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 science and psychology behind kindness.
Why is kindness important? Are there any downsides?
And is it good for both the giver and receiver?
Kindness and stress:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8848115/
The doctor as a drug:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-power-rest/201103/the-doctor-is-drug
Oxytocin increases with age:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.846234/full
Spreading kindness:
The anatomy of kindness (Radio 4) - interviews:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00154cp
Study kindness (postgraduate course):
https://study-online.sussex.ac.uk/news-and-events/what-is-the-psychology-of-kindness/
Action for Happiness:
https://actionforhappiness.org
Kindness in religions:
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/five-religious-australians-reflect-on-kindness-and-faith/11852608
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 body clock is something most of us have heard of but is more important than we might think, as it can literally make or break our health.
It can be easy to take for granted and in this episode I look at some of the science and tips to change ‘timings’ of activities in our lives to our advantage.
Links:
Satchin Panda TEDx talk: https://youtu.be/erBJuxVR7IE
Russell Foster’s work: https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/team/russell-foster
Stephanie Romiszewski’s work: https://www.sleepyheadclinic.co.uk/stephanie-romiszewski-sleep-expert/
Nobel Prize on molecular mechanisms in circadian rhythm:
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2017
nobelprize.org
Responding to light: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/12/17/1139780998/light-brain-circadian-rhythms-blind
Shift work and the WHO: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-monographs-volume-124-night-shift-work/
Chronotypes: https://www.healthline.com/health/chronotype
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.
This is a great topic which feeds into all sort including self-care, information gathering, overdiagnosis and
the accuracy of resources online plus the dangers of counterfeit medication.
Here are some interesting links:
Doctor vs Internet: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p019px0x
The pros and cons of AI based diagnosis: https://www.statnews.com/2023/02/13/chatgpt-assisted-diagnosis/
The story of AccuRx, one of a few companies which offers triage for primary care: https://www.accurx.com/our-story
Ada Health, an example of an AI driven symptom analysis: https://ada.com
Counterfeit medicines: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/prescriptions-and-pharmacies/pharmacies/dangers-of-buying-medicines-online/
Overdiagnosis (there is a separate podcast episode on this topic): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430655/
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.
This is a phenomenon that occurs when someone stops trying to escape pain or bad situations.
It is linked to depression and there are certain risk factors for it.
In this episode I look at how it can just manifest and how to help yourself out of it.
Learned helplessness - Seligman et al: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4920136/
Link to depression and anxiety: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1185158/
The ABCDE model: https://www.verywellmind.com/learned-optimism-4174101
Cognitive distortions: https://psychcentral.com/lib/cognitive-distortions-negative-thinking#list-and-examples
Attribution testing: https://testyourself.psychtests.com/bin/transfer
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.
I struggle with this myself and am grateful to one of my listeners for suggesting it as a topic.
In this episode I look at the reasons why some people seem to do this with ease and others seem to find
it much harder and tools that can help us make it easier.
Links:
Delayed gratification - the benefits: https://jamesclear.com/delayed-gratification
Self-awareness: https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-self-awareness
Self regulation theory: http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/self_regulation.htm
ADHD and impulse control: https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-impulse-control-social-spending/
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.
Ever wonder what in our environment might affect our health? Often these things are ‘invisible’ or we are not consciously aware of them, but they can have a continued and profound effect on our health.
In this episode I look at some everyday environmental hazards and what we can do minimise their effects on us.
Links:
Air pollution: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044178/
Paper on micro plastics and health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7068600/
Diet and air pollution: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35179602/
Background to MI allergy: https://www.occderm.asn.au/health-professionals/epidemic-of-allergy-to-preservative-methylisothiazolinone-mi/
MI allergy and the effect of reducing it’s prevalence: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.15875
Social media and mental health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7785056/
Carbon monoxide poisoning: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/
Sick building syndrome and mould: https://academic.oup.com/mmy/article/47/Supplement_1/S217/1073035
Minimising air pollution in a city: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-35885569
Mercury in large fish: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-35884051
Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine: https://www.practiceunbound.org.uk/product/prescribinglifestylemedicine/home
The Health Fix (contains my health loop): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Transform-Your-Weeks/dp/1914239296/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=1ba53367-030f-4f3f-ad09-4a1fc81eadf5
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.
Longevity seems to be in fashion at the moment. Almost everyone wants long and healthy lives but how can we achieve that? How long is too long?
In this episode I look at commonalities between the populations on earth that live the longest ‘best’ lives.
Links:
Blue Zones - Dan Buettner’s work with National Geographic:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6125071/
Smoking bans and how they change community behaviours:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33928714/
'Community Cure': https://www.newlocal.org.uk/articles/the-community-cure/
How disease increases with age: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2018/02/01/richard-smith-doctors-and-patients-heading-in-opposite-directions/
The Health Fix: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Transform-Your-Weeks/dp/1914239296/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=1ba53367-030f-4f3f-ad09-4a1fc81eadf5
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.
Most people have heard of the placebo effect but is it real and why does it occur?
In this episode I look at how placebos may exert their effects and some examples of where they have worked.
Is the placebo something that can be used to our advantage? And why do some people experience a nocebo?
Links:
Ted Kaptchuk and his work on placebo:
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2013/01/the-placebo-phenomenon
Mechanisms of the placebo effect: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513296/
Knee surgery (placebo as good as surgery): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013259
Placebo and treatment resistant depression: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2784479
Nocebo: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/harmful-placebos
Balint and the doctor as a drug: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-power-rest/201103/the-doctor-is-drug?amp
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.
One of the hardest things people often find is to get going with things. How do you motivate yourself and how do you keep momentum going?
I have struggled with procrastination myself in the past.
In this episode I look at ways to make motivating yourself easier, the different drivers involved and what makes us tick when it comes to turning contemplation into action.
The science of motivation: https://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2018/06/motivation
Daniel Pink on motivation: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation?language=en
How to motivate others with MI techniques https://motivationalinterviewing.org/understanding-motivational-interviewing
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 monkey brain is the part of our brain that is impulsive and powerful, hijacking us when we are tired or stressed.
Ever regretted shouting at someone? Ever gorged yourself on food and then regretted it?
In this episode I explore why this happens, the links to our past experiences and our neuroanatomy.
Links:
Anatomy of the brain: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain
Dopamine and impulsivity: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/30/26/8888
Schizophrenia and the amygdala: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-74771-w
Calming the monkey mind: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201709/calming-the-monkey-mind
Prof Steve Peters work on this subject of the chimp or monkey brain: https://chimpmanagement.com/books-by-professor-steve-peters/the-chimp-paradox/
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.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
