Pursuing Health

From the day he was born, Stephen Douglas has faced more obstacles than the average person. Diagnosed at birth with a heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, Stephen underwent open heart surgery at just 7 months of age. Throughout his early childhood, his heart condition, combined with asthma, meant Stephen had to be cautious not to exert himself too much physically or participate in contact sports. At the age of 10, Stephen was dealt another challenge after his dentist found a cyst growing in his jaw. He was diagnosed with Gorlin syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes thousands of skin cancers, jaw cysts, and bone cysts. He underwent treatment for the condition, but the numerous painful procedures and surgeries led him into a deep depression which persisted through his teen years. Stephen stopped physical and social activity, gained weight, and his blood pressure increased. By the age of 20 he weighed 300 pounds. His doctor told him he needed to make a change. Inspired by athletes he saw while watching the CrossFit Games on television, Stephen began to make small changes which led to a cascade of events that helped him lose over 85 pounds. In the process, he was able to lower his blood pressure, experience relief from his asthma symptoms, forge new relationships, and get in the best shape of his life. I sat down with Stephen to learn more about what it’s like to deal with a scary medical diagnosis as a child and how he gained the tools he needed to make the transition from a sedentary lifestyle to a thriving one.

Twin brothers Saxon Panchik and Spencer Panchik, along with their older brother, Scott Panchik, are quickly becoming a something of a CrossFit dynasty. Growing up, all the Panchik kids were exceptionally active, playing football, basketball, wrestling and more, until a near-deadly childhood hiking accident landed both Saxon and Spencer in the hospital with multiple injuries. Unable to return to the contact sports they loved, Saxon and Spencer shifted their focus towards a new sport: CrossFit.

Nate Bergman, DO, MBA, is trained in internal medicine, geriatrics, and functional medicine and is passionate about using a multidimensional approach to prevent and reverse cognitive decline that emphasizes root causes including sleep, exercise, nutrition, and stress management. Dr. Bergman’s knowledge and experience with treating cognitive decline comes not only from his research and his time on staff at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine; he also has first-hand experience. While completing his medical training, Dr. Bergman struggled with severe memory loss. With the support of his family and a functional medicine approach that addressed the root causes of his symptoms, he was able to overcome this challenge, and today believes his brain is functioning the best it ever has in his adult life. His personal experience served to further cement his drive to study and treat patients who suffer from cognitive decline. Today, Dr. Bergman continues to focus on brain health and the early prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease as the Chief Scientific Wellness Officer at the Kemper Center for Cognitive Health and Wellness. We recently sat down to talk about how he made the decision to pursue osteopathic and functional medicine, the impact of sleep and stress on brain health, and his hopes for the future of Alzheimer’s research.

Amanda Barnhart took the CrossFit world by surprise at the 2018 Central Regional where, as a virtually unknown athlete, she dominated the competition, winning three events and finishing third for the weekend. Her success was no accident: a lifelong athlete, Amanda grew up as a gymnast, volleyball player, and runner, and she swam Division 1 at Cleveland State University. Since starting CrossFit in 2013, she’s made four appearances at Regionals, twice on a team and twice as an individual. Amanda is also a practicing Doctor of Physical Therapy, and she works hard to balance time spent with patients and time spent training. She finds that lessons she’s learned in her own competitive athletic experience carry over to everyday athletes and vice versa. Leading up to the 2018 CrossFit Games, Amanda worked hard on her mindset to eliminate any doubt as to whether she belonged among such an elite caliber of athletes. She would finish a solid 15th in her rookie appearance and has been training all year with anticipation of performing even better in the 2019 season. I caught up with Amanda to chat about what has led to her success as a CrossFit Games athlete, what she learned in her 2018 season, and how she hopes to continue to blend her physical therapy and CrossFit careers.

Michael F. Roizen, MD, is an internist and anesthesiologist who is passionate about helping people choose to live younger and healthier lives. He is the Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic, the co-founder of RealAge Inc, a five-time number one New York Times best-selling author, and the Chief Medical Consultant on the Dr. Oz Show. An accomplished lecturer, researcher, CEO, television personality and author, Dr. Roizen’s myriad achievements are too numerous to count. Dr. Roizen continues to practice internal medicine, using the RealAge metric to motivate his patients. He routinely sees patients who are in the midst of struggling with tobacco, heart, diabetic or arthritic problems and coaches them with simple (but persistent) lifestyle changes to be able to live, feel, look and be years younger. He really enjoys getting them to throw away their medications when they no longer need them, and teaches the role of food and other simple steps in reversing disease processes. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Roizen during my medical school studies, and I was thrilled to catch up with him at his home to talk about the benefits he’s witnessed since Cleveland Clinic implemented an Employee Health Plan, the most important lifestyle factors we can change to improve our overall health and wellness, and his take on What to Eat When.

Jason Khalipa is a decorated CrossFit athlete, well-known for his 8 appearances at the CrossFit Games and multiple podium finishes, including the title of Fittest Man on Earth in 2008. For 7 years, Jason competed as an individual, and in 2015 he shifted his focus to team competition in order to spend more time with his family.

Joseph Janesz, PhD, is an Associate Staff and Director of the Outpatient Executive and Professional Program at Cleveland Clinic. He has been a Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor, lecturer, author and national Consultant for the past 30 years. Dr. Janesz completed his undergraduate work at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and received his PhD degree from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. His training includes couples and group therapy, performance enhancement and sports psychology, executive coaching and management and organizational consulting. He consults with a wide range of clients in the medical, legal, financial, sports and entertainment fields and has been a Consultant to the National Football League for the past 20 years and a key player in the first NFL Players Assistance Program -- the Cleveland Browns "Inner Circle Program." Dr. Janesz played an integral role in my own training as I prepared for the CrossFit Games. It was a pleasure to re-connect with him to learn more about his approach for helping individuals become their own personal best self and how anyone can have a Champion mindset. *Dr. Janesz’s Bio was adapted from clevelandclinic.org

Can you believe we’re at 100 episodes?! It’s been a slow and steady process over the past 3+ years, but consistency sure pays off! I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for listening and continuing to support me through this shift in my career from CrossFit Games athlete, to medical student, and now soon-to-be family medicine physician. This podcast has been such a rewarding outlet for me to continue to highlight some amazing individuals in the world and share their stories and discoveries with all of you, in the hopes that their insights might positively impact your lives as well. I wanted to do something special to celebrate this milestone, and although we have had some INCREDIBLE guests on the show over the past 3 years, it just felt like this was the appropriate time to have a little more intimate conversation between me and YOU with a Q+A style episode

Dr. Axel Pflueger serves as the Medical Director of the Center of Comprehensive & Diagnostic Medicine in New York, NY and is a Clinical Instructor at New York University Langone Medical Center. He is a trained cardiac surgeon, board-certified internist, and board-certified nephrologist with a PhD in Pharmacology. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and is a recognized international speaker on diabetes and kidney disease, and has an extensive research background in diabetes, kidney disease, vascular function, and oxidative stress.

At the 2015 CrossFit Games, Sydney Sullivan dominated the competition, winning 1st place in 5 out of 6 events in the Girls 14-15 Division, and was crowned the Fittest Teen on Earth. She was also struggling with a serious chronic disease: Type 2 juvenile autoimmune hepatitis. Diagnosed at age 12, Sydney managed her condition through a combination of healthy diet, CrossFit, and medical care. However, as the 2016 CrossFit Games drew closer, Sydney began losing weight and feeling fatigued as the symptoms of her illness worsened. That year, she would finish a highly respectable 6th place, but Sydney could feel her health declining. Caught in a catch-22 situation, her health markers were still far “too healthy” to be considered for a traditional deceased-donor liver transplant. At the suggestion of her doctor, her family began the process of finding a donor and a facility for a live-donor transplant. Ultimately, her brother, Tommy, was able to give 60% of his liver to Sydney, and together the two embarked on a slow path to recovery. Today, they work together at his affiliate, Koda Crossfit Tulsa where Sydney is a coach. I caught up with Sydney at the 2018 CrossFit Games to hear how she managed a chronic illness while being among the world’s fittest and the lessons she learned through her experience that she hopes to share with others.

Thomas Seyfried, PhD is a biochemical geneticist, scientist, and professor at Boston College. For more than 25 years he has taught and conducted research in the fields of neurochemistry, neurogenetics, and cancer. Through his extensive research, Thomas has found evidence that supports the hypothesis that cancer is a metabolic disease as opposed to the mainstream belief that it is genetic in origin. He believes that this fundamental misunderstanding has led to failed treatment and prevention strategies. In his groundbreaking text, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease, Thomas explains the mechanism behind cancer development and metastasis, and he shares the scientific and clinical studies that support this unconventional theory. I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Seyfried at the 2018 CrossFit Health Conference in Madison, WI. In one of the most controversial episodes of Pursing Health yet, we discussed his research findings that point to metabolic therapies, including the ketogenic diet, as being an effective way to prevent, manage, and treat cancer.

As part of an innovative partnership, Kirby Medical Center and CrossFit KMC are working as a team to promote wellness for their employees, their patients, and their local Monticello, Illinois community. Together they are setting an example for how health care can focus on disease prevention rather than just disease treatment. Kirby Medical Center is a 16-bed acute care hospital and physician group that consistently scores in the top 5% of rural hospitals nationwide for patient satisfaction and employee engagement. They offer a wide variety of wellness services, including food and nutrition services, a wellness trail, and a range of exercise classes through CrossFit KMC. CrossFit KMC is one of the first CrossFit affiliates to open on a medical center campus. Open to both employees and the community, they play an instrumental role in helping Kirby Medical Center achieve its vision of making their community a healthier place to live. At the 2018 CrossFit Health Conference, I had the opportunity to sit down with Steve Tenhouse, Kirby Medical Center CEO and affiliate owner of CrossFit KMC, and Josh Newton, the Director of Health and Wellness at Kirby Medical Center and Head Coach of CrossFit KMC. I was excited to learn more about how their partnership began, the lessons they have learned along the way as they've built a successful employee wellness program, and how other affiliate owners can partner with local healthcare organizations to promote the shift from sick care to health care.

In 2017, EC stepped down from her position at CrossFit to focus on finishing her second master’s degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. From there, she founded her company, OptimizeMe Nutrition, where she focuses on helping individuals understand nutrition physiology and it's day-to-day application. Her website provides educational resources and tools so that individuals may find their own ideal nutrition program. She is also the founder of the #800gChallenge, an inclusive eating plan that encourages participants to maximize their fruit and vegetable intake and encourages the consumption of whole, unprocessed foods. EC and I met up in Cleveland to chat about the importance of food quality and quantity, the tips she has to offer to the majority of the population for better nutrition, and to answer listener questions about trending nutrition topics.

Danica Patrick is an athlete, author, television personality, and former professional race car driver who made headlines as the first woman to achieve several landmark victories on the IndyCar circuit and NASCAR. Over the course of her career, she broke gender barriers and was a vocal proponent of pushing her limits to be the best. Despite her May 2018 retirement from racing, Danica shows no signs of slowing down. A long-time CrossFitter, she is shifting her focus to promoting health and wellness, starting with her recently published book Pretty Intense: The 90-Day Mind, Body and Food Plan that will absolutely Change your Life. Danica is also heavily involved with her wine business, Somnium Wine, and her clothing line, Warrior by Danica Patrick. I sat down with Danica at the 2018 CrossFit Games to chat about setting new goals after retirement, her experience as a trailblazer, and how she uses a holistic approach to constantly push herself to be her very best.

Gary Taubes is an investigative science and health journalist and co-founder of the non-profit Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSci.org). With a background in physics, Taubes brings a unique perspective to scientific journalism, and takes a special interest in investigating so-called “bad science.” Taubes is the author of several books, including The Case Against Sugar, Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, and Good Calories, Bad Calories. He is also a contributor to publications such as the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and has won numerous awards for his journalism. He lectures extensively about why we get fat, sharing his knowledge about the myths surrounding nutrition and how faulty research has led to poor food choices and an obesity epidemic. I caught up with Gary at the 2018 CrossFit Health Conference to talk about investigating bad science, nutrition misconceptions, and the importance of self-experimentation to determine which type of diet is healthiest for your body.