Project You

Ask Me Anything This is a very candid episode where I answer listener questions. If you have a question, reach out and I'd be happy to get back to you with my thoughts.   Reach me on all the usual suspects: FB, Twitter, LI, YT, Quora, etc...

Pillow Talk Here’s the data.  Over 60 Million Americans struggle with poor sleep.  Nearly 1 in 6 rely on some form of prescription drug to sleep.  Many of these are highly addictive and have serious health effects. (benzos and dementia). I’ve seen thousands of these patients in my practice over the last 2 decades and as a former emergency medicine physician, I struggled with getting quality sleep.  I knew I had to solve this issue or my career, marriage and health were in jeopardy.  I’ll be sharing the what and how of better sleep in a moment, but let’s continue with a bit more about why you need to sleep well.   Poor sleep disrupts the entire body starting from the top down.       

Broccoli & Your Breasts Listen to a discussion with one of my patients:   Project You episode 31   Show Notes: 80% of breast cancer occurs in women with no family history.  10% are related to family genetics and susceptability, the other 10% is BRCA 1 & 2. The link between elevated estrogen levels and breast cancer is well known. How your body metabolizes estrogen is critically important. Studies show that women with genetically impaired estrogen metabolism function may have 2.3 to 13 times the risk of breast cancer. Knowing your risk allows informed decisions about lifestyle and diet as well as choosing which drugs to take or not to take.   The fact of the matter is that both hormone replacement therapy and invitro fertilization dump an excess of female hormones into the body.  Some women’s bodies are better able to metabolize and detoxify or flush out the hormones after treatment, while others stockpile them and the risk and damage is cumulative.  [Tweet "Women wh

A Simple Sore Throat To Strep, or Not? That is the question. As a physician, this is the most common of all complaints.  I hear this every day from my patients, family and friends. The exact scope of the problem is hard to pin down, but the annual expenditure in the U.S. for this problem is north of a billion dollars a year.  I wrote about this in my book, The Patient's Guide, and shared that there are over 12 million visits per year for this problem.  The cost tally a few years back was $1.2 billion dollars, with an average visit cost between $150-300.  Worldwide, this number is over 10 million cases of strep infections. Incredible As I write this, I had a tough time finding current statistics that were relevant.  No matter that's not why you're here anyway. Note that strep is a type of bacteria and it can cause serious infections of the soft tissue (necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock).  Fortunately, these are less common than a sore throat. How To Treat A Sore

Change Is The Only Constant   We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness that holds what we want. -Lao Tsu   Who is Mikki? I ask for your indulgence as I write what was a pivotal moment in my life and career. I was just a few months into my new life as a resident physician.  This was before the 'reform', and more friendly work restrictions came down from the powers of medicine. As an intern, I routinely worked 100+ hour weeks.  Hell, I even rejoiced at working only 100 hrs in a week.  That meant some free time and a chance actually to see my wife and my bed. My first month, like all those in my EM residency program, was spent in the emergency department getting our feet wet.  I drew the short lot and was one of two interns on the trauma team the next month.  Late summer is historically a busy month for trauma.  The crush was soon upon me to function at a much higher level.  The stress and pressure were immense.   Enter Mikki.   His accent was thick

http://wp.me/p248wP-Ev   Biohacking Your Favorite Foods Like many families in North America, Friday night is the celebration of survival of the week.  The dress clothes are off and the festivities begin. Fat Fest If you have teenagers in the house, chances are pizza is high on the list of requested food for weekend fare.  Short of making it from scratch, these pies are packed full of fat and can wreak havoc on your body. I Need Pizza Despite knowing that badness lurks within, I can't resist a bit of cheesy heaven.  Maybe even 5 or 6 slices on a weak moment. Hacking Biology Or Surrender To Fate Is there anything you can do to combat the flood of fat (cholesterol) pouring into your blood vessels? YES - Here Is How Simple actions can produce impressive results.  You may not hear this in the 7 minutes your typical doctor visit allots to cover everything, so I'm sharing it here. Two Biohacks Plant Stanols & Sterols PGX There are others, but let

Do You Eat Dirt? Eating dirt is is not just for little kids anymore. Eating dirt and other non-typical food items may have some health benefits.   What I'm Really Taking About Activated Charcoal   Background In a crazy test, Professor Touery drank strychnine combined with activated charcoal and lived.  Strychnine poisoning is a horrible way to die, and he performed this feat in front of his colleagues.   How It Works I've used activated charcoal for decades while working in the emergency department.  Having encouraged or down right forced patients to drink it after suicide attempts.  Charcoal works by binding to toxins such as drugs or other chemicals.  The toxic substance sticks to the charcoal (adsorption) and then passes through the GI tract and exits the body. The body can't digest charcoal and it passes out the body into the toilet. The theory is that by binding various toxins in the gut, charcoal can detoxify the body.  Note that certain substances are n

Heart & Soul (Stomach) Feeling a bit of heartburn?  Too much of a good thing last night?  What about that chocolate after some pizza & pop? Just pop an antacid and move on.  Pop several, right?   So What? A variety of medications are used to treat acid problems in the stomach: Neutralizers (Tums, Rolaids, etc.) H2 Blockers – cimetidine, famotidine (Pepcid) Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) – omeprazole, pantoprazole (Protonix) My purpose is not to give you a pharmacology post on drugs, but to point out some facts you must know toprotect your health.   The Facts About Antacids PPIs have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease (think blocked arteries = heart attack) PPIs cause micronutrient deficiency.  Most of us eat a diet that is already lacking in key nutrients.  These drugs block absorption of important nutrients and also alter the health bacteria in our guts.  Remember that 70-80% of our immune system lives in the

Conclusion of BLue:   Gripping stories from the trauma field -- adrenaline junkies be damned. Strap in for a flight and experience what emergency healthcare professionals encounter on a daily basis. Heart-breaking and riveting true-life stories that will leave your heart racing and tears flowing down your cheeks. Fasten your seat belt and come along for fast-paced flights to the front lines of trauma and life as an ER doc and flight physician. http://MitchelMD.com

Coffee A Cup Of Joe (or poison)   I love coffee.   My soul needs coffee.   My day won't start well without a huge cup of coffee.   Is this you?   So What's The Big Deal? Human's are as variable on the inside as we are on the outside. What we eat, how we sleep and even more importantly, our genes affect our bodily functions.  

Gripping stories from the trauma field -- adrenaline junkies be damned. Strap in for a flight and experience what emergency healthcare professionals encounter on a daily basis. Heart-breaking and riveting true-life stories that will leave your heart racing and tears flowing down your cheeks. Fasten your seat belt and come along for fast-paced flights to the front lines of trauma and life as an ER doc and flight physician. http://MitchelMD.com

Drinking To A Sweet Death http://MitchelMD.com

http://MitchelMD.com/Sweaty_Antidote

Time vs. energy management http://MitchelMD.com

What Is Leaky Gut Only one cell separates the outside from the inside as the lining of the GI tract is that thin.    Normally the cells are held tightly together, but inflammation can cause them to leak.  When this happens, bacteria and food particles gain access to the blood stream.  The body quickly notes these as unwelcome invaders.   Why You Should Care The defenses of our immune system hate anything foreign.  As bacteria and food particles gain access, the immune system reacts aggressively and attacks.  The goal is to kill the invaders.   [Tweet "Leaky gut = increased risk of obesity and diabetes"]   A variety of substances are released and result in further inflammation.  These chemical messengers produced by the immune system are beneficial but do not act only where the attack is occurring.    

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A simple challenge for you

The crossroads of food, science and longevity are pushing the forefront of current thinking.  The science of Epigenetics and Nutrigenomics deals with how what we put in our bodies impacts our DNA, chance of disease and likelihood of living a long life.

Simple Sometimes the simplest things are right in front of us.   I am frequently reminded that the answer doesn't always have to be complicated or convoluted.  It often lies right in front of us. There for the taking.  Remembering to open one's eyes, heart and mind to the possibility can alter the course of life. This episode is a story of transformation and healing.  What inspired me about Karen's story is the self discovery and exploration that lead not only to improved health, but to a career filled with passion and purpose. Our conversation dives into her journey and the life-altering results applying simple changes can deliver. She is spot on in this conversation.  I'm a bit flat after working a stretch of nights in a busy ER, so be kind in your comments.... Learn More about Karen and work with her as a force to impact your health in a positive direction. http://vegancoach.co.uk

Saray Stancic, MD Saray Stancic, MD, is the founder of Stancic Health & Wellness in Ridgewood, NJ, an innovative medical practice whose mission is to educate and empower patients to achieve optimal health via lifestyle modification. Her focus is shedding light on the building body of scientific data supporting the importance of optimal nutrition in disease prevention. The concept for this practice came in response to her experiences as a physician for nearly 20 years and as a patient with multiple sclerosis.