & coming? 

Let's talk about all thing's food, particularly as it relates to the Pentad community.

What kind of barriers exist for people, especially with me/CFS.

Why do we often see resistance to changing our diets and eliminating certain foods.

How might our nutritional needs be different from the general population.

What kind of resources are available to us.

How do we make it a sustainable endeavor.

What are some emotional or psychological tools we can employ for success.

What's the best way to do an Elimination Diet.

Why should somebody look to their diet for improvement

What types of illnesses respond best to dietary restrictions.

BIO:

Rachel Riggs is the author of an incredible new cookbook called "in Good health' which is California-style light & fresh cooking but the twist here is that she has been suffering with ME/CFS that started in 2003, had had what is an unfortunately typical course which was waxing & waning, requiring 12 years for diagnosis and then a big exacerbation and has now been house-bound x 12 years, in fact, mostly bed-bound. She is a former specialty food shop owner whose life was upended by ME & had to sell her shop. She has worked with Dr Robert Naviaux in San Diego as his study coordinator for the last 9 years so we'll dive into the Cell Danger Response some.

Blog:

https://www.rachriggs.com/cookbook

https://rachelriggs.substack.com/

https://tinyurl.com/5adxvt6u

https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2025/01/29/rachel-riggs-allergen-aware-cookbook/

Dr. Aly Cohen is a board-certified physician practicing in rheumatology and integrative medicine, as well as an environmental health expert in Princeton, New Jersey. Her new book, DETOXIFY: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them, available now for pre-order, connects the dots between everyday chemicals and the epidemic rise in immune disorders and autoimmune disease...and what we CAN all do about it!Now for more background: Athe University of Pennsylvania, she focused her studies on medical anthropology and human evolution - topics that have greatly influenced her work. She is on faculty of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine  (AIHM), Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU), and the Integrative and Functional Medicine Fellowship of the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute (SSIHI) at the University of California, Irvine, where she created and manages the environmental medicine and integrative rheumatology curriculum for medical colleagues. Dr. Cohen has collaborated with the Environmental Working Group, Cancer Schmancer, and other disease- prevention or­ganizations, and is coeditor of the textbook, Integrative Environmental Medicine, part of the Oxford University Press/Weil Integrative Medicine, Academic Series. She is the co-author of the bestselling, consumer guidebook, Non-Toxic: Guide to Living Healthy in a Chemical World. In 2015, she created TheSmartHuman.com to share environ­mental health, disease prevention, and wellness information with the public. She has been the recipient of countless awards. AGENDA:   

1.     What is environmental medicine? a.     learn more about environmental health topics?  TheSmartHuman.com.     

Other educational projects? (curriculum for physicians, nurses, PT, Nurse practitioners AND creating online courses for parents/athletes/women and fertility & pregnancy...coming soon at AlyCohenMD.com) 

2.     Break down for us the ‘classes’ of toxins- like persistent organic chemicals vs endocrine disruptors, EMFs, etc- how can we start to discern the different chemicals & what how they affect? What are they doing inside our bodies? 3.     Once they come into our bodies- through our lungs, skin & GI tract, what do they do to us? How & where do they get stored? What are the various compartments?

 a.     Role of the immune system & even more broadly, the neuroimmune axis? As a rheum, what about our autoimmune epidemic? 

b.     What about the MIND? 

c.     Role of adipose? 

d.     Role of bones- how women will have more toxins come out post-menopause when the bone tissue starts to degrade with osteoporosis? 

e.     With infection/ concussion/ inflammation, the greater porosity of the blood brain barrier? Is this our Alzheimer’s epidemic? 

4.     How can we test for them in our bodies? 

a.     Standard testing with LabCorp/ Quest? 

b.     Specialty functional med lab testing? 

5.     How do we detox? The million-dollar question! 

a.     We naturally detox daily- peeing, pooping, sweating & crying. How to amplify? 

b.     What is your 21-day program? 

c.     Ayurvedic panchakarma

6.     Obviously, the first step is to avoid toxic chemicals coming into our bodies in the first place: 

a.     What are the most important things to know about making the right daily choices?                                                

i.     Water filters                                              

ii.     Detergents & cleaning products 

b.     Talk to us about regulations- do we dare? 

c.     How can we test our water, soil, etc? 

d.     What advice do you have for folks wanting to make their communities safer?CLOSING: Dr. Cohen is working to educate and empower the next generation to make safer, smarter lifestyle choices through the creation of en­vironmental health and prevention curricula for schools nationally. Her TEDx talk, “How to Protect Your Kids from Toxic Chemicals" can be found on YouTube

We're thrilled to announce that our podcasts now qualify for Nursing Continuing Education (CE) credits through RNegade.pro! Nurses can now not only gain valuable insights and practical knowledge from our episodes but also earn CE credits while listening.

RNegade is not your typical nursing CE provider. RNegade believes that nurses are more than just caregivers—they’re innovators, leaders, and change-makers. That’s why RNegade is committed to breaking the mold of traditional CE by offering content that goes beyond the status quo and inspires nurses to learn and think differently. They are about pushing boundaries, exploring new ideas, and redefining what it means to be a nurse in today’s world.

In today’s busy world, healthcare pros are already tuning into podcasts for inspiration, insights, and the occasional laugh during their commute or downtime. With RNegade.pro, those same moments can now lead to real CE credits. It’s as simple as listen, reflect, and earn.

🎧 The Podclass Revolution

That’s right: no traditional lectures, no PowerPoints. Just engaging conversations with industry leaders that spark ideas and challenge norms. Think cutting-edge topics, bold conversations, and real-world relevance—paired with a reflective process that lets listeners earn their credits with ease.  And now, we're proud to say, our podcasts will help you fulfill your CE requirements.

Here’s the other cool part! When you decide you love what you just learned on one of our podcasts, you can share your affiliate link from the RNegade platform with your colleagues, you can earn revenue for every nurse who signs up and earns CE credits. You’re not just offering another CE option—you’re helping nurses break free from traditional learning and step into a new era of education that’s exciting, relevant, and practical.

RNegade is launching with a collection from our library and will be adding more episodes on a monthly basis.  Here’s the incredible news . . . if you’ve already listened to one of our older podcasts in the library, you can still earn CE.  As long as you’ve listened to the episode within the last 2 years, it qualifies as a CE credit. 

Start listening, learning, and earning with RNegade today!

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In this episode of the Neuroveda podcast, Dr Gillian Ehrlich and Dr. Julianna Giles explore the immune system from both Ayurvedic and Western perspectives. They discuss the complexities of cancer, autoimmunity, and chronic infections, emphasizing the importance of understanding the underlying factors that contribute to these conditions. The conversation delves into the roles of psychoneuroimmunology, cellular biology, and the Ayurvedic concepts of Prana, Tejas, and Ojas in maintaining health and wellness. Practical approaches to healing and supporting the immune system are also highlighted, along with the significance of lifestyle choices and conscious awareness in promoting overall health.

takeaways

• The immune system is complex and multifaceted.
• Cancer and autoimmunity are not singular diseases but a spectrum.
• Chronic infections can exacerbate immune dysfunction.
• Psychoneuroimmunology bridges the mind-body connection.
• Ayurvedic principles emphasize cellular health and balance.
• Disruptions in Prana, Tejas, and Ojas lead to disease.
• Holistic approaches are essential for healing.
• Breathwork and lifestyle choices significantly impact health.
• Ojas represents immunity and vitality in Ayurveda.
• Conscious awareness can lead to positive health changes.

Today we discuss: Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) leaks

Agenda: 

 1. Dr. Cardenas: Tell us your story! 

 2.     So, what is a CSF leak? 

a.     What is leaking? From where? Why do leaks happen? 

b.     Common symptoms? Uncommon symptoms? 

c.     Why don’t more people know about this? 

3.     Okay, so let’s go back to basic anatomy & let’s go from general to specific- talk to us about: 

a.     connective tissue

b.     vasculature

c.     central nervous system flow: CSF, lymph, blood

d.     Relationship with bones like CCI, Eagle’s, others?

e.     Relationship with the vasculature/ flow in the rest of the body like pelvic venous congestion

4.     How do we evaluate for this?

b.     Imaging

c.     Blood patches 

d.     Embolization 

5.     How do we TREAT this? 

a.     Immediate: Blood patches/ embolization/ pressure adjustments (meds, etc) 

b.     Counter facial strain. What is it & how does it help? Role for other physical tx like PT/ chiro?

Bio: Dr Brianna Cardenas is a Physician Assistant, a certified athletic trainer and the founder of Healed and Empowered, an organization that specializes in optimizing health among those living with chronic illness. She has recently joined the team at NeuroVeda Health where she brings 13 years of healthcare experience. She is also a patient living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, an “invisible” condition that can be hard to diagnose and often discounted by healthcare providers as a result. Brianna’s lived experience as a patient informs her work as a healthcare provider to others.Bio: Dr. Maxwell is a Board Certified Pediatric Cardiologist and Pediatrician. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins Medical School and a Residency in Pediatrics at The University of California at San Francisco followed by clinical and research fellowships in Pediatric Cardiology at Lucile Salter Packard and Stanford Hospitals and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His research interests include study of endothelial control of vasomotor tone, nitric oxide, sports cardiology, dysautonomia, hypermobility syndromes, & mast cell activation syndrome and their relationships to environmental toxins. For his research he received an American Heart Association Award for Research in Molecular Biology and was an American College of Cardiology Young Investigator Award finalist. He has published many articles and book chapters on these subjects. For his clinical work, he has been voted by his peers as a Top Doctor in Northern California annually since 2017.

Resources/ Links/ Articles: 

·       https://www.eds.clinic/articles/spiky-leaky-syndrome

·       https://www.medicalandresearch.com/current_issue/1962

Professor Prita Lal Bio:

Bio: Raised as a child of South Asian immigrants in theAmerican South, Professor Prita Lal became interested in social justice issues at a young age and now teaches at Evergreen State College at the intersectionsof food and environmental justice, social movements, Black studies, solidarity economics, cooperative education, healing justice and community-based learning.Dr Lal completed her BA in French & anthropology at Tulane, her Master’s & Doctorates in Sociology at Stony Brook University. Her teaching style focuses on education for transformation and liberation. She also has completedextensive training in yoga and Ayurveda (an ancient system of healing from South Asia), which she integrates through somatic and trauma-informed teaching practices. Her work analyzes the root causes of social problems, not intending to paralyze, but rather inform just alternatives to transform (rather than recreate) systemic injustices.

Path Affiliation

EnvironmentalStudies , Psychology,Health, and Community , PoliticalEconomy, Global Studies, and Environmental Justice , Foodand Agriculture

Fields of Study

AfricanAmerican Studies , Sociologyand Anthropology , PoliticalEconomy and Political Science , FoodSystems , FoodStudies , FoodJustice , EthnicStudies , CommunityStudies , Climateand Environmental Justice , Agriculture

Objective today: explore the intersection betweenwellness & justice.

1.     Tell us your story- what are you doing & howdid you get here?

 2.     What’s the problem here? Our perception is thatwellness requires resources that are often the realm of the rich. The problems created by a widening gap between rich & poor. What is the role of power?

 3.     The circles that we’ve been in for wellness& the circles we’ve been for justice. What are the ways that these overlap or don’t overlap or could or should overlap.

 4.     Let’s shift to talking about how our health hasbeen colonized- what does that mean? How do we define ‘decolonizing our health.’ Connecting to inner power.

5.     Now let’s talk about Ayurveda- what is it &what is its power & potential to offer us wellness AND justice? What is spiritual by-passing & how is this used go maintain status quo.

 6.     What are the steps to address this?

a.     Finding our inner power

b.     Connection to self & planet

c.     Connection to each other & then socialjustice movements – calling in vs calling out to challenge internalizedcolonialism

d.     Embracing mistakes vs being defined by mistakes,perfectionism is an element of white supremacy culture

Thomas Mandel Clausen completed his PhD in Clinical Cancer Research at the University of Copenhagen and postdoc at the University of California in San Diego and has spent the bulk of his career thus far focused on cancer biology, malariavaccine development, and more recently COVID-19. His special focus was & remains cell & glycobiology which will be the focus of our discussion today. He’s presented at conferences all around the world and has over 40 published articles within the field of glycobiology focused on various molecular structures and functions and how they relate to human disease. He is currently matriculated at the University of Hawaii to gain his medical doctorate degree with estimated completion in 2026. 

We discuss:

The endothelial glycocalyx is a specialized extracellular matrix that covers the apical side of vascular endothelial cells, projecting into the lumen of blood vessels. The composition of the glycocalyx has been studied in greatdetail, and it is known to be composed of a mixture of proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans, and glycoproteins. Although this structure was once believed to be a passive physical barrier, it is now recognized as a multifunctional and dynamic structure that participates in many vascularprocesses, including but not limited to vascular permeability, inflammation, thrombosis, Mechan transduction, and cytokine signaling

Because vascular dysfunction is associated with a wide variety of diseases and because of the crucial role of the glycocalyx in maintaining proper vascular function,the significance of the glycocalyx in disease has become a topic of intensive investigation.