The Lucas Rockwood Show

My second child has black circles under his eyes in all his photos from birth to age four. He slept as little as possible and willed himself through most days with all the angst and irritability of any insomniac. At age four, he finally started sleeping and quickly became a new person. He learned more, laughed more, talked (a lot) and was a joy to be around. Was it just the sleep? No, but it made a huge difference. No more nervous anxiety in the mornings, no more dark circles, and finally, he seemed to find real moments of peace. 


When kids sleep poorly, parents sleep poorly, and the entire health and happiness of the household are affected. When you sleep badly, you’re obviously tired and grumpy, but there are much more worrying long-term effects that can include malformed jaws (in children), weight gain, mood disorders, and cognitive impairment. But what can you do? 

Listen & Learn:  

  • How poor sleep decreases leptin (satiety hormone) and increases ghrelin (hunger hormone) 
  • How bad sleep is correlated with hedonistic eating (think Netflix+ Haagen-Dazs binges)
  • How attachment parenting may not be the best approach for you
  • Why “cry it out” techniques are not for everyone and not for every stage of development
  • How to discern what you can and should control and what you should simply let go of  

Links & Resources: 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Craig is a pediatrician at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital in New Haven, CT, specializing in the care of children with breathing and sleep problems. He is boarded in Pediatrics, Pediatric Pulmonology, and Sleep Medicine. His book, It’s Never Too Late to Sleep Train, is available on Amazon or on his website.  

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Eat seaweed

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The American life expectancy is currently 79, which sounds great until you realize that is the 26th in line worldwide. Despite being one of the most developed and wealthy nations in the world, the US system is not only ridiculously overpriced (at least 2x), it’s also ineffective. It’s a double fail with upstream and downstream effects that are impossible to even begin to quantify. This wonky system was built post World War II with financial incentives going to everyone except the average citizen, and while no one has a clear cut solution, everyone agrees that things must change. 


My guest on the show is a medical doctor and industry insider-turned-whistle blower, and his insights provide an optimistic 10+ year outlook for change. 

Listen & Learn:  

  • How the medical industry has 4x the number of lobbyists than the military 
  • Why the US medical system is about 2x overpriced 
  • How Germany, Canada, and the Scandanavian countries all seem to do it better 
  • How spending on medical care is on track to reach 20% of GDP by 2026

ABOUT OUR GUEST


Mike Magee is on faculty at Presidents College at the University of Hartford. He has worked as a doctor, a university medical school administrator, a hospital executive, and head of global medical affairs for Pfizer. He’s the author of the book Code Blue: Inside America’s Medical-Industrial Complex available on Amazon.

Links & Resources:

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Choose Seafood

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Direct download: 377_-_Medical-Industrial_Complex_with_Mike_Magee_MD.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:45am CET

I live in Spain where the average life expectancy just hit 83 years—number three in the world, less than one percentage of a point behind Switzerland and Japan. Foreigners often hypothesize that the reason is due to the diet, the long walks, or red wine that keep people alive until such an old age, but after I’ve lived here for 10 years, I must disagree.

As I look out of my office window right now, the corner cafe is filled with office workers on a morning break drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and eating croissants. In the evening, that same crew will return for beer and wine, deep-fried tapas, and another round of cigarettes. This is the norm.

So why then do they live so long? My theory is that people are less stressed, on average, all the time. Plus, the family unit and social ties are extremely strong. Grown adults will share a sitdown meal with their parents weekly (or more). Friendships are cherished and developed, the average workday is long and leisurely, and life is slower and less intense.

Research clearly shows that great relationships and reduced stress are predictive of health worldwide, and yet most of us obsess much more about the perfect meal or the perfect workout (at least I do).

Chronic stress is a silent killer that affects your mood, your waistlines, your hormones, and mental health. The goal is not to live a stress-free life, that’s impossible; instead, our aim should be to reduce the stressors we can and manage the rest effectively through diet, exercise, nutrition, breathing, and positive mental models. Our guest on this week's podcast teaches a “stress less” holistic approach to wellness.

Listen & Learn: 

  • Why 90% of periodontal disease has no pain and how a lack of pain in life is not a signal of no problems
  • How thoughts are things, literally, they are neurotransmitters made of proteins
  • The PERMA model (positive, engaged, relationships, meaning, accomplishment)

 

Links & Resources:


ABOUT OUR GUEST

B.D.S (Syd Uni) FACNEM (Dent) Dr. Ron Ehrlich is a holistic health advocate, educator, and holistic dentist. Dr. Ron has developed his health model of how stress affects our health; breaking stress down to emotional, environmental, nutritional, structural and dental stressors. He’s the author of the book A Life Less Stressed available on Amazon or his website. 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  •  Garlic Onion

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  • Leave us a Review on iTunes 
Direct download: 376_-_A_Life_Less_Stressed_with_Dr._Ron_Ehrlich.mp3
Category:Health -- posted at: 10:52am CET

Imagine a mosquito bites your arm. You scratch the bump and it grows big and red and doesn’t go away for months. You’d be panicked, right? Now, imagine that the red inflamed area is inside your gut, your small intestines, and your colon. What now? Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. The long-term health impact of gastrointestinal inflammation is devastating. At the extremes, there’s Crohn’s and Colitis, but hundreds of millions of people are suffering from endocrine disruption, nutrient malabsorption, and general malaise due do this lurking problem. 


My guest on this week’s show was so skinny you could see all his bones. He was drugged up and nearly dead from this hardcore bowel disease—but he fixed it. Naturally. No more medicine. Despite the odds, he’s 55 pounds heavier today and looks like a fitness model. His research is solid and his advice takes each individual into account.

You’ll Learn: 

  • What Crohn’s and Colitis are
  • How inflammation can be a silent killer
  • How epigenetics can be influenced by diet and lifestyle 
  • Why some people go fruitarian and others meatatarian - who’s right? 
  • How cheat days can still happen — you don’t have to be perfect

Links & Resources: 

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dane Johnson is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach. Years ago, he was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and Colitis that got so extreme he was on a feeding tube, chemotherapy, immunosuppressants, and nearly dead. Today, he takes zero drugs, gained 55 pounds of lean muscle, travels the world, and is super healthy. 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Calorie deficit

Got Questions?

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  • Leave us a Review on iTunes 
Direct download: 375_-_Crohns__Colitis_-_Surviving__Thriving_with_Dane_Johnson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:54pm CET

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