In this interview, professor Thomas Chavez, PhD, explains the philosophy, rituals, and culture of Curanderismo. Chavez, who teaches at the University of New Mexico, shines a light on this important traditional medicine that originates from Mexico and the southwestern United States. He also discusses the upcoming keynote he will be delivering at the Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4US) annual conference to be held virtually on September 23-25. To find out more about this conference, visit IM4US.org.
About the Expert
Thomas Anthony Chavez, PhD, is a counseling psychologist and professor in counselor education at the University of New Mexico. He has served underserved communities through clinical and community work. His primary teaching is focused on culticulturalism/social justice/critical theory/diversity in the helping professions. His scholarly/research interests have centered on Latinx health and wellness. In addition, he is a traditional healing practitioner. His current mission is to formally evaluate the effects of traditional healing from the traditions of Mexico and the U.S. Southwest from a wellness perspective. Further, he is working toward integrating traditional healing with allopathic medicine. Chavez earned his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Research has uncovered many benefits of fasting. In this episode, 2 medical experts describe the different types of fasting, the physiology of fasting, the research associated with a special type of fast, and the clinical applications of the fasting mimicking diet. Listeners will learn how to enhance the efficacy and sustainability of their fasting protocols.
About the Experts
James Kelley, MD, MBA, is the medical science liaison of L-Nutra. His background is in the development of early-stage medical and biotechnology, in addition to working with and educating physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
Kelley completed his M.D. at The Ohio State University, and was the inaugural research fellow at the Ohio Health Research and Innovation Institute. He finished his MBA at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He has worked with the USC Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering, the Lloyd Grief Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, and the Stevens Institute of Technology. He holds a bachelor’s degree in cell biology from the University of Virginia and completed his neuroscience masters coursework at Miami University.
Prior to joining the L-Nutra team, he was the head of Inventor Services at The Innovation Institute, a partnership with the Cleveland Clinic Innovations group focused on developing and commercializing new and innovative healthcare solutions.
Deepa Verma MD, AIHM, is a double board-certified physician in family and integrative medicine. She is a graduate of Rutgers Medical School (formerly Robert Wood Johnson) and a faculty speaker for health organizations such as The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), Cutera, and Age Management Medicine Group (AMMG), just to name a few. In 2013, she founded a healing-oriented practice, Synergistiq Integrative Health, after experiencing some personal challenges and feeling unfulfilled treating patients traditionally. She believes that challenges are presented not as obstacles, but as stepping stones. In addition to working in private practice, Verma is a blogger and TV personality, having made appearances on NBC, ABC, PBS, and Lifetime TV. She is a regular guest on Bay News 9. Verma’s passion for healthy living resonates in everything she does personally and professionally. She understands the angst and frustrations that patients feel when they are sick and tired of feeling tired and sick. To learn more about her integrative/anti-aging practice and expertise, visit drdeepaverma.com and synergistiqhealth.com.
About the Sponsor
As research grows in this area of health, prolonged fasting is becoming more widely accepted as a legitimate means of managing weight and aid in the management of risk for metabolic diseases. At the same time, it is clear that fasting can be challenging and uncomfortable, and therefore, it is important that it is done in proper and healthy ways. As fasting trends, such as intermittent fasting, gain popularity, the extended fasting periods (without food) can lead to a myriad of negative side effects, including irritability and the likelihood of overeating during the “eating” period.
While most people think of fasting in terms of the common definition of fasting, which is the abstinence of food or drink, cellular fasting is linked to downregulation of the nutrient-sensing pathways and upregulation of stress resistance mechanisms. Nutrient sensing pathways are sensors that are activated in the presence of adequate nutrients (amino acids, glucose, energy). ProLon has been scientifically developed to avoid triggering the three key Nutrient Sensing Pathways namely: PKA (Carbohydrate Pathway), IGF-1 (Protein Pathway), and mTOR (Amino Acids Pathway).
Culminating more than 20 years of research and discoveries on fasting made at the University of Southern California (USC), L-Nutra is a nutrition technology company using breakthrough science to enhance human health, promote healthy aging, and support overall well-being. As industry pioneers and innovators of fasting nutrition science, L-Nutra is the creator of Fast Bar and the ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet. Fast Bar and the foods included during ProLon’s 5-day program are the first and only fasting products that are scientifically researched and crafted with macro- and micronutrients in precise quantities and combinations that nourish you but mimic the effects of fasting to unleash the body’s natural ability to fuel and rejuvenate itself.
A clinical trial found that ProLon FMD provides benefits not limited to weight loss, healthy aging, and metabolic health. With ProLon, the health benefits are typically sustained well after the 5-day program, with users reporting fewer cravings, enhanced focus and energy, and greater mindfulness of food choices.
*Disclaimer or further explanation is always required for this claim. The disclaimer needed: “Benefits seen in a randomized, controlled study in 105 adults after a 15-hour overnight fast comparing the glucose and ketone results every hour for 4 hours in the Fast Bar group, breakfast group, and water-fast group. Data on file.”