Episode 238: Dr. Raphael E. Cuomo, Ph.D. - Addiction, Cancer & the Biology of Compulsion
Release Date: 07/17/2025
Episode 261: Real Food Recovery: Holistic Healing, Harm Reduction & Building Lifelong Recovery Roots with Jamie Reno and Paige Alexander
Food Junkies Podcast
In this episode, Paige and Jamie from Real Food Recovery join us to explore the powerful intersection of holistic health, nervous system regulation, and long-term recovery from ultra-processed food addiction. They share why they wrote their book, the four core branches that anchor recovery, and why recovery isn’t about perfection—it’s about resilience, compassion, and sustainable support systems that hold us when life falls apart. With honesty and courage, Jamie shares her story of leaving an abusive relationship and navigating destabilization while protecting her recovery....
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Episode 260: Healing Trauma, Shame, and Food Addiction through the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model with Jan Winhall
Food Junkies Podcast
Jan Winhall is a psychotherapist, author, educator, and the developer of the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model (FSPM), a groundbreaking framework that integrates trauma therapy, polyvagal theory, and embodied focusing to understand and treat addiction and trauma. Over more than four decades of clinical work, Jan has specialized in supporting survivors of sexual violence, complex trauma, and addiction with a deeply de-pathologizing, feminist, and body-based lens. She is the founder of the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model Institute, teaches internationally, and collaborates closely with leaders in the...
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Episode 259: Dr. Carrie Wilkens, PhD on Rethinking Addiction Without Shame
Food Junkies Podcast
In this episode of the Food Junkies Podcast, Clarissa and Molly sit down with psychologist Dr. Carrie Wilkens to unpack what it really means to help people change without shame, stigma, or power struggles. Drawing from decades of work in substance use, eating disorders, trauma, and family systems, Carrie invites us to rethink “denial,” “relapse,” “codependency,” and even the disease model itself, while still honoring the seriousness of addiction and the depth of people’s pain. Together, we explore how self-compassion, curiosity, and values-based behavior change can transform not...
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Episode 258: Clinician’s Corner – Holidays Edition: Boundaries, Nervous Systems & the Hella-Days
Food Junkies Podcast
In this Clinician’s Corner episode, Clarissa and Molly dive into what they lovingly (and accurately) call the “Hella-Days”—that stretch from early fall through New Year’s where routines disappear, food is everywhere, emotions are high, and nervous systems are fried. Together, they unpack why this season is so activating for people with food addiction and nervous system sensitivity, and how to navigate it with values, boundaries, and a whole lot of self-compassion—whether you’re surrounded by family or spending the holidays on your own. In This Episode Clarissa & Molly...
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Episode 257: Dr. Nasha Winters, ND, FABNO - Cancer, UPFs, and Metabolic Healing
Food Junkies Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with integrative oncologist and metabolic health pioneer Dr. Nasha Winters (who insists we call her Nasha) to explore the powerful intersection of cancer, ultra-processed foods, metabolism, and sovereignty. Nasha shares her astonishing personal story: years of dismissed symptoms, normalized suffering, and relentless gaslighting that culminated in a diagnosis of end-stage ovarian cancer at age 19—and being sent home to die. Thirty-four years later, she’s very much alive and leading a global movement to rethink cancer as a metabolic, terrain-driven disease rather...
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Episode 256: Dr. Erica LaFata - Diagnosing Ultra-Processed Food Addiction with FASI
Food Junkies Podcast
On this episode of the Food Junkies Podcast, we welcome back Dr. Erica LaFata to dive into her groundbreaking work developing the Food Addiction Severity Interview (FASI) — a clinician-administered diagnostic tool modeled after the SCID alcohol use disorder module and adapted for ultra-processed foods. Building on self-report tools like the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and mYFAS, Erica explains why the field urgently needs a structured clinical interview to validate ultra-processed food addiction as a distinct psychiatric presentation and move toward formal recognition in the DSM....
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Episode 255: Challenging the Naysayers with Dr. Nicole Avena
Food Junkies Podcast
In this powerful episode, Dr. Vera Tarman and Clarissa Kennedy welcome back Dr. Nicole Avena, one of the first researchers to scientifically validate the concept of food addiction. Together, they unpack the latest critiques of food addiction and explore why this diagnosis is still being challenged – and why the science strongly supports it. 🔍 Key Questions We Tackled Is food addiction “too broad” to be useful? Can we really rely on self-report tools like the Yale Food Addiction Scale? What about brain imaging – doesn’t Kevin Hall’s PET study “disprove” food addiction? Are...
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Food Junkies Recovery Stories Episode 30: Ashley Elizabeth
Food Junkies Podcast
C J shares a moving conversation with Ashley Elizabeth, a woman whose honesty and courage shine through her recovery journey. Ashley is remarkably open about her experience with food addiction and the lifelong impact of being put on a diet at a very young age. Like so many, she spent years trapped in the cycle of obsession, shame, and the constant search for control, returning to foods she didn’t even like just to get her fix. When Ashley first entered a 12-step program, she approached her food plan like another diet, and for a while, it worked. But true transformation came when she embraced...
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Episode 254: Dr. Paul O'Malley
Food Junkies Podcast
Dr. Paul O’Malley is a Los Angeles-based dentist who’s redefining what it means to care for your teeth—and your whole body. With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. O’Malley specializes in biomimetic and holistic dentistry, which basically means he works with your body, not against it. His focus is on preserving your natural tooth structure, using biocompatible materials, and avoiding the “drill and fill” mindset that leaves so many people anxious about the dentist’s chair. He earned his DDS from Creighton University and completed a residency at Baylor University, but what...
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Episode 253: Clinician's Corner - From Rules to Guardrails: Rewriting the Manual for Recovery
Food Junkies Podcast
Molly and Clarissa get real about the spoken and unspoken “rules” we inherit—from family, culture, religion, peers, and recovery spaces—and how those rules can quietly run our lives. They explore when structure is protective (especially early recovery) and when rigidity shrinks our world. The invitation: notice the rule, name whose voice it is, examine its intention, and rewrite it as a flexible, values-aligned boundary (a loving guardrail) that serves your recovery today. What we cover Invisible operating systems: How covert rules (“Don’t cry in public,” “Finish your plate,”...
info_outlineIn today’s episode, we explore the groundbreaking intersection of addiction, biology, and cancer with internationally recognized scientist Dr. Rafael Cuomo. Drawing on insights from his book Crave, Dr. Cuomo reveals how addiction is not simply a behavioral or psychological issue—it’s a biological condition that reshapes the terrain of our health and directly contributes to the development of chronic disease, including cancer.
Dr. Cuomo introduces the concept of “molecular scars”—long-term physiological changes left behind by repeated addictive behaviors, even low-grade ones like screen use or ultra-processed food consumption. He explains how these behaviors disrupt key systems in the body, including the dopamine, opioid, GABA, glutamate, cortisol, and the endocannabinoid systems, ultimately weakening immune surveillance, fueling inflammation, and accelerating cellular damage.
From the anticipatory nature of craving to the role of trauma and adverse childhood experiences, this episode invites clinicians, patients, and everyday listeners to reconsider addiction not as a character flaw, but as a biologically driven imbalance with profound public health implications.
🧠 Topics Covered:
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The hidden biological link between addiction and cancer
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What Crave reveals about chronic stimulation and health breakdown
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Why craving is more about anticipation than pleasure
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The difference between wanting and liking in addiction
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How repeated overstimulation rewires dopamine and reduces pleasure
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Molecular scars: the biological damage addiction leaves behind
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The role of inflammation, immune suppression, and cellular dysfunction
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How addiction disrupts neurotransmitters beyond dopamine (opioid, GABA, glutamate)
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The overlooked role of the endocannabinoid system in both addiction and cancer
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The impact of early life stress and ACE scores on long-term health
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How screen time, ultra-processed food, and digital overstimulation shape disease risk
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The concept of allostatic load as a measurable biological burden of chronic stress
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Metabolic memory and food insecurity's impact on eating behaviors
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Why oncology needs to integrate addiction screening into prevention and treatment
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How to begin restoring the body's natural rhythm to prevent disease
📚 About Our Guest:
Dr. Rafael Cuomo is a biomedical scientist, global health researcher, and associate professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. With over 100 peer-reviewed publications and recognition from the Royal Society for Public Health, his work focuses on the biological intersections between addiction, cancer prevention, and public health policy. His new book, Crave: The Hidden Biology of Addiction and Cancer, uncovers how repeated behavioral addictions create a biological terrain that promotes chronic disease—and offers a new roadmap for prevention and healing.
📖 Key Quotes from Dr. Rafael Cuomo:
“Addiction doesn’t just leave behavioral scars—it leaves molecular scars that change how your body functions.”
“Cravings aren’t your character—they’re signals. And once we learn to listen to those signals, we can start rewriting our story.”
“We need to shift prevention efforts upstream—not just focusing on behaviors, but addressing the mindset and environment that drive those behaviors.”
“Chronic overstimulation from food, screens, and stress narrows our ability to feel genuine reward—leading to emotional flatness and compulsive seeking.”
🛠️ Tools for Listeners:
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Clean out environmental triggers (kitchen, phone apps, screen notifications)
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Introduce restorative rhythms: sleep, sunlight, movement, mealtime structure
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Develop emotional regulation strategies (breathwork, journaling, therapy)
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Recognize and reduce low-grade addictions before they escalate
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Understand how your body responds to stress to prevent long-term damage
📣 Take Action:
If this episode resonated with you, pick up a copy of Dr. Cuomo’s book, Crave, to dive deeper into the science and solutions. Start observing the cravings in your daily life, and ask: What am I really seeking? Begin reclaiming your health—one small shift at a time.
📘 Mentioned in This Episode:
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Crave: The Hidden Biology of Addiction and Cancer by Dr. Rafael Cuomo
🔗 The International Food Addiction & Comorbidity Conference (IFACC) 2025:
The content of our show is educational only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.