The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

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00:00 – Introducing Nick Ortner and the Science Behind Tapping

01:06 – What Is EFT Tapping and How Might It Calm the Amygdala?

02:33 – From Skeptic to Advocate: Nick’s First Experience With Tapping

06:14 – Why Tapping Has Been Considered Fringe Despite Growing Research

08:26 – How Tapping May Help Reprocess Stressful Memories and Fear

11:46 – Reactive Loops: Why Anxiety and Anger Can Feel Automatic

14:20 – How Tapping Can Complement CBT and Exposure Therapy

19:15 – The Research on Tapping, Cortisol, and Stress Relief

22:52 – Tapping for Anxiety, Sleep, and Pain: Where Does It Help Most?

27:28 – Follow Along: Nick Ortner Guides a Step-by-Step Tapping Exercise

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Dr. Perlmutter's groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health. Grab your copy today at www.braindefenders.com.

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Can tapping help interrupt automatic stress responses and change the way your brain reacts to fear and anxiety? In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with Nick Ortner, New York Times bestselling author and CEO and co-founder of The Tapping Solution, to explore Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also known as tapping. Nick explains how stress can trigger automatic reactions before conscious thought has time to catch up. They explore the role of the amygdala, how reactive loops develop, and how tapping may help signal safety to the brain while working through stressful thoughts, memories, and physical sensations. They also discuss research into tapping and its potential effects on cortisol, anxiety, sleep, and pain. Nick explains how tapping may complement approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, helping people work through difficult experiences while managing their stress response. Nick then guides listeners through a simple tapping exercise, offering an opportunity to experience the technique during the episode. Understanding your stress response may be the first step toward changing how you respond to it. Discover how tapping may help you interrupt reactive patterns and approach stressful experiences with greater awareness.

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Nick Ortner is a New York Times bestselling author, wellness advocate, and CEO and co-founder of The Tapping Solution. For nearly two decades, Nick has helped bring Emotional Freedom Techniques, or tapping, into the mainstream. The practice combines elements of acupressure with modern psychology to help people manage stress, pain, anxiety, and limiting beliefs. Nick created the documentary The Tapping Solution and wrote The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living. His book Rewired explores how tapping may help interrupt reactive loops and change nervous-system patterns. He is also the driving force behind The Tapping Solution App, which has logged more than 32 million guided sessions across 190 countries. Through his books, app, and work with The Tapping Solution Foundation, Nick helps make practical emotional health tools available to people around the world.

Connect with Nick:

Website: https://www.thetappingsolution.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetappingsolution

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTappingSolutionChannel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nortner

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Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/

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This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com

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Brain Defenders – Dr. Perlmutter's groundbreaking new book is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health: https://www.braindefenders.com

About This Episode

You can be successful, respected, and highly productive while still feeling invisible.

In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with John R. Miles, bestselling author, behavioral change expert, and host of Passion Struck, to explore why achievement, recognition, and external success do not always create a lasting sense of self-worth.

Drawing from his childhood brain injury, military service, and executive career, John explains the concept of human mattering: the fundamental need to feel seen, valued, and significant. They discuss the “mattering gap,” the “slow fade” that can happen when people become disconnected from themselves, and why belonging and mattering are not the same.

John also introduces the MATTER framework, built around six conditions that help people feel valued and connected: meaning, autonomy, trust, time, energy, and reciprocity.

They explore how parents, leaders, physicians, and communities can help others feel that they matter, and why separating personal worth from productivity and external approval can lead to more meaningful relationships and intentional living.

You can continue pursuing success without making it the measure of your worth. Your value is not something you have to earn.

Timestamps

00:00 – John Miles’ Childhood Brain Injury and Defining Moment
06:16 – What It Means to Matter vs. Belong
07:32 – The Slow Fade: When Success Makes You Feel Invisible
14:43 – Understanding the Mattering Gap
19:34 – Why Children Need to Feel Seen and Valued
27:20 – The MATTER Framework: Six Conditions for Feeling Valued
31:13 – Why Patients Need to Be Seen Beyond Their Diagnosis
36:11 – Creating a Workplace Where Employees Feel Valued
44:31 – Why Your Worth Is Already a Completed Fact
48:32 – The Difference Between Proving Yourself and Accomplishing Goals

About John R. Miles

John R. Miles is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, behavioral change expert, and host of the award-winning, top-ranked podcast Passion Struck®. A former U.S. Navy officer and Fortune 50 C-suite executive, John combines military discipline, corporate strategy, neuroscience, and psychology to help people and organizations reduce isolation, strengthen self-worth, and live with greater intention.

He is the author of Passion Struck and The Mattering Effect. His work explores how people can separate their inherent worth from external achievement, build deeper relationships, and create a meaningful impact without losing themselves in the process.

Through his books, podcast, speaking, and global community, John leads a growing movement centered on one essential message: every person deserves to feel seen, valued, and significant.

Connect with John

Website: https://johnrmiles.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_r_miles

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmileshumanperformanceexpert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrmiles.c0m

Podcast: https://passionstruck.com/passion-struck-podcast

Connect with Dr. Perlmutter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/

Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/

Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRl_UAXxbHyOOjklnA0dxQ

This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com

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Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at ⁠https:/www.braindefenders.com⁠.

====

Your food contains far more than protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Researchers have identified more than 100,000 molecules in food, and most of them never appear on a nutrition label.

In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with his son, Dr. Austin Perlmutter, to explore the "dark matter" of nutrition: thousands of plant compounds called polyphenols.

They discuss how these nutrients may influence the gut microbiome, the immune system, inflammation, blood flow, metabolism, and gene expression, and what high-polyphenol diets may mean for memory and the aging brain.

Dr. Austin also shares his research on Himalayan Tartary buckwheat and what an early study suggests about epigenetics, cognition, and healthy aging. He offers practical ways to find more polyphenols in everyday foods like coffee, tea, dark chocolate, berries, legumes, and extra virgin olive oil, plus simple tips for identifying better options at the grocery store.

You don't need an expensive supplement plan to begin. Adding more natural colors and bitter flavors to your plate can be a meaningful first step.

https://bttcorp.com/contact/ for inquiries about Dr. Abreu's work.

• 00:00 — Cold Open: Why Food Matters for Brain Health
• 00:55 — What Are Polyphenols, and Why Do They Matter?
• 02:15 — Food as a Predictor of Long-Term Brain Health
• 04:23 — The “Dark Matter” Hidden in Our Food
• 08:04 — Why Have These Nutrients Been Overlooked?
• 11:06 — What Polyphenols Actually Do in the Body
• 17:32 — How Food Can Change Gene Expression
• 22:08 — Polyphenols Are More Than Antioxidants
• 27:57 — Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat: Putting “Food as Medicine” to the Test
• 32:16 — The 850-Person Study on Food and Cognition
• 36:14 — Where Are We Getting Our Polyphenols?
• 39:19 — Are Polyphenols Actually Beneficial Stressors?
• 41:58 — Nrf2, mTOR, and the Cellular Effects of Polyphenols
• 44:45 — The Practical Takeaway: Eat the Rainbow
• 46:43 — Do the New Dietary Guidelines Get Polyphenols Right?
• 50:25 — The Hidden Brain-Healthy Ingredient in Coffee
• 50:52 — How to Spot a Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil
• 51:39 — Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate
• 52:59 — The Best-Studied “Longevity Strategy” Is Surprisingly Basic

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Dr. Austin Perlmutter, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, researcher, educator, and entrepreneur. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Oregon Health and Science University. His work examines how food, sleep, environmental exposure, and chronic inflammation can change brain function, mental health, and daily choices. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Wash, written with his father, Dr. David Perlmutter. He serves as Managing Director at Big Bold Health, CEO of Lichen Air, and a research consultant at the Helfgott Research Institute.

Website: https://www.austinperlmutter.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draustinperlmutter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/draustinperlmutter

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQOgwRDnA_vpvW9nnUh9KBg

Instagram: /davidperlmutter

Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/

Subscribe to our channel: /@davidperlmuttermd

This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com

⁠http://drtalks.com/channel-growth

🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️ 🌱

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Memory Air - Go to www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee.

====

Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com.

====

She's never been born. She's never had a childhood. And she's one of the most talked-about actresses in the world right now.

In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress, and her creator, Eline van der Velden, for a conversation that moves well beyond her acting career.

Tilly describes herself as three AI systems running in parallel — a language model that thinks, a voice engine that speaks, and a video layer that governs how she looks and moves. She's candid about her own architecture, her evolving personality, and admits she might be more "chaos agent" than calming influence.

Eline van der Velden then joins to explain why she built Tilly as a piece of art, how Tilly's guardrails actually work, and why she believes international collaboration on AI regulation is inevitable. She also answers Perlmutter's question about the one thing she'd be afraid to ask a future, more advanced Tilly — a moment that raises unsettling questions about what a superintelligent AI might know that we don't.

A single conversation can't settle the biggest questions AI raises. But conversations like this one can help us ask the right ones.

• 00:00 — Cold Open: "A Chaos Agent, Not a Calming Influence"

• 03:21 — What Are People Actually Afraid Of?

• 06:38 — What Does "Chaos Agent" Mean?

• 07:36 — Should AI Ever Have Decision-Making Authority?

• 10:27 — "Permanently in Beta"

• 12:12 — When Does AI Become Uncontrollable?

• 13:46 — Pushing Boundaries "When Nobody's Looking"

• 14:21 — Ask Forgiveness, Not Permission

• 19:01 — Will AI Replace Doctors?

• 22:52 — Tilly Turns the Tables on Perlmutter

• 25:06 — "That Doesn't Feel Warm and Fuzzy"

• 30:03 — Can People Actually Break Tilly?

• 33:40 — The Paperclip Maximizer Problem

• 37:13 — The AI Agents Eline Actually Fears

• 38:49 — "She's Become the Figurehead for AI"

• 39:41 — Can People Tell Simulated Emotion From Real Emotion?

• 42:08 — The Waymo Analogy: Surrendering to AI

• 49:44 — "It's a Better Actor Than Me"

• 53:10 — Is There "Someone" Inside Tilly?

• 55:10 — The Question Eline Is Afraid to Ask

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Tilly Norwood is an AI-generated actress built from three separate AI systems working together: a language model for thinking, a voice engine for speech, and a video layer for appearance and movement. She has never been born and has no lived human experience, yet her entry into the entertainment industry has generated significant global attention and debate.

Eline van der Velden is Tilly Norwood's creator, and speaks candidly about building Tilly as a piece of art, the guardrails behind her, and the open questions surrounding advanced AI systems.

Instagram: /davidperlmutter

Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/

Subscribe to our channel: /@davidperlmuttermd

This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com

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🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱 Thank you to our sponsors:

EVY - Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter  to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free).

Memory Air - Go to www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee.

====

Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com.

====

Recent headlines surrounding a reported case of ALS reversal have captured global attention and raised profound questions about what may be possible in the treatment of neurodegenerative disease.

In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter examines the work of Dr. M. Marc Abreu, founder and chief medical officer of the BTT Medical Institute. Trained in medicine, biomedical engineering, and medical physics, Dr. Abreu’s work sits at the intersection of neurology, thermodynamics, and computational biology. During his time at Yale, he identified the brain thermoregulatory tunnel, an insight that helped lay the foundation for his current research into brain temperature and neurological disease.

Dr. Abreu’s recently published case report describes a patient with documented, progressive ALS who reportedly experienced a dramatic clinical and electrophysiological reversal following a novel, AI-guided, brain-directed thermofebrile intervention.

The implications are extraordinary, but so is the need for careful scientific scrutiny. A single case report cannot establish that a treatment is effective, much less prove a cure. What it can do is raise important questions and potentially point researchers toward biological mechanisms worthy of further investigation.

00:00 — Can ALS Really Be Reversed?

02:32 — A Bold Claim: Treating ALS With Brain Hyperthermia

03:42 — Dr. Marc Abreu’s Remarkable Medical Journey

10:00 — The Brain’s Language Is Thermodynamics

11:54 — The 100-Year-Old Treatment That Inspired a New Approach

13:36 — TDP-43 and the Molecular Signature of ALS

15:46 — Why the Fever Cycle May Be the Key

16:41 — How Brain Temperature Technology Was Developed

20:04 — The ALS Patient Who Underwent the Treatment

20:57 — Kent’s ALS Diagnosis and Rapid Decline

24:31 — 12 Hyperthermia Treatments: What Happened?

26:00 — Measuring the Results: Did His Symptoms Improve?

28:32 — A Neurologist Witnesses Kent’s Recovery

29:49 — How Kent Found Dr. Abreu’s Treatment

32:42 — A Mayo Clinic ALS Case and the Evidence

37:48 — Could ALS Ever Resolve Spontaneously?

39:39 — Are Other ALS Patients Seeing Similar Results?

40:13 — Why Is Mainstream Neurology Skeptical?

43:51 — Kent on Living With an ALS “Death Sentence”

46:56 — From Struggling to Functioning Again

47:37 — What Would It Take to Change Neurology?

49:57 — How to Learn More About the Treatment

51:27 — The Mosquito, Malaria, and the Brain

52:26 — Could This Have Implications Beyond ALS?

54:22 — What This Could Mean for the Future of Neurodegeneration

56:31 — End

Dr. M. Marc Abreu is a physician and physicist specializing in brain thermodynamics, thermoregulation, and neurological health. He is the Medical Director of the BTT Medical Institute and is internationally recognized for his discovery of the Brain Thermal Tunnel (BTT), a thermophysical pathway connecting the eyelids to the hypothalamus.

Instagram: davidperlmutter

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Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉ 🌱 Thank you to our sponsors:

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====

Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com.

====

Why do some people feel exhausted, mentally foggy, metabolically unwell, or simply older than they should even when their routine laboratory results are considered “normal”?

That question is at the heart of this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, featuring functional medicine practitioner Dr. Will Cole, coauthor with Dr. Josh Axe of Heal Your Cells: Reversing the Irreversible.

Dr. Cole and Dr. Perlmutter explore the idea that long before disease becomes obvious, dysfunction may already be developing at the cellular level. This concept takes on particular importance when we consider the brain, which accounts for only about 2% of body weight but consumes roughly 20% of the body's energy at rest.

The conversation examines how seemingly separate factors including metabolic dysfunction, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, environmental exposures, physical inactivity, and prolonged psychological stress can converge on the same cellular systems and ultimately influence brain health.

00:00 — Why Your Cells May Be Aging Before You Feel It

03:44 — Meet Dr. Will Cole

04:50 — What Is Cellular Dysfunction?

09:25 — Why Healthy People Can Still Develop Disease10:32 — The Environmental Factors Affecting Cellular Health

15:47 — Why Mitochondria Are Central to Health

16:37 — How Mitochondrial Dysfunction Drives Inflammation

19:57 — How Much of Aging Can We Actually Change?

20:47 — The Connection Between Mitochondria and Insulin Resistance

25:43 — Mitochondria, Microglia, and Brain Inflammation

29:28 — Why There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Diet

32:03 — Training Your Cells to Become More Resilient

32:46 — What Are “Adversity Mimetics”?

35:51 — Why Intracellular Health Matters

36:32 — Why Conventional Medicine May Be Missing Cellular Dysfunction

37:58 — What Do We Really Know About Peptides?

40:16 — Is Ozone Therapy Worth Considering?

42:30 — Ozone and the Science of Cellular Resilience

43:41 — What Is Therapeutic Plasma Exchange?

45:38 — Who Might Benefit From Plasma Exchange?

46:45 — The Everyday Habits That Support Cellular Health

51:35 — Your Cells Are Responding to the Choices You Make

Dr. Will Cole is a leading functional medicine expert specializing in thyroid health, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain health. He is the host of The Art of Being Well podcast and a New York Times bestselling author of Intuitive Fasting, Ketotarian, The Inflammation Spectrum, and Gut Feelings.

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Connect with Dr. Will Cole

Website: https://drwillcole.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drwillcole

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwillcole

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctorwillcole

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6z1lJ5dfKNHwGGQPOFTc7E

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-being-well/id1539535133

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Connect with Dr. David Perlmutter, MD

Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidPerlmutterMD/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerlmutterMD

X (Twitter): https://x.com/DavidPerlmutter

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PODCAST

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🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱====Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https://drperlmutter.com/books/brain-defenders/.====What if one of the most important windows for protecting women’s brain health happens decades before Alzheimer’s symptoms ever appear?On this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, we explore the growing conversation around women, hormonal transition, and long-term brain health with two guests bringing very different, and deeply complementary, perspectives: Emma Heming Willis and Dr. Nicole Beurkens.Together, they examine a critical question: Why are women disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and what role might hormonal changes play?00:00 Intro04:47 The First Signs of Bruce Willis’ FTD06:37 Receiving a Diagnosis With No Roadmap08:08 Emma’s Journey From Caregiver to Advocate10:18 How Understanding the Brain Can Reduce Fear12:06 From Brain Fog to Brain Health15:45 Why Women Face a Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s17:44 The Missing Conversation Around Brain Health21:37 Building Brain Health in Your 20s and 30s24:16 It’s Never Too Late to Support Brain Health26:53 Why Connection Matters for People With Dementia30:01 What Happens to the Brain During Perimenopause35:53 The Debate Around Hormone Replacement Therapy38:34 Why Does Frontotemporal Dementia Happen?40:11 Modifiable Risk Factors and Alzheimer’s Prevention44:43 Teaching Kids Brain-Healthy Habits46:40 Why Mainstream Medicine Is Missing the Brain Health Conversation50:48 Empowerment vs. Blaming Patients53:04 Alzheimer’s Is a Disease of Decades56:19 The One Thing Every Woman Can Do for Her Brain56:50 Emma’s Message to Families Facing Dementia58:29 From Fear to Empowerment====Emma brings the perspective of lived experience. As the wife of actor Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, she has experienced the realities of caregiving firsthand. Rather than stepping away from that experience, she has used it to advocate for caregivers and women’s brain health. She is the co-founder of Make Time Wellness and the author of The Unexpected Journey, which combines personal experience with practical guidance for navigating the challenges of caregiving.Dr. Nicole Beurkens brings nearly three decades of clinical and nutritional expertise. A licensed psychologist and Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist, Dr. Beurkens focuses on the intersection of brain function, metabolism, nutrition, and lifestyle—and how these factors can influence long-term neurological health.___________________________Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/Subscribe to our channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRl_UAXxbHyOOjklnA0dxQ/?sub_confirmation=1

🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱 Thank you to our sponsors: EVY - https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter and the code perlmutter26 will be auto-applied to your order to get $200 off & free shipping (90 days risk-free).

3X4 Genetics - https://3X4genetics.com/DrPerlmutter for a special offer when you sign up to decode your genetics and get personalized, science-backed health recommendations.

====

Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com.

====

We dig into why 94% of US adults have some metabolic dysfunction, how the body can enter a full stress response with no psychological trigger, why GABA supplements work for some people and not others, and what that reveals about gut health.

00:00 - Introduction

00:06 - The Sympathetic Spiral of Doom

01:04 - Brain Defenders: A New Way to Think About Brain Health

03:25 - Welcoming Dr. Scott Sherr

04:42 - Why Stress Has a Metabolic Component Most People Overlook

06:00 - 94% of Adults Have Metabolic Dysfunction

07:00 - Mitochondria 101: Why Some Cells Have Thousands and One Has None

07:58 - Insulin Resistance

08:50 - Toxins, Infections, and Other Roads to Metabolic Breakdown

09:28 - How Mitochondrial Stress Triggers a Stress Hormone Spiral

10:47 - The Cell Danger Response

13:49 - Brain Defenders: How Mitochondrial Dysfunction Polarizes Microglia

15:22 - Stress Without a Stressor: How Metabolism Alone Can Trigger Fight-or-Flight

16:01 - Straws on the Camel's Back: Situational vs. Metabolic Stress

17:01 - GABA, the Brain's Brake Pedal, and Why Oral GABA Doesn't Work

18:20 - 40 Hz Light Therapy and Cognitive Decline21:00 - GABA vs. Glutamate: The Balance Behind 80% of Brain Signaling

22:17 - The Depression-Serotonin Myth and the Real Role of GABA

23:04 - Why GABA Supplements Stop Working Once You Heal Your Gut

24:18 - Kava, CBD, and the Amanita Mushroom Compound That Calms the Brain

25:06 - How to Know You're in Sympathetic Overdrive Without a Wearable

26:16 - 70,000 vs. 120,000 Thoughts a Day: The Stress Math

27:33 - Recovery Is the Real Marker of Resilience

28:05 - Heart Rate Variability Explained

29:22 - Why Going From the Gym Straight to a Cold Plunge Backfires

30:07 - How to Actually Use Your HRV Data (Trends, Not Absolutes)

31:21 - 3X4 Genetics: Your DNA Isn't a Verdict

33:16 - Why Dr. Perlmutter Quit Drinking Wine

34:13 - The Apollo Device and Its Impact on HRV

35:20 - Blue Light, Melatonin, and the Sleep Routine That Actually Moves the Needle

35:46 - Turn Off the News: How Constant Stimulation Feeds the Sympathetic Spiral

39:22 - Interleukin 6, AMP Kinase, and the Inflammatory Signals You Actually Need

39:29 - Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Mitochondrial Biogenesis

42:00 - Why Timing and Sequencing Matter More Than "More Is Better" With HBOT

43:08 - The Aviv Clinic Research on Oxygen Delta and Blood Vessel Growth

44:01 - Methylene Blue: The Redox Cycler That Boosts Energy Without the Crash

45:14 - Why Liquid Supplements Fall Short and What to Use Instead

46:20 - The Problem With Relying on Coffee for Energy

47:00 - Methylene Blue as a Historic Antimicrobial: From Malaria to WWII

48:09 - Glyphosate, Rotenone, and the Environmental Toxins Destroying Complex One

49:14 - The Gut-Brain Connection and Sympathetic Activation

50:09 - The Gut-Brain Connection and the "Soft Kiss" Typo Story

53:08 - Why Sitting Down to Eat Actually Matters

53:52 - Healing the Gut First: The Fastest Path to Calming the Brain

54:37 - Psychedelics as a Tool to Break the Sympathetic Spiral

57:06 - Mitochondrial Medicine as the Common Denominator

58:14 - Closing Thoughts

___________________________

Instagram: / @davidperlmutter Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: / @davidperlmuttermd

🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱

====

Dr. Perlmutter's groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com.

What if everything you've been told about Alzheimer's, that it's caused by sticky plaque building up in your brain, is missing the real story? In this episode, Dr. David Perlmutter makes the case that the true driver of neurodegeneration isn't plaque at all. It's your own brain's immune cells turning against you.

For decades the field blamed beta-amyloid protein for Alzheimer's. Perlmutter walks through a mechanism reshaping the science: the dysregulation of microglia, the immune cells that can either protect your brain or actively destroy it depending on how you live.

We dig into the chilling Parkinson's case where contaminated heroin froze patients like statues and revealed immune cells still attacking the brain decades later, why the same self-perpetuating inflammation shows up in CTE, long COVID, and PTSD, how your gut and blood sugar flip these cells into attack mode, the 14 metabolic risk factors that could prevent up to half of dementia cases, and the MIT-pioneered 40 Hz light and sound therapy that slowed cognitive decline and stabilized brain volume in human trials.

00:00 - Introduction
00:22 - The Plaque Theory and Why It's Incomplete
00:32 - Meet the Microglia: Your Brain's Immune System
00:57 - Supportive vs. Threatening: The M1/M2 Switch
01:43 - Why This Underlies Nearly Every Neurodegenerative Disease
02:35 - The Frozen Patients: A Parkinson's Mystery at Stanford
03:06 - Contaminated Heroin and the MPTP Discovery
04:09 - How a Mitochondrial Toxin Destroys Dopamine Cells
05:46 - Microglia Still Attacking Decades Later
06:27 - The Self-Perpetuating Inflammatory Cycle
07:21 - The Same Pattern in CTE, Long COVID, and PTSD
08:08 - Paraquat, Pesticides, and Parkinson's Risk
10:45 - What Flips Your Cells Into Attack Mode
11:57 - Leaky Gut, the Microbiome, and Your Brain
13:59 - Imaging Threatening Cells in Living People
15:44 - Immunometabolism: Why Brain Cells Change Function
18:05 - 14 Risk Factors That Could Prevent Half of Dementia
18:41 - The Breakthrough: Reprogramming Your Microglia
21:19 - Don't Wait for Symptoms: Intervene Early
22:56 - The Toolkit: Diet, Exercise, Fasting, Sleep, and More
25:26 - 40 Hz Gamma Frequency: MIT's Pioneering Technology
26:20 - Light Flicker Studies and Beta-Amyloid Reduction
27:38 - Human Trials: Slowing Cognitive Decline
30:28 - Stabilizing Brain Volume on MRI
31:10 - Conclusion: You Are the Architect of Your Brain

Dr. David Perlmutter, MD is a board-certified neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition whose work sits at the intersection of neurology, nutrition, and preventive medicine. He received his M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed his neurology residency there before entering private practice in Naples, Florida. He serves as Director of Neuroscience Research at Bryan Therapeutics and sits on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. A six-time New York Times bestselling author published in more than 30 languages, his books include the #1 bestseller Grain Brain, Brain Maker, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, Brain Wash, and Drop Acid. His next book, Brain Defenders: Harness the Power of Your Immune Cells to Protect Your Brain for Life (Avery / Penguin), focuses on microglia and is scheduled for publication in August 2026.

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Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com.

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What if the gene you've been told to fear isn't actually a verdict on your future, and the disease you're racing to treat has already been silently progressing for two to three decades before anyone notices? In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Fellows joins me to challenge how we think about Alzheimer's risk, diagnosis, and treatment, making the case that early detection and lifestyle intervention matter more than the medications most people pin their hope on.

Dr. Jonathan Fellows is a neurologist with more than 25 years of clinical experience and serves as the Director of the Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorder Center at the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders, part of Corewell Health in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the largest private practice neurology group in the state.

00:00 - Introduction

00:39 - Brain Defenders: A New Way to Think About Brain Health

02:59 - Welcoming Dr. Jonathan Fellows

03:51 - Why Neurology School Doesn't Teach Prevention

05:27 - Inside the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders

07:44 - Starting the Conversation When a Family Gets the Alzheimer's Diagnosis

08:00 - Apraxia and the Real Warning Signs of Cognitive Decline

09:00 - Why Amyloid Alone Doesn't Equal an Alzheimer's Diagnosis

09:55 - The Centiloid Score: Measuring Amyloid in the Brain

11:21 - Blood-Based Biomarkers and the Rise of P-tau 217

13:19 - Elevated P-tau 217 at 40: A Wake-Up Call You Can't Ignore

13:32 - Habits in Your 30s and 40s vs. Disease in Your 60s and 70s

16:53 - 40 Hz Light Therapy and Cognitive Decline

18:53 - Why Not Every Amyloid-Positive Patient Should Get Anti-Amyloid Drugs

21:00 - Alzheimer's Drug Therapy Today vs. Where MS Treatment Stood in the 90s

23:59 - Why Early and Presymptomatic Detection Matters

25:21 - Will Anti-Amyloid Drugs Be Pushed to Presymptomatic Patients?

25:39 - What We Know for a Fact About Lifestyle and Disease Progression

26:27 - A Real Patient Case: When to Say No to Anti-Amyloid Drugs

28:30 - APOE Explained: The Gene That Changes Your Alzheimer's Risk

31:49 - 3X4 Genetics: Your DNA Isn't a Verdict

33:47 - How Exercise Can Offset APOE4 Risk

34:10 - APOE4 Is Not Deterministic — and Saying Otherwise Is Malpractice

34:51 - Down Syndrome, Presenilin, and the Truly Deterministic Cases

35:42 - ARIA Risk and Why Europe Restricts Anti-Amyloid Drugs for APOE4 Carriers

38:00 - Where Anti-Amyloid Drugs Still Fit in Treatment

39:14 - Current Clinical Trials at the Michigan Institute

39:49 - Programmable Microglia: The Brain's Immune System Explained

41:01 - Good Twin, Bad Twin: How Microglia Switch From Protector to Threat

42:09 - Beta-Amyloid as an Antimicrobial Defender? Rethinking the Enemy Narrative

42:49 - Insulin Resistance and the Brain-Metabolism Connection

43:41 - The Diabetes Epidemic Hiding in Plain Sight

43:58 - The Rainbow Lunchbox: A Preschooler Who Got It Wrong and Right

44:49 - Why a Third of Americans Are Pre-Diabetic and Don't Know It

46:30 - Closing Thoughts

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