Coronavirus, Cold, and Flu

02/20/20 • 15 min

On this episode, immunologist and researcher Heather Zwickey, PhD, discusses the present coronavirus and how infectious diseases take hold. She also talks about how patients can reduce risk of coronavirus, as well as cold and flu. Zwickey describes the practitioner’s role in helping to control disease spread and improve patient outcomes during an infectious outbreak. Zwickey is executive program chair and a professor at National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR.

About the Expert

Heather Zwickey, PhD, is Dean of Research and Graduate Studies and a professor of immunology at the National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, Oregon, as well as Director of Helfgott Research Institute. Currently, she heads several pilot studies looking at the effects of botanicals, hydrotherapy, energy medicine, and diet on immunological parameters. Zwickey trained at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado. She received her doctorate in immunology and microbiology from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University.

About the Expert

Previous Episode

An Integrative Approach to Kidney Disease

In this interview, kidney health expert Matthew Hand, DO, describes how an integrative approach can help improve outcomes and quality of life for patients with kidney disease. Hand is the section chief for pediatric nephrology at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. He provides practical clinical advice on how best to support patients who have kidney disease or those who are at high risk.

About the Expert

Matthew Hand, DO, is the section chief for pediatric nephrology at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. He graduated from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1989 and did his pediatric residency and chief residency at Maine Medical Center. Hand then completed his fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Subsequently, he developed the pediatric nephrology division at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center. In 2008 he graduated from Andrew Weil’s fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona and created the pediatric integrative medicine division at Maine Medical Center. In 2011, Hand was hired by New Hampshire’s Hospital for Children at the Elliot Hospital to develop the pediatric nephrology division and to create a children’s hospital with integrative medicine as its cornerstone. He has been featured in a number of international television shows including 20/20, the Discovery Channel and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Next Episode

Intermittent Fasting

The research regarding intermittent fasting has grown significantly over the past five years. Why is that? In this interview, integrative medical expert Ronald Hoffman, MD, describes the health benefits and provides advice about why and how to talk to patients about this way of eating. Hoffman is recognized as one of America's foremost integrative medicine practitioners.

Here is a link to the paper by de Cabo and Mattson that Hoffman mentions in this interview: https://www.gwern.net/docs/longevity/2019-decabo.pdf.

About the Expert

Ronald Hoffman, MD, is a physician in private practice of integrative medicine in New York City. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Since 1984, he has served as Medical Director of the Hoffman Center in Manhattan. Hoffman is past president of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine (ACAM).

Hoffman is the host of Intelligent Medicine, a nationally syndicated radio program, and he produces the daily Intelligent Medicine podcast. He is a certified nutrition specialist (CNS) and the author of several books, including How to Talk with Your Doctor (About Complementary and Alternative Medicine).