Why You Should Feel Optimistic About the Future

Coming up on this mini episode of the Doctors Pharmacy.

Something's happening. The culture has moved more in the.

Last year than I ever thought possible. Hi, I'm Kaya Perowich, one of the producers of the Doctors Pharmacy podcast. If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you know that we are in an incredibly exciting time when it comes to a growing acceptance of the power to prevent and reverse disease. You also know that misleading research, imperfect policy, corporate financial interests, and other biases often act as roadblocks to creating change and enhancing the health of our population and our planet. Yet when we reflected on a number of conversations from the Doctor's Pharmacy, we couldn't help but hear a common and hopeful message. Progress is being made and it's happening fast. On this special mini episode, we're going to replay clips from a few conversations starting with Dr. Hyman's interview with world-renowned author, Michael Pollan.

You know, your book is an extraordinary narrative about how We started on the journey of exploring psychedelics and psychiatry, how we stopped, and now there's a resurgence of interest in treating all these recalcitrant conditions that conventional medication just doesn't really work very well with. Depression, anxiety, addiction. Addiction, cigarette smoking, alcohol, and even death, even death.

Something's happening. The culture has moved more in the last year than I ever thought possible. I feel a wave building around this and that that in five years, the landscapes will look very different and that these will be accepted medicines. And people will be talking about these transformative experiences in a way they now are closeted.

That's amazing. And we're just beginning, really, right?

It's really early days. And there's so much basic science to be done. There's so many more indications to be trialed. Andrew Weil believes they can help with psychosomatic illness, things like allergy, which is really interesting. He's very strong on the mind-body connection, and he thinks there's a whole area of autoimmune disease that needs to be looked at with this. Seems like there's a sea change, 'cause.

Colorado just knows... Something's going on, yeah.

This sentiment of swift, hopeful change was echoed in Dr. Hyman's conversations with diabetes expert Dr. Sarah Hallberg, again in his discussion with climate journalist David Wallace-Wells, and in his interview with former New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Deputy Commissioner, Dr. Sonya Angel.

When we began in this field, we constantly talk to each other about, okay, it'll happen. It will happen. You know, I think we're gonna get there. I think we're gonna get there. And all of a sudden, the discussions with providers in this field have changed to, We're there. It's happening. The change is now. My feeling is that the next set of guidelines, both the DGAs and the American Diabetes Association guidelines are going to have to acknowledge and move forward on recommending a low carbohydrate diet for patients with metabolic problems. I think we're gonna see change.

How long do you think it'll take before Medicare and insurers will pay for a digital healthcare program that reverses diabetes? 'Cause if that happens, it's a game changer.

It is a game changer. I don't know the answer to that. I think, again, that things are moving so quickly right right now that if you had asked me that a couple of years ago, I would have said, I don't know, not in my children's lifetime probably. And now I say, you know, I think that it may be right around the corner. I won't be surprised that that's not far off anymore.

There is unprecedented political movement around climate just over the last year, and that is really heartening to me. I turned this book in in September, and I actually didn't see much cause for optimism in our political life when I turned the book in September of 2018. The last nine months have produced a really dramatic political movement. And this is the second reason I have a lot more optimism than I would have a few years ago. Economists are really seeing a different picture out there than they used to. And it used to be the case that any economist would tell you that fast action on climate change would be very expensive and therefore not really worth doing. Right now, just over the last few years, economists doing new research have really reversed that logic. So they see rather than seeing fast action on climate as being expensive, they see inaction on climate as being much more expensive. and they say we would all be better off in relatively short order if we took more action sooner. What's happening right now, I think, at.

A really remarkable speed is this acknowledgement that what we're doing in the clinic needs to be connected to the community, but the way that it's being most commonly connected is through referrals. So we'll say we acknowledge, so we being, say, the medical community is saying, we acknowledge that the social determinants of health are incredibly important. Social determinants of health are things like housing, food, employment. And so we say, well, look, our patients in order to be healthy need to have jobs, they need to have a place to sleep, and they need to have food. And so we refer them effectively oftentimes into the community for them to get those resources. That's happening even more so. And some of the things you're talking about, coaching in the community, the National Diabetes Prevention Program, all of these things we're starting to do more effectively in the community. And we haven't talked about healthcare that much over this point, but I really think also that's where a lot of, right now, some of the most interesting innovation of really connecting what's happening in the community with what's happening in the clinics is happening in a way that's also aligning the way that we're reimbursing. And when you have your financial incentives recognizing the need for our clinical interventions to connect with community, that's when actually it happens more effectively.

Right, I mean, right now the way the incentives are is that you get paid for doing an amputation on a diabetic, $10,000, but you won't get reimbursed for seeing a nutritionist, even though that may, or a health coach or community health worker, which is actually what maybe needs to happen.

And all of that's changing very quickly.

There is no lack of doom and gloom in today's world, and yet when you look closely, there are many reasons to remain optimistic about our future. By taking a perspective of hope and activism, we can shift our health, our food system, and our planet in a new direction. If you enjoyed this mini episode of the Doctor's Pharmacy, please consider sharing it with friends and family. Thanks for tuning in. Hi everyone. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode. Just a reminder that this podcast is for educational purposes only. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. This podcast is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. If you're looking for help in your journey, seek out a qualified medical practitioner. If you're looking for a functional medicine practitioner, you can visit ifm.org and search their find a practitioner database. It's important that you have someone in your corner who's trained, who's a licensed healthcare practitioner, and can help you make.

Changes, especially when it comes to your health. Don't forget, there's a way to listen completely ad free with Hyman Plus on Apple Podcasts. You can enjoy every episode without any breaks. Just open Apple Podcasts and tap try free to start your seven day free trial.