Triangle Well Talk

Richard Ablin, PhD, is the author of The Great Prostate Hoax: How Big Medicine Hijacked the PSA Test and Caused a Public Health Disaster.

Dr Ablin knows a thing or two about prostate cancer screening. He discovered prostate-specific antigen, or PSA: the substance that the PSA screening test measures to determine if a man has prostate cancer.

Dr Ablin points out four huge problems with using PSA testing for cancer. And he argues that many more men are harmed by being diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer based on PSA tests than are helped.

Listen to this provocative interview for the full story.

Links

The Great Prostate Hoax – on amazon

Chris Girdis and Krishana Clark run The Lifestyle Center in Raleigh, a very non-traditional chiropractic practice.

Using Network Spinal Analysis and Somatic Respiratory Integration (both terms are explained during the interview), they help their clients reconnect with their bodies to lessen or even get rid of physical and emotional pain.

Turns out when we become more aware of our bodily sensations and learn how to deal with them through appropriate breathwork, lots of other things start falling into place, including better eating, more exercise, and general lifestyle improvements.

Chris and Krishana dropped by my office to talk about their work. Krishana turns out to be the silent type, at least in front of a microphone, but her energy and spirit are definitely part of the the conversation.

Enjoy!

Links

The Lifestyle Center

Daran Wallman is an intuitive healer, teacher, and practitioner of the sacred art of being a really good human being.

His warmth, generosity, and passion were evident the minute we met outside my office, and they shined during our interview.

We talk mostly about the healing properties of sound, and why most of us have so much trouble expressing the music within us.

Plus, he gives us a short didgeridoo concert toward the end of the interview. Enjoy, and feel the healing power of sound.

Links

Healing Earth Resources

Dilip Barman is a Food For Life instructor, plant-based personal chef, food blogger, and president of the Triangle Vegetarian Society.

As a food blogger, Dilip hasn't repeated a meal in over 13 years of daily cooking and blogging.

As a Food For Life instructor, Dilip takes students through both the science and practical skills required to adopt the world's healthiest diet (the only one shown to reverse even advanced heart disease).

And as president of the Triangle Vegetarian Society, Dilip presides over the country's best attended vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner (at Dilip's table, the turkeys also give thanks!).

We chatted about the evidence-based benefits of a plant-based diet, as well as the challenges and how they can be overcome. Enjoy!

Links

Dilip's Dinner Blog

Food For Life program from Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine

The Triangle Vegetarian Society

Amanda Cushman is not only a great chef, recipe developer, and cooking teacher, but she's a great conversationalist too, as you'll discover in this episode.

She's cooked professionally for over 30 years, and has taken the NC Triangle by storm since relocating here last summer, offering private classes for groups as well as public courses in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, Morrisville, and Carrboro.

While her culinary style is more “lenient” than my own, we share an appreciation of whole plant foods, and a desire to empower people to “take back their kitchens” and stop outsourcing our most fundamental survival requirement to the processed food and restaurant industries.

Enjoy, add your voice to the conversation via the comment box below, and please share – that's how we spread our message and spread our roots.

Links

AmandaCooks.com

Suzanne Ballentyne is a life coach, yoga and meditation instructor, wellness coach, and meditation retreat leader. She weaves these many strands together in a thoughtful and soulful way, as I discovered when I had the privilege of interviewing her for Well Talk.

We talked about good eating, good thinking, good moving, and good not-moving.

The importance of community in supporting individual health and wellbeing.

And how to slow down and take time for important things in a “drive-thru” world.

And how to introduce ourselves to meditation and self-awareness in a gentle, titrated way, rather than a “Boot Camp” experience.

Enjoy!

Links

SimplyPractice.net – Suzanne's website

Changeology – a book popularizing James Prochaska's Trans Theoretical Model (which Suzanne spoke about a couple of times)

Today's show features Kevin O'Connell, Director of Operations for The Produce Box, a company that delivers fresh, local produce and specialty products to homes and offices all over North Carolina.

Their motto – “We bring the farmer's market to your door!” – speaks to their innovative business model that capitalizes on the best aspects of Community Supported Agriculture while eliminating some of the inconveniences and annoyances.

I first discovered The Produce Box at their booth at the Raleigh Vegfest, and was intrigued about the multiple community benefits they deliver: food security for the community, financial security for farmers, availability of fresh and locally sourced produce in season, and education and inspiration for healthy eating and living for their members.

Kevin and I spoke about:

* the challenges of running a business where Mother Nature calls all the shots

* the importance of educating consumers on how to store and prepare fresh produce

* the key issue of transparency

* the differences between locally grown and cross-country or foreign produce

* the importance of a closed-loop growing season for regional food security

* how to get farmers to share and cooperate, and why this matters

* and much more…

Today I talked about the fundamental (and generally disregarded) principle of the Hippocratic Oath, “First, do no harm.”

Plus, some thoughts on death, and how coming to terms with death as a reality that will visit each of us can help us live better, healthier, and in some cases longer lives.

Plus, one of medicine's dirty little secrets revealed.

Got questions for an upcoming show? Share them in comments, below.

Silvana Rangel-Duque is the founder and chef at Soul Cocina Triangle, a local plant-based, healthy catering and meal delivery service.

Here's what I learned (OK, mostly ripped off