Why the Health Edge?

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“It’s not what we don’t know that gets us into trouble. It’s what we know that ain’t so”.

Will Rogers

We believe the explosion of life science research from many disciplines had catapulted ahead of our capacity to process, integrate, understand, and apply. We are interested in translating all that is out there as news to use. A fundamentally different understanding of human biology has emerged. The implications from the perspective of self-care are profound. We are rapidly moving away from the debate of nature versus nurture toward an understanding that life emerges from a dynamic landscape of nature via nurture. We are passionate about the science. We are passionate about the implications. We believe in the capacity and possibility made possible by being alive here and now! We are beautifully designed to be on the African Savannah, living fully integrated with our planet, and in the context of social relationship. Our modern environment is not well designed to promote human health and the capacity to thrive. Many are struggling to maintain balance and traction in lives that often feel overwhelming and frightening.

The challenge is to better leverage our superb ancestral adaptation for a different and radically challenging modern environment. Everything that touches us today has the potential be be very familiar or totally foreign. The less aware one is of the day to day distance between what we are biologically , as a species, “familiar with” and what we actually encounter, the fewer the possibilities for more effective alignment. Leaving one’s health trajectory to chance in our modern environment is a very risky proposition.

We are interested in holding the science to the light with an open and humbled mindset. We are intrepid explorers interested in how we emerge in the midst of our relationship with the environmental inputs of our lives…how we eat, how we move, how we sleep, how we navigate the mind fields of conflict in our lives, how socially connected we are, how we manage the burden of environmental toxins in our lives, how much meaning we cultivate in our work, love, play and how we interpret and respond to stress in our lives.

The Health Edge Podcast will be an ongoing conversation between us and other guests that will examine all things health through a provocative and thoughtful lens…applying the science, acknowledging its limitations and recognizing that still, in this era of the information-age revolution, much of the beauty, mystery, and wisdom of life raises far more questions than it does answers.  We will drill deep, share all that our experiences have taught us, and do all that we can to create value for you as you seek to find your health edge.

We always welcome your feedback!

John and Mark

10 thoughts on “Why the Health Edge?

  1. Kathy Coleman

    Attended Food as Medicine recently at Kripalu and really appreciated both of your information and perspectives. I had an opportunity to have lunch with you and heard about Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof work and coffee. I am enjoying his coffee most mornings. I read his book and was surprised to read that he finds garlic and onions not as helpful as other veggies. Would like to get your take on the diet part of his work. Thanks

    • Hi Kathy,
      I really like Dave Asprey’s work and also enjoy Bulletproof coffee. For the most part his Bulletproof Diet is a Paleo approach and emphasizes clean-sourced foods, avoidance of grains, dairy, legumes, etc…as Paleo prescribes. I do tend to be more “forgiving” with beans, legumes and dairy if people tolerate them without problems (guess I’m a bit of a paleo moderate). With respect to onions and garlic, Dave has noted alterations in alpha brain wave activity and cognitive performance when consuming larger quantities. Interesting yes, but for the average person I treat and partner with, any shift from processed, carb-dense foods to more onions and garlic could only be a profound upgrade. These are important members of the allium family, are nutrient dense, have lots of great fiber (happy microbiome) and are sulfa-rich, important for detoxification and sulfation pathways. There is very little in Dave’s Bulletproof Diet that I don’t agree with. I do feel it is best to meet people where they are at and most are not the refined biohackers Dave is. I would like to see more data on the cognitive effects of garlic and onions AND I enjoy them as regular alliums in my daily diet. I say ENJOY!

      • Josh

        I was excited to finally find a quality website that seemed to contain helpful information, majority based off evidence based research. But to surprisingly read comments of support for one of the nutrition industry’s biggest snake oil salesman, Dave Asprey, causes a raise of concern. We can all agree that whole foods and food quality are vital but the bogus anecdotal claims and fear mongering of mycotoxins by Asprey are pointed out by many of the leading nutrition researchers and professionals.

        We won’t even get into Asprey’s overpriced “special” products encouraged to make your Bulletproof diet successful. While I respect the work of this program and website, as a RD and healthcare professional, I do have to say it’s discouraging to hear the support for Dave Asprey.

        But I will end on a positive note about the recent podcast over Depression and lifestyle change. It was insightful. Looking forward to your future podcasts, thank you.

        • Thanks for your candid feedback Josh! We take comments from Dave Asprey with a “grain of salt”…i do like his coffee.
          The issues-impact of mycotoxins on health is a complex topic open to much speculation. I believe dave Asprey had unique and severe reactions, more so than most
          that clearly influence the way he views the relationship.
          Thanks for listening! Mark

  2. Dayna Jondal

    I absolutely love this podcast. Really does feel like I’m sitting in on “coffee hour” with Mark and John. Met Bagnulo at Food as Medicine in 2015, Minneapolis, and felt redeemed about many of my intuitive preferences for coffee (not filtered!), full-fat cream and consciously-sourced red meat. How liberating! Have my Masters in Integrative Health Coaching & working toward my yoga therapist certification at Kripalu. I just listened to your cancer podcast and deeply share the hope that we will empower and educate patients on what they can do to alter their metabolic profile, or to at least address the disease from several angles rather than just one. Thank you for this important work you’re doing and hope to meet you someday Mark! Maybe someday I’ll be lucky enough to move to the Berkshires.. (sigh).

  3. Lynn

    Good Day Mark and John! Curious on when you guys might be at Kripalu again? Love to come up and see you both again. Curious if you would consider doing a show on Milk, pasteurized vs unpasteurized, raw, organic etc. I know you did a show on raw milk, but love to hear your take on the downside of these other milk products. I have many clients that still want to feed their kids milk, curious if you have any good papers on the breakdown of this.

    Thanks!

  4. Rachel Frank-Tuomey

    Hi John and Mark. Enjoyed you at Food as Medicine at Kripalu some time back and have been a listener since. Really enjoyed the recent talk on Coffee, which I have not been consuming due to the toxins I feel are in most conventional forms (Dunkin, etc.). Could you make a recommendation on the type of beans/coffee to purchase and where one can get? Thanks!

    • SURE, WATER-WASHED BEANS THAT ARE GROWN AT ALTITUDE OFFER THE MOST HEALTH BENEFITS WITH THE LEAST MYCOTOXIN CONTAMINATION. I LIKE DEAN’S BEANS AS AN EXCELLENT PURVEYOR OF SUCH BEANS. I ALSO EMPHASIZE ORGANIC OR ECO-SUSTAINABLE AS WELL AS WATER-WASHED.
      CHEERS
      John

  5. Bruce Newton & Judy Sperling-Newton

    We rely on the Health Edge for accurate and up-to-date information on many aspects of wellness…nutrition, strength and movement, light, relationships, etc. Mark and John are not only brilliant scientists, but they are loving human beings who devote their time and expert knowledge to help us all live longer, healthier lives. We first met Mark and John at Kripalu and just recently returned from their Wellness Retreat in Costa Rica which was a life changing experience. We recommend that the next time these two offer a similar program, you leap at the opportunity to take advantage of it. You will be very happy to have done so!

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