GW Integrative Medicine

Today we’re going to talk about broccoli, sulforaphane, and combating inflammation, as well as the new research and education discipline of microbes and social equity, with Sue Ishaq, PhD, founder of the Microbes and Social Equity Working Group, Principal Investigator at the Ishaq Lab, and assistant professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Maine School of Food and Agricultu...

Today on the pod, we talk about nutrition studies and how to understand them with nutrition scientists Danny Lennon, MSc, and Alan Flanagan, PhD, of Sigma Nutrition. Sigma Nutrition provides objective, high-quality, evidence-based information on nutrition. It produces educational content aimed at dietitians, nutritionists, health & fitness professionals, nutrition science academics, and those inte...

Today, we talk to the leaders of the GW research team, nutrition scientist Leigh Frame, PhD, MHS, and GW medical student researcher Jacob Hands, who looked at cocoa products in the U.S., lead, and other heavy metal contaminants. Some of the key findings will surprise you. This unique study was conducted by researchers from the Frame-Corr Lab here at GW, the GW Resiliency & Well-being Center, GW In...

Today, we talk about polyvagal theory, nutrition, sleep, and embodiment for trauma with scientist Catherine Justice, DPT, PT, C-IAYT, E-RYT, CST, FAIHM. Polyvagal theory emphasizes the role the autonomic nervous system, especially the vagus nerve, plays in regulating our health and behavior. An expert in Physical Therapy, Integrative Medicine and wellness, Dr. Justice uses holistic and creative ap...

Today on the pod we talk about the science of weight cutting with nutritional scientist Danny Lennon, MSc, founder, CEO, and lead content creator of Sigma Nutrition. He is also the co-author of the recent book, “Making Weight: The Ultimate Science Based Guide to Cutting Weight for Combat Sports.” He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulat...

Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, are a class of popular drugs that reduce the amount of acid produced in the stomach. They are often the first-line treatment for conditions related to acid, such as esophagitis, non-erosive reflux disease, and peptic ulcer disease. We talk about PPIs and dementia with Misha Kogan, MD, ABIOM, RCST, medical director of the GW Center of Integrative Medicine and associ...

Today on the pod we are going to talk about the science behind nutritional neuroscience with Stephen Fleming, PhD. This scientific discipline studies the effects various components of the diet such as minerals, vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, fats, dietary supplements, synthetic hormones, and food additives have on neurochemistry, neurobiology, behavior, and cognition, according to the journal N...

Today on the pod we talk about cancer survivorship with Sanna Ali, MSN, CRNP, an Oncology nurse practitioner (NP), cancer survivorship researcher and advocate, and PhD student at the School of Nursing at George Washington University. She currently practices at the GW Center for Integrative Medicine. In her role as an NP, she saw first-hand the multifaceted, complex issues that burden cancer surviv...

Today on the pod we talk about C-15:0 Essential Fatty Acid with Dr. Stephanie Venn-WatsonDVM, MPH. Dr. Venn-Watson is the CEO and co-founder of Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc. in San Diego, California. She and her husband, Eric Venn-Watson, MD, made the groundbreaking discovery of C15:0. Also known as pentadecanoic acid, C15:0 is an essential fatty acid that has largely disappeared from the modern We...

We get sciency with the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences' Anil Bajnath, MD, MBA, IFMCP, ABAARM, MIFHI, an expert on Precision Medicine, aka Personalized Medicine. (Sciency is a word—it's in the OED.) This episode was originally published May 31, 2020. Dr. Bajnath is the CEO and Founder of The Institute for Human Optimization Precision Medicine Research Group and an Adjunct Assistant Profess...

Today we discuss evidence-based approaches that use food and the gut microbiome to promote health and treat disease with Christopher Damman, MD, MA, a board-certified gastroenterologist and internist at the Digestive Health Center at the University of Washington Medical Center and CMO, Scientific Medical & Scientific Officer at Uplifting Results Labs. Dr. Damman is a physician scientist with a par...

Today, we talk about kuli kuli, or Moringa oleifera, with Dr. Jed Fahey, former director of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Lisa Curtis, founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli Foods. A nutritional biochemist and leader in chemoprotection, Dr. Fahey has broad training and extensive background in plant physiology, human nutrition, phytochemistry and n...

Physician-scientist Sunil K. Aggarwal, MD, PhD, FAAPMR, co-founder and co-director of the Advanced Integrative Medical Science Institute (AIMS), is among the leading researchers giving lectures at the GW Medicinal Fungi Conference from 9 am to 4:20 pm ET on Friday, September 22, 2023. It's not too late to register for this online conference. bit.ly/3QUqlAD Dr. Aggarwal’s primary clinical and resea...

Today, we talk to Peter Grinspoon, MD, about cannabis myths and his new book “Seeing through the Smoke: A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth about Marijuana.” Dr. Grinspoon is a primary care physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A certified Health and Wellness Coach, he has provided medical cannabis care fo...

Today on the pod we talk about the gut microbiome and pancreatic health and disease with researcher and clinician Mark Haupt, MD, Chief Medical Officer of IFF Health & Biosciences. IFF Health & Biosciences is a company that conducts extensive R&D activities in the fields of food science, microbiology and molecular biology. For five years prior to IFF, he joined an early-stage complex genomics and...

Today, we talk to Christine Teal, MD, the Chief of Breast Surgery at The George Washington University Hospital, and Rachel Brem, MD, vice chair of Radiology and director of the Breast Imaging & Intervention Center. They are the authors of “No Longer Radical: Understanding Mastectomies and Choosing the Breast Cancer Care That's Right For You.” Published in May 2023, it’s a life-saving and empowerin...

We talk about empathy, chronic conditions, and more with Meghan L Beier, PhD, MA, a Health and Rehabilitation Psychologist at the Rowan Center for Behavioral Medicine in Burbank, Calif, and founder of Find Empathy, an online directory and educational platform that helps connect people with challenging medical conditions to therapists who understand their diagnosis. Dr. Beier specializes in cogniti...

Today, we talk about death, dying, and when doctors grieve with Delia Chiaramonte, MD, Founder and CEO of the Institute for Integrative Palliative Medicine and host of the Integrative Palliative Podcast. As a thought leader in the field of integrative palliative medicine, Dr. Chiaramonte specializes in whole-person care for families facing serious illness, using all the tools that work. She is an...

Today, we have with us J.D. Talasek, Director of Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences or CPNAS, which explores the relationships among culture, science, engineering, and medicine. J.D. is also the creator and moderator for a monthly salon called DASER (DC Art Science Evening Rendezvous) held at the National Academy of Sciences as part of the LASER network. He has served on the fac...

Today we’re talking about sleep deprivation and glymphatics with Vivek Jain, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine at GW and Director of GW Center for Sleep Disorders. The glymphatic system is a network of vessels that clear waste from the central nervous system, brain, and spinal cord, mostly during sleep. Once thought not to exist, this...

We talk about nutrition, the human microbiome, and big data with Hannah Holscher, PhD, RD, director of the Nutrition and the Human Microbiome Laboratory, associate professor of Nutrition, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Division of Nutritional Sciences, at the University of Illinois. Dr. Holscher’s laboratory uses clinical interventions and computational approaches to study the int...

Today, we talk about psilocybin and Alzheimer’s with Albert Garcia-Romeu, PhD, a member of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu is a also a Guest Researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Neuroimaging Research Branch. His research examines the effects of psychedelics in humans, with a focus on...

Today, we discuss Expressive Therapy with Juliet King, PhD, (ABD), ATR-BC, LPC, LMHC, an Associate Professor in the Art Therapy Program at the GW Columbian College of Arts & Sciences. She also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. King’s research explores the systematic integration of art therapy and...

Today we talk about Functional Medicine with Jill Carnahan, MD, ABIHM, ABoIM, IFMCP, Founder and Medical Director of Flatiron Functional Medicine and a world-renowned expert on this medical subspecialty that is based on personalized medicine and focused on the root causes, such as lifestyle instead of symptoms like high cholesterol. Utilizing state-of-the-art lab testing and biochemical analysis,...

Today, we talk about exercise, nutrition science, and public health with Kyle Levers, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences in the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. Dr. Levers also serves as the Director of the Metabolism and Exercise Testing Research Services and Academic Laboratories. The lab was set up to further expand public health-related...