The MindHealth360 Show

Dr. Richard Schwartz is the Founder of IFS (Internal Family Systems), an evidence-based therapy which is revolutionising traditional psychotherapy. IFS has shown to be remarkably successful where other therapies have proven to be ineffective or unsustainable in helping patients resolve issues with addictions, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, suicidality, and other mental health problems. Its strength lies in its simple and intuitive premise that we each have parts (the fearful part, the caregiver, the perfectionist, the overachiever, the grieving part, the addict, etc, usually formed in childhood) which are often at odds with each other and can cause us to act in ways which are destructive to ourselves and others (while in fact, they are actually trying to protect us). Uniquely combining cognitive and somatic approaches, IFS teaches us to pay attention to our different parts and their relationships in order to successfully heal trauma and poor mental health.

In this fascinating interview, Dr. Schwartz explains why damaged or conflicting parts can lead to emotional pain, physical illness and mental crisis. He helps us discover why there are no "bad" parts, and how when our parts are allowed to feel safe and heard, feelings of compassion, curiosity, calm and confidence flourish. He identifies these qualities as forming our "Self", and has found them to be fully present (though often repressed) in even his most traumatised patients. As such, IFS is one of the therapies most aligned with spiritual traditions in that it recognizes that we all have a healthy and intact "Self", separate from our parts. He shows that by listening to these wounded parts with compassion and courage from a place of "Self", and then speaking and acting with "Self Leadership", speaking for our parts, rather than from our parts, we can substantially improve our professional and personal relationships, our lives, mental and physical health and happiness.

Dr. Schwartz has a PhD in family therapy, has taught at a number of institutions including University of Illinois, Northwestern and Harvard University, and has authored many best-selling books including No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model and You Are The One You've Been Waiting For: Bringing Courageous Love To Intimate Relationships.

Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Mario Martinez has spent years interviewing healthy centenarians around the world, and studying the effects of culture, beliefs, thoughts and feelings on our biochemistry, longevity and health. He is the best selling author of The MindBody Code: How to Change the Beliefs That Limit Your Health, Longevity, and Success. In this thought-provoking interview, he outlines the profound influence cultural contexts have on the immune system, the endocrine system and the regulation of the nervous system, and how our culture influences our mental health and life expectancy. Backed by scientific evidence, he reveals that longevity is learned rather than inherited. Discussing top tips on how to defy falling rates of life expectancy in the West, he explains how our minds and bodies are heavily influenced by our cultural attitudes towards health and ageing, and why feelings of shame, disempowerment and hopelessness are worse for our mental and physical health than stress. The pioneering founder of Biocognitive Science, Dr. Martinez shows why self-worth is key to living beyond 100 and explains how we can remodel our physiology through our thoughts and actions to promote health, happiness and longevity.

Dr. Datis Kharrazian is an award winning clinical research scientist, Harvard trained academic professor and world renowned Functional Medicine expert. He is at the forefront of developing evidence-based treatments for mood disorders as well as autoimmune and chronic neurological diseases, which are used by academic institutions as well as by thousands of health care providers. A Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, Diplomate of the Board of Nutrition Specialists, member of the American Association of Immunologists, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, he is also the bestselling author of Why do I Still have Thyroid Problems?, and Why Isn't My Brain Working?

In this very complex and captivating interview, Dr. Datis Kharrazian explains why conventional medical approaches to brain health are ineffective, and why neuroinflammation – rather than neurochemical imbalance such as low serotonin – is the true cause of poor mental health. With a focus on psychoimmunology, he sheds light on cutting edge research into glial cells (which are responsible for 'cleaning' the brain), and explains how they dictate all aspects of health. Revealing the concrete link between primed glial cells and chronic neuroinflammation, he outlines why immune activation is the most common cause of poor mental health (anxiety, depression, insomnia, OCD, etc), neurodegeneration (autism, ADHD, Parkinson's, etc) and autoimmune diseases (MS, diabetes, IBD, etc). He explains that our brains, thoughts and emotions can all cause neuroinflammation and in turn poor mental health, and shows how anxiety, depression, autoimmunity, and other chronic health symptoms can be treated successfully through functional neurology models that address and treat neuroinflammation. He also offers real hope that although identifying the causes of glial cell activation and neuroinflammation can seem complex and overwhelming (and can include a vast array of biochemical, environmental and psychological stressors, mould, toxins, viruses, leaky gut, trauma, injury, stress, etc), wellness can be achieved through relatively simple lifestyle and dietary treatments.

Renowned Functional Medicine Neurologist Dr. Suzanne Gazda is at the forefront of treating neurological disorders, from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Multiple Sclerosis, to neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism and ADD and has also become a specialist in Long Covid and its neurological effects. She completed her residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center, and is the founder of the Neurology Institute of San Antonio (NISA). Dedicated to patient care since 1989, having worked extensively with Hope for Humans charity in Uganda on the treatment of neurological diseases, and trained in functional medicine, Dr. Gazda has a unique and incredibly diverse perspective and experience, enabling her to approach neurological illness from a whole body and whole brain perspective, diagnosing and treating the root cause of neurological disorders.

In this in-depth interview she focuses on how to find and treat the biological and environmental root causes of neurological disorders (MS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's Disease, Autism, ADD, etc) and psychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, OCD, etc), rather than just treating their symptoms. She explains how immune reactions–to infections, mould, chronic stress, toxins, poor diet, EMF, etc–produce neuroinflammation, which is the major cause of all neurological diseases. She also explains why Covid poses the biggest threat to neurological and psychological health humanity has ever faced. In this fascinating interview, she outlines how we can reduce and prevent chronic inflammation to safeguard our brain health through simple 'pillars of health' solutions.

In this captivating interview, Dr. Doni Wilson reveals the ways we can overcome stress, anxiety and burnout in modern life. Acclaimed public speaker, researcher and author of the best-selling book Master Your Stress, Reset Your Health: The Personalized Program to Calm Anxiety, Boost Energy, and Beat Burnout, Dr. Doni Wilson is a naturopathic doctor, and is certified in midwifery and nutrition. In this vital conversation, she discusses how we can calm our stress response, and outlines why stress is a root cause of biochemical imbalances (such as leaky gut, dysbiosis, hormone imbalance, inflammation, dysregulation of the nervous system) and poor mental health (anxiety, depression, poor memory, insomnia, burnout, etc). She explains what healthy stress is, what happens physiologically when our stress levels remain chronically high, and how we can manage our stress so that it doesn't leave us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed and/or exhausted. Rather than striving to be stress free (which is impossible), she focuses on the ways we can build stress resilience. She discusses her unique CARE stress recovery protocol and explains that we all fit into one of the five stress 'types', and that each one requires a different treatment.

Board Certified in Family Medicine and in Integrative Holistic Medicine, Dr. Jill Carnahan is a Functional Medicine expert known for her experience with gut health, immunity, and detoxification. In 2010 she founded the Flatiron Functional Medicine Practice, and in February 2023 will release her book Unexpected: Finding Resilience through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith. An inspirational survivor of breast cancer and Crohn's Disease, she has lived experience of how Functional Medicine can help you recover and thrive when faced with complex and chronic illness.

In this fascinating interview she discusses some lesser known factors of poor mental health, explaining how a leaky gut, toxins, pathogens and environmental stressors can underlie depression, insomnia, cognitive decline, anxiety, ADHD, and even trauma response. Committed to treating the root causes of illness rather than just its symptoms, Dr. Carnahan explains the mechanism of immune system activation and dysfunction, and its interaction with nervous system dysfunction and mental health issues. She sheds light on the emerging field of psychoneuroimmunology, which examines the impact of inflammatory toxins, pathogens and psychological factors on the immune system, nervous system and in turn our mental health; and gives us top tips on how we can detoxify and heal.

In this fascinating conversation with one of the leading physicians in treating complex chronic illness, Dr. Neil Nathan, author of bestselling Toxic, Heal Your Body, speaks of his latest book on Energetic Diagnosis: Groundbreaking Thesis on Diagnosing Disease and Chronic Illness and the importance of the unseen in medical practice.

In this interview, learn why sometimes, despite doing everything right physically, true healing will only happen when the more esoteric impact of energy blockages – whether driven by emotional or spiritual factors – are taken into account. He explains the vital importance of intuition, both for the practitioner and the patient, for true healing to occur, and how medical practitioners need to focus more on developing the art of nurturing their perceptual gifts and deep listening, which can, in itself, be healing. He explains the importance of practising using intuition, despite the stigma against it in mainstream medicine.

Find out in the book about different energetic healing modalities, from Reiki to biofeedback to TCM, ayurvedic etc. , and in this interview, learn about how energy affects us and inhabits us – empaths, energy vampires, people with toxic energy, how to deal with them.

Conventional mental health treatment manages the symptoms rather than treating root causes of mental health issues. Functional medicine psychiatry seeks to treat the root causes behind these symptoms, whether they are biochemical (hormone imbalances, gut issues, toxic load, inflammation, infections) or psycho-spiritual (adverse childhood experiences, trauma) or both. But what comes first? Do depression, anxiety, insomnia generally come from biochemical imbalances or psycho-spiritual ones? According to the legendary Professor Stephen Porges, biochemical imbalances are the downstream effects of the real root cause of all mental health issues: a dysregulated nervous system, which itself is caused by a chronic physiological state of stress (fight, flight, freeze). Interestingly, this physiological state of stress can be caused by biochemical issues (such as a toxin or a pathogen) and/or psycho-spiritual ones (such as childhood trauma). The body responds to both with the same threat reaction.

In this interview, Professor Porges, who after years of scientific research has developed a deep understanding of the vagus nerves and their role in mental health, discusses his groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory and its implication for mental health diagnosis and treatment, as well as his latest book, "Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation".

He shows that the syndromes we call depression, anxiety, insomnia, poor attention, irritability, exhaustion, as well as many physical health conditions, have in common a disordered response to stress, or nervous system dysregulation, which he defines as being in a chronic state of sympathetic arousal or dorsal vagal shut down, neither of which are conducive to health, growth and repair – a state facilitated instead by the social engagement system, or ventral vagal nerves. He shows that mental and physical health comes from homeostatic flexibility – the ability to go between states of fight, flight, freeze and social engagement, appropriately and with ease, and shows us how to promote this healthier state in our lives.

Science journalist and author of "Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey" and "The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative", Florence Williams takes us on a fascinating journey around the physiological effects of heartbreak, loss and loneliness on our bodies and minds. With access to cutting edge scientific research, as well as her own personal experience of heartbreak when her 20 year marriage ended, she describes how grief and loneliness impact our physiology (our nervous system, immune system, hormones and brains), and what we can do to heal our physical and mental health through a sense of Purpose, Connection, Parasympathetic regulation and Awe.

Life expectancy, quality of life and health-span are going down, and not because of Covid. We are witnessing an epidemic of chronic noncommunicable disease (CNDs) (such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, fatty liver disease, cancer, dementia) as well as mental health issues (addiction, depression, anxiety) and autoimmune conditions which are increasing in prevalence and severity. These diseases of metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunction cannot be helped with a pill, but rather with food. But not just any food. "Let food be thy medicine" is true only if it is the right food. The wrong food, however, will poison you over time.

Prof. Robert Lustig, paediatric neuro-endocrinologist and best-selling author of "Fat Chance", advises us to take our health into our own hands in order to dodge the agendas of big food, big pharma, and to an extent, modern doctors who don't have the time (nor often the knowledge) to teach us about prevention, lifestyle and the power of food to heal.

So how do we take our health into our own hands when there is so much conflicting and confusing information out there? And what should we eat, and should we supplement, given the various diet trends (Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Mediterranean etc.) and advice on nutrition and supplementation? And each person's dietary and nutritional needs vary!

In this live streamed event in collaboration with the How To Academy, Prof. Lustig gives us some clear guidelines to follow for greater health, longevity and happiness.