Mind & Matter

Updated: 16 Jun 2025 • 238 episodes
mindandmatter.substack.com

Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it. The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today. Not medical advice. At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it. As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet. I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint. My beliefs: Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.All knowledge is provisional and we must work hard to prevent ourselves from becoming attached to our favorite ideas & preferred conclusions.Wisdom comes from an iterative, trial-and-error process of learning and unlearning. Letting go of pre-conceived notions can be painful, but pain is information. Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)“Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)“Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)

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Send us a text How dietary fats and cannabinoids shape brain function and mental well-being. Episode Summary: Dr. Steven Laviolette discusses the role of lipids, particularly endocannabinoids and fatty acids, in brain signaling and mental health, discussing how dietary omega-3 and omega-6 imbalances, prenatal THC expos

72 min
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Send us a text Are seed oils really driving chronic disease (and sunburns), or is it hype? Episode Summary: Dr. Brian Kerley talks about the health impacts of seed oils, their high omega-6 fatty acid content, and their role in chronic diseases through mechanisms like lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. They explor

130 min
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Send us a text A critique of SSRIs and pharma’s influence on medicine, including SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, suicidality, and violence.  Long Summary: Dr. David Healy critiques modern medicine, focusing on SSRIs and psychiatric medicine, including: how pharmaceutical companies manipulate clinical trial data, ghost

130 min
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Send us a text Episode Summary: Dr. Andrew Chadeayne discusses the chemistry of psilocybin and other psychedelics, their potential therapeutic applications, and the challenges of commercializing them in a shifting biotech market. The conversation delves into the complexities of magic mushroom composition, debunking myt

98 min
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Send us a text Episode Summary: Dr. Michael Wheeler talks about neuroimmune interactions, exploring how the immune system and brain communicate, particularly through the blood-brain barrier and meninges; how chronic stress and inflammation can alter brain circuits, contributing to mood disorders like depression; how dr

69 min
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Send us a text Episode Summary: New research on how dietary fats, particularly omega-6 fatty acids like linoleic acid, influence triple-negative breast cancer progression by activating the mTOR pathway, a key regulator of cell growth; role of the FABP5 protein in enhancing cancer cells’ sensitivity to omega-6 fats; dif

107 min
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