vlmd rounds
by Vyvyane Loh, MD
This podcast focuses on bringing Art and Science back to Medicine. We've lost the art of healing and our practices lag the impressive developments in the biological sciences. My goal is to reignite interest in science and to restore a regard for humanity in the face of ever-growing disengagement in my profession. Subscribe if: -you are a geek or a nerd (the difference is in social skills--I identify as Geek--but we're all inclusive here, Kumbaya!) -your AQ (Attention Quotient) exceeds that of a goldfish (yes, the episodes are long) -you think: the-hip-bone-is-connected-to-the-knee-bone...but why? -you secretly harbour the suspicion that you're smarter than your doctor -you are a med student/professional who wants to know what your expensive education (which you are still paying for) did NOT give you -you love green tea, dance and animals, none of which is featured here extensively, but you're my kind of person Subscribe to my newsletter at vyvyanelohmd.c
Episodes
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Episode 55: Physician Burnout--How the Cult of Medicine Entraps Doctors
Send us Fan Mail Healthcare systems use cult tactics on doctors to forge a disenfranchised workforce, deprived of autonomy and independent thinking. I share my own experience of burnout and reflections on the real cause of burnout in medicine. Contact me for information on my physician burnout...
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Episode 54: Life & Death with Iron
Send us Fan Mail Most people with anemia or iron overload don’t think about their immune system but iron levels are very closely linked to inflammation in your body. Learn the details on the regulation of iron stores in the body and the importance of macrophages in iron cycling. Find out how iron...
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Reviewing Dayspring and Attia
Send us Fan Mail Fuzzy science” abounds in the world, and even luminaries fall into its trap sometimes. This review clarifies the mis-explanations of important concepts in lipid science that were discussed in Peter Attia’s podcast. The interview with Dr. Thomas Dayspring resulted in a 7 hour…
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Why Tuberculosis & Atherosclerosis are Siblings!
Send us Fan Mail Why Tuberculosis & Atherosclerosis are Siblings! You can learn a lot about someone if you know their family members. That's why we're looking at Tuberculosis in this episode. 1.8 billion of the world's population has been infected by TB. Most of them have latent infection. 10.6...
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Vascular Calcification: The Real Story | Episode 51
Send us Fan Mail We'll discuss the general process of vascular calcification and some common risk factors for this. How do smooth muscle cells in the blood vessel wall contribute to the process? And what about macrophages? How do statins affect calcification? What about CAC-scores? What would...
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Macrophages in the Plaque--What No-one Told You | Episode 50
Send us Fan Mail Learn about the role of macrophages in atherosclerosis. Where do they really come from? How do they contribute to the plaque? How are they driving the immune reaction? What's the relation between macrophages and T cells? We'll also look at vascular inflammation in the form of...
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What's Really Important About the Vasa Vasorum | Episode 49
Send us Fan Mail Continuing on my discussion from episode 48, I lay out the real significance of the Vasa Vasorum. What is it about the vasa vasorum that plays into Atherosclerosis as an autoimmune disease? What's the real difference between the vasa vasorum of veins vs arteries? My website:...
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What They Got Wrong About The Vasa Vasorum
Send us Fan Mail I've been asked so many times about which end of the blood vessel allows entry of LDL particles that I've decided to address the question in this episode. One of the reasons there is so much confusion around discussion of the vasa vasorum is that we only focus on 1 tiny aspect of...
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The Clot Thickens in Atherosclerosis--but How?
Send us Fan Mail The Clot Thickens in Atherosclerosis--but How? This episode is based on a request by a listener to address Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's hypothesis on the clot as the underlying initiator of atherosclerosis which he proposed in his book, The Clot Thickens. Based on his observations, Dr....
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Cholesterol's Secret Role in Atherosclerosis | Episode 46
Send us Fan Mail Cholesterol is often considered the troublemaker in atherosclerosis. The medical world vilifies it and with some medications, aims to drive it to the brink of extinction in your body! Although not the inciting event in atherosclerosis, it does have an important role in the…
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The Missing Link Between LDL & Atherosclerosis
Send us Fan Mail LDL-cholesterol--usually cast as the villain in the disease process of atherosclerosis. But is cholesterol the main problem? Why does your doctor want to lower the level of LDL as much as possible? Then there are others who say that high LDL levels are not the problem, it's…
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Why You Should Drink Tea | Episode 44
Send us Fan Mail Tea is full of bioactive molecules that have medicinal properties. What are some of the health effects of tea? Are there differences between green, black and fermented tea? How should you prepare it so that it preserves its healing effects? Learn more about my favorite drink in...
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Sleep and Athletic Performance | Episode 43
Send us Fan Mail What are the sleep patterns of elite athletes? How does sleep affect our athletic performance? How can we manage our sleep and training schedules? How much sleep do athletes need? How does altitude training impact sleep? What does brainwashing have to do with sleep? If you're an...
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Is Ginger Good for You? | Episode 42
Send us Fan Mail Ginger has been around for thousands of years as a spice and a medicinal herb in many cultures. Are its touted effects real or wishful thinking? How does ginger impact your brain? What about fat? How should you consume ginger and which forms have more efficacy? Will ginger make…
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Anxiety and Brain Inflammation Episode 41
Send us Fan Mail Anxiety is a distressing condition experienced by millions of people worldwide. It is generally treated with counseling and therapy, anti-anxiolytic medications to manage the symptoms and sometimes also antidepressants. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that anxiety is...
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Why Men Need Estrogen | Episode 40
Send us Fan Mail We've heard about the benefits of testosterone replacement for men and when we talk about aging and metabolic health, much has been made against estrogen in men. In general, estrogen has been thought of as feminizing in men, and the idea has been to get rid of its effects while...
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Title: Menopause and Fat
Send us Fan Mail What happens to your body in menopause? Why is it so easy to gain weight and so hard to lose it after menopause? What can you do about it? This episode is for everyone who has ever asked me those questions. Learn about what happens to your fat when you hit menopause and how that...
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A is for...Metabolism? | Episode 38
Send us Fan Mail Vitamin A metabolites or retinoids are usually thought of as important for the skin and the eye, but metabolism? How do we get Vitamin A in our diet? Is beta-carotene the same as Vitamin A? (NO, but it's important to know why). How does Vitamin A affect fat tissue? Does Vitamin A...
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Chronic Itch: when nerves, immunity and stress meet
Send us Fan Mail In this episode we will look at the sensation of itching and how it is perpetuated. What is the difference between an acute itch vs. chronic itch? How are skin cells, neurons and immune cells talking to each other? Why do we itch? And how does itching fit into the larger…
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Cholesterol, Oxidized and Otherwise | Episode 36
Send us Fan Mail How is cholesterol metabolized? What controls its biosynthesis? What happens when it's modified? What are the effects of oxidized cholesterol on health and disease? What about cholesterol immunometabolism? Check out this episode to learn more. For more information, visit...
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How Your Liver Becomes Foie Gras | Episode 35.
Send us Fan Mail Fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease globally. Who is at higher risk? How is this related to cargo exchange between the liver and fat tissue? How is this related to Vitamin A? We'll look at lesser known facts on fatty liver disease in this episode. For…
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Alzheimer's and the ApoE4 Apocalypse | Episode 34
Send us Fan Mail What are some factors involved in the development of Alzheimer's Disease? ApoE4 increases the risk of AD but how? What is the difference between brain ApoE and peripheral ApoE? What's the connection with microglia? Check out episode 34 of vlmd rounds Links: The Magical Mystery...
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Unlocking the Mysterious World of HDL | Episode 33
Send us Fan Mail What are HDLs? Are they cardioprotective or harmful? How do statins affect them? How do they impact immune cells? Join us for this episode of vlmd rounds and learn about HDLs--the truth may surprise you. Reference Podcasts: Magical Mystery Macrophage Tour:...
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How COVID ha-RAAS-es your Brain | Episode 32
Send us Fan Mail We'll look at the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) and its impact on different tissues in the body with an emphasis on the brain. Find out how RAAS activation damages your body and what to do about it. For more information visit http://www.VyvyaneLohMD.com
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The Complicated Case of Branched Chain Amino Acids | Episode 31
Send us Fan Mail BCAAs have been implicated in obesity, insulin resistance, worsening heart failure and liver disease. Should we be cutting down on BCAAs? Are plant protein sources better for you? Why do I consider this topic a can of worms (which, incidentally, are a great source of protein and...
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When ketones will kill you & when they'll protect you | Episode 30
Send us Fan Mail Title: When ketones will kill you & when they'll protect you It's important to know when ketones are good for you and when they are bad for you. What do we know about heart function on chronic ketone body exposure? What do ketones have to do with mTORC1 and v-ATPases? How did…
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What the Heart Eats | Episode 29
Send us Fan Mail We're looking at heart metabolism in this episode. What fuels feed the heart? Do those substrates change in insulin resistance and if so, in what way? We'll explore the basics of cardiac metabolism in this episode. For more info, visit www.VyvyaneLohMD.com
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Brain Metabolism- What happens to Glucose in the Brain | Episode 28
Send us Fan Mail The Brain is only 2% of body mass and consumes over 20% of the body's glucose. How does it handle the glucose? Why is it that neurons take up 80-90% of the total energy in the brain but don't take up most of the glucose? How is the brain similar to muscle? Learn about Brain...
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Brain Insulin Resistance- How It’s Different | Episode 27
Send us Fan Mail The assumption is that brain insulin resistance is the same as in the rest of the body. Before we dive into topics on neurodegenerative diseases, let's get clear on the differences between peripheral and CNS insulin. How does insulin get into the brain? What happens at the blood...
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T-ing up the immune system | Episode 26
Send us Fan Mail This week we'll look at T lymphocytes and their training process (yes, they have to go to Thymus school and pass 2 very important exams!). What makes a T cells a helper cell? What makes it a killer cell? Get to the the T's on Episode 26 of vlmd rounds. For more info, visit...
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The B-boys and girls of the Immune System | Episode 25
Send us Fan Mail We're breaking down the adaptive immune system in this episode by looking at B lymphocytes, how they make antibodies to diverse antigens, how they're activated and their interaction with other immune cells. We'll also look at the different classes of antibodies and their…
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The Incredible Innate Immune System | Episode 24.
Send us Fan Mail PAMPs and DAMPs, complement proteins and MAC, macrophages, Natural Killers and Interferon, MHC molecules...come get acquainted with the players in your innate immune system. For more information, visit http://www.VyvyaneLohMd.com
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A Beiger Shade of White: Skipping the Fat Fandango
Send us Fan Mail White fat, brown fat, brite/beige fat, pink fat--those are the shades of fat we possess. In this episode we'll focus on brown and brite fat and how to increase those fat depots to increase metabolic rate and insulin sensitivity. What supplements increase brown or brite fat? How...
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Lipoproteins 1--a basic guide | Episode 22
Send us Fan Mail Lipoproteins are a transport system for fats in the body. Certain classes of them have been implicated in atherosclerosis. We'll cover an overview on lipoproteins as they are commonly discussed in the medical world and also answer certain basic questions such as where small dense...
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Caveats on mTOR! | Episode 21
Send us Fan Mail Caveats on mTOR! Time to talk about cell growth, so let's bring out the "massTOR" cell growth system, mTOR! Yes, it's important if you want to build bigger muscles and yes, it would help if you took your leucine but there's more involved with mTOR than meets the eye. Here are…
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Glycocalyx- The Sugar Coat cells need to survive | Episode 20
Send us Fan Mail When red blood cells flow in a capillary they do not touch the sides of the blood vessel. This observation led to the discovery of the Glycocalyx which all cells need to survive. Find out the role of the Glycocalyx in cell health, in interactions with lipoproteins and how they...
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Shrunken Brain Syndrome--America's hidden health crisis | Episode 19
Send us Fan Mail Mental health problems have been on the rise. Millennials are having strokes. Young-onset dementia is a global phenomenon. What's going on with the brains of homo sapiens in the 21st century? Discover America's health crisis on vlmd rounds. For more information, visit...
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Alcohol: heart-healthy or heartless? | Episode 18
Send us Fan Mail Does light drinking improve heart health? Does it help you manage your blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance? What about using fructose to speed up alcohol metabolism in your body? Separate the facts from fiction in our episode on alcohol. https://www.vyvyanelohmd.com/…
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Uric Acid and the Purines--troublemakers? | Episode 17
Send us Fan Mail Dig into the surprising past of Uric Acid in Episode 17 of vlmd rounds. Why do we make such a toxic substance in our bodies? Why do we keep hanging on to it instead of excreting all of it? What is its role in neurodegenerative diseases? Meet the intriguing Uric Acid and discover...
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The Scoop on Artificial Sweeteners | Episode 16
Send us Fan Mail Are Artificial Sweeteners/non-nutritive sweeteners bad for you? What about studies that have shown that they can cause anxiety? How much can you consume per day? Get the scoop on this topic on Episode 16 of vlmd rounds. For more info, visit http://www.VyvyaneLohMd.com
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What to do about lead/cadmium in chocolate | Episode 15
Send us Fan Mail Chocolate lovers everywhere have been in mourning since Consumer Reports came out with a study showing that 20 popular chocolate brands contained high levels of lead and cadmium. Does this mean we should stop eating chocolate now? What can lead and cadmium do to your body? What...
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Confronting the Metabolic F-word--Fructose! | Episode 14
Send us Fan Mail What makes Fructose metabolically different from Glucose, and how does that difference affect your body? How does Fructose affect your brain, and what is its link to a mysterious kidney disease called Mesoamerican Nephropathy? Find out in Episode 14 of vlmd rounds. For more...
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Toxic Sugar Products in...Meat? | Episode 13
Send us Fan Mail Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) are proteins modified by sugars to become toxic chemicals. High blood sugar increases their formation in the body to cause damage to tissues. But could eating meat (which have minimal dietary sugars) cause these dangerous products as well?...
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Sleep is Hard Work for Your Body | Episode 12
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we will talk about how sleep impacts your metabolic health. What is the architecture of sleep and how is sleep asymmetric? How can we improve our sleep hygiene? We'll discuss circadian rhythms and what to do if you have insomnia. For more information, go to...
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A Doctor's Guide to Safe Resistance Training. | Episode 11
Send us Fan Mail Learn how muscles grow and the best way to train safely. We'll start with the basics of muscle hypertrophy and go on to learn some foundation moves with emphasis on body mechanics. We'll also discuss progressions from chair/wheelchair options to intermediate levels. Find out how…
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The Forensics on Fat| Episode 10
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we do an investigative dive into dietary fats, their structure, and their importance in our bodies. Think you know Fats? Check this out and see. For more information visit: www.vlmdrounds.com
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Insulin Was Framed! Here's the Defense...| Episode 9
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance and how Insulin has been protecting you! For more information, visit www.vlmdrounds.com
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How High Can you Go (with Blood Sugar)? | Episode 8
Send us Fan Mail Learn about hyperglycemia and how it damages your body. We'll also discuss how your body regulates high blood sugar.
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Proteins and Fats Make...Sugar! | Episode 7
Send us Fan Mail This episode focuses on hypoglycemia and how your body regulates low blood sugar by making its own glucose. We'll also learn about the hormonal regulation of low blood sugar in your body. For more information, visit www.VyvyaneLoh.com
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The Secret Life of Carbohydrates | Episode 6
Send us Fan Mail Think you know carbs? Here's a complete introduction to the world of carbohydrates. Which carbs are food sources? What types of dietary fibres are there and how do they impact your health? Can eating too much fibre increase your risk of liver cancer? Find out on episode 6 of vlmd...
About this show
This podcast focuses on bringing Art and Science back to Medicine. We've lost the art of healing and our practices lag the impressive developments in the biological sciences. My goal is to reignite interest in science and to restore a regard for humanity in the face of ever-growing disengagement in my profession. Subscribe if: -you are a geek or a nerd (the difference is in social skills--I identify as Geek--but we're all inclusive here, Kumbaya!) -your AQ (Attention Quotient) exceeds that of a goldfish (yes, the episodes are long) -you think: the-hip-bone-is-connected-to-the-knee-bone...but why? -you secretly harbour the suspicion that you're smarter than your doctor -you are a med student/professional who wants to know what your expensive education (which you are still paying for) did NOT give you -you love green tea, dance and animals, none of which is featured here extensively, but you're my kind of person Subscribe to my newsletter at vyvyanelohmd.c
Hosted by
Vyvyane Loh, MD
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