Podcasts about eegs

Jay Dhaliwal, founder of Super Patch, joins Mind Pump to break down one of the most unconventional technologies in health and wellness — haptic patches that alleviate pain, improve sleep, boost athletic performance, and more with zero compounds or drugs.  Sal opens up about being deeply skeptical until reviewing the peer-reviewed studies, and the guys walk Jay through the entire origin story — from a passion project to help his mother with MS, to 17 years of research, $40 million of his own money, and 16 published peer-reviewed studies.  They cover the neuroscience of how skin receptors communicate with the brain, what the studies actually show (50% pain reduction, 85% sleep improvement, 5–8% athletic performance gains in D1 athletes), and why half the teams in the NFL are already using the product. Super Patch — https://mindpump.superpatch.com $30 off — no code needed, discount automatically applied at checkout (price drops from $99 to $69) SPONSORS Seed Daily Synbiotic — https://seed.com/mindpump Code: 25MINDPUMP — 25% off first month MAPS 15 BOGO — https://maps15bogo.com Buy 1 get 1 FREE — limited time (all 7 MAPS 15 programs same price) LINKS Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com Instagram: @mindpumpmedia 0:00 - Intro 1:48 - What is Super Patch? Sal's skepticism and what changed his mind 5:13 - How this compares to when red light therapy first came on the scene 8:02 - Jay's origin story — his mother's MS and 17 years of research 13:16 - The Loretta Z database — quarter million EEGs and the search for normative neural networks 20:10 - The first breakthrough — identifying the vestibular response network in 2014 24:47 - First proof: comparing his mother's EEG against the normative database 27:43 - From brainwaves to skin receptors — how Braille unlocked the next phase 30:08 - The 2010 discovery of piezo two ion channels and skin sensation science 34:07 - The first product — socks that improved balance and gait by 31% 36:59 - Brain mapping 35 people with the world's leading EEG expert — the impossible result 39:07 - How the pattern in the patch is designed — 1200 iterations of micro tooling 43:52 - 2017 Japan study — skin sensation is permanently imprinted on the sensory cortex 45:46 - From socks to patches — how pain and sleep networks were identified 49:01 - The first clinical study — 50% reduction in perceived pain, 70% reduction in interference scores 53:02 - Sleep study results — 85% of subjects went from bad sleep to good or great sleep 56:51 - Pain relief comparable to 400mg Advil — without the drug 58:38 - Stress patch — 33% reduction in perceived stress, 24% improvement in mental health factors 1:01:35 - D1 athlete study — 5–8% improvement in lower extremity power at University of Arizona 1:03:55 - Half the NFL is already using Super Patch 1:04:17 - Stacking patches — which combinations work best for athletes 1:05:30 - Neuroplasticity — why your baseline gets higher over time with consistent use 1:07:52 - Full product lineup — pain, sleep, stress, focus, libido, immune, Zen flow state & more 1:11:28 - Appetite suppression pilot — 20% improvement in resting metabolic rate 1:13:32 - 5000 MDs in America now recommending Super Patch  

Jay Gunkelman goes in BLIND on Case 9 — an 18-year-old's eyes-open EEG, age only, no history. Joshua Moore bet his car on a left posterior concussion. Jay sees something deeper: a thalamocortical dysrhythmia at the anterior cingulate, slow and fast rhythms coupled together, beta spindling above 30 Hz that most databases can't even see. Left-side mu disconnect shutting down the language hemisphere. Posterior insula, left side. After half a million EEGs, Jay's verdict isn't a diagnosis — it's a phenotype that tells you how to treat it, not what to call it.

Jay Gunkelman goes in BLIND on Case 8 — a 30-year-old whose eyes-open EEG looks like eyes-closed. Alpha at 150 microvolts. Widespread. Anteriorized. Not responding to eye opening. After half a million EEGs, Jay calls the phenotype on sight: vigilance regulation problem, not attention. Left-side mu disconnect. Right-parietal alpha persistence. Frontal alpha hyper-coherence climbing from 0.5 eyes-open to 0.6+ eyes-closed — affect regulation flag. Plus a treatment map more granular than the room expected: FC beta for salience activation, C3 for language, C4 for affect, C4-to-PZ for the parietal alpha that won't quit. And a history segment most listeners have never heard — the first transmitted EEG in 1974, phase-lock loops over voice-grade phone lines, Trudy and Eric Gibbs, Larry Wood's engineering. Stay for the inter-rater reliability number that should end the classical-EEG debate: 90% on phenotypes vs 30-40% on traditional reads.

Charlotte Mason Inspired Mini-Series: Imparting Morals to Our Children with Liz Cottrill, Special Patreon Release   Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."   *Transcription Below*   Questions and Topics We Discuss: What are the benefits of reading and reading aloud and how can we prioritize making this a frequent rhythm in our homes? What do the Gospels teach us about God's view of children? As parents, if we focused on nothing else, what is your highest recommendation for cultivating a moral and righteous character in our children?   Liz Cottrill is mother of six and grandmother of fifteen who homeschooled for 35 years. For 17 years, Liz has worked with her daughter, Emily,  in their family-owned Living Books Library serving local homeschool families in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia. For the past 25 years, Liz has been discovering and teaching about the beauty and purpose of a Charlotte Mason method of education. This led to the development of A Delectable Education podcast. In addition, she does personal consultations with homeschool families around the world. Her greatest passion outside of family and teaching about Charlotte Mason is developing and teaching women's Bible studies. Liz is a reading maniac and delights in spending time with her family and walking and biking with her husband.   Books Liz Mentioned: The Chronicles of Narnia Heidi Little House on the Prairie Series The Yearling Little Britches Series The Secret Garden Where the Red Fern Grows Little Women The Singing Tree The Little White Horse Books by Beverly Cleary and Carolyn Haywood   A Delectable Education Website   Living Books Library   Thank You to Our Sponsors: Chick-fil-A East Peoria and The Savvy Sauce Charities (and donate online here)   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook or Instagram or Our Website   Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review, and subscribing to this podcast!   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”   Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”   Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”   John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”   Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:08)   Laura Dugger: (0:09 - 1:59) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   I want to say a huge thank you to today's sponsors for this episode, Chick-fil-A East Peoria and Savvy Sauce Charities.   Are you interested in a free college education for you or someone you know? Stay tuned for details coming later in this episode from today's sponsor, Chick-fil-A East Peoria. You can also visit their website today at Chick-fil-A.com forward slash East Peoria.   If you've been with us long, you know this podcast is only one piece of our nonprofit, which is the Savvy Sauce Charities. Don't miss out on our other resources. We have questions and content to inspire you to have your own practical chats for intentional living. And I also hope you don't miss out on the opportunity to financially support us through your tax-deductible donations. All this information can be found on our recently updated website, thesavvysauce.com.   Today is the final episode in our mini-series, where we've been learning the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy. And today we're going to tie it in with general parenting principles, all of which are rooted in scripture.   My guest is Liz Cottrill, and she has parented babies to adults, and she's also a grandmother. So, we have a lot to learn from her experience. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Liz.   Liz Cottrill: (1:59 - 2:03) Well, thank you so much for having me. I am just honored to be with you today.   Laura Dugger: (2:04 - 2:08) Will you just begin by sharing your testimony with us?   Liz Cottrill: (2:09 - 4:12) Well, it's kind of long, but I'll make it as short as I can. I grew up in an unbelieving family, but we were churchgoers. And when I was 12 years old, I put my trust in Christ.   After listening to a 17-year-old boy at a youth group meeting who presented the gospel so clearly for me that I understood and wanted to receive Christ. And then I met my husband in high school in German class. Actually, I don't remember very much German, but I was interested in him and he with me because we were Christians.   And we just got off on that foot together. And we have been married 46 years, always trying to put Christ first in our family and in our life. I have six children who are all grown now.   Two came to us by adoption later on in our life. And I have four married children with 15 grandchildren. And grand is just a minimal word for what they are.   I have been homeschooling for 37 years. I graduated my last child just this past spring, and it's been a long journey. It was illegal when I first began.   And I struggled to know the right path, you know, when and how and what subjects to teach and all of that. And a friend gave me a copy of Susan Schaefer McCauley's, For the Children's Sake, which I immediately gravitated to and started the narration way of teaching and using nature and art. But it really was another five years before I understood a lot more about Charlotte Mason and tried to implement more of her ideas.   And then when my grown daughter Emily, 15 years ago, started reading me her actual writings, it wasn't really until then that I started to understand her method.   Laura Dugger: (4:13 - 4:23) Well, and that's incredible. You mentioned it was illegal at that time to homeschool. And you've said before that you and your husband had never even heard of homeschooling when you met. Right.   Liz Cottrill: (4:23 - 6:15) So, how did you make that choice? You know, it's funny. I had my first child, and I remember a conversation with friends in the nursery at church when we were out of the service with our little ones.   And some of them were teachers, and they were talking about how it would be so wonderful if we could just keep our children out of public school and teach them Ourselves. And that put a little seed in my mind. And then I heard Dr. Dobson interview someone on homeschooling when she was about maybe two. And a year later, a friend took me to a kind of clandestine meeting of homeschool people with a national educator who was big on the idea. And we just decided that was the way we wanted to go. There were people that were actually being prosecuted for truancy and things like that when I started.   But we just wanted to be above board right from the beginning. So, I called the school board and just said, “I'm not going to send my child to school. I'm going to keep him at home, but I just want you to know he is being educated.”   Sorry. And so, you know, they didn't mind it. But I kind of marveled that I did that.   And I had to kind of beg, borrow and steal materials from friends who were ex-teachers and so on and didn't know really what I was about. I just remembered my own experience and tried to replicate that as best I could. And anyway, it was a process.   And by the time my fourth child was in school, there were absolutely no laws at all on the books about homeschooling in Michigan where we live. So, there had been several stages of them becoming more open to it over the 10 years since I started.   Laura Dugger: (6:16 - 6:44) Wow. And I love how that seed was planted through a conversation. And I've spoken with some mothers who have chosen to homeschool, and I've always been intrigued by this concept of morning time.   They say that they use that time to gather their children and read the Bible together. So, even broader than that, will you vision cast what type of healthy rhythm is available with Charlotte Mason's recommended schedule?   Liz Cottrill: (6:45 - 8:29) Well, she was a proponent of very short lessons, which for children under nine would be a maximum of 20 minutes long. And some of them are even shorter. And so school morning does run along at quite a little cliff because you're constantly changing pace.   But that is something that most six- and seven- and eight-year-olds love. And we do begin with Bible. And if you have children of multiple ages, the schedule broadens out for them.   I am not personally a big fan of the quote unquote morning time because all of her morning is together and separate and then together again. And what happens a lot of times when you have too long of a gathering of all ages is that the older children are then left with all the real hard toil at the end of the morning. And, you know, the little kids usually can only stand, you know, maybe half an hour at the most.   But we always sing a song and then had our Bible lesson, which Charlotte Mason has a wonderful plan for how to study Bible as a school subject so that they get to know the entire story from Genesis through Revelation. And then usually we have some poetry and then we just move into all our subjects, which vary from day to day. I mean, math and reading and things like that happen every day.   You know, some days we have art, some days we have geography, you know, all those things happen at various times through the week and not every single day. So, that helps you to cover a lot of ground in a week. That makes sense.   Laura Dugger: (8:30 - 8:36) That does. And so that may be the focus in the morning. And then what does that open up for the afternoon time?   Liz Cottrill: (8:36 - 9:43) So, afternoons are especially for young children, mostly free for them to play and explore and enjoy nature. There are some recommended activities that could occupy some of the afternoon hours, especially if you live in Michigan like I did. And we're snowed in much of the time in the winter months. ‍   But handicrafts and nature walks and reading and housework and things like that could be part of the afternoons. They're more open ended. They're not time limited the way school lesson mornings are.   So, it ushers in a sense of maybe a more leisurely pace in the afternoon, would you say? Yes. And, you know, you might say this afternoon after we come in from play or nature study, we're going to draw.   But there's no regulation that that has to end after 15 minutes or something. You know, some children get really involved in making up their own play or having a puppet show or just doing whatever they want with their free time. And they don't want to be curtailed, you know?   Laura Dugger: (9:44 - 9:56) Sure. And I'm wondering then for the mother, if she's the one doing the homeschooling, is that the time when you used it for lesson planning or preparing for the next day's work?   Liz Cottrill: (9:57 - 10:20) Or doing the laundry and getting dinner ready and all the other million things you have to do every day. Yeah, I usually encourage moms to take 10 minutes to plan for the next lesson day. And sometimes they get that done even before lunch so that when lunch happens, you know, basically their mind is off school and just on to all the other life that we have.   Laura Dugger: (10:21 - 10:29) Wow. And if this is new to someone and they hear 10 minutes to plan the next day's lessons, how is that possible?   Liz Cottrill: (10:32 - 11:06) Well, mostly because a lot of your lesson is already determined by the amount of time you have. There's only so much you can do in any lesson. A young child would have maybe 9 or 10 lessons in a morning.   But usually there's been some preplanning in the summer or before that school term starts. So, a lot of it, you already know what you're doing. And so, we're just specifically troubleshooting or figuring out what's going to happen the next day.   You know, so we give a right amount of math work or choose the vocabulary for the reading lesson or whatnot.   Laura Dugger: (11:07 - 11:41) Okay, that's helpful. And you say that your own education began when you were born into a family who loved and valued books. And Charlotte Mason is quoted saying, “The most common and the monstrous defect in the education of the day is that children fail to acquire the habit of reading.”   So, Liz, what are some of the benefits of both reading and reading aloud? And how can we prioritize making this a frequent rhythm in our homes?   Liz Cottrill: (11:43 - 15:13) I have to preface what I say by saying that this is a huge problem in our culture today. I don't know if you know that my daughter Emily and I started a library for homeschool families. And I have about 20,000 books in my library that we loan out to 40 to 50 families each year.   They have a membership, so they have access to wonderful books. But it wasn't long into this journey almost 20 years ago that I realized that most moms had not even read Little House on the Prairie. And very common children's books were a mystery to them because our culture has kind of lost the art of reading.   I think it's a pretty known fact that only one in four adults ever reads even one book in a year. And I guess books are critical to our culture. They're definitely integral to the whole education process of our children.   They can learn so much more through a whole book than they can through a few paragraphs in a textbook. And the bottom line is that you can't give your children what you don't love yourself. So, the best way to ensure that you make your child become a reader is to be a reader yourself.   So, children, I always say, have to be surrounded by books. There are even education studies out worldwide in all socioeconomic brackets that children who grew up in a home of 500 books or more automatically become readers as adults. I just think that's fascinating.   So, they need to be surrounded with books, but they need to see you reading. And we need to make time to read to them from the very youngest ages. They should be well into early chapter books by the time they ever start school.   And so, reading as a family is just a wonderful, enjoyable activity. I think that when I say they need to see you reading too, I just want to add that that doesn't mean on your phone. Because for all they know, you're looking at YouTube or Facebook or something like that.   I had a friend who said that she really woke up to this one day when her kids were running through the room and she was reading an actual book and her son stopped and said, what are you doing? It just shocked her because she was a reader, but she didn't often read from an actual book. I do think reading as a family builds a wonderful culture in your home.   It is one of the wonderful ways of keeping a family together. You have common jokes and insights and just conversations because of the things you've been reading together. And Charlotte Mason said that our books are our greatest teachers.   And I think that's because they fertilize a child's imagination. They give them so many ideas about the world that they just can't receive from TV or just our normal life. Reading really is the most countercultural thing that you can do.   It slows down our life, the pace that we all live at. It gives us time to spend together to relax. It brings a sense of peace in the home.   Just a lot of enjoyment to life. I can't imagine living without books.   Laura Dugger: (15:14 - 15:30) And Liz, I just get so excited to hear you describe all of this and some of the benefits and the culture that's added. Are there any other books you talked about? Little House on the Prairie.   Are there some other chapter books that you have especially fond memories of sharing with your family?   Liz Cottrill: (15:32 - 16:24) Well, it's no secret to the world, if anybody has ever heard me talk or read anything I've written, that Heidi by Johanna Sperry is probably my all-time favorite. I had my six-year-old daughter, my third daughter. I read it to all my kids.   I read all the books through to her over several weeks or whatnot. And at the end, she said, read it again as if it was a little picture book. And so, I just started it over again and we read it again. ‍ ‍   And then I promised her I'd read it to her every year while she was growing up. So, it's a precious book. I love Ralph Moody's Little Britches series for children and all the classic things, Anne of Green Gables and The Yearling.   And oh, my goodness, how many would you like me to say?   Laura Dugger: (16:25 - 16:29) Feel free to share a few more and I will put links to these in the show notes.   Liz Cottrill: (16:30 - 17:39) Well, the Narnia series and The Secret Garden, Where the Red Fern Grows, Little Women, The Singing Tree by Kate. It's pronounced Charity, S-E-R-E-D-Y. I could go on and on.   The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Gouge. Just dozens. And the fact is that great books are still being written today, but they're like a needle in a haystack.   And so, if you go back to books published before 1970, you are going to find just amazing books that still speak to children. Because adventures are always adventures to a child. They don't care if they were driving horse and buggy or old cars.   And books that children loved back in the last century, in the 20th century, it was the golden age of children's literature, they say. There were as many books published in the 1930 to 35 era as were in the previous 500 years for children. And it just grew from there.   Laura Dugger: (17:39 - 17:47) And there are a few reasons for that before 1970. Didn't that have to do with the library and with publishing houses?   Liz Cottrill: (17:48 - 18:40) Yes, the government passed an educational bill, 1964, I believe, President Johnson, that funded school libraries. So, all of a sudden, all of these small county schools and libraries that had very limited resources and had to be very picky and choosy about what books they put into their library had a flood of income. That produced a flood in the publishing houses of producing books of all kinds.   So, there is a lot of junk out there and unhelpful stuff. But the classics that I grew up on back in the 60s, Beverly Cleary and Carolyn Haywood and all the series they wrote for children are just timeless. My grandchildren still enjoy them, even though they like the latest and greatest, too.   Laura Dugger: (18:41 - 24:25) Sure, but that's helpful to have that context to realize that previously it used to be only the best of the best were able to be published. And that changed. And now a brief message from our sponsor.   Did you know you can go to college tuition-free just by being a team member at Chick-fil-A East Peoria? Yes, you heard that right. Free college education. All Chick-fil-A East Peoria team members in good standing are immediately eligible for a free college education through Point University. Point University is a fully accredited private Christian college located in West Point, Georgia.   This online, self-paced program includes 13 associate's degrees, 17 bachelor's degrees, and two master's programs, including an MBA. 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We are all about sharing around here, sharing resources, sharing joy, and sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. ‍   We ask that you also will share by sharing financially, sharing The Savvy Sauce podcast episodes, and sharing a five-star rating and review. You can also share any of our social media posts on Instagram or Facebook. We are grateful for all of it, and we just love partnering together with you.   Now, back to the show.   In addition to reading, handicrafts are another piece of the Charlotte Mason education. So, can you explain what is meant by that term handicrafts?   Liz Cottrill: (24:26 - 25:45) Well, it's a huge arena of things, but it's basically learning to work with your hands, doing purposeful tasks, making things that will make life beautiful. So, it's aesthetic as well as useful. So, I think we all could see that learning to knit is great fine motor training for a child, but being able to make a handmade sweater for someone is serviceable and lovely.   But all kinds of things, woodworking, embroidery and sewing, paper folding and origami, clay modeling, weaving, all of these things, basically a child can start at the rudimentary stage and develop over the years. And there was a huge emphasis with Charlotte Mason that these crafts would then give children opportunity to help and serve others. So, if you know how to work well with your hands, you'll be able to help someone change a tire, or you will be able to make cookies or gifts for people who are sick or shut in or lonely.   Just you'll be a useful person. And she was very interested in the whole person, not just training the mind.   Laura Dugger: (25:46 - 26:02) And I would love to know, I'm sure there's a lot of brain science behind this, even like we know that movement and physical activity, that there is a mind-body connection and how that even unlocks emotions. So, I wonder what is freed up when we work with our hands?   Liz Cottrill: (26:03 - 27:04) One of the things for little children in school, because this was part of the morning lessons, the training process the first few years, as they get older, they work more in that free afternoon time we were talking about. But it gives them a rest from all the effort of paying attention and thinking through things in school. And then there are just the benefits that we all benefit from serving other people.   We all benefit when we are doing something productive and not just rambling around the house, bored and looking out the windows and causing mischief too. So, I think it benefits the mother in many ways, because the children are trained up to learn how to do chores and housework. So, the whole family can be working together.   They can learn how to garden together. That can be a handicraft, for example, that brings in food. And then they can learn to can as they get older.   And, you know, the sky is the limit.   Laura Dugger: (27:06 - 27:32) That's really helpful to hear. And regardless of schooling choice, there is another Charlotte Mason principle that we all may relate to in parenting in general. And she explains the principles of authority on the one hand and obedience on the other are natural, necessary and fundamental.   So, what can this look like in our parenting?   Liz Cottrill: (27:33 - 29:31) You know, she also said that we as parents are deputed as the authority of our children by God. And I think when we realize that this is a God given office that we hold and by authority, I know a lot of people recoil a bit in our day and age, but she meant that we were made by God to lead and guide and protect the children under our care. And children naturally look to us for those things, don't they?   So, when that relationship is understood and a parent is comfortable with the fact that they are the authority in their child's life, the children stay in that role most naturally, too. They respond with trust and obedience. So, loving leadership, you know, is not, as some people think when we say authority over your child, it is not like being overbearing and dictatorial and arbitrary or inconsistent.   And, you know, both ends of that spectrum are a disrespect of the child as made in the image of God. And as someone who God has entrusted to you to bring up, to know him. So, much of what is considered love in our era is just pure child centeredness or indulgence of the child.   We think that's love and love and discipline go hand in hand. And by discipline, I don't mean corporal punishment at all. I think there are many ways to guide a child that help them feel that security, that someone knows the boundaries, that I'm safe within this space.   I have a lot of freedom as long as I obey within these limits. I think we're all like that, right.   Laura Dugger: (29:32 - 29:45) Absolutely. And you parented six children. So, what insight do you have for helping us teach our children to distinguish between I want and I will?   Liz Cottrill: (29:46 - 32:01) And this was a very helpful thing when I started reading Charlotte Mason, to have her distinguish some of these things, because, you know, as parents, we can get into power struggles with our children because we tell them or ask them or prefer them to do a certain thing. And they just don't want to. So, she taught that the will is our decision maker.   It's what causes us to choose things. It's our independence. I can say yes to this or no to this.   Right. But this is sometimes a struggle, even for us adults. I mean, the candy bar is laying there.   You know, you shouldn't eat it, but you want to. So, we all have big and little struggles with what we want versus what we know we ought to do. And she said children should have a sense of ought that they should know there is a right and a wrong.   So, she talked about how we can teach our children what we should do is what helps the other person or gives them their due rights. But the will can get kind of weary of making a lot of decisions, too. And we all talk in our day and age about decision fatigue.   Right. And so, she taught parents to teach a practice with their children how to rest the will when it is in that struggle or turmoil of having to decide whether I will clean my room because mother has asked me. But I do not want to do this nasty job.   So, she said to teach them how to turn their thoughts momentarily to some other thing. Think about something pleasant and desirable that you love just for a moment and then return to the decision at hand, and you will discover that automatically your will is stronger and able to do what it ought to do instead of just what you want to do. And it's really the whole call of Christ on all of our lives.   You know, he said, follow me, lay down your life, don't serve yourself, but serve others. And those are hard things. But when we think of him and the joy of serving him, they become easier to us.   And so, we're beginning to train our children to that habit, too.   Laura Dugger: (32:02 - 32:32) And like you said, yes, that's beneficial to all of us. Charlotte Mason is also quoted saying, the question is not how much does the youth know when he has finished his education, but how much does he care? So, Liz, from your experience home educating many children, how can each of us bring up our own children so that they do care and they do desire to be lifelong learners?   Liz Cottrill: (32:33 - 35:10) I think first is to recognize that every child has an innate desire to learn. A baby is curious from day one, right? We just see them interested in everything.   They're interested in things we have long since forgotten about. They notice everything. And in Charlotte Mason's method of educating, the entire curriculum was called a feast because there were so many different kinds of things.   You know, it's like a big smorgasbord for learning. And I think that in itself builds a lot of care and interest. You know, I think it's also the way God gave us his word and his world and said, taste and see that the Lord is good.   So, when we let our children learn a little bit of this and a little bit of that, they are tasting all kinds of things and discovering new delights all the time and things they would never have noticed or been interested in otherwise. I think it is not pushing our children ever in school. We have very false ideas sometimes about the level a child should be at.   We think more is better all the time. And we're always either pushing or pulling them, dragging them through where they're not really quite ready. I think it's also not leaning on rewards or penalties when it comes to school subjects, especially.   They're maybe not the best idea of parenting in any arena, but knowledge, Charlotte Mason said, is delectable. All kinds of knowledge. And I think that this carries over outside of school to help a childcare is to talk about interesting things with them all the time.   I think in general; parents don't talk to their children a whole lot anymore. We don't have just conversations on other topics that are not currently the hot thing on social media or something.   Interesting your children in a lot of different things is like amending your garden soil in the spring, you know, adding lots of different things so that you ensure a good crop. I think that when you give your children a little of this and that, you are automatically appealing to their instinctive curiosity. And you're giving them the idea that there are dozens and hundreds of things to know and they pursue them then.   Laura Dugger: (35:11 - 35:43) Well, learning is such a value in part because we hope to grow wise and provide a home environment where our children can grow wise as well. And it makes me think of Proverbs 9 10 that says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. So, how can we experience the Holy Spirit as our supreme educator and encourage our children in the same way?   Liz Cottrill: (35:44 - 37:01) Our children have a natural thirst for knowledge and truth. It's in the heart of every person who's made in God's image. And the spirit, of course, is the one who leads us into all truth.   There is no truth that is not God's truth. So, you stand as a teacher in Charlotte Mason's way of teaching. You are outside in a way you recognize that your child is the learner, and you are just presenting the lessons and the feast.   And it is amazing to see how the spirit does work in our children. One morning, this was brought home to me just personally by the Lord when I was reading the beginning of the book of Mark to my boys during our Bible lesson. And when I got to the phrase where John the Baptist says, “prepare the way of the Lord.” It was like the Holy Spirit tapped on my shoulder and said, “that is what you will be doing all morning.”   Because we don't know what God is going to use in their life. And the Holy Spirit does. So, I think it's a lot of trust that he is active and breathing life into our school lessons.   Laura Dugger: (37:02 - 37:03) I love that.   Liz Cottrill: (37:03 - 37:52) Prepare the way for the Lord. Yes. And, you know, we just are constantly amazed at what our children's insights into the scripture are.   But they have those insights when they're doing an art lesson and looking at a beautiful painting. They'll say, oh, this reminds me of or they receive instruction morally from their stories that they're reading. And even in geography and natural sciences, you know, they're seeing all the things God's made and it increases their wonder.   And, you know, the Holy Spirit speaks to them in all kinds of areas. So, I think allowing them to explore and engage, which, you know, traditional workbooks and textbooks do not allow for as much.   Laura Dugger: (37:53 - 38:37) Well, and even as you're speaking, it makes me think about Philippians 2:13, because you're talking about the part that is our part to do. But it also says, for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. So, that is helpful to realize we can help prepare the way for the Lord.   But he's the one who's going to give us and our children the desire to obey and learn these things. Well, and kind of on that topic, what control do you believe that we as parents have to influence the divine life of our child?   Liz Cottrill: (38:39 - 40:38) Well, I think God, in all his wisdom, made parents to be the primary influence in our child's life. You know, Deuteronomy talks about to teach these things to your children while you walk and while you sit and while you lie down and all those things. I'm not quoting it exactly, of course, here.   But so, it's a way of life. We have our mind on God, and he is the center of our life. Our children are automatically going to assume that that is a normal way of being.   But, you know, to a baby, we actually are God to them. We control everything for their life. And so, they begin learning and they're going to have their view of the world and of God shaped by our attitude toward our children, by our behavior toward them, the way we care for them.   If God is our orientation, he's going to be there when we're having fun or even in our discipline moments. God is going to be our reference point as a family. So, they grow up in this culture where God is first, and we look to him and everything.   And I don't mean this means we have to talk to our children about God all the time, but I think it's a pattern of life. I also think that as parents, we teach our children much about God and how to live with him and others in the world. When we are humble Ourselves, when we go to our children, when we have offended them and ask their forgiveness, when we have behavior issues with them and we ask God for wisdom with our child.   We just bring prayer or his wisdom into situations naturally. And I think they just automatically assume or realize our reverence for God by our own demeanor, our own attitude toward God every day Ourselves.   Laura Dugger: (40:39 - 40:45) Well, and furthermore, what do you see the gospels teaching us about God's view of children?   Liz Cottrill: (40:48 - 45:12) I'll tell you, this was my biggest turning point in accepting Charlotte Mason's method of teaching, because I thought if this was what she said was at the heart of her educational method, I could trust her to learn about the things I didn't understand about her method yet. I think it begins with realizing what Jesus said that you cannot enter the kingdom of God unless you do so as a little child. And why is that?   Because children are naturally humble. They're naturally weak. They're naturally poor in spirit.   And he said, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So, it helps us to remember when we're working with children that this is God's way, because our children can cause some friction in our life, right? They can be obstinate and oppositional and irritating and slow and whining and frustrating.   It's natural for us to push back on those things. But when we realize their character is being formed, that we're accountable to God for these things, then her three rules from the gospels that we should not offend children, which means we don't sin against them. We don't hurt their body or their feelings.   We treat them as we would treat our own friends. We would never say things to our friends that we all feel quite free to say to our children sometimes. And we need the humility, like I've said before, to go to them and ask their forgiveness and to pray with them and to reconcile with our child and not just assume, oh, well, they'll understand when they're older or just, I guess it didn't hurt them that much.   We should never assume those things. Jesus said, do not despise the children. So, when we don't think that they're worthy of the best books, that they are worthy of learning important ideas straight from the truth of books, and we think they have to have dumbed down materials that are just shaped for their, what we consider thimble full of ability.   I think when we're impatient with our children in school lessons and, you know, as a homeschool mom, I did it for so long and I know how easy it is, but we have to ask God for the patience and kindness of Jesus. And we can just very easily dismiss our children that their thoughts are silly. We can belittle them for ideas they have.   We can use our words to make them feel small. And I think Jesus was saying, don't despise them. And then the third thing he said was not to hinder them.   And again, I think by holding them back, by not allowing them to progress when they're ready to learn more, by assuming that they're too young for this or that, sometimes I think we're babying them too much and holding them back. That's a hindrance. I think that especially middle school boys, we don't like them to be growing up, and we don't allow them to exert some of the independence that's just natural with them getting to that age.   So, we just need to remove things in our lives that are going to make school a struggle for them, which doesn't mean we don't require them to learn, but we need to allow them to make mistakes. I mean, how are they going to learn to solve math problems if we're always saying, no, you're doing it the wrong way, and take it out of their hands and show them the way we do it. It's better for them to get the understanding by trying several times.   We let them do this when they're learning to walk and talk. When they start talking, they say things, and only we as mothers know what they're asking for because it isn't clear yet. Well, that is true of every single area of their life.   So, not hindering them means that we work with them and allow them to grow up into the things that they're getting understanding about. And I think sometimes in school lessons, not hindering them is just if they have trouble keeping their hands busy doing what they're supposed to be doing, then let's remove everything in their reach that is going to tempt them to fool around and not pay attention.   Laura Dugger: (45:13 - 45:26) Well, as parents, if we focused on nothing else, what is your highest recommendation for cultivating a moral and righteous character in our children?   Liz Cottrill: (45:28 - 46:32) Well, obviously reading the Bible to your children is a wonderful moral instructor. But I think that novels and poetry and tales, fairy tales, fables, all those things are the children's best teacher. Charlotte Mason said, knowledge touched with emotion is what our minds absorb.   And so, when you're reading a book and you become excited or tense or nervous, I mean, you can watch heart monitors and EEGs, how the mind changes when we're reading different parts of things. And as a parent, a book is the third party that the child will accept much more easily than if we just try to instruct them. I think books engage their imagination and kind of give them a chance to practice life in a safe way.   So, they may have thought that doing a particular thing is a smart idea. But when they encounter a heroine in a book who does it and it doesn't turn out well for her, then they learned a lesson safely.   Laura Dugger: (46:33 - 46:55) I love that thinking about the book as a third party and maybe even a mentor, someone to partner with us to help cultivate that character. And Liz, you have so much to offer, even with your living books, library and your podcast and so many things. If we want to learn more from you after this conversation, where would you like to direct us online?   Liz Cottrill: (46:56 - 47:45) Well, on our website, A Delightful Education dot com, we do have some teacher training videos, we call them, but anybody would be welcome to watch those. And I have done a whole hour long talk about moral instruction through all kinds of literature for children that would, I'm sure, be of interest to any parent, regardless of what educational method they follow. I've made videos on how to teach a child to read and how to keep the wrong books out of their hands and things like that.   So, that would be one specific, but https://www.livingbookslibrary.com. We haven't done a lot with that website, but it's still there. And there are lots of blogs and archives that I've written about children and books and discipline and things like that.   Laura Dugger: (47:45 - 48:03) Wonderful. We will link to that in the show notes for today's episode. And Liz, you may already be familiar that we're called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge.   And so, as my final question for you today, what is your savvy sauce?   Liz Cottrill: (48:05 - 48:57) You know, I think as a Christian parent, the best thing you can do for your child is to spend time alone with God yourself every day, even if it's three minutes. We need to learn to listen to him and his word, and we need to bring our concerns to him and orient Ourselves to him because the job we have before us is life and death, really. And if I was to add to that, I would say, learn to really listen to your child.   They're telling you all kinds of things, and we need to hear what's really in their heart and deal with their heart issues. And that's probably why I say spending time with God, not only for our own personal growth and maturity, but it is our lifeline as a parent to be able to have wisdom for our children.   Laura Dugger: (48:58 - 49:22) Well, and Liz, you have modeled that so well, and you're just a wealth of knowledge. And it's been encouraging just to hear your courageous decisions, even going back to choosing to homeschool at a time when it was not even legal, but trusting in your Lord. And you've modeled that for all of us today.   So, thank you for all that you've shared. And thank you for being my guest.   Liz Cottrill: (49:23 - 50:22) Well, I am so appreciative of your wonderful questions and thought-provoking things that you've asked. And can I just add one other thing? Oh, please do.   So, I don't know if your listeners are aware of the fact that I am totally blind and have been since birth. And so, I know how scary it is to venture out into homeschooling. I know what a struggle it is to find books to read because there weren't a lot available to me as a blind mother, either for school or just for fun.   So, I just think that one of the reasons God planned for me to have this handicap through my life is just to encourage moms that we really do need God's sight and wisdom. And no difficulty you have before you is too great for Him to help you to navigate the waters of raising children.   Laura Dugger: (50:22 - 54:17) That is beautifully said. And I just appreciate you sharing that. Thank you for opening up to us and what an incredible perspective you have. So, thank you, Liz.   One more thing before you go.   Have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you.   But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own.   So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a savior. But God loved us so much.   He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him. That is good news.   Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what he has done for us.   Romans 10:9 says, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So, would you pray with me now? Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place.   I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity.   In Jesus name we pray. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him.   You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned.   So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone. Say it out loud.   Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.   You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.   We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process. And finally, be encouraged.   Luke 15:10 says, in the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. The heavens are praising with you for your decision today. And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with.   You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.‍

Photobiomodulation Stroke Recovery: How Laser Therapy Is Restarting Damaged Brains After Stroke For seven years, a woman lived unable to remember faces. She had developed prosopagnosia, a condition that turned every person she met into a stranger, no matter how many times they had been introduced. She kept notes. She took photographs. She built systems to compensate for what her brain could no longer do on its own. Then she sat down for a single laser therapy session with Dr. Robert Hedaya. One session later, the problem was gone. “I can remember the face of the person I worked with this morning and his wife and the dimple on his face,” she told him, describing something she hadn’t been able to do in nearly a decade. What Dr. Hedaya witnessed that day and what he now works to replicate for stroke survivors, people living with aphasia, early dementia, and Parkinson’s, is the result of a therapy called photobiomodulation. And the principle behind it may fundamentally change how you understand your own recovery ceiling. Your Neurons May Not Be Dead. They May Just Be Stuck When a stroke occurs, conventional medicine draws a clear line. Tissue that is destroyed is gone. Deficits that persist beyond the early recovery window are considered permanent. Survivors are told, sometimes gently, sometimes bluntly, that they have plateaued. Dr. Hedaya challenges that directly. In his clinical experience, there is often a population of neurons that survived the stroke intact but are no longer functioning. They are alive. Their cellular architecture is preserved. But they have lost their energy supply, specifically, the ability to produce ATP, the molecule that powers every cellular process in the body. Without energy, these neurons go quiet. They stop firing. From the outside, this looks like permanent damage. But it isn’t. It is dormancy. This mirrors the concept of the chronic penumbra explored in hyperbaric oxygen therapy research, where viable tissue sits in a suspended state, waiting for conditions to change. Dr. Hedaya’s approach is different in method but identical in premise: the brain has not finished recovering. It is waiting for the right signal. Photobiomodulation provides that signal. What Photobiomodulation Actually Does “After the first laser treatment, the problem was gone. Gone. She told me — I can remember the face of the person I worked with this morning.” — Dr. Robert Hedaya Photobiomodulation, also called transcranial laser therapy, delivers precise wavelengths of near-infrared light to targeted areas of the scalp. The photons penetrate through the skull, meninges, and tissue to reach dormant neurons, where they act on the fourth complex of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, the site where nitric oxide accumulates and blocks ATP production. The photons dislodge that nitric oxide. The mitochondria resume normal energy output. The neuron now has what it needs to resume its function. The downstream effects are significant: new synapses form through a process called synaptogenesis, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is produced, inflammation decreases, and misfolded proteins associated with cognitive decline begin to clear. Given energy, the brain begins repairing itself, not because the laser forces it to, but because the cells already know what to do. They were just waiting for the fuel. How QEEG Makes It Precise Not every stroke survivor responds to the same laser parameters or needs treatment in the same regions. This is where Dr. Hedaya’s approach clearly separates from consumer LED helmets or generic light therapy devices. Before any laser is applied, he conducts a quantitative EEG, a brain mapping process that measures electrical activity at 19 points across the scalp. Unlike a standard EEG, which relies on a clinician reading scrolling waveforms visually, QEEG uses AI to analyse thousands of data points and reverse-engineer the source. The result is a functional map: which networks are underperforming, which are overactive, and where pathways between regions have broken down. This is paired with a neuroquant MRI that measures 30 to 40 distinct brain structures volumetrically. Together, they function as a GPS triangulating exactly where the laser should be directed, at what wavelength, power, pulse frequency, and joule delivery for each individual patient. These parameters are adjusted as the patient responds, session by session. This level of precision is what distinguishes clinical photobiomodulation from anything available over the counter. A half-watt LED helmet delivering diffuse light through hair and scalp is not the same intervention. Depression After Stroke – And the Whole-Body Connection Roughly 30% of stroke survivors experience depression in the aftermath. This is not simply an emotional response to a difficult event – it is a physiological outcome with identifiable drivers that conventional psychiatry often does not investigate. Dr. Hedaya’s model, which he calls whole psychiatry, treats post-stroke depression as a downstream expression of broader disruption: hypothyroidism, hormonal imbalance, B12 deficiency, elevated mercury from dietary sources, gut dysbiosis, chronic inflammation, and unresolved neurological stress all play measurable roles. In one of his current stroke cases, treating low thyroid function triggered seizure sensitivity because post-stroke tissue is more vulnerable to excitatory input. That kind of complexity is precisely why a comprehensive functional evaluation must precede treatment. For survivors too depleted to engage with lifestyle changes, Dr. Hedaya will now often begin with laser therapy directly. Once cellular energy is restored, the motivation and capacity to make further changes typically follow. The jump-start, he has found, enables everything else. Is Recovery Still Possible After a Plateau? If you have been told you have reached your ceiling, the core message of this episode is worth sitting with: the plateau is often not a biological fact. It is frequently the consequence of underlying conditions that haven’t been identified, and dormant tissue that hasn’t been activated. “The brain is incredibly plastic,” Dr. Hedaya says. “When you challenge it and give it everything it needs, nutrients, light, hormones, and remove the toxins, great things can happen. There is hope. There is so much hope.” His practice, the Whole Psychiatry and Brain Recovery Center, offers initial consultations via Zoom for those who cannot travel to New Jersey. For survivors with a local physician willing to collaborate, educational consultation is also available. Reach Dr. Hedaya at wholepsychiatry.com. If this episode opened something up for you, Bill’s book – The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened follows the full arc of what recovery can become when you stop accepting the ceiling and start questioning it. Find it at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. If the Recovery After Stroke podcast has supported your journey, you can support the show at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. The Laser That Restarts Brains – Dr. Robert Hedaya on Photobiomodulation, QEEG, and Whole Psychiatry After Stroke A laser pointed at the right spot in your brain can restart neurons that stopped working. Dr. Robert Hedaya explains how and who it can help. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – Dr. Amir Hadanny Highlights: 00:00 Introduction – Photobiomodulation Stroke Recovery 01:09 Dr. Hedaya’s Medical Journey 07:55 Transition to Functional Medicine 10:31 Photobiomodulation Stroke Recovery Applications 19:21 Understanding Laser Mechanisms 24:36 Jumpstarting Healing with Laser Therapy 29:48 Understanding EEG vs. QEEG 34:10 Addressing Depression Post-Stroke 39:38 Holistic Approaches to Recovery 46:20 Patient-Centered Care and Follow-Up 51:38 The Role of Spirituality in Healing Transcript: Introduction – Photobiomodulation Stroke Recovery Dr Bob Hedaya (00:00) After the first laser treatment, the problem was gone. Gone. She told me, she said, my God, I can remember the face of the person I worked with this morning and his wife and the dimple on the face. And I said, what are you talking about? She says, have prosopagnosia. I said, says, can’t remember faces. I have to write down everything that I do and take pictures of everything and every person. I said, my God, it’s gone, gone. that’s when I went home that night and I was like, this doesn’t make any sense. How could this be? There’s nothing about a neurological condition being turned around in one minute. It makes no sense. Dr. Hedaya’s Medical Journey Bill Gasiamis (00:41) Welcome everyone to the Recovery After Stroke podcast. I’m Bill Gasiamis and my guest today is Dr. Robert Hedaya, a board-certified psychiatrist, functional medicine practitioner, and the founder of the Hull Psychiatry and Brain Recovery Center in New Jersey. Dr. Hedaya trained at Georgetown and the National Institute of Mental Health. And over the course of his career, he moved from conventional psychopharmacology into functional medicine after discovering of what was driving his patient’s symptoms had nothing to do with their medications and everything to do with their biology. In more recent years, Dr. Hedaya has added a tool that very few practitioners anywhere in the world are using, QEEG, guided transcranial photobiomodulation. That’s laser therapy, precisely using a functional brain map to reactivate neurons that survived the stroke but stopped working. In this conversation, we get into the science behind photobiomodulation and what it actually does inside the cell. How QEEG brain mapping removes the guesswork from treatment, why post-stroke depression is so often mismanaged, the role of nutrition, hormones, and toxin load in recovery. and why Dr. Hedaya believes the plateau most survivors are told about is not the biological sealing they’ve been led to believe it is. Now, before we get into this episode, if you found this podcast helpful in your recovery, my book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened goes deeper into the tools and mindset shifts that support long-term recovery and personal transformation. You can find it at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. And if this show has supported you, you can support it at patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. Now let’s get into it. Bill Gasiamis (02:38) Dr. Hedaya. Welcome to the podcast. Dr Bob Hedaya (02:41) Thank you. Pleasure to be here. Bill Gasiamis (02:43) It is a very good pleasure to have you here as well. The reason being is because I, what we’re going to discuss, but B the way that you came to be on my podcast was through somebody who listens to my podcast, reaching out and saying, need to have this gentleman on your podcast. And I get that a lot. And sometimes it’s like, thank you for the referral, but maybe that’s not for me, but this is definitely for me. Can you give me a little bit of. Dr Bob Hedaya (03:01) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (03:13) background for people who are listening to understand how it is that you and I came to be on the podcast today, but more importantly, like your medical journey to today. Dr Bob Hedaya (03:26) Well, so first of all, I ⁓ was treating a woman who was, let’s say, about 50 years old. She had several strokes. And her husband looked me up, and they came here for treatment. in New Jersey. And ⁓ she had significant improvement in her ability to speak over a short period of time. That’s a little. kind of summary of the situation, but it was ⁓ profound. She still has work to do, a lot of work to do, but she’s doing it and she’s progressing nicely. So that’s, he basically, I guess, decided this needs to get out. And so he contacted you, et cetera, et cetera. In terms of my journey, ⁓ that could take a few hours. So let me try and summarize it. I will say I basically went to medical school, took off six months to study medicine on my own after two years because I really, lot of reasons, but one of them was I just was memorizing things and I didn’t really understand what I was doing. And so I took off six months and I really learned about the human body. I studied, I had a schedule, a very fixed schedule, about 10 hours a day of studying and exercise and eat. was very, you know, I was young and regimented. And I had six books, six subjects that I wanted to get through and I did. And I learned all about the body and different parts of the body, how they interact with each other. And also I was able to understand and predict even certain kinds of processes and problems in the body. So that was an integrative experience, which ⁓ later really served as the foundation for what I do. Fast forward, I was going to be a surgeon, decided to be a psychiatrist instead, because I was fascinated by by the human mind. And what happened was I was trained at Georgetown National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, DC. And then I was in practice for about a year. And I was treating a woman who had panic attacks. And they weren’t getting better after a year. And panic attacks are pretty easy to treat. And so I was like, what’s going on here? She paged me one night after a year, Saturday night. And I remember I had a little beeper, you know, and I went to find a phone booth and, hey, Joanne, what’s going on? It’s midnight, right? She’s talking to me, I’m having a panic attack. And I mean, I still remember the anguish in her voice. You know, it was really, really, really rough to listen to. So Monday morning, I went into the office very early and I’m like, I’m missing something. What am I missing? So I found I had one piece of blood work. had a blood count and the size of her red blood cells was large. and I had seen that and didn’t know what it meant and ignored it. Very little. It wasn’t very large. It was just a little bit out of the norm. And I was trained in hospitals. know, in hospitals, you don’t worry about the little things. You worry about the train wrecks, right? So you never really learn what the little things mean. So here was a so-called little thing and it was ruining her life. Meanwhile, I did some research. It was a B12 deficiency. I gave her B12 injection. And with the first injection, her panic was gone. Transition to Functional Medicine I mean, gone, gone, gone. And I was like, whoa, what else am I missing? Because psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, it’s a revolving door. You go to this doctor, you take these meds, you do this therapy. That works for a while, then you go somewhere else. I figured I’m missing a lot of stuff. And basically, ended up learning. I didn’t know it was called functional medicine, but I ended up learning functional medicine on my own. Wrote a book, got introduced. to Jeff Bland at IFM. contacted me and took formal training and then, you know, that was what I was doing. And I did that, ⁓ put out a second book ⁓ and that was a best seller. And ⁓ the book was called the Anti-Depressant Survival Program. But really it was functional medicine psychiatry or whole psychiatry, which I like to call it. But it’s functional medicine psychiatry, but the publisher wanted… you know, a nice fancy title that would, know, so they decided to call it the Anti-Depressant Program, you know, survival program. Anyway, the best seller and we had thousands of phone calls, we had a lot of publicity and I couldn’t obviously see everybody. So I picked people who had treatment resistant depression and people who had the resources and the motivation or the support to be able to do what they needed to do. And I just treated them with functional medicine. And at this time, you’ve got to realize I was a psychopharmacologist. I was also trained as a psychopharmacologist. So I was doing a lot of psychopharmacology. I mean, a lot. And now I’m doing functional medicine on everybody. And after about three years, I’m noticing that I’m not actually doing that much psychopharmacology anymore. And everybody’s getting better. And the diabetes is going away. and osteoporosis is going away and one woman’s MS lesion in her brain went away and I’m like, what’s going on here? You know what? I might be lying to myself. So maybe I’m paying attention to the positive cases and I’m ignoring the negative. So I hired a statistician to go over all my cases over the course of this period of time, it two or three years. Ended up in 23 cases of treatment resistant depression. ⁓ I wasn’t lying to myself. Every single person went into recovery, not partial remission, not 50 % better, fully recovered by 10 months, every single one. And I was just blown away that, you know, I mean, I was blown away before, but then it was like, well, you’re not really lying to yourself. So that’s what I was doing until 2014 when I retired. I had actually an inaccurate diagnosis. I retired and… turned out it was incorrect. So it was actually really good to be retired, although I missed it terribly, really missed medicine terribly. But it gave me some time. And this is where this kind of starts to relate more to your audience. ⁓ I’m sitting on a hammock for six hours reading a book. Well, you can’t do that when you’re in practice. Bill Gasiamis (10:07) Good thing to do. Yeah. Photobiomodulation Stroke Recovery Applications Dr Bob Hedaya (10:13) That doesn’t happen. So but I was you know in retirement, so I’m reading this book and put two and two together over the course of time and I learned about laser which which they were using in Russia in 1980s and learned how the laser worked and And I was like whoa this could really help the brain and Then I was thinking now. I’m not in practice right, but I’m then I’m thinking but how would I know where to? point the laser in the brain for a patient. And then I keep reading in the book, and then they start talking about in the next chapter about quantitative EEG. And I’m like, oh, that’s how I would know. So I spent the next three years or so actually studying these methodologies. And then in 2017, I want to say, or 2018, I treated my first patient who had early dementia. published this case actually. I was treating her for early dementia. And I had treated her for six months with functional medicine, know, hormones and treating infections, et cetera, et cetera. And she really was much better. And then I was ready to do my first quantitative EEG. And she’s doing much better. She still has some symptoms. And I do the QEG. And actually, if I could share my I don’t know if I can, Okay, so basically what I just sent you is ⁓ how her brain looked after six months of functional medicine, right? So I was shocked because I thought her brain would look much better. And then I said, okay, let’s do the laser. So I knew where to point it because the QEG and this was the shocker. With the first laser, she had a problem. before the laser treatment of facial blindness. I don’t know if you know what that is. It’s people who can’t remember faces. They just met someone, they can’t remember the face. It’s called prosopagnosia. She had acquired it seven years earlier. Bill Gasiamis (12:11) I do. Yeah. Dr Bob Hedaya (12:21) After the first laser treatment, the problem was gone. Gone. She told me, she said, my God, I can remember the face of the person I worked with this morning and his wife and the dimple on the face. And I said, what are you talking about? She says, have prosopagnosia. I said, what? What is proto-diagnosia? I don’t know what that is. She says, can’t remember faces. I have to write down everything that I do and take pictures of everything and every person. I said, my God, it’s gone, gone. that’s when I went home that night and I was like, this doesn’t make any sense. How could this be? There’s nothing about a neurological condition being turned around in one minute. It makes no sense. But then I realized, I reasoned it out, realized, well, she had a population of neurons that were kind of alive, but they were not really functioning. And then I kind of jump started them with the laser and they went about their business and did their job. Bill Gasiamis (13:19) I love it. So, that’s a contrast on what you’re doing as in psychiatry, because psychiatry from, you know, my understanding is, you know, if you, if you speak to somebody who’s been through psychiatry and you ask them, how’s your condition or how is your situation or what has improved, very few people can say, ⁓ well, I’m, I’m better. I’ve overcome it. We’ve moved beyond the resolve that Dr Bob Hedaya (13:27) Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (13:47) Nobody really does that. They kind of just continue to go through the motions of another appointment, another medication, another adjustment in the amount of medication, et cetera. And what you said also seems a little bit ridiculous and kind of too quick. How do you get that kind of a solution that’s meant to take ages? You’re supposed to go through the typical times and it’s supposed to be costly and Dr Bob Hedaya (14:06) Too quick. Bill Gasiamis (14:16) unattainable and all these things. And it makes people feel sometimes I know stroke survivors who come across promises like that from other ⁓ people who talk about ⁓ perhaps ⁓ non-studied, ⁓ no scientific background kind of solutions to stroke and then kind of give everyone a blanket. If we do this, we’ll fix your stroke deficits, which is not true. ⁓ And then And then it leaves people feeling like they got ripped off. If they paid money, it leaves people lost for hope that there is no hope, cetera. And we kind of find ourselves in a, okay, desperate, what do we do now situation, right? And that’s kind of why I got excited when your patient’s husband reached out and said that we should chat. And I had a bit of a look into the kind of work that you do. ⁓ Functional medicine, I’ve heard about heaps. Dr Bob Hedaya (15:00) Hmm. Bill Gasiamis (15:14) And I love that it’s merged with psychiatry because when I started my journey in 2012, overcoming the first brain bladed and the second brain blade six weeks later, I went into functional medicine study to find out not formally, but I started doing what I didn’t know at the time was studying functional medicine and understanding like how I can decrease the inflammation in my brain. and provide the right environment for healing. And the first thing I came across was a book by somebody that you’re gonna know, Mark Hyman. And the book was, ⁓ the book was, ⁓ Eight Fat Get Thin. I read it, not wanting to get thin, I read it ⁓ because it ticked the boxes for the diet that I was gonna use to reduce inflammation in my brain. Dr Bob Hedaya (15:54) Okay. Bill Gasiamis (16:12) And the side effect was I thin. I wasn’t going for that because I was taking medication. was taking ⁓ dexamethasone, which made me put on weight and made these like all these types of ⁓ terrible side effects, but it was helping reduce the inflammation in my brain. So I, I was happy to have it, but I needed to achieve the same outcome as dexamethasone. Dr Bob Hedaya (16:13) I’m kidding. Bill Gasiamis (16:41) or a similar outcome as dexamethasone on a permanent basis without taking dexamethasone to improve the situation in my brain. And then I started to realize that I had a lot of power and I was ⁓ only not guided properly because my physicians, my doctors weren’t able to offer advice in that space. And had I not been the curious kind of guy that I was, I never would have come across Dr. Hyman and some other amazing guys who wrote books at around about that time that were similar in nature. so you’re, and then, and then a little while later, I found there was a Tasmanian, ⁓ psychiatrist, forget her name, but I have her book on my shelf upstairs who wrote a book about, ⁓ psychiatry and food and, the link between food and a good psychiatric outcome. Dr Bob Hedaya (17:15) huh. Bill Gasiamis (17:39) in the brain. And I just thought, okay, there’s much, much more that needs to happen here. Now, this the connections, there’s a lot of connections here. So recently on my YouTube channel, somebody left a comment I wanted to know about red light therapy, and will it help their brain? And I’m like, I have no idea. But let me do some research. I went on to PubMed, I found some articles and wouldn’t you believe it, there is a whole bunch of ⁓ proper data that Dr Bob Hedaya (17:40) You know what? Come on. Bill Gasiamis (18:08) suggests that there is a benefit. The only challenge that I always have with all of these potentially beneficial interventions is there’s no diagnosis done in the first place to determine whether somebody actually is eligible for a particular intervention. And what it sounds like you’re able to do is the diagnostics part and determine their eligibility. Tell me a little bit about why that is important. Dr Bob Hedaya (18:35) Right. Okay, so let me back, I wanna back up, because you said something very important, then I wanna reiterate it. I just gave you before a case of a woman who in five minutes, her problem was gone, right? Not, people should not think that’s the norm, okay? Not the norm. Occasionally it happens, I have a guy who had a head injury and had light sensitivity and confusion in certain situations with light, and one treatment, boom, gone. Understanding Laser Mechanisms People, you know, I have cases like that, but most of the time this is a gradual process. So people should not think it’s a cure-all for everybody. We do have to know who it’s good for. So what we do diagnostically before we do this is I will look at their brain, you know, obviously take some history and all of that business, but we do a quantitative neuroquant MRI. So we look at the different structures inside the brain. You know, we look at… Bill Gasiamis (19:32) Lovely. Dr Bob Hedaya (19:32) 30, 40 different structures. And then we also do a quantitative EEG, which is an electroencephalogram. We measure the electricity in the brain in 19 different places. And then there’s this really AI that takes all this data and it reverse engineers it. It’s called the inverse solution. And you can actually see the pathways, all of the pathways in the brain and the surface areas of the brain. And you can look at that, correlate that with the person’s symptoms. with the neuroquant MRI, it’s like a GPS, right? A triangulation of information and then assuming there’s not a mass or an aneurysm or some reason not to do the laser like an overactive brain or something like that, then we could consider using the laser. And then we also know where we want to do it based on the symptoms, based on the QEG, based on the neuroquant. We will decide what we’re going to target. And then we combine that, sometimes, not always. Bill Gasiamis (20:05) Hmm. Dr Bob Hedaya (20:31) with neurofeedback so we can exercise the areas that we want to exercise or calm down the areas that we want to calm down. And sometimes with hyperbaric oxygen, things like that. And hormones, using hormones or things like that. Bill Gasiamis (20:42) Yep. Hyperbaric oxygen has been a topic that I’ve discussed as well on the podcast and the people that I spoke to about hyperbaric oxygen and guys, I can’t remember right now, but I’ll put a link in the show notes for anyone listening so that you can go and find that episode and have a listen to it. Basically, what I loved about their approach was that they did a massive amount of diagnosis beforehand to determine where the penumbras were and then target those penumbras while the person was in the chamber. by getting them to do certain exercises that would activate those areas and therefore be targeted. So it sounds like the laser therapy is similar. Tell me about the laser. What kind of a laser is it? How does it get targeted to a specific spot? And what does it do when it goes there? I mean, I imagine it just doesn’t point there and go, I’ll illuminate that and it’ll be better. How does it actually work? Dr Bob Hedaya (21:18) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay, so the laser, there are a bunch of different parameters that we have to adjust for each person. So it’s the frequency, how fast is the wavelength? What’s the wavelength? How many times per second is it pulsed? 10 times per second, 40 times per second, 50 times per second. Is it a 8, 10 nanometer wavelength or is it a 1064 wavelength? How many joules are we delivering? you know, where are we delivering it? So there are lots and lots of parameters to adjust, right? ⁓ What does it do? So simple, the first thing that it does, it does many, many things, right? But the very, very first thing it does is it actually releases ATP, the energy molecule, from your mitochondria. So it basically, the photon goes to the fourth channel, the fourth complex in the mitochondria, bumps off the nitric oxide, and that opens the flow of ATP. Well, if your brain, if your neurons have energy, they say, ⁓ energy, ⁓ well, we know what to do with energy. Let’s fix the puddles. Let’s build the roads. Let’s make the connections. Let’s do whatever we got to do. So now you’re getting energy flow. You also get synaptogenesis. You build new synapses. You get production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Bill Gasiamis (23:01) Wow. Dr Bob Hedaya (23:05) You get reduction of inflammation, get reduction of tau proteins and misfolded proteins. ⁓ You get, subjectively, get cognitive enhancement. aphasia, you know, people can start to speak. I mean, I can tell you one story. We used to shave people before doing the laser because I wanted to… Remember, you got a skull, you got the skin, you got all this stuff, right? How are you going to get the light into the brain, right? So we know that only about Bill Gasiamis (23:31) Mmm. Dr Bob Hedaya (23:35) 2.6 % of the light goes through the skull and the meninges and all the layers, right? So we used to shave people because I want to get the hair out of the way, right? At least get rid of some of it. So I had this woman who came to me, this is probably seven years ago, I guess. And at that time, I would not use the laser until I had done functional medicine on the patient. Because I figured, you know, let’s get the terrain straight. the nutrients, the hormones, get rid of the infections, get rid of the toxins, then we’ll apply the sunlight to the brain, to the plant, right? That was my logic. I thought that made perfect sense. So this woman came to me. She was 70 years old, obese. The husband wanted me to give her the laser. She wouldn’t change her diet, not an iota. High blood pressure, obesity. She could not speak. She would not take a medicine. She would not… Bill Gasiamis (24:04) Mm-hmm. Mm. Jumpstarting Healing with Laser Therapy Dr Bob Hedaya (24:33) Like, you name it, non-compliant all the way. Maybe you could say a word or two, that was it. Her husband begged me. I said, listen, it’s a waste, okay? It’s just a waste. I can’t ask her to shave her head. It’s not gonna work. I’m not doing it. He did not stop. So finally, I said, okay, fine, I’ll do it. So I was in my office and I’m making the laser plan. And I’m just writing, and something pops out of my mouth, God, I need a miracle. So I go into the laser room, and I start doing the laser. She starts talking. I have tears. He has tears. She starts talking. So by the end of like 20 sessions, I’m sitting with her having a 45-minute therapy session, because it turns out she was really severely abused when she was young. ⁓ She’s having a whole conversation with me. Turns out she’s psychotic also now. She’s also a psychotic and we didn’t know. So she needs to take some medicine for the psychosis because in the middle of the night, she’s going around with a baseball bat and she wants to like do, and she wouldn’t take medicines, I had to stop the laser. But that was an amazing thing because that was one, but with aphasia, typically it’s more gradual, much more gradual. But I have had a couple of patients where, and a woman came from Chicago and she just started talking also. So everyone’s different. You can’t necessarily come into this expecting that kind of thing is wonderful when it happens, but you Bill Gasiamis (26:14) Yeah. I love the fact that you can intervene with a laser, but also people can intervene with all the things that you said that that patient wasn’t doing beforehand. And that you that’s the top of the hierarchy of how you approach healing the brain is you do all those things. And then you supplement with ⁓ with a therapy like laser or whatever. And you kind of combine that and you make Dr Bob Hedaya (26:25) Yeah, yeah, you got it. Bill Gasiamis (26:42) like the, you make a soup of amazing things that all come together at the same time to support you together. And laser is just one of those things, but all the hierarchy like is so important because Dr Bob Hedaya (26:48) Yeah. It’s all important, all important. But I will tell you this. I have come to the point now where I believe that like people come to me and they don’t want to do anything and I’m like, okay, because I can jumpstart you, assuming you’re a good candidate. I can jumpstart you with the laser. I could just jumpstart you and then once I’ve jumpstarted you, say, ⁓ yeah, okay, I’ll do this. ⁓ okay, I’ll do a little of this. I’ll do a little. Because I’m bypassing everything and I’m giving you energy. Right? And so if you have energy, then, you know, there’s a lot that you can do that you couldn’t do before. So I kind of switched my model, really, only because of the accident of this guy who insisted I give his wife the laser, you know. Bill Gasiamis (27:30) Yeah. That’s not a way to go. mean, ⁓ there isn’t one way to solve a problem. there’s probably many iterations of, know, like how you can put that particular, like intervention together for a person that could specify for that individual, we’re going to go down this approach for you. You were going to go down this approach to get you going. Since you have all these, ⁓ challenges and energy is difficult. Maybe we’ll go directly with the laser and then Dr Bob Hedaya (27:46) Bye. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (28:09) We give you the skills, the energy, Dr Bob Hedaya (28:09) That’s right. That’s right. Bill Gasiamis (28:12) the training, the coaching, the support to implement the rest of the stuff that you need to implement to continue providing the right ⁓ space for your brain to heal in ongoing so you’re not just relying on laser. Dr Bob Hedaya (28:14) Yeah. ⁓ Yeah, yeah Yeah, if someone comes to me post stroke for example and the laser is appropriate I’m not gonna say well, we’ll get around to laser in six months. I’m not gonna do that They need relief they need help if it can help them Let’s do that. Let’s jump on that and you know, and then is the other stuff we need to do will do it And there’s usually stuff to do ⁓ But I want to get the healing remember the laser is healing It’s clearing out proteins, reducing inflammation, increasing blood flow, synaptogenesis, doing all these good things over the course of time. So you really want to get that process going, I feel, as soon as you can. then, okay, now you can work on the diet that’s going to take some time, check the hormones, make sure there’s no infections, toxic element, you know, all that functional medicine stuff. Maybe you need some medication for depression, you know, it’s having a… a phaser or a stroke or a head injury or some of things like this, they turn your life upside down better than I know. It’s ⁓ incomprehensible, really. Bill Gasiamis (29:26) Yeah, really. Yeah, really challenging. With a laser, how much laser for how long, how often? Understanding EEG vs. QEEG Dr Bob Hedaya (29:37) Great question. So let me say a couple of things. First of all, we have laser and then we have the LED helmets, right? You’ve read about and read the helmets, right? So there are a lot of studies on the helmets. There’s a question of whether they’re really having a direct effect because for a few reasons. Number one, it’s LED, it’s not a laser. Number two, the voltage is so low, if you’re only getting 2.6 % through and it’s so low to begin with, what do you think you’re actually delivering into the tissue? know, it’s hard to imagine that you’re delivering much. there, know, Henderson, I think, wrote an article where he showed there’s no penetration into the brain. But the studies do show cognitive benefit. So it could be an indirect effect or, you know, all the studies are done by the companies that make the… the helmet, there could be some bias. I don’t know the answer there. The laser ⁓ itself is more potent, so we’re doing, say, 30 watts. So the equivalent of a 30-watt light bulb, right? They might be doing half a watt, a very, very, very dim light bulb. We’re doing 30 watts. Now, we’re targeting the area or areas that we want to hit. Now, it goes through 2.6. Bill Gasiamis (30:34) devices. Dr Bob Hedaya (31:03) 5 % of it goes through. And then of course it’s going to be diffused, right? And it’s going to hit the surface tissues more. 1064 will penetrate deeper into the brain, but you don’t really have to go that deep because there’s downstream effects that happen, right? So we really, and then we adjust the parameters depending on how someone does. for example, you know, I had a woman who I was treating And actually it was the patient who her husband contacted you. I was treating her with a certain amount of energy and then after about five sessions I went up, I doubled the energy and boom, she had a response. But we have no way of knowing that’s what she needed. It’s all a calculation. But she, you know… Bill Gasiamis (31:39) Yes. Dr Bob Hedaya (32:00) Whatever it is, the thickness of the skull or the membranes or whatever it is, that’s what you needed and that’s what worked. Bill Gasiamis (32:06) Yeah. Tell me about ⁓ QEEG. So let’s dive deeper into it a little bit because we kind of glossed over it. I think it’s important to discuss how it’s different from EEG, ⁓ what EEG is and then what the Q adds to EEG. Dr Bob Hedaya (32:24) OK, so the EEG, imagine somebody, you put a cap on, and it has all these electrical wires that are measuring the electricity that comes, that’s on your scalp. It’s coming from your brain, but it’s measured at the scalp. And each one is measuring the energy from that spot, comparing it to other spots. And then you might, your viewers might remember. all those squiggly lines, you’ll see like 19 or 20 squiggly lines and you’re like, what is this spaghetti? I don’t know what this is. And I mean, even in medical school, we looked at it and our eyes would glaze over because who knows what it is. So the neurologists look at it and they’ll scroll through it and look for certain patterns to see is there a seizure or is there area of damage where there’s a lot of slowing like the frequency of the electricity slows down if there’s tissue damage, right? And they look visually to see what they can find. But we know with AI, you can get the patterns that you can determine. There’s no way the human mind, the human eye, a trained eye, I don’t care how long you’ve been looking at EEGs, there’s no way you can extract this data that we now extract. So the quantitative is actually looking at the quantity of this, what’s going on here versus the quantity of electricity that’s here versus what’s here versus what’s here. And then all of that is calculated and they say, ⁓ well, if this is high and this is here and this is low here and this is this, well, that means they’re coming from this deeper place here and that’s under functioning. And, you know, that’s done over thousands, thousands of points in a very short order, very short order. It’s amazing. I can’t imagine practicing without this. So now I can look at the thalamus. I can look at the putamen. Addressing Depression Post-Stroke Bill Gasiamis (34:07) Mm-hmm. Dr Bob Hedaya (34:17) In my office, I can do these tests in my office. If a patient is my patient, I can send the QEG to their home and do it in their home. And I get this imagery that’s immensely better than a spec scan. It’s not an MRI, an MRI structure. This is function. Okay, this is function. It tells us how different parts are functioning. Bill Gasiamis (34:40) What’s lighting up? What’s not lighting up? What could be lighting up better? What’s not going to light up anymore? Dr Bob Hedaya (34:45) What’s the information flow? How is the flow going from here to here? How about this network? Is this network working? Is this network overworking? Is it underworking? How about the neuron populations that are firing when I’m relaxed? How are they doing? How about the ones when I’m thinking? How about the ones when I’m thinking fast? How about the populations when I’m emotional? We can look at all those populations and see what’s going on with those populations. And then we can actually target them. train them, et cetera. And then we have that data that we treat, and then we measure and see is it getting better? Do we need to change the protocol? It’s not helping, it is helping, et cetera. Bill Gasiamis (35:29) Yeah. with stroke, so many things come from stroke that people are not equipped to handle. You know, firstly, all of the, ⁓ the parts relating to, ⁓ simply the person discovering them, they’re, they’re immortal after all, you know, you become a mere mortal immediately and you kind of work out the most terrible thing that could have happened to me happened. My brain is injured and all these things go away. Right. And then. Unfortunately, like I think it’s 30 % the studies of people who experienced stroke will then also experience depression. Like as if recovering from stroke isn’t enough and all the deficits that you also have to recover from depression. What’s it like? How can that be supported with this particular method, this approach that we’re discussing here today? Dr Bob Hedaya (36:28) So ⁓ kind of separate from stroke, ⁓ treat treatment resistant depression with laser all the time. With stroke, we use the laser, but you have to watch the QEG to make sure you’re not getting overstimulation, number one. Number two, I learned this with the patient that referred me to you, ⁓ that after, put us in touch, there was actually a central Bill Gasiamis (36:44) huh. for us in touch. Dr Bob Hedaya (36:58) hypothyroidism, meaning the low thyroid function, right? And we had to treat that, but the problem was as we treated that, there was a supersensitivity and because the tissues after stroke are more vulnerable to seizures, the patient actually had a seizure. She was actually having seizures we didn’t know, mild seizures. And then when we treated the thyroid, then we actually ended up having seizures. now we have to support, you need thyroid function to be good in order to not be depressed, right? If you have low thyroid, you’re much more likely to be depressed in the face of a stroke or other stresses. So we were kind of a little bit of a bind there because we went and treated, but it’s too sensitive. So anyway, we’re actually threading that needle nicely and we’re moving slowly and carefully and keeping, there’s no seizure activity now. But you have to treat the depression because of the depression itself. Bill Gasiamis (37:29) Yep. Dr Bob Hedaya (37:55) is a big problem because you know to recover from stroke, man, you gotta work hard. You gotta keep a good attitude. gotta have your eye on the ball. There’s no room for like… I’m going to give up. There’s no room for that. I mean, of course you feel it and I mean, it’s all natural feelings, but you have to really be determined and that’s essential. so with depression that is ⁓ really can get in the way. So we treat it. The laser can treat it. Sometimes pharmacology, sometimes therapy, sometimes yoga, know, hyperbaric, all these things that we do with the nutrition, making sure the hormones are right. All these things work together, you know. Bill Gasiamis (38:14) Yeah. I love all of those things that you mentioned. And then all of a sudden you just throw in yoga. mean, it just, it’s so counterintuitive, isn’t it? When you have a conversation about all these acronyms and all these tests and lasers and all that kind of stuff, and then you just throw in yoga casually like that. It’s, and we underplay it, but it’s such a massive thing in the picture of what creates the environment for a good recovery, but also I love that you mentioned the thyroid in that conversation as well about depression and what can also be a trigger to depression and people may have depression, never check their thyroid and not know that it’s a thing. Now I’ve had thyroid surgery, have ⁓ half of my thyroid removed because I had a massive ⁓ goiter on one side and that was such a difficult thing to discover and have to go through 16 months after brain surgery. but they only discovered it after my brain surgery when they did a chest x-ray, because I wasn’t recovering properly and they found that I had this goitre which would have been there for a long, long time impacting my health and all sorts of things. And I make that point because often people who have had a stroke and can’t speak, for example, have aphasia, ⁓ or their arm doesn’t work or the leg doesn’t work properly, will say, I just wanna fix this thing. If I could speak, Dr Bob Hedaya (39:40) No. Holistic Approaches to Recovery Bill Gasiamis (40:09) everything’s better, but they’ve never looked at the other things that may be contributing to keeping the speech at a level which is not good enough for them, for example, to be comfortable with. And it’s like this one track mind, I’ll just get my speech back, I’ll get my speech back, you what do I need to do? Or make it go, get back for me. There’s often no looking into the other things that might be causing depression, for example. Dr Bob Hedaya (40:31) Thank you. Bill Gasiamis (40:38) After stroke, know for a fact that the gut gets impacted ⁓ very dramatically from a stroke and the gut is highly linked to ⁓ mood and how you feel. And nutrition is what supports the gut to feel better and taking out things from the diet that are ⁓ making the gut sluggish and not work appropriately will ⁓ improve your mood and how you feel. It’ll make a difference and Dr Bob Hedaya (40:59) Okay. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (41:08) and it’ll add to one of those little tools that supports depression and makes depression less impactful and you have less swings, et cetera. And that’s kind of the point that you’re making is that you don’t just turn up and do psychiatry. We’re gonna do psychiatry, treat you pharmacologically and then send you on your way and then see you in six, 12, eight months again or whatever and then just repeat the process again. It’s a whole, know, holistic is the word that you hear, but it is a broader conversation that people need to be having. And that sounds like what you guys do. It sounds like the conversation doesn’t encompass, it encompasses everything. It doesn’t just focus on one intervention. Dr Bob Hedaya (41:56) That’s why I call it whole psychiatry. But it really should be whole neuropsychiatry or whole brain or, you know, but it’s whole body, whatever you want to call it. It’s really more than the body because obviously the social connections play a big role as well, you know. So yeah, everything you’re saying is 100 % true and it’s all real. Everything you’re saying is real. Everything you do. mean, simple things going back to the B12. You you need B12 to… Bill Gasiamis (41:58) Yeah. Dr Bob Hedaya (42:26) remyelinate your neurons. need to keep the mercury, by the way, got to keep the mercury levels low. know, the mercury, if you’re eating tuna fish or swordfish and you have high mercury levels, know, the mercury will actually prevent you from making new branches. The mercury actually will bind on tubulin, which is like a brick that you need to build new roads. And it will prevent the tubulin from building new roads in your brain. So here you are working hard trying to… Bill Gasiamis (42:28) Mmm. Dr Bob Hedaya (42:54) do things and you’re a can of ⁓ whatever tuna fish with loads of mercury two, three, four times a week. Well, that’s not working, you know. So that’s why you really want to look at the whole thing. It’s a lot. It’s really a lot. You know, it’s a big program, but you you take, take steps. Everybody has different needs or not everybody has to do everything. Bill Gasiamis (43:04) Yeah. Yeah. Not everybody needs to do everything to achieve significant results, but it’d be amazing to be able to find the things and target those, the ones that you’re to get the most bang for buck on. So you’re to putting time and effort into things that are not getting results. For example, an led hat from, uh, Amazon for $9 that you put on your head. And it’s basically just a red light hat. It’s not really doing the thing, right? Dr Bob Hedaya (43:32) Hmm. Ha ha ha. Bill Gasiamis (43:49) And that’s kind of why I started to have that conversation and do a little bit of research in what they, know, what’s medically known as or scientifically known as photo bio modulation, you know, the idea is great, but then it came to me from somebody who I imagine was looking at a seven or eight or $9, $10 cap with red lights that put on the head and they Dr Bob Hedaya (44:00) Right. Bill Gasiamis (44:15) paid money for a cap and hoping for an outcome and they didn’t get an outcome and then they’re wondering why. I suggest when people are looking into those topics, is gonna go and have a look at the science, what it says about the nanometers of the type of light that you need to be experiencing, how, where, who, and always do these things with medical supervision. It really challenges me when I find out people do things like, know, methylene blue was a thing. Dr Bob Hedaya (44:44) Right. Bill Gasiamis (44:45) uh, very recently and people will just go get a bottle of Methylene blue from somewhere and just start taking it and have no idea what they’re doing and, and, and, know, what they could hope for. They could be making things worse than for themselves and actually making themselves, um, like make things a lot harder for themselves. So, uh, my point is this all needs to be done under medical supervision. Typically when you, somebody reaches out to you, how do you begin the conversation and then how does that person engage with you? And then what happens after they’re treated? Because often I know from my experience with all my neurologists, et cetera, very rarely do I see anybody a second time, six months, 12 months, 18 months, five years down the track. You usually go in, they patch you up, they send you home, you get back to your life and then maybe you do one MRI. Dr Bob Hedaya (45:36) Really? Bill Gasiamis (45:44) ⁓ for a few years after brain surgery just to make sure that everything’s stable. But that’s about it. Nobody follows up with you. Dr Bob Hedaya (45:52) No, it’s a whole different ball game with us. No. So what we do first is ⁓ if someone will contact us through the website, which is wholepsychiatry.com, they will actually fill out a form. And if we feel that it looks like we might be able to be helpful to them, then we will send them a welcome letter. And then they will have the opportunity to meet with our new patient coordinator at no charge. Patient-Centered Care and Follow-Up and she’ll talk with them for 15 to 30 minutes and kind of tell them what’s going on and see if they, you know, the fit is good, et cetera. And then they have an opportunity if they want to meet with me on Zoom for 15 to 30 minutes and ⁓ I’ll figure out, can I help them? Can I not help them? Is it a good fit, et cetera? And then if it looks like, you know, green light and they decide they want to move forward and it makes sense, then we’ll schedule an evaluation. The time duration of the evaluation depends on what kind of patient. It could be a couple of hours, could be four and a half hours. But usually for neurological patients, straightforward, it’s a shorter evaluation. And before the evaluation, we’ll collect the neuro-quant and the QEG and the old records, et cetera. And then I will go through all of that data plus lab data that we collect. And I will then have an idea. Okay, what’s going on here? Now there’s all these things. There’s digestion, there’s nutrition, there’s immune function, inflammation, toxins, hormones, all the hormones, structural issues, chiropractic issues, traumatic brain injury, cardiovascular issues, et cetera. We look at all of that and then to see what are the players here and spiritual, social resources, connectivity. We look at all of this. And then we have a whole picture of what’s going on. And then we can figure out, okay, how do we want to approach this? And sometimes we approach it very lightly. Say we just start with the laser, that’s it. Or sometimes somebody says, no, I want to really get in there and fix everything that’s wrong. Okay, well, we identified these five or six things that need correction. So let’s stage this in order. And that’s what we’ll do. And everyone’s different. And then we have follow-up depending on what we need in two weeks, in a month, six weeks, not usually six weeks. Once things are stable, it could be every two, three months or four months. But in the meantime, I’m in the boat rowing, paddling with them. That’s the way I do it. I treat people, really, I try to treat people just like I would want to be treated myself, like I would want my family to be treated. I do the very best. I love what I do, you know what I mean? I just love what I do and I try to do the best, highest quality. And it’s not that I’m perfect, not that I don’t make mistakes, ⁓ not that I know everything because that’s for sure that I don’t, but that’s my approach. So I try to be in the boat with the patient. As long as the patient’s paddling, I’m paddling just as hard, if not. Bill Gasiamis (49:02) Yeah, it sounds like at least if things, if you don’t make the right approach initially, there’s a whole bunch of tools and resources and things that you can kind of focus on. And one of the things you mentioned, again, you glossed over it, but I love that you do this is spiritual. Like it might be a spiritual journey that the person needs to take. And it’s so overlooked because people, you know, do have… Dr Bob Hedaya (49:22) yeah. yeah, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (49:30) existential crisis after a stroke. it’s like a spirituality helps somehow for a lot of people ease, heal that, ⁓ help people move through, you know, the weeds and come out into the opening and then kind of see the opportunities and where they need to go next. And people don’t need to engage with somebody like you to go on a spiritual journey. That might just be something they’ve ever looked and they can just go, you know what, I’m going to pick up the Bible or ⁓ I’m going to learn about this particular ⁓ spiritual journey or whatever and go through it and do whatever it is that they need to do to kind of start beginning the healing journey in their own special unique way. It’s really important that spirituality gets addressed and it’s not glossed over. And I’m not saying that you did or I did or we do, but in the back of the minds, stroke survivors may not consider that being important. The Role of Spirituality in Healing Dr Bob Hedaya (50:31) Yeah, first of all, I’m passionate about spirituality. I mean, passionate because the truth, in my opinion, is that consciousness, your level of awareness is really consciousness is the foundation, the substrate of everything that exists. The material is an outflow from consciousness. So I could talk about this forever. Not everyone is oriented this way. So, you know, I just saw a businessman, very successful businessman ⁓ last week. He doesn’t want to just, you know, get me back online. OK, I don’t want to hear this mumbo jumbo and I just can’t. I don’t want to delve into it. Just get me better. know. But other people are like, I want to find the meaning, you know, and it’s very important. to find the when I think generally for most people finding the meaning in it is critical. And I’ll say one thing, my mother, may she rest in peace, was in the emergency room, probably 25, 30 years ago, I don’t know, something was wrong, she was in the emergency room for seven, eight hours or whatever, and some guy comes by and says, ma’am, can I get you a sandwich? And she says, oh yeah, please, please get me a sandwich. He gets her a tuna fish sandwich, whatever it is, right? He leaves. She’s so grateful. She’s so grateful that she volunteers in the hospital for 20 years. Okay? This guy has no idea what he did and all the people that he helped through her, right? So you’re, you you and you’re not just you, but we, each of us in our small minds, we have no idea. the impact we have on other people. So if it’s important to a person to have a meaningful life, understand that you don’t have to be running a company. You can smile at a stranger, change their day. There are things that you can do and you have an impact. Now, that’s a small consolation when you’re dealing with a stroke, obviously, but that’s when you kind of want to work to a meaningful ⁓ attitude and a good attitude. So yes, the spirituality is… many people very important. Bill Gasiamis (52:54) David who brought us together ⁓ wanted me to meet you so I could interview you. that part of the role that he played in what happened to his wife ended becoming something that helped other people. Isn’t it interesting? The whole journey started on. Dr Bob Hedaya (53:15) Exactly. Bill Gasiamis (53:20) He contacted me because he wanted to make something good come of what happened to his wife, which I’m sure his wife was also interested in. And he said, you need to get Dr. Hedaya on because we need to share more information, make this stuff aware. so, and I’m like, well, that’s perfect. Of course I do. Whoever comes to me with that kind of information because they want to help other stroke survivors because he’s hoping that other caregivers that are in his shoes have a better outcome. They have more support. They have more information. They have more tools. Dr Bob Hedaya (53:27) Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (53:50) That’s the spiritual journey. You don’t have to call it ⁓ Christianity, Judaism. You don’t have to call it something. You don’t have to label it, but that is what spirituality looks like in practice. Dr Bob Hedaya (53:56) Right. Right. That’s exactly it. That’s exactly it. And it gives me chills because, you know, I know his wife is suffering, you know, and ⁓ but she’s making really great headway, but it’s hard, you know. But look at look that he’s reaching out and he cares enough about other people and to and make her journey and what she’s gone through and what she’s learned be useful to other people. That’s it. That’s just beautiful. I mean, that that speaks volumes about him and her. Bill Gasiamis (54:32) It does absolutely and her and your work because your work is not unique. You’re not the only one doing this kind of work. I think there’s only kind of a small percentage of ⁓ medical professionals in the field that are practicing in this way. And hopefully that continues to grow. ⁓ If somebody wanted to, well, somebody lots of people are listening to this today. If anyone wanted to reach out ⁓ who thinks, you know, that they might be able to ⁓ benefit from or go down this kind of approach. How should they go about that? What questions should they be asking of you, et cetera? Like how do they begin? Because this is a different conversation than I have ⁓ neurological injury, have aphasia. It needs to be positioned differently, this conversation. Dr Bob Hedaya (55:29) Tell me what you mean. I’m not really clear what you’re saying. Bill Gasiamis (55:33) If somebody wants to find a clinician who practices the way that you practice, you guys, for example, you know, you know, who thinks about the brain in a different way. What, what should they be looking for and what. Dr Bob Hedaya (55:38) Aha, I see, I see. I would say that they should go to the website for the Institute for Functional Medicine. And there’s a tab. This is find the practitioner. And make sure you look for a practitioner that is certified, fully certified. And then investigate the practitioners who are in your area and see if they experience. in this area. there are not I’m not aware of, there’s a guy somewhere in the Midwest here who’s using a laser, I believe. And then maybe other people that I don’t know about using lasers, but I’m not aware of anybody that I could say, go see this person for this quantitative EEG guided transcranial photobiomodulation. I’m not saying that that is readily available. It’s not. But the whole functional medicine thing, there are a lot of practitioners. And I think that’s the way to go there. Just do your homework. Bill Gasiamis (56:48) Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Your organization is whole psychiatry and the brain recovery center. Is that right? Okay. So the psychiatry part of it, ⁓ people might be listening and going, well, that doesn’t apply to me, the specific word specifically doesn’t need to apply to an individual to engage with you because, we’re not just dealing with the psychiatry part of somebody’s recovery. Dr Bob Hedaya (56:56) Yeah. Right. Thank you. No, no, we’re dealing, we treat psychiatric, but we treat neurological. You know, I started as a psychiatrist. was, you know, certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, but I was doing psychiatry. then, you know, just following, you know, learning and whatever, I ended up, you know, doing some neurology here. And so, but we didn’t change the name to the whole neuropsychiatry and brain recovery. Maybe we should, or maybe the whole brain recovery center or something like that. So, you we do both, no, and if, and if, I can’t be helpful, of course, I’m going to tell people this, we really don’t want to waste people’s time, energy, money, et cetera. ⁓ But it’s, it’s been, you know, I have to say an amazing journey. And I would say when you follow for me, this is me, my life, following my passion of learning about the brain and understanding the brain and Bill Gasiamis (57:45) Yeah. Dr Bob Hedaya (58:14) looking for the fundamentals of how do things work and just there’s a common sense in medicine. I looked at the laser when I was reading that book and I was like, wow, ATP in the brain, that could really help the brain. How would I

  What if we approached brain health the same way we approach our dental checkups or yearly eye exams? Most people wait until they're dealing with brain fog, concussion symptoms, cognitive decline, or burnout before paying attention to their brain health. But by the time symptoms show up, changes may have already been happening behind the scenes for years. In this episode, we're diving into why proactive brain health assessments could completely change the future of concussion recovery, cognitive performance, and neurodegenerative disease prevention. From EEGs and eye-tracking technology to the impact of subconcussive hits in sport, this conversation explores what's possible when we stop being reactive and start paying attention before things go wrong. BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER: Why brain health baselines may become as important as annual physicals How tools like EEGs, saccadic eye testing, and reflex assessments can measure cognitive function What subconcussive hits may be doing to the brain even without a diagnosed concussion Why supporting your brain health now could impact your recovery and resilience later in life Your brain is involved in every single thing you do — and this episode might just change the way you think about caring for it. Let's connect!   Instagram:  @natasha.wilch https://www.instagram.com/natasha.wilch/ Email: hello@natashawilch.com Website: https://www.natasha-wilch.com   Join the Clinician's Edge to have Your Weekly Taste of Neuro Wisdom  here: https://www.natashawilch.com/clinicians-edge   Join the Concussion Mini School and Membership! Get the support and resources you need for concussion recovery: https://www.natashawilch.com/concussionminischool

What does epilepsy care look like when a clinician has to see 60 people in a single day?! Prof. Mamta Singh shares what high-volume epilepsy care really looks like in New Delhi - from specialist epilepsy clinics to outreach services across rural regions. We discuss why seizure freedom doesn't automatically equate to good quality of life, how experienced clinicians detect mental health and functional symptoms through observation and communication, cultural aspects, and why listening carefully to patients can sometimes be just as important as EEGs, MRIs, and other investigations!  

Jay Gunkelman goes in BLIND — no diagnosis, no report, no hints. Just the EEG that Joshua Moore reviewed live with the panel on The Brain Bar. The next day on Thursday Carnac, Jay cold-reads the same 58-year-old female and finds a 45-degree diagonal line running from her left frontal cortex to her right posterior — the classic geometric signature of a coup-contra-coup injury. Plus a right temporal spike, left frontal alpha hyper-coherence, and Davidson's depressed mood signature. After half a million EEGs, the patterns reach out and grab you. The reveal? Depressed female with a history of a right-side head knock. Jay called it from the waveform alone.

In this episode, Dr. Jannine Krause sits down with Dr. Izzy Justice, Chief Neuroscience Officer at Neuro580, to explore how neuroscience is being used to achieve peak mental performance. Dr. Justice breaks down the science behind focus, flow state, and brain optimization as well as the powerful role of 10 Hertz brain waves. You'll discover practical "neuro hacks" to instantly shift your mental state, improve performance under pressure, and enhance overall well-being. Dr. Justice also shares a powerful perspective on how trauma can be reframed as a catalyst for growth, resilience, and greatness. Whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, or someone looking to improve focus and mental clarity, this episode delivers actionable tools grounded in neuroscience that take less than a minute to deploy. What You'll Learn In This Episode: How Dr. Izzy is using neuroscience to enhance human performance The significance of 10 Hertz brainwave states Neuro hacks for rapid mental state shifts Why trauma can be a catalyst for growth and greatness How functional EEGs are being used to show the benefits of Dr. Izzy's neuro hacks About Dr. Izzy Justice Dr. Izzy Justice is the Chief Neuroscience Officer at Neuro580, a leader in human performance, sports psychology, and mental training. A pioneering sports neuroscientist, he has certified over 300 coaches worldwide and worked with elite athletes, many of whom have gone on to win major championships and Olympic medals. He is the creator of Neurohacks: rapid, science-backed techniques designed to eliminate mental distractions, sharpen focus under pressure, and help individuals access flow state in real time. With more than 18,000 EEG-based functional brain scans conducted during live performance, Dr. Justice brings unmatched expertise in brainwave optimization and mental toughness. In addition to working with athletes, he has coached over 30 CEOs and numerous executives to enhance leadership, performance, and resilience through applied neuroscience. Originally from Zambia and based in the U.S. for over 40 years, Dr. Justice is a best-selling author of 10 books, including Your Brain Swings Every Club, which connects neuroscience, emotional control, and personal mastery.   Resources From The Show: Dr. Izzy Justice's Website Dr. Izzy's Book - Life Explained: Chasing 10 Hz  

Jay Gunkelman goes in BLIND — no age, no report, no diagnosis. Just the EEG that Joshua Moore reviewed live with the panel on The Brain Bar, Wednesday April 8th. The next day on Thursday Carnac, Jay cold-reads the same brain and not only finds what Joshua found — he catches the left insula in eyes open that Joshua wasn't sure anyone could catch. After half a million EEGs, the patterns reach out and grab you. Dr. Mari Swingle joins at the end with a stunning update from her presentation Serenading the Muse — alpha theta training for elite composers and why disconnecting the frontal lobe is sometimes exactly what the brain needs.

Thursday, March 26, 2026 - Week 13   Thanks for NL50 Ed!  cureSYNGAP1.org/NL50,  I listened to Episode 1 and, as it turns out, it was March 12, 2021 (five 5️⃣ years ago), and it's evergreen.   SEVEN THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO BE READY FOR CLINICAL TRIALS Stay Connected to CURE SYNGAP1. Fill in the Connect Form https://curesyngap1.org/connect Have an annual call with Lauren Subscribe to the CURE SYNGAP1 Podcast everywhere and to our YouTube Know your mutation, have your genetic report.  Memorize it or get a tattoo. Sign up for our Natural History Studies. Looking forward: ProMMiS https://curesyngap1.org/prommis/ (Also helps you figure out travel) Looking back: Citizen Health https://www.citizen.health/ai-advocate/syngap1 Participate in Research, get your mutation affirmed and published. Join the CB BioRepository https://combinedbrain.org/roadshow Give samples early and often, like me last week: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graglia_syngap1-syngap-ciliopathy-activity-7441907768468451328-xhzb  Do Surveys Educate yourself, start with these two blogs. https://curesyngap1.org/blog/emerging-medicines-syngap1-related-disorders-primer-comparison-glossary https://curesyngap1.org/blog/preparing-for-syngap1-clinical-trials-what-families-need-to-know Extra Credit: Collect your EEGs. Get them from everywhere you have been (check Citizen to be sure) Keep them handy on a google drive… like this: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vUMRMtnvTJJi7WEwcSrDSLArGL3vzFxH?usp=share_link  Upload them to the CB EEG Repository.  Email Lauren for info #S10e123 https://curesyngap1.org/podcasts/syngap10/the-more-we-own-our-eegs-the-sooner-we-get-a-biomarker-simple-and-remember-to-get-dinner-tickets-for-the-conference-s10e123 Super Extra Credit:  If you have a missense, intronic or other weird mutation.  We should make a cell line which will allow further study.  These cost ~$10k each, so we need to do a fundraiser, but we can help. #S10e   SPRINT FOR SYNGAP1, EVERYWHERE – 29 days Get on the map!   https://curesyngap1.org/calendar/sprint4syngap-2026   INAUGURAL SF NIGHT OF IMPACT, CA – 63 days Join us this is our only Gala for 2026! cureSYNGAP1.org/SF26   5TH SCRAMBLE FOR SYNGAP, SC – 191 days  Classic case of a small event becoming an institution! cureSYNGAP1.org/Scramble26   SYNGAP1 Awareness Must watch this episode of Kelly and Kyle.  Careful with those ASMs that challenge bone growth… https://curesyngap1.org/bones PUBMED Pubmed 2026 is at 18.  Some great papers, but will discuss later. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=syngap1&filter=years.2026-2026&sort=date   SOCIAL MATTERS 4,786 LinkedIn.  https://www.linkedin.com/company/curesyngap1 1,540 YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/@CureSYNGAP1 11.1k Twitter https://twitter.com/cureSYNGAP1 45k Insta https://www.instagram.com/curesyngap1   $CAMP stock is at $4.75 on 25 Mar. ‘26 https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/CAMP:NASDAQ   Like and subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen.  https://curesyngap1.org/podcasts/syngap10 Episode 202 of #Syngap10 #CureSYNGAP1 #Podcast

Electrostatics doesn't have to be the topic you dread. In this Jack Westin MCAT Podcast episode, Mike and Molly break down everything you need to know about charge, forces, electric fields, potential energy, and voltage, then connect it all back to how EEGs and ECGs actually work.Whether electrostatics is your weakest topic or you just need a solid review, this episode gives you the conceptual foundation and equation relationships to handle any question the MCAT throws at you.Next episode: Consciousness, sleep stages, and psychoactive drugsGet started with our resources!

Should schools allow AI-empowered EEGs to monitor the concentration level of students?

Friday, March 6, 2026 - Week 10   WHAT DO WE NEED $ FOR? I talked in Episode 197 #S10e197 about scientific priorities, and in Episode 200 #S10e200 about areas of activity beyond science grants.  All of this is what we need to fund.   SPRINT FOR SYNGAP1 Sprint for SYNGAP is coming fast– 49 DAYS. Make a difference. Raise some money. Get on the map!  Text sprint26 to 71777 https://curesyngap1.org/calendar/sprint4syngap-2026/   INAUGURAL SF NIGHT OF IMPACT Also to raise funds, please join us in SF on May 28th. 83 DAYS. Thanks to the organizational team Justin, Zoe, Ed, Jessica, etc. cureSYNGAP1.org/SF26    NHS Matter I talked in episode 198 #S10e198 about the importance of natural history studies. Check out this paper on Zuvenersen from Dravet to understand the long-term impact these studies could have. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2506295 Join ProMMiS and Citizen Health.   SHOUTOUTS Rosie Davilla on Univision  curesyngap1.org/rosie2026 - https://www.univision.com/local/dallas-kuvn/syngap1-el-diagnostico-que-cambio-la-vida-de-rosie-en-texas-video   #RareDiseaseDay Talks Emily Barnes @ Quiver; Paulina and Brian Sheehan @ Third Rock; Mike @ SparkNS; John Hill & Allison CNBC Cures.   Beata's double header SYNGAP1 Stories. Part 1. https://curesyngap1.org/podcasts/syngap1-stories/beata-tarasiuk/   DSCIII In addition to Colorado Children's & Stanford we are now in a study at Boston Children's, Rush and U Alabama aka UAB.  Attending kick off for this at the end of the month.   DATES TO TRACK Scramble for Syngap - 5th annual on October 3 in S. Carolina in 211 DAYS cureSYNGAP1.org/Scramble26    Conference in Denver CO!  271 DAYS.  Sponsorship options in our #Prospectus for industry are available here https://curesyngap1.org/prospectus  Science Day - cureSYNGAP1.org/SD2025Videos Family Day - cureSYNGAP1.org/FD2025Videos See our entire library of webinars & videos on YouTube youtube.com/cureSYNGAP1    BIOSAMPLES & EEGs! Biorepository needs more samples.  Check out the list and map here https://combinedbrain.org/roadshow/ and contribute both blood & EEGs.  The data and research we do with these samples is invaluable.  Let us know if you are going, email our CSO@curesyngap1.org PUBMED Pubmed 2026 is at 12, just like last week but am I seeing some amazing manuscripts! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=syngap1&filter=years.2026-2026&sort=date    Two particularly cool papers: HDAC Inhibitors https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41777621/  A positive missense causing cognitive resiliencehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41777621/   SOCIAL MATTERS 4,732 LinkedIn.  https://www.linkedin.com/company/curesyngap1 1,535 YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/@CureSYNGAP1 11.2k Twitter https://twitter.com/cureSYNGAP1 45k Insta https://www.instagram.com/curesyngap1   $CAMP stock is at $4.59 on 5 Mar. ‘26 https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/CAMP:NASDAQ   Like and subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen.  https://curesyngap1.org/podcasts/syngap10/ Episode 201 of #Syngap10 #CureSYNGAP1 #Podcast

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 - Week 9   Thank you Virginie, Eric & Paulina for being in Cold DC right now with the Everylife Foundation!  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/curesyngap1_raredc2026-syngap1-curesyngap1-activity-7432425642295586816-IVDQ   NATURAL HISTORY STUDY Sign up for Citizen Health cureSYNGAP1.org/Citizen and ProMMiS cureSYNGAP1.org/ProMMiS And now the Citizen Health App on iOS https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graglia_your-advocate-is-now-with-you-in-every-moment-activity-7432260543748579328--dva   Board meeting… key message, we are much more than fundraising, grants and patient support.  Here is our list of non-grant projects.   Fundraising Regulatory - Industry Regulatory - FDA Clinical Trial Readiness Standard of Care Patient Engagement Health Economics https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graglia_the-economic-impact-of-caregiving-for-individuals-activity-7431827551574011904-HvA4 Global Coordination Next steps with NALL Patient Support Next steps with Nortriptyline   BIOSAMPLES & EEGs! Biorepository needs more samples.  Check out the list and map here https://combinedbrain.org/roadshow/ and contribute both blood & EEGs.  The data and research we do with these samples is invaluable.  Let us know if you are going, email our CSO@curesyngap1.org FUNDRAISING - SPRINT4SYNGAP Sprint is April 25 - our calendar page - cureSYNGAP1.org/Sprint - has all the information in the following links: Also, May 28, San Francisco, CA: cureSYNGAP1.org/SF26 Scramble for Syngap - 5th annual on October 3 in S. Carolina cureSYNGAP1.org/Scramble26   PUBMED Pubmed 2026 is at 9, just like last week but am I seeing some amazing manuscripts! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=syngap1&filter=years.2026-2026&sort=date (Remember we had 18 in all of ‘18)   SOCIAL MATTERS 4,700 LinkedIn.  https://www.linkedin.com/company/curesyngap1 1,530 YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/@CureSYNGAP1 11.2k Twitter https://twitter.com/cureSYNGAP1 45k Insta https://www.instagram.com/curesyngap1   $CAMP stock is at $4.70 on 24 Feb. ‘26 https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/CAMP:NASDAQ   Like and subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen.  https://curesyngap1.org/podcasts/syngap10/ Episode 200 of #Syngap10 #CureSYNGAP1 #Podcast

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - Week 8   We are flat out, thank you to the team who work full-time on SYNGAP1: VM KAH LP PP & KF.   CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGN We are Angelman-like. (Rett also) https://aesnet.org/abstractslisting/differentiating-key-symptoms-of-angelman-syndrome-as-and-syngap1-via-caregiver-reported-and-us-claims-data-to-understand-differences-between-how-providers-and-caregivers-view-impacts-on-patient-care Dravet or Angelman?  Phase 1/2 is when we try it all.  EEGs and NHS help with this effort.   BIOSAMPLES & EEGs! Biorepository needs more samples.  Check out the list and map here https://combinedbrain.org/roadshow/ and contribute both blood & EEGs.  The data and research we do with these samples is invaluable.  Let us know if you are going, email our CSO@curesyngap1.org.   (Stay tuned for another exciting device study…)   NATURAL HISTORY STUDY Sign up for Citizen Health cureSYNGAP1.org/Citizen and ProMMiS cureSYNGAP1.org/ProMMiS NHS Survey in English: https://curesyngap1.org/SurveyProMMiS & Spanish: https://curesyngap1.org/encuestaProMMiS Latest Pod on NHS: https://youtu.be/7W38uWKBIAw?si=lCrffwMXidmYWz7t   FUNDRAISING - SPRINT4SYNGAP Sprint is April 25 - our calendar page - cureSYNGAP1.org/Sprint - has all the information in the following links: set up your team - cureSYNGAP1.org/Sprint26 resource guide for your event - cureSYNGAP1.org/S4SGuide webinar #99 to help get you started - cureSYNGAP1.org/S4S25   Also, May 28, San Francisco, CA: cureSYNGAP1.org/SF26 Scramble for Syngap - 5th annual on October 3 in S. Carolina cureSYNGAP1.org/Scramble26   PUBMED Pubmed 2026 is at 9! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=syngap1&filter=years.2026-2026&sort=date (Remember we had 18 in all of ‘18) Cool connection to #PraderWilli Syndrome. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/graglia_syngap1-praderwilli-autism-share-7429579885985296385-zuIH   ETC - More warriors cureSYNGAP1.org/Warrior - Dr. Donlin-Asp Press Release cureSYNGAP1.org/PR42 see talk here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR8qcZK-9ro - Bravo Sara Driscol and GeneDx https://www.linkedin.com/posts/genedx_beyondawareforrare-ugcPost-7427763511235248129-QPPL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAAD8f4B7JC4TMss45Q8hrsq5kiceI0Z8HE   SOCIAL MATTERS 4,686 LinkedIn.  https://www.linkedin.com/company/curesyngap1 1,520 YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/@CureSYNGAP1 11.2k Twitter https://twitter.com/cureSYNGAP1 45k Insta https://www.instagram.com/curesyngap1   $CAMP stock is at $3.85 on 17 Feb. ‘26 https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/CAMP:NASDAQ   Like and subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen.  https://curesyngap1.org/podcasts/syngap10/ Episode 199 of #Syngap10 #CureSYNGAP1 #Podcast

This episode's guest:Dr. Jonathan Santoro, MDPediatric Neurologist & NeuroimmunologistChildren's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)2025 Shannon O'Boyle Memorial Neuropsychiatric Illness Grant AwardeeOverview:In this episode, we welcome Dr. Jonathan Santoro, our 2025 Shannon O'Boyle Memorial Neuropsychiatric Illness Grant Awardee, who is pediatric neurologist. Dr. Santoro's work focuses on developmental regression and neuropsychiatric illness, and he shares with Dr. Lauren why his research team is turning its attention to Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS).Dr. Santoro's PMSF-funded project, “Diagnostic Biomarkers in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disease,” uses tests that are already part of standard clinical care (like EEGs, MRIs, blood work, and lumbar punctures), the team will look for biological “signatures”, or biomarkers, to help lead to better diagnosis, earlier detection, and more targeted treatments for individuals with Phelan-McDermid syndrome who experience neuropsychiatric illness.His study is currently enrolling (February 2026)Check out our open studies page for more information: https://pmsf.org/current-open-research/

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are common, often misunderstood, and increasingly encountered in pediatric emergency care. These events closely resemble epileptic seizures but arise from abnormal brain network functioning rather than epileptiform activity. In this episode of PEM Currents, we review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical features of PNES in children and adolescents, with a practical focus on Emergency Department recognition, diagnostic strategy, and management. Particular emphasis is placed on seizure semiology, avoiding iatrogenic harm, communicating the diagnosis compassionately, and understanding how early identification and referral to cognitive behavioral therapy can dramatically improve long-term outcomes. Learning Objectives Identify key epidemiologic trends, risk factors, and semiological features that help differentiate psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from epileptic seizures in pediatric patients presenting to the Emergency Department. Apply an evidence-based Emergency Department approach to the evaluation and initial management of suspected PNES, including strategies to avoid unnecessary escalation of care and medication exposure. Demonstrate effective, patient- and family-centered communication techniques for explaining the diagnosis of PNES and facilitating timely referral to appropriate outpatient therapy. References Sawchuk T, Buchhalter J, Senft B. Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures in Children-Prospective Validation of a Clinical Care Pathway & Risk Factors for Treatment Outcome. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2020;105:106971. (PMID: 32126506) Fredwall M, Terry D, Enciso L, et al. Outcomes of Children and Adolescents 1 Year After Being Seen in a Multidisciplinary Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures Clinic. Epilepsia. 2021;62(10):2528-2538. (PMID: 34339046) Sawchuk T, Buchhalter J. Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures in Children - Psychological Presentation, Treatment, and Short-Term Outcomes. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2015;52(Pt A):49-56. (PMID: 26409129) Labudda K, Frauenheim M, Miller I, et al. Outcome of CBT-based Multimodal Psychotherapy in Patients With Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: A Prospective Naturalistic Study. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2020;106:107029. (PMID: 32213454) Transcript This transcript was generated using Descript automated transcription software and has been reviewed and edited for accuracy by the episode's author. Edits were limited to correcting names, titles, medical terminology, and transcription errors. The content reflects the original spoken audio and was not substantively altered. Welcome to PEM Currents: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Podcast. As always, I'm your host, Brad Sobolewski, and today we are talking about psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, or PNES. Now, this is a diagnosis that often creates a lot of uncertainty in the Emergency Department. These episodes can be very scary for families and caregivers and schools. And if we mishandle the diagnosis, it can lead to unnecessary testing, medication exposure, ICU admissions, and long-term harm. This episode's gonna focus on how to recognize PNES in pediatric patients, how we make the diagnosis, what the evidence says about management and outcomes, and how what we do and what we say in the Emergency Department directly affects patients, families, and prognosis. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures are paroxysmal events that resemble epileptic seizures but occur without epileptiform EEG activity. They're now best understood as a subtype of functional neurological symptom disorder, specifically functional or dissociative seizures. Historically, these events were commonly referred to as pseudo-seizures, and that term still comes up frequently in the ED, in documentation, and sometimes from families themselves. The problem is that pseudo implies false, fake, or voluntary, and that implication is incorrect and harmful. These episodes are real, involuntary, and distressing, even though they're not epileptic. Preferred terminology includes psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, or PNES, functional seizures, or dissociative seizures. And PNES is not a diagnosis of exclusion, and it does not require identification of psychological trauma or psychiatric disease. The diagnosis is based on positive clinical features, ideally supported by video-EEG, and management begins with clear, compassionate communication. The overall incidence of PNES shows a clear increase over time, particularly from the late 1990s through the mid-2010s. This probably reflects improved recognition and access to diagnostic services, though a true increase in occurrence can't be excluded. Comorbidity with epilepsy is really common and clinically important. Fourteen to forty-six percent of pediatric patients with PNES also have epilepsy, which frequently complicates diagnosis and contributes to diagnostic delay. Teenagers account for the highest proportion of patients with PNES, especially 15- to 19-year-olds. Surprisingly, kids under six are about one fourth of all cases, so it's not just teenagers. We often make the diagnosis of PNES in epilepsy monitoring units. So among children undergoing video-EEG, about 15 to 19 percent may ultimately be diagnosed with PNES. And paroxysmal non-epileptic events in tertiary epilepsy monitoring units account for about 15 percent of all monitored patients. Okay, but what is PNES? Well, it's best understood as a disorder of abnormal brain network functioning. It's not structural disease. The core mechanisms at play include altered attention and expectation, impaired integration of motor control and awareness, and dissociation during events. So the patients are not necessarily aware that this is happening. Psychological and psychosocial features are common but not required for diagnosis and may be less prevalent in pediatric populations as compared with adults. So PNES is a brain-based disorder. It's not conscious behavior, it's not malingering, and it's not under voluntary control. Children and adolescents with PNES have much higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities and psychosocial stressors compared to both healthy controls and children with epilepsy alone. Psychiatric disorders are present in about 40 percent of pediatric PNES patients, both before and after the diagnosis. Anxiety is seen in 58 percent, depression in 31 percent, and ADHD in 35 percent. Compared to kids with epilepsy, the risk of psychiatric disorders in PNES is nearly double. Compared to healthy controls, it is up to eight times higher. And there's a distinct somatopsychiatric profile that strongly predicts diagnosis of PNES. This includes multiple medical complaints, psychiatric symptoms, high anxiety sensitivity, and solitary emotional coping. This profile, if you've got all four of them, carries an odds ratio of 15 for PNES. Comorbid epilepsy occurs in 14 to 23 percent of pediatric PNES cases, and it's associated with intellectual disability and prolonged diagnostic delay. And finally, across all demographic strata, anxiety is the most consistent predictor of PNES. Making the diagnosis is really hard. It really depends on a careful history and detailed analysis of the events. There's no single feature that helps us make the diagnosis. So some of the features of the spells or events that have high specificity for PNES include long duration, so typically greater than three minutes, fluctuating or asynchronous limb movements, pelvic thrusting or side-to-side head movements, ictal eye closure, often with resisted eyelid opening, ictal crying or vocalization, recall of ictal events, and rare association with injury. Younger children often present with unresponsiveness. Adolescents more commonly demonstrate prominent motor symptoms. In pediatric cohorts, we most frequently see rhythmic motor activity in about 27 percent, and complex motor movements and dialeptic events in approximately 18 percent each. Features that argue against PNES include sustained cyanosis with hypoxia, true lateral tongue biting, stereotyped events that are identical each time, clear postictal confusion or lethargy, and obviously epileptic EEG changes during the events themselves. Now there are some additional historical and contextual clues that can help us make the diagnosis as well. If the events occur in the presence of others, if they occur during stressful situations, if there are psychosocial stressors or trauma history, a lack of response to antiepileptic drugs, or the absence of postictal confusion, this may suggest PNES. Lower socioeconomic status, Medicaid insurance, homelessness, and substance use are also associated with PNES risk. While some of these features increase suspicion, again, video-EEG remains the diagnostic gold standard. We do not have video-EEG in the ED. But during monitoring, typical events are ideally captured and epileptiform activity is not seen on the EEG recording. Video-EEG is not feasible for every single diagnosis. You can make a probable PNES diagnosis with a very accurate clinical history, a vivid description of the signs and appearance of the events, and reassuring interictal EEG findings. Normal labs and normal imaging do not make the diagnosis. Psychiatric comorbidities are not required. The diagnosis, again, rests on positive clinical features. If the patient can't be placed on video-EEG in a monitoring unit, and if they have an EEG in between events and it's normal, that can be supportive as well. So what if you have a patient with PNES in the Emergency Department? Step one, stabilize airway, breathing, circulation. Take care of the patient in front of you and keep them safe. Use seizure pads and precautions and keep them from falling off the bed or accidentally injuring themselves. A family member or another team member can help with this. Avoid reflexively escalating. If you are witnessing a PNES event in front of you, and if they're protecting their airway, oxygenating, and hemodynamically stable, avoid repeated benzodiazepines. Avoid intubating them unless clearly indicated, and avoid reflexively loading them with antiseizure medications such as levetiracetam or valproic acid. Take a focused history. You've gotta find out if they have a prior epilepsy diagnosis. Have they had EEGs before? What triggered today's event? Do they have a psychiatric history? Does the patient have school stressors or family conflict? And then is there any recent illness or injury? Only order labs and imaging when clinically indicated. EEG is not widely available in the Emergency Department. We definitely shouldn't say things like, “this isn't a real seizure,” or use outdated terms like pseudo-seizure. Don't say it's all psychological, and please do not imply that the patient is faking. If you see a patient and you think it's PNES, you're smart, you're probably right, but don't promise diagnostic certainty at first presentation. Remember, a sizable proportion of these patients actually do have epilepsy, and referring them to neurology and getting definitive testing can really help clarify the diagnosis. Communication errors, especially early on, worsen outcomes. One of the most difficult things is actually explaining what's going on to families and caregivers. So here's a suggestion. You could say something like: “What your child is experiencing looks like a seizure, but it's not caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Instead, it's what we call a functional seizure, where the brain temporarily loses control of movement and awareness. These episodes are real and involuntary. The good news is that this condition is treatable, especially when we address it early.” The core treatment of PNES is CBT-based psychotherapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy. That's the standard of care. Typical treatment involves 12 to 14 sessions focused on identifying triggers, modifying maladaptive cognitions, and building coping strategies. Almost two thirds of patients achieve full remission with treatment. About a quarter achieve partial remission. Combined improvement rates reach up to 90 percent at 12 months. Additional issues that neurologists, psychologists, and psychiatrists often face include safe tapering of antiseizure medications when epilepsy has been excluded, treatment of comorbid anxiety or depression, coordinating care between neurology and mental health professionals, and providing education for schools on event management. Schools often witness these events and call prehospital professionals who want to keep patients safe. Benzodiazepines are sometimes given, exposing patients to additional risk. This requires health system-level and outpatient collaboration. Overall, early diagnosis and treatment of PNES is critical. Connection to counseling within one month of diagnosis is the strongest predictor of remission. PNES duration longer than 12 months before treatment significantly reduces the likelihood of remission. Video-EEG confirmation alone does not predict positive outcomes. Not every patient needs admission to a video-EEG unit. Quality of communication and speed of treatment, especially CBT-based therapy, matter the most. Overall, the prognosis for most patients with PNES is actually quite favorable. There are sustained reductions in events along with improvements in mental health comorbidities. Quality of life and psychosocial functioning improve, and patients use healthcare services less frequently. So here are some take-home points about psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, or PNES. Pseudo-seizure and similar terms are outdated and misleading. Do not use them. PNES are real, involuntary, brain-based events. Diagnosis relies on positive clinical features, what the events look like and when they happen, not normal lab tests or CT scans. Early recognition and diagnosis, and rapid referral to cognitive behavioral therapy, change patients' lives. If you suspect PNES, get neurology and mental health professionals involved as soon as possible. Alright, that's all I've got for this episode. I hope you found it educational. Having seen these events many times over the years, I recognize how scary they can be for families, schools, and our prehospital colleagues. It's up to us to think in advance about how we're going to talk to patients and families and develop strategies to help children who are suffering from PNES events. If you've got feedback about this episode, send it my way. Likewise, like, rate, and review, as my teenagers would say, and share this episode with a colleague if you think it would be beneficial. For PEM Currents: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Podcast, this has been Brad Sobolewski. See you next time.

John Burke returns for a deeper dive into the harder questions surrounding near-death experiences. After 40 years of researching over 1,500 cases from every continent and religious background, Burke tackles what people consistently report about hell, spiritual warfare, angelic beings, and the nature of God.This episode explores the uncomfortable testimonies of hellish experiences—from the outer darkness to pits of fire, from victims of spiritual torment to those trapped chasing earthly addictions. Burke discusses why some NDEs involve deception by malevolent beings, the role of tunnel experiences as spiritual protection, and whether there's a "liminal space" where souls can still cry out to God before crossing into eternity.Burke shares stories that don't make it into most Christian discussions: the Muslim imam who saw Jesus with holes in his wrists and woke up at his own burial, the Jewish woman who sat on God's lap while Jesus stood nearby (but they were somehow "one"), the Hindu engineer who saw a lake of fire despite never reading the Bible, and the atheist professor dragged into darkness by deceptive beings claiming to be hospital staff.These aren't ghost stories or hallucinations—many occurred during documented clinical death with flat EEGs and no heartbeat for extended periods. Burke explains the consistent patterns he's discovered: the tunnel as protection, the life review, the welcoming committee of angels, and the terrifying reality that some people initially head toward places of torment before being rescued. We discuss AI deception, astral projection, why time works differently on "the other side," and whether these experiences prove the Bible's descriptions of the afterlife are more literal than we thought. This episode is sponsored by: https://mintmobile.com/blurry — Get your premium wireless plan for $15 a month when you try Mint Mobile for the first time! https://quince.com/blurry — Get free shipping on your order & 365-day returns when you shop now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Andrea Samadi revisits a popular interview with Dr. Dawson Church about his book Bliss Brain and the neuroscience of meditation. They explore how simple, evidence-based practices can quiet the brain's default mode, trigger blissful neurochemicals, and reshape stress and happiness networks. Listeners learn why happiness must be trained, how meditation helps people live more in the present, and practical tips to start a daily meditation practice using guided tools like the free Bliss Brain meditations. Welcome back to SEASON 14 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning and emotional intelligence training for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren't taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I'm Andrea Samadi, and seven years ago, launched this podcast with a question I had never truly asked myself before: (and that is) If productivity and results matter to us—and they do now more than ever—how exactly are we using our brain to make them happen? Most of us were never taught how to apply neuroscience to improve productivity, results, or well-being. About a decade ago, I became fascinated by the mind-brain-results connection—and how science can be applied to our everyday lives. That's why I've made it my mission to bring you the world's top experts—so together, we can explore the intersection of science and social-emotional learning. We'll break down complex ideas and turn them into practical strategies we can use every day for predictable, science-backed results. For today's Episode 369, we are moving forward on our journey of the mind, to our next interview review, with our goal of building off of our past reviews, and sharpening our saw for improved well-being, productivity and success in 2025 and beyond. To review our last 3 episodes, with our interview with speaker Bob Proctor, we learned that “If we want to improve our RESULTS, we must focus on the six faculties of our mind—reason, intuition, perception, will, memory, and imagination.” “Devoting a year to developing each one would be time well invested, elevating us to greater heights and setting us apart from others.” Next, we looked at how we need to become extremely clear with our vision of “what we really want” and keep in mind that…. Our External Environment Reflects Our Internal World What exactly does this mean? It means that if we don't like what's happening in our external world—whether it's in our job, relationships, results, or any area of our life—we must first look inward. Our circumstances mirror the beliefs and thoughts we hold within. As James Allen reminds us in As a Man Thinketh: our outer world is always a reflection of our inner state. For today's Episode 369, we'll turn inward—sharpening our inner world so that we can transform the outer one. Today we go back EP 98[i] our interview with Dr. Dawson Church, that was recorded back in December of 2020, where we looked at the science behind implementing meditation into your daily routine. This interview is currently our most watched YouTube interview with over 11K views. This week, in our review of EP 98 with Dr. Dawson Church and his book Bliss Brain, we will explore how meditation can rewire the brain for happiness and presence. We will learn: ✔ Since happiness didn't evolve naturally, we must train our brain to achieve it. ✔ Our brains default to the past or future, constantly scanning for threats, instead of resting in the present moment. ✔ Extreme states of happiness are possible for all of us when we implement meditation consistently. ✔ How to commit to a daily meditation practice using the free meditations that come with Bliss Brain, or explore other guided programs until you find one that resonates with you Just a reminder-Dr. Church is the author of the book called Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity and Joy.[ii] He's an award-winning science writer who blends cutting-edge neuroscience with the stories of people who've had firsthand experience of brain change. Neural plasticity—the discovery that the brain is capable of rewiring itself—is now widely understood. But what few people have grasped yet is how quickly this is happening, how extensive brain changes can be, and how much control each of us exerts over the process of our thinking. It's been almost 5 years since this interview, and it feels like yesterday to me. I remember at the time, one of my dogs was barking in the yard when the landscapers came, and I was worried it would distract our interview. It didn't. I don't even think Dr. Church could hear them. There were also two other things that stuck out in my head from this interview (other than the fact I was wearing glasses trying to prepare for Lasik surgery and couldn't really see the questions) but I'll also never forget that American entrepreneur and biohacker Dave Asprey, who's well known for his interest in helping others achieve these elevated brain states, wrote the Foreword to his book. I also won't ever forget Chapter 1, of Bliss Brain, where Dr. Church shares how he and his wife lost their home and pets in the 2017 Santa Rose Fire, yet they chose to focus on gratitude and rebuilding their lives with joy. This story highlights his teaching that even trained minds struggle under pressure, but with meditation and practice, we can shift into a bliss or flow state. Church's EcoMeditation method, (that he covers in his book) supported by science and praised by Dave Asprey in the Foreword, helps quiet the brain's Default Mode Network[iii] and quickly releases calming, pleasurable chemicals—in as little as four minutes. Dr. Church has a strong following, and there are many powerful testimonials at the start of his book. One we spoke about in our interview was from Toni Tombleson who wrote: After a week of putting out a handful of mini-fires that often accompany the start of a new school year in my world, I can see why these lessons to handling both major life crises and everyday challenges, by learning to cultivate a “Bliss Brain” should remain a top priority for resilience, productivity, and well-being, for all of us. VIDEO 1 Click Here to Watch Which brings me to Video Clip 1 of our review. Watch video clip 1 with the link in the show notes. Historical Context: Dr. Church begins by reflecting on The Buddha, who over 2,000 years ago sought to relieve human suffering. He also reviews other spiritual teachers, including Plato, who grappled with the same question. Biological Explanation: Dr. Church emphasizes that suffering is a biological problem, a feature of how the human brain evolved. How our lives have become easier than they were 2,000 years ago. He explained to me how people are 3x as wealthy now, than they were 40 years ago. In terms of longevity, our lifespans have doubled in the last century. There are many markers like this that show us that we live in a much more secure and safe world than we used to. Key Point: While we live in a safer environment today, than 2,000 years ago, our brains were not designed for where we are today. We are not suffering he reminded me because we are bad people, we lack will, or haven't read enough personal growth books… “We simply didn't evolve to be happy because there was no survival benefit in being happy.”  Tip #1: Since happiness didn't evolve naturally, it's something we must train our brain to achieve. Practical Application: This is the basis of his book Bliss Brain, where he explains how meditation helps us train the brain to reach a bliss or flow state. It's in his book that we learn how to achieve this state that will change not only our brain, (our internal state) but our outer results in our everyday lives. In Chapter 2, he shows us why most people find it so hard to meditate. The difficulty has nothing to do with willpower or intention. It's simply due to the design of the human brain. When you understand this clearly, you'll be equipped to work around it. Chapter 3 describes the ecstatic states that you can achieve in meditation. He examines the regions of the brain that you activate, and what each one does. He also lists the extensive health and cognitive benefits that you get from activating each of those regions. In Chapter 4 you'll hear the story of his own personal failed meditation experiences. He learned many different styles of meditation, but could never establish a consistent practice. His breakthrough came from science. When he combined seven simple evidence-based practices together, found a formula that puts people into deep states automatically and involuntarily. No effort required. When he and his colleagues hook people up to EEGs and MRIs, they find that using these seven steps, even non-meditators get into profound states in less than 4 minutes. Sometimes in less than 50 seconds. Historically, the secrets of these states have been available to only about 1% of the population. Thanks to science, they're now available to everyone. Chapter 5 he goes into the seven neurochemicals of ecstasy. We learn how each one is like a drug that makes you feel good. But combine all seven together, and you have a potent formula that takes your brain into bliss. Meditation is the only way you get all seven at one time. The star of the show is a neurotransmitter called anandamide, aka “the bliss molecule.” When you trigger these ecstatic states daily, they change your brain. Chapter 6 is about the extensive brain remodeling that occurs in seasoned meditators. Stress circuits shrink, while happiness networks grow. But you don't need to be an adept to trigger this rewiring. It begins the very first week you meditate effectively. Chapter 7 is about post-traumatic growth, and how the brains of meditators make them resilient to the inevitable upsets of life. Medical crises and financial disasters included. It provides practical examples of how meditation can make you resilient even during global upheavals like the coronavirus panic that was happening at the time of this interview. Whatever challenges confront us, we will be well equipped to handle large and small life challenges. If we truly want to find happiness, then we will need to rewire our brain to accomplish these states. VIDEO 2 Click Here to Watch Watch video clip 2 with the link in the show notes. Question asked: “How can we learn to be more in the present moment, instead of somewhere else?” Dr. Church's explanation: The brain is hardwired to identify threats for survival. Today, most of us don't face immediate threats, but the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN) keeps scanning for danger. Without real threats, it replays past negative experiences (even from years ago or childhood) and projects fear into the future (“what if it happens again?”). This keeps us stuck in the past and future, not the present moment. Monks & meditation: Monks, after years of deep meditation, trained their brains differently. Brain scans showed structural changes—the brain literally began to shrink in areas related to stress and overthinking. Key Point: Our brains are not naturally wired to live in the present moment—they default to the past or future, scanning for threats. Tip #2: Get serious about meditation. Example: Australian astrophysicist & TV journalist Graham Phillips remodeled his brain in just 8 weeks of meditation practice. VIDEO 3 Click Here to Watch Watch video clip 3 with the link in the show notes. In this clip, Dr. Church explains how “meditation changes everything” and why “20 years ago, he decided to make this commitment to daily meditation” sharing how his whole world changed after this. These are noticeable changes that were behind his motivation to write this book, Bliss Brain, to show the world how they too can reach these states of extreme happiness. He told us to go back and study historical figures who were clearly in altered states of being, like the Italian Catholic Preacher, Saint Francis of Assisi, who appears in a blissed-out state as we see in a drawing, where it looks like he is communicating with God or something divine. This beautiful blissful state, that goes beyond happiness, is available to all of us. We will cover more about the changes our brains undergo with meditation as we go back to review our interview #28 with clinical professor of psychiatry from the UCLA school of medicine, Dr. Dan Siegel[iv], on a later episode, but for now, we can conclude that we can in fact change our outside world, in a significant and powerful way, by dedicating ourselves to a daily meditation practice. Key Point: We can ALL reach this state of extreme happiness by implementing a daily meditation practice. Tip 3: We can get started with our own meditation practice (if we are not currently implementing one) by using the FREE mediations that come along with the Bliss Brain Book Or use whatever meditation program resonates with you. REVIEW AND CONCLUSION Episode 369 Wrap-Up: Bliss Brain Review with Dr. Dawson Church This week, in our review of EP 98 with Dr. Dawson Church and his book Bliss Brain, we explored how meditation can rewire the brain for happiness and presence. Key Point from Clip 1: Although we live in a safer world than 2,000 years ago, our brains weren't designed for today's environment. “We simply didn't evolve to be happy because there was no survival benefit in being happy.” Tip #1: Since happiness didn't evolve naturally, we must train our brain to achieve it. Key Point from Clip 2: Our brains default to the past or future, constantly scanning for threats, instead of resting in the present moment. Tip #2: Commit to meditation—like astrophysicist and TV journalist Graham Phillips, who saw powerful changes after just 8 weeks of his daily practice that helped him to focus in the present moment. Key Point from Clip 3: Extreme states of happiness are possible for all of us when we implement meditation consistently. Tip #3: Start small. Use the free meditations that come with Bliss Brain, or explore other guided programs until you find one that resonates with you I highly recommend watching the full interview with Dr. Church[v]—especially if you've struggled to stay consistent with your own practice. Even Dr. Church himself shares moments where he lost momentum, which is a reminder that this is a journey for all of us. Personally, I've cycled through different meditation programs—starting with John Assaraf's work, then moving on to Dr. Dan Siegel's Wheel of Awareness, using Dr. Church's Bliss Brain meditations, and now practicing Dr. Joe Dispenza's chakra-focused work. The program you choose matters less than your ability to make it a consistent daily practice—that's when the real brain changes occur. We'll see you next week as we continue exploring the Journey of the Mind, working on connecting practical science to improve our inner and outer world. See you next week!   RESOURCES: VIDEO CLIP 1 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DkeDGwbShwU VIDEO CLIP 2 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a5O3eI7qKro VIDEO CLIP 3 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Zatnfj4MPok FREE ACCESS TO BLISS BRAIN RESOURCES, MEDITATIONS https://blissbrainbook.com/ REFERENCES: [i]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 98 “Dr. Dawson Church: The Science Behind Using a Meditation: Rewiring Your Brain for Happiness, Resilience, and Joy”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/dr-dawson-church-on-the-science-behind-using-meditation-rewiring-your-brain-for-happiness-resilience-and-joy/     [ii] FREE ACCESS TO BLISS BRAIN RESOURCES, MEDITATIONS https://blissbrainbook.com/     [iii] Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 204 “The Neuroscience of Happiness”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/brain-fact-friday-on-the-neuroscience-of-happiness/   [iv]Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast EPISODE 28 with Dr. Daniel Siegel on “Mindsight: The Basis for Social and Emotional Intelligenvce”  https://andreasamadi.podbean.com/e/clinical-professor-of-psychiatry-at-the-ucla-school-of-medicine-dr-daniel-siegel-on-mindsight-the-basis-for-social-and-emotional-intelligence/   [v] YouTube Interview with Andrea Samadi and Dr. Dawson Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH8yVKHjFN4  

Check out the collection of fidgets Team Shiny loves! Are ADHD, autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders overdiagnosed? Is it all in our heads? Is self-diagnosis legit? Isabelle and David take some common stigmas and misperceptions to task and explore how labels and identities can help or hurt, how policing stigma when you're not a member of the group being stigmatized (or asking us what we need), and the huge weight our world puts on external, visible behaviors rather than internal pain, frustrations, and strengths.-----Isabelle references a podcast episode she listened to recently, Armchair Expert with guest Suzanne O'Sullivan on overdiagnosis. She brings up the idea of psychosomatic illness, and the example this epilepsy expert uses is that there are a certain percentage of cases of epilepsy that appear very different on brain scans, that appear to be psychologically caused (or psychosomatic). This is one of those confusing, stigmatized concepts—Isabelle would originally think that this means “made up.” But NO. What it means is that people are still experiencing the symptoms, are still suffering from symptoms of seizures, sometimes way worse than those who on EEGs, etc. appear to have ‘epilepsy.' It is the opposite of ‘in your head,' it is very real. The same goes for the placebo effect, which is that when they do studies on medications or treatments, they have people do something neutral or take a sugar pill or a pill with no active ingredients. A percentage of people in every case will see symptom improvement or a positive effect. This does not mean it's made up, it means the mind is powerful and just because we don't know how something works doesn't mean it doesn't bring relief. And the same goes with nocebo, or the way things can have an adverse or ill effect, too. But now David and Isabelle get to the other idea this author has, about how ADHD and autism and other diagnoses are being ‘over diagnosed,' because, as the author states, autism used to mean something different than it does now, because now people later in life who are high masking are being diagnosed with it—and the cutoff points for diagnoses are being too muddled, and isn't it (as the author puts it), “awful that kids will be labelled with these self-fulfilling prophecies” that will create limiting beliefs for them, isn't it causing harm, can't we meet kids needs without these labels? And more so, the cut off point should be “disablement.” But wait a minute, isn't that pre-diabetes? But isn't it like the biggest predictor of heroin use is milk consumption…because everyone who takes heroin used to drink milk. David wants to come at this. David wants more inclusive education, he doesn't want smaller and smaller classrooms, and what to have a very diverse set of people in the room. A diverse group of people learning at once. To answer why do we need to label them? Because every person has different needs, we need labels to tailor education to each person. The more standardized it becomes the more it becomes marginalized. Stay in your lane, let people within the culture manage the stigma around the culture. “Can you just include someone from these communities?” A bunch of people talking about us and deciding what's harming us without talking to us. Isabelle refers back to psychopharmacology and psychopathology class—you gotta learn a ton about diagnostic criteria and learn how to categorize the experiences of people your seeing. Isabelle's professor was a neuropsychologist and was very into accurate language. You can look at diagnoses from a couple of different angles—why do we diagnosis? We need to have a standardized understanding of a group of experiences, so when we talk about it we all say “this is the part that we mean.” There needs to be some kind of shared consensus around what ADHD means. Cut off points could be true for insurance purposes, political, and financial, and for research and understanding, and it also is not all encompassing—but if you accurately sync a person up to a diagnosis, it gives them an understanding of a person that helps them. Everyone isn't self-diagnosing. It's the people who resonate with the experiences of those who are AuDHD or autistic or an ADHDer. David names that he loves the podcast (as does Isabelle, she's a big archerry) and that the people on this podcast are falling into something society does, not necessarily leading society there, which is validating external manifestations of pain rather than internal frustration. David leans on the work of Marcus Soutra, with the idea that perhaps instead of thinking of things as diagnoses, it's more of an identification. We're accurately identifying people.  Isabelle further details that they mention that mental health diagnoses go up when mental health awareness is spread. To which she wonders—what about how psychoeducation and awareness allow for people to be more vulnerable and feel safe disclosing what's really going on, internally? The example that ‘doesn't everyone have a little ADHD' is—-wrong. Nope, Not everyone. But maybe those who have untreated ADHD do? And with the example of Bill Gates identifying as autistic, and the author naming that she doesn't see him as having struggles or disability, again, a very external definition—they have no clue about what he has gone through or what it is like to go through life not fully understanding yourself without such an identity. Autism and ADHD is not necessarily a learning difference Armchair Expert episode Isabelle is referencingSuzanne O'Sullivan's book, The Age of DiagnosisUSEFUL DEFINITIONSPsychosomatic - a word that literally means "mind" and "body" -- where stress or worry make a symptom or condition develop, get worse, or show up in the first place. While common usage means we often think this is saying "it's all in your head,"or that it's not real---it's saying the opposite: it's saying that the mind has such a powerful effect that it can cause real physical pain and suffering and that illnesses and all kinds of conditions can have many different causes. This does not mean what you're experiencing is not real, it means we now understand that stressors and emotions and our minds can connect to a number of health conditions. See here for more (Source: Cleveland Clinic).Placebo effect - the way a sugar pill or random remedy (used in clinical research trials for a medication, let's say, or a 'fake surgery' in surgical trials, where nothing is implanted or changed) produces symptom relief and improvement as if it were a real pill or real surgically-altering procedure. This means that the person experiences actual change, again, that is not explained by the treatment or pill being studied. We don't fully understand why this is, but we know it's there, and it likely has something to do with a person's expectations of whether something could help them. It has a big impact on research and neuroscience in general. See here for more (Source: NIH 2023)Nocebo effect - opposite from placebo, where a person's negative expectations play out when given a sugar pill or 'sham' surgery and their symptoms get worse even thought they did not receive any medicine or treatment that would give them side effects. See here for more (Source: NIH 2012). -----cover art by:

Join Jay Gunkelman, QEEGD (the man who has analyzed over 500,000 brain scans), and host Pete Jansons for another engaging NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback Podcast episode discussing neuroscience, psychology, mental health, and brain training. Special guests Joshua Moore and Anthony Ramos join in for a deep-dive Q&A.✅ Topic 1 Explained: Jay breaks down the critical links between insomnia and ADHD, highlighting how delayed circadian rhythms and underarousal phenotypes impact life satisfaction and school performance.✅ Topic 2 Deep Dive: Restless Leg Syndrome as an ADHD mimic—Jay explains its dopamine and beta spindle connections, EMG detection methods, and neurofeedback treatment options.✅ Topic 3 Insights: How psychiatric meds, especially antipsychotics and benzos, can impact EEGs, neuroplasticity, and long-term cognitive outcomes—plus safer treatment alternatives.✅ Additional Topics:

Hi Mamas, If you've ever found yourself stuck in a cycle of worry… running through worst-case scenarios at 2 a.m., struggling to stay present with your kids, or Googling symptoms you know you shouldn't... this episode is for you. In today's episode, I'm opening up about a very personal health scare that brought anxiety to the forefront of my life in a way I hadn't experienced before. From scary symptoms and MRIs to EEGs and the mental spiral that followed, I'm sharing it all with you… not for sympathy, but to say: you are not alone. We're walking through 10 powerful tools I used to break free from the anxiety spiral and reclaim my peace. These mindset and wellness practices are things I now use on the regular… and I promise they are doable, even in the middle of mom life chaos. You'll learn: ✔️ How to use the 3-3-3 Rule to ground yourself in seconds ✔️ What to ask yourself when worry shows up (and won't back down) ✔️ How to create a “Peace Plan” so you don't spiral when anxiety hits ✔️ Why journaling your fears can be a powerful truth-revealing tool ✔️ How faith, prayer, and a deeper connection with God helped anchor me ✔️ Why movement and music can reset your nervous system ✔️ How to limit info overload and avoid the Google spiral ✔️ Why gratitude is more than a buzzword… it's a brain reset ✔️ Why talking to someone safe can bring major relief ✔️ The daily breathwork trick I swear by to calm my anxious thoughts Plus, I'm giving you permission (in case you needed it) to create boundaries around your time, energy, and commitments… because worry thrives when we're stretched too thin. This episode is honest, heartfelt, and packed with encouragement and practical steps for any mama who's ever felt overwhelmed by worry. You deserve calm. You deserve clarity. You deserve to live fully in the moment.  

Seizures, sleepless nights, and mysterious white patches on his skin marked the beginning of Daniel's journey with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). Diagnosed at age 6, Daniel faced a childhood filled with MRIs, EEGs, and specialist visits, often requiring cross-country travel for coordinated care. In this moving episode of On Rare, David Rintell, Head of Patient Advocacy at BridgeBio, and Mandy Rohrig, Senior Director of Patient Advocacy at BridgeBio Gene Therapy, speak with Daniel, a 31-year-old living in Seattle, about growing up with TSC, the emotional toll of visible symptoms, and the stigma he faced from peers. He reflects on the cognitive and mood impacts of TSC, including OCD and outbursts, and how he often kept to himself to feel more accepted. Today, Daniel is an active advocate in the TSC community, emphasizing the importance of connection, representation, and finding support among those with shared experiences. As he puts it, “You have to find your people.” Che-Wei Chang, Principal Scientist at BridgeBio, presents a medical overview of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a rare genetic disorder marked by seizures and benign tumors throughout the body. TSC results from a spontaneous mutation in a single copy of the TSC1 or TSC2 gene, which normally inhibit mTOR, an enzyme that regulates cell growth. Loss of this inhibition leads to mTOR hyperactivation, leading to abnormal cell proliferation and tumors in the brain, kidneys, skin, and other organs. Diagnosis typically involves identifying tubers in the brain along with tumors in other organs and is confirmed through genetic testing. Treatments include mTOR inhibitors, which are effective against many TSC-related tumors, and anti-seizure medications, although drug resistance is common.

Join Jay Gunkelman, QEEGD (the man who has analyzed over 500,000 brain scans), Dr. Mari Swingle (author of i-Minds), and host Pete Jansons for another engaging NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback Podcast episode discussing neuroscience, psychology, mental health, and brain training.✅ Cerebral Folate Explained: Jay dives deep into cerebral folate deficiency, its connection to autism and epilepsy, how it's diagnosed, and how it can be treated.✅ SMR and Sleep: Learn the role of SMR (Sensorimotor Rhythm) in improving sleep onset, stabilizing sleep cycles, and how thalamic nuclei come into play.✅ Home EEG & Consumer Tech: We discuss accessible neurofeedback options for the general public including Muse, Sense.AI, and Divergence Neuro—plus the idea of neurofeedback as a preventative “brain tune-up.”

Host: Jason Rigby   Guest: Selina Maitreya, Spiritual Leader, Author, and Teacher of Practical Spirituality   Introduction:  In this mind-expanding episode of Higher Density Living, host Jason Rigby welcomes Selina Maitreya, a trailblazing spiritual teacher and author of Raise Your Frequency, Transform Your Life. After surviving a life-altering car crash and channeling a decade of divine downloads, Selina unveils a radical truth: every irritation—traffic jams, rude cashiers, even personal crises—is a secret doorway to oneness. Together, they explore how shifting your frequency, not just your thoughts, unlocks peace and purpose in the messiest moments. Packed with gritty stories and practical tools, this episode is a wake-up call to live spiritually in the real world.   Guest Bio: Selina Maitreya is an internationally acclaimed lecturer, author, and pioneer of Practical Spirituality—a hands-on approach to weaving higher consciousness into daily life. Her latest book, Raise Your Frequency, Transform Your Life (June 2024), is a workbook born from a decade of pain and divine guidance following a 2013 car crash that left her with a traumatic brain injury. From bankruptcy to breakthroughs, Selina's journey proves that responding to life's difficulties with love transforms everything. She's launching a Raise Your Frequency Transform Your Life Work Study Group in June 2025 to guide others in embodying this wisdom. Learn more at practicalspiritualitywithselina.com.   Key Discussion Points: 1. Everyday Chaos as a Spiritual Doorway Selina: “Traffic jams, rude cashiers—these are gold. They're opportunities to respond from love, not ego.” Jason: “People think spirituality is a cave and meditation, but you say it's right here in the mess.” Spirit's message: Difficulty exists so we can access our higher frequency—love.   2. Frequency vs. Thinking: The Game-Changer Jason: “Self-help says ‘change your thinking.' You say ‘change your frequency.' Why's that the fix we've missed?” Selina: “Thoughts are dense 3D structures—frequency is the building block. Shift that, and the brain follows effortlessly.” Science twist: The brain recognizes frequency, not new ideas—EEGs prove it's alive with energy.   3. Practical Oneness in Action Selina's phone hold story: “I said, ‘If I sound irritated, it's me, not you'—and flipped a woman's terrible day.” Pickle jar moment: Helped a grieving woman in a supermarket, turning fury into kindness. Jason: “That's oneness—your love connects to theirs, beyond the ego.”   4. Ego's Sneaky Trap: Personalization Jason: “Why do we make it about ‘me'—the narcissistic monkey mind?” Selina: “It's conditioning—low frequency lands, and we match it. Love gives a new pathway.” Insight: High frequency (love) kills victimhood; ego thrives on it.   5. Free Will: Saying No to Love Selina: “Free will is choosing yes or no to the divine as guidance—we've said no since kids.” Jason: “That shook me—why do we reject love?” Selina: “Fear's the default until we see the divine's power.”   6. The Brain Injury Book Miracle Jason: “You couldn't type or talk, yet Spirit said, ‘Write a book.' How?” Selina: “Five years of phone recordings, two years typing—seven years blind, trusting the divine.” First read: “I saw it after my editor—it blew me away. These tools kept me sane.”   7. Breakdown to Breakthrough Selina's chaos: Ditched a relationship, filed bankruptcy, moved multiple times—all while writing. Jason: “Most call that a breakdown—you call it a breakthrough. How'd you stay sane?” Selina: “A deep divine relationship pre-crash, plus daily practices like going quiet and asking, ‘What's the higher purpose?'”   8. Pain as an Alarm Clock Jason: “You say pain's not a dead end—it's an alarm. Explain that to someone in a health crisis.” Selina: “It's an alert to choose high frequency—feel gratitude in your heart, person by person, to shift the experience.” Example: Her student with vertigo lessened it through gratitude practice.   9. A Call to Action in Crazy Times Selina: “We're all called now—boots on the ground or shining a light. Respond with love in every moment.” Jason: “That's service—not just for us, but the oneness field we share.” Quote: “If we all responded from love, we'd be in a different place.”   Memorable Quotes: “Difficulty is your chance to shift—thank the cashier, thank the jerk in traffic.” – Selina “Change your frequency, not your thoughts—it's efficient, it's divine.” – Selina “Love's the only energy we all share—ego's pain is different, but oneness is universal.” – Selina “Pain's an alert—choose gratitude, and it's not the same.” – Selina “We're called now—every response from love is service.” – Selina   Resources Mentioned: Book: Raise Your Frequency, Transform Your Life by Selina Maitreya (June 2024) – Order at practicalspiritualitywithselina.com Work Study Group: Raise Your Frequency Transform Your Life Work Study Group – Starts June 2025, details at practicalspiritualitywithselina.com/work-with-selina/ Website: practicalspiritualitywithselina.com – Explore Selina's teachings and story   Call to Action: Grab Raise Your Frequency, Transform Your Life and start practicing today! Join Selina's June 2025 Work Study Group—details at practicalspiritualitywithselina.com. Share: How will you respond with love today? Comment below!   Closing Thoughts:   Jason thanks Selina for a practical, soul-shaking hour that redefines spirituality as a daily act of love. From supermarket meltdowns to health crises, this episode proves peace is a frequency shift away. Tune in, raise up, and transform your life—one moment at a time.   Connect with HDL: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highdensityliving Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hdlspiritualpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HigherDensityLiving TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@higherdensityliving   Subscribe: Follow Jason Rigby for more journeys into higher consciousness at higherdensityliving.com.  

Join Jay Gunkelman, QEEGD (the man who has analyzed over 500,000 brain scans), Dr. Mari Swingle (author of i-Minds), and host Pete Jansons for another engaging NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback Podcast episode discussing neuroscience, psychology, mental health, and brain training.✅ Neurofeedback Side Effects: Jay and Dr. Mari dive into the phenotypes linked with side effects, such as epileptiform discharges and beta spindles, and how practitioner error or poor protocol matching can cause negative outcomes.✅ Beta Spindles & Protocols: Understanding the implications of beta spindle activity across different regions (e.g. F2 vs. CZ) and what EEG patterns may suggest about insomnia, ADHD, or hyperexcitability.✅ Autism & EEG Patterns: Why 70–85% of autism cases show epileptiform activity in EEGs—and how correct neurofeedback and ICA cleaning can unlock effective treatment strategies.✅ Treatment Resistance & Personality: How trauma history, personality traits, or lack of motivation contribute to neurofeedback resistance.✅ Short Sessions & Custom Protocols: Dr. Mari emphasizes personalized care, including shorter sessions for hypersensitive clients and the importance of multiple montages.✅ Jay's Upcoming EEG Summit: Jay previews his birthday EEG event in Suisun City and his plans to support students, featuring international speakers and challenge coins.✅ Dr. Mari's App Update: BrainComm and Sleep Apps are now live, with a Focus App on the way. Visit https://swinglesonic.com for details.✅ Key Moments:✅ 0:00✅ 1:39 Jay Gunkelman answers questions from previous Q&A showhttps://youtube.com/live/REW03emoEOA?...EEG patterns and neurofeedback side effects; phenotypes related to side effects✅ 10:09 Auto-thresholding defeats the purpose of the operant conditioning principle✅ 12:55 Are there people who are resistant to neurofeedback?✅ 15:15 Autism and how neurofeedback can help✅ 19:50 Protocols and the hot cingulate✅ 23:45 Beta spindle protocols✅ 27:55 Long-term effects of jumping from Stage 1 to Stage 2 REM sleep✅ 30:50 Alcohol-induced sleep✅ 32:30 Swingle Apps: https://swinglesonic.com/products/✅ Event & App Updates:Dr. Mari Swingle's Apps & Info: https://swinglesonic.comJay Gunkelman's Events & Info: https://suisuncitysummit.com✅ Help us keep the NeuroNoodle Podcast going!Support us on Patreon

Try It Tuesday sponsored by Bleu Monkey Grill. Dr. Brian Mears joins us from Alleviant Integrated Mental Health to discuss spectral EEgs & NeuroSync Fascinating, its a must listenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Rachman Chung, board-certified chiropractic neurologist and founder of NeuroAxis Health, joins Jay Gunkelman and Pete Jansons on the NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback Podcast. They dive into the role of functional neurology in brain recovery, how skateboarding impacts concussion risk, the importance of baseline EEGs for young athletes, and how AI and neurofeedback are shaping brain health today. They also explore adrenaline-seeking athletes, chronic pain treatment, and remote neurotherapy.

We discuss the basics of EEG in the ICU, including when to do it, selecting the appropriate study, and the basics of bedside interpretation, with Carolina B Maciel, MD, MSCR, FAAN, triple boarded in neurology, neurocritical care, and critical care EEG. Learn more at the Intensive Care Academy! Find us on Patreon here! Buy your … Continue reading "Episode 86: EEGs in the ICU with Carolina Maciel"

EEG Master on Consciousness & Turning Off Pain — Jay Gunkelman In this episode, Jay Gunkelman shares what over 550,000 EEGs have taught him about the brain, perception, and the mystery of awareness. In this fascinating conversation, Jay goes beyond science fiction and shows what's already possible when you truly understand your brain. From turning off pain using infra-slow frequencies, to decoding attention, memory, and even Zen states — this is a masterclass in neuroscience, consciousness, and real-world mind control.You'll also learn how trauma, intention, meditation, and biofeedback all tie into electrical activity in the brain. Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the most experienced EEG techs in the world.Chapters 00:00 – Trailer00:54 – Intro02:46 – Who Is Jay Gunkelman? 08:59 – The Power of Looking Backwards15:18 – Can Neurofeedback Really Improve Memory?18:34 – Jay's Journey into Neurofeedback and EEG Technology34:16 – What Is Consciousness… and Can You Measure It?41:08 – Can You Be Too Conscious? 44:41 – Beginner's vs. Master's Mind 51:26 – The Man Who Turned Off Pain with His Mind1:00:26 – The Holographic Nature of Memory1:07:34 – Question For Audience

EEG Master on Consciousness & Turning Off Pain — Jay Gunkelman In this episode, Jay Gunkelman shares what over 750,000 EEGs have taught him about the brain, perception, and the mystery of awareness. In this fascinating conversation, Jay goes beyond science fiction and shows what's already possible when you truly understand your brain. From turning off pain using infra-slow frequencies, to decoding attention, memory, and even Zen states — this is a masterclass in neuroscience, consciousness, and real-world mind control.You'll also learn how trauma, intention, meditation, and biofeedback all tie into electrical activity in the brain. Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the most experienced EEG techs in the world.Chapters 00:00 – Highlight00:54 – Introduction To The Guest 02:46 – Who Is Jay Gunkelman? 08:59 – The Power of Looking Backwards15:18 – Can Neurofeedback Really Improve Memory?18:34 – Jay's Journey into Neurofeedback and EEG Technology34:16 – What Is Consciousness… and Can You Measure It?41:08 – Can You Be Too Conscious? 44:41 – Beginner's vs. Master's Mind 51:26 – The Man Who Turned Off Pain with His Mind1:00:26 – The Holographic Nature of Memory1:07:34 – Question From Audience

Join Jay Gunkelman, QEEGD (the man who has analyzed over 500,000 brain scans), and host Pete Jansons for another brainy, candid, and insight-filled episode of the NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback Podcast. This week, they unpack the wild world of sleep—from why squeak matters in EEGs to what your Ambien prescription might be doing to your brain.✅ Sleep Issues & EEG Clarity: Jay shares how poor sleep and vigilance regulation can cloud EEG readings—and why knowing someone's sleep state is critical before diving into neurofeedback.✅ Should Everyone Get a Sleep Study First? Jay explains what full sleep lab testing shows (versus home screeners), and when tracking devices like Fitbits or Actigraphs are worth the investment.✅ Ambien & Benzos Breakdown: Learn why these meds may give you unconsciousness—not real rest—and how withdrawal from long-term use can cause intense overarousal and even seizures.✅ Brain "Squeak" & Creativity Surges: Ever feel sharper right after a nap? Jay breaks down why bursts of creativity happen when waking up and the real neuroscience behind your “aha!” moments.✅ Nap vs Full Night Sleep Debate: Is Edison-style power napping a myth or a strategy? Jay and Pete explore whether multiple naps can replace a full night's rest.✅ Memory Tricks While You Sleep: From punching pillows to playing audiobooks, Jay dives into the science (and some of the myths) behind learning during sleep.✅Key Moments:0:00:24 Show Start0:32 Neurofeedback Q/A Show https://youtube.com/live/IfkxWR6jq0s0:55 Sleep Issues4:22 Should everyone get a sleep study done before they do EEG or Neurofeedback?8:30 Can you tell on the EEG that the person is too sleepy to get good raw data?9:42 Disposable sleep tests vs sleep clinic tests12:57 Actigraphy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actigraphy13:30 Ambien's role in sleep issues14:48 Benzodiazepine20:40 Sleeping and brain as a washing machine or toilet?21:36 Bursts of creativity when you wake up. If you take a nap, does that increase the amount of creativity?22:00 EEG Squeak27:35 Creativity and napping explored28:24 Rubric31:05 Punching the pillow before bed to help memory32:06 Studying for test by osmosis while sleeping32:25 Listening to audiobooks while sleeping34:50 Suisun City Summit https://publish.obsidian.md/suisunsum...✅ Event & App Updates:Suisun City Summit with Jay Gunkelman – October 8–11, 2024Full Info: https://publish.obsidian.md/suisunsum...Jay will auction off his iconic beard again—bring your bids and your generosity!✅ Help us keep the NeuroNoodle Podcast going!Support us on Patreon

Deciding when to stop life sustaining treatment for someone who's unconscious after brain injury may be easier now that a new study identifies sleep spindles, which can be seen on electroencephalograms, or EEGs, along with other testing, to predict who … How long should someone remain on life support? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Despite advances in epilepsy management, disparities and lack of inclusion of many people with epilepsy are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Improving awareness and promoting diversity in research participation can advance treatment for underserved populations and improve trust. In this episode, Teshamae Monteith, MD, PhD, FAAN speaks Dave F. Clarke, MBBS, FAES, author of the article “Diversity and Underserved Patient Populations in Epilepsy,” in the Continuum® February 2025 Epilepsy issue. Dr. Monteith is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and an associate editor of Continuum® Audio and an associate professor of clinical neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. Dr. Clarke is the Kozmetsky Family Foundation Endowed Chair of Pediatric Epilepsy and Chief or Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. Additional Resources Read the article: Diversity and Underserved Patient Populations in Epilepsy Subscribe to Continuum: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @HeadacheMD Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum, the premier topic-based neurology clinical review and CME journal from the American Academy of Neurology. Thank you for joining us on Continuum Audio, which features conversations with Continuum's guest editors and authors who are the leading experts in their fields. Subscribers to the Continuum Journal can read the full article or listen to verbatim recordings of the article and have access to exclusive interviews not featured on the podcast. Please visit the link in the episode notes for more information on the article, subscribing to the journal, and how to get CME. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith. Today I'm interviewing Dr Dave Clarke about his article on diversity and underserved patient populations in epilepsy, which appears in the February 2025 Continuum issue on epilepsy. So why don't you introduce yourself to our audience? Dr Clarke: Sure. My name is Dr Dave Clarke, as alluded to. I'm presently at the University of Texas in Austin, originating from much farther south. I'm from Antigua, but have been here for quite a while working within the field in epilepsy surgery, but more and more getting involved in outreach, access to care, and equity of healthcare in epilepsy. Dr Monteith: And how did you get involved in this kind of work? Dr Clarke: That's an amazing question. You know, I did it in a bit of a inside out fashion. I initially started working in the field and trying to get access to persons in the Caribbean that didn't have any neurological care or investigative studies, but very quickly realized that persons around the corner here in Texas and wherever I've worked have had the exact same problems, getting access via fiscal or otherwise epilepsy care, or geographically getting access, with so few having neurologists close at hand. Therefore, I started working both on a regional, national, and it transcended to a global scale. Dr Monteith: Wow, so you're just everywhere. Dr Clarke: Well, building bridges. I've found building bridges and helping with knowledge and garnering knowledge, you can expand your reach without actually moving, which is quite helpful. Dr Monteith: Yeah. So why don't you tell us why you think this work is so important in issues of diversity, underserved populations, and of course, access to epilepsy care? Dr Clarke: Sure, not a problem. And I think every vested person in this can give you a different spiel as to why they think it's important. So, I'll add in a few facts pertaining to access, but also tell you about why I think personally that it's not only important, but it will improve care for all and improve what you believe you could do for a patient. Because the sad thing is to have a good outcome in the United States presently, we have over three hundred epilepsy centers, but they have about eight or nine states that don't have any epilepsy centers at all. And even within states themselves, people have to travel up to eight hours, i.e., in Texas, to get adequate epilepsy care. So that's one layer. Even if you have a epilepsy center around the corner, independent of just long wait times, if you have a particular race or ethnicity, we've found out that wait may be even longer or you may be referred to a general practitioner moreso than being referred to an epilepsy center. Then you add in layers of insurance or lack thereof, which is a big concern regardless of who you are; poverty, which is a big concern; and the layers just keep adding more. Culture, etcetera, etcetera. If you could just break down some of those barriers, it has been shown quite a few years ago that once you get to an epilepsy center, you can negate some of those factors. You can actually reduce time to access and you can improve care. So, that's why I'm so passionate about this, because something could potentially be done about it. Dr Monteith: That's cool. So, it sounds like you have some strategies, some strategies for us. Dr Clarke: Indeed. And you know, this is a growth and this is a learning curve for me and will be for others. But I think on a very local, one-to-one scale, the initial strategy I would suggest is you have to be a good listener. Because we don't know how, when, where or why people are coming to us for their concerns. And in order to judge someone, if they may not have had a follow-up visit or they may not have gotten to us after five medications, the onus may not have been on that person. In other words, as we learned when we were in medical school, history is extremely important, but social history, cultural history, that's also just as important when we're trying to create bridges. The second major thing that we have to learn is we can't do this alone. So, without others collaborating with us outside of even our fields, the social worker who will engage, the community worker who will discuss the translator for language; unless you treat those persons with respect and engage with those persons to help you to mitigate problems, you'll not get very far. And then we'll talk about more, but the last thing I'll say now is they have so many organizations out there, the Institute of Medicine or the International League Against Epilepsy or members of the American Epilepsy Society, that have ways, ideas, papers, and articles that can help guide you as to how better mitigate many of these problems. Dr Monteith: Great. So, you already mentioned a lot of things. What are some things that you feel absolutely the reader should take away in reading your article? You mentioned already listening skills, the importance of interdisciplinary work, including social work, and that there are strategies that we can use to help reduce some of this access issues. But give me some of the essential points and then we'll dive in. Dr Clarke: OK. I think first and foremost we have to lay the foundation in my mind and realize what exactly is happening. If you are Native American, of African descent, Hispanic, Latinx, geographically not in a region where care can be delivered, choosing one time to epilepsy surgery may be delayed twice, three, four times that of someone of white descent. If you are within certain regions in the US where they may have eight, nine, ten, fourteen epilepsy centers, you may get to that center within two to three years. But if you're in an area where they have no centers at all, or you live in the Dakotas, it may be very difficult to get to an individual that could provide that care for you. That's very, very basic. But a few things have happened a few years ago and even more recently that can help. COVID created this groundswell of ambulatory engagement and ambulatory care. I think that can help to mitigate time to get into that person and improving access. In saying that, there are many obstacles to that, but that's what we have to work towards: that virtual engagement and virtual care. That would suggest in some instances to some persons that it will take away the one-to-one care that you may get with persons coming to you. But I guarantee that you will not lose patients because of this, because there's too big a vacuum. Only 22% of persons that should actually get to epilepsy centers actually get to epilepsy centers. So, I think we can start with that foundation, and you can go to the article and learn a lot more about what the problems are. Because if you don't know what the problems are, you can't come up with solutions. Dr Monteith: Just give us a few of the most persistent inequities and epilepsy care? Dr Clarke: Time to seeing a patient, very persistent. And that's both a disparity, a deficiency, and an inequity. And if you allow me, I'll just explain the slight but subtle difference. So, we know that time to surgery in epilepsy in persons that need epilepsy surgery can be as long as seventeen years. That's for everyone, so that's a deficiency in care. I just mentioned that some sociodemographic populations may not get the same care as someone else, and that's a disparity between one versus the other. Health equity, whether it be from NIH or any other definition, suggests that you should get equitable care between one person and the other. And that brings in not only medical, medicolegal or potential bias, that we may have one person versus the other. So, there's a breakdown as to those different layers that may occur. And in that I'm telling you what some of the potential differences are. Dr Monteith: And so, you mentioned, it comes up, race and ethnicity being a major issue as well as some of the geographic factors. How does that impact diagnosis and really trying to care for our patients? Dr Clarke: So again, I'm going to this article or going to, even. prior articles. It has been shown by many, and most recently in New Jersey, that if you're black, Hispanic, Latin- Latinx, it takes you greater than two times the time to surgery. Reduced time to surgery significantly increases morbidity. It potentially increases mortality, as has been shown by a colleague of mine presently in Calgary. And independent of that, we don't look at the other things, the other socially related things. Driving, inability to work, inability to be adequately educated, the stigma related to that in various cultures, various countries. So, that deficit not only increased the probability of having seizures, but we have to look at the umbrella as to what it does. It significantly impacts quality of life of that individual and, actually, the individuals around them. Dr Monteith: So, what are some of these drivers, and how can we address them, or at least identify them, in our clinic? Dr Clarke: That's a question that's rather difficult to answer. And not because there aren't ideas about it, but there's actually mitigating those ideas or changing those ideas we're just presently trying to do. Although outlines have been given. So, in about 2013, the federal government suggested outlines to improve access and to reduce these inequities. And I'll just give you a few of them. One of those suggestions was related to language and having more improved and readily available translators. Something simple, and that could actually foster discussions and time to better management. Another suggestion was try to train more persons from underserved populations, persons of color. Reason being, it has been shown in the social sciences and it is known in the medical sciences that, if you speak to a person of similar culture, you tend to have a better rapport, you tend to be more compliant, and that track would move forward, and it reduces bias. Now we don't have that presently, and I'm not sure if we'll have that in the near future, although we're trying. So then, within your centers, if you have trainings on cultural sensitivity, or if you have engagements and lectures about how you can engage persons from different populations, those are just some very simple pearls that can improve care. This has been updated several times with the then-Institute of Medicine in 2012, 2013, they came out with, in my mind, a pretty amazing article---but I'm very biased---in which they outline a number of strategic initiatives that could be taken to improve research, improve clinical care, improve health equity through health services research, to move the field forward, and to improve overall care. They updated this in 2020, and it's a part of the 2030 federal initiative not only for epilepsy, but to improve overarching care. All of this is written in bits and pieces and referenced in the article. To add icing on top, the World Health Organization, through advocacy of neurological groups as well as the International League Against Epilepsy and the AES, came out with the Intersectoral Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Diseases, which advocates for parallel improvement in overall global care. And the United States have signed on to it, and that have lit a fire to our member organizations like the American Epilepsy Society, American Academy of Neurology, and others, trying to create initiatives to address this here. I started off by saying this was difficult because, you know, we have debated epilepsy care through 1909 when the International League against Epilepsy was founded, and we have continually come up with ways to try and advance care. But this have been the most difficult and critical because there's social dynamics and social history and societal concerns that have negated us moving forward in this direction. But fortunately, I think we're moving in that direction presently. That's my hope. And the main thing we have to do is try to sustain that. Dr Monteith: So, you talked about the importance of these global initiatives, which is huge, and other sectors outside of neurology. Like for example, technology, you spoke about telemedicine. I think you were referring to telemedicine with COVID. What other technologies that are more specific to the field of epilepsy, some of these monitorings that maybe can be done? Dr Clarke: I was just going to just going to jump on that. Thank you so much for asking. Dr Monteith: I have no disclosures in this field. I think it's important and exciting to think how can we increase access and even access to monitoring some of these technologies. That might be expensive, which is another issue, but…. Dr Clarke: So, the main things in epilepsy diagnosis and management: you want to hear from the patient history, you want to see what the seizures look like, and then you want to find ways in which to monitor those seizures. Hearing from the patient, they have these questionnaires that have been out there, and this is local, regional, global, many of them standardized in English and Spanish. Our colleagues in Boston actually created quite a neat one in English and Spanish that some people are using. Ecuador has one. We have created someone- something analogous. And those questionnaires can be sent out virtually and you can retrieve them. But sometimes seeing is believing. So, video uploads of seizures, especially the cell phone, I think has been management-changing for the field of epilepsy. The thing you have to do however, is do that in a HIPAA-compliant way. And several studies are ongoing. In my mind, one of the better studies here was done on the East Coast, but another similar study, to be unnamed, but again, written out in the articles. When you go into these apps, you can actually type in a history and upload a video, but the feed is not only going to you, it may be going to the primary care physician. So, it not only helps in one way in you educating the patient, but you educate that primary care physician and they become extenders and providers. I must add here my colleagues, because we can't do without them. Arguably in some instances, some of the most important persons to refer patients, that's the APPs, the PAs and the nurse practitioners out there, that help to refer patients and share patients with us. So, that's the video uploads they're seeing. But then the other really cool part that we're doing now is the ambulatory world of EEGs. Ceribell, Zeto, to name of few, in which you could potentially put the EEG leads on persons with or without the EEG technologist wirelessly and utilize the clouds to review the EEGs. It's not perfect just yet, but that person that has to travel eight hours away from me, if I could do that and negate that travel when they don't have money to pay for travel or they have some potential legal issues or insurance-related issues and I could read the EEG, discuss with them via telemedicine their care, it actually improves access significantly. I'm going to throw in one small twist that, again, it's not perfect. We're now trying to monitor via autonomic features, heart rate movement and others, for seizures and alert family members, parents, because although about 100,000 people may be affected with epilepsy, we're talking about 500,000 people who are also affected that are caregivers, affiliates, husbands, wives, etcetera. Just picture it: you have a child, let's say three, four years old and every time they have a seizure- or not every time, but 80% of times when they have a seizure, it alerts you via your watch or it alerts you in your room. It actually gives that child a sense of a bit more freedom. It empowers you to do something about it because you can understand here. It potentially negates significant morbidity. I won't stretch it to say SUDEP, but hopefully the time will come when actually it can prevent not only morbidity, but may prevent death. And I think that's the direction we are going in, to use technology to our benefit, but in a HIPAA-compliant way and in a judicious way in order to make sure that we not only don't overtreat, but at the end of the day, we have the patient as number one, meaning everything is vested towards that patient and do no harm. Dr Monteith: Great. One thing you had mentioned earlier was that there are even some simple approaches, efficiency approaches that we can use to try and optimize care for all in our clinics. Give me what I need to know, or do. Give me what I need to do. Dr Clarke: Yeah, I'll get personal as to what we're trying to do here, if you don't mind. The initial thing we did, we actually audited care and time to care delivery. And then we tried to figure out what we could do to improve that access and time to care, triaging, etcetera. A very, very simple thing that can be done, but you have to look at costs, is to have somebody that actually coordinates getting persons in and out of your center. If you are a neurologist that works in private practice, that could potentially be a nurse being associated directly one-and-one with one of the major centers, a third- or fourth-level center. That coordination is key. Educate your nurses about epilepsy care and what the urgent situations are because it will take away a lot of your headache and your midnight calls because they'll be able to know what to do during the day. Video uploads, as I suggested, regardless of the EMR that you have, figure out a way that a family could potentially send a video to you, because that has significantly helped in reducing investigative studies. Triaging appropriately for us to know what patients we can and cannot see. Extenders has helped me significantly, and that's where I'll end. So, as stated, they had many neurologists and epileptologists, and utilizing appropriately trained nurse practitioners or residents, engaging with them equally, and/or social workers and coordinators, are very helpful. So hopefully that's just some low-hanging fruit that can be done to improve that care. Dr Monteith: So why don't you give us some of your major takeaways to how we can improve epilepsy care for all people? Dr Clarke: I've alluded to some already, but I like counts of threes and fives. So, I think one major thing, which in my mind is a major takeaway, is cultural sensitivity. I don't think that can go too far in improving care of persons with epilepsy. The second thing is, if you see a patient that have tried to adequately use medications and they're still having seizures, please triage them. Please send them to a third- or fourth-level epilepsy center and demand that that third- or fourth-level epilepsy center communicate with you, because that patient will eventually come back and see you. The third thing---I said three---: listen to your patients. Because those patients will actually help and tell you what is needed. And I'm not only talking about listening to them medication-wise. I know we have time constraints, but if you can somehow address some of those social needs of the patients, that will also not only improve care, but negate the multiple calls that you may get from a patient. Dr Monteith: You mentioned a lot already. This is really wonderful. But what I really want to know is what you're most hopeful about. Dr Clarke: I have grandiose hopes, I'll tell you. I'll tell you that from the beginning. My hope is when we look at this in ten years and studies are done to look at equitable care, at least when it comes to race, ethnicity, insurance, we'll be able to minimize, if not end, inequitable care. Very similar to the intersectoral action plan in epilepsy by 2030. I'll tell you something that suggests, and I think it's global and definitely regional, the plan suggests that 90% of persons with epilepsy should know about their epilepsy, 80% of persons with epilepsy should be able to receive appropriate care, and 70% of persons with epilepsy should have adequately controlled epilepsy. 90, 80, 70. If we can get close to that, that would be a significant achievement in my mind. So, when I'm chilling out in my home country on a fishing boat, reading EEGs in ten years, if I can read that, that would have been an achievement that not necessarily I would have achieved, but at least hopefully I would have played a very small part in helping to achieve. That's what I think. Dr Monteith: Awesome. Dr Clarke: I appreciate you asking me that, because I've never said it like that before. In my own mind, it actually helped with clarity. Dr Monteith: I ask great questions. Dr Clarke: There you go. Dr Monteith: Thank you so much. I really- I really appreciate your passion for this area. And the work that you do it's really important, as you mentioned, on a regional, national, and certainly on a global level, important to our patients and even some very simple concepts that we may not always think about on a day-to-day basis. Dr Clarke: Oh, I appreciate it. And you know, I'm always open to ideas. So, if others, including listeners, have ideas, please don't hesitate in reaching out. Dr Monteith: I'm sure you're going to get some messages now. Dr Clarke: Awesome. Thank you so much. Dr Monteith: Thank you. I've been interviewing Dr Dave Clarke about his article on diversity and underserved patient populations in epilepsy, which appears in the most recent issue of Continuum on epilepsy. Be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues. And thank you to our listeners for joining today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use this link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

Ever wondered how hallucinogens like Salvia Divinorum affect the brain? In this episode, Neurofeedback legend Jay Gunkelman shares insights from a groundbreaking EEG study that captured 10-second, 1000-microvolt brain waves during a live altered state experiment. We also dive deep into the neurochemistry of consciousness, the science of near-death experiences, and why EEG analysis needs an upgrade. Plus, what does modern neuroscience say about autism, epileptiform content, and brain feedback loops?

In this week's podcast, Neurology Today's editor-in-chief highlights articles on the larger lifetime burden of dementia than projected, an AI-fueled program that detects hidden features in EEGs for epilepsy detection, and neurology-trained pharmacists who are working with neurology departments.

For today's episode, we expand on Autism and Sensory Processing. We return to the mesencephalon—a brainstem region with superior and inferior colliculi—as a critical hub for sensory integration and attention bias. We cover four scientific articles, starting with Marco et al. (2011), which uses EEGs, MEGs, and fMRIs to reveal autism's auditory processing inconsistencies (e.g., delayed N100/M100 cortical responses), tactile hypersensitivity from overactive receptors, and visual processing quirks like reduced fusiform gyrus activation for faces. Russo et al. then explore brainstem-level deficits, showing autistic children's auditory brainstem responses (ABR) to speech syllables like "DA" exhibit poor neural synchrony and phase locking, especially in noise, due to disrupted wave V, A, D, F timing—linking these to language impairments. These findings point to biological roots, including denser neocortical mini-columns (30-40 vs. 50-60 microns in controls) and cerebellar Purkinje cell loss, impairing local processing and long-range connectivity.The episode continues with Leekam et al. (2007), confirming over 90% of autistic individuals have multi-modal sensory abnormalities—hypo- and hypersensitivity tied to serotonin and GABA dysregulation—persisting across life, while Tomchek and Dunn (2007) note 95% prevalence via caregiver reports, hinting at neural pathway disruptions. At some point, we need to acknowledge the mesencephalon's embryological stasis as one of four neural cell types, suggesting its evolutionary role in sensory modulation is key to Autism's biology. These articles collectively highlight altered neural circuitry, from brainstem to cortex, and biases us to remaining within ourselves. Remember, the biology that gives us Autism allows us to be comfortable within ourselves. Marco et al 2011 https://www.nature.com/articles/pr9201193Russo et al 2009 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00790.xLeekam et al 2007 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-006-0218-7Tomchek & Dunn 2007 https://affectautism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/tomcheck_dunn.pdf0:00 Autism and Sensory Processing; comorbid conditions; Mesencephalon3:03 Article 1 Marco et al 20114:11 Auditory5:00 N100 & M100 tools9:17 Tactile11:23 Visual13:53 Multisensory Integration15:16 Postmortem; Cerebellum & Purkinje Cells; Minicolumns17:06 Speech19:02 Article 2 Russo et al; Brainstem scientists20:28 Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR); Quiet versus Noisy environments; Beatles comparison23:49 Neural Synchrony; Waves V, A, D, F24:33 Phase Locking27:34 Article 3 Leekam et al 2007; Neuroplasticity33:09 Article 4 Tomchek & Dunn 200736:36 Reviews/Ratings and Contact InfoX: https://x.com/rps47586Hopp: https://www.hopp.bio/fromthespectrumYT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGxEzLKXkjppo3nqmpXpzuAemail: info.fromthespectrum@gmail.com

In this episode, Dr. Ben Green and Dr. Jordan Little welcome back Dr. Ramona Wallace to discuss neurodivergence in primary care. The conversation explores the definition of neurodivergence, the significance of EEGs in understanding brain function, and the role of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation      (TMS)  in treating various neurodivergent conditions. They also delve into personal experiences with mental health, the importance of nutrition and lifestyle, and the impact of genetics and environmental factors on neurodivergence prevalence. The episode emphasizes patient-centered care and the need for a holistic approach to treatment. In this conversation, Dr. Ramona Wallace discusses the complexities of neurodiversity, the importance of genetic and environmental factors in diagnosis, and the role of informed decision-making in vaccination. She emphasizes the significance of nutrition and its impact on brain health, as well as the need for personalized treatment approaches for neurodivergent individuals. -- ⁠Identifying and Treating Nutritional Deficiencies⁠⁠-- Nutritional Deficiences that Compromise Health Occur in Clinicians - Not Only Patients⁠⁠-- Residents that Learn to Assess Patients for Nutritional Deficiencies can Better Mitigate Chronic Disease⁠Dr. Ramona Wallace D.O. - drrkwap@gmail.comDr. Ben Greene D.O. - benjaminjkgreene@gmail.comDr. Jordan Little D.O. - jordanlittle.do@gmail.com ONMM Podcast - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠onmmpodcast@gmail.com

EEG is the single most useful ancillary test to support the clinical diagnosis of epilepsy, but if used incorrectly it can lead to misdiagnosis and long-term mental and physical health sequelae. Its application requires proper understanding of its limitations and variability of testing results. In this episode, Katie Grouse, MD, FAAN, speaks with Daniel Weber, DO, author of the article “EEG in Epilepsy,” in the Continuum® February 2025 Epilepsy issue. Dr. Grouse is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and a clinical assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco in San Francisco, California. Dr. Weber is the director of adult epilepsy and vice chair of clinical affairs at the St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. Additional Resources Read the article: EEG in Epilepsy Subscribe to Continuum: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Guest: @drdanielweber Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum, the premier topic-based neurology clinical review and CME journal from the American Academy of Neurology. Thank you for joining us on Continuum Audio, which features conversations with Continuum's guest editors and authors who are the leading experts in their fields. Subscribers to the Continuum journal can read the full article or listen to verbatim recordings of the article and have access to exclusive interviews not featured on the podcast. Please visit the link in the episode notes for more information on the article, subscribing to the journal, and how to get CME. Dr Grouse: This is Dr Katie Grouse. Today, I'm interviewing Dr Daniel Weber about his article on EEG and epilepsy, which appears in the February 2025 Continuum issue on epilepsy. Welcome to the podcast and please introduce yourself to our audience. Dr Weber: Hi, thanks for having me. My name is Dan Weber and I'm an epileptologist at Saint Louis University. I direct the adult epilepsy program here and also serve as the vice chair for Clinical Affairs. Been my pleasure to work on this article. Dr Grouse: I'm so happy to have you today. I read your article. I found it to be incredibly useful as someone who often orders EEG in the general neurology clinic. So, I wanted to start with asking, what is the most clinically relevant message or takeaway from your article that you'd really like neurologists to know?  Dr Weber: Yes, when I was asked to write this article, I looked back at the previous Continuum on epilepsy and just the general literature. And there's a lot of good articles and books out there on EEG and epilepsy and sort of giving you a primer on what you might see and how to interpret it. So, we wanted to try to go a slightly different direction. This article gives you some of that gives you the background of EEG and some of the basic things that you may see, but the real thrust of it is more about the limitations of EEG in the clinical picture of epilepsy and common things you might avoid. There are some things that we get hammered into our brains in training that aren't always true and there's plenty of examples in the literature to review, and this article sort of tries to encapsulate as many of those as possible in a digestible format. The main takeaway would be that EEG is an extremely helpful tool in the diagnosis of epilepsy, is the best tool we have to help supplement your clinical acumen. But it does not make the diagnosis of epilepsy. And there are certain circumstances when it may not be as helpful as you may have been led to believe in residency. Dr Grouse: Maybe not the most comforting of messages, but certainly an important one, very important to learn more about this. So, we appreciate that. Can you tell us your decision-making process when deciding whether to order a routine EEG, an extended EEG, prolonged ambulatory EEG, or inpatient video EEG? Dr Weber: Sure. So, it's a multi-part question because each one, I think, has a different clinical scenario. In the current state, our best data for estimating risk of recurrence after an initial seizure comes with routine EEG abnormalities. So, often I will order routine EEGs in those scenarios. So new patient presentation, new patients coming in with an initial seizure who want to know what's their risk of recurrence. So, risk stratification, I use a lot of routine EEG for, often sleep deprived if possible to increase the sensitivity. If you'd like, the extended EEG does offer higher sensitivity, or you can repeat the routine EEG if the first routine EEG is nonconclusive. For generally extended EEGs, I tend to order them in my practice if patients have come to see me with a suspected diagnosis of epilepsy but haven't yet had any electrographic confirmation. Maybe they've already had routine EEGs done in the past, so we'll try to obtain just a little more data. The longer-term EEGs I tend to use in different clinical scenarios, in patients usually who already have established diagnosis or people who have become refractory and we haven't yet confirmed their diagnosis. I tend to do inpatient EEGs in those situations. Ambulatory EEGs I do more when there are certain characteristics of the patient or the patient 's presentation that may not fit well on the inpatient side. Patients who are reliant on substances who can't use while they're inpatient and may have withdrawal effects complicating the stay. Or people who have a strong activation component to their epilepsy where activity really draws it out, certain activities that they do at home that they might not do during the inpatient stay. Those are the sorts of people I'll do ambulatory EEGs on. There are a couple other scenarios as well that come up less commonly, but everything has its own little niche. Dr Grouse: That's a really helpful review as we sort of think about which way we want to go as we're working up our patients in the inventory setting. Can you tell me a little more about the difference between sensitivity of, for instance, doing maybe two routine EEGS versus prolonged ambulatory EEG? Dr Weber: Generally speaking, the longer you're recording someone's brain waves, the higher the sensitivity is going to be. So routine EEG is twenty to forty minutes at most places. One of those gives you a certain sensitivity. More of them will give you more sensitivity. And there was a recent study highlighted in the article that compared routine EEGs to initial multi-day ambulatory EEG, and the ambulatory EEG obviously, as would be expected, has a higher sensitivity than either of the routines. So, there may be some cases with that initial evaluation where an ambulatory EEG may be held and we get into that in more detail in the article. But with the caveat, a lot of this article is about limitations, and the data that we have to talk about increased risk of recurrence was based off seeing epileptic form discharges on routine EEG. So you could hypothesize that if you only have one epileptic form discharge in three days on an ambulatory EEG, that may not carry the same recurrent significance as catching one on a twenty minute EEG. But we don't have that knowledge. Dr Grouse: Getting a little bit more into what you mentioned about the limitations, when is the scalp EEG less useful or limited in the evaluation of epilepsy? Dr Weber: So, one thing I see a lot in my residence at here and other places where I've worked is, I get them very excited about EEG and they may order it a bit too much. So, if patients have a known, established diagnosis of epilepsy, electrographically confirmed, and they come in with a breakthrough seizure and they're back to their baseline, there's really not a strong reason to get an EEG. We often seem to in the emergency department as part of our evaluation, but we already know what happened to the patient. The patient's not doing poorly right now, so the EEG is not going to give you any additional information. Just like really any test, you should think, what are the possible outcomes of this test and how would those outcomes alter the care of this patient? And if no outcome is going to affect the care of the patient or give you any additional diagnostic information, then probably don't need to be doing that test. Dr Grouse: This is probably a good segue into asking, what is an area of confusion or common pitfalls that you've seen in the clinical application of EEG and epilepsy? Dr Weber: So, a lot of times on the inpatient service, we'll get longer-term EEGs for patients who are having spells that are occurrent while they're in the ICU or other places or altered in some way, encephalopathic. And these patients will have their spell, and in my report, I'll say that there is not any electrographic correlate. So, there's no EEG finding that goes along with the movement that they're doing that's concerning for a seizure. And that doesn't always mean that it's not an epileptic seizure. An EEG is not a one-hundred-percent tool. Epilepsy and seizures are a clinical diagnosis. The EEG is a helpful tool to guide that diagnosis, but it is not foolproof, so you need to take the whole clinical picture into account. Particularly focal seizures without impaired awareness often can be electrographically silent on surface EEG. If you see something that looks clinically like a seizure but doesn't show up on the EEG, there are circumstances that they get to in the paper a little bit where that can still be an epileptic seizure. And you just have to be aware of the limitations of the tests that you're ordering and always fall back on the clinical skills that you've learned. Dr Grouse: Are there any tips or tricks you can suggest to improve the clinical utility of EEG for diagnosis of epilepsy? And also thinking about the example you just gave, but maybe other cases as well? Dr Weber: Again, definitely need to incorporate EEG as part of a larger picture. The video component of EEG is incredibly helpful. You can't interpret EEG in isolation. Regardless of what the EEG shows, you can't make a diagnosis of epilepsy, but you certainly can be very suspicious of one. So, in those cases where you have a high suspicion for an epileptic seizure and the EEG has not given you any confirmatory evidence, it's really helpful to rely on any clinical expertise that you have access to. So, people who have seen lots of seizures may be helpful in that situation. Getting good recordings, good data to prove yourself one way or the other is helpful and continuing to evaluate. So usually, as I said, focal seizures that don't show up well on the EEG. People who have focal seizures will often have larger seizures if left untreated. So, you can try to admit them to an epilepsy monitoring unit where we try to provoke seizures and try to provoke a larger seizure to help confirm that diagnosis. Dr Grouse: This kind of gets into what we've already reviewed to some degree, but what is the easiest mistake to make (and hopefully avoid) when using EEG to diagnose epilepsy or make other treatment decisions? Dr Weber: I think the easiest, most common mistake I see is overreliance on the test. There's a lot of subjectivity to the interpretation of this test. There are a lot of studies out there on interrater reliability for epilepsy and intrarater reliability for epilepsy. We continue to try to make the findings more objective and get more quantified. The articles talk about our six criteria for epileptiform discharges and have reference to where that came from and the sorts of specificity that each of those criteria lead to. Just because an EEG report has said something, that does not diagnose or negate a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy. It is common for folks with non-epileptic seizures to have a history of reported epileptic form discharges on their EEG. Again, because there is some subjectivity to the test, some abnormal-looking normal variants will pop up and get interpreted as epileptiform discharges. It's important to review the whole patient, as much of the data as you can, and make the best clinical judgment you can of the overall case. Dr Grouse: What is quantitative EEG and how can it be clinically useful? Dr Weber: Now that most EEG is obtained digitally through the use of computer software, we have been able to employ computers to do a lot of the work for us. There are many different ways of looking at the EEG data, but it's all frequency bands over time. The quantitative EEG goal is really to simplify and condense what you're seeing on your normal EEG page into a more digestible format. Lets you look at a larger amount of data faster, which becomes more and more important as we're doing more of these long-term recordings, particularly in the intensive care unit. Quantitative EEG can help you assess a lot of data at a snapshot and get a general sense of what's going on with the patient over the past several hours. It does require some extra training to become familiar with it, but it's training that can be done at all levels. Again, it can help you see more, faster. Obviously, like everything, it has its own limitations. Sometimes the sensitivity and specificity may be a little off from the raw data review, and you should always go back to the raw data anytime there are questions. But it can be helpful to make things faster. Dr Grouse: Do you think you could give me a hypothetical example of a case where this would be something really nice to have?  Dr Weber: The most common example is folks with repetitive seizures in the ICU. If you're just looking at the raw data, you will get a sense of how often the seizures are happening. But if you look at the quantitative data, it sort of compresses that all down to a much smaller snapshot. So you can see much more readily, yes, these are how many seizures were happening. And here's where we gave our intervention; and look, there are fewer seizures after that intervention. So, it can help you assess response to treatment, help you assess just overall volume of seizures in a much more condensed fashion, and you can get through it much faster with the appropriate training. Dr Grouse: Can you tell us about any new developments in EEG that are on the horizon we should be aware of?  Dr Weber: Yeah. So, I think my two favorites, which I highlight in the article, are longer-term recordings---so, there's some companies that are working on subcutaneous EEG. So, implanted EEG electrodes that can stay in your body for the short, long term on the order of year or years and constantly send some EEG data. Obviously, it's not a full montage in most of those cases, but some EEG data that can help you assess long-term trends in epilepsy and long-term response to therapies. I think that's going to be really cool. I think it's very exciting and I think it'll change how we do clinical trials in the future. I think we'll be able to rely less on seizure diaries from folks and more on objective seizure data for patients who have these implanted. But with that will come an ever-increasing amount of data to be reviewed, which leads into the other exciting future trend is AI in the use of interpretations. AI is becoming more and more advanced and there are very exciting articles out on how good AI is getting at interpreting our EEGs. I think soon, in the very near future, the AI platforms will be able to dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes the experts to review an EEG. They'll be able to do a lot of the screening for us and then we can go back, just like I was talking about the quantitative EEG, go back and review segments of the raw data rather than having to review every page of every file, which is quite time consuming. Dr Grouse: Wow, that's really exciting. It certainly does seem like AI is making breakthroughs in just about every area of how we touch the practice of medicine. Exciting to hear that EEG is no exception. Dr Weber: Yeah, I'm fully excited. I think it's going to revolutionize what we're doing and also just greatly expand people's ability to access that level of expertise that the AI will offer. Dr Grouse: I wanted to transition to talking a little bit more about you and your career in neurology. How did you become interested in this area of neurology to begin with? Dr Weber: Yeah, it's sort of a roundabout fashion. So, I started out planning to be a neurointerventionalist, and then I realized that I didn't want that sort of call. For a hot minute in my PGI 3 year. I was planning to be a neuro-ICU doctor. I think that's largely because medicine is all I had been exposed to at that point and the ICU seemed like a very comfortable place. Then as I transitioned into PGI 3 we started doing more electives and outpatient rotations in my residency. And then I was planning on being a movement disorder specialist or an epileptologist, couldn't make up my mind for the longest time. And then I started to like EEG more than I liked watching videos. So, tilted myself towards epilepsy and haven't looked back.  Dr Grouse: Well, I really appreciated you coming to talk with us today about your article. I can't recommend it enough to anyone out there, whoever treats patients with epilepsy or orders the EEGs, I just think it was just incredibly useful. And it was such a pleasure to have you. Dr Weber: Thank you very much for having me, Katie.  Dr Grouse: Again, today I've been interviewing Dr Daniel Weber about his article on EEG and epilepsy, which appears in the most recent issue of Continuum on Epilepsy. Be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues. And thank you to our listeners for joining today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use this link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.  

In this episode, Lyell K. Jones Jr, MD, FAAN, speaks with Jennifer L. Hopp, MD, FAAN, FAES, FACNS, who served as the guest editor of the Continuum® February 2025 Epilepsy issue. They provide a preview of the issue, which publishes on February 3, 2025. Dr. Jones is the editor-in-chief of Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology® and is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Hopp is a professor in the department of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Additional Resources Continuum website: ContinuumJournal.com Subscribe to Continuum: shop.lww.com/Continuum More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @LyellJ Guest: @JenHopp71 Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum, the premier topic-based neurology, clinical review and CME journal from the American Academy of Neurology. Thank you for joining us on Continuum Audio, a companion podcast to the journal. Continuum Audio features conversations with the guest editors and authors of Continuum who are the leading experts in their fields. Subscribers to the Continuum Journal have access to exclusive audio content not featured on the podcast. If you're not already a subscriber, we encourage you to become one. For more information, please visit the link in the show notes Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum, Lifelong Learning in Neurology. Today I'm interviewing Dr Jennifer Hopp, who recently served as Continuum's guest editor for our latest issue on epilepsy. Dr Hopp is a professor and executive vice chair in the Department of Neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she's also director of the Epilepsy Center. Dr Hopp, welcome. Thank you for joining us today. Why don't you introduce yourself to our listeners?  Dr Hopp: Hi, Dr Jones. Thank you so much for having me on this podcast. I really had so much fun working with you and other authors of this issue and serving as editor. I feel like it was yesterday that I was author of an article in the past. And so, it's really a pleasure to take on this new role and create the content for the issue of Continuum for Epilepsy and really particularly to work with the stellar group of experts and authors that we were able to have us join this year.  Dr Jones: I want to thank you for, really, it's a remarkable issue. And we usually don't get into this a lot with our guest editors, but our last issue on epilepsy came out in 2022. Fantastic issue, guest edited by Dr Natalie Jette. When you were designing the table of contents and article topics for this issue, you had some great ideas. Walk us through your thought process on what was most important to convey in this issue.  Dr Hopp: Sure, I'm happy to do so. I think one of the things about Continuum that is so accessible to everybody is that it really is, to me, preeminent format of updating and educating, whether it's epileptologist, neurologist, trainees in every area of epilepsy, which is obviously an enormous task to really pull together all of these data to make updates and then to make it accessible to all of these different levels of learners as well as people like myself. I really read and always look forward to all the Continuum issues outside of my field. I use it to update my knowledge base, get ready for boards. I also read it as an educator because I want to know what my trainees are reading during their rotations and I want to be able to share materials with them. So, I really tried to go back and look at other issues and think about how we could make it fresh. So, I think one of the first challenges is just making sure that we're updating the content of each article based on the literature and the data we have. That really becomes the task of the authors. And so first of all, selecting the authors was both fun but also really important to me. But the second aspect of it to me was really the question of, how could we make this fresh this year? I think Continuum is always fresh and that it has new data, but I wanted to really think outside the box and I appreciate being able to take a few risks. One of them was really headed by Dave Clarke, who provides this incredibly thoughtful and comprehensive review of access to care and epilepsy. I think for anyone who wants a primer on the issues and language used in discussions of diversity or social determinants of health---you first of all do not have to be in the field of epilepsy to read this. So, you should check that out. But I also thought it was really critical to shed more light on these issues. So, we tried to be mindful of this in threading that through as best as we could each article, but also have a stand-alone section that he headed. And so, he addresses issues of how to think about access to care for people with epilepsy, but actually, interestingly, also thinking about the investigators, providers, and researchers, and how we think about diversity in those viewpoints as well. I think we can always do better. Dave concludes with a wonderful focus on hope in this area with next steps for our community. So, I think that that was certainly one area that I wanted to take a risk and I think it was quite successful.  Dr Jones: Totally agree. I very much enjoyed that article. We have an article on implementation of guidelines and quality measures by Dr Christina Baca. I thought that was a great choice from your perspective, not only because Dr Baca is an expert on this, but it felt very practical, right?  Dr Hopp: Exactly. Exactly. And that was the other area that I thought really is always covered so well by the Academy of Neurology. There's so much work in updating the guidelines, whether it's the guideline that just was updated on people with epilepsy of childbearing potential or others outside of the field of epilepsy. And I thought that we could use Continuum to help educate all of the readers on how to take those guidelines and measures and then really bring them into practice. I think there's a whole field of implementation science that I think shines a light on the gap between the guidelines and the measures and then really what we do with them in practice. And that's actually what's most important for our patients and for the providers. And so Christine does just an amazing job as an expert, not only walking us through the guidelines that are relevant for epilepsy, but then helping us and providing, essentially, a toolkit to take those measures and guidelines and use them in a very feasible, accessible way in day-to-day practice. And I would suggest that it's relevant for anyone from a student level resident to an epileptologist who's been in practice, like me, for many years. And so I hope that's relatable and useful to the reader.  Dr Jones: I think it will be. And let's get right into it. So, I always enjoy talking to the guest editor. You're already an expert and now you've just read a bunch of articles and edited a bunch of articles from people who are really the premier experts in their area of the field, right? They're niche within epilepsy. So, as you've read these articles across the issue, if there were one biggest practice-changing recommendation that you would want to convey to our listeners, what would that be? Dr Hopp: I think that's a fabulous question because again, each of these articles, I think, is designed and written by the author to stand alone. But ideally, they need to all be incorporated in practice. And I think what each author was able to really successfully do is not only review the data, but really take us to the next level with practice of epilepsy. For example, I think as we embark on the next couple of decades, clearly increased technology, AI, personalized medicine are all buzzwords and taking the lead. In reality, with advances, we still have to make sure our care is personalized. And we have to remember seizures are really the symptom, but epilepsy is the disease. What I think our authors do well is make sure that our care is personalized to the patients. You could take that from the first article that Roohi Katyall writes about how to approach the patient with epilepsy, which is still, I think, the seminal way to start to think about these patients. But we need to ask issues pertaining to people with epilepsy of childbearing potential; screen for mood, other comorbidities. Mark Keezer does a great job talking about these. And then as we discussed, Christine Baca, PCU, talks about how to then incorporate those practical considerations into practice. Each author also, I think, emphasizes the need to utilize technology and testing and evaluation to make sure that our care is personalized for our patient. For example, we have a focus on certain special populations. Some patients who we see from the diagnosis of epilepsy end up not having seizures. They may have nonepileptic events. And so, Adriana Bermeo-Ovalle and her co-author talk about how to address those patients. Well, Meriem Bensalem-Owen talks about gender based issues in epilepsy as well. And, and that particular article also was updated and refreshed to really address gender and sex-based issues beyond treating the woman with epilepsy. So, I think in summary, each of them really helps us make sure that we're personalizing the care for patients by emphasizing a very thorough and individualized approach to each of our patients that we see with seizures.  Dr Jones: Now that you put it that way, that really did come across as a consistent theme essentially in every article, right? All the way from the evaluation of the patient suspected of having epilepsy to the treatment options to the context of care. Personalization is really kind of a continuous thread throughout the issue. So, I think that's a great one.  Dr Hopp: I think it's still aspirational in some sense, but hopefully practical in another. For example, we certainly are going to make a medication selection when we see each individual patient based on their comorbidities, perhaps genetic considerations, and how they may respond to medications or have risks of rash. But there are certainly still guidelines that we need to approach and think about when thinking about populations of people who have epilepsy as a whole. I think that what's interesting in the field of epilepsy is that we still don't have as much consensus as I think we could on the best way to treat, for example, a drug-resistant patient with epilepsy. One of, I think, the biggest areas of opportunity in terms of personalized medicine as we move forward is that there's such variability on patient care based on the epilepsy center, the tools that we have on how to treat these patients. And I think an aspiration is for us to, in the future, be able to see a patient who has seizures or a person who has seizures, maybe put an FDA-approved device, as Dan Friedman talks about in his article, to help detect the seizures. Use AI with EEG to detect abnormalities in their studies. And then use imaging processing and genetic or metabolic markers to really end up stratifying the risk and creating a treatment plan much akin to what's done in the world of cancer care. I think what's so exciting in epilepsy is that we have made so many advances in terms of our treatments, but I think there's so much to do to really stratify and personalize care for our patients that we really could take a lot of lessons from the world of cancer and in other fields of medicine to really be able to apply to our area of specialization.  Dr Jones: And I guess that's one of the common tensions in neurology---and medicine, really---is the pull between standardizing and protocolizing. And usually we do better when we're standardized in our care versus that personalization, doing the right thing for that individual person. And I guess expertise lies in the middle, which is why we want people to read these articles, right?  Dr Hopp: Exactly. I think you've hit the nail on the head, and I think the takeaway here is really that we need to do both. There's no question that we can't reinvent the wheel for every person who we see in the office who has epilepsy and not apply the knowledge that we've gained based on all of the research and work that's been done in the field of epilepsy. So, for example, we know that if someone is almost 25 years old, Quantum Brody published that shows that if someone does not respond to a few drugs, anti-seizure medicines, the likelihood that they're not going to respond, it is quite high. So, we need to apply data that we have to patients as a whole. But then, I think, what has changed and evolved over the past twenty-five years is our ability to potentially personalize some of that decision making. And that's where I think the field of epilepsy is right now, and hopefully where it's going to go in the next decade or so.  Dr Jones: So, what do you think the next big thing in epilepsy diagnosis or management will be? Dr Hopp: I think that technology is really going to play a role. Technology, I think, will take many forms. We hear a little bit about some of the new advances in technology in several articles in this issue. One, for example, is in the ability to manage even emergent seizures or clusters of seizures in patients. The ability to provide a nasal spray that works very quickly is so different than the tools that we had to treat seizures even 10 years ago. I think that technology will likely thread through many different areas of epilepsy care, whether it's in the treatment and availability of different medications or in the ascertainment of epilepsy itself. I think that one of the very exciting areas in technology is in pharmacogenomics and genetics, which hopefully will allow us to close the gap in selecting one of the better medications or best medication for a patient earlier in their diagnosis and in their treatment plan. If we are able to get patients treated more quickly, whether it's with medication or in selection of the best surgical treatment, hopefully we will close the gap in reducing the possibility of drug resistant epilepsy, but also have impact in quality of life and getting patients and people with epilepsy and doing that, doing the things that they want to do such as driving, going to work, getting engaged in the things that make them happy. And so, I think our ability to use technology, whether it's in using a watch to make a diagnosis of seizures or pharmacogenomics to make a good medication selection, hopefully this will allow us to speed up our algorithm in making a diagnosis and getting an effective treatment plan for patients earlier. And ultimately that's our goal. Our goal for patients is ideally to have no seizures and no side effects with a good quality of life.  Dr Jones: Yeah, the technology has really been breathtaking. You know, one of the commonalities between your practice and my practice is electrophysiology. I do neuromuscular electrophysiology, which is much simpler than what you do with cerebral electrophysiology. And whenever I sit down next to a colleague who is about to review forty-eight hours' worth of EEG recordings, I always think what a massive amount of data and I always feel sympathy for them. What, about AI? What about automated processing tools? Is that something that our listeners should look forward to in the future?  Dr Hopp: I think so. And I hope it's a blend. I hope that---and I always actually talk about this with trainees because I love EEG so much and I love translating the principles of physics and neurophysiology when we're sitting in front of an EEG with our trainees. I am excited about AI and technology. I will admit that I hope that it doesn't replace human readers because I do think that there is an importance in threading history and semiology and thoughtfulness in a human way with the interpretation of EEG. However, you're absolutely right that the amount of data is just becoming overwhelming for epileptologists and for EEG-ers to be able to synthesize in a reasonable and feasible amount of time. So, we already are seeing the applicability of the AI to, for example, prescreen large, large amounts of EEG data and try to at least give us tools for the ability to screen EEG in a more efficient way. I think some of the more exciting areas of EEG that are coming are in the background, which is in the network analysis in high-density EEG. There are very, very smart mathematicians that currently I'm collaborating with in utilizing network analysis of EEG that will hopefully allow us to apply these algorithms to EEGs that even look normal to the naked eye, but actually may have signals that help us predict who may or may not have seizures. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think there's so much to come and our collaboration and integration with engineers and mathematicians, I think, is going to be paramount. Dr Jones: Dr Hopp, what was your path to epilepsy?  Dr Hopp: Dr Jones, that is a great question. It was not linear and it really evolved over time, but basically went something like this. I majored in behavioral biology in college, and I was fascinated by the brain and how behavior was controlled by either physiology or anatomy or abnormalities in brain function. And as I moved along in my career and education, I really had a passion for neurology and for behavioral science. But I went to medical school and absolutely loved most of the rotations I did. And in fact, I loved OBGYN so much that I changed my entire career path with the goal of becoming an OBGYN and delivering babies. And I was really torn between two specialties of going into neurology or OB. And I went to a very sage advisor, Greg Kane up at Jefferson. And I said, I really don't know what field to go into. I love aspects of both. I like doing testing. I like making immediate impact. But I also love neurology. And he gave me some of the best advice, I think, that I have ever heard. And I try to share with our trainees all the time. He said, Jenny, I think you'll be successful at either, but which do you like reading about? And I had a relative epiphany at the time, and it was no question that I loved reading about neurology. It was very clear to me that reading about neurology and learning about the brain was just fascinating and led me to do a neurology residency where I was exposed to patients with epilepsy. And it really just continued to pique my interest to read about a field that I felt I could have such an impact. I really could help patients make a diagnosis relatively quickly and have a significant impact, maybe as I would in OBGYN but in a little bit different way. And it really has been, to me, the best choice that I could have made. And on a day-to-day basis, I still love reading about neurology. So, it was some of the best advice that I was given and I try to share that with others. Dr Jones: What a great question for a mentor to ask. And I wonder if he was really thinking, if she likes to read, she probably should be a neurologist to begin with. You like to read, don't we?  Dr Hopp: I think so. I think he was spot on. I think he knew the answer before he asked the question.   Dr Jones: Dr Hopp, thank you for joining us today. Thank you for such a thorough and fantastic discussion on caring for patients with epilepsy and our recent issue on epilepsy for Continuum. Dr Hopp: My pleasure. Thank you for having me. Dr Jones: Again, we've been speaking with Dr Jennifer Hopp, guest editor of Continuum 's most recent issue on epilepsy. Please check it out. And thank you to our listeners for joining today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use this link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

Mind bending podcast!!!  Brain scans that prove Jennifer is IN ANOTHER ZONE!!!  Jennifer was invited by a lab up in Marin County to do some EEGs of her brain, based upon the fact that she'd had a number of events, broken bones over the years.  She went up to a brain scan lab in Marin where they mapped her brain - doing a baseline scan while she was "not thinking of anything" - and then while doing a session with someone in the office, but looking straight ahead. The results are dramatic and mind bending.  The results show that when Jennifer is "doing a session" (in trance, or as I call it "bypassing the filters on the brain") she's in full DELTA state - the equivalent of being in a deep sleep, or as shown in the scans of monks who are in a trance or doing meditation.   From an AI definition of the Theta vs. Delta state: There are various levels of awareness and sleep as recorded by science - theta state, delta state, etc. Theta and delta waves are both types of brain waves that occur during sleep, but they have different frequencies and are associated with different stages of sleep: Theta waves These waves are associated with the initial stages of non-REM sleep, and are characterized by a frequency of 3–8 Hz and an amplitude of 50–100 µV. Theta waves are associated with deep relaxation, creativity, intuition, and visualization. Delta waves These waves are associated with deep, slow-wave sleep, and are characterized by a frequency of 0.5–3 or 4 Hz and an amplitude of 100–200 µV. Delta waves are associated with physical healing and regeneration, reduced stress and anxiety, and dreamless sleep.  Electroencephalography (EEG) is the primary tool used to measure brainwaves during sleep." It's as if Jennifer is "sound asleep" while we're doing these sessions, while she's working with law enforcement, while working with her clients.  Her brain is "In another dimension" so to speak - not the awake mind that we associate with daily living. Also worth noting; as the video of a Parkinson's patient (on this page - Coleman Hough) during hypnosis showed, during the hypnosis session she lost her symptoms; she stopped shaking and spoke normally.  (As if she was asleep, while consciously speaking.)  As noted, people with brain issues (Parkinsons, Tourette's) don't shake or have tics while they're sleeping.  It's only in the Theta state that the shaking returns (as evidenced in the session with Coleman, all the shaking returned when she was "counted down." In the research from Dr. Greyson ("AFTER") he talks about filters on the brain, that "block information not conducive to survival."  Dr. Wambach talks about the same filters in her book "Reliving Past Lives." The point is - if people can use meditation (and Coleman told us from the flipside that both meditation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help) to bypass the filters, why not use that as a tool for healing? It's uncanny that Jennifer has these scans, and as noted in the podcast, a scientist at the University of Pennsylvania is doing EEG/MRI scans of mediums. (Dr. Beauregard's BRAIN WARS has some MRI data in his research.) Luana Anders is our moderator on the flipside, LuanaAnders.com - passed in 1996, was pals with Tina Turner, both SGI Buddhists.  So Tina stops by to say hello.  (And Jennifer has had a client who has spoken with Tina as well.) So HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Each week Jennifer and I have no idea what we're going to talk about, and each week we go further and farther into the flipside to learn new information. Stay tuned! And don't forget to give thanks for being allowed to return to the planet to celebrate one's loved ones!  They are not gone, they're just not here. When you toast them, do so in present tense.

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Mark Lehmkuhle, CEO & Founder of Epitel, a brain health technology platform that has raised over $20 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Simplifying EEG Monitoring: Epitel has developed a wearable EEG sensor that makes brainwave monitoring easier for patients. Unlike traditional EEGs, which require extensive equipment and specialist interpretation, Epitel's sensor offers a streamlined approach to detecting central nervous system disorders, especially seizures. Seizures vs. Epilepsy: While seizures are common, with 1 in 10 people experiencing one in their lifetime, not all seizures indicate epilepsy. Epitel focuses on seizure detection, addressing a broader spectrum of neurological conditions, not just epilepsy. Bootstrapping and Perseverance: Mark shared how the company started in 2008 with a small team and minimal resources, operating out of an artist colony with limited heating and air conditioning. The journey took years of grant funding and regulatory hurdles before reaching commercialization. Regulatory Pathway: Despite being a medical device, Epitel's technology sits on the lower end of the FDA's regulatory spectrum, allowing them to move relatively quickly compared to more complex devices. They achieved FDA clearance with non-dilutive funding, a strategic milestone that paved the way for institutional investment. Data Collection Challenges: To train their AI, Epitel had to develop their own clean EEG dataset because hospitals typically delete such data post-diagnosis. This created a significant technical hurdle but also underscored the uniqueness of their solution. Future Vision: Mark envisions Epitel expanding beyond seizure monitoring into broader brain health applications. Long-term goals include creating a system for continuous brain health tracking, similar to continuous glucose monitors, potentially detecting early signs of conditions like Alzheimer's or even alerting to stroke risks.     //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

In this episode of the NeuroNoodle Neurofeedback and Neuropsychology Podcast, Pete Jansons is joined by Saul Rosenthal, board member of the Northeast Region Biofeedback Society (NRBS). They dive into the upcoming NRBS Conference, the latest advancements in neurofeedback, AI's growing role in EEG analysis, and insights from the famous Yonkers Project, which brought neurofeedback into public schools. Saul also discusses the challenges of integrating biofeedback into clinical practice and public systems, as well as the need for coopetition in the neurofeedback industry. Key topics include: The NRBS Conference (November 1-3, 2024) AI's role in neurofeedback New equipment for home use and clinical settings The Yonkers Project and its impact on public schools Challenges with open data and system integration in neurofeedback Use Code NRBSCON10 for a 10% discount when registering for the NRBS Conference! Learn more about NRBS: https://nrbs.org Check out Saul Rosenthal's podcast "Healthy Brain, Happy Body": https://nrbs.org/podcast Key Moments: NRBS: https://nrbs.org/0:00 0:27 Dr. Saul Rosenthal's last appearance on NeuroNoodle    • Dr Saul Rosenthal Northeast Region Bi...   clip 1:43 Mitch and Angelika Sadar "What is The NRBS?" Clip 2:24 Mitch and Angelika Sadar background https://sadarpsych.com/about/meet-the...3:24 What is the NRBS charter and how does it compare to other societies out there? 5:47 Healthy Brain, Happy Body Podcast https://nrbs.org/podcast/5:53 Details on NRBS Conference https://nrbs.org/product/2023-nrbs-co...https://nrbs.org/2024-nrbs-annual-con...7:44 The Yonkers Project https://www.aboutneurofeedback.com/ne... Podcast episodes about the Yonkers project: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/1...https://player.captivate.fm/episode/4...9:07 Has Saul seen anything new in the last year? 10:25 Prism system for depression 10:56 HRV equipment 11:20 AI thoughts from Saul 12:40 How trained do you need to be to do Neurofeedback using AI? 15:30 How can we share data from EEGs? 16:55 Coopetition 18:45 Last year's NRBS thoughts – any insights for people going this year? 20:50 Yonkers Study teaser – how Neurofeedback affected school children 23:05 Kids learning how to breathe in Health Class - HRV 24:53 Use Code NRBSCON10 for 10% discount! 25:30 NRBS Podcast – Healthy Brain, Happy Body Podcast https://nrbs.org/podcast/25:47 Yonkers project links: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/1...https://player.captivate.fm/episode/4...#Neurofeedback #AIinMentalHealth #NRBSConference #Biofeedback #MentalHealthTech #YonkersProject #NeuroNoodle #BrainHealth --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/neuronoodle/support

This week, we share Rachel's interview with Anand (@anandmurthy) and Amanda Murthy (@amandajanemurthy)! Anand and Amanda's son, Maverick, is affected by infantile spasms, a rare form of epilepsy.  Maverick has undergone multiple brain surgeries and faced numerous challenges related to his condition. Anand and Amanda share about their journey to raise awareness about infantile spasms, the importance of collaboration among healthcare providers, the need for comprehensive support systems for families of children with complex medical needs, and more!   Key Ideas this Week:   The Complexity of Infantile Spasms Anand and Amanda share the difficulty in diagnosing and treating their son Maverick's condition, infantile spasms, a rare form of epilepsy. They discuss the challenges of working with a medical system that often lacks awareness of infantile spasms and the need for immediate intervention, such as EEGs, to properly diagnose and manage it.   The Importance of Advocacy and Persistence: The Murthys emphasize the importance of advocating for their child in the medical system, navigating insurance challenges, and ensuring Maverick receives appropriate care. They discuss how parents need to be assertive with insurance companies and sometimes even with medical professionals to secure necessary treatments.   Collaboration in Therapy and AAC: The interview highlighted the significance of a multidisciplinary approach to Maverick's therapy, including speech, occupational, and physical therapy, as well as ABA for autism. They also touched on the challenges of using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for a child with complex needs and the importance of having a cohesive and collaborative team to support his progress.   Visit talkingwithtech.org to listen to previous episodes, find new resources, and more!   Help us develop new content and keep the podcast going strong! Support our podcast at patreon.com/talkingwithtech!

Status Epilepticus: Part II Special Guest: Jason Vilar, PharmD, BCCCP @TheBrainPharmD   03:40 – Definitions/Terminology 14:30 – Landmark status epilepticus (SE) literature 21:30 – Emergent ASM SE pharmacotherapy 26:00 – DDI management/TDM 33:55 – Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) treatment 48:15 – Medication safety considerations and weaning 58:00 – EEGs for PharmD's 68:10 – Inhaled anesthetics 74:30 – Studies on the horizon/take-home points   Reference List: https://pharmacytodose.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/status-epilepticus-part-ii-references.pdf   PharmacyToDose.Com @PharmacyToDose PharmacyToDose@Gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices