Make America Sick Again with Dr. Matt Van Auken

Guest — Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH The Buddha's Medicine: thebuddhasmedicine.com Living Seasons Project: thebuddhasmedicine.com/offerings-events/the-living-seasons-project ---In this episode of The Shadow Side with Safrianna, host Safrianna Lughna, LCPC, MS, welcomes back returning guest Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH — triple board-certified physician and director of The Buddha's Medicine clinic in SE Portland, Oregon, with more than 15 years of Ayurvedic study and practice — for a frank, wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of U.S. policy, environmental health, and individual wellbeing. Recorded in mid-March 2026, the episode takes a clear-eyed look at the wave of regulatory rollbacks affecting air quality, water safety, pesticide protections, and healthcare access — and asks the pointed question: what does all of this mean for our bodies? Dr. Matt brings both clinical expertise and Ayurvedic wisdom to the conversation, grounding the discussion in the foundational importance of clean air and breath, and tracing very real health consequences — from respiratory disease to endocrine disruption — when environmental protections are stripped away. Together, Safrianna and Dr. Matt examine the impact of PFAS (forever chemicals), glyphosate and pesticide deregulation, cuts to federal health agencies, and the ongoing erosion of healthcare affordability. They also address the outsized influence of industry lobbying on public health policy and nutritional guidelines, and what it means for ordinary people when those structures operate without accountability. The conversation doesn't stop at the problem. Safrianna and Dr. Matt close with grounded, accessible guidance for navigating these challenges: building community and mutual aid networks, eating seasonally and simply, voting with your spending, reducing plastic and chemical exposure at home, and bringing mindful, energetic intention to how we nourish ourselves. Dr. Matt also shares details about his newly launched Living Seasons Project — an Ayurvedic seasonal preventive health program available through The Buddha's Medicine. The episode ends with a call to collective resilience: we are still here, we still have each other, and that is where hope lives.