Podcast
Intelligent Medicine | The Best of High Tech Medicine and Alternative Modalities
Hosted by Dr. Ronald Hoffman | Pioneering Complementary Medicine Practitioner · EN
Pioneering complementary medicine practitioner Dr. Ronald Hoffman takes a cutting-edge approach to health, wellness, and aging. He covers both conventional and alternative modalities, as well as nutrition, exercise, and supplements.
57episodes
Episodes
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Leyla Weighs In: Agave, Artificial Sweeteners, and the New “Food Noise” Questionnaire
Yesterday00:24:24Tap to summarizeNutritionist Leyla Muedin discusses a listener question about whether agave nectar can contribute to obesity like high-fructose corn syrup, arguing that regular use of sweeteners—including agave, honey, monk fruit, stevia, aspartame, sucralose, allulose, and sugar alcohols—can maintain sweet cravings, spike insulin, and contribute to weight-loss plateaus, with added concerns such as microbiome effects, GI upset, and aspartame’s neurotoxicity. She notes insulin’s role in fat storage and blood pressure via sodium retention, and suggests that needing a sweetener in coffee or tea may indicate dependence on sweetness. She then covers a newly developed, validated Food Noise Questionnaire (FNQ) published in Obesity to measure intrusive food-related rumination, highlighting its five Likert-scale items, study sample characteristics, and the need for further research, including effects of GLP-1 drugs.
Transcribe →ENCORE: Q&A with Leyla, Part 1: The Impact of Apple Cider Vinegar on Blood Sugar
2d ago00:34:04Tap to summarizeMore on “eat the rainbow” . . . or notMedical breakthroughs that we don't really needCan you discuss the order of eating macronutrients and its impact on blood glucose?What about the impact of apple cider vinegar on blood sugar?
Transcribe →ENCORE: Q&A with Leyla, Part 2: Does a plant based diet improve fertility?
2d ago00:33:33Tap to summarizeIf I start taking urolithin A, will it make my insomnia worse?I'm a 54-year-old postmenopausal woman with no libido—can supplements help?Can you talk more about the vegan twin study, saying plant-based diet improved fertility?What do you think of IV NAD vitamin drips?
Transcribe →ENCORE: Rewiring Your Brain: Conquering Sugar Addiction, Part 1
3d ago00:30:30Tap to summarizeSugarless: Dr. Nicole Avena on Hidden Sugars, Brain Addiction, and Practical Steps to Cut Back: Neuroscientist and author Dr. Nicole Avena reveals sugar’s pervasiveness and health impacts, drawing on her book “Sugarless: The Seven-Step Plan to Uncover Hidden Sugars, Curb Your Cravings, and Conquer Your Addiction.” Avena explains how modern industrialized, highly processed foods—many containing added sugars—have transformed innate preferences for sweetness into harmful overconsumption linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and possible dementia via insulin signaling changes. She discusses research showing sugar can stimulate dopamine reward pathways similarly to drugs and that prenatal exposure may alter offspring metabolism, preferences, and sensitivity to drugs/alcohol. For solutions, she discourages strict “cold turkey” approaches due to hidden sugars and relapse psychology, emphasizes inventorying sources and triggers, starting with eliminating sugar-sweetened beverages and sugary coffee drinks, improving breakfast, choosing protein/fat-based snacks, and viewing alternative sweeteners as a temporary crutch; she also notes diet changes can improve mood stability and reduce anxiety.
Transcribe →ENCORE: Rewiring Your Brain: Conquering Sugar Addiction, Part 2
3d ago00:33:33Tap to summarizeDr. Hoffman continues his conversation with neuroscientist and author Dr. Nicole Avena.
Transcribe →ENCORE: Finding Root Causes with Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, Part 1
4d ago00:28:13Tap to summarizeFunctional Diagnostic Nutrition: Using Saliva Testing, Food Sensitivity Labs, and Lifestyle to Find Root Causes: Reed Davis, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP) and Certified Nutritional Therapist (CNT), is founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN). He discusses using functional testing alongside conventional care to uncover “dysfunction” when standard labs appear normal. Davis describes assessing adrenal and metabolic stress via saliva testing for circadian cortisol patterns, cortisol-DHEA balance, sex hormones, secretory IgA, and melatonin, emphasizing clinical correlation and individualized “studies of one.” He outlines an approach targeting multiple “healing opportunities” (H-I-D-D-E-N: hormones, immune, digestion, detoxification, energy, nervous system) and applying D-R-E-S-S (diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, supplementation) rather than relying on supplements alone. A case example links chronic hives, medication-related weight gain, and food triggers identified through additional testing, including the Mediator Release Test. The discussion also covers stress-driven gut dysbiosis, digestion decline, and EFT tapping for stress-related symptoms, and notes FDN practitioners can be found via FDNtraining.com/medicine.
Transcribe →ENCORE: Finding Root Causes with Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, Part 2
4d ago00:31:58Tap to summarizeDr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Reed Davis, Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP), Certified Nutritional Therapist (CNT), and founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN).
Transcribe →ENCORE: Intelligent Medicine Radio for May 9, Part 1: Cancer, Diabetes Risks from Food Preservatives
5d ago00:44:13Tap to summarizePress ballyhooed heart, stroke risks associated with Omega-3 supplementation, but new study dispels fears over fish oil-atrial fibrillation link; Research highlights cancer, diabetes risks from food preservatives; Do the new dietary guidelines go too far, or are they a cop-out? GLP-1 weight loss drug use could save airlines millions on fuel costs; Does a “complex tear” of the hip labrum inevitably require surgery?
Transcribe →ENCORE: Intelligent Medicine Radio for May 9, Part 2: Can We Crack the Code on Aging?
5d ago00:44:19Tap to summarizeCan we crack the code on aging, or are humans just “term-limited”? What are some of the most promising anti-aging interventions currently under investigation? We may be curing more cancers, and discovering them earlier, but certain cancers are increasing in incidence, especially among the young; Why extreme old age may be protective against cancer; Big meta-analysis confirms cardio benefits of low-carb diet; Patients with depression who’ve tried everything obtain surprising relief from vagus nerve stimulation; Blood sugar spikes after meals—even absent diabetes—can drive Alzheimer’s risk; New study pushes back on Tylenol-autism link, but highlights poor diet, chemical exposure , pre-natal anti-depressant use as potential culprits.
Transcribe →Leyla Weighs In: Exploring the Link Between Food Additives and Type 2 Diabetes
1w ago00:24:14Tap to summarizeRegistered dietitian nutritionist Leyla Muedin discusses a Nature Communications study of 108,723 French adults in the NutriNet-Santé cohort (2009–2023) examining long-term exposure to food preservatives and type 2 diabetes. Using detailed dietary records cross-referenced with product/additive databases, researchers identified 58 preservative-related additives and analyzed 17 consumed by at least 10% of participants; 1,131 diabetes cases occurred. Higher overall preservative intake was associated with a 47% increased diabetes risk (49% for non-antioxidant preservatives; 40% for antioxidant additives), with several specific additives linked to higher risk. Leyla questions whether the findings reflect preservatives themselves or the ultra-processed, refined-carbohydrate foods that contain them, emphasizing recommendations to favor fresh, minimally processed foods and limit refined carbs and processed foods.
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