The Health Bridge

Sara Gottfried's and Pedram Shojai's actual personal physician is the guest this week on the Health Bridge. Dr. Alan Christianson joins in this week to talk in depth about the charts and lab results he saw from Pedram and Sara. The hosts talk about starting their gong and what Dr. Alan saw when they first started. They get into some pretty deep details about the different things Dr. Alan saw when they first were checked before starting the gongs.

We've got a bonus episode of The Health Bridge! We had a quick response from the last episode with David Bronner and so Pedram Shojai was able to speak with spokesperson Sandeep Kaushik of the OregonRightToKnow.org. Because we scheduled it so quickly, Sara Gottfried wasn't able to join in. But due to the time-sensitive nature of the subject, we figured we'd just present this as a bonus rather than wait until Monday. Pedram asked Sandeep more about Measure 92 in Oregon. What exactly would it do? How would labeling foods affect manufacturing? Would it affect production at all?

Coming up in these midterm elections, Oregon is set to vote on a GMO Right to Know Bill that if passed would require manufacturers, retailers and suppliers to label raw and packaged foods produced entirely or partially by genetic engineering. Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai wanted to know more about what is going on in Oregon and how this could affect the rest of the country. David Bronner reached out to our team and was happy to inform us about the bill and what affect it could have. He also mentions the tough opposition the bill faces. Would food products that clearly list GM origins change your eating habits?

We all know how important the food we eat is to our overall health. When we become ill do we look at what we eat rather than trying to find a pill to cure us? This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome Dr. Mark Hyman. He's big on functional medicine. What is functional medicine? And now in medical schools, are future practictioners being taught about nutrition and its importance? The three also dive into the importance of avoiding sugar.

Pedram Shojai actually completed a second movie! It took four years but it's finally a real movie! Pedram could not be more excited to see four years of filming turn into an actual tangible movie. So Sara Gottfried asked Pedram about the process of filming "Origins." What did it take to make a movie with a very small team of filmmakers? The film explores the link between planetary health and personal health. What is this link and how does one affect the other?

"Be mindful of the future, but never at the expense of the present." Star Wars fans will remember this quote. How can we truly connect to the present moment? This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Dr. Jen Landa to the Health Bridge. They discuss the problem of energy deficits and what can be done to regain some energy. They also dive into how energy deficits can affect sex drive (and for that I'm throwing up an explicit tag). How can we better balance work life and home life so that we're not always falling behind on energy? How can we take better care of ourselves against hidden physical stressors? And how can we make sure we don't miss the here and now in the process?

Definitely a topic of dispute, Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried dive into the subject of vaccinations. There are claims that vaccinations are correlated to the rise in autism. But other data shows that diseases that have been dormant for the better part of a century are returning as people avoid vaccinations. What's the right answer? Pedram is a new father so these questions have been weighing heavy on him. He and Sara try their best to make sense of this complicated issue.

Last week Sara and Pedram were both unable to record but we didn't want to leave you empty-handed at the beginning of the week here! Here we have an interview Sara did with Pedram for her Entheos conference. They discuss the environmental drivers of health. How does our environment affect our health? How do all the factors add up? What burdens do they put on our bodies? Are all the factors negative? What factors are positive and how can we play into those to create better health for ourselves?

In this episode Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai catch up and discuss meditation practices they've incorporated into their gong. With our daily lives, how feasible is it to incorporate meditation into it? How long must we meditate to consider it effective? Sara brings up an app that can help clear your mind and Pedram mentions the effectiveness of changing your environment to help with that. They both discuss the importance of moving in new and different ways to work different parts of our body.

A lot of life can happen through the course of 100 days. Joe B on Facebook asked, "Have either Pedram or Sara had to restart their Gongs yet, or have they followed their intentions flawlessly?" Pedram and Sara respond and mention how they've carried through with the gong even when traveling for work. Sara also recently battled the flu and she discusses how that affected her gong. Sara and Pedram are just past the 30 day mark of their gong and they discuss if they have seen any improvements over the short 30 days.

How is planetary health affected by the food choices we make? This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Ocean Robbins to the podcast! Ocean discusses the ways eating meat not only affects our bodies and our health, but the health of the environment. How does eating grass-fed beef from corn-fed beef? Is grass-fed beef sustainable on a global level? How can we change our relationship to the things we eat and make health a priority?

Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai in this episode give updates on how the gong is going. Sara noticed that for Pedram's gong he wasn't going to ejaculate for the duration of the gong and asks him questions about that. What are the benefits of going on a self-imposed dry spell? Is there a difference between orgasms and ejaculations? Or is Pedram just crazy? The subject matter of this episode of course makes it explicit.

This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome Bo Eason to the Health Bridge. Bo is a former NFL player, an actor, and a playwright. How was he able to transfer his NFL skills to the real world? Bo talks about humans as the ultimate predator and how we should be able to accept who we are. The three discuss connecting with our inner nature and the implications that could have. The three also get on a discussion of sexuality and being open about accepting sexuality as a human instinct. For that reason, even though the conversation never gets graphic by any means, this one's explicit.

Some of us may suffer from slight social anxiety when in a group of people. Some of us prefer conversing through text messages that allow us time to gather our thoughts before we respond. This week, Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Jordan Harbinger of the podcast The Art of Charm. Jordan discusses reasons why we should sharpen our skills at in-person social interactions. He tells a couple of stories on how he was kidnapped (twice!) and how knowing how to talk to people got him out of those situations. How can spotting non-verbal cues help make us better in social situations?

Happy Labor Day for our US listeners! This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Ben Greenfield to The Health Bridge! They discuss the No Pain No Gain mentality in fitness. Is pain really required to become fitter? What level of challenge is required to see results? And what about between workouts? Are we treating our bodies properly during rest and recovery cycles? Ben Greenfield lists other ways to improve our bodies that don't require raising our heart rates. How can we get out of the comfort zone and challenge ourselves to grow?

Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried this week give updates on the gongs they recently started. They then dive into a further discussion on Robin Williams which started in the episode with Shawn Stevenson. We received some messages that took concern with Shawn's statement that suicide is a "selfish" act. Pedram and Sara continue the conversation on this sensitive subject. Pedram discusses his experiences knowing people to have taken their own lives. Sara discusses how the news of Robin Williams affected her family. Most importantly, if you are suffering from depression and thinking of taking your own life, please seek help!

How can we create an army for change? Both for ourselves and the community in which we live? This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome celebrity nutritionist Cynthia Pasquella to the Health Bridge. They discuss the idea that everyone should practice what they preach. Pedram and Sara talk about their 100-day gongs and Cynthia describes the 10-day challenge she has. They discuss the difficulties of diets and how to work them rather than having them work you.

This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Shawn Stevenson to The Health Bridge. Shawn as a youth had a very weak body. He broke a hip while running track and was told that he had the spine of an 80-year-old. He was told there wasn't anything to be done about it but the doctors went ahead and prescribed him pills to take. Shawn took it upon himself to make changes in his life. What changes did Shawn notice when he cut out fast food? What sort of improvements occurred? How did his overall quality of life change?

Some of us think we need that cup of coffee in the morning or the newest gadget, but is that really a need? This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Cliff Hodges of Adventure Out to The Health Bridge. Cliff runs a program of survival training that aims to re-acclimate the 21st century human back to our primal instincts. When we're worried about actual survival, how does the list of needs vs. wants shift? Is that coffee still a need to stay awake? Or does it become a need to sustain ourselves. Is the smartphone still important? Or should we worry more about staying warm after the sun sets? What can spending time disconnected from the 21st century out in the woods do for our perspective of the world?

This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome gut expert Steve Wright to The Health Bridge. Steve was an electrical engineer that had so many problems with his gut that his family nicknamed him, "The Gas Man." He was even told be co-workers that he was "stinking up the cube farm." Steve tried a few different diets to varying effects for his leaky gut. He was then introduced to the Carbohydrate Diet. What is the Carbohydrate Diet and how did it affect the way Steve felt? How can we rebuild the gut through diet?