Essentials of Healthy Living

Latest Episodes:

A step-by-step approach for optimizing brain health and preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

David Baer and his special guest Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s will discuss a step-by-step approach for optimizing brain health and preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s is an internationally recognized, admired and compassionate speaker focusing on food sensitivities, environmental toxins, and the development of autoimmune diseases. In November 2016, Dr. O’Bryan released Betrayal: The Autoimmune Disease Solution They’re Not Telling You, an investigation into why our immune system, designed to protect us, begins attacking our own tissue. Currently, over 500,000 people worldwide have watched the docuseries. He holds teaching faculty positions with The Institute for Functional Medicine and the National University of Health Sciences. His 2016 groundbreaking book, The Autoimmune Fix, won the National Book Award and ranked first in several categories on Amazon. The book outlines the step-by-step development of degenerative diseases and gives us the tools to identify our disease process years before the symptoms are obvious.

Immunity during cold and flu season Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Special guest: Dana Godbout Laake, RDH, MS, LDN, is a licensed nutritionist in the Washington, DC area, who has provided preventive and therapeutic medical nutrition services for over 25 years. Her practice includes the nutritional evaluation and treatment of the full spectrum of health issues affecting children and adults. Dana holds a Master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Maryland. She is also author of The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook, 3rd Edition.

GI Pathogens & Food Sensitivities Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Dana Laake and her special guest Reed Davis will discuss GI pathogens and food sensitivity testing. Reed Davis, HHP, CNT, is an expert in functional lab testing and holistic lifestyle medicine. He is the founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition®(FDN) and the FDN Certification Course. Reed served as the health director and case manager at a wellness center in California for over 10 years and now teaches the FDN Course with over 2500 trainees or graduates in 50 countries. Reed is known as one of the most successful and experienced clinicians in the world, having provided functional lab assessments to over 10,000 clients. Reed is also a clinical advisor for BioHealth Laboratories.

How lifestyle strategies affect risk of cancer Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Dana Laake and her special guest Lise Alschuler will discuss how lifestyle strategies affect risk of cancer. Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, is a naturopathic doctor with board certification in naturopathic oncology and has been practicing since 1994. She is a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Arizona, where she is the assistant director of the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Alschuler received her doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University, and has co-authored two books: Definitive Guide to Cancer and Definitive Guide to Thriving After Cancer. She has received numerous awards from The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Bastyr University and the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, as well as an honorary degree from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. Dr. Alschuler is the co-founder of Five To Thrive, LLC, which developed a web application that creates customized wellness plans for cancer survivors. She maintains a naturopathic oncology practice in Scottsdale AZ, and also co-hosts a podcast, Five To Thrive Live! on the Cancer Support Network about living more healthfully in the face of cancer.

Biochemical individuality and COVID-19 – how certain genetic predispositions can increase one’s risk Apr 12, 2020

Show notes

Dana Laake and her special guest Dr. Christy Williamson will discuss biochemical individuality and COVID-19 – how certain genetic predispositions can increase one’s risk. Dr. Christy Williamson earned her doctor of clinical nutrition (DCN) from Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH), her master's degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport and is a also a Certified Nutrition Specialist. In 2016, she helped pass legislation in Virginia that established a statutory definition of nutritional genomics. With a colleague, Christy developed a course in nutritional genomics for MUIH and continues to teach there as an adjunct faculty member. Dr. Williamson is also the owner of the Nutritional Genomics Institute, OmicsDx, ZebraDx and SNPed. NGI houses SNPed, practitioner education in nutritional genomics, and ZebraDx, a nutritional genomics focused research diagnostics company. OmicsDx is a software startup and state-of-the-art nutritional genomics analysis company that produces epigenetically validated genome panels.

Immune health and COVID-19 Mar 29, 2020

Show notes

Dana Laake and her special guest Marc Isaacson will discuss immune health and COVID-19. Marc Isaacson, owner of Village Green Apothecary, is passionate about changing our healthcare system from a symptoms-based approach to one that works on getting to the root cause, focusing on wellness, and promoting prevention.

Cancer prevention and how to boost immunity Mar 22, 2020

Show notes

Dana Laake and her special guest Andrea Beaman will discuss cancer prevention and how to boost immunity. Andrea Beaman is a natural foods chef, health educator, thyroid expert, holistic health coach and herbalist, dedicated to alternative healing, and sustainable eating and living. She is a regularly featured expert on CBS News, and hosted the award nominated, Fed UP!, a cooking show that educates viewers on how to cook for and cure various ailments. Andrea is the author of The Whole Truth – How I Naturally Reclaimed My Health, and You Can Too!, The Eating and Recipe Guide – Better Food, Better Health, and Health is Wealth – Make a Delicious Investment in You! and Happy Healthy Thyroid – The Essential Steps to Healing Naturally! Andrea makes learning about better health, good food, and sustainable living, a fun experience for everyone.

Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) – a comprehensive, system-specific approach to treating a wide variety of complex health conditions Mar 15, 2020

Show notes

Dana Laake and her special guest Lisa Klein will discuss Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) – a comprehensive, system-specific approach to treating a wide variety of complex health conditions. Lisa Klein, PT, IMT-C, is the founder and president of Total Health Physical Therapy. In 2002, she became a certified IMT practitioner teaching for DCR, Northeast Seminars, and The CT School of IMT. Lisa has become a sought-after IMT instructor and has taught classes throughout the US, Israel, Hong Kong and Chile. She was also the founding president of the board of The Integrative Manual Therapy Association, the international association of IMT practitioners. Lisa has worked in virtually all traditional physical therapy practice settings and also has extensive knowledge in Pilates, hatha yoga, neurofeedback and sensory integration. She continues to expand her knowledge of health and nutrition, and in May 2015 she earned her health coach certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.

Understanding the gut microbiome’s role in health and disease Feb 23, 2020

Show notes

Dana Laake and her special guest Guy Daniels will discuss understanding the gut microbiome’s role in health and disease. Guy Daniels, MS, is the Director of Medical Education at Onegevity, a subsidiary of Thorne Research. Onegevity works together with Thorne to design clinically studied supplements, including pre- and probiotics, for Thorne’s customers based on their integrated metabolic profile. Onegevity’s platform synthesizes the massive, complex, and dynamic human data derived from genomic, proteomic, blood chemistries, microbiome, saliva, and self-reported metrics to provide a comprehensive molecular portrait and personalized interventions for an individual’s health.

Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Most Effective Diets Feb 16, 2020

Show notes

David Baer and his special guest Dana Laake will discuss food intolerance and hypersensitivity in children and why this can cause problems in learning, behavior, development, attention, sensory responses, sleep and digestion. Dana Laake, RDH, MS, LDN, is a licensed nutritionist in the Washington, DC area, who has provided preventive and therapeutic medical nutrition services for over 25 years. Her practice includes the nutritional evaluation and treatment of the full spectrum of health issues affecting children and adults. Dana holds a Master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Maryland. She is the author of The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook, 3rd Edition.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Essentials of Healthy Living

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected