GW Integrative Medicine

Feds Reclassify Medical Cannabis: What You Need to Know

02 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Boy howdy do we have something to talk about with our favorite medical cannabis subject matter expert today! On April 23, 2026, the U.S. Department ...

How Loneliness Affects Your Health

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When we think about loneliness, we don’t associate it with risks comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. But a growing body of research sho...

The Tip of the Trauma Iceberg: Adverse Childhood Experiences

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports that preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) like abuse, neglect, household dysfunct...

The Gut-Brain-Dementia Connection

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A new study by a GW-led research team suggests gut bacteria may be linked to memory decline in mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, and some dementia di...

The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans: It's a Mixed Bag

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The USDA and HHS just released new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We dig into the new guidelines with Dr. Leigh Frame, our favorite nutrition scien...

What the Hemp?

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We talk with Peter Grinspoon, MD—an internationally renowned expert on medical cannabis, drug policy, and addiction—about the U.S. Congress recri...

The Longevity Nutrient

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, who co-discovered C15 essential fatty acid, returns to the podcast to discuss her new book “The Longevity Nutrient: The U...

What is Swedish Death Cleaning?

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Palmer, author of "Achieving a Good Death: A Practical Guide to the End of Life, gave a wellness talk on Swedish death cleaning, or "döstädnin...

Integrating Medical Cannabis Into Medical Education

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An estimated three million Americans use cannabis for medical purposes, primarily for chronic pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, nausea, seizures, and othe...

Ultraprocessed Foods: Health Implications and How to Talk to Patients

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Research has shown that diets high in ultraprocessed foods are linked to more than 30 health conditions, according to an umbrella review of meta-analy...

Ketamine & Mental Health

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we discuss ketamine and mental health with integrative psychiatrist Scott Shannon, MD, one of the world’s leading experts on the therapeutic ...

Transforming Healthcare Through Whole-Person Leadership

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we discuss whole-person leadership and reimagining Integrative Medicine through a health equity lens with Scarlet Kali Soriano, MD, ...

Poverty, Social Detriments of Health, & Safety Net Programs

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This episode was recorded before the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. Today, we discuss poverty, the social detriments of heal...

Fitness Psychology

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about Fitness Psychology with leading experts in the field -- Katy Bowman and Diana Hill, PhD, authors of “I Know I Should Exercise, ...

How to Defend Against Everyday Toxins With Dr. Aly Cohen

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Friend of the pod Aly Cohen, MD, one of the world’s leading experts on environmental health, returns to GW Integrative Medicine to chat about her ne...

Celebrating 100 Episodes—Give or Take an Episode!

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is the podcast’s 100th episode! (Give or take an ICYMI episode.) We are coming full circle with today’s guest—John Pan, MD ’70, RESD ’7...

Updated | Debunking Nutrition Myths for Women’s Well-being & Aging

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thank you for joining the GW Resiliency and Well-being Center (R&W Center) for a Women's Well-being Lecture Series discussion on "Debunking Nutrition ...

Fascia, Trauma, & Letting Go

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we get all up in our fascia and how it shapes overall health with licensed Occupational Therapist Nyle MacFarlane, founder of Blue Nyle Therapy...

Will MoCRA Make Cosmetics & Grooming Products Safer?

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The cosmetics and grooming products industry is like the wild wild West. Until recently, the regulatory system failed to keep consumers safe from toxi...

Generational Trauma, Family, & War

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about generational trauma and healing with Aliza Scharf-Bendov, LCSW, MSW, psychotherapist, family therapist, and nondual Kabbalistic h...

Nutrition & Chinese Medicine

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We talk about Traditional Chinese Medicine and nutrition with Ellen Goldsmith, MSOM, LAc, a nationally board certified, licensed acupuncturist, Chines...

Improving Cannabis Science

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 2024, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a Hemp Plant Reference Material to help labs accurately meas...

Save the Microbes, Save the World

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re going to talk about broccoli, sulforaphane, and combating inflammation, as well as the new research and education discipline of microbes...

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly of Nutrition Studies

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod, we talk about nutrition studies and how to understand them with nutrition scientists Danny Lennon, MSc, and Alan Flanagan, PhD, of ...

Should We Be Worried About Dark Chocolate?

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk to the leaders of the GW research team, nutrition scientist Leigh Frame, PhD, MHS, and GW medical student researcher Jacob Hands, who l...

Polyvagal Theory, Nutrition, Sleep & Embodiment for Trauma

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about polyvagal theory, nutrition, sleep, and embodiment for trauma with scientist Catherine Justice, DPT, PT, C-IAYT, E-RYT, CST, FAIH...

The Science of Weight Cutting

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we talk about the science of weight cutting with nutritional scientist Danny Lennon, MSc, founder, CEO, and lead content creator of S...

PPIs & Dementia Risk

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, are a class of popular drugs that reduce the amount of acid produced in the stomach. They are often the first-line tr...

Nutritional Neuroscience

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we are going to talk about the science behind nutritional neuroscience with Stephen Fleming, PhD. This scientific discipline studies ...

Cancer Survivorship

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we talk about cancer survivorship with Sanna Ali, MSN, CRNP, an Oncology nurse practitioner (NP), cancer survivorship researcher and ...

What Do Dolphins Have to Do with Anti-aging?

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we talk about C-15:0 Essential Fatty Acid with Dr. Stephanie Venn-WatsonDVM, MPH. Dr. Venn-Watson is the CEO and co-founder of Seraph...

ICYMI: What Is Precision Medicine?

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We get sciency with the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences' Anil Bajnath, MD, MBA, IFMCP, ABAARM, MIFHI, an expert on Precision Medicine, aka Pe...

Gut Health, Whole Health

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we discuss evidence-based approaches that use food and the gut microbiome to promote health and treat disease with Christopher Damman, MD, MA, a...

UPDATED | The Moringa Episode

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about kuli kuli, or Moringa oleifera, with Dr. Jed Fahey, former director of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at the Johns Hopkins Un...

ICYMI: Altered States | Psychedelic Medicine

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Physician-scientist Sunil K. Aggarwal, MD, PhD, FAAPMR, co-founder and co-director of the Advanced Integrative Medical Science Institute (AIMS), is am...

Seeing Through the Smoke: Dispelling Cannabis Myths

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk to Peter Grinspoon, MD, about cannabis myths and his new book “Seeing through the Smoke: A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth ab...

Gut Microbes & Pancreatic Disease

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we talk about the gut microbiome and pancreatic health and disease with researcher and clinician Mark Haupt, MD, Chief Medical Office...

No Longer Radical | Breast Cancer Care

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk to Christine Teal, MD, the Chief of Breast Surgery at The George Washington University Hospital, and Rachel Brem, MD, vice chair of Rad...

Finding Empathy

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We talk about empathy, chronic conditions, and more with Meghan L Beier, PhD, MA, a Health and Rehabilitation Psychologist at the Rowan Center for Beh...

When Doctors Grieve

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about death, dying, and when doctors grieve with Delia Chiaramonte, MD, Founder and CEO of the Institute for Integrative Palliative Med...

Culture, Science & Medicine

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we have with us J.D. Talasek, Director of Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences or CPNAS, which explores the relationships amon...

Sleep Deprivation and Glymphatics

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking about sleep deprivation and glymphatics with Vivek Jain, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Criti...

The Human Microbiome, Health, & Big Data

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We talk about nutrition, the human microbiome, and big data with Hannah Holscher, PhD, RD, director of the Nutrition and the Human Microbiome Laborato...

Psilocybin & Alzheimer’s Disease

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about psilocybin and Alzheimer’s with Albert Garcia-Romeu, PhD, a member of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty at the Joh...

Trauma, Art Therapy, & Neuroscience

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we discuss Expressive Therapy with Juliet King, PhD, (ABD), ATR-BC, LPC, LMHC, an Associate Professor in the Art Therapy Program at the GW Colu...

Disease from a Functional Medicine Perspective

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we talk about Functional Medicine with Jill Carnahan, MD, ABIHM, ABoIM, IFMCP, Founder and Medical Director of Flatiron Functional Medicine and ...

Exercise, Nutrition Science, & Public Health

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about exercise, nutrition science, and public health with Kyle Levers, PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nu...

The Science of Sleep

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sleep is essential for good health, according to the National Institutes of Health. Not getting enough uninterrupted sleep negatively affects a perso...

Why Gratitude Matters

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we have Najma Khorrami, MPH, a global and public health professional and the founder of Gratitude Circle, an award-winning lifestyle ...

Let's Talk Vitamin D Studies

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we discuss some Vitamin D studies that have received a lot of attention from the media. We have with us Adrian “Fritz” Gombart, PhD, princi...

Navigating Aging for a Healthy Heart & Brain

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the pod we have Joshua S. Yamamoto, MD, FAAC, a cardiologist, former cardiology consultant to the attending physician for the U.S. Congress, ...

What Is the Food Matrix

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about the food matrix, ultra-processed food, and preventive nutrition with Anthony Fardet, PhD, a senior research scientist with the N...

ICYMI: The Oral Microbiome-Systemic Health Connection

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Increasing evidence indicates a key role for the oral microbiome in autoimmune diseases. We learn about the importance of the oral microbiome and syst...

Integrative Medicine & Group Medical Visits

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Group Medical Visits (GMVs) are a great way for healthcare providers expand their ability to deliver quality care to patients, especially the underser...

The Psychology of Shame, Sentinel Emotional Events, & Health Professionals

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the GW Integrative Medicine podcast highlights a presentation on "Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Shame and Sentinel Emotional E...

ICYMI: Energy Work & the Autonomic Nervous System

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rewind! We talk about Energy Work and the autonomic nervous system with Mara Benner, a Certified Energy Medicine Practitioner, Reiki Master, founder o...

A Reproductive Psychiatrist on Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Reproductive Psychiatry is an emergent specialty within medicine that focuses on women's mental health. Lucy Hutner, MD, an internationally recognized...

ICYMI: Stress Response & the Neuroendocrine System

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest is Andrew Heyman, MD, Fellowship Director, Integrative Medicine Programs (INTM), at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Found...

The Healthspan-Cruciferous Vegetable Connection

15 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest is Jed Fahey, ScD, a leader in healthspan extension (chemoprotection). Most of his work has focused on sulforaphane, a compound found m...

An Integrative Perspective on Women's Hormonal Health

01 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in on this GW Women's Well-being Lecture Series talk on "An Integrative Perspective on Women's Hormonal Health" by Lara Williams, MD, MSHS`20, ...

ICYMI: Taking an Integrative Approach to Lyme Disease

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nature’s dirty needle. That’s how Lyme disease researchers and physicians refer to the ticks that spread the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, thro...

The Many Faces of Vitamin C

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For many people, vitamin C was the first vitamin they had ever heard about – and it is mostly due to one man: Dr. Linus Pauling. His work put vitami...

Diet, DNA, & the Science Behind a Younger You

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re excited to talk to Kara Fitzgerald, ND, a leader in the field of Functional Medicine and author of several textbooks that have become b...

Integrative Pediatrics

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we talk about taking a whole-health approach to treating pediatric patients with Santisree “Santi” Tanikella, MD, FAAP, ABIHM, ABOIM, who i...

The ABCs of Vitamin D

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 50 to 70 percent of Americans are vitamin D deficient. This is no bueno because a ...

BONUS EPISODE |The Fundamentals of Vitamin E

15 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re going to talk about all things vitamin E. And there’s no better person to address that question than the Linus Pauling Institute’s o...

What Docs Do When They Get Sick

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

All working parents know that “all kids get sick” is the mother of all truisms. But what do doctors and other health care providers do when they...

Clinical Herbalism | Spices, Herbs, & Everyday Health

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A clinical herbalist has training that gives them a more technical and scientific approach to understanding the way herbs work, how the body responds,...

Helping Health Care Workers Cope with Burnout

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, those working in the health care field were found to be more susceptible to depression, anxiety, and job dissatis...

BONUS EPISODE | Why Zinc Matters

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that zinc reduces inflammation, supports immune system function, and is crucial for your senses of taste and smell? We do Zinc 101 with ...

Demystifing Medical Cannabis & CBD for Clinicians & Consumers

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

​Marijuana (cannabis) has been used for thousands of years as a medicine, but it has been illegal in the United States for most of our lives. Almost...

BONUS EPISODE | Is Gut Health the Future of Medicine?

19 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re flipping the script to talk about the gut microbiome, nutrition, and overall health with an expert in this evolving field who just happ...

Altered States | Psychedelic Medicine

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are entheogenic and psychedelic-assisted therapies? Why is it rapidly gaining popularity among some health providers? And what does the science...

BONUS EPISODE | Cancer, Cruciferous Vegetables, and Research—Oh My!

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re going talk about cancer and nutrition with Dr. Emily Ho, Director of the Linus Pauling Institute and a professor in the College of Publi...

CBD, Dermatologic Conditions, and Nanotechnology

31 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the potential of topical CBD for treating, and or managing, different dermatologic conditions?  We got the answer to this question and more f...

Talking Brain Health with Dr. Dale Bredesen

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re joined by Dale Bredesen, MD, a pioneer in brain health research and an internationally recognized expert on the mechanisms of neurodege...

Integrative Medicine & Pharmacy Practice

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re joined by Mark Webster, Pharmacist and Integrative Health Practitioner whose ah-ha moment about the role of food in chronic conditions s...

Bonus Episode | Personalized Nutrition & Cultural Competency

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nutrition is core to human health. Differences in our biochemistry, metabolism, genetics, and microbiota all contribute to the dramatic differences am...

Forest Bathing: Melding Mindfulness with Nature

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Forest therapy is inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing.” Studies have demonstrated a wide array ...

Living Healthy in a Chemical World

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to GW Integrative Medicine – the podcast about disease prevention and health promotion – from the Office of Integrative Medicine and Healt...

Traditional Chinese Medicine

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking with Alison Warren, DAOM, MSHS, who teaches students in the health professions – including here at GW – about the practical ...

Talking Nutrition Science with Chef Eric Adjepong

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking nutrition science with Chef Eric Adjepong, MPH. A finalist on Season 16 of Bravo's Top Chef, he delighted viewers with his passi...

Botanical Skin Care & COVID-19

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking skin care, natural vs. synthetic ingredients, and COVID-19 with Dahlia Kelada, founder and formulator at SALVE NATURALS, a natio...

Updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans: The Breakdown

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The 2020-2025 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans dropped over GW's winter break. Since the first edition was published in 1980, the Di...

Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain Guidelines

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re joined by Dr. Dustin Sulak, a renowned integrative osteopathic physician and expert on the use of medical cannabis to treat refractory c...

BONUS EPISODE: Embracing the Medical Humanities

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: We recorded this bonus episode before the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel the HEAART lecture series. We hope to re-launch it sometime in ...

Helpsy Health: Integrative Nursing, Innovation, & Advancing Patient Care

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about Integrative Nursing, patient care, and technology with Sangeeta Agarawal, RN, MS, CAS, Founder and CEO of Helpsy Health. ...

COVID-19 & the Telehealth Tipping Point

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With Americans going into and out of and into quarantine again, there has been an explosion in the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 epidemic. Te...

Integrating Yoga & Physical Therapy

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're talking to Ariele Foster, PT, DPT, E-RYT 500, whose physical therapy practice is founded upon treating the whole person by integrating y...

Connecting with HeartMath

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking with Rollin McCraty, PhD, scientist, psycho-physiologist, and executive vice president and director of research at HeartMath Ins...

How to Eat: Plant-Based Recipes to Save Your Life and Our Planet

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking with P.K. Newby, ScD, MPH, MS, aka “The Nutrition Doctor,” about her new book "How to Eat: Plant-Based Recipes to Save Your ...

Integrative Medicine & COVID-19

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking with Integrative Medicine thought leader Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Arizona ...

What is Precision Medicine?

31 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re talking about Precision Medicine with Anil Bajnath, MD, MBA, MIfHI, CEO and Founder of The Institute for Human Optimization and an Adjun...

Nutrition Education: Answering the Call

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the GW Integrative Medicine podcast, we talk about a nutrition education collaboration between the Department of Physician Assistan...

What to Stock In Your Pandemic Pantry

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us are trying to flatten the coronavirus curve by practicing social distancing. We're staying inside, working from home, and figuring out way...

Breaking the Cycle of Physician Burnout

29 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Burnout is more prevalent among healthcare and health sciences workers, professionals, and trainees than among the general U.S. population. Those work...

Beyond the Calories—Is the Problem in the Processing?

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the United States, six in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease, like heart disease and stroke, cancer, or diabetes. These and other ...

Inflammation in Chronic Disease: Cause, Consequence, or Both?

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re joined by Paul Marvar, PhD, associate professor, in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and the Department of Psychiatry and B...

Integrative Medicine & Women's Health

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Earlier in 2019, we collaborated with the GW OB/GYN Department and the GW Center for Integrative Medicine on a Grand Rounds lecture and Q&A on taking ...

Weeds & Seeds: Using Supplements for Inflammation & Pain

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re joined by Sahar Swidan, PharmD, RPh, to discuss using supplements, medical marijuana, and cannabinoids for inflammation and pain managem...