Mind over matter. We've heard it all before. But what does that really entail? This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome Michael Lovitch to The Health Bridge. They get into the topic of negative thinking and its effects. Is negative thinking something we should avoid? Could negative thinking lead us to try harder to avoid negative outcomes? Lovitch also brings up the concept of trying to live a full life and have fun even if it means not being so strict with the health stuff. This one's explicit for some language.

Continuing with the talk of genetics, Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried discuss calcium channels. What are calcium channels and how do they affect different systems of the body? How does the genetics we're given affect the calcium channels in our body? What can we do about that? How does Omega-3 affect the systems in our body? Who should and who should not take Omega-3 supplements? Pedram and Sara dive right in!

This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai take a look at genetics. It's important to know the genetic factors that may affect our personal health and make adjustments to our behaviors to fit. Sara and Pedram recently had their genetics charted before starting their gongs and they were surprised at what they found. How much control do we have over our genetics? What factors can genetics affect? What tests can be taken to discover exactly how our genetics may affect different factiors? And even if genetics have a hold over major factors, what can be done to offset the genetic control?

Sara Gottfried's and Pedram Shojai's actual personal physician is the guest this week on the Health Bridge. Dr. Alan Christianson joins in this week to talk in depth about the charts and lab results he saw from Pedram and Sara. The hosts talk about starting their gong and what Dr. Alan saw when they first started. They get into some pretty deep details about the different things Dr. Alan saw when they first were checked before starting the gongs.

We've got a bonus episode of The Health Bridge! We had a quick response from the last episode with David Bronner and so Pedram Shojai was able to speak with spokesperson Sandeep Kaushik of the OregonRightToKnow.org. Because we scheduled it so quickly, Sara Gottfried wasn't able to join in. But due to the time-sensitive nature of the subject, we figured we'd just present this as a bonus rather than wait until Monday. Pedram asked Sandeep more about Measure 92 in Oregon. What exactly would it do? How would labeling foods affect manufacturing? Would it affect production at all?

Coming up in these midterm elections, Oregon is set to vote on a GMO Right to Know Bill that if passed would require manufacturers, retailers and suppliers to label raw and packaged foods produced entirely or partially by genetic engineering. Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai wanted to know more about what is going on in Oregon and how this could affect the rest of the country. David Bronner reached out to our team and was happy to inform us about the bill and what affect it could have. He also mentions the tough opposition the bill faces. Would food products that clearly list GM origins change your eating habits?

We all know how important the food we eat is to our overall health. When we become ill do we look at what we eat rather than trying to find a pill to cure us? This week Sara Gottfried and Pedram Shojai welcome Dr. Mark Hyman. He's big on functional medicine. What is functional medicine? And now in medical schools, are future practictioners being taught about nutrition and its importance? The three also dive into the importance of avoiding sugar.

Pedram Shojai actually completed a second movie! It took four years but it's finally a real movie! Pedram could not be more excited to see four years of filming turn into an actual tangible movie. So Sara Gottfried asked Pedram about the process of filming "Origins." What did it take to make a movie with a very small team of filmmakers? The film explores the link between planetary health and personal health. What is this link and how does one affect the other?

"Be mindful of the future, but never at the expense of the present." Star Wars fans will remember this quote. How can we truly connect to the present moment? This week Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried welcome Dr. Jen Landa to the Health Bridge. They discuss the problem of energy deficits and what can be done to regain some energy. They also dive into how energy deficits can affect sex drive (and for that I'm throwing up an explicit tag). How can we better balance work life and home life so that we're not always falling behind on energy? How can we take better care of ourselves against hidden physical stressors? And how can we make sure we don't miss the here and now in the process?

Definitely a topic of dispute, Pedram Shojai and Sara Gottfried dive into the subject of vaccinations. There are claims that vaccinations are correlated to the rise in autism. But other data shows that diseases that have been dormant for the better part of a century are returning as people avoid vaccinations. What's the right answer? Pedram is a new father so these questions have been weighing heavy on him. He and Sara try their best to make sense of this complicated issue.