Tag Archives: mental health

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #69 – Stephen Porges, Ph.D. – Polyvagal Theory

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This week I sit down with Dr. Stephen Porges,
He is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland.
He served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers across several disciplines including anesthesiology, biomedical engineering, critical care medicine, ergonomics, exercise physiology, gerontology, neurology, neuroscience, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, psychometrics, space medicine, and substance abuse. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.
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He is the author of multiple books on his Polyvagal Theory: including the Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation, as well as Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation. His newest book cowritten with his son is called Our Polyvagal World, How Safety and Trauma Change Us. Dr. Porges is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™ (SSP), which is used by therapists to improve social engagement, language processing, and state regulation, as well as to reduce hearing sensitivities.
This is such a fascinating conversation. He brings the worlds of psychiatry and anthropological physiology into union for us to understand the why of trauma reactions and the future unwinding that is now possible. This is a must listen to conversation if you know anyone with trauma history.
Please enjoy my conversation with Professor Porges,
Dr. M
His recent paper in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
Website for Dr. Porges
Newest Book – Our Polyvagal World

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 13

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To Forgive
The act as defined as I see it – to release consciously another person from your negative feelings based on an event that was hurtful toward you from them whether it is perceived on your part or known by both parties.
What I find fascinating is that often the act of forgiveness may have to push past an unconscious threat injury in order to take root. This is to say that we can be harmed at a conscious and an unconscious level. The unconscious harm is understood at the vagal nerve level which is a primitive emotional safety response state that all mammals have that developed a long time ago. This is the essence of polyvagal theory which states that when humans feel safe, their nervous system supports the homeostatic functions of health, growth and restoration, while simultaneously become accessible to others without feeling or expressing threat and vulnerability. (Porges S. 2022) Thus, the opposite exists, when humans are threatened, their nervous system supports a break in homeostasis that can be short lived or long persistent based on the severity and chronicity of the harm. This break can lead to persistent mental and physical health challenges….. and a section on sleep followed by the recipe of the week.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 10

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APOE4 and the history of human disease
Apolipoprotein E, discovered in 1973, is derived from a polymorphic gene called ApoE that encodes for a signaling protein on a class of fatty proteins that primarily carry cholesterol and other molecules around the body. We find ApoE primarily on VLDL, very low-density lipoproteins and HDL, High density lipoproteins. It primarily helps to shuttle cholesterol from the periphery of the body back to the liver. ApoE proteins are also involved in neuronal signaling, neuroinflammation and glucose metabolism making them especially critical for brain activity. This is becoming a critical part of the story for understanding dementia and neurodegeneration. (Williams T. 2020) ApoE is most famous for an isoform, APOE4/4, being highly associated with Alzheimer’s dementia in modernity. Unfortunately, as we do with many things in medicine, we have been focused on this genetic protein variant as a net negative in humans because we look at things as black and white. Either good or bad. A binary choice. Rubish! …..
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #66 – James Greenblatt, M.D. – ADHD

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Attention Deficit and Upstream Personalized Treatments
This week we sit down with Dr. James Greenblatt, a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine/psychiatry. He obtained his MD and completed his psychiatry residency at George Washington University School of Medicine. This training was followed by a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School. He has been studying and educating providers on functional psychiatry for 4 decades. Dr. Greenblatt has served as the Chief Medical Officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, MA for nearly 20 years, and is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine.
His focus is on the scientific evidence for nutritional interventions in psychiatry and mental illness. This is the essence of going upstream to right the wrongs of the biochemical pathways of the brain. He is the author of eight books, including the best-seller, Finally Focused: The Breakthrough Natural Treatment Plan for ADHD. His updated edition of Answers to Anorexia was released in October 2021 and his newest book, Functional & Integrative Medicine for Antidepressant Withdrawal is available now.
Dr. Greenblatt is the founder of Psychiatry Redefined, an educational platform dedicated to the personalized, evidence-based treatment of mental health. Psychiatry Redefined offers continuing online education, CME-approved courses, and webinars, and boasts the most comprehensive and scientifically-based professional fellowship for mental health providers, The Psychiatry Redefined Fellowship in Functional & Integrative Psychiatry.
Please enjoy my conversation with Dr. James Greenblatt.
Dr. M

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Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 6

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Literature Review
1) Psilocybin is showing further signs of great promise in the fight against depression and PTSD. Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy has gained a foothold in the mainstream of treatment interventions for treatment resistant depression and PTSD. Psilocybin comes from a mushroom that has serotonergic effects on the receptor 5HT2A in the human brain. The results of the studies were net positives in reducing major mood disorder symptoms that are known to be long term in effect. (Haikazian et. al. 2023) I am very excited to see this therapeutic space expand into traumatized teens and other subsets to see outcome benefits. 2) Nanoplastics in the research in the Journal PNAS….. And a section on Antibiotic resistance.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 13 Issue 20

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Section I – An Uncivilized Journey Part II
(Being Vulnerable part II)
I continued my wandering journey of self discovery this year. Finding myself back in rural Austin, Texas, there would be no preconceived idea for me what this stop on the path would uncover and offer me in witness and self emotional understanding. Not to disappoint, this journey was easily 5X more mind and heart opening than last April. The past year has been tumultuous for me as you all may remember. I am still coming off the reality of losing my rock in the world, my father. It is a strange feeling. The knowing that he is gone and that I must live without his counsel, love and support. But, live we all must with loss, grief and existence…..
Best,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #46 – Jake Hastings – First Responders Health

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This weeks guest is Jake Hastings. Who is he? He is a man who has been on the front lines of human health with a diverse background in firefighting, EMS Care, and incident management. His adventures and jobs have carried him to 27 countries around the world. He served in the United States Air Force as a medic and mental health technician where he worked in clinics and hospitals with various military branches. After the military, Jake worked as a ski patroller in Mt. Hood Oregon, and a search and rescue park ranger for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. He eventually joined Clackamas Fire District #1 near Portland, OR and served 6 years as a Firefighter/ Engineer. Jake then joined the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Incident Management Team as a Public Information Officer and traveled the Pacific Northwest helping to manage large incident wildfires. Jake has worked in some large scale disaster incidents such as the Joplin Missouri Tornado in 2011, and the Riverside Fire in Clackamas County Oregon in 2020.

Jake now teaches Emergency Medicine in Montana and also hosts wellness retreats part time. He is passionate about continuing to help others and advocates for mental health care amongst the first responder community. We discuss the reality of being a first responder, the trials that come along with the jobs and how we are working to live a more grounded and authentic life.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

 

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