Causes Or Cures

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Jamie Zeitzer about his recently published research on the link between one's bedtime preference and mental health. He explains which sleep pattern correlates with better mental health and which correlates with poorer mental health. Unfortunately for night owls, he offers hypotheses on why going to bed late, regardless of preference, is associated with worse mental health. He also discusses the benefits and risks of daytime naps, the ideal "sleep" temperature, and provides general recommendations for achieving optimal sleep.  Dr. Zeitzer is a researcher, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Co-Director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences at Stanford University.*New* SUBSCRIBE for Upcoming Bonus Episodes!You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Read Manic Kingdom.Support the s

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Aaron Mitchell about his recent research on pharmaceutical industry payments to medical doctors for promoting specific drugs on X (formerly known as Twitter). Dr. Mitchell describes the financial relationships between pharmaceutical companies and doctors, the prevalence of this issue, and what is known about its impact on prescribing practices and patient outcomes. He also shares his thoughts on direct-to-consumer drug advertisements and offers solutions to mitigate the massive influence of pharmaceutical companies on our health system.Dr. Mitchell is an oncologist and health services researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC, with a research focus on the interaction between financial incentives and physician behavior. You can learn more about him and his work here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newslett

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Andres Acosta MD PHD about the identification of 4 phenotypes for obesity and how they can revolutionize the future of obesity treatment. In great detail, he describes the 4 obesity phenotypes (Hungry Brain, Emotional Hunger, Hungry Gut, and Slow Burn) and explains what treatment, diet, and exercise plan works for each. He also describes his company, Phenomix Sciences, a precision-medicine endeavor that predicts how well someone will respond to various obesity interventions. Dr. Acosta is a Consultant of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic, as well as an Associate Professor of Medicine. His research focus is on gastrointestinal physiology and the complexity of food intake regulation as it relates to obesity. You can learn more about his work here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Read Manic Kin

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with gastroenterologist Dr. David Clarke about the viral wellness trend of fart walking. He, an avid fart walker himself, describes the health benefits of fart walking, particularly how it can help with digestion, heart burn, bloating, and possibly even Type 2 Diabetes. He offers tips on how to optimize fart walking for your intestines and overall wellness.  Dr. Clarke is a repeat guest on Causes or Cures, having appeared on Episode 164 where he discusses the hidden causes of chronic pain. He is the President of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association (PPDA), a nonprofit dedicated to ending the chronic pain epidemic. He earned his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and is Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. His organization’s mission is to advance the awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of stress-related, brain-generated medical conditions. You can learn more about him at EndChronicPa

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with ovarian cancer survivor Meg Wilkinson about the omentum, her cancer journey, and her advocacy group, The Omentum Project. As part of her cancer treatment, Meg had her omentum removed. Though little is known about this mysterious apron of "fat",  Meg decided to explore further after she and other cancer survivors living without omentums developed debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms.  On the podcast, Meg shares what she has learned about the omentum, including why it is known as the "abdomen's policeman", ongoing research on its many, fascinating functions, and the birth of The Omentum Project, a citizen scientist/volunteer effort to help those living without an omentum improve their quality of life. Meg also describes The Omentum Project's research study, Eat Popcorn for Science, for which they are currently recruiting. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with researcher Omar Almahayni about his published systematic review on the physiological and psychological benefits of the Wim Hof Method for both healthy and non-healthy individuals. Wim Hof, known as "The Iceman," is a Dutch extreme athlete and motivational speaker famed for his extraordinary ability to endure extreme cold.During the podcast, Omar discusses his interest in Wim Hof, the components of the renowned Wim Hof Method, and theories on its potential health benefits. He explains his evaluation of the published studies on the method, the results, future research possibilities, and who might be interested in joining Wim Hof on one of his extreme excursions.Omar conducted his research at Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, UK, and now works for a mental health biotechnology company based in Syria.You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.S

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with cardiologist, physician-scientist and CEO of Fractyl Health Dr. Harith Rajagopalan about solutions his company is developing for the problem of keeping weight off after someone stops taking the obesity/weight loss medication, such as Ozempic. Dr. Rajagopalan explains the issue of weight rebound after stopping the medication, and describes two new therapies Fractyl Health is developing that would allow a person to sustain weight loss without the need for ongoing medication. He also provides an overview of the multifaceted approach necessary for tackling obesity and offers a unique perspective on chronic disease.  You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here. Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks sits down with internationally renowned music publicist Mary Lou Falcone to discuss her new book, I Didn't See It Coming. The book takes readers on an emotional journey filled with love, a dream job working with some of the world's most famous classical music stars, romance, and profound loss. Mary Lou shares her experiences as a caretaker, first for her sick father during her childhood and later for her soulmate, Nicky Zann—a 1950s rock 'n' roller turned world-famous cartoonist and illustrator who battled Lewy Body Dementia until his passing. Part of her motivation for writing the book was to raise awareness about Lewy Body Dementia. In the podcast, Mary Lou vividly recounts the early signs that something was wrong with Nicky, the series of doctor visits and tests that led to his diagnosis, and how she cared for him in his final years. She also explains how Lewy Body Dementia differs from more commonly known dementias, such as Alz

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Randall Urban about his research on the link between Long COVID and growth hormone and how growth hormone may potentially reverse or decrease the neurological symptoms/brain fog associated with Long COVID. Dr. Urban is an endocrinologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. He is the Vice Dean of Clinical Research in the School of Medicine, Vice President and Chief Research Officer, and the Principle Investigator of UTMB's Clinical Translational Science Award. You can learn more about his research here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or X.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Valter Longo about his latest research on the fasting-mimicking diet (FMG) and how it has been shown in studies to reduce biological age and disease risk. In great detail, he describes the fasting-mimicking diet and its components while explaining how it was tested in clinical trials for its effect on biological age and disease risk. Dr. Longo describes the difference between biological age and chronological age and how he and his team measured biological age in the studies. Not attributing the benefits of the fasting-mimicking diet to weight loss alone, Dr. Valter offers theories for how it reduces biological age. Importantly, he comments on the controversial fasting study that suggests 8-hour-time-restricted eating is linked to a 91% higher risk of death from heart disease and closes by telling us what he thinks is the best fasting protocol and why. Dr. Longo  is a professor of gerontology and biological sciences and director of the L

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks converses with Dr. Jay Maddock about his research on the scientific connection between nature and mental health benefits. The discussion centers on one of his recent studies, which examined the relationship between a community's "Nature Score" and levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. Dr. Maddock explains the concept of a "Nature Score," the methodology of the study, and its findings. He also highlights other research indicating that exposure to nature can help with PTSD and ADHD, and explores theories on why nature positively impacts mental health and why a lack of it can be harmful. Finally, he delves into ongoing research in this field and discusses its implications for public health practices. Dr. Maddock is a researcher and regents professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Texas A&M University. He is director of the Center for Health and Nature,  Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Hea

Send us a textOn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Diana Noga about her new research on the relationship between short sleep and the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. This is especially relevant in a busy world that doesn't prioritize sleep and is already facing growing rates of Type 2 Diabetes, even in younger age groups. In the podcast, she discusses how they conducted their study and the theories for why a short nightly sleep duration may increase risk for Type 2 Diabetes. She also explains a surprising finding, which was that a healthy diet did not mitigate risk of Type 2 Diabetes when short sleep was involved. Dr. Noga is a researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden where she focuses on the relationship between sleep and health. You can learn more about her work here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.On Youtube.Or TikTokSUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Mark Mamula about the vaccine he and his team created for cancer in dogs. In the podcast, he explains how they created the vaccine, how it works, how they are testing it in dogs, and what is currently known about how well it works. He describes the types of cancers in dogs that the vaccine is targeting, the similarities between cancer in dogs and cancer in humans and how the vaccine could one day also be used for cancer in humans. Dr. Mamula is a researcher and professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine. His lab focuses on cancer immunology, tumor biology and autoimmune disease. You can learn more about his work here. You can read a scientific paper on the vaccine for cancer in dogs here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.On Youtube.Or TikTokSUBSCRIBE to her monthly newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with venom expert Tim Friede about his twenty plus years' "unusual" journey with the world's most venomous snakes: Seeking protection from snake bites, Tim purposely injected himself with diluted venom at escalating doses until he achieved a level of hyperimmunity unknown to humans. Working by himself in his Wisconsin home, Tim achieved the uncanny ability of being purposely bitten by the world's deadliest snakes, including cobras, rattlers, black mambas, et al and surviving with no major side effects. He has been bitten by snakes at least 200 times. He has had some close calls, which he discusses in the podcast. Understanding that his blood was an anomalous, potentially life-saving stew for future victims of snake bites, Tim joined forces with Jacob Glanville, founder of biotech company Centivax, to create the world's first fully human broad-spectrum antivenom. In the podcast, Tim explains how Centivax is using his

Send us a textOn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Prabhat Jha about his fascinating research recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine on the extent and speed at which quitting smoking reduces death rates from smoking-related illnesses.  What he describes in the podcast will be encouragement for anyone, no matter how long they smoked, to consider quitting. In addition to his research, we also chat about evidence for and against vaping, and he also shares a colorful tale on the lows the tobacco industry will go to keep people hooked. Dr. Jha is an epidemiologist, researcher and founding director of the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. His research focus is death resulting from HIV, tobacco, alcohol, malaria and both infectious and non-communicable diseases in general. You can read more about him on his Wikipedia page here. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Wilson Merrell about his recently published research on the percentage of people who hide the fact that they are sick with an infectious disease. In the podcast, he discusses who hides the fact that they are sick, when they do it, why they do it and how they do it. He explains their motives, things the researchers found surprising and the wider implications of his research. Dr. Merrell is a researcher who completed his PhD in social psychology at the University of Michigan. He is currently doing postdoc research at the Center for the Experimental-Philosophical Study of Discrimination at Aarhus University.  His research focus is on psychological processes that help people manage fundamental threats and opportunities in their environment.  You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.On Youtube.Or Threads.SUBSCRIBE to her newsletter here.Support the show

Send us a textOn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats wtih Dr. Dmitry Abramov about his and his team's research on the impact of substance use on heart-related deaths over time in the US. The research was recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. In the podcast, he explains how he did the research, what substances have the greatest impact on heart-related deaths, and what subpopulations are most at risk, including some surprising trends. Substances assessed include alcohol, opioids, marijuana, and psychostimulants. He also describes how these substances may damage the heart.  Dr. Abramov is a practicing cardiologist and researcher at Loma Linda University. His specialties include cardiovascular disease and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or TikTokOr Twitter.Or Youtube.Subscribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Erica Fernandes about the identification of a new syndrome linked to fentanyl exposure while in the womb. Dr. Fernandes first discusses how a new syndrome related to developmental or genetic abnormalities is identified and then explains how they carried out their study at Nemours Children's Hospital. She discusses the specific characteristics identified in the babies enrolled in their study and how fentanyl was identified as the common exposure. She explains how other known syndromes were ruled out and discusses ongoing research to determine how exactly fentanyl causes the new syndrome. Finally, she offers next steps in terms of informing the public and public health. Dr. Fernandes is a practicing physician and researcher in the division of medical genetics at Nemours Children's Health. Her and her team's study on the new syndrome was recently published here in Genetics in Medicine Open. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomi

Send us a text"Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food."In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Marissa Toussaint about how she is using culinary medicine to help her patients lose weight, maintain a healthy weight and prevent chronic illnesses. Taking a holistic approach to health, she explains what culinary medicine is and how she uses it in conjuction with her training in family medicine and obesity medicine to help patients get to their healthiest state. She describes how people can eat healthier on any budget and what foods to prioritize, and she discusses our current approach to obesity, including the new obesity drugs, and what else needs to be done. She also describes how the body positive movement fits in with the war on obesity, as the two are not at odds with one another.  Dr. Toussaint is a board-certified family physician, obesity medicine physician, and is certified in culinary medicine. With over fifteen years of clinical experience, she has spent much of

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures I chat with Dr. Scott Kaplan about his research on the effectiveness of putting a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.  Sugar-sweetened beverages are significantly linked to heart disease, obesity and other chronic illnesses, and taxes are one (albeit controversial) approach we can take at the population level. Dr. Kaplan discusses price and purchasing changes afte a sugar-sweetened beverage tax was implemented  in five major US cities. He discusses economic outcomes, health outcomes, and addresses criticism of these types of taxes, including that they are too "Big Brotherish" and discriminate against the poor. Dr. Kaplan is an applied microeconomist whose research interests include consumer behavior and food and health policy. He is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at the United States Naval Academy. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Or Youtube.Subscribe to he