Stay ConnectedDr Ayan Panja puts health into context. A lifestyle medicine expert, author and family physician with over 25 years of experience, his unique blend of candour, perspective and knowledge make for a mind-expanding essential weekly bite-sized listen.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Copyright: © Dr Ayan Panja
In this episode I look at the concept of intelligence, what it means and whether it even matters on a practical level. What are the different types, how is it measured and are there ways that we improve our IQ?
IQ testing - a discussion: https://theconversation.com/the-iq-test-wars-why-screening-for-intelligence-is-still-so-controversial-81428
Howard Gardner’s work: https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/frames-of-mind-the-theory-of-multiple-intelligences
Virginia sterilisation act 1924 based on a flawed eugenics theory: http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/lewisandclark/students/projects/monacans/Contemporary_Monacans/racial.html
Jason Arday: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/feb/23/jason-arday-to-become-youngest-ever-black-professor-at-cambridge
Young chess grandmasters: https://khelnow.com/olympics/2023-02-top-five-youngest-grandmasters-in-chess-history#
Multitasking and it’s harms: https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/multitasking-and-how-it-affects-your-brain-health
The cleverest man to have ever lived? William Sidis: https://interestingengineering.com/culture/william-james-sidis
Improving intelligence: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/you-can-increase-your-intelligence-5-ways-to-maximize-your-cognitive-potential/
Mensa (high IQ society): https://mensa.org.uk/
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode I look at the effects of the pandemic which still linger. How has it affected us and our health and outlook?
It’s been over 3 years since COVID-19 enveloped the planet and there have been myriad effects on people which have affected us in overt and subtle ways.
Big picture effects of the pandemic:
The COSMO study:
https://www.suttontrust.com/cosmo-the-covid-social-mobility-and-opportunities-study/
The effect of the pandemic on young people: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/an-isolated-generation-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-children-and-young-people
Global perspective from Chatham House: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/05/how-build-better-world-post-covid-19
Rebuilding relationships:
https://facultyadvancement.duke.edu/how-can-we-rebuild-relationships-after-covid
PTSD and COVID: https://www.ptsduk.org/the-link-between-covid-19-and-ptsd/
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Neurodiversity is becoming more of an important aspect of our lives as people are increasingly becoming more neurodivergent. In this episode I look at examples, the origins of the term neurodiversity and what it means for our lives now and moving forward. And I hope you like the quote at the very end of the show.
Judy Singer: https://www.forbes.com/sites/drnancydoyle/2022/08/26/hidden-figures-in-neurodiversity-judy-singer/?sh=4ab1f6765446
The spectrum and what it means: https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/autism-awareness
Spiky profiles: https://stimpunks.org/glossary/spiky-profile/
Dr Asperger: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/aftermath-hans-asperger-expose
Morrisby tests: https://www.morrisby.com/
Psychometric testing: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/psychometric-tests
One example of hiring initiatives in the work place: https://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/professionals/neurodiversity-hiring-initiative.html
The Gaps Diet: https://www.gapsdiet.com/
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Pain affects almost all of us at some point. But some types of pain is experienced more severely than other types. In this episode I look at the factors which affect pain and our perception of it and what we can do handle it better.
Nociceptors: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-nociceptors-2564616
The nail in the boot: https://www.painscience.com/biblio/source-of-boot-nail-guy-a-popular-medical-anecdote-about-pain-without-injury-nociception.html
COMT gene variation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151110/
Pain and attitudes in Chinese culture: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1084822314547962
Chronic pain review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6676152/
CBD oil and pain: https://www.healthline.com/health/cbd-oil-for-pain
Lifestyle based approach to chronic pain: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pain-Free-Mindset-Control-Overcoming-Chronic/dp/1785043390/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1T1RG5XNM3Q6X&keywords=the+pain-free+mindset&qid=1685171099&sprefix=the+pain-free+mindset%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-1
Latest pain research in chronic pain by Prof Shirvalkar: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2023/05/425386/has-science-cracked-code-chronic-pain
Fibromyalgia overview: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK540974/#:~:text=Fibromyalgia%20is%20a%20chronic%20pain,as%20emotional%20and%20physical%20trauma.
The Health Fix: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Dr-Ayan-Panja-ebook/dp/B0B2VTFFVS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11YZREGJ7IJRN&keywords=health+fix+kindle&qid=1684931474&s=books&sprefix=health+fix+kindle%2Cstripbooks%2C83&sr=1-1. (Kindle price 99p throughout June 2023)!
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rejection is something that affects us all but how can we minimise its effects?
The effects can be minor or major and in this episode I look at strategies for recognising that it might be an issue, how we can learn from them and how we can better handle it so that it does not continue to affect our lives negatively.
Links:
Functional MRI of the brain and rejection and links to pain: https://www.science.org/content/article/rejection-pain-brain
Long term effects of bullying: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552909/
Protected characteristics: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/protected-characteristics
Feeling rejected? https://psychcentral.com/lib/good-news-if-you-often-feel-rejected
Rejection sensitivity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7424132/
100 rejections by Jia Jiang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZXgApsPCQ
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is listening an undervalued skill in today’s society?
It is an essential part of communication and can have a therapeutic effect.
Listening can be a gateway to empathy and compassion and I make the case that we should all do it better before it
becomes a lost art.
Active listening outperforms simple acknowledgement: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10904018.2013.813234
Active listening:https://psychcentral.com/lib/become-a-better-listener-active-listening
Become a better listener: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/be-a-better-listener
Nushu: https://nushu.com/
AI listening: https://fortune.com/2022/09/08/ai-chatbots-empathy-manager-work-careers-tech-michelle-zhou/#
The Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s a word and characterisation we all know and use at times. Worried about your health? Perhaps too worried? What constitutes excessive worrying about one’s health?
This episode explores the reasons behind it and what can be done to help allay health or illness anxiety.
Links:
Three Men in a Boat: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4921.Three_Men_in_a_Boat
Redefining hypochondriasis: https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/psychiatry-psychology/news/dsm-5-redefines-hypochondriasis/mac-20429763
Case study: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/neuroprogress/202005/how-i-overcame-severe-hypochondria
CBT based approach: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/well/a-new-approach-to-treating-hypochondria.html
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s essential to leading a healthy life but is all movement the same? Are there any common themes? What is that makes some of us enjoy exercise and others dread it. In this episode I look at the types of exercise and how we do not all have to do the same thing.
Activation therapy: https://douglasheel.com
Soleus push ups and their benefits: https://stories.uh.edu/2022-soleus-pushup/index.html
NEAT: https://www.foodspring.co.uk/magazine/how-to-increase-neat
Endorphins and exercise - feeling high on exercise: https://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/13/health/endorphins-exercise-cause-happiness/index.html
Physical activity guidelines: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-guidelines/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
Sarcopenia: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sarcopenia
Dr Mike Evans '23 and a half hours' (walking for health): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo
THE HEALTH FIX: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Transform-Your-Weeks/dp/1914239296
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Some say it’s a modern illness but accounts go back hundreds of years.
It’s the ultimate invisible illness but is actually a reaction to a stressor.
How can we handle stress, what are the different types and are there any principles we can use to deal with our stress given how individual it is.
Links:
Insomnia and stress in the BMJ in 1894: https://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/30/bmj-110-years-later
Stress and its effects on health: https://psychcentral.com/stress/long-term-effects-of-chronic-stress-on-body-and-mind#how-to-recover
Stress in students: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8062254/
Stress and heart disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6568256/
Osler’s day-tight compartments: https://spectrummagazine.org/article/2016/06/25/living-day-tight-compartments
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We all know that friendships can be complicated. In this episode I look at why they can be important to health, how they change over the years and the different types of friendship.
Links:
Childhood friendships and adult health: https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/22/3/378/507548
Meaningful interactions in younger people (conclusion is interesting): https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.617267/full
Friendship jealousy and social media:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/INTR-02-2020-0103/full/html. (Listen to my episode on jealousy too)
The nun study and Alzheimers: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2734290/
Reciprocity in friendship: https://psychcentral.com/lib/fairness-and-reciprocity-in-friendships#2
Save your life in slow motion and those of others by subscribing now and sharing. Thank you for listening and for your support. It means a lot to me.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
