ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Jed Zimmer is a personal trainer, Health and Wellness Coach, educator, and founder of “The Health Project,” a popular fitness podcast. Jed presents science-backed, visionary data on health, personal happiness, and physical fitness. In this podcast, he interviews Dr. David Minkoff about the impact of environmental toxins on your overall health.

This episode covers the following subjects:

• 1:34 – An explanation of how the body is exposed to heavy metals and chemicals and how to remove these harmful substances from the body. With 80,000 to 100,000 chemicals in the environment that were not present 100 years ago, the body is constantly exposed to heavy metals and other toxic elements in air, water, food, and personal care products.
• 2:32 – Dr. Minkoff discusses how the body reacts to toxins, including plastics, pesticides, and other man-made substances. He reveals facts about phthalates, a plastic softener, which produces hormonal effects by lodging on the cell receptors, affecting any organ, and acting as a precursor to the development of cancers or thyroid conditions.
• 4:44 – Phthalates can appear to be estrogen and lead to a serious hormonal imbalance, with young girls reaching puberty far too early in life and boys developing feminine breasts due to the body’s reaction to these harmful chemicals.
• 5:54 – A discussion on how to avoid environmental toxins as much as possible, including eating organic food and using body products proven to be safe for the human body. Dr. Minkoff recommends finding safer products by accessing ewg.org for lists of products scientifically evaluated for safety.
• 6:50 – Dr. Minkoff urges you to avoid drinking water from plastic bottles and to purify water in your home with a reverse osmosis system to remove the hundreds of chemicals present. He advises storing leftover food in glass containers and avoid using plastic wrap so the chemicals do not enter your food.
• 8:21 – An explanation of liver function and how it filters the blood. A poor diet can lead to an intestine polluted with bad bacteria, funguses, or parasites which produce toxins, overloading the liver, which will allow toxins to pass directly into the bloodstream. Dr. Minkoff recommends taking digestive enzymes, having regular sessions in an infrared sauna, exercise, drinking plenty of water, and taking liver-boosting supplements.
• 10:40 – A discussion of the best supplements to boost liver function, such as BodyHealth Complete Multi, which includes amino acids for liver support. Supplying the proper nutrients helps the liver function correctly in its job shedding toxins. PerfectAmino provides the full scope of EAA, which is proven to speed the detoxification process.
• 12:26 – Dr. Minkoff discusses basic nutrition and how it is important to avoid packaged, processed food and to eat real, organic foods as much as possible. His patients are often put on a paleo diet for the first three months. Once healthy, some grains may be added, but he keeps them on a gluten-free diet going forward.
• 14:32 – Dr. Minkoff discusses the keto diet, how he puts all his cancer patients on this diet, and why this is an important factor in his approach to treating cancers. This broad approach is then custom-tailored to the individual.
• 15:24 – A discussion about the general deficiencies and toxicities Dr. Minkoff finds in cancer patients. His approach is to optimize everything about the body, detoxify the body, and use as many natural means as possible to kills cancer cells, administering low-dose chemo if appropriate.
• 16:31 – An explanation of how cancer cells depend on glucose to survive and how the keto diet deprives them of the carbohydrates they need to survive, exploiting a natural vulnerability. Cancer cells flourish more quickly in a diet rich in carbohydrates, and the keto diet has proven beneficial.
• 17:23 – Dr. Minkoff discusses intermittent fasting and how, if it is done regularly, it can lead to the body becoming accustomed to the routine and becoming less effective. He advises that you need to vary your diet, so the body is continuously adapting to changing conditions, rather than a regular schedule of fasting.
• 18:23 – A discussion about cancer and how answers can be found at best answer for cancer.org. As some cancers are more difficult to treat, Dr. Minkoff may administer low-dose chemo with insulin, so the cancer cells absorb more of the chemo without impacting the healthy cells. This helps the treatment can progress with minimal side effects.
• 20:02 – An explanation of the difference between BCAAs and EAAs, and the science behind protein structure. Every protein has EAAs as part of the mix. He discusses how if you want to grow, replenish, or repair, the body must be provided with the full scope of amino acids. BCAAs are only three of the essential amino acids and are unable to build muscle at all. PerfectAmino provides the exact right mix to make any protein in the body very efficiently.
• 22:33 – An explanation of the ideal method for preparing for a competition or workout and how to take EAAs for peak athletic performance. Dr. Minkoff reveals how he uses EAAs during extended workouts, taking them several times throughout the day.
• 23:34 – A discussion about accessing EAAs through food rather than supplements and how the body’s inability to digest modern, processed food makes this difficult due to a damaged gut, low stomach acid levels, bacterial or yeast overgrowth, or an unhealthy gut membrane. Almost everyone, from top athletes to very ill cancer patients, has low levels of amino acids and will need supplements and a healthy diet.
• 24:51 – An explanation of EAAs and how they are safe to take on an empty stomach and do not raise glucose levels, or insulin, or take you out of ketosis. There are only 4 calories in 10 grams of PerfectAmino. Dr. Minkoff discusses how the best protein source is whole chicken eggs, followed by meat and fish.
• 26:45 – Dr. Minkoff discusses his personal biohacks for increasing physical endurance. He uses infrared sauna, red lights, supplements, and above all that, enough sleep, taking EAA, managing stressors, and eating good organic food. He recommends you do not work out until your body is ready, as this poses a risk of injury or illness.