Back in Control with David Hanscom, MD

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with internist Dr. Matt Lederman and Oriental Medicine and family practitioner Dr. Alona Pulde. They share their approach to healing that begins with understanding the physical and emotional context of the patient and helping them develop awareness about how this affects their health. Learning to deal with uncomfortable emotions and seeing how feelings are...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussino with psychological anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Dr. Tamara Turner. She explains the cultural context of the Algerian Diwan community’s approach to healing from pain and trauma through trance dancing. She found that one of the most important factors in making this an effective healing tool was the community’s belief that suffering...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with psychological anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Dr. Tamara Turner. She shares the origins of her award-winning research into the role of dance and healing in North African communities. Her initial focus was on a career in classical music. But she developed an interest in other types of music that eventually led her to study the music of West and Nor...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with pain psychologist, neuroscientist and co-founder of Aivo Health, Melissa Farmer. Or eight years, she has worked with world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Vania Apkarian on how our brains process chronic pain. She shares the important discoveries resulting from that work including how, over time, the brain shifts the processing from sensory centers to the...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with internationally renowned Ayurvedic clinician, Zeeba Khan. She describes how doshas (mind body spirit compositions) can indicate the types of illnesses or disorders you might be susceptible to.  She identifies the 3 doshas – Vata Dosha, Pitta Dosha and Kapha Dosha – and gives examples of what they might signify for health. The first s...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with internationally renowned Ayurvedic clinician, Zeeba Khan. She shares the important role her family life played in the development of her Ayurvedic practice. Her mother was Persian and her father was Indian, and in both her parents’ cultures, the kitchen was the pharmacy. Her experiences taught her the important of food, sleep, meditation, gratitude and...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Daniel Atkins, an intuitive psychologist. He explains the steps he uses when working with clients to help them start on their healing journey. These include: focusing on the current issue; listening for emotional associations with the pain; encouraging them to explore new possibilities; and using experiential tools like breath work a...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Daniel Atkins, an intuitive psychologist. He talks about his 10+ year personal journey through pain and illness. He explains that he tried traditional Western psychotherapy approaches to heal but found they focused too much on analyzing his early childhood and were unhelpful. His healing began when he started exploring other traditions with a broader s...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Jeff Frankart, physical therapist and founder of The Fix PT clinic. He explains the three components of chronic pain (biological, psychological and social) and shares the details of his approach to treatment. The first step is getting patients to understand how chronic pain works. The next step is having patients move and push up to,...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Jeff Frankart, physical therapist and founder of The Fix PT clinic. He talks about his work in the military with combat soldiers to help them recover mobility and reduce opioid addiction. He explains how, using a movement-based systems that only relies on body weight and no equipment, he was able to help them increase their pain threshold, lose their f...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. Sue Carter, the former director of the Kinsey Institute and a world-renowned scientist. She talks about oxytocin’s important role in human social behavior. She underscores the fact that oxytocin affects every tissue of the body and is the physiologic basis for pair bonding and relationships. Under stress, the body produces large...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Dr. Sue Carter, the former director of the Kinsey Institute and a world-renowned scientist. She shares how the importance of oxytocin has come to be recognized in the scientific community over time. She discusses the evolutionary history of oxytocin and explains the role that oxytocin plays in lowering inflammation and reducing stress. It also helps th...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with neuroendocrinologist and bestselling author Rob Lustig.  He explains the different types of sugar we consume in our diet and how the body metabolizes each type. In particular, he focuses on the dangers of the sweetener fructose and discusses how it results in fatty liver disease and diabetes. The problem with fructose is that it is b...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with neuroendocrinologist and bestselling author Rob Lustig. He shares how he first got interested in nutrition when he studied the role of the hypothalamus in driving obesity in pediatric patients with brain cancer. He discusses the symbiotic role of gut bacteria in our digestion, immune response and even the experience of pain. He explains six importance...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Charlie Merrill, a physiotherapist, clinician educator and consultant to startup Lin Health.  He outlines his collaborative approach with patients. This begins with a physical assessment to look for a pattern that makes sense. If his findings don’t add up, the pain could be due to psycho-social factors. He uses treatments that interr...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Charlie Merrill, a physiotherapist, clinician educator and consultant to startup Lin Health. He shares how he has created a practice of treating chronic pain that is based on building a strong and trusting relationship with the patient. He helps patients understand the dynamics of pain by explaining the issue in a systemic way, reduce their fear and es...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with author and consultant Gillian Riley.  She details the approach she uses to help clients control overeating. Some of the key elements include: getting clients to understand what drives their cravings and why they need to create new neural pathways to control them; developing self-agency and avoiding unsolicited advice; showing them ho...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with author and consultant Gillian Riley. She explains how we respond to unconscious eating cues with deeply embedded biological responses. She discusses how becoming aware of these hidden cues is the first step to control overeating. Balancing long term and short term rewards is a key to eating less and eating better. A key aspect of her approach is helpin...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Pam Wirth, a Principal of consultancy Strategic Growth Advisory and founder of Hello Health.  She discusses the founding of her company, Hello Health, and outlines the steps to effectively use supplementation for improved health and treatment of a variety of conditions. These include getting tested to determine your gut health and de...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Pam Wirth, a Principal of consultancy Strategic Growth Advisory and founder of Hello Health. She shares the story of how her 5 year old son developed serious neurologic symptoms from an intense autoimmune response. She chronicles her struggle to get help from an indifferent healthcare system and how she finally discovered the power of diet and suppleme...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Ruth Freeman, a psychotherapist and founder of Peace at Home Parenting Solutions. She discusses several basic principles and techniques for peaceful parenting that can help parents build a stronger connection to their kids. These include: focusing on relationships rather than compliance, showing up for what’s right with your kids rat...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Ruth Freeman, a psychotherapist and founder of Peace at Home Parenting Solutions. She shares the alarming statistics about the current mental health crisis with kids and discusses the causes of parental burnout among working parents. She explains how the hybrid working model spurred by the pandemic and the breakdown of family rhythms and routines under...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. Dan Ratner, an international mind/body expert.  He shares details of his “three-column” approach to treating chronic pain which includes: helping patients understand the emotions they have around their symptoms, articulate and challenge their doubts and recognize they have the power to heal themselves. Dr. Dan Ratner is an intern...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom talks with Dr. Dan Ratner, an internationally known mind/body expert, about his own experience dealing with chronic pain, and the evolution of his approach to helping others heal from chronic pain. He emphasizes the importance of changing the way we think about chronic pain so we can lessen doubt and feel safe. He also explains that aligning with our true selves...

In this episode, Dr. David Hanscom continues his discussion with Dr. Thomas Verny, psychiatrist and best-selling author of The Embodied Mind.  He explains the concept of the embodied mind as a form of “cellular intelligence.“ While traditional neuroscience regards mind as an emergent property of the physical brain, the embodied mind posits that mind is dependent on the entire body, not just the br...