Libsyn Directory

333 - Afraid of Heart Attacks? 4 Habits to Reverse Heart Disease & Cognitive Decline | Dr. Dean Ornish

Release Date: 08/27/2025

351 - 1,500 Beagles Rescued From Ridglan Farms: How Alexandra Paul Got Arrested Getting Them Out

Switch4Good

In this very special episode, Alexandra Paul returns to the podcast for a powerful, and at times difficult, conversation. For those of you new here, you may know her from Baywatch or some of the iconic films she’s appeared in. Longtime listeners already know her for her decades of activism, often stepping into spaces most people would never consider. Recently, she made headlines after being arrested during an animal rights operation at a breeding facility in Wisconsin, where activists entered the property and removed dogs being used for research, bringing the issue into the national...

350 - Why High-Milk Countries Have the Most Broken Bones: The Milk-Fracture Paradox | Dr. Walter Willett

Switch4Good

"The rates of fractures are highest in the high milk drinking countries, basically North America, Scandinavia, Denmark, and they're lowest in countries that actually don't consume milk at all." Today, we’re joined by one of the most influential and widely cited figures in nutrition science. Dr. Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has published over 2,000 papers across four decades. His work includes some of the largest and most rigorous studies on diet and chronic disease ever conducted. He is the author of several books,...

349 - Dr. Michael Klaper on How to Reverse High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, and Inflammation: Cut This Food

Switch4Good

Dr. Michael Klaper returns to the Switch4Good podcast for a conversation that redefines what medicine can achieve when food is placed at the center of care. A physician, educator, and longtime leader in nutrition science, Dr. Klaper has advised NASA on dietary planning for space missions, appeared in documentaries including Cowspiracy, The End of Meat, and What the Health, and authored several foundational books on plant-based health. His latest work, Moving Medicine Forward: What More Doctors Should Know About Nutrition–and How It Can Save Your Life, challenges clinicians and patients alike...

348 - Are These Common Foods Secretly Causing Your Autoimmune Disease? | Michele Fasnacht

Switch4Good

"After struggling with health issues for decades and years of doctors and misdiagnoses, I was finally diagnosed with progressive MS and lupus and the only thing that had happened to me was removing dairy. We started working with plant-based doctors, lifestyle medicine doctors, and working with plant-based and vegan chefs. We created a menu of healthy kid friendly meals. Once you know better, you cannot pretend you don't." What if school could shape not just smarter students, but a more compassionate world? Today, we’re joined by Michele Fasnacht, founder of Solid Rock Community School in...

347 - Why Fiber Matters More Than Protein | Dr. Sharon McDowell-Larsen & Dr. Regan Stiegmann

Switch4Good

“Fiber is the new protein. Don’t count your protein grams - count your fiber grams. And if you do that, and you’re getting adequate calories, you’re going to be fine.” What if aging didn’t have to mean slowing down, losing strength, or watching your best years slip into the past? What if the mind and body were capable of far more resilience and longevity than we’ve been led to believe? In this episode, two powerhouse voices in human performance challenge the idea that physical and cognitive decline are inevitable. Dr. Sharon McDowell-Larsen, physiologist, coach, and plant-based...

346 - #1 Body Recomposition Coach: How To Lose Fat & Build Muscle Without Burning Out

Switch4Good

“People have such a negative connotation around cardio. At the end of the day, you can have the flattest stomach, the nicest glutes, and the best biceps in the world but if your heart gives out, you still die. You can have a great body and still die. You need a strong heart to actually enjoy a high quality of life.“ If you’ve ever started a fitness plan with motivation, only to burn out, fall off, and start over again, you’re not alone. In this episode, Maxime Sigouin returns to break down why most fitness approaches fail and what actually works for building a strong, lean, resilient...

345 - Stanford Nutrition Scientist: What The New Dietary Guidelines Get Wrong

Switch4Good

“You’re bombarded with all these messages. Try to think of the one that means the most to you. Is it your kid’s health? Is it your health? Is it the environment? Is it nutrition? What resonates with you, and helps you make a shift you feel good about?“ The Dietary Guidelines for Americans shape how a nation eats, but the science, politics, and industry forces behind them are rarely discussed. In this can’t-miss episode, renowned nutrition scientist Dr. Christopher Gardner, Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and lead researcher of the Netflix Twin Experiment, pulls back the...

344 - Chemical Engineer: The Shocking Place Microplastics Are Entering Your Body Every Day

Switch4Good

Microplastics are everywhere. They’re in our oceans, our soil, and even inside the human body. For years, the narrative has been bleak. This is unavoidable. But what if that isn’t the whole story? In this episode, we sit down with Max Pennington, a chemical engineer, entrepreneur, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who decided to take on one of the most overlooked sources of microplastic pollution: our laundry. What started as an experiment in a fraternity basement grew into a patented filtration technology that captures more than 90% of microplastics from washing machine wastewater. Max...

343 - The Science of Toxic Load: How Everyday Exposures Disrupt Hormones, Sleep & Immunity

Switch4Good

“ The sun is not our enemy. It never has been. Most popular sunscreens, they will compromise your skin and actually lead to skin cancer. If we're lathering on or ingesting toxic chemicals, we're going to be compromised.” Today, we’re joined by Cheryl Mothes, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist with nearly 30 years dedicated to studying healing with whole foods, helping people of all ages improve well-being and reduce disease risk through diet and lifestyle changes. She’s a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, holds a certification from Penn Foster, and was the co-founder...

342 - Food Addiction Expert: Why Processed Food Works Like Cigarettes

Switch4Good

”I would rather have a shorter life with cigarettes than a longer life without. Well, that's addictive thinking. You see the dominance of the addictive brain cells in that line of reasoning. That's not frontal lobe dominance. That's the addicted brain cells. And that's why addictions are lethal.” No matter what your relationship to food is, we all live in a world manipulated by an addiction business model. We’re constantly confronted with ads for foods that have been designed to make us want more, and it began when the tobacco industry started buying up brands like Nabisco and...

More Episodes

According to the CDC, about 659,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year. That’s 1 in every 4 deaths. A staggering 100 BILLION dollars were spent several years ago on stents and bypasses. But how effective are those dangerous, invasive, and costly procedures in improving the patients' quality of life? Is there an alternative?

Today's guest is Dr. Dean Ornish, the founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute. He is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of seven books, all national bestsellers. Dr. Dean Ornish has directed revolutionary research proving that lifestyle changes can often reverse or undo the progression of many of the most common and costly chronic diseases and even begin reversing aging at a cellular level. He documented his findings in his landmark book UnDo It!

Dr. Dean Ornish studied medicine under Dr. Michael DeBakey, an American vascular surgeon and cardiac surgeon, scientist and medical educator known for his trailblazing efforts in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Today, Dr. Dean Ornish is helping people regain their health with his program, The Only Program Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease, which is reimbursed by Medicare from anywhere in the U.S. ’Nuff said! Let's dive into this eye-opening episode and UnDo It!

What we discuss in this episode:

Dr. Dean Ornish walks us through that pivotal moment when he met Woodstock Guru Sri Swami Satchidananda and how that encounter changed the direction of his life
How stress increases our predisposition to cardiovascular diseases and the worst thing about being depressed
Is there something wrong with traditional medicine?
Dr. Dean Ornish talks about the joy that his work brings, enabling people to have options vs. undergoing costly medical procedures
How to UnDo It! Eat Well, Move More, Stress Less, Love More
How comprehensive lifestyle changes influence DNA methylation and gene expression
Does eating specific foods (sweet potato meals vs. blueberry vs. cheeseburgers) influence cancer genes?
What hope do we have in getting the message to people about the way we view our health and the overall healthcare system?
Choosing a plant-based diet - What you gain is so much better than what you give up! Watch The Game Changers, a revolutionary film about plant-based eating, protein, and strength.
The Ornish Diet - What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude.
The Gut-Brain Connection and how our bodies are affected by the food we eat
Get Dr. Dean Ornish’s landmark book UnDo It! - https://undoitbook.com/
Connect with Dr. Dean Ornish on Instagram and Facebook
Check out Dr. Dean Ornish’s website - https://www.ornish.com/