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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Functional Medicine Researcher

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC covers cutting-edge research on Functional Medicine. Dr. Hedberg covers the latest research on thyroid disorders, gut health, autoimmune disease, nutrition, hormones and much more. If you’re tired of long-winded podcasts without useful information that actually works, then this show is definitely for you.

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Top 10 Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Overcoming PTSD with Dr. Robert Hedaya

Overcoming PTSD with Dr. Robert Hedaya

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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02/03/20 • 42 min

In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I interview Dr. Robert Hedaya about overcoming PTSD.  Post-traumatic stress disorder is an extremely difficult condition to manage but Dr. Hedaya and I discuss multiple approaches that can help patients with PTSD get well.  We discussed how PTSD is defined, how it changes the brain, QEEG guided laser, neurofeedback, loneliness, social isolation, social media and much more.  I always love having these kinds of conversations with psychiatrists and other mental health professionals because I believe it is the most overlooked aspect of functional medicine today. Below is a transcript of the interview on overcoming PTSD: Dr. Hedberg: Well, welcome, everyone to "Functional Medicine Research." I'm Dr. Hedberg and really looking forward to today's conversation with Dr. Robert Hedaya. I first heard him speak at the Institute for Functional Medicine last year on PTSD and so I wanted to have him on the show to talk about that. He is a medical doctor. He's been on the cutting edge of medical practice, psychiatry, and psychopharmacology since 1979. With the publication of his first book, understanding biological psychiatry, in 1996, he pioneered the use of functional medicine in the psychiatric field and he is now pioneering the use of G-guided laser treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Hedaya is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center where he's been awarded the teacher of the year on three occasions while teaching courses on affective disorders, cognitive therapy, and one of my favorite topics, psycho-neuro-immuno-endocrinology. Since 1983, he's on faculty at the Institute for Functional Medicine, the author of two additional books, "The Antidepressant Survival Guide," and "Depression: Advancing the Treatment Paradigm," and he's the founder of the Center for Whole Psychiatry and Brain Recovery. Dr. Hedaya is an editorial volunteer for Advances in Mind-Body Medicine and Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. He's been featured in local and national media on things like "20/20", "60 minutes," "Vogue," "The New York Times," and "The Washington Post" on many occasions. And he's a frequent nationally and internationally recognized speaker. His website is wholepsychiatry.com. Dr. Hedaya, welcome to the show. Dr. Hedaya: Thank you very much for having me. Dr. Hedberg: Excellent. So, like I said, I heard you speak at IFM last year and was really interested in your research and studies on PTSD. Why don't we start by you just talking about how your career evolved from traditional psychiatry into functional medicine and now using some cutting-edge treatments for treatment-resistant depression, dementia, PTSD, chronic fatigue, and technologies like laser? Dr. Hedaya: Okay. Well, it's been a long arc and I would say that the main thing is that I always try to follow where the science guides me, what's the truth that as far as I can best make it out to be. So, rather than being afraid of stepping outside of the box, you know, I just feel it's my responsibility, as a clinician, helping people to always try to do the right thing, and the right thing for me means doing what the science dictates, and sometimes it's benched to bedside science. Sometimes, you know, like translational medicine, sometimes you have the studies, but following the principles of biology and physiology and sometimes you have to take a leap because you can't wait until the studies are there. So, the way it started for me was, 1983 about, I was treating a woman with panic disorder and she was not really recovering. And panic disorder is pretty easy to treat. Whether you use cognitive behavioral therapy, which I was using, or medications or combination of the two. So, it was about a year and she wasn't getting better and she paged me, I had a beeper back in those days, on a Saturday night, I was at a wedding and dancing and my beeper went off and looked and...

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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - How to Beat Depression Naturally

How to Beat Depression Naturally

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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04/26/16 • 37 min

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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Vagus Nerve Impairment and Long COVID-19

Vagus Nerve Impairment and Long COVID-19

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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06/09/22 • 9 min

A new paper entitled, “Impaired Vagal Activity in Long-COVID-19 Patients” sheds light on the vagus nerve’s involvement in Long-COVID-19. COVID-19 is divided into three phases of infection: 1. “Acute COVID-19” (signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection up to 4 weeks). 2. “Ongoing symptomatic COVID-19” (from 4 weeks up to 12 weeks). 3. “Post-COVID-19 syndrome” (signs and symptoms persist beyond 12 weeks). Click here to learn more about the Hedberg Institute Membership. Study Methods 30 Long-COVID-19 patients were compared to 20 control subjects who never had COVID-19. 21 patients were classified based on their experience while having COVID-19 as mild/moderate and 9 as severe/critical. 7 patients had no/negligible functional limitations, 6 had slight functional limitations, and 17 had moderate/severe functional limitations. No significant differences were found among study subjects and controls regarding gender, demographics, medical history, drug use, and vital signs. However, previous studies have shown that females are more affected by Long-COVID-19. Heart rate variability was measured through ECG. Heart rate variability parameters are controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system promotes inflammation through catecholamines and beta-adrenergic stimulation in contrast to the parasympathetic nervous system which is anti-inflammatory. COVID-19 causes an imbalance between these two systems, thus driving inflammation and a procoagulative state. Study Findings Heart rate variability was found to be lower in the Long-COVID-19 patients. Left ventricular ejection fraction was lower in Long-COVID-19 patients. When SARS-CoV-2 comes into contact with the eye, it may reach the central nervous system via the trigeminal nerve. And when the virus contacts the nasal mucosa, it may reach the brain through the olfactory nerve. It may also travel to the central nervous system via the vagus nerve from the respiratory system, the heart, the digestive system, the kidneys, bladder, uterus, and testicles. This occurs through neuronal retrograde transport to the axonal terminal. SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in the vagus nerve, thus persistent damage to this nerve could explain impairment of the parasympathetic nervous system in Long-COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 can also invade the brain through a dysfunctional blood-brain barrier, which has been damaged by cytokine storm. SARS-CoV-2 binds to the ACE2 receptor found in the respiratory airway, lung, vascular endothelia, kidney cells, and small intestine. ACE2 receptors are also found in neurons and glia in the brainstem regions responsible for cardiovascular function and regulation. SARS-CoV-2 neuronal invasion drives epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal gland known as the “catecholamine surge” which causes cardiovascular, lung, and brain injury. NT-proBNP levels were found to be increased in Long-COVID-19 patients, which reflects myocardial strain due to increased vascular pressure. This persistent myocardial strain may drive the dysautonomia, or it could be due to increased ischemia and inflammation. D-dimer can have prolonged elevation in Long-COVID-19 patients, which can lead to increased thromboembolic complications. Dysautonomia, neurotropsim, inflammation, and the persistence of a procoagulative state with an elevated myocardial strain may explain vagus nerve impairment in these patients. However, the authors state, “...it remains unclear whether dysautonomia associated with Long COVID-19 directly results from post-infectious immune-mediated processes or from the autonomic-virus pathway.” The authors call for research on evaluation of cholinergic nerve fiber damage in Long-COVID-19 patients to confirm impaired vagal activity. How to improve vagus nerve function? I have patients do a variety of exercises throughout the day such as singing, humming, gargling with water,
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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Three Things You Can Do For Anxiety

Three Things You Can Do For Anxiety

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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07/18/16 • 25 min

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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Osteoporosis: Is the key to building bone building muscle?

Osteoporosis: Is the key to building bone building muscle?

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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03/15/16 • 29 min

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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Curcumin Benefits

Curcumin Benefits

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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11/11/15 • 22 min

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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - How to Overcome Insomnia

How to Overcome Insomnia

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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01/26/18 • 48 min

Approximately 90 million Americans now suffer from some type of sleep disturbance.  Rejuvenating sleep is an extremely important and fundamental part of feeling great and healthy. Unfortunately, too many of us are plagued with insomnia and miss out on sleep's wonderful healing properties.  You'll become more inflamed and more insulin resistant simply by getting 6 hours of sleep or less.  Your immune system will also suffer significantly if you don't get enough sleep making you more prone to colds and the flu.  This article will explain what you can do (and what you should avoid) to naturally cure insomnia at home.   Get Into the Rhythm Getting good sleep is all about balancing your circadian rhythm.  The best thing to do to kickstart a healthy circadian rhythm is to expose yourself to sunlight before 8:30 am.  When you get up in the morning it is time to tell your brain that the sun is out and it is time to get your body and your hormones going.  Step outside and soak up some early morning sunrays or do a brisk walk first thing to get you going. If your work schedule doesn't allow this, just try to set up your workspace near a window or get outside as much as you can during the day when you're on break or during lunch. What About Exercise? Exercise can significantly improve your sleep quality. The earlier in the day the better if you are going to exercise, but some exercise is better than none so do it late if you have to.  Moderate and intense exercise raises cortisol so if you are going to exercise late in the day be sure it is something light and gentle such as Tai Chi, light stretching, gentle flow yoga, or a walk around the neighborhood. Stay Away From Drama Avoid watching television before you go to bed as this can disrupt your sleep.  Watching the news can trigger negative emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration which will raise cortisol and adrenaline.  Avoid intense movies or reading material as this can stimulate your adrenals which will keep you awake.  Read some light fiction or learn something that is easy to understand and pleasurable. Social media is the perfect way to upset your mind and your rhythm.  Social media increases the sleep-disrupting brain chemical dopamine with all the notifications, flashes, arrows, videos, ads, links, and inflammatory posts by your "friends."  Even if you don't have sleep issues I recommend avoiding social media outlets such as Facebook as I mention in this article on how Facebook could be making you sick. Stay Consistent Try and follow a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day.  Make going to sleep a ritual and stick with your plan even on the weekends.  Don't stay up late on the weekend and then try to sleep in.  This disrupts your consistency and throws off your rhythm.  If you really want to change your life and feel better then commit to a consistent schedule. The hours you sleep from 10 pm to 2 am are the most restorative so get to sleep early enough so you're out by 10.  I go to bed at 9 pm and read very light material such as fiction and then turn out the lights around 9:30-9:45.  You'll notice a big difference in how you feel if you've become a night owl by training your body to go to bed earlier.  Don't try and make a big shift right away.  Start with 15-minute increments each night until you are falling asleep before 10. Also wake up consistently at the same time every morning and shoot for about 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  Sleeping longer than that may make you feel groggy for the early part of the day so be consistent when you go to bed and when you wake up. Can Meditation Help? Begin a regular meditation practice. Meditation can calm the mind, reduce stress, anxiety and help you get clear on what is important so your mind is not racing. I highly recommend www.calm.com to teach you how to meditate. Just 5 minutes a day to start will begin to work and you can meditate up to 20-25 minutes a day ...
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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Are Oxalates Damaging Your Thyroid?

Are Oxalates Damaging Your Thyroid?

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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04/26/21 • 54 min

In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I interview Sally Norton in a discussion about how oxalates affect your thyroid and your health. We covered what oxalates are and how they can damage the body. We also discussed how oxalates affect gut health, liver health, thyroid health as well as all the symptoms and associated conditions connected to oxalates. If you're really struggling to get well, but your diet appears to be healthy, oxalates may be the missing link. Full Transcript on Oxalates and Thyroid Health Dr. Hedberg: Well, welcome everyone to "Functional Medicine Research." I'm Dr. Hedberg, and I'm really looking forward to my conversation today with Sally Norton. Sally is a consultant writer, educator, and speaker with over 30 years in the health promotion and wellness field. Sally specializes in helping people improve their health with an oxalate-avoiding diet. Sally holds a nutrition degree from Cornell University and a Master's of Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked in the field of medical education at UNC Medical Schools Program on Integrative Medicine and as a research grant writer and research administrator at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Despite a healthy lifestyle, she struggled for over 30 years with seemingly unanswerable health challenges, including chronic pain and fatigue. When she finally discovered the cause and turned her health around, she committed to teaching and reaching out to others stuck in similar frustrating situations. Sally, welcome to the show. Sally: Thank you. It's great to be here. Dr. Hedberg: Yeah, I'm looking forward to this and we were kind of discussing this early on. Oxalates is something that I've always kept my eye on for the last 17 years and I was really looking forward to this conversation. So why don't we lay a little bit of bedrock for the listeners? And if you could just talk about what are oxalates, and do we know why plants actually have oxalates? Sally: Yes. Plants are a major producer of oxalate and obviously, it's also ubiquitous in nature itself. Soil is loaded with it. Even apparently sea spray produces some oxalate and polluted air produces oxalates, so, in really heavily polluted cities, the air has got oxalate in it too. So oxalate is this really minuscule molecule that its parent compound is called oxalic acid. And acids ionize and become charged particles because they drop off the acidic protein and so they become these negatively charged ions that attract positively charged things and oxalates can have a one negative or two negative. It is a tiny, tiny little compound. It has four oxygens, which is a heavy load of oxygen on just two little carbon molecules. So it's very oxygen-heavy, which is probably partly why it's such a pro-oxidant molecule, you know. Oxidation is very bad for tissues, membranes, mitochondria, and it is a great mitochondrial poison, membrane destroyer, and troublemaker. And it's not just the oxygen, though. It's much more about this reactivity that the charge creates where it bonds with minerals and becomes salts. And so, salt is a chemical term for things that can dissolve, but when it...because it can have two negative charges, it will also hook up with minerals that won't dissolve well. So calcium, for example, is a two positive charge mineral. With that double-positive and double-negative marriage between the two, you create an insoluble oxalate, which is the backbone of oxalate you see in nature because calcium is everywhere in soils and in nature, and plants are having to manage their calcium. And one of the ways they do that...because too much calcium can be toxic to the plant. So one of the ways they do that is they make oxalic acid. Often they make vitamin C first, very similar compounds, and vitamin C naturally degrades just hanging around into oxalic acid and oxalates. So plants will create vitamin C and they'll cre...
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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - Thyroid Symptoms in Women

Thyroid Symptoms in Women

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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08/26/16 • 18 min

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Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC - The Thyroid Adrenal Pancreas Axis

The Thyroid Adrenal Pancreas Axis

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC

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09/18/16 • 26 min

The thyroid-adrenal-pancreas axis is one of the most important connections in understanding and healing your thyroid.  In addition to gastrointestinal and blood sugar disorders, adrenal gland dysfunction is one of the most commonly seen imbalance in today’s society.  Adrenal gland imbalances are also one of the major factors that cause thyroid hormone imbalance.  Stress from work, relationships, electronics, poor diet choices such as consumption of refined carbohydrates and trans fats, infections, and environmental toxins all contribute to adrenal disorders.  Let's discuss the thyroid-adrenal-pancreas axis in detail so you can understand this complex connection The Adrenal Glands The adrenal glands are about the size of a walnut and lie on top of the kidneys.  The outer adrenal cortex comprises eighty percent of the gland and produces many hormones including cortisol and DHEA from cholesterol.  Ninety percent of the cholesterol in the body is made by the liver and only ten percent comes from the diet. Cholesterol converts into the hormone pregnenolone in the adrenal cortex which then converts to cortisol, the stress hormone, or DHEA, the sex hormone source, immune enhancer and anabolic.  Cortisol is our “fight or flight” stress hormone.  Cortisol slows down digestion, suppresses immune function and raises blood sugar as a survival mechanism when we are under stress.  The problem arises when this becomes chronic and over time, elevated cortisol will tear down your body. Cortisol is secreted on a circadian rhythm with highest production in the morning that slowly tapers off as the day progresses.  Sleep is when our bodies repair and rejuvenate but high cortisol during sleep will prevent this from happening. Hormones Secreted by the Adrenal Glands DHEA DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is a precursor to estrogens, progesterone and testosterone.  DHEA is extremely important for immune system function and anabolic (building up) processes in the body.  DHEA levels begin to decline after age thirty-five but cortisol can remain elevated during continuing periods of stress.  Low DHEA levels are also found in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, fibromyalgia, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and of course, thyroid disorders. The inner medulla produces adrenalin and noradrenalin also known as norepinephrine and epinephrine.  The cortex is under the control of hormones produced in the brain and the medulla is under the control of the nervous system. Healthy adrenal glands are vital for women who are peri- and post-menopausal.  The adrenal glands are responsible for producing the majority of sex hormones in a menopausal woman once the ovaries stop functioning.  If the adrenal glands are fatigued and not ready for menopause, there will be an exaggeration of menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, weight gain, sleep problems, bone loss, mood swings, depression, anxiety, loss of sex drive and vaginal dryness.  Healthy adrenals ensure an easy transition into menopause and beyond.  A vast majority of the women I see in practice approach menopause with adrenal imbalances leading to severe menopausal symptoms and hormone dysfunction. Aldosterone Aldosterone is produced by the cortex and causes sodium absorption and potassium excretion.  Low salt diets and high water intake put a major stress on the adrenal glands to retain as much salt as possible as the blood becomes more diluted from the extra water intake.  One of the easiest ways to maintain healthy adrenals is to consume a half- teaspoon of unrefined celtic sea salt every morning with a few glasses of water.  It’s important to consume half of your bodyweight in ounces of water every day but it must be balanced with salt to remove stress from the adrenal glands. Cortisol Cortisol is also produced by the cortex which increases blood sugar when it is low or if the body is under stress.  Cortisol will cause glucose production in the liver or...
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FAQ

How many episodes does Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC have?

Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC currently has 135 episodes available.

What topics does Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC?

The episode title 'Overcoming PTSD with Dr. Robert Hedaya' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC?

The average episode length on Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC is 30 minutes.

How often are episodes of Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC released?

Episodes of Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC?

The first episode of Functional Medicine Research with Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, DC was released on May 15, 2015.

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