666: Is wellness culture making us less healthy?  | Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, MsC episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 13, 2026 · 41 MIN

666: Is wellness culture making us less healthy? | Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, MsC

from The mindbodygreen Podcast · host mindbodygreen

“I don't need to track it. I just listen to my body,” says Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., Ms.C.  Dr. Emanuel is an oncologist and world leader in health policy and bioethics. He is the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds appointments in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Department of Health Care Management in the Wharton School. He is Special Advisor to the Director General of the WHO, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the NIH. He served as a Special Advisor on Health Policy to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and National Economic Council. In this role, he was instrumental in drafting the Affordable Care Act. He served on the Biden-Harris Transition Covid Advisory Board. Dr. Emanuel is the most widely cited bioethicist in history with over 350 publications. He has authored or edited 16 books. His newest book, Eat Your Ice Cream, is out now.  00:00 - When tracking our health goes overboard 06:19 - The health markers worth testing 08:03 - Daily nutrition habits 09:34 - What it means to “eat your ice cream” 14:15 - The importance of social connection 19:12 - Why willpower fails & habits win 24:47 - Everest, introverts, & grip strength 27:52 - How purpose is linked to health 31:06 - Why & how the Emanuel brothers succeeded  35:21 - Rethinking retirement for brain health 36:42 - Age-old health wins (& that’s a relief) 40:10 - Favorite ice cream shops Referenced in the episode:  For more about Emanuel, visit his website: https://www.ezekielemanuel.com/  Buy Eat Your Ice Cream here: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Your-Ice-Cream-Healthy/dp/1324117532/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20  Find our episode on the rabbit cholesterol here: https://youtu.be/er3k40nlCh8?si=MxeG7IxEVnirxIoX We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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666: Is wellness culture making us less healthy? | Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, MsC

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