🧠 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.

====

Loneliness is no longer a private struggle, it’s a public-health issue that we’ve discussed quite a bit in my recent books. Research increasingly links social isolation to cognitive decline, depression, cardiovascular disease, and shortened lifespan. Yet despite these findings, we rarely explore how to build and sustain meaningful connection in a modern world designed for distraction.

That’s why I invited Barnet Bain to join me on The Empowering Neurologist podcast.

Barnet is a filmmaker, author, and educator whose work bridges psychology, spirituality, and lived human experience. You may recognize his work from films such as What Dreams May Come or Milton’s Secret, but his newest contribution may be his most relevant yet.

His book, How to Be a Friend (In an Unfriendly World), is not about social performance or personality traits. It’s about safety, presence, listening, and emotional responsibility, qualities that directly influence nervous-system regulation and mental health.

What makes this work especially important is that it reframes friendship as a skill set rather than a personality trait. Bain shows how fear, shame, unresolved trauma, and cultural conditioning quietly erode our relationships, and how conscious awareness can restore them.

From a neurological perspective, this matters deeply. The brain is a social organ. Connection shapes stress responses, inflammation, cognition, and emotional regulation. Friendship isn’t a luxury, it’s foundational.

This conversation isn’t about having more friends. It’s about being a better one. To others. And to yourself. In a world that feels increasingly fast, cold, and fragmented, this is a conversation worth having.

====

00:00 Intro

02:58 Why Friendship Matters for Health and Resilience

06:24 From Columbia to the Practice of Presence

10:41 Friendship as Non-Transactional Love

14:20 The Childhood Stories That Shape the Self

21:39 Ad: Optoceutics

23:39 Projection, Parenting, and Conditional Love

30:08 Friendship as a Crucible for Self-Awareness

35:42 Why Connection Feels Harder in Modern Life

39:03 Safety, Self-Knowledge, and the Ground of Friendship

41:34 Ad: 3X4 Genetics

44:34 Boundaries, Values, and the Meaning of Honor

49:16 Friendship, Self-Forgiveness, and Inner Change

56:25 Presence as the Greatest Gift

58:34 Why Feeling Is Harder Than Doing

====

Barnet Bain is a Canadian filmmaker, author, and educator. His film credits include “Milton’s Secret” (director, writer), Oscar winner “What Dreams May Come” (producer), Emmy Award nominee for Outstanding TV Movie “Homeless to Harvard” (executive producer), “The Celestine Prophecy” (writer, producer), and “Jesus,” translated into more than 2,245 languages and often cited as the most widely seen film in history by The New York Times.

___________________________

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.

====

On this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, I spend time with Dr. Trisha Pasricha, gastroenterologist and author of the provocative and important new book, You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong. Yes, the title makes you smile, but the science inside should make all of us pay attention.

Dr. Pasricha is part of a new generation of neurogastroenterologists exploring one of the most fascinating frontiers in medicine: the deep, bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut. Raised as the daughter of renowned gastroenterologist Dr. Pankaj “Jay” Pasricha and trained at Johns Hopkins, she brings both personal insight and rigorous science to a topic that too often lives in the shadows.

What makes this book so important is that it dismantles myths we’ve carried since childhood. For example, at one point in the book she describes how students taking an oral exam nearly doubled their intestinal permeability, simply from psychological stress. That single experiment powerfully illustrates how the brain can alter gut biology in real time.

And in another unforgettable section, she shares her early research showing that when subjects lied, their stomach’s electrical rhythm shifted into chaos, an arrhythmic pattern detectable on electrogastrogram. The stomach as a lie detector! That’s not just fascinating, it underscores how emotionally and neurologically integrated our digestive system truly is.

====

00:00 Intro

03:05 Why We Need to Talk About Pooping

07:17 The Stigma Around Bowel Symptoms

09:31 Why Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Is Rising

12:11 Should Screening Start Earlier?

14:59 Colonoscopy vs. Stool and Blood Tests

18:34 Ad: Optoceutics

20:35 Why Colonoscopy Still Matters Most

31:00 What “Leaky Gut” Really Means

34:42 What Worsens Intestinal Permeability

36:10 Ad: 3X4 Genetics

38:09 Gut Permeability, Inflammation, and Brain Disease

48:45 Could Fecal Transplants Help Parkinson’s?

56:52 The Different Causes of Constipation

1:02:23 The Myth of One Bowel Movement a Day

1:05:42 Final Takeaways on Gut and Brain Health

=====

Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH is an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the “Ask A Doctor” columnist for The Washington Post where she translates complex medical topics into must-read insights—with a touch of humor—for millions each week. A graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Pasricha earned her medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her training includes an internal medicine residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and gastroenterology and motility fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital. Currently, Dr. Pasricha serves as director of the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, leading an NIH-funded research laboratory at the forefront of gut-brain science. Her work has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Network Open, and Nature Reviews.

___________________________

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.

====

00:00 Intro

01:06 The Promise of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

05:16 Why Psychedelics Faced Decades of Pushback

09:40 Psychedelic Therapy Requires Guidance

11:27 The Failure of the “Pill Fixes Everything” Model

15:31 Risks of Unregulated Psychedelic Retreats

24:20 Psychedelics Within Integrative Medicine

25:30 Ad: Optoceutics

27:31 What “Integration” Really Means

30:08 Why Psychiatry Still Resists Psychedelics

38:52 Why Lifestyle Still Matters After Therapy

41:45 Psychedelics and Addiction Treatment

50:50 Microdosing vs Full Therapeutic Doses

53:52 Ad: 3X4 Genetics

57:28 The Rise of Ketamine Clinics

1:00:54 Ibogaine: Risks, Duration, and Safety

1:04:50 Final Thoughts on Psychedelic Responsibility

====

Will Van Derveer, MD is a psychiatrist and author of Psychedelic Therapy: Restore Your Mental Health and Reclaim Your Life which will be published by ShambhalaPublications in the Spring of 2026.

He is co-founder of Integrative Psychiatry Institute, which has provided comprehensive training for 2500 mental health professionals in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy several thousand professionals in other continuing education programs.

He is medical director of Integrative Psychiatry Center of Boulder, CO, providingintegrative psychiatry for a broad range of conditions and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD.

In addition to his clinical practice and teaching, he has staffed clinical trials sponsoredby MAPS, investigating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD.

Dr. Van Derveer is co-host of the Higher Practice Podcast, where he explores what it takes to achieve optimal mental 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).

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil - https://www.getfresh389.com

For a complimentary bottle of one of the greatest olive oils I've ever discovered.

3x4 Genetics - http://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.

====

00:00 Intro

04:49 Andrew Koutnik’s Story Obesity Type 1 Diabetes and Metabolism

09:44 Ketogenic Diets and Type 1 Diabetes

20:15 Sponsor Break - Optoceutics

21:28 Why This Goes Far Beyond Type 1 Diabetes

26:59 Why Low Carb Diabetes Care Was Abandoned

31:49 Ketosis vs Diabetic Ketoacidosis

35:10 Sponsor Break - Fresh Pressed Olive Oil

37:04 How to Measure Ketone Levels

39:13 Are Breath Ketone Tests Reliable

40:15 What Beta Hydroxybutyrate Actually Does

42:39 Exogenous Ketones and High Altitude Performance

45:49 Sponsor Break - 3X4 Genetics

48:33 MCT Oil and Ketone Production

52:52 The Carb Loading Myth in Sports Performance

1:00:06 Metabolic Flexibility and Keto Adaptation

1:03:17 Rethinking Hypoglycemia in Keto Adapted Athletes

1:07:19 How Carbohydrates Shut Down Fat Burning

1:09:58 Body Fat vs Glycogen as Fuel

1:14:34 What This Means for Endurance Athletes

1:16:17 Fat Metabolism as a Survival Mechanism

1:18:09 The New USDA Dietary Guidelines

1:20:46 Ultra Processed Food and Alzheimer’s Risk

1:22:40 Final Thoughts on Metabolic Flexibility

====

Dr. Andrew Koutnik is a research scientist focused on how nutrition, metabolism, and lifestyle can optimize human health, performance, and resilience. Living with type 1 diabetes for over 17 years, his work bridges personal experience with cutting-edge science across chronic disease and extreme environments.

He earned his PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of South Florida and has led research funded by organizations including NASA, the Department of Defense, and the NIH, contributing to over 100 scientific publications and presentations. His work spans exercise physiology, cardiometabolic health, and therapeutic nutrition.

At Florida State University, Dr. Koutnik studies dietary strategies for diabetes, obesity, and performance under metabolic stress, collaborating with leading institutions worldwide. His mission is to advance evidence-based approaches that empower individuals to improve metabolic health and performance.

___________________________

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).

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil - https://www.getfresh389.com

For a complimentary bottle of one of the greatest olive oils I've ever discovered.

3x4 Genetics - http://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.

====

If you’ve followed my work for any length of time, you know that one of the central themes we return to on The Empowering Neurologist is this: your brain is far more adaptable, resilient, and improvable than conventional wisdom ever allowed us to believe.

This week, I’m thrilled to share a conversation with someone who has spent more than three decades proving exactly that. Dr. Majid Fotuhi, neurologist, neuroscientist, Harvard- and Johns Hopkins-trained physician, and now author of the new book The Invincible Brain, has dedicated his career to helping people reclaim their cognitive potential. His message aligns powerfully with the philosophy behind my upcoming book, Brain Defenders: that the trajectory of your brain is not predetermined, and that meaningful change is possible at any age.

In our interview, we explore the groundbreaking ideas that shaped The Invincible Brain. Dr. Fotuhi lays out why intelligence is not fixed, how memory can be strengthened through surprisingly simple practices, and why Alzheimer’s disease is not the single, linear condition we once imagined, but rather a complex “soup” of abnormalities with multiple entry points for intervention.

====

00:00 Intro

01:44 Choices influencing brain trajectory and resilience

04:25 Redefining intelligence beyond IQ

08:20 Synergy of memory and habit change

13:09 Challenging genetic determinism with epigenetics

18:00 Ad Break: Optoceutics

20:23 Alzheimer's as a metabolic and inflammatory soup

29:45 Ad Break: Fresh Pressed Olive Oil

38:04 Exercise and metabolism in brain health

43:45 Ad Break: 3x4 Genetics

49:38 Brain training and five pillars of brain health

54:55 Mindset as key to becoming a superager

====

Dr. Majid Fotuhi earned his PhD in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University in 1992 and his Medical Degree from Harvard Medical School in 1997. Currently, he serves as an adjunct professor at the Mind/Brain Institute at Johns Hopkins University, while also teaching at George Washington University and Harvard Medical School. With 37 years of experience in teaching, clinical practice, and neuroscience research, Dr. Fotuhi has pioneered a multidisciplinary approach to enhancing brain vitality and cognitive performance at any age.

His groundbreaking “Brain Fitness Program” combines a comprehensive baseline “Brain Portfolio” assessment with 12 bi-weekly brain training sessions. This program targets lifestyle optimization and cognitive stimulation to improve memory, focus, and overall brain health. Dr. Fotuhi’s program has delivered measurable success for patients dealing with memory loss due to aging, concussions, and ADHD, as documented in several peer-reviewed journals.

___________________________

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).

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil - https://www.getfresh389.com

For a complimentary bottle of one of the greatest olive oils I've ever discovered.

3x4 Genetics - http://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.

====

On this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, I’m joined by Dr. Sarah Marzi, a neuroscientist at King’s College London and a principal investigator at the UK Dementia Research Institute, whose work is transforming how we understand neurodegenerative disease risk.

Dr. Marzi’s research focuses on gene regulation in the human brain, particularly within microglia, the immune cells that orchestrate inflammation, synaptic pruning, and repair. Her studies show that genetic risk for diseases like Alzheimer’s is concentrated not in protein-coding genes, but in regulatory regions of the genome, epigenetic switches that control immune behavior in the brain.

This conversation with Dr. Marzi is not just about disease. It’s about agency. Understanding epigenetics helps explain how lifestyle, environment, and immune balance can influence brain destiny. It’s science that empowers prevention, resilience, and hope.

====

00:00 Intro

03:12 Epigenetics and Neurodegenerative Disease

04:49 Why Alzheimer’s Is Not a Single Gene Disorder

09:18 Protein Aggregation and Brain Cleanup Failure

10:55 Microglia vs Neurons in Alzheimer’s

19:04 Blood Brain Barrier and Inflammatory Signaling

20:39 ApoE Genetics Explained

23:37 Human Microglia Transplanted Into Mouse Brain

30:02 Vitamin D Receptor and Protective Gene Programs

38:18 Environmental Toxins and Parkinson’s

44:59 C1q Activation and Synapse Loss

49:33 Why Substantia Nigra Is Uniquely Vulnerable

51:39 Paraquat, Mitochondria and Converging Toxic Pathways

53:00 Epigenetic Memory of Toxic Exposure

54:09 Histones and Gene Regulation in Alzheimer’s

57:41 Oligodendrocytes as a Hidden Player

59:32 Why Single Target Drugs May Fail

01:02:10 Detecting Disease Through Blood and Machine Learning

01:04:41 Can Lifestyle Modify Epigenetics

====

Dr Sarah Marzi is a Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience at King’s College London and a Group Leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute. Her work focuses on how our genes and environment change cellular processes in the brain and can predispose us to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease.

An expert in epigenetics – the chemical switches that turn genes on and off – Dr Marzi uses cuttingedge genomic techniques on human brain tissue as well as cell and animal models. Her team combines these experiments with advanced statistics, bioinformatics and AI to map the earliest molecular changes that make brain cells vulnerable to disease, particularly in immune cells of the brain called microglia. This work aims to reveal how both genetic variants and environmental exposures, including pesticides, contribute to disease risk and to uncover new avenues for therapy.

___________________________

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).

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil - https://www.getfresh389.com

For a complimentary bottle of one of the greatest olive oils I've ever discovered.

3x4 Genetics - http://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.

====

On this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, I sit down with one of the most influential voices in modern nutrition and women’s health, Rachel Swanson, MS, RD, LDN. Her new book, Trying! A Science-Based Plan to Optimize Your Fertility, is poised to reshape how we think about fertility, moving it out of the narrow confines of hormone-focused conversations and into the broader landscape of systems biology, metabolism, environmental exposure, and cellular health.

Swanson’s work begins with a powerful premise: fertility is not a mystery, and it’s certainly not something women should feel powerless about. Instead, she argues, fertility is a measurable, improvable expression of whole-body health. And her book provides the first integrated blueprint to understand and support that health.

The conversation starts with the microbiome, which Swanson calls the “mission control headquarters” of fertility. Who knew that our gut bacteria were playing an important role in determining fertility? Drawing from her book, she describes how the gut, vaginal, and even oral microbiomes create the biochemical environment that influences hormone balance, inflammation, implantation, egg quality, and partner sperm health.

What makes this book, and this podcast episode, so compelling and empowering is Rachel’s rare combination of scientific precision and heartfelt dedication to women’s autonomy. She refuses to oversimplify fertility into quick fixes or fad-driven advice. Instead, she offers deeply practical strategies rooted in peer-reviewed research and years of high-level clinical practice.

====

00:00 Intro - Rachel Swanson04:38 Fertility as Whole-Body Health11:37 Metabolic Health Comes Too Late18:48 Ad - EVY21:17 The Microbiome as a Foundation of Health27:28 PCOS Is a Metabolic Disease, Not Just Hormonal35:15 Ad - Fresh Pressed Olive Oil37:07 Menstrual Products and the Vaginal Microbiome40:41 Inflammation and Metabolism Drive Fertility49:06 Ad - 3x4 Genetics50:26 Personalized Fertility Over One-Size-Fits-All56:16 Closing Thoughts

====

Rachel Swanson, MS, RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian and one of America’s most sought-after nutritionists, known for optimizing human performance through science-backed, personalized care. Her clients include celebrities, professional athletes, and Fortune 500 executives who trust her expertise in concierge medicine and private practice.

Rachel is a highly principled, intellectually rigorous, and passionately empowering expert, whose communication and sentiment are consistently driven by a profound conviction in her book's unique, holistic framework as the transformative solution to outdated and fragmented fertility advice, reflecting a deep commitment to women's health and autonomy.

___________________________

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).

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil - https://www.getfresh389.com

For a complimentary bottle of one of the greatest olive oils I've ever discovered.

3x4 Genetics - http://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.

====

Gene therapy is no longer a distant promise, it is rapidly becoming one of the most disruptive technologies in medicine. And few figures embody the urgency, controversy, and pioneering spirit of this field more than Elizabeth Parrish, CEO of BioViva and widely recognized as the world's first self- engineered "GMO human."

In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, we dive deep into her bold vision to treat aging not as an inevitable decline, but as a disease that can be targeted, modified, and potentially reversed. Again, treating aging as a disease.

Her journey into genetics began with a simple but profound realization: the diseases that kill most of us, including Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and overall frailty, are rooted in the biology of aging itself. Instead of waiting for late-stage decline, she argues that medicine should intervene upstream, correcting the genomic and cellular faults that accumulate over time. This perspective led her to take an extraordinary step: undergoing experimental gene therapy on herself in 2015, outside traditional regulatory frameworks.

====

0:00 Intro

3:16 Treating Aging as a Disease

12:16 Launching a Radical Biotech Company

15:49 Why Telomere Length Mattered Most

18:51 Fear at the Edge of Experimentation

24:19 Ad: Optoceutics

26:08 Alpha-Klotho, The Longevity Gene

30:02 Why Alzheimer’s Still Has No Cure

32:21 Mitochondria at the Center of Brain Health

36:04 Ad: Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club

39:04 Keeping PGC-1 Alpha Switched On

42:43 Tracking Telomere Length Year After Year

47:11 Ad: 3x4 Genetics

48:37 Myokines and Whole-Body Health

51:48 Glutathione Deficiency and Neurodegeneration

1:00:20 Closing Thoughts

====

Elizabeth (Liz) Parrish, MBA, is the Founder and CEO of BioViva Sciences USA Inc., a pioneering biotechnology company committed to extending healthy human lifespan through advanced gene therapies. Under her leadership, BioViva is developing next-generation combinatorial gene treatments powered by its proprietary CMV delivery platform, positioning the company at the forefront of therapeutic innovation.

An accomplished entrepreneur, author, and visionary thinker, Liz is one of the leading global voices behind the Best Choice Medicine (BCM) initiative—a regulatory framework aimed at accelerating access to genetic therapies worldwide. She is deeply involved in international scientific education and has delivered keynote talks at major conferences and institutions, including WIRED, TEDx, and numerous other high-profile venues.

https://www.instagram.com/lizlparrish/?hl=en

https://bioviva-science.com/

___________________________

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 Use code perlmutter26 to save $200 & get free shipping on EVY (90 days risk-free).

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil - https://www.getfresh389.com For a complimentary bottle of one of the greatest olive oils I've ever discovered.

====

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.

====

In this week’s episode of The Empowering Neurologist, I sit down with registered dietitian, personalized-nutrition pioneer, and longtime friend, Ashley Koff, RD, to explore what may be one of the most misunderstood areas in all of health: weight, metabolism, and the pursuit of sustainable well-being. As the founder of The Better Nutrition Program, Nutrition Course Director at UC Irvine’s Integrative Health Institute, and faculty member at IFNA, Ashley brings a depth of clinical and practical insight that few can match.

Her new book, Your Best Shot,  tackles one of the most talked-about questions of our time: Is the GLP-1 shot your best shot—or not? But this is far from a book about medications. Instead, Ashley reframes the entire conversation around personalization, body-ecosystem thinking, and the liberating shift from perfectionism to her signature philosophy: better, not perfect.

In our conversation, Ashley explains why most people aren’t struggling with a lack of knowledge, but rather an overwhelming flood of it, something she calls “INFObesity.” She discusses the Switch Framework she developed to help individuals identify the key metabolic levers that matter most for them, and she shares compelling patient stories that demonstrate how real transformation happens when we align nutrition and lifestyle choices with our unique biology.

What emerges is a far more hopeful, empowering narrative about weight-health, one that acknowledges the complexity of modern life while giving us practical tools to navigate it.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated or confused by the conflicting messages around diet, GLP-1 medications, metabolism, or weight-loss strategies, this episode is an essential listen. It offers clarity, compassion, and a science-based path toward truly optimal health.

====

0:00 Intro

3:39 Misinformation in the world of weight loss

8:28 Calories in vs calories out

12:52 The importance of satiety related hormones

18:10 The experiment of GLP-1

24:49 Ad: Optoceutics

26:37 GLP-1 agonist drugs and the brain

37:16 Ad: Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club

40:27 GLP-1 and mental health

50:02 Disconnect between food policy and obesity solutions

55:09 Conclusion

====

Ashley Koff, RD is the founder of The Better Nutrition Program (BNP), the Nutrition Course Director for UC Irvine’s Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute's Integrative and Functional Medicine Fellowship, and a faculty member at the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy (IFNA), where she teaches “An Integrative and Functional Nutrition Approach to Obesity and Weight Management.”

She is also the author of the upcoming book, Your Best Shot (Harper One, January 6, 2026). A practitioner for over 25 years, Koff is leading a transformative movement in personalized nutrition, turning “better, not perfect” choices into practical, sustainable strategies that deliver real health outcomes.

Through patient stories and personal experience, she shows that optimal health is not just possible—it’s essential to living your fullest life. Koff has been recognized as one of CNN’s Top 100 Health Makers, featured in InStyle as “Hollywood’s Leading Dietitian,” and has been selected as Westin’s Global Nutrition Ambassador.

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

Today on The Empowering Neurologist podcast we are going to explore PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, a pervasive issue that can be profoundly debilitating. PTSD is experienced by about 6% of the US population at some point in their lifetime and at any given time approximately 5% of American adults are living with this disorder. Certainly, we see high risk and veterans with PTSD affecting about 11 to 20% of veterans who served in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Vietnam veterans experience a lifetime prevalence somewhere in the neighborhood of 30%. PTSD symptoms usually begin within three months of a traumatic event, but can actually surface many years later making the diagnosis and the relationship to a traumatic event challenging. In about 1/3 of cases, PTSD becomes chronic and can last for years or even decades.

We know that there are significant comorbidities associated with PTSD, including other mental health conditions like depression or anxiety disorder, substance use disorders, and even cognitive decline.

While cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, and pharmaceutical intervention are the “go to” treatments for this problem, hyperbaric oxygen therapy presents us with a new and emerging therapy now receiving global recognition. We will review research on this podcast demonstrating the profound effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen in treating PTSD, research that makes it clear that this is one of the most powerful interventions ever developed for treating this challenging disorder.

We will visit the Aviv Clinic in Central Florida, and spend time with Dr. Mohammad Elamir.

====

0:00 Intro

4:55 Why Hyperbaric Works for PTSD Patients

8:44 Evaluating patients with PTSD

12:30 How the Protocol Was Chosen & Implemented 

16:40 Potential Side Effects 

18:00 Youngest People Treated with This

19:32 Combining Therapy Modalities for PTSD

20:14 Other Conditions that Can Be Helped By This

22:04 Amazing Results From These Studies

24:06 Using this with Our Military 

26:00 Getting to the Root Problems 

26:48 Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries 

28:54 Why This Isn’t More Widely Being Offered 

29:49 The Right Formula for This

32:55 Get Involved Today

====

Dr. Mohammed Elamir, or “Dr. Mo”to his patients, has been part of the Aviv Clinics team in The Villages since the clinic opened in 2020. As lead physician, he oversees the medical treatment for all clients in the Aviv Medical Program, collaborating with other members of Aviv’s clinical team to provide truly comprehensive care. As a presenter, his seminars often sell out, thanks in part to his ability to translate complex scientific concepts and data into easily-relatable language. 

Prior to joining Aviv Clinics, Dr. Elamir practiced internal medicine at the MM Jersey Breathing Center while also owning a medical spa in New Jersey. He completed his internal medicine internship and residency at RWJ-Barnabas: Jersey City Medical Center where he was chief resident and a member of the ethics committee. Dr. Mo has a passion for helping others who are pursuing a career in medicine and continues to mentor pre-med and medical school students. 

Dr. Elamir became involved with Aviv Clinics after his late father suffered a stroke, which sparked Dr. Mo’s interest in novel approaches to healing the brain. He is the father of two children, including a son with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Dr. Elamir considers it his life’s mission to help progress his son’s development and better understand the causes and treatment of ASD.

___________________________

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