Jeffrey Smith discusses The Dangers of GMOs and Glyphosate with Dr. Ben Weitz.

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Podcast Highlights

2:27  Jeffrey Smith has been dedicated to speaking out about the potential dangers of genetically modified organisms since he heard a lecture 27 years ago by a genetic engineer who was blowing the whistle on Monsanto that was about to release its first genetically modified crops into our food supply.  Jeffrey runs the ResponsibleTechnology.org website and if you go to ResponsibleTechnology.org/takeaction before May 21 you can take action and add your voice to the discussion in the U.S. Department of Agriculture about how to regulate genetically modified organisms so we can prevent an apocalypse. Now Jeffrey is also speaking up about the dangers of GMO 2.0, which is the subject of the documentary Don’t Let the Gene Out of the Bottle, which is a 16-minute film, which happens to be at the website above.

6:26  GMO Foods.  Traditional GMO foods have a gene from another species transferred into that plant, but we now have have GMO 2.0, which utilizes the new gene editing tools to knock out genes or gut the genome in a place or two and hoping that when the thing gets reattached, it either adds what you want in or leaves out what you want and doesn’t bring anything in extra that you don’t want.  This involves a lot of wishful thinking and obviously a lot could go wrong.  Jeffrey has a six minute film at responsibletechnology.org/takeaction that discusses some of these dangers: Seven Reasons Why Gene Editing Is Dangerous and Unpredictable.  The biotech industry has been licking its wounds because the movement to limit and ban GMO foods has been successful at informing consumers, and doctors that it is not safe that we have been able to contain it to 12 genetically engineered food crops as opposed to Monsanto’s stated goal by this time to have 100% of all commercial seeds genetically engineered and patented.  What’s even scarier is that it used to take a long period of time and was expensive to genetically engineer foods, but now you can buy a gene editing kit from Amazon for a few thousand dollars and create your own GMO every day.

9:41  Monsanto convinced the White House that GMOs were safe and that GMOs were going to increase US exports and domination by the US in world food trade and they should be allowed on the market.  Monsanto were able to get a former attorney of theirs–Michael Taylor–into the FDA to create a pro GMO policy.

 

 

 

Jeffrey Smith is a global thought leader on the health dangers of genetically modified organisms for over 27 years. He has written 2 bestselling books, Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette, directed 5 documentaries, the most recent of which is Don’t Let the Gene Out of the Bottle in 2023 and Secret Ingredients in 2018. Jeffrey has given thousands of lectures all around the world and has counseled world leaders on six continents.  He is the founder and CEO of the

Dr. Dominic Brandy discusses Natural Insights into Cancer with Dr. Ben Weitz.

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Podcast Highlights

2:25  Dr. Brandy explained that his journey started in September 2017 when he and his wife were on a Viking cruise and he read the book, How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger.  How Not To Die has lots of scientific references and shows that eating a plant based diet is associated with lower rates of cancer and other chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. Gregor also discusses the Blue Zones where Dan Buettner looked at regions in the world where people lived the longest, including Loma Linda, California, where most people are Seven Day Adventists and they are vegetarian, don’t drink alcohol, and exercise a lot. The average woman there lives 10 years longer and the average man lives 14 years longer than the average American.  Dr. Brandy started right then to eat a plant based diet.

6:25  When Dr. Brandy came home the last week of September he was doing a surgery case and he felt a pop in his right collarbone.  This pain then got worse and worse and on November 10th he went to pick up a container of water and his clavicle cracked in half.  He went to the Urgent Care center and got an x-ray. Then he got an MRI and his orthopedic surgeon told him that he either had multiple myeloma or a cancer metastasis. He had a biopsy and lab work, which confirmed IgA multiple myeloma free Kappa chain. Dr. Brandy’s oncologist recommended a triple drug regimen of a common medication for myeloma, a corticosteroid and Velcade, a proteasome inhibitor. Dr. Brandy accepted with the first two medications but rejected Velcade, because its common side effects include peripheral neuropathy, which is bad for a surgeon.  Then Dr. Brandy researched every thing he could do from a diet, lifestyle, and nutritional supplement perspective and started employing them.  He started taking various herbs, employed exercise, stress reduction, sleep, intermittent fasting, detoxification, and every month his numbers kept getting better and by six months he was in a complete remission.

 

 

Dr. Dominic Brandy is a plastic surgeon and anti-aging expert, but after being diagnosed in 2017 with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, he plunged himself into cancer research. He is now coaching cancer patients.  In addition to conventional therapy, he has adopted a natural approach to fighting cancer that includes a whole food plant based diet, daily exercise, and targeted nutritional supplements.   And now he has written a book, Beat Back Cancer Naturally, and he wants to share his approach with patients looking to prevent or treat cancer.   His website is NaturalInsightsIntoCancer.

Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also specializing in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure and also weight loss and also athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations.

 

 

Podcast Transcript

Dr. Weitz:            Hey, this is Dr. Ben Weitz, host of the Rational Wellness Podcast. I talk to the leading health and nutrition experts and researchers in the field to bring you the latest in cutting edge health information.

Dr. Tania Dempsey discusses Mast Cell Activation Syndrome with Dr. Ben Weitz.

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Podcast Highlights

0:30 Mast cell activation syndrome.

2:47 Dr. Dempsey first started to focus on mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) when researching trying to understand a patient who had a flare of this condition. She spoke with Dr. Lawrence Afrin, who was a recognized expert on mast cell activation syndrome, who explained the mechanism for this condition. She recognized that patients she had treated in the past probably had some elements of this condition as well.

12:05 MCAS is a multisystemic process

13:36 Diagnosis of MCAS.

21:52 The QEESI is a validated questionaire that Dr. Dempsey recommends, that stands for The Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory that is available here: QEESI.

Dr. Tania Dempsey is an internationally recognized expert in chronic disease, autoimmune disorders and mast cell activation syndrome. Dr. Dempsey received her MD from Johns Hopkins and she is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine. Dr. Dempsey is the founder of the AIM Center for Personalized Medicine, in Purchase, New York, where she practices with Dr. Lawrence Afrin. Her website is DrTaniaDempsey.com.

Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also specializing in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure and also weight loss and also athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations.

Dr. Karin Duncan discusses How to use a Functional Medicine Approach for patients with Parkinson’s disease at the Functional Medicine Discussion Group meeting on March 23, 2023 with moderator Dr. Ben Weitz.

[If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] 

 

Podcast Highlights

6:17  What is Parkinson’s disease?  Some define it as the degeneration of the substantia nigra in the brain and the loss of the production of dopamine.  There are four symptoms that are usually seen in Parkinson’s and those are the bradykinesia, the stooped posture, the masked facies, and the pill-rolling tremor.  The research shows that it can actually start 10-20 years prior to the motor symptom presentation.  This degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the brain is a long term process and by the time the motor symptoms show up, the substantia nigra is already 70-80% depleted of its ability to produce dopamine.  The early symptoms that show up years earlier are the loss of a sense of smell (anosmia), constipation, and REM sleep disorder.  The question is if we identify these patients early and help them with these conditions and reduce the underlying inflammation, will we prevent Parkinson’s?  We don’t know the answer to that, but it makes sense to try.

10:25  Constipation indicates some gut imbalance or dysbiosis and for patients who end up getting Parkinson’s, it usually is extreme.  When the intestines are inflamed, they release a protein into the blood stream called alpha synuclein and patients with Parkinson’s have misfolded alpha synuclein protein aggregated in the substantia nigra.  If we want to help patients with Parkinson’s disease with their brain function, we need to help them with their gut. If they are taking oral medication and they have a dysfunctional gut, they will likely not be absorbing it as well and when we improve their gut health, we see a drop in the need for Sinemet or Carbidopa/Levodopa by up to 30-50%.

15:19  Cholesterol.  Lower levels of cholesterol and taking statins increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease.  Research indicates that total cholesterol should not go lower than 150-175.

18:48  Environmental toxins.  Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a dry cleaning chemical that was also used as a solvent including at Naval shipyards and military bases that is linked with a drastically increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. [Solvent exposures and Parkinson’s disease risk in twins.]  Pesticides and glyphosate can be triggers for Parkinson’s disease.  Mycotoxins from mold may also play a role.  Dr. Duncan likes using Great Plains lab to test for environmental toxins and mycotoxins.  If a patient is 80% deplete in dopamine, they are likely 40-60% deplete in glutathione.  When cells die, like the dopaminergic neurons, they go through apoptosis and they release their toxins, which causes oxidative stress on neighboring cells that leads to progression of the disease. This is one reason why supplementing with glutathione can be helpful. 

23:42  Reactivation of Viral Infections.  Viral infections like Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or Herpes Simplex virus (HSV) can be triggers for Parkinson’s disease. So can Lyme disease.  If you test for EBV you need to make sure to test for EBNA, Epstein-Barrr nuclear antigen, which is more indicative of reactivation than IgG antibodies.

28:57  Lab testing.  Dr. Duncan has a standard lab panel that she runs for most patients with Parkinson’s disease that includes a CBC, a metabolic panel, glucose, insulin, Hemoglobin A1C, fructosamine,