
I am here with Dr. Jeffrey Bland, who is largely considered the father of functional medicine. He is a clinical biochemist and immunity expert, and founder of the Institute for Functional Medicine and the Personalized Lifestyle Institute, which is PLMI. He is also a bestselling author, thought leader, educator, entrepreneur, speaker and president of Big Bold Health. He is an expert on a lot of different topics, and we go into quite a few of them in this episode.
We talk about how he’s travelled over 30,000 miles by boat with his wife, why he is considered the father of functional medicine and what separates functional medicine from other types, how genetics come into play and understanding them in relation to our health, why genes are not our destiny and how we can turn them on and off. He also shares what immuno-rejuvenation is and how we can use this to our advantage, how to keep your immune system young, and so much more. We touch on supplements, diet, health trackers, how to become your own primary healthcare provider, and so much more. Very fact-packed episode!
Episode Highlights With Dr. Jeffrey Bland
- How he’s traveled over 30,000 miles by boat!
- Why he’s considered the father of functional medicine and what separates functional medicine from other types
- The “four R” process of functional medicine
- Common triggers of chronic conditions that functional medicine can address
- The role of detoxification in recovery in many of these conditions
- How genetics come into play in understanding our health
- Why genes are not our destiny and how we can turn them on and off
- How we can turn off genes that are expressing bad responses and reprogram them
- What immuno-rejuvenation is, and how we can use this to our advantage
- Why immune system cells change every two months, and how we can reconfigure our immune systems by knowing this
- The reason autoimmune conditions actually have a low association to gene inheritance and what actually leads to them
- How to keep your immune system young
- Why the immune system can use up to half of the body energy when it isn’t functioning correctly
- The surprising immune helping superfood he discovered that was lost for 2000 years
- What emerging research is showing about the gut/mental health connection and how we can use this to improve mental health
Resources We Mention
- Genetic Nutritioneering by Jeffrey S. Bland
- The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life by Jeffrey S. Bland
- Big Bold Health
- Oura Ring
- Rachel Carsons books
- Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé
- Biochemical Individuality by Roger Williams
- Vitamin C, the Common Cold, and the Flu by Linus Carl Pauling
More From Wellness Mama
- 172: Alex Swanson on How to Understand Your Genes With Nutrition Genome
- 392: Understanding Genetics vs Epigenetics: How Genes Work Like Dominos and What Yours Are Telling You With Dr. Lynch of StrateGene
- 564: Chris Kresser on Nutrient Deficiencies & Why the Way We Think About Health Needs to Change
- 219: Kiran Krishnan on Why Everything We Know About Probiotics Is Wrong
- 293: Functional Medicine for Families and Stress Reduction With Dr. Rick Henriksen
- 539: Tina Anderson on Psychobiotics, Gut Brain Connection and Just Calm
- Health Benefits of Prebiotics
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Thanks to Our Sponsors
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I loved this podcast. Thank you for having Dr Bland on. I would love to hear Dr Bland talk on Forest bathing, especially regarding schools and how the future is heading to remote learning, and not having children playing and experiencing nature. The effects on their health.