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Two suitcases each, four kids, one Border Collie, and one-way tickets to rural southern India. That’s what it took for Dr. Ravi Kumar to begin healing from burnout. After a decade of working 100-hour weeks, surviving on minimal sleep and even less self-care, the once unstoppable and seemingly invincible neurosurgeon reached a breaking point. He knew that if he didn’t make a radical, meaningful change to his lifestyle, he might not survive much longer. And remarkably, within just a month of unplugging from the relentless demands of his former life, his physiology began returning to normal. Dr. Kumar eventually returned to the United States, but he was no longer the same man who had left. Today, he works only part-time as a neurosurgeon, having redirected much of his time, energy and purpose towards a different kind of healing: empowering people with the knowledge to take control of their own health.
Dr. Ravi Kumar is a board-certified neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina. He earned his MD from Texas A&M University College of Medicine in 2010 and completed his neurosurgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2017. He has trained and operated in the highest-stakes corner of clinical care, where the difference between what the evidence says and what actually helps a patient is not academic. The Dr. Kumar Discovery grew out of a simple frustration: most health information the public sees is either watered-down, wrong, or sold. Dr. Kumar started this platform to do the opposite, to read the primary research himself and translate what it genuinely shows, including when the honest answer is “we don’t know yet.”
Contact:
Website - https://drkumardiscovery.com
Join us as we explore:
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Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
What I loved about this episode is that Dr Adeel Khan isn’t interested in hype. He’s refreshingly cautious about the overpromising surrounding certain longevity interventions and even AI, and he backs up his perspective with real-world clinical experience and firsthand research—including spending four months in China, witnessing the cutting edge of regenerative medicine. Meanwhile, across his clinics, Dr Khan is already exploring and working with some of the most exciting emerging therapies in medicine, from peptides and follistatin gene therapy to MUSE stem cells and the rapidly evolving field of proteomics. This is a true regenerative medicine masterclass, with a clinician who isn’t afraid to speak openly and honestly about the science, the results, the limitations, the costs and, crucially, how accessible these therapies really are.
Dr Adeel Khan is a leading voice in regenerative medicine, pioneering innovative approaches to health, longevity and recovery through stem cell therapies, peptides and cellular repair. His work has attracted international attention, with high-profile clients reportedly including Chris Hemsworth, Tony Robbins and Chris Bumstead. Through collaborations with scientists and medical specialists across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, he has helped establish Eterna Health, a clinic focused on emerging regenerative therapies.
Contact:
Website - https://eterna.health
Join us as we explore:
Mentions:
Proteomics - Sedona, https://www.sedonahealth.com
Proteomics - SomaScan, https://somalogic.com/somascan-platform/
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Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Do you know what the first symptom is for 50% of cardiovascular disease patients? A heart attack or sudden cardiac death. That’s the terrifying reality of a disease that can progress silently for decades before making its presence known. But what if we could identify the danger long before symptoms appear? In today’s episode with diagnostic radiologist extraordinaire Dr James Thompson, we explore the cutting edge of preventative cardiology, from revolutionary diagnostic technologies and advanced cardiac imaging to the rapidly evolving power of AI to detect hidden risks, personalize interventions and potentially save lives.
James J. Thompson, D.O., is a diagnostic radiologist and physicist specializing in advanced cardiovascular imaging, including cardiac CT and cardiovascular MRI. With more than 20 years of experience in cardiovascular imaging, his work combines clinical medicine, imaging physics, and emerging technologies in artificial intelligence. Dr. Thompson has extensive experience developing advanced cardiovascular imaging programs, including launching cardiac CT and cardiovascular MRI services, developing imaging protocols, and educating physicians and clinical teams. His clinical interests include coronary CT angiography, cardiovascular MRI, adult congenital heart disease, preventative cardiovascular imaging and quantitative imaging. His academic and research interests focus on the integration of artificial intelligence and advanced imaging technologies into cardiovascular care, with particular emphasis on earlier disease detection, improved diagnostic capabilities and the development of clinically meaningful imaging technologies.
Contact:
Website - https://drjamesthomps.com
Join us as we explore:
Mentions:
Research - Williams M, Wereski R, Tuck C et al.
Coronary CT angiography-guided management of patients with stable chest pain: 10-year outcomes from the SCOT-HEART randomised controlled trial in Scotland, The Lancet, 405, 329-337
Research - NICE guidelines, https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance
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Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Will AI really cure cancer? Will we one day have nanobots swimming through our bloodstream, clearing the deadly plaque from our arteries? My guest today, Rajeev Kapur, believes this kind of future is coming—and perhaps sooner than we think. But while we wait for tomorrow’s breakthroughs, Rajeev wants to empower us to harness AI today, helping ordinary people get the most out of what may prove to be one of the greatest revolutions in human history.
Rajeev Kapur helps non-technical leaders turn AI from a vague ambition into clear, practical results. A seasoned executive and plain-English educator, he cuts through the noise. His work focuses on education, government, and SMBs, where budgets are tight, and outcomes must be visible. He brings stakeholders together around shared understanding, clear ownership, realistic timelines, and measurable success. A keynote speaker and author of AI Made Simple, Rajeev combines real-world leadership with repeatable frameworks, so teams leave with momentum—not just inspiration. He has served as CEO of 1105 Media, Inc. for over a decade, drawing on decades of global business, strategy, and leadership experience to help organizations innovate and grow.
Contact:
Website - https://www.rajeev.ai
Join us as we explore:
Mentions
Tools - OpenEvidence, https://www.openevidence.com
Book - AI Made Simple, https://www.amazon.com/Made-Simple-Beginners-Generative-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B0FP3XPVN5?th=1&psc=1
Product - Ammortal Chamber, https://ammortal.com/products/ammortal-chamber
Support the show
Follow Steve's socials:
Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok
Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Dr Ghomi has been in the trenches of brain health and mental performance for decades. As a clinical physician, he works with real people facing real-life challenges while simultaneously operating at the cutting edge of diagnostics, therapeutics and AI-driven healthcare. As a returning guest, we catch up on the latest developments since our last conversation before tackling questions from people struggling with anxiety, poor sleep and brain fog.
Dr Reza Hosseini Ghomi is a neuropsychiatrist, engineer, and serial healthcare entrepreneur founding four health tech companies including Frontier Psychiatry and MedFlow. A cancer survivor at 22, I pivoted from naval engineering to medicine, training in biomedical engineering and neuropsychiatry. My work spans MR image registration software, MRI-compatible exercise devices, EHRs and numerous enhancements, digital cognitive testing, and voice-based digital biomarkers. Now focused on transforming healthcare using AI enhanced workflow automations to drive value based care models and improve patient outcomes.
Contact:
Website -https://www.brainmindedmd.com
Join us as we explore:
Mentions
Tools - OpenEvidence, https://www.openevidence.com
Support the show
Follow Steve's socials:
Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok
Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Yes, we live in a chronically overstimulated world. Yes, our attention is increasingly fragmented. And yes, we’re constantly monitoring email, WhatsApp, Slack, social media and more. But what if the solutions to winning the brain game aren’t nearly as complicated as the problem makes them seem? That’s what I love about returning guest Dr Tommy Wood: he keeps it gentle, truthful, practical and simple. The challenges facing our brains are real, but this episode is genuinely hopeful because protecting your brain, improving your cognitive performance and building resilience doesn’t require turning your life upside down. It truly is possible to win the brain game—with realistic, consistent effort.
Dr Tommy Wood is Assistant Professor of Paediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Washington, where he conducts research focusing on ways to increase resilience and treat injury in the developing brain. He holds a degree in biochemistry from Cambridge, a medical degree from Oxford, and achieved his PhD in physiology and neuroscience in Oslo. When it comes to brain health and longevity, Tommy’s knowledge is second to none. He has an impressive range of experience across a variety of different disciplines, which gives him both a broad perspective and an incredibly specialised area of expertise.
Join us as we explore:
Mentions:
Assessment - BetterBrain, https://www.betterbrain.com
Assessment - Creyos, https://creyos.com
Assessment - Food For The Brain, https://foodforthebrain.org/the-cognitive-function-test/
Book - Attention Span, https://gloriamark.com/attention-span/
Study - Hallbeck, M. S., Lowndes, B. R., Bingener, J., Abdelrahman, A. M., Yu, D., Bartley, A., & Park, A. E. (2017). The impact of intraoperative microbreaks with exercises on surgeons: A multi-center cohort study.Applied Ergonomics, 60, 334-341.
Support the show
Follow Steve's socials:
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Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Dr Frank Shallenberger is a board-certified physician in anti-ageing medicine and US President of the American Association of Ozone Therapy. He’s been a pioneer in the field of ozone for over 40 years, and more than that he has been a pioneer in the field of medicine. Dr Frank also developed a new area of Ozone Therapy, referred to as Prolozone®. Prolozone® is an injection technique that has been shown to regenerate damaged joints, herniated discs, and degenerated joints, tendons, and soft tissues. Known as the “Teacher’s Teacher”, he’s a mentor to Dr Stave Stavs, who describes him as a man of truth, honesty and integrity, who has stood up for what is right, what is effective and what has been used for generations.
Join us as we explore:
Mentions:
Book: Frank Shallenberger - The Ozone Miracle: How you can harness the power of oxygen to keep you and your family healthy https://www.amazon.com/Ozone-Miracle-harness-oxygen-healthy-ebook/dp/B06XDCGPCF
Prolozone Therapy: Frank Shallenberger, Journal of Prolotherapy: Prolozone – Regenerating Joints and Eliminating Pain. https://journalofprolotherapy.com/prolozone-regenerating-joints-and-eliminating-pain/
Book: Thomas E Levy - Rapid Virus Recovery https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Virus-Recovery-Thomas-Levy-ebook/dp/B095C8PWVF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QTBX2U0KUQCQ&keywords=rapid+virus+recovery+book+by+thomas+levy
YouTube video: Disease is Optional Part 1- Frank Shallenberger 5 part video series
Ozone Courses / Training: http://www.shallenbergerozonecourse.com
Contact Dr Frank Shallenberger
https://ozoneclinic.co.za/
https://www.antiagingmedicine.com
http://www.shallenbergerozonecourse.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OzoneWellnessTherapy/
Support the show
Follow Steve's socials:
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Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Wow! This podcast was nonstop sleep information gold from the sleep doctor of all sleep doctors. It is incredible how much you can transform your sleep by just listening to this hour with a true sleep guru.
Dr. Michael J.Breus, The Sleep Doctor, is a clinical psychologist with more than two decades of experience in his field. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Additionally, Dr. Breus is one of the only psychologists to pass the Sleep Medicine Specialty board without attending medical school. In 2021, Reader’s Digest named him the best sleep specialist in the state of California.
Dr. Breus is also a best-selling author. His publications include four books – Good Night: The Sleep Doctor’s 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health (2006), The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep (2011), The Power of When: Discover Your Chronotype–and the Best Time to Eat Lunch, Ask for a Raise, Have Sex, Write a Novel, Take Your Meds, and More (2016) and Energize!: Go From Dragging Ass to Kicking It in 30 Days (2021).
Dr. Breus lectures all over the world and serves as an expert resource for most major publications, doing more than 250 interviews per year.
Join us as we explore:
An amazing, in-depth journey through the sleep cycles, sleep stages, sleep drive, sleep trackers and how that relates to your health and wellbeing.
Whether it is more important to go to bed at the same time every day or wake up at the same time every day?
Why sleeping in on the weekends is far more detrimental to your health than you can imagine!
If you’re a bear, a wolf, a dolphin, an early bird or a lion?
A caffeine masterclass! When to have it, when not to and why a lot of people are not getting any bang for their coffee buck.
Why HRV is correlated to your sleeping patterns and quality.
The Sleep Doctor’s easy to do 5 step plan to excellent sleep!
Absolutely everything about sleep supplements – melatonin, cannabis, valerian, sleeping aids and more.
Mentions:
Quiz – The Chrono Quiz, https://thesleepdoctor.com/sleep-quizzes/chronotype-quiz/
Study - Negative effects of restricted sleep on facial appearance and social appeal, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5451790/
Podcast – Four Sigmatic - Functional & Medicinal Mushrooms, Nootropics, and Smart Drugs, https://youtu.be/opqG7P_PB-w
Product – ChiliPad, https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/chili/
Product – EBB, https://sleepgadgets.io/ebb-sleep-cooling-headband/
Product – Apollo Neuro, https://madetothrive.co.za/special-deals/apollo-neuro-stress-relief-device/
Support the show
Follow Steve's socials:
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Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Support the show
Follow Steve's socials:
Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok
Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
What does it mean to be free?
That is one of life’s biggest questions, and has occupied the minds of philosophers for time immemorial. But what does it mean to be metabolically free? Hangry? Post-meal slumps? Type II diabetic? These are all examples of the opposite - metabolic imprisonment.
That's why we decided to revisit this episode with Ben Azadi to rediscover what it means to be free of this "prison", some of you find yourselves in.
Ben is an incredible advocate for metabolic health, someone who walks the talk with his own pain to purpose story and someone who has made a personal impact on a member of my family.
In 2008, Ben Azadi was an obese man who went through a personal health transformation of releasing 80 pounds of extra weight, and getting metabolically healthy. Ever since, Ben Azadi, FDN-P, has been on a mission to help 1 billion people live a healthier lifestyle. Ben has over 15 years of experience in the health industry, and he’s the author of four best-selling books, including his latest Keto Flex. Ben has been the go-to source for intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet since 2013. He is known as ‘The Health Detective’ because he investigates dysfunction, and he educates, not medicates, to bring the body back to normal function. Ben is the founder of Keto Kamp; a global brand bringing awareness to ancient healing strategies such as the keto diet and fasting.
Get his new book “Metabolic Freedom: A 30-Day Guide to Restore Your Metabolism, Heal Hormones & Burn Fat” NOW, https://tinyurl.com/metabolic-freedom
Join us as we explore:
Contact:
Website: www.benazadi.com
Instagram: @thebenazadi
Mention:
Study - Pontzer H, et al,. Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science. 2021 Aug 13;373(6556):808-812. doi: 10.1126/science.abe5017. PMID: 34385400; PMCID: PMC8370708.
Study - Kobayashi LC, Hagan KA, Trudel-Fitzgerald C, et al.
Gratitude and Mortality Among Older US Female Nurses.
JAMA Psychiatry. Published online July 3, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.1610
Study - Picard M, Prather AA, Puterman E, Cuillerier A, Coccia M, Aschbacher K, Burelle Y, Epel ES. A Mitochondrial Health Index Sensitive to Mood and Caregiving Stress. Biol Psychiatry. 2018 Jul 1;84(1):9-17. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.01.012. Epub 2018 Feb 3. PMID: 29525040; PMCID: PMC6014908.
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Follow Steve's socials:
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Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
Despite being the most studied supplement of all time, creatine is making a big resurgence.
That's why we decided to rebroadcast this highly informative episode, that is more relevant now, than when it was originally posted.
It’s been the hot topic in the health podcast space, as new scientific evidence is showing creatine is about more than looking big, but has big and important effects on brain health and overall longevity. But, like all things, creatine needs to be handled with care. It needs to be the right type, at the right dose, at the right times, with the right movement and for the right person. That’s why it was fundamentally important for me to get a true creatine expert on the show, Dr Darren Candow.
Dr. Darren Candow is a professor specializing in exercise physiology, nutrition, and aging. He supervises the Aging Muscle and Bone Health Laboratory, where the primary research focus is to develop effective lifestyle interventions involving nutrition—primarily creatine monohydrate—and physical activity, particularly resistance training. These interventions aim to improve muscle, bone, and brain health and function, with both practical and clinical relevance. To date, Dr. Candow has published over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, supervised more than 20 MSc/PhD students, and secured research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Nutricia Research Foundation.
Join us as we explore:
Mention:
Study - Creatine and anti-depressants, Roitman, S., Green, T., Osher, Y., Karni, N., Levine, J., & Levine, S. (2012). Creatine monohydrate in resistant depression: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(7), 779-784. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.11091452
Study - Creatine and pregnancy, Ellery, S. J., LaRosa, D. A., Kett, M. M., Della Gatta, P. A., Snow, R. J., Walker, D. W., & Dickinson, H. (2016). Dietary creatine supplementation during pregnancy: A study on the effects of creatine supplementation on creatine homeostasis and renal excretory function in spiny mice. Amino Acids, 48(8), 1819–1830. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-015-2150-7
Study - Creatine and sleep deprivation, Gordji-Nejad, A., Matusch, A., Kleedörfer, S., Patel, H. J., Drzezga, A., Elmenhorst, D., Binkofski, F., & Bauer, A. (2024). Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Scientific Reports, 14, 4937. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54249-9
Person - Stuart Phillips, https://experts.mcmaster.ca/display/phillis
Support the show
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Support the show on Patreon:
As much as we love doing it, there are costs involved and any contribution will allow us to keep going and keep finding the best guests in the world to share their health expertise with you. I’d be grateful and feel so blessed by your support: https://www.patreon.com/MadeToThriveShow
Send me a WhatsApp to +27 64 871 0308.
Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our content: https://madetothrive.co.za/terms-and-conditions-and-privacy-policy/
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Optimising your mind, body and soul. Hosted by Steve Stavs, Africa's Pro Biohacker, Health Futurist, and founder of www.madetothrive.co.za.

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