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Lewis HowesThese Foods & Habits BOOST BRAIN HEALTH & End Inflammation! | Andrew Weil & Lewis Howes
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Chapter summaries
From Botany to Founding Integrative Medicine
Dr. Weil explains how his studies in botany and his disillusionment with medical school led him to build integrative medicine. He describes how his Tucson fellowship grew from a trailer-office program into training over 2,000 physicians.
- •Studied botany and ethnobotany, then felt medical school taught nothing about health or healing
- •Staying in Tucson after his car broke down led to lecturing at the University of Arizona
- •Medical hypnosis example: a C-section performed with hypnosis as the only anesthesia
- •Started the integrative medicine fellowship around 1990 with four physicians
- •Goal is for every specialist to learn nutrition, mind/body medicine and other basics
Why the US Healthcare System Is Failing
The conversation turns to doctors leaving conventional practice and the state of American healthcare. Weil says the US spends the most per capita yet has poor outcomes, and that lifestyle-related diseases are mostly met with medications.
- •Doctors have lost autonomy and the time to build real relationships with patients
- •The US outspends other nations on healthcare but ranks 38th by the World Health Organization
- •Epidemics of lifestyle-related disease are treated mostly with drugs
The Mind as the Root of Pain and Illness
Asked about the common root of pain, Weil says he usually finds mental, emotional or spiritual causes. He cites John Sarno's work on back pain and stories of lupus patients and a Princeton professor whose symptoms vanished.
- •In his clinical experience root causes are more often mental, emotional or spiritual than physical
- •Sarno taught that most back pain is psychological in origin and discouraged back-directed therapies
- •Scans show no correlation between objective findings and pain
- •Two women with severe lupus went into remission after a religious conversion and falling in love
- •Meditation, affirmations, hypnosis and healers are ways to reach the unconscious mind
The Body's Healing Capacity, Belief and Placebo
Weil shares his own knee story and argues that people lack confidence in the body's ability to repair itself. Lewis describes growing up in Christian Science, and the two discuss belief and the placebo effect.
- •Weil's knee pain, which an orthopedist linked to missing cartilage, vanished after a body worker's treatment
- •Instilling confidence in the body's healing system is part of his role as an integrative physician
- •Christian Scientists reportedly respond well to conventional treatment because their belief is so strong
- •Weil says the placebo effect is something to rule in, not rule out
- •Proton pump inhibitors are cited as an example of drugs given without a dietary history
Longevity, Okinawa and Compression of Morbidity
Lewis asks how long Weil wants to live and what keys support a long, sharp life. Weil cites the MacArthur study, his visits to Okinawa, and the idea of compressing the period of decline at the end of life.
- •Weil would be happy living to the mid-80s or 90 if life stays fun and connected
- •The MacArthur study found physical activity and social/intellectual connection mattered most
- •Okinawans value their elders, but longevity fell as fast food spread
- •Compression of morbidity means living long and well, then declining quickly
- •Diet, activity, sleep, stress management and connection all affect how you age
Five Foods and Daily Non-Negotiables
Weil names the five foods he would choose and explains why he values olive oil. He then describes his daily routine, including early sleep, meditation, breathwork, relationships and time in nature.
- •His five foods are salmon, broccoli, berries, green tea (matcha), and dark chocolate, with olive oil as a toss-up
- •Olive oil is a fruit oil with an anti-inflammatory compound that no other oil has
- •He goes to bed around 8:30-9:00 and gets up at 4:00-4:30
- •Meditation and breathwork are central daily practices
- •Gardening, dogs, and time outdoors are important to him
Relationships, Stress, Sleep and Sleep Medications
Weil describes how unresolved conflict affects his sleep and digestion, and criticizes sleep medications. He explains how counteractive drugs provoke homeostatic backlash, citing acid blockers and antidepressants.
- •Conflict in relationships has an enormous impact on his sleep and digestion
- •Sleep drugs don't reproduce natural sleep, and the common over-the-counter aid Benadryl has been linked to dementia risk
- •Most medications work against physiological processes, and the body pushes back
- •Healthy men taken off acid blockers developed reflux in one reported experiment
- •Counteractive drugs are best used for acute problems and then backed off
Device Addiction, Remarriage and Brain Foods
The talk moves to limiting devices and to Weil's second marriage to a much younger, athletic wife who keeps him moving. Weil then lists foods and supplements for mood and brain health, including omega-3s and lion's mane.
- •Limit time on devices since they are addictive and affect brain function
- •Weil steps away from email and devices by midday
- •His wife is a runner who pulls him toward more activity
- •Omega-3-rich fish, lion's mane mushrooms, turmeric, ginger and olive oil support brain health
- •He takes a multi-nutrient, CoQ10, magnesium and mushroom formulas
Tea vs. Coffee and the Benefits of Tea
Weil explains that true tea comes from one plant and contrasts tea's relaxed alertness with coffee's jitteriness. He describes coffee dependence and the research linking tea, especially green tea, to health.
- •All true tea is from Camellia sinensis; chamomile and rooibos are herbal infusions
- •L-theanine gives tea a relaxed alertness compared with coffee's jangling stimulation
- •Weil says he got one miracle cure a week by getting patients off coffee
- •Caffeine sensitivity varies widely between people
- •Japanese population data show an association between tea drinking and lower death rates
Matcha: Weil's Story and How It's Made
Weil recounts first tasting matcha at 17 in Japan and later importing it long before it became popular. He explains why matcha is distinctive and how he prepares it.
- •First tasted matcha at a tea ceremony during a 1959 student exchange
- •He imported matcha and sold it online before it was widely known
- •Matcha oxidizes quickly and poor storage makes it bitter and dull
- •Shade-grown leaves are ground whole, giving more antioxidants and L-theanine
- •He drinks one matcha a day, plain with water, sometimes iced
Evening Routine and Weil Center Legacy
Weil describes his early dinner and evening habits, then names the center bearing his name as his proudest achievement. He explains that integrative medicine builds on conventional medicine and sketches one possible future for healthcare.
- •He eats dinner around 4:00-5:00 and likes to cook
- •Proudest of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine
- •Integrative medicine builds on conventional medicine, which remains essential for trauma
- •He imagines conventional medicine becoming a specialty for trauma and critical illness
- •Healing centers may emerge as new institutions
Obesity, Sugar and the Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Weil discusses rising obesity and says the place to start is eliminating sweet liquids. He explains chronic inflammation as a common root of serious disease and lays out the principles of his anti-inflammatory diet, including whole grains versus flour.
- •Old crowd footage shows how much people's appearance has changed, despite a diet of real food made from scratch
- •Stop drinking sweet liquids such as soda, juice, energy drinks and sweetened coffee and tea
- •Chronic low-level inflammation links cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative disease
- •Emphasize vegetables, olive oil, nuts and seeds, and avoid hydrogenated fats and flour-based foods
- •Whole wheat bread is not a whole grain food; flour raises blood sugar quickly
Plant-Based Eating, and Inflammation's Link to Depression
Weil explains why he recommends reducing animal foods and describes his own eating history. He then explains the cytokine hypothesis connecting inflammation and depression.
- •Reducing animal foods benefits personal and planetary health, including zoonotic disease risk
- •Weil stopped eating meat in 1970 as an experiment and later added fish
- •The mind and stress contribute to inflammation
- •The cytokine hypothesis links increased inflammation with depression
- •Some severely depressed people respond better to anti-inflammatory drugs than antidepressants
Breathwork, Weil's Depression and Closing Truths
Weil describes using breath as a safe place for attention and shares his own multi-year depression in his 40s. The episode closes with his three truths, his definition of greatness, and where to find his resources.
- •Putting attention on the breath is like putting the mind in neutral
- •His depression stemmed from social isolation and lack of purpose, and an antidepressant did little
- •Meditation helped over the long term, and moving and love helped him recover
- •His three truths: it's all okay, don't worry be happy, and trust yourself
- •Resources include drweil.com, matcha.com and a practitioner finder on the University of Arizona integrative medicine site
