Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Nutritional Medicine Podcast
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| Dr. Alan Gaby: Nutritional Medicine; Important Treatments that are Overlooked or Ignored | 15 Dec 2025 | 00:49:58 | |
Who literally wrote the book on nutritional medicine? Dr Alan Gaby. In this interview, Dr Gaby talks about his pioneering work that ultimately resulted in the publication of what is arguably the most important reference text in the field: Nutritional Medicine, Third Edition 2023. In addition, he discusses explore nutritional therapies that are clinically very useful but broadly overlooked including potassium magnesium aspartate for fatigue, riboflavin for migraine prevention and identifying hidden food allergies for treating various conditions. Guest: Dr. Alan Gaby, MD About our guest: Dr. Gaby received his undergraduate degree from Yale University, his M.S. in biochemistry from Emory University, and his M.D. from the University of Maryland. He was in private practice for 19 years, specializing in nutritional medicine. He is past-president of the American Holistic Medical Association and has given expert testimony to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine on the cost-effectiveness of nutritional supplements. He is the author of Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis (Prima, 1994) and The Doctor's Guide to Vitamin B6 (Rodale Press, 1984), and is co-author of The Patient's Book of Natural Healing (Prima, 1999). Dr. Gaby has written numerous scientific papers in the field of nutritional medicine. He was the contributing medical editor for the Townsend Letter for Doctors from 1985 to 2023 and was contributing editor for Alternative Medicine Review from 1996 to 2010. Over the past 43 years, Dr. Gaby has developed a computerized database of more than 28,000 individually chosen medical journal articles related to the field of natural medicine. He was professor of nutrition and a member of the clinical faculty at Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA, from 1995 to 2002. In 2010, Dr. Gaby completed a 30-year project: the textbook Nutritional Medicine. The second edition of Nutritional Medicine was completed in 2017 and the updated third edition was completed in 2023. Nutritional Medicine by Dr. Alan R. Gaby is a science-based, extensively referenced textbook written for healthcare practitioners and for non-practitioners who are interested in viable alternatives to conventional medicine. The textbook discusses hundreds of nutritional therapies that can be used as effective, low-cost, low-risk alternatives or adjuncts to conventional medicine. Guest websites and links: Selection of our guest's publications:
Editor's note: Connection was lost during the interview in two places. The reference to a vitamin for arthritis referred to niacinamide (see Osteoarthritis page 699, in Gaby A, Nutritional Medicine, Third Edition 2023). | |||
| Dr. Ryan Bradley: Transforming Cardiometabolic Health with Personalised Lifestyle Medicine | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:57:45 | |
Cardiometabolic disorders are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality yet can largely be prevented with diet and lifestyle medicine. Why is there a gap between this epidemic and more effective treatment? Dr. Bradley discusses his clinical research on feasible, cost-effective, efficacious interventions and wider topics around personalised whole person care and 'disruptive innovation' for health promotion.
Guest: Dr. Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH
About our guest:
Dr. Bradley is an Associate Professor in the University of California, San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science in La Jolla, CA. His commitment to research is to improve the health of the public through rigorous research on non-drug treatments.
Dr. Bradley received his ND in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in 2003, and his MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Washington in 2009. He completed NIH-funded T32 research training in complementary medicine at Bastyr University and KL2 training in clinical research at the University of Washington in the Division of Cardiology.
His research interests include clinical trials of natural products and mind-body therapies in chronic inflammatory conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, pain, and inflammatory bowel disease, plus cardiovascular epidemiology related to natural products, e.g., cannabis, and heart disease risk.
Dr. Bradley has conducted a wide-variety of clinical and observational research, including: cardiovascular epidemiology in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort; observational research and clinical trials on practice outcomes from integrating naturopathic medicine and conventional medicine for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease; clinical trials of natural products (including vitamin D, marine oils, xanthohumol, mixed-carotenoids, and quercetin) and mind-body interventions including qigong for type 2 diabetes.
He has published in leading peer-reviewed medical journals including: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Aging, Atherosclerosis, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Guest websites and links: Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Deanna Minich: The Power of Phytonutrients; New Insights, Controversies and Practical Considerations | 13 Jun 2025 | 01:00:52 | |
Phytonutrients have been called the 'dark matter' of nutrition, a significant but often uncharacterised and poorly understood class of nutrients that have a profound impact on human health. In this remarkable interview, Dr. Deanna Minich dives into her specialist area, the relationship between phytonutrients, health and wellbeing. She discusses new research that is changing the way we think about plant foods, controversies such as diets that restrict plants, and weaves in several practical clinical takeaways that bridge the connections between food, biology, behaviour, environment, and spirit.
Guest: Dr. Deanna Minich, MS, PhD, CNS
About our guest: Deanna Minich, MS, PhD, CNS, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (IFMCP), is a nutrition scientist, international lecturer, teacher, and author, with over twenty years of experience in academia and in the food and dietary supplement industries. Throughout the years, she has been active as a functional medicine clinician in clinical trials and in her own practice (Food & Spirit™), which has now become oriented towards groups, workshops, and retreats. She is the author of seven consumer books on wellness topics, four book chapters, and over fifty scientific publications. Her academic background is in nutrition science, including a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago (1995) and a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Medical Sciences (nutrition focus) from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands (1999). For a decade, she was part of the research team led by the "father of Functional Medicine," Dr. Jeffrey Bland, and has served on the Nutrition Advisory Board for The Institute of Functional Medicine, as well as on the Board of Directors for the American Nutrition Association. Since 2013, she has been part of the faculty for the Advanced Practice Module in Environmental Health offered by the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been teaching a graduate level course in metabolic detoxification at the University of Western States. Over the decades, she has taught thousands of nutrition classes for health coaches, fitness trainers, and healthcare professionals, including for programs offered by the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. In conjunction with her academic degrees and extensive teaching experience at the university level, she is both a Fellow (FACN) and a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) through the American College of Nutrition. She is Chief Science Officer at Symphony Natural Health, where she leads the medical advisory team, oversees scientific communication, and provide educational leadership for the company's plant-derived nutraceuticals. She is passionate about helping others to live well using therapeutic lifestyle changes that impact their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Guest websites and links:
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Harri Hemilä, MD, PhD: Vitamin C for Infections and the Common Cold | 13 Jun 2025 | 00:43:27 | |
Dr. Hemilä became interested in the possible benefit of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) when exposed to conflicting opinions on its clinical efficacy. He has spent decades specialising in vitamin C research and, as a result, has addresses important issues such as the efficacy of vitamin C, sub-groups most likely to benefit, and dose-response relationship. Dr. Hemilä has also published several important papers that reveal methodological and analytical problems as well as bias in vitamin C research that, at least in part, explain why vitamin C has been sidelined in medicine and erroneously dismissed. In this informative interview he speaks to the history of vitamin C research for infection and its clinical implications.
Guest: Dr. Harri Hemilä, MD, PhD
About our guest: Dr. Harri Hemilä first studied biochemistry and received his PhD (biochemistry) in 1993. Thereafter he studied medicine and receive MD degree, and thereafter PhD (epidemiology) in 2006. His major scientific interest has been the effects of vitamin C on the common cold, and on infections in general. He has not done experimental work of his own in this field, but he has carried out several meta-analyses that have estimated the effects of vitamin C from studies published over half a century. He has also analyzed the effects of vitamin E on infections and on total mortality in the ATBC Study data set of 29,133 Finnish male smokers. Most recently he has carried out meta-analyses on the treatment effects of zinc lozenges on the duration of the common cold. Along with research, he is doing clinical work in the GP context. By the year 2021, he has 155 PubMed publications, 76 of which are focused on vitamin C, 28 on vitamin E, and 12 on zinc lozenges. Dr. Hemilä is Adjunct Professor at the Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki.
Guest websites and links: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Harri-Hemilae-2
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Samuel Yanuck: Functional Immunology; Inflammation as a Barrier to Cellular Cleanup and Health | 13 Jun 2025 | 01:01:52 | |
Dr. Yanuck provides a deep but practical understanding of how to approach complex immunological problems from an evidence-informed, hypothesis generating perspective that can provide a foundation for personalised clinical interventions. He explores the theme of the NLRP3 inflammasome, its intersection with autophagy and why this is relevant to many common immunological challenges including autoimmunity, metabolism, thyroid function, inflammation, T cell polarization and the capacity to clean up cells.
Guest: Dr. Samuel Yanuck
About our guest: Dr. Samuel Yanuck, DC, FACFN, FIAMA is an adjunct assistant professor in the Program on Integrative Medicine, in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. With his wife, Cheryl Yanuck, MD, a psychiatrist, Dr. Yanuck runs the Yanuck Center for Life and Health, a functional medicine clinic in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His practice is primarily focused on the care of patients with autoimmune disease, chronic infection, persistent inflammatory process, chronic GI disorders, or other immunologically involved challenges. Dr. Yanuck also provides online consultations for clinicians. Cogence Immunology is the creation of Dr. Yanuck the company's CEO and Director of Education. Dr. Yanuck began studying immunology in 2001, after he observed that focusing on specific patterns in immune function could profoundly influence the outcomes of challenging cases. The more he learned, the better the outcomes became. Cogence® Immunology reflects Dr. Yanuck's more than two decades of immunology study and clinical experience. Dr. Yanuck has published a number of research papers in peer-reviewed medical journals on topics related to functional immunology, including neurological, inflammatory, infectious and autoimmune disorders as well as the cancer immune microenvironment.
Guest websites and links: https://cogenceimmunology.com
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Jonathan Prousky, ND: The Road Ahead; Thriving in Unpredictable Times | 13 Jun 2025 | 01:01:11 | |
Join us for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Jonathan Prousky, ND, as we explore how to find balance and harmony in today's tumultuous world. In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Prousky delves into the intersection of psychology and naturopathic medicine, offering practical insights and strategies to navigate the stressors that define our modern lives. From political and ideological divisions to economic uncertainties and health challenges, Dr. Prousky highlights how lifestyle changes, nutraceuticals, and botanical medicine can empower individuals to not only survive but thrive. With actionable advice on managing stress, enhancing emotional well-being, and fostering resilience, this episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking tools to stay grounded and centred amidst the chaos of modern life. Whether you're dealing with personal health struggles, societal pressures, or the daily grind, Dr. Prousky provides valuable guidance on integrating natural therapies and mindful approaches to foster a sense of balance and vitality. Tune in for a rich discussion on how to take control of your health and well-being in unpredictable times, and discover how small, intentional shifts in your lifestyle can make a world of difference. Guest: Dr. Jonathan Prousky, ND, MSc, MA
About our guest: Dr. Jonathan Prousky (ND, Bastyr University, 1998; MSc, University of London, 2008; MA, Yorkville University, 2016) is the Chief Naturopathic Medical Officer at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (Toronto, Ontario). His primary responsibility is ensuring the delivery of safe and effective naturopathic medical care to patients, as well as ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the medical training in the naturopathic program. His clinical practice focus is primarily on the evaluation and management of mental health problems. He has spent over 25 years advocating for patients that wish to receive complementary and alternative means to help their mental struggles. He was the first naturopathic doctor to receive the "Orthomolecular Doctor of the Year" award in 2010, and later to be inducted into the Orthomolecular Hall of Fame in 2017. Dr. Prousky is the author of more than 60 scholarly publications, and several texts including the recently published 2025 Clinical Handbook on Stress Management.
Guest websites and links: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jonathan-Prousky
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Paul Clayton, PhD: Pharmaco-Nutrition as a Model for Addressing Common Mechanisms of Modern Diet and Lifestyle-Related Chronic Disease | 05 Jun 2025 | 00:54:54 | |
Dr. Paul Clayton, PhD shares his unique and remarkable research into pre-industrialised societies and their relative freedom from disease including what this means for the current epidemic of chronic diseases today. He discusses important but overlooked and underappreciated changes in diet and lifestyle and their clinical implications as well as common mechanisms that could be targeted to reduce disease risk and improve health and function. Finally, he paints a picture of the future of the global food environment and nutrition-centric clinical medicine. Guest: Dr. Paul Clayton, PhD About our guest: Dr Paul Clayton graduated summa cum laude in Medical Pharmacology from Edinburgh University, prior to obtaining his PhD. A former Chair of the Forum on Food & Health (UK), and Senior Scientific Advisor to the UK government's Committee on the Safety of Medicines, he was a Fellow of the Institute of Food, Brain & Behaviour (Oxford). He works with leading doctors and clinical scientists at centres of clinical expertise in many countries, designing and supervising pre-clinical and clinical trials of pharmaco-nutritional interventions. Dr. Clayton's books and e-books include Health Defence, After Atkins, Natural Defences, Out of the Fire, Let Your Food be Your Pharmaco-nutrition and Strengthening Your Immune System: How to Fight Infection, Allergy and Autoimmune Disease. Guest websites and links:
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Patrick Holford, BSc: Alzheimer's Prevention with Evidence-Based Approaches that Target the Disease Process | 05 Jun 2025 | 00:48:40 | |
In this episode we speak with Patrick Holford, founder and chair of the Food for the Brain scientific advisory board and author of Alzheimer's: Prevention is the Cure (2025). Highlighting why drug therapies have failed for Alzheimer's we look beyond a single-drug single-target approach to multi-component nutrition and lifestyle medicine-based approaches that not only target multiple disease processes, but have been shown to reverse, not just prevent, Alzheimer's disease in well-conducted clinical research. The discussion includes actionable biomarkers for personalised preventative approaches using nutrition. Guest: Patrick Holford BSc, DipION, FBANT, NTCRP About our guest: Patrick Holford is Founder and Chair of the Food for the Brain Foundations Scientific Advisory Board. He is a retired visiting professor, specialising in nutrition and mental health, author of over 45 books and is in the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame. In 1984 he founded the Institute for Optimum Nutrition. He started in the field of psychology and then became a student of two of the leading pioneers in nutrition medicine and psychiatry – the late Dr Carl Pfeiffer and Dr Abram Hoffer. In 1984 he founded the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION), now degree-accredited, to train a new profession – the first generation of nutritional therapists and to define what it means to be optimally nourished. His mentor, twice Nobel Prize winner Dr Linus Pauling, was patron. In 1998 Patrick left ION to focus on writing down what he'd learnt and his first book, the Optimum Nutrition Bible, was published, selling over 2 million copies and catalysing a global revolution. He's now written over 45 books translated into over 30 languages. One of his current focusses is on helping people with mental health issues and in 2003 he founded the Brain Bio Centre and in 2007 he founded the Food for the Brain Foundation. In 2014, Patrick was inducted to the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame, joining his mentors Drs Linus Pauling and Abram Hoffer. He has also been awarded an honorary Diploma from ION and is also an Honorary Fellow of the British Association of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine. He is also a retired visiting professor at the University of Teeside. Guest websites and links: Selection of our guest's publications:
Additional publications:
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| Dr. Nina Fuller-Shavel: Integrative Oncology; Precision Health and Nutrition in Cancer Care | 04 Jun 2025 | 00:50:33 | |
Speaking with Dr. Nina Fuller-Shavel a leading voice in integrative oncology we discuss the role of nutritional interventions in the wider context of cancer care, including the importance of personalisation, evidence-based practice, and multi-dispensary teams. We also explore the role of nutrition in prevention, treatment and survivorship. Learn about the work Dr. Fuller-Shavel is engaged in and how to be part of the global integrative oncology movement.
Guest: Dr. Nina Fuller-Shavel
About our guest: Dr. Nina Fuller-Shavel MB BChir (Medicine) and MA Hons Natural Sciences (Cambridge) MSc Precision Cancer Medicine and PG Dip Health Research with Distinction (Oxford) FBANT FRSA IFMCP DipIM DipAc DipCHM PGCert DipION RYT200 Precision Health & Integrative Medicine Physician, Scientist and Educator Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel is an award-winning Oxbridge-trained integrative medicine physician scientist and educator with over a decade's experience in integrative healthcare. Dr Fuller-Shavel is a Fellow of the College of Medicine, the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel has co-chaired the BSIO (British Society for Integrative Oncology) over 2021-2023 and is the current Co-Chair of the BSIO Education Committee and the SIO (Society for Integrative Oncology) Global Ambassador to the UK, actively contributing to several SIO committees. Alongside her extensive scientific and medical training, Dr Fuller-Shavel holds multiple qualifications in nutrition, integrative medicine, functional medicine (IFMCP), health coaching (FMCA), herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yoga, mindfulness and other therapeutic approaches. Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel has also recently co-authored the book 'Integrative Oncology in Breast Cancer Care' with Dr Penny Kechagioglou published by Springer in March 2024.
Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel is the founder and Director of Synthesis Clinic, an innovative multidisciplinary practice in Hampshire, specialising in women's health and integrative cancer care (integrative oncology). In 2022 Dr Fuller-Shavel won a prestigious Innovation Leader of the Year award for her inspirational vision for healthcare and practice leadership, as well as subsequently making the 2024 #ialso top 100 UK female entrepreneur list. Alongside her clinical work, Dr Fuller-Shavel is a guest lecturer in integrative medicine for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and delivers independent educational courses for medical and nutrition professionals, including her Systems Approach to Cancer Programme. Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel participates in research in integrative oncology and precision health, is an expert integrative and supportive oncology abstract reviewer for international conferences and journals, and contributes to journal editorial boards (NMJ and IJIO) and guideline development panels nationally and internationally. Finally, Dr Fuller-Shavel holds two integrative oncology non-profit roles as the CEO of the UK NCIO (National Centre for Integrative Oncology) charity and the Co-Founder and Director of Oncio CIC, supporting access to services and best clinical practice and research in integrative oncology.
Guest websites and links:
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Professor Joseph Firth: Improving Mental Health Outcomes with Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine | 14 Oct 2025 | 00:41:56 | |
The concepts of 'lifestyle psychiatry,' and 'nutritional psychiatry' are transforming the way we think about mental health and wellbeing. Professor Joseph Firth shares his influential work in this area and its implications for changing clinical practice and health policy. We also discuss the digital environment as a newly evolving lifestyle factor that influences mental health.
About our guest:
Dr. Firth is Professor of Psychology & Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K, with a PhD (Medicine) from The University of Manchester.
Internationally recognized as one of the most highly-cited scientists in Digital Medicine, Lifestyle Psychiatry and Mental Health, he was awarded the USERN Laureate in Social Sciences in 2022 and named Research.com's #1 "Rising Star" in 2023.
A five-time recipient of the Clarivate™ Highly Cited Researcher award (2020–2024), he has published over 300 articles with more than 45,000 citations (h-index = 90), including first-author papers in top journals like The BMJ and The Lancet Psychiatry.
His current research leverages digital technologies and lifestyle medicine to improve outcomes for people with mental illness, and he is currently leading a multi-million £ UKRI-funded project around the implementation of digital lifestyle interventions into youth mental healthcare.
Dr. Firth also leads the Lancet Commission on Physical Health in Mental Illness, and acts as expert advisor for the World Health Organization's "Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour".
He has also engaged extensively with traditional and online media, with his publications around lifestyle and nutritional approaches to mental illness receiving coverage from >700 news outlets (including Times, Forbes, CNN, etc.) along with televised interviews on Sky News and BBC television.
Guest websites and links:
https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/joseph.firth
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr Adrian Lopresti: Mental Health, Evidence-Based Nutraceuticals and Personalised Integrative Therapy | 14 Oct 2025 | 00:49:02 | |
Dr Adrian Lopresti shares important clinical insights from his published research on natural products such as saffron, ashwagandha, curcumin and magnesium on anxiety, depression and insomnia. He also discusses personalised Integrative therapy, a holistic treatment model he has pioneered that places the use of natural products in the wider context of lifestyle medicine and nutritional psychiatry.
About our guest:
Dr Adrian Lopresti is the managing director at Clinical Research Australia, a clinical psychologist, and an adjunct senior lecturer at Murdoch University, Western Australia.
He regularly publishes in peer-reviewed, high-impact journals and has completed more than 50 clinical trials investigating the effects of ingredients such as saffron, ashwagandha, curcumin, lutein, bacopa monnieri, magnesium, probiotics, and holy basil on anxiety, depression, insomnia, cognitive decline, osteoarthritis, digestive conditions, and general wellbeing in children and adults.
Dr Lopresti also has over 25 years of clinical experience working with children and adults experiencing a range of mental health conditions and has extensive experience in utilising psychological, nutritional and lifestyle treatments.
Dr Lopresti is also the founder of Personalised Integrative Therapy, a holistic treatment for depression and anxiety, and regularly conducts workshops both nationally and internationally.
Guest websites and links:
https://clinicalresearch.com.au
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Iain P. Hargreaves: CoQ10, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Deficiency Diseases and Clinical Considerations | 22 Sep 2025 | 00:50:22 | |
Coenzyme Q10 has established use across both primary and secondary deficiency diseases. In this episode, Dr. Iain P. Hargreaves, PhD, an eminent scientist working on CoQ10, walks us through its history, functions, his work looking at blood brain barrier transport, clinical considerations around testing and supplementation, and where research is going in the future.
About our guest:
Dr. Iain P. Hargreaves, PhD is Senior Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry / Honorary Consultant Clinical Scientist at the Neurometabolic Unit, National Hospital, Queen Square, London, UK School of Pharmacy, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Following his completion of a PhD in biochemistry at Liverpool University, UK he worked for Prof. Simon Heales and Dr. John Land at the Institute of Neurology, University College of London, London, UK where he was involved in the establishment of the Neurometabolic Unit which specialises in the diagnosis of metabolic disease, especially mitochondrial and neurotransmitter disorders.
Dr Hargreaves worked in the Neurometabolic Unit for 21 years until he left to take up a lecturing position in biochemistry/clinical biochemistry at Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. Dr Hargreaves has retained an honorary consultant clinical scientist and senior lecturer position within the Neurometabolic Unit and Institute of Neurology, respectively and is still actively involved in the mitochondrial diagnostic service.
Dr Hargreaves is editor of Coenzyme Q10: From Fact to Fiction (2015), Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Disorders: From Clinical Presentation to Diagnosis and Treatment (2019) and author of 160 peer-review research papers.
Guest websites and links:
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Kirstie Lawton: Motor Neurone and Neurodegenerative Disease; New Hope with Systems-Based Nutritional Medicine | 22 Sep 2025 | 01:13:53 | |
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Motor Neurone Disease (MND)/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's Disease, are generally considered progressive and irreversible, but a personalised, systems biology-based approach could challenge this view. A better understanding of the biology, modifiable contributors, and the use of personalised nutritional medicine is radically changing the way we think about neurodegenerative disease, and in this episode Dr. Kirstie Lawton, PhD explains why.
About our guest:
Dr. Kirstie Lawton, PhD is an AfN registered Nutritionist, a BANT registered Nutritionist, and a CNHC registered Nutritional Therapist, with a nutrition career spanning more than 20 years. She obtained a BSc Hons in Public Health Nutrition and a PhD in Nutrition from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, and a DipION in Nutritional Therapy from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in Richmond, London. She obtained a PGCE in Higher Education at the University of London to support her academic role. She is also completing an MSc in Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration through the University of Sheffield School of Medicine and Population Health.
In addition to her clinical role, Kirstie was integral in the establishment of the UK's first level 6 Graduate Diploma in Integrative Functional Nutrition at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in collaboration with Portsmouth University, which was developed to support medical doctors, allied and complementary healthcare practitioners, to understand and incorporate functional nutritional concepts into their current practice. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Nutritional Medicine Institute (NMI) and journal. Her interest in brain health is based on her own experience with a seemingly undiagnosable range of neurological symptoms, which have improved through diet, lifestyle and nutraceutical support. She is currently focusing her clinical work on diet and lifestyle approaches to support those with Motor Neurone Disease (MND)/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's Disease.
Guest websites and links:
Additional publications:
Dedication: Dr. Lawton would like to dedicate this episode to Ray Griffiths (1959-2025), who's work on Parkinsons disease inspired her own and was important for laying foundations for a systems-based approach to personalised nutrition and lifestyle medicine for neurodegenerative disease.
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| Dr. Denise Furness: Nutrigenomics; Using Genetic Testing to Guide Personalised Nutrition | 06 Aug 2025 | 01:01:16 | |
Genetic testing can help guide highly individualised diet and lifestyle medicine-based interventions and is also highly motivational. We meet Dr Denise Furness, a pioneer and thought leader on nutrigenomics and hear how she started in research and extended into clinical work and education for health professionals focusing on the role of genomics in nutritional and lifestyle medicine. Our discussion includes foundational concepts around nutrigenomics in clinical practice and her recent BIO AGE study.
Guest: Dr. Denise Furness, PhD
About our guest: Dr. Denise Furness PhD is a pioneer in the field of nutrigenomics and personalised health with almost 20 years' experience in the area. Dr Furness began her research career in 2003 investigating folate and B vitamin metabolism, methylation and DNA damage in relation to pregnancy health. Over the years her research expanded to include vitamin D, immune health and oxidative stress in relation to both male and female fertility. This research was conducted with the University of Adelaide, CSIRO human nutrition and The Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, Australia. During this time, she witnessed a high success rate in the recurrent miscarriage and high-risk pregnancy clinics. She has published her work in peer reviewed journals and has won numerous awards for her research and conference presentations. In 2012 Dr Furness founded Your Genes & Nutrition and began working with integrative medical doctors and learning about functional medicine. She has since become a prominent thought leader in this field and lectured for the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM), is editor of the ACNEM Journal and on the editorial board for the Nutritional Medicine Journal. Dr Furness regularly lectures globally at conferences for health professionals on topics related to nutrigenomics and functional medicine. In her clinical practice, Dr Furness works with a range of patients helping them identify underlying triggers and root causes of their health concerns. Using a combined approach of genetics, biochemical markers, nutrition and lifestyle medicine she helps people take charge of their health and wellbeing.
Guest websites and links: https://drdenisefurness.com.au
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Thomas Guilliams: Supplementing Dietary Nutrients; Navigating Controversy, Evidence and Clinical Use | 21 Jul 2025 | 01:01:37 | |
Thomas G. Guilliams, PhD is an expert in a systems-biology based approach to dietary interventions, lifestyle medicine and nutritional and herbal supplements. This conversation shares his insights from extensive experience in dietary supplements that culminated in the publication of a foundational textbook, Supplementing Dietary Nutrients. We discus important themes such as how to contextualise the use and expectations of supplements alongside dietary and lifestyle changes, marketing vs. science, bioavailability, and issues around quality.
Guest: Thomas G. Guilliams, PhD
About our guest: Thomas G. Guilliams, PhD (Tom) earned his doctorate in molecular immunology from the Medical College of Wisconsin. For the past 28 years, he has spent his time investigating the mechanisms and actions of lifestyle and nutrient-based therapies and is an expert in the science and therapeutic uses of dietary supplements. Tom currently serves as an adjunct associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy and was the VP of Science for Ortho Molecular Products for 24 years (he now serves them as a consultant). Over the past decade, he has written a series of teaching manuals (Road Maps) that teach and evaluate the principles and protocols that are fundamental to the functional and integrative medical communities. His publication The Role of Stress and the HPA Axis in Chronic Disease Management, now in its second edition, has become the standard for teaching this critical topic to healthcare professionals. He is the founder and director of the Point Institute, an independent research and publishing organization that facilitates the distribution of his many publications. A frequent guest-speaker, Dr. Guilliams provides straight-forward science-based training to a variety of healthcare disciplines in the use of lifestyle and non-pharmacological therapies. Tom is an avid outdoorsman with too many hobbies to list. He is blessed to live in the woodlands of Central Wisconsin with his family. Guest websites and links:
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. David Unwin: Drug-Free Remission of Cardiometabolic Disease; Diet, Behavioural Change, and Ultra-Processed Food Addiction | 21 Jul 2025 | 00:54:13 | |
Dr David Unwin started a grass-roots approach to reversing cardiometabolic disease, in particular type-2 diabetes, in his clinical practice that has resulted in the publication of clinical evidence documenting patient outcomes and spurred a global movement that is transforming people's lives. In this remarkable conversation he shares his story, insights from the work he is doing, and new concepts around ultra-processed food addiction.
Guest: Dr. David Unwin
About our guest: Dr David Unwin is an award-winning GP known for pioneering the low-carb approach in the UK. He is the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) national champion for collaborative care and support planning in obesity and diabetes. He also won the NHS Innovator of the Year Award 2016 for his research into diet and lifestyle interventions. He has worked at Norwood Surgery in Southport since 1986 as a family doctor. To date, he has helped 141 patients achieve drug free, type 2 diabetes remission (achieving a remission rate of 51 per cent). Guest websites and links:
Selection of our guest's publications:
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| Dr. Michelle Barrow: Transforming Personalised Nutrition Practice; Pathophysiological Reasoning, Systems Biology, and Clinical Nutrition | 21 Jul 2025 | 00:48:46 | |
Dr. Michelle Barrow is transforming personalised nutrition practice through rigorous academic training and the publication of research at the Centre for Nutrition Education & Lifestyle Management (CNELM), where she is Academic Team Director and Clinical Director. A key area of focus in her work is 'pathophysiological reasoning,' which builds on systems biology and functional medicine. Dr. Barrow share her personal story, her research, and why she is so passionate about building a better model for healthcare that is evidence-based and personalised with nutritional therapy and lifestyle medicine at its core.
Guest: Dr. Michelle Barrow
About our guest: Dr Michelle Barrow, DProf is the Academic Team Director and Clinical Director at CNELM. Her roles also include BSc (hons) Nutritional Science Programme Leader, Institution Link Tutor, Lecturer, and Research Supervisor. Michelle thoroughly enjoys supporting students to achieve their aspirations and goals. Her passion comes from overcoming her own health issues using nutrition. Michelle strives to develop the evidence base to support personalised nutrition practice through her academic work, research supervision, post-doctoral research, and publication. She completed a Doctorate in Professional Studies (DProf) in 2019, titled "Leading transformation in Personalised Nutrition Practice". Her doctoral research included the construction of clinical tools to enable the development of a new case-by-case evidence base for personalised nutrition practice in obesity management.
Michelle continues to work on the development of robust translational bioinformatics tools, using pathophysiological reasoning and systems biology approaches, as they are key to achieving evidence based personalised nutrition practice. She is published in numerous scientific journals, including Autoimmunity Reviews, Nutrition Reviews and Current Research in Food and Nutrition. Michelle is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and was awarded fellow membership with the British Association of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) in 2017 for outstanding contribution to the profession.
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| Dr. Miguel Toribio-Mateas: Navigating Nutrition Misinformation with Context, Nuance and Compassion | 30 Jan 2026 | 01:12:58 | |
Dr Miguel is a remarkable scientist in that he gracefully bridges the worlds of research, education, clinical practice, public outreach and compassion in his work. This interview explores topics relevant to the translation of science to real world relevance in an authentic, compassionate and humanistic way. We also explore his new book ADHD Body and Mind: A Compassionate Guide to Rewilding Your Nervous System with Neuroscience, Nutrition, and Gut-Brain Health. Guest:
Dr. Miguel Toribio-Mateas
About our guest:
Dr. Miguel Toribio-Mateas is a clinical neuroscientist, applied microbiologist, and nutritionist with over 25 years of experience in healthcare, science, and technology. His research explores the microbiota-gut-brain axis, investigating how diet and lifestyle influence mood, cognition, and behaviour. With a doctorate in gut microbiome and mental health, his work has earned recognition, including the prestigious Santander Universities Work-Based Learning Award in 2016 and publication in peer-reviewed journals like the BMJ.
Dr. Miguel has led transdisciplinary research projects, designing and overseeing clinical trials that examine the role of nutrition in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. He previously held a five-year research fellowship at London South Bank University, focusing on gut health's impact on cognitive function and mental wellbeing. Currently, he is part of a multi-centre team evaluating natural approaches to ADHD management and holds an Honorary Research Fellowship at Cardiff University's School of Psychology. Alongside his research, he is a lecturer in nutrition at the University of West London, where his work focuses on quality improvement in public health interventions and their interface with gut and brain health.
He is has a self-compassionate guide to the neuroscience of ADHD, which will be published in April 2026 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Through his research, teaching, and writing, Dr. Miguel empowers individuals to make informed, evidence-based dietary choices that nurture both body and mind—always with the understanding that self-care is not about perfection, but about kindness and adaptability.
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| Dr. James Greenblatt: Depression; A Functional Medicine Approach Focusing on Underlying Causes | 25 Feb 2026 | 00:32:12 | |
For over 30-years, Dr Greenblatt has been practicing, researching and educating health providers on the role of personalised nutrition in psychiatry and remains at the forefront of this important area. His new book Finally Hopeful: The Personalized, Whole-Body Plan to Find and Fix the Root Causes of Your Depression is a landmark contribution and will transform people's lives while highlighting the power of personalised, evidence-based nutrition practice to improve mental health care.
Guest: Dr. James Greenblatt
About our guest: James Greenblatt, MD, is a globally recognized pioneer in functional and integrative psychiatry with over 30 years of clinical experience. He has dedicated his career to transforming the treatment of mental health disorders through precision-based approaches that integrate laboratory testing, nutritional interventions, and root-cause analysis. Dr. Greenblatt earned his medical degree and completed a psychiatry residency at George Washington University, and pursued a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical School. A prolific author, Dr. Greenblatt has written nine books, including his newest title, Finally Hopeful: The Personalized, Whole-Body Plan to Find and Fix the Root Causes of Your Depression, and the bestseller Finally Focused: The Breakthrough Natural Treatment Plan for ADHD. He serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine. Previously, he served as Chief Medical Officer for Walden Behavioral Care/Monte Nido, a national mental health organization specializing in eating disorders. In 2019, Dr. Greenblatt founded Psychiatry Redefined, a leading platform for continuing education for clinicians in functional and integrative psychiatry, designed to bridge critical knowledge gaps for mental health professionals.
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| Dr. Alex Richardson: Pioneering Clinical Research into Food and Mental Health | 27 Mar 2026 | 01:16:30 | |
This remarkable conversation with Dr. Alex Richardson covers the development of her research that was some of the first to demonstrate the influence of food and nutrition on mood and behaviour. Dr. Richardson has been hugely influential in putting nutrition for mental health on the map, especially in areas such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, depression and schizophrenia. From genetics, biochemistry, and nutrition to physiological and psychological functioning, we explore diverse themes relevant to everyone.
About our guest:
Dr Alex Richardson is a world-renowned researcher, educator, speaker and published author; and the Founder Trustee and Scientific Director of the UK-based charity, Food and Behaviour (FAB) Research. Based at the University of Oxford for 30 years, the impact of her 90+ peer-reviewed publications places Dr Richardson in the top 3% of academic researchers worldwide.
In addition to her work for FAB, she is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bournemouth, Research Consultant for the Centre of Nutrition and Behaviour at the Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humberside NHS Trust, and research collaborator with the Dept of Psychology at the University of Swansea.
Alex is best known for her research into how nutrition (particularly fatty acids) can affect behaviour, learning and mood, as her pioneering clinical trials were the first to show that dietary supplementation with omega-3 (and omega-6) fats can improve behaviour and learning in children with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and related conditions; and that this approach may also help many other children without such diagnoses. She also published some of the earliest reports of successful nutritional approaches to both depression and schizophrenia in young adults, which have subsequently been confirmed and extended by others.
Her work has always been highly inter-disciplinary and collaborative, involving several large-scale collaborative programmes that include studies of epidemiology, genetics, brain imaging, biochemistry and nutrition as well as physiological and psychological functioning. Her main interests centre on the role of nutrition in brain health, and its implications for behaviour, learning and mood, particularly in relation to: neurodevelopment, mental health, links between mental and physical health.
Alex's research has also always been primarily aimed at developing new methods of identification and management that will have real practical benefit.
In addition to her role as a founder director of FAB Research, she also helped to found the Dyslexia Research Trust, was a co-opted Trustee and Scientific Advisor to the Dyspraxia Foundation, served on the Biomedical Research Committee of Autism Unravelled, and liaised closely with the Hyperactive Children's Support Group, among many others.
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| Dr. Ciara Wright: Long Covid; An Opportunity for Root-Cause Functional Medicine | 21 Apr 2026 | 01:03:43 | |
Long covid is a poorly understood and poorly studied illness that is associated with millions missing, that is millions of people suffering with little support or hope. A better understanding of the biology and complexity of long covid could lead to individualised treatments and is an important opportunity for the functional medicine model. Join Dr. Ciara Wright and hear about her own personal, research and clinical experience, which gives us hopefulness for better care and recovery.
About our guest:
Dr. Ciara Wright is a science researcher and Nutritional Therapist. With a background in medical laboratory sciences and biology, Ciara obtained her PhD in epithelial immunology and worked post-doctorally in diverse research fields such as stem cell science, gene therapy, microbiology and immunology. She published a number of translational science papers and mentored PhD students during this time.
After studying with the Institute of Health Sciences, Ciara now also runs a busy Nutritional Therapy practice in Ireland. She specialises in fertility, immunology and complex fatigue conditions and is an expert in functional medicine testing for the management of chronic illness. Ciara keeps up to date with the latest research and manages her clinical team at Positive Nutrition, ensuring an evidence-based practice and the best supports for her patients.
Ciara continues her research with several collaborators, including a clinical trial on nutritional intervention in NAFLD, publishing nutritional reviews and case reports, and contributing to a book chapter on nutritional interventions for male fertility. Ciara has delivered lectures and spoken at international medical conferences in Ireland, UK, Europe and Africa.
Most recently, Ciara has overcome personal illness with Long Covid and Lyme disease. This experience has deepened her engagement with scientists and patient-led groups, helping to raise awareness and advance research into these complex conditions. She has published a case study on her own treatment and now collaborates with leading researchers in the field. As a way of giving back, she offers pro-bono support to severely affected chronically ill patients, while Positive Nutrition can offer some financial supports to provides access to functional medicine testing.
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