https://youtu.be/4CEV4URghPY

Your metabolism affects everything from energy levels and cravings to long-term health. But, metabolic health is far more complex than calories in and calories out. In this episode of Next Level Health, Dr. Melinda Ring talks with integrative pharmacist and nutrition expert Dr. Lara Zakaria about new tools and technologies are changing the way we understand metabolism. They discuss:

• What metabolic flexibility really means
• Signs your metabolism may not be functioning optimally
• How continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) reveal blood sugar patterns
• The pros and cons of health wearables like Oura Ring, Apple Watch, Whoop, and Fitbit
• What we're learning about GLP-1 medications and metabolic health
• Why body composition matters more than weight or BMI

You'll also hear practical strategies you can start using today to improve metabolic health, including strength training, nutrition, sleep, and stress management. If you've ever wondered why your energy crashes, why weight loss can be difficult, or how wearable health technology fits into the future of medicine, this conversation offers an evidence-based look at the science behind metabolism.

00:00 – Why Better Health Data Helps People Make Better Decisions
A powerful insight into how the right information can drive lasting behavior change.

00:00:27 – Podcast Introduction: Tools to Improve Metabolic Health
Dr. Melinda Ring introduces integrative pharmacist and nutrition expert Dr. Lara Zakaria.

00:00:58 – What Is a Healthy Metabolism?
Moving beyond calories and BMI to understand metabolism and energy production.

00:02:48 – Metabolic Flexibility: The Key to Burning Fat and Glucose
How your body switches between fuel sources and why this matters for health.

00:05:14 – Signs of Poor Metabolic Health (Prediabetes, Fatty Liver, "Hangry")
Common warning signs that your metabolism may not be functioning optimally.

00:06:58 – Lara Zakaria's Personal Health Journey and Career Path
How her own metabolic challenges led her into nutrition, functional medicine, and lifestyle medicine.

00:10:27 – The Explosion of Health Tech and Wearables
How modern tools are helping people understand their bodies in real time.

00:13:05 – Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs): What They Teach Us About Blood Sugar
How CGMs reveal patterns between food, stress, sleep, and glucose spikes.

00:17:25 – Making Sense of Health Data Without Overwhelm
Why clinicians, nutritionists, and health coaches are essential for interpreting wearable data.

00:18:45 – The Lumen Device: Measuring Metabolic Flexibility at Home
A breath test that estimates whether your body is burning carbs or fat.

00:20:47 – The Lifestyle Foundations of Metabolic Health
Protein intake, strength training, sleep, stress, and gut health.

00:23:11 – GLP-1 Medications Explained: Metabolism, Muscle Loss, and Inflammation
What we're learning about drugs like Ozempic and their metabolic effects.

00:25:41 – Best Fitness Wearables for Tracking Health and Recovery
Oura Ring, Whoop, Fitbit, and how they measure stress, sleep, and heart rate variability.

00:28:59 – Why You Should Stop Focusing on the Scale
The importance of body composition over weight and BMI.

00:31:31 – DEXA Scans vs At-Home Body Composition Scales
How to measure muscle mass and visceral fat for better metabolic tracking.

00:35:11 – One Simple Habit to Boost Your Metabolism This Week
Lift something heavier: the power of strength training for metabolic health.

00:36:19 – Final Thoughts: Building a Stronger, More Resilient Metabolism

Produced by the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University.

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When heart disease, cancer or diabetes runs in your family, it can feel like your health story is already written — but it doesn't have to be. In this episode of Next Level Health, Dr. Melinda Ring talks with integrative and culinary medicine physician Dr. Shad Marvasti, author of Longevity Made Simple, about how everyday habits can shape long-term health. Dr. Marvasti explains his DRESS Code framework — Diet, Relationships, Exercise, Stress, and Sleep — and how these five lifestyle factors influence how our genes behave and how we age.

https://youtu.be/VtlfKtfpq0o

00:00 Lifestyle vs genetics: What really determines health

00:56 The DRESS Code for longevity

02:07 Epigenetics explained simply

05:34 Can lifestyle increase longevity?

09:11 The role of diet in aging well

10:17 Real food vs processed food

16:44 Resetting your taste buds in 28 days

20:29 Easy cooking strategies for better health

22:23 Why relationships affect longevity

26:35 Exercise, stress, and sleep explained

27:34 Healthy stress vs chronic stress

32:31 The future of whole health medicine

36:49 Final advice for living longer

Trauma is one of the most overlooked drivers of chronic illness and stalled healing, and it's not just psychological, new research is suggesting it is biological, too. In this episode, Dr. Melinda Ring talks to Dr. Aimie Apigian about how trauma reshapes the body and nervous system, drawing from Apigian's bestselling book, The Biology of Trauma. Together, they explore why creating safety in the body is essential to healing and how understanding trauma's biology can unlock a new path forward.

https://youtu.be/WhAfbdEJccY

00:00 – Why Trauma Healing Requires Mind, Body, and Biology

00:00:14 – Welcome to Next Level Health

00:00:45 – Could Trauma Be the Root Cause of Chronic Illness?

00:01:54 – Trauma Isn't Just Big Events—It's Chronic Overwhelm

00:03:04 – Nothing Is Wrong With Your Body: Removing Shame From Trauma

00:04:11 – When Love Feels Unsafe: How Trauma Shapes Relationships

00:07:09 – Burnout Isn't a Failure—It's a Trauma Pattern

00:08:02 – When the Body Finally Says No: Trauma and Autoimmune Disease

00:10:53 – Trauma Is a Biological Survival Response

00:14:53 – Do All Bodies React the Same Way to Trauma?

00:18:00 – The Five Stages of the Trauma Response

00:22:42 – Freeze and Shutdown Are Not Weakness

00:23:52 – How Trauma Gets Stored as Chronic Inflammation and Pain

00:27:38 – Trauma: The Missing Root Cause in Functional Medicine

00:28:31 – Trauma or Gut Health: Which One Comes First?

00:29:30 – Why Pushing Through Trauma Can Make You Sicker

00:31:23 – Healing Begins With Nervous System Safety

00:34:53 – Your Nervous System Is Always Listening

00:36:57 – How Trauma Patterns Get Passed Down (And How to Stop It)

00:41:14 – Simple Somatic Practices That Help the Body Feel Safe Again

00:43:30 – How to Gently Shift Out of Survival Mode

00:43:50 – A Hopeful Path Forward in Trauma and Chronic Illness Healing

Subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OCIHNorthwestern Follow the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nmoshercenter/ Website: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/ocih/index.html Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/ocih/about-us/newsletter.html

There are science-backed strategies for accelerating recovery from illness and injury by tapping into our body's innate healing intelligence. In this episode, Dr. Melinda Rings talks with Integrative Medicine pioneer Dr. Victoria Maizes about practical advice, actionable steps and integrative approaches for various health conditions, including sleep issues and immune support during illness.

00:00 Introduction to Next Level Health

01:02 Meet Dr. Victoria Maizes

02:32 Maizes' Journey into Integrative Medicine

06:33 Integrative Medicine vs. Lifestyle Medicine

08:07 The Power of Supplements

12:38 Unlocking the Rapid Recovery Reflex

27:32 The Importance of Sleep

33:05 Cold and Flu Season Remedies

37:40 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OCIHNorthwestern

Follow the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nmoshercenter/

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Over half of cancer cases and deaths are considered preventable by making healthy lifestyle changes. In this episode, Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, a leading expert in integrative oncology and Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Dr. Melinda Ring, discuss six key areas of health and wellness people can use to reduce risk for developing cancer or to support healing and the reduce the risk of recurrence after a cancer diagnosis and treatment. They also delve into the controversial topic of biofield therapies and their potential impact on cancer treatment. The episode offers science-backed insights and personal anecdotes, providing actionable steps for optimizing health and well-being both before and after a cancer diagnosis.

https://youtu.be/HX0rCCZzrAk

00:00 Introduction to Next Level Health

00:49 Personal Story and Cancer Prevention

01:17 Meet Dr. Lorenzo Cohen

02:26 Understanding Integrative Oncology

04:26 Stress and Its Impact on Cancer

05:29 Integrative Medicine at MD Anderson

08:46 Biofield Therapies and Energy Medicine

18:18 The Mix of Six for Anti-Cancer Living

22:46 Final Thoughts and Personal Wisdom

25:10 Conclusion and Resources

For the first time in history, today's children are expected to have shorter lifespans than their parents — largely due to diet and lifestyle-related diseases. But there are things parents can do to help reverse this trend. In this episode, Dr. Melinda Ring talks with integrative pediatrician Dr. Elisa Song, author of Healthy Kids, Happy Kids, to explore how families can nurture true resilience — from the gut to the brain and beyond.

https://youtu.be/hilJIFyIfGw

00:00 – Kids' lifespans are shortening: why this matters
00:20 – Welcome to Next Level Health with Dr. Melinda Ring
00:51 – Introducing Dr. Elisa Song: integrative pediatrician and mom
03:11 – The alarming rise of chronic illness in children
05:35 – The microbiome at the root of modern childhood diseases
06:59 – How gut health shapes immune and mental health
12:17 – The role of birth and breastfeeding in microbiome development
13:26 – Why today's babies have fewer beneficial gut bacteria
18:03 – Antibiotics and long-term health: what parents need to know
23:34 – Restoring gut health through food and fermented recipes
26:23 – The vagus nerve: the bridge between the gut and brain
32:20 – Tools and devices that build calm and resilience
36:11 – Final advice for parents: small steps, big impact
37:23 – Closing thoughts from Dr. Ring

Protecting our brain and body in a world that's not always built for it can be a challenge. In this episode, Dr. Austin Perlmutter, a board-certified internal medicine physician unpacks the forces that inflame and impair our brains and offers tools to protect, nourish, and even rewire them.

00:00 Introduction to Brain Health

00:59 Meet Dr. Austin Perlmutter

01:36 Modern Challenges to Brain Health

04:06 Environmental Impacts on Brain Health

05:18 Diet and Brain Health

17:22 Inflammation and Brain Health

19:42 Practical Steps for Brain Health

19:50 Polyphenols and Brain Health

30:04 Muscle Health and Brain Health

32:53 Supplements and Brain Health

40:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@OCIHNorthwestern

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nmoshercenter/

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Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/ocih/about-us/newsletter.html

Food is finally being recognized as an essential part of medicine in institutions and kitchens across the United States. In this episode of Next Level Health, Dr. Melinda Ring welcomes Dr. David Eisenberg, a Harvard-trained physician, pioneer of culinary medicine, and founder of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative—for an in-depth conversation on the Food is Medicine movement.

Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/zATxfxaBbE0

Topics include:

• Dr. Eisenberg's journey from baker's son to physician and integrative medicine leader

• The creation of Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives and the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative

• How teaching kitchens are being scaled across hospitals, schools, and workplaces

• The research proving their impact on patient outcomes and lifestyle change

• National policy advances and nutrition competencies for medical education

00:00 – Introduction: Eat, Move, Think Better

00:30 – Welcome to Next Level Health with Dr. Melinda Ring

02:00 – Dr. Eisenberg's personal story: From bakers' son to doctor

09:00 – Early experiences in China: Acupuncture, tai chi, and culinary lessons

13:30 – Founding Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives

15:40 – The birth of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative

19:55 – Pilot studies: Teaching kitchens as laboratories for health

25:00 – The COVID pivot: From in-person kitchens to virtual learning

29:20 – Scaling impact: Teaching kitchens as broadcast studios

30:30 – Food is Medicine movement and national policy advances

36:40 – Nutrition competencies for medical education

41:50 – Challenges and future of implementation in medical schools

45:37 – Dr. Eisenberg's personal wisdom: Teach children to cook

47:41 – Closing reflections and gratitude