DOCS TALK SHOP

Cancer treatment is simple, right? Kill as many cancer cells as possible, as quickly as possible. In some cases, that may be exactly the wrong approach. In this episode, Dr. Dawn Lemanne and Dr. Deborah Gordon explore a surprising idea emerging from evolutionary biology, ecology, and mathematical oncology: in some metastatic cancers, aggressive treatment may unintentionally accelerate the growth o...

In today's episode, we welcome back a familiar and popular guest, Andy Baxter, who has an impressive resume as rower, rowing coach, and particularly insightful rehabilitation specialist. What Dr. Lemanne and I have particularly appreciated about his work is his focus on not just rehabbing an injury, but going beyond rehab.  He is a master at how to safely build both strength and resilience, g...

In this episode, we’re joined by Debra Zaslow—author and storyteller—who shares her personal experience with hormone replacement therapy, including some immediate and unexpected effects that took her by surprise. From that starting point, we explore several unexpected ideas:  Estrogen alone may reduce breast cancer risk in certain groups   Not all “progesterone” is the same—synthetic versions can...

In today's episode, we have the distinct pleasure of speaking with Dr. Tommy Wood, whose new book, The Stimulated Mind, will be available soon. We explore his concept of developing greater head space. That's not hat size, but rather our cognitive reserves as we head into older age. We talk about the kinds of brain training and brain resting that are most helpful for our brain health and...

 In today's episode, we explore the controversy regarding ultra-processed foods, starting with an attempt to define just what those are. That's actually not been carefully approached yet. Then we look at the more serious attempts to construct ways to measure and precisely discuss the hazards of ultra-processed foods and ways we might rectify those. We range far afield from our esoteric m...

In this episode we discuss one of our favorite pasttimes – exercise—and the relationship between exercise and health. Of course it’s no surprise that exercise is recommended for its health benefits, for people at any age and any level of fitness.  Dr. Gordon and I both prescribe exercise as one of the most important parts of our routine patient care.  Today though we dive into what has surprised u...

Treat ADHD, lower Alzheimer’s risk? The episode explores emerging evidence that simply having ADD/ADHD raises lifetime Alzheimer’s risk—yet appropriately treating it in adults, often with low-dose stimulants, seems to push that risk back down. How can the same class of drugs be both feared as “brain-burning” and yet potentially brain-saving—and what does that mean for people already in midlife? Tr...

In today's episode, we have the pleasure of a chat with my longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Ann Hathaway. Dr. Hathaway enlightens us on some of the details of her work with Dr. Dale Bredesen, delving into some aspects of the treatment for mold toxicity and hormone replacement therapy for older women. Dr. Lemanne also has a chance to share some insightful details about her innovative work wi...

In this episode, we uncover the strange fact that 11-year solar cycles shape your health, including your risk of cancer and autoimmune diseases.  I'll admit this sounds like astrology. Or science fiction.  It isn't. Statistics show that the number of sunspots during the year you were born  shortens your lifespan, on average, by more than a decade.  And sunlight affects us in other strang...

What doesn't kill me makes me...weaker? Learn why short bursts of stress are a tonic, while chronic stress damages your brain and accelerates tumor growth. Especially if you're female.   Find out why you're wrong about your own stress levels, and what you must do to find the hidden stress before you can fix it. Discover which meditation practices actually calm your nervous system. M...

Surgery can wake up dormant cancer cells—even if the surgery is unrelated to cancer. In this striking episode, Drs. Dawn Lemanne and Deborah Gordon uncover how surgical trauma and anesthesia suppress immune function for weeks, creating an ideal window for tumor growth. Listen in as they discuss powerful, little-known tools to counteract this: a flu shot given within 24 hours before surgery can pre...

Yes we all want to live longer, but the catch of course is -- so long as we are healthy!  What are some of the current thoughts about living longer and living better. How can we extend our vitality as we age, so that we celebrate health and not just more birthdays. Dawn Lemanne, MD Oregon Integrative Oncology Leave no stone unturned. Deborah Gordon, MD Northwest Wellness and Memory Center Building...

Your Bones Are Lying to You – What the Experts Aren’t Telling You In this myth-busting episode, medical exercise specialist Andy Baxter flips everything you thought you knew about bone health upside down. Why Your Daily Walk--a False Security Blanket? Think walking strenghthens your muscles and protects your bones? Think again. Discover why it fails to give you what you really need to prevent life...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr.  Nick Norwitz, who is, in his own words, a researcher educator whose mission is to make metabolic health mainstream. Dr. Norwitz has a PhD in human metabolism from Oxford University and is about to get an MD from Harvard Medical School. We are interested here in his own story of healing chronic illness, in which modern standard medicine absolutely failed him a...

In this episode of Docs Talk Shop , Dr. Lemanne and Dr. Gordon explore how daily rhythms impact cancer treatment, brain health, and metabolism. Discover surprising ways to optimize your health by carefully timing your sleep, light exposure, and meals. (And think twice about late suppers!) Breast cancers spread at night, and why this means trouble if your largest meal is supper. In colorectal cance...

Fecal transplants are saving cancer patients at MD Anderson? In this episode of Docs Talk Shop , Dr. Gordon and I explore how a major breakthrough in microbiome science could open up new treatment possibilities for cancer patients. But the news is not all good--fecal transplants can also transfer obesity. We discuss how a patient who received an FMT from an obese donor gained weight, highlighting...

Cancer and Dementia: Coffee’s Protection, Alcohol’s Lasting Damage Could your morning coffee protect you from cancer? And could that evening glass of wine increase your risk? In this episode of Docs Talk Shop, we dig into the science behind two of the most popular beverages and unearth some surprising truths about how they impact your health, especially when it comes to cancer and dementia. For in...

As we age past our reproductive years, Mother Nature stops taking care of us. We discuss a recent article by Dr. Bruce Ames of the University of California, Berkeley, who's one of the first and most distinguished anti-aging scientists--still productive in his 90's! We uncover some of his secrets as we discuss why, as we age, certain supplements become even more important to our healthy s...

Can bad habits be good for you?  For instance, do cigarettes decrease the risk of Parkinson's disease? Alzheimer's? Ulcerative colitis?  The answer is yes.  Smoking is surprisingly powerful as a preventive for these conditions.  And you may also want to know that if you're worried about Parkinson's disease, you may want to think twice about living near a golf course. In this ep...

 In this episode, Dr. Dawn Lemanne and Dr. Deborah Gordon engage with author and ketogenic diet specialist Miriam Kalamian , who shares her profound personal journey of treating her son’s aggressive brain tumor with a ketogenic diet. The discussion delves into the diet's impressive effects on the size of her son's brain tumor, the surprising--and critical--role of calorie restriction for...

We had a fascinating conversation with our friend and colleague Dr. Georgia Ede about the background, details, and the vast scope of her work treating mental illness--of all sorts--with variations on the ketogenic diet.  Fully conventionally trained, Dr. Ede used her insight into her patients' conditions, paired it with developing understanding about nutrition, and has found varied and indivi...

In this episode, we discuss melatonin's use as a sleep supplement, as well as  its other powerful actions, such as its use as a pain reliever, an anti-anxiety medication, an antidepressant, and as a modulator of immune activity in autoimmune conditions.  We also delve into melatonin's use in cancer, in particular in glioblastoma, where we look at a study showing a survival benefit to a p...

Listen to this episode to learn: common blood pressure and diabetes medications that derail your fitness program sarcopenia of aging starts not in the muscles, but in the brain fitness to treat cognitive decline and neurologic disorders, Parkinson, MS, stroke yoga, and the surprisingly high risk of injury  why stretching is harmful, and a better way to maintain range-of-motion   heart disease vs l...

In this episode, we talk about bone health--something that should be of interest to anyone over 50, long before it becomes a medical problem of concern. While Dr. Gordon has long relied on hormone replacement as a helpful tool in restoring lost bone density, she discusses today some of her recent learning about fine tuning the use of hormones and many other lifestyle choices. Bear with her pet pee...

In this episode, Dr. Lemanne and Dr. Gordon discuss why oncologists believe that cancers inevitably become resistant to any treatment, and the new research that is proving this wrong. On the surface, standard treatment choice for a particular cancer makes sense:  1. Choose the most powerful drug or drug combination possible, the one best at quickly shrinking the cancerous tumor. 2. Repeatedly dose...