Causes Or Cures

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Jay Shah about why he believes that high blood pressure is a silent epidemic affecting millions of people. Dr. Shah will first describe what blood pressure is and how we measure it, what high blood pressure is, and why he believes we are experiencing a silent epidemic of high blood pressure. He will also make the case for why we should be continually monitoring blood pressure versus traditional methods of monitoring blood pressure, such as periodic visits to a healthcare provider or taking measurements at home with a blood pressure cuff. He'll explain the technology he is currently working with to do this. Finally, he'll also offer a few lifestyle tips for improving cardiac health.  Dr. Shah is a cardiologist who trained at Massachusetts General Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. He founded and built the cardiovascular services at The Portland Clinic and served as the medical director of the Aortic Disease

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Nick Washmuth about how swearing (cursing, saying "bad" words, dropping "f bombs") can be used to help manage physical pain. He discusses the theories for why swearing helps with physical pain, the evidence for it, specific case studies, and how it might be used in a clinical setting. He also describes if some swear words are "better" than others for managing physical pain and whether or not making up swear words has any benefit. In addition, he'll talk about how swearing might help build a therapeutic alliance and help with physical performance too. Dr Washmuth is a doctor of physical therapy and an Associate Professor at Samford University, School of Health Professions.  Disclaimer: If swearing disturbs you, this isn't the podcast for you. If you're fine with it...then let's f'ing go!You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Madeline Li about Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying Law or MAID.  The Parliament of Canada passed MAID in 2016, allowing eligible Canadian adults to request medical assistance in dying. In 2021 the law was revised to allow for more chronic conditions to be included, and now they are in discussions to expand eligibility to those with a diagnosed mental disorder. Dr. Li is a psychiatrist specializing in cancer and palliative care who also has clinical expertise in applying MAID. She has done eligibility assessments for MAID and helped develop the MAID program for the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada.In the podcast, she tells us more about what MAID is, how the original eligibility criteria evolved since 2016, and describes how the law is applied to people who request MAID. She discusses the reasons put forth for expanding MAID to include those with chronic conditions, including mental disorders, and how she personally

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Kyle Flanigan, CEO and co-founder of US Specialty Formulations about his company's work on creating a COVID-19 vaccine you can swallow. Basically, a vaccine you drink instead of a shot in the arm. He will discuss his company's vaccine platform, called QYNDR, and how it produces oral vaccines. He'll tell us what an oral vaccine is and how it differs from the traditional vaccines we are used to, including differences in immune response, storage, accessibility and scalability. Dr. Flanigan will walk us through how they are testing the vaccine, the funding requirements involved, early results from an early-stage trial in New Zealand, safety concerns, and what's in store for the future.You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here. Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Col Michael McGurk (Ret), Director of Research for the US Army's Center for Initial Military Training, about the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness System, or H2F. Col McGurk was instrumental in the development of the system and directs test implementation, standards and evaluation of H2F components for the US Army.  You can read his bio here. In the podcast he will discuss what H2F is, describe its components (physical, mental, sleep, nutritional and spiritual readiness) and link each component to the broader picture of holistic health. He'll explain why there was a need for H2F and relate it to soldier health and readiness. He'll tell us about H2F Human Performance Teams and plans for the Soldier Performance Readiness Center. Col McGurk will also discuss the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), one component of H2F, why it replaced the Army's Physical Fitness Test (APFT), some of its initial challenges, and how the Ar

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Karen Van Nuys and Dr. Neeraj Sood about the pricing of insulin in the United States. It's no secret that insulin is unaffordable for many Americans who need it. This discussion will center around how the price of insulin is set, all the players involved, and who is to blame for the high price of insulin in the US. We will explore who benefits the most from increasing insulin prices, whether or not the Inflation Reduction Act will make a significant difference, and what can practically be done to make insulin more affordable for more Americans. Dr. Van Nuys is the executive director of the Value of Life Sciences Innovation program and a fellow at the USC Schaeffer Center. She is also a research assitant professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy.  You can learn more about her work here. Dr. Sood is a professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy with joint appointments at the USC Keck School of Medicine and USC Marshal

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks sits down with medical historian Dr. Elena Conis, author of Vaccine Nation: America’s Changing Relationship with Immunization. Together they trace how U.S. attitudes toward vaccines (especially from the 1960s onward) have swerved with culture wars, political shifts, scientific discoveries, and biotech breakthroughs. From polio pride to modern pushback, they unpack why public trust rises and falls, how mandates gain or lose traction, and what sparks waves of skepticism.What we coverOrigin story: Why Dr. Conis wrote Vaccine Nation and the flashpoints that drew her in.1960s → today: Civil‑rights activism, women’s liberation, environmentalism, and new tech reshape the vaccine narrative.Trust on a roller coaster: When enthusiasm morphed into doubt, and back again.Mandates & might: The tug‑of‑war between public‑health authority and personal choice.Anti‑vax waves: What ignited them, who rode them, and how they steered policy and science.Science vs. spin:

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Mandy Gulla about the PADs for Parkinson's Program, the first program of its kind in North America that teaches dogs how to detect an odor associated with Parkinson's Disease.  In the podcast, she will provide an overview of Parkinson's Disease, talk about a dog's sense of smell and how good it is, and discuss when they first discovered an odor associated with Parkinson's Disease. She will discuss how the program trains the dogs to detect the odor, their accuracy rate, more specifics about the dogs that join the program, the importance of early detection, and the overall goals of the program. Dr. Gulla is a holistic physician and founder and medical director of the Living Medical Arts Center that serves the San Juan Islands. Her dog Piglet is one of the biodetection dogs in the PADs for Parkinson's Program. Work with me? Perhaps we are a good match. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Ee

Send us a text In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks talks with Dr. Rachel Stein, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University, about the Amish community’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.Dr. Stein’s research focuses on community building and health in Old Order Amish communities, and she shares how she became interested in studying them. The conversation dives into Amish values and way of life, how they responded to the pandemic, and what risk-reduction strategies—if any—they used.We discuss their excess death rates during COVID-19, their perspectives on preventive medicine and vaccination in general, and their specific views on the COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Stein also explains where the Amish turn for health information, how that differs from mainstream society, and what role “misinformation” may or may not play. Finally, she touches on the Amish lifespan and cultural attributes that may give them health advantages compared to the wider population.You can contact

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks sits down with Dr. Thais Russomano to explore the fascinating topic of human health in space. Dr. Russomano will discuss the changes the human body undergoes in space, the health challenges of living on Mars versus the Moon, and how medicines might behave differently in these environments. She’ll also touch on the diagnostic tools required for space missions, long-term health monitoring, and how clinical trials could be conducted in space. Finally, Dr. Russomano will share her insights on the possibility of humans living on Mars one day and the health considerations involved in such an endeavor.Dr. Russomano is an internationally recognized expert in space medicine. She holds both an M.D. and a Ph.D. in space physiology. She has worked as a space scientist at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Germany and founded the Microgravity Center, an international research hub for human space physiology. As a former head of the center, she has shaped much o

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz, PhD, about his and his team's study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine on the association between daily steps/step intensity and new cases of cancer, cardiovascular disease and death.  (To date, it is the largest population sample and analysis of adults wearing an accelerometer.)In the podcast, Dr. Pozo Cruz will discuss his current research interests and why he is interested in the link between number of daily steps and health. He will explain how he and his team conducted the study and what they were measuring, including daily step counts, cadence-based metrics, and stepping intensity. He'll discuss their findings related to number of daily steps and association with cancer, cardiovascular disease and death, and if there were any differences noted among age groups. He'll answer the question, "Is there a magic number" of steps we should be taking to reduce our risk of disease and

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Emily Luisana about her recent study on dog bowl and dog food hygiene and the link to human and dog health published here. In the podcast, Dr. Luisana will discuss how she became interested in this topic and provide an overview of the potential bacteria/viruses that may grow on dog bowls and the potential impact for dog and human health. She'll discuss results from her survey that assessed how many people knew about the FDA's pet dish cleaning recommendations as well as the most common current practices for handling/storing dog food and cleaning dog bowls. She'll describe results from a survey to assess bacterial growth on dog dishes among groups, one of which used the FDA guidelines, and discuss differences. Then she'll offer general guidance and a bit of nutritional wisdom for dogs. Dr. Luisana is a practicing veterinarian and board-certified clinical nutritionist for veterinary medicine. You can read more about he

Send us a textIn this podcast, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Christopher Murray about his recent article published in The Lancet (2022) titled The Global Burden of Cancer Attributable to Risk Factors, 2010-2019, a Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. This is the largest effort to date to determine the gobal burden of cancer due to risk factors. He will discuss what the global burden of disease study is, how he and his team estimated the burden of cancer, the risk factors and the assessment framework used to link specific cancers to specific risks, what percentage of cancer is attributed to risk factors, what the greatest risks are, differences in high income vs low income countries and public health implications. Dr. Murray is Chair of Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington and Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). He also leads the Global Burden of Disease collaboration ( a systemic effort to quantify the comparitive magnitude of health los

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Carinne Chambers-Saini, CEO of DIVA and founder of the DIVA menstrual cup about how the mainstream dialogue around menstruation has changed over the years, what menstrual inequity and period poverty is, how the DIVA Cup works and its benefits over pads and tampons, anything we have to worry about with the DIVA Cup, and finally how she implemented a "menstrual health leave policy" at her company and how folks responded. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Christoffer Clemmensen about his research on the psychedelic drug, psilocybin,  and its connection to weight and energy balance. This podcast will mostly cover his animal study published here in Translational Psychiatry. As there is renewed interest in psychedelics and, of course, the ongoing obesity epidemic that is increasing around the globe, this is a doubly timely topic. Specifically, he will discuss psilocybin, how it works in the body, its relation to "cognitive flexibility", and how it might be used for obesity. He will explain the results of his animal study involving psilocybin, the dosing riddle,  and why he feels it should next be studied in humans. Dr. Clemmensen heads the Clemmensen Group studies at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research. His research focuses on the biological regulation of body weight and aims to develop new therapeutic approaches for obesity and its metabolic consequenc

Send us a textIn this Causes or Cures episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Shuji Ogino about his recent paper published in Nature Reviews, Clinical Oncology, titled "Is early-onset cancer an emerging global epidemic? Current evidence and future implications." In the podcast, Dr. Ogino discusses what "early onset" means, what types of cancer are showing up earlier in people less than 50 years of age, and the evidence and data that supports this trend. He discusses how exposures early in life and in utero may be contributing to early-onset cancer in young people ( in their thirties and forties), and the specific risk factors that have been linked to early-onset cancer.  He talks about why molecular pathological epidemiology is important for future analysis of this trend and what we need to do to slow this emerging epidemic from an individual perspective, a public health perspective, and a research one. Dr. Ogino, originally from Japan, is chief of the program in Molecular Pathological Epidemiolo

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Jack Swain, head of clinical operations at Mindbloom. Mindbloom is a mental health and wellness company dedicated to expanding science-based treatments for depression and anxiety, and they are starting with at-home, sublingual Ketamine treatment that is supplemented with telehealth and peer support. There is an explosion of interest in how psychedelics and other kinds of alternatives might be used to treat depression and anxiety, diseases that are notoriously difficult to treat, particularly for the long-term. In this episode, Jack will discuss a recent study involving Mindbloom that was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in October'22. He will discuss what Ketamine is,  the theory for why it helps with depression and anxiety, and Ketamine's disassociation effect. He breaks down the "methods" section of the research (what the outcomes were, how they were measured and how the study was set up) and the  resul

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Marko Lukic, a physician and researcher at the Arctic Univeristy of Norway, who recently did a study on modifiable risk factors for colon cancer, an interesting and timely topic considering the concerning rising rates of colon cancer in young people.  The study was published in the International Journal of Cancer. In the podcast, Dr. Lukic talks us through his research and the data he used. He describes the specific, modifiable risk factors and how they link to new cases of colon cancer.  He talks about how much these risk factors explain the burden of colon cancer, as well as how much of the burden remains unexplained. For the coffee drinkers out there, he also adds some interesting tidbits about his research on coffee and its relationship to cancer. You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Dr. Eeks on Instagram here.Or Facebook here.Or Twitter.Subscribe to her newsletter here!Support the show

Send us a textThe opioid epidemic is still raging, and people are still dying as a result. In this episode of Causes or Cures,  Dr. Eeks chats with Jeremiah Lindemann about how he is using his data, geographic information system and mapping skills to combat the opioid epidemic. Inspired by the loss of his brother to the opioid epidemic, he will discuss the creation of the "Celebrate Lost Loved Ones" map, hosted by the National Safety Council, who visits the map, and stories being shared on the map daily. He will discuss how he became an "accidental" public health professional and how he obtains data to create specific maps that are useful for helping state and local governments take on the opioid epidemic in more efficient ways. Finally, he will share what he thinks needs to be prioritized to bring the opioid epidemic, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, to an end. Jeremiah is an ArcGIS Solutions product engineer with over 20 years of experience, including consulting for state and local g

Send us a textIn this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks will chat with neuroscientist Dr. Mark Mattson about his new book titled, The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance. Dr. Mattson is a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, the former chief of the laboratory of neurosciences at the National Institute of Aging and someone who has done a lot of research on intermittent fasting. The National Institute of Health (NIH) considers him one of the world's top experts on the potential health benefits of intermittent fasting.  In the podcast, he will discuss how food scarcity sculpted the brain, including creativity and imagination; why 3 meals a day (plus a snack) isn't the best nutritional advice; the mechanisms of how intermittent fasting slows aging and prevents specific diseases; why stuffing our bodies with antioxidants may not be the best idea and why some "free radicals" are necessary; what hormesis means and why ex