The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

The Empowering Neurologist is an interview series with some of the most exciting thought leaders in the field of health and wellness.

The Empowering Neurologist Podcast is a health podcast hosted by David Perlmutter, with 222 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

David Perlmutter hosts The Empowering Neurologist Podcast, a health show with 222 episodes published.

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  The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

  Why Women’s Brain Fog Gets Dismissed with Dr. Nicole Beurkens & Emma Heming Willis | E223

  Aug 19, 20261h 2m

  Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️====Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https://drperlmutter.com/books/brain-defenders/.====What if one of the most important windows for protecting women’s brain health happens decades before Alzheimer’s symptoms ever appear?On this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, we explore the growing conversation around women, hormonal transition, and long-term brain health with two guests bringing very different, and deeply complementary, perspectives: Emma Heming Willis and Dr. Nicole Beurkens.Together, they examine a critical question: Why are women disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and what role might hormonal changes play?00:00 Intro04:47 The First Signs of Bruce Willis’ FTD06:37 Receiving a Diagnosis With No Roadmap08:08 Emma’s Journey From Caregiver to Advocate10:18 How Understanding the Brain Can Reduce Fear12:06 From Brain Fog to Brain Health15:45 Why Women Face a Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s17:44 The Missing Conversation Around Brain Health21:37 Building Brain Health in Your 20s and 30s24:16 It’s Never Too Late to Support Brain Health26:53 Why Connection Matters for People With Dementia30:01 What Happens to the Brain During Perimenopause35:53 The Debate Around Hormone Replacement Therapy38:34 Why Does Frontotemporal Dementia Happen?40:11 Modifiable Risk Factors and Alzheimer’s Prevention44:43 Teaching Kids Brain-Healthy Habits46:40 Why Mainstream Medicine Is Missing the Brain Health Conversation50:48 Empowerment vs. Blaming Patients53:04 Alzheimer’s Is a Disease of Decades56:19 The One Thing Every Woman Can Do for Her Brain56:50 Emma’s Message to Families Facing Dementia58:29 From Fear to Empowerment====Emma brings the perspective of lived experience. As the wife of actor Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, she has experienced the realities of caregiving firsthand. Rather than stepping away from that experience, she has used it to advocate for caregivers and women’s brain health. She is the co-founder of Make Time Wellness and the author of The Unexpected Journey, which combines personal experience with practical guidance for navigating the challenges of caregiving.Dr. Nicole Beurkens brings nearly three decades of clinical and nutritional expertise. A licensed psychologist and Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist, Dr. Beurkens focuses on the intersection of brain function, metabolism, nutrition, and lifestyle—and how these factors can influence long-term neurological health.___________________________Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/Subscribe to our channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRl_UAXxbHyOOjklnA0dxQ/?sub_confirmation=1

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  Episode #219

  The Metabolic Switch That Turns Your Brain Against Itself | E219

  Jul 28, 202632 min

  Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️====Dr. Perlmutter's groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com .What if everything you've been told about Alzheimer's, that it's caused by sticky plaque building up in your brain, is missing the real story? In this episode, Dr. David Perlmutter makes the case that the true driver of neurodegeneration isn't plaque at all. It's your own brain's immune cells turning against you.For decades the field blamed beta-amyloid protein for Alzheimer's. Perlmutter walks through a mechanism reshaping the science: the dysregulation of microglia, the immune cells that can either protect your brain or actively destroy it depending on how you live.We dig into the chilling Parkinson's case where contaminated heroin froze patients like statues and revealed immune cells still attacking the brain decades later, why the same self-perpetuating inflammation shows up in CTE, long COVID, and PTSD, how your gut and blood sugar flip these cells into attack mode, the 14 metabolic risk factors that could prevent up to half of dementia cases, and the MIT-pioneered 40 Hz light and sound therapy that slowed cognitive decline and stabilized brain volume in human trials. 00:00 - Introduction 00:22 - The Plaque Theory and Why It's Incomplete 00:32 - Meet the Microglia: Your Brain's Immune System 00:57 - Supportive vs. Threatening: The M1/M2 Switch 01:43 - Why This Underlies Nearly Every Neurodegenerative Disease 02:35 - The Frozen Patients: A Parkinson's Mystery at Stanford 03:06 - Contaminated Heroin and the MPTP Discovery 04:09 - How a Mitochondrial Toxin Destroys Dopamine Cells 05:46 - Microglia Still Attacking Decades Later 06:27 - The Self-Perpetuating Inflammatory Cycle 07:21 - The Same Pattern in CTE, Long COVID, and PTSD 08:08 - Paraquat, Pesticides, and Parkinson's Risk 10:45 - What Flips Your Cells Into Attack Mode 11:57 - Leaky Gut, the Microbiome, and Your Brain 13:59 - Imaging Threatening Cells in Living People 15:44 - Immunometabolism: Why Brain Cells Change Function 18:05 - 14 Risk Factors That Could Prevent Half of Dementia 18:41 - The Breakthrough: Reprogramming Your Microglia 21:19 - Don't Wait for Symptoms: Intervene Early 22:56 - The Toolkit: Diet, Exercise, Fasting, Sleep, and More 25:26 - 40 Hz Gamma Frequency: MIT's Pioneering Technology 26:20 - Light Flicker Studies and Beta-Amyloid Reduction 27:38 - Human Trials: Slowing Cognitive Decline 30:28 - Stabilizing Brain Volume on MRI 31:10 - Conclusion: You Are the Architect of Your BrainDr. David Perlmutter, MD is a board-certified neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition whose work sits at the intersection of neurology, nutrition, and preventive medicine. He received his M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed his neurology residency there before entering private practice in Naples, Florida. He serves as Director of Neuroscience Research at Bryan Therapeutics and sits on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. A six-time New York Times bestselling author published in more than 30 languages, his books include the #1 bestseller Grain Brain, Brain Maker, The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, Brain Wash, and Drop Acid. His next book, Brain Defenders: Harness the Power of Your Immune Cells to Protect Your Brain for Life (Avery / Penguin), focuses on microglia and is scheduled for publication in August 2026.___________________________Instagram: / davidperlmutterWebsite: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel:/ @davidperlmuttermd

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  Episode #219

  Why Removing Amyloid From the Brain Isn't Enough to Stop Alzheimer's with Dr. Jonathan Fellows | E220

  Jul 23, 202654 min

  Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️ Thank you to our sponsors:EVY - https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter and the code perlmutter26 will be auto-applied to your order to get $200 off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). 3x4 Genetics - https://3x4genetics.com/DrPerlmutter for a special offer when you sign up to decode your genetics and get personalized, science-backed health recommendations. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com . ====What if the gene you've been told to fear isn't actually a verdict on your future, and the disease you're racing to treat has already been silently progressing for two to three decades before anyone notices? In this episode, Dr. Jonathan Fellows joins me to challenge how we think about Alzheimer's risk, diagnosis, and treatment, making the case that early detection and lifestyle intervention matter more than the medications most people pin their hope on. Dr. Jonathan Fellows is a neurologist with more than 25 years of clinical experience and serves as the Director of the Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorder Center at the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders, part of Corewell Health in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the largest private practice neurology group in the state. 00:00 - Introduction 00:39 - Brain Defenders: A New Way to Think About Brain Health 02:59 - Welcoming Dr. Jonathan Fellows 03:51 - Why Neurology School Doesn't Teach Prevention 05:27 - Inside the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders 07:44 - Starting the Conversation When a Family Gets the Alzheimer's Diagnosis 08:00 - Apraxia and the Real Warning Signs of Cognitive Decline 09:00 - Why Amyloid Alone Doesn't Equal an Alzheimer's Diagnosis 09:55 - The Centiloid Score: Measuring Amyloid in the Brain 11:21 - Blood-Based Biomarkers and the Rise of P-tau 217 13:19 - Elevated P-tau 217 at 40: A Wake-Up Call You Can't Ignore 13:32 - Habits in Your 30s and 40s vs. Disease in Your 60s and 70s 16:53 - 40 Hz Light Therapy and Cognitive Decline 18:53 - Why Not Every Amyloid-Positive Patient Should Get Anti-Amyloid Drugs 21:00 - Alzheimer's Drug Therapy Today vs. Where MS Treatment Stood in the 90s 23:59 - Why Early and Presymptomatic Detection Matters 25:21 - Will Anti-Amyloid Drugs Be Pushed to Presymptomatic Patients? 25:39 - What We Know for a Fact About Lifestyle and Disease Progression 26:27 - A Real Patient Case: When to Say No to Anti-Amyloid Drugs 28:30 - APOE Explained: The Gene That Changes Your Alzheimer's Risk 31:49 - 3X4 Genetics: Your DNA Isn't a Verdict 33:47 - How Exercise Can Offset APOE4 Risk 34:10 - APOE4 Is Not Deterministic — and Saying Otherwise Is Malpractice 34:51 - Down Syndrome, Presenilin, and the Truly Deterministic Cases 35:42 - ARIA Risk and Why Europe Restricts Anti-Amyloid Drugs for APOE4 Carriers 38:00 - Where Anti-Amyloid Drugs Still Fit in Treatment 39:14 - Current Clinical Trials at the Michigan Institute 39:49 - Programmable Microglia: The Brain's Immune System Explained 41:01 - Good Twin, Bad Twin: How Microglia Switch From Protector to Threat 42:09 - Beta-Amyloid as an Antimicrobial Defender? Rethinking the Enemy Narrative 42:49 - Insulin Resistance and the Brain-Metabolism Connection 43:41 - The Diabetes Epidemic Hiding in Plain Sight 43:58 - The Rainbow Lunchbox: A Preschooler Who Got It Wrong and Right 44:49 - Why a Third of Americans Are Pre-Diabetic and Don't Know It 46:30 - Closing Thoughts ___________________________Instagram: / davidperlmutter Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: / @davidperlmuttermd

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  Episode #219

  87% of Parkinson's Cases Have No Genetic Cause: It's in Our Environment with Dr. Ray Dorsey | E219

  Jul 8, 20261h 6m

  🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱 Thank you to our sponsors: EVY - https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter and the code perlmutter26 will be auto-applied to your order to get $200 off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). 3x4 Genetics - https://3x4genetics.com/DrPerlmutter for a special offer when you sign up to decode your genetics and get personalized, science-backed health recommendations. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com . ==== What if Parkinson's isn't the genetic lottery we've been told it is, but a largely man-made disease driven by what we breathe, eat, and walk through every day? In this episode, Dr. Ray Dorsey returns to the podcast for his third conversation, this time to make the case that Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimer's, and the rising tide of brain diseases sweeping the modern world are not inevitable inheritances but environmental consequences we have the power to change. Dr. Ray Dorsey is the Director of the Center for the Brain and the Environment at the Atria Health and Research Institute, where the mission is to identify the root causes of brain diseases from autism to Alzheimer's so they can be prevented. He is the co-author of Ending Parkinson's Disease and author of the new New York Times bestseller The Parkinson's Plan , which lays out a new path to preventing and treating one of the world's fastest growing diseases. 00:00 - Introduction: The Smoking Gun of Modern Brain Disease 00:42 - A New Way to Think About Brain Health: Brain Defenders 03:03 - Why Parkinson's Is Pretty Much Preventable 03:21 - Welcoming Dr. Ray Dorsey 04:36 - The Big Thesis: Parkinson's Is a Man-Made Disease 05:24 - What Defines a Man-Made Disease 05:59 - From 6 Cases in 1817 to 11.8 Million Today 06:53 - The Lung Cancer Parallel 07:22 - The PD GENEration Study: 87% Have No Genetic Cause 08:35 - Why Rising Cases Prove It's Environmental 09:55 - TCE and Perc: The Dry Cleaning Chemicals Linked to Parkinson's 11:08 - Glyphosate, Paraquat, and Mitochondrial Damage 15:13 - Practical Steps to Lower Your Exposure 16:58 - Sponsor: 40 Hz Light Therapy with EVY Light 18:58 - The South Dakota Cluster: Living Next to Cornfields 20:25 - Paraquat: Banned in 70 Countries, Still Used in the US 22:54 - Chlorpyrifos and the IQ Drop in Children 25:38 - The Audacity: Why 1 in 31 Kids Have Autism 26:10 - Pesticides in Breast Milk and Across the Placenta 30:00 - Misfolded Proteins and Loss of Smell as Early Warning 32:25 - Air Pollution: The Hidden Driver of Neurodegeneration 33:46 - The $50 Billion Economic Burden of Brain Disease 35:00 - Dr. Langston's MPTP Discovery: The First Environmental Cause 37:00 - Microglia, Mitochondria, and the Inflammation Cascade 40:30 - The Diabetes-Parkinson's Connection 42:00 - The Parkinson's 25: Practical Steps in the Book 47:30 - Carl's Story: Parkinson's at Age 17 from a Golf Course 50:00 - Why Golf Courses Could Spray Less 51:30 - Secondhand Exposure: You Don't Have to Apply It 53:00 - Soccer Players, ALS, and Heading the Ball 55:50 - Michael J. Fox, CTE, and the Multiple-Hit Hypothesis 57:30 - Resources: Environmental Working Group and Non-Toxic Neighborhoods 1:00:30 - The Mission of Neurology: Asking Why 1:01:30 - The Rising Tide of Brain Disease 1:03:30 - The Lancet Report on Modifiable Risk Factors 1:04:43 - Closing Thoughts ___________________________ Instagram: / davidperlmutter Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: / @davidperlmuttermd

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  Episode #218

  The AI That Caught What Every Doctor Missed — Genome-Powered Medicine Is Here with Dr. Don Brown | E218

  Jun 23, 202656 min

  🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱 Thank you to our sponsors: EVY - https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter and the code perlmutter26 will be auto-applied to your order to get $200 off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). 3x4 Genetics - https://3x4genetics.com/DrPerlmutter for a special offer when you sign up to decode your genetics and get personalized, science-backed health recommendations. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com . ==== What if the future of medicine isn't a smarter doctor, but a thinking partner that can hold your entire biology in mind at once? In this episode, Dr. Don Brown joins me to make the case that AI in medicine isn't a replacement for the clinician. It's an ally capable of seeing patterns no human brain could hold together on its own. Dr. Don Brown is a physician, computer scientist, and serial entrepreneur whose last software company sold for $1.4 billion in 2016. He returned to graduate school in his mid-50s to study biotechnology at Johns Hopkins, founded Lifeomic in 2017, and now leads Bioscope, a platform that uses AI to integrate a patient's entire biological picture into one dynamic view of health. We dig into why fragmented medicine fails at prevention, how Bioscope ingests the whole genome, microbiome, epigenome, and medical records into a single synoptic view, the real case where AI flagged arsenic toxicity in a patient misdiagnosed with restless leg syndrome, and what it looks like when AI personas begin guiding patients through their own protocols in real time. 00:00 - Introduction 00:53 - A New Way to Think About Brain Health: Brain Defenders 03:18 - Welcoming Dr. Don Brown 06:46 - From Physics to MD to Software Entrepreneur 09:01 - Back to Grad School at Johns Hopkins 10:35 - The Lifeomic Years: Cancer Care in the Cloud 12:34 - The Spark Behind Bioscope 15:27 - Building the Ultra-Secure Health Data Repository 16:26 - 40 Hz Light Therapy and Cognitive Decline 18:26 - The Epigenome: Why Your Genes Aren't Your Destiny 19:32 - Decoding the Microbiome and Mitochondrial Genetics 22:25 - What AI Actually Does With Your Health Data 23:39 - The Synoptic View: Borrowing From Aviation 26:36 - The 15 Dimensions of Health 29:23 - Why the Patient History Still Matters 30:23 - Inside the Bioscope Interface 31:38 - A Real Case: AI Catches Arsenic Toxicity 33:13 - Personalized Brain Health: 3X4 Genetics 35:10 - The Driverless Car Moment for Medicine 37:07 - Marketing to Concierge Physicians 40:33 - How Patient Data Gets Into the System 42:30 - Image Analysis and Specialized AI Partners 45:33 - The Biggest Misconception Patients Have About AI 47:14 - Meet Lumina: The Physician's AI Persona 48:00 - Cairo and the Future of AI Health Coaching 50:13 - Different AI Personas for Patients and Physicians 51:39 - Why Concierge Doctors Are Mobbing the Booth 55:00 - Closing Thoughts ___________________________ Instagram: / davidperlmutter Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: / @davidperlmuttermd

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