Rational Wellness Podcast

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Mark Houston discusses An Integrative Approach to Hypertension with Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights 3:20 Hypertension. What causes high blood pressure are three finite vascular responses, which are inflammation of the arteries, oxidative stress in the arteries, and immune dysfunction in the arteries. 4:59 Hypertension is blood pressure higher than 120 over 80 but several large cohort studies show that the risk starts at 110 over 70. 6:28 Untreated hypertension. 7:15 Proper way to measure blood pressure. 9:58 White Coat Hypertension. 10:58 Genetic Factors. 11:50 Plasma renin activity and serum aldosterone levels help guide care for patients with hypertension. 13:57 Diet and Lifestyle. There are four main diet factors that affect hypertension: 1. Low sodium--below 1.5 gms per day, 2. High potassium--at least 5 gm per day, 3. High magnesium--at least 1,000 mg per day, and 4. at least 12 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. 16:48 Toxins. 17:11 Micronutrients. 17:48 Exercise. 18:25 Endothelial dysfunction. 24:12 Nutrients. 27:32 Medications. Dr. Mark Houston is the director of the Hypertension Institute in Nashville, Tennessee and he is the go to expert on cardiovascular disease in the Functional Medicine world. Dr. Houston is tripled board certified in hypertension as an American Society of Hypertension (ASH) specialist and Fellow of the American Society of Hypertension (FASH), Internal Medicine (ABIM) and Anti-aging medicine (ABAARM). Dr. Houston teaches doctors around the world about cardiovascular medicine as part of the A4M programs. Dr. Houston is also a very prolific author, having written many books, the latest two being Precision and Personalized Integrative Cardiovascular Medicine and Controlling High Blood Pressure through Nutrition, Nutritional Supplements, Lifestyle, and Drugs. Dr. Houston's web site is HypertensionInstitute.com. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Podcast Transcript

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Ben Weitz discusses Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Podcast Transcript

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Ashley Beckman discusses Mold and Mycotoxins with Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights Dr. Ashley Beckman is a doctor of Chinese Medicine, a Functional Medicine practitioner, and an Epigenetics expert. She combines ancient wisdom with modern medicine to transform your health. Her website is drashley.com. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Rand McClain discusses Testosterone Replacement Therapy at the Functional Medicine Discussion Group meeting on February 22, 2024 with moderator Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights Dr. Rand McClain is a Doctor of Osteopathy and a Regenerative and Sports Medicine specialist. Dr. McClain is a leader in alternative and regenerative medical treatments at his Regenerative and Sports Medicine Clinic in Santa Monica, California. He utilizes various anti-aging therapies in his practice, including Bioidentical Hormones, stem cells, peptides, hyperbaric oxygen, cryotherapy, and nutritional supplements. He wrote a best-selling book, Cheating Death in 2023. His office website is psrmed.com. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations.

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Mona Morstein discusses Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth with Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights Dr. Mona Morstein is a naturopathic doctor who is practicing Functional Medicine at Arizona Integrative Medical Solutions in Mesa, Arizona with a focus on treating patients with autoimmune diseases, hormonal conditions, diabetes, thyroid, and gastrointestinal disorders like SIBO and IBS. She is the author of the best-selling book Master Your Diabetes: A Comprehensive, Integrative Approach for Both Type I and Type II Diabetes and she lectures frequently at medical conferences. She can be reached through the Arizona Integrative Medical solutions website, AZIMSolutions.com. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Christy Sutton discusses the Iron Curse, part 1 with Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights 1:50 High iron levels can negatively affect your health. 4:42 Most patients with elevated blood sugar will not typically have their iron levels checked. A full iron panel maybe costs $40 and yet it is rarely run. 11:25 When we look at labs it is important that the recommended lab ranges reflect a healthy person and not a sick person range. Dr. Christy Sutton is a doctor of chiropractic who published her first book in 2018 on genomics: Genetic Testing: Defining Your Path to a Personalized Health Plan. She then diagnosed her husband with hereditary hemochromatosis, and high cortisol from a pituitary tumor, which she believes high iron contributed to. Her new book is The Iron Curse: Is your doctor letting high iron destroy your health, about the risk of high iron or hemochromatosis and the health consequences that can result from it. Her website is DrChristySutton.com. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations and he uses DUTCH testing regularly.

View the Show Notes For This Episode Niraj Naik discusses Soma Breathwork with Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights Niraj Naik is a certified UK pharmacist turned holistic wellness and breathwork expert. Niraj funs a global breathwork community and trains hundreds of breathwork experts in his Soma Breath techniques, which is taught at numerous wellness centers in the US, Europe, and Asia, including the University of Cambridge. Niraj is working on a new book, Breath Works, which is soon to be released. His websites are NirajNaik.com and SomaBreath.com. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations and he uses DUTCH testing regularly.

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Aristo Vojdani discusses the Early Detection and Prevention of Autoimmune Diseases at the Functional Medicine Discussion Group meeting on January 25, 2024 with moderator Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights Dr. Aristo Vojdani is the Father of Functional Immunology and he has dedicated his life's research to helping us figure out what are the triggers for autoimmune diseases and many of the tests he has developed for Cyrex Labs are focused on this. Dr. Vojdani has a PhD in microbiology and immunology and he has authored over 200 scientific papers published in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Vojdani is the co-owner of Immunosciences Lab in Los Angeles, which offers testing for various types of infections, including Lyme Disease. He is the Chief Science advisor for Cyrex Labs, whom he has developed all of the testing for, including the Lymphocyte Map test, Array 2 for Leaky Gut, and Array 5, The Multiple Autoimmune Reactivity Panel, and from Immunosciences, the Autoimmune Viral Trio Panel. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations.

View the Show Notes For This Episode Dr. Howard Elkin and Dr. Ben Weitz, discuss Rhabdomyolysis with Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights 2:17 Rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) is characterized by an acute destruction of muscle tissue and the contents of the destroyed muscle tissue--myoglobin--is emptied into the bloodstream. This myoglobin makes the urine appear brown in color and thick and it can overwhelm the kidneys and cause kidney destruction and renal failure... 6:24 Certain drugs like statins that are used to lower cholesterol can play a role in causing rhabdo, since they can adversely affect skeletal muscles, though this is more common in the older statins that are lipophilic like simvastatin (Zocor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor) than the newer statins that are hydrophilic like fluvastatin, rosuvastatin (Crestor), and pravastatin. This can be made worse if certain other drugs are taken at the same time that inhibit the cytochrome p450-3A4 liver detox pathway, such as certain antibiotics (such as clarithromycin), antifungals, calcium channel blockers and certain other drugs. Also, the use of alcohol, amphetamines, and methamphetamines can worsen the likelihood of the occurrence of rhabdo. 8:34 Patients with rhabdo usually present with intense pain, extreme fatigue, and their urine is very dark, even brown, because of myoglobin that is being released. They will have elevated CPK in their blood as well as elevated myoglobin. Dr. Howard Elkin is an Integrative Cardiologist with offices in Whittier and in Santa Monica, California and he has been in practice since 1986. While Dr. Elkin does utilize medications and he performs angioplasty and stent placement and other surgical procedures, his focus in his practice is employing natural strategies for helping patients, including recommendations for diet, lifestyle changes, and targeted nutritional supplements to improve their condition. Dr. Elkin has written an excellent new book, From Both Sides of the Table: When Doctor Becomes Patient. His website is Heartwise.com and his office number is 562-945-3753. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations and he uses DUTCH testing regularly. Podcast Transcript

View the Show Notes For This Episode Charlotte Blease, PhD, and Cosima Locher, PhD, discuss The Nocebo Effect with Dr. Ben Weitz. [If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, so more people will find The Rational Wellness Podcast. Also check out the video version on my WeitzChiro YouTube page.] Podcast Highlights 1:45 The placebo effect is when a patient feels better after taking a sugar pill of some other treatment that is not thought to be able to help them, because they believe that it will help them. When a scientific study is conducted they often have a placebo arm with one group getting the pill with the active ingredient and the other group getting a pill without the active ingredient, which is referred to as the placebo group. And yet a significant percentage of the patients who get the placebo improve. The nocebo is sort of the opposite of the placebo in that if the patient believes or has fears or expectations that they are likely to have side effects or a negative result from a medication or treatment, they may have such negative effects. The book The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick is designed to bring awareness to the nocebo concept, which has been much less researched than the placebo effect. And this book also attempts to bring some solutions so that nocebo effects occur less frequently. Charlotte Blease, PhD is a philosopher and health researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, and the Department of Women's and Children's Health at Uppsala University, Sweden. The book that Charlotte and Cosima helped write is The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick. Cosima Locher PhD is a psychologist who has published in leading medical journals and is the co-founder of the Pain Net, an international network of researchers interested in chronic pain with a special focus on the placebo and nocebo effects. Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111. Dr. Weitz is also available for video or phone consultations and he uses DUTCH testing regularly.