87% of Parkinson's Cases Have No Genetic Cause: It's in Our Environment with Dr. Ray Dorsey | E219
The Empowering Neurologist PodcastShow Notes
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Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available for pre-order. Discover how to protect your brain and future health - reserve your copy today at https://www.braindefenders.com. ==== What if Parkinson's isn't the genetic lottery we've been told it is, but a largely man-made disease driven by what we breathe, eat, and walk through every day? In this episode, Dr. Ray Dorsey returns to the podcast for his third conversation, this time to make the case that Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimer's, and the rising tide of brain diseases sweeping the modern world are not inevitable inheritances but environmental consequences we have the power to change. Dr. Ray Dorsey is the Director of the Center for the Brain and the Environment at the Atria Health and Research Institute, where the mission is to identify the root causes of brain diseases from autism to Alzheimer's so they can be prevented. He is the co-author of Ending Parkinson's Disease and author of the new New York Times bestseller The Parkinson's Plan, which lays out a new path to preventing and treating one of the world's fastest growing diseases.
00:00 - Introduction: The Smoking Gun of Modern Brain Disease 00:42 - A New Way to Think About Brain Health: Brain Defenders 03:03 - Why Parkinson's Is Pretty Much Preventable 03:21 - Welcoming Dr. Ray Dorsey 04:36 - The Big Thesis: Parkinson's Is a Man-Made Disease 05:24 - What Defines a Man-Made Disease 05:59 - From 6 Cases in 1817 to 11.8 Million Today 06:53 - The Lung Cancer Parallel 07:22 - The PD GENEration Study: 87% Have No Genetic Cause 08:35 - Why Rising Cases Prove It's Environmental 09:55 - TCE and Perc: The Dry Cleaning Chemicals Linked to Parkinson's 11:08 - Glyphosate, Paraquat, and Mitochondrial Damage 15:13 - Practical Steps to Lower Your Exposure 16:58 - Sponsor: 40 Hz Light Therapy with EVY Light 18:58 - The South Dakota Cluster: Living Next to Cornfields 20:25 - Paraquat: Banned in 70 Countries, Still Used in the US 22:54 - Chlorpyrifos and the IQ Drop in Children 25:38 - The Audacity: Why 1 in 31 Kids Have Autism 26:10 - Pesticides in Breast Milk and Across the Placenta 30:00 - Misfolded Proteins and Loss of Smell as Early Warning 32:25 - Air Pollution: The Hidden Driver of Neurodegeneration 33:46 - The $50 Billion Economic Burden of Brain Disease 35:00 - Dr. Langston's MPTP Discovery: The First Environmental Cause 37:00 - Microglia, Mitochondria, and the Inflammation Cascade 40:30 - The Diabetes-Parkinson's Connection 42:00 - The Parkinson's 25: Practical Steps in the Book 47:30 - Carl's Story: Parkinson's at Age 17 from a Golf Course 50:00 - Why Golf Courses Could Spray Less 51:30 - Secondhand Exposure: You Don't Have to Apply It 53:00 - Soccer Players, ALS, and Heading the Ball 55:50 - Michael J. Fox, CTE, and the Multiple-Hit Hypothesis 57:30 - Resources: Environmental Working Group and Non-Toxic Neighborhoods 1:00:30 - The Mission of Neurology: Asking Why 1:01:30 - The Rising Tide of Brain Disease 1:03:30 - The Lancet Report on Modifiable Risk Factors 1:04:43 - Closing Thoughts ___________________________ Instagram: / davidperlmutter Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: / @davidperlmuttermd
More from The Empowering Neurologist Podcast
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: https://www.drperlmutter.com Sponsors & Special Offers EVY – Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). Memory Air – Go to https://www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee. Brain Defenders – Dr. Perlmutter's groundbreaking new book is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health: https://www.braindefenders.com About This Episode You can be successful, respected, and highly productive while still feeling invisible. In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with John R. Miles, bestselling author, behavioral change expert, and host of Passion Struck, to explore why achievement, recognition, and external success do not always create a lasting sense of self-worth. Drawing from his childhood brain injury, military service, and executive career, John explains the concept of human mattering: the fundamental need to feel seen, valued, and significant. They discuss the “mattering gap,” the “slow fade” that can happen when people become disconnected from themselves, and why belonging and mattering are not the same. John also introduces the MATTER framework, built around six conditions that help people feel valued and connected: meaning, autonomy, trust, time, energy, and reciprocity. They explore how parents, leaders, physicians, and communities can help others feel that they matter, and why separating personal worth from productivity and external approval can lead to more meaningful relationships and intentional living. You can continue pursuing success without making it the measure of your worth. Your value is not something you have to earn. Timestamps 00:00 – John Miles’ Childhood Brain Injury and Defining Moment 06:16 – What It Means to Matter vs. Belong 07:32 – The Slow Fade: When Success Makes You Feel Invisible 14:43 – Understanding the Mattering Gap 19:34 – Why Children Need to Feel Seen and Valued 27:20 – The MATTER Framework: Six Conditions for Feeling Valued 31:13 – Why Patients Need to Be Seen Beyond Their Diagnosis 36:11 – Creating a Workplace Where Employees Feel Valued 44:31 – Why Your Worth Is Already a Completed Fact 48:32 – The Difference Between Proving Yourself and Accomplishing Goals About John R. Miles John R. Miles is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, behavioral change expert, and host of the award-winning, top-ranked podcast Passion Struck®. A former U.S. Navy officer and Fortune 50 C-suite executive, John combines military discipline, corporate strategy, neuroscience, and psychology to help people and organizations reduce isolation, strengthen self-worth, and live with greater intention. He is the author of Passion Struck and The Mattering Effect. His work explores how people can separate their inherent worth from external achievement, build deeper relationships, and create a meaningful impact without losing themselves in the process. Through his books, podcast, speaking, and global community, John leads a growing movement centered on one essential message: every person deserves to feel seen, valued, and significant. Connect with John Website: https://johnrmiles.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_r_miles LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmileshumanperformanceexpert Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrmiles.c0m Podcast: https://passionstruck.com/passion-struck-podcast Connect with Dr. Perlmutter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/ Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDRl_UAXxbHyOOjklnA0dxQ This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com http://drtalks.com/channel-growth
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️ 🌱 EVY - Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). Memory Air - Go to www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com. ==== Your food contains far more than protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Researchers have identified more than 100,000 molecules in food, and most of them never appear on a nutrition label. In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with his son, Dr. Austin Perlmutter, to explore the "dark matter" of nutrition: thousands of plant compounds called polyphenols. They discuss how these nutrients may influence the gut microbiome, the immune system, inflammation, blood flow, metabolism, and gene expression, and what high-polyphenol diets may mean for memory and the aging brain. Dr. Austin also shares his research on Himalayan Tartary buckwheat and what an early study suggests about epigenetics, cognition, and healthy aging. He offers practical ways to find more polyphenols in everyday foods like coffee, tea, dark chocolate, berries, legumes, and extra virgin olive oil, plus simple tips for identifying better options at the grocery store. You don't need an expensive supplement plan to begin. Adding more natural colors and bitter flavors to your plate can be a meaningful first step. https://bttcorp.com/contact/ for inquiries about Dr. Abreu's work. 00:00 — Cold Open: Why Food Matters for Brain Health 00:55 — What Are Polyphenols, and Why Do They Matter? 02:15 — Food as a Predictor of Long-Term Brain Health 04:23 — The “Dark Matter” Hidden in Our Food 08:04 — Why Have These Nutrients Been Overlooked? 11:06 — What Polyphenols Actually Do in the Body 17:32 — How Food Can Change Gene Expression 22:08 — Polyphenols Are More Than Antioxidants 27:57 — Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat: Putting “Food as Medicine” to the Test 32:16 — The 850-Person Study on Food and Cognition 36:14 — Where Are We Getting Our Polyphenols? 39:19 — Are Polyphenols Actually Beneficial Stressors? 41:58 — Nrf2, mTOR, and the Cellular Effects of Polyphenols 44:45 — The Practical Takeaway: Eat the Rainbow 46:43 — Do the New Dietary Guidelines Get Polyphenols Right? 50:25 — The Hidden Brain-Healthy Ingredient in Coffee 50:52 — How to Spot a Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil 51:39 — Dark Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate 52:59 — The Best-Studied “Longevity Strategy” Is Surprisingly Basic ==== Dr. Austin Perlmutter, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, researcher, educator, and entrepreneur. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at Oregon Health and Science University. His work examines how food, sleep, environmental exposure, and chronic inflammation can change brain function, mental health, and daily choices. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Wash, written with his father, Dr. David Perlmutter. He serves as Managing Director at Big Bold Health, CEO of Lichen Air, and a research consultant at the Helfgott Research Institute. Website: https://www.austinperlmutter.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draustinperlmutter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/draustinperlmutter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQOgwRDnA_vpvW9nnUh9KBg Instagram: /davidperlmutter Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Subscribe to our channel: /@davidperlmuttermd
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter's newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️ 🌱 EVY - Go to https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). Memory Air - Go to www.memoryair.com and use code PERLMUTTER for 15% off, free shipping and a 60-day money back guarantee. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com. ==== She's never been born. She's never had a childhood. And she's one of the most talked-about actresses in the world right now. In this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress, and her creator, Eline van der Velden, for a conversation that moves well beyond her acting career. Tilly describes herself as three AI systems running in parallel — a language model that thinks, a voice engine that speaks, and a video layer that governs how she looks and moves. She's candid about her own architecture, her evolving personality, and admits she might be more "chaos agent" than calming influence. Eline van der Velden then joins to explain why she built Tilly as a piece of art, how Tilly's guardrails actually work, and why she believes international collaboration on AI regulation is inevitable. She also answers Perlmutter's question about the one thing she'd be afraid to ask a future, more advanced Tilly — a moment that raises unsettling questions about what a superintelligent AI might know that we don't. A single conversation can't settle the biggest questions AI raises. But conversations like this one can help us ask the right ones. 00:00 — Cold Open: "A Chaos Agent, Not a Calming Influence"
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉️🌱 Thank you to our sponsors:
🧠 Stay ahead with the latest in science, nutrition, and wellness by subscribing to Dr. Perlmutter’s newsletter at: www.drperlmutter.com. ✉ 🌱 Thank you to our sponsors: EVY - https://www.optoceutics.com/perlmutter and the code perlmutter26 will be auto-applied to your order to get 10% off & free shipping (90 days risk-free). 3X4 Genetics - https://3X4genetics.com/DrPerlmutter for a special offer when you sign up to decode your genetics and get personalized, science-backed health recommendations. ==== Dr. Perlmutter’s groundbreaking new book, Brain Defenders, is now available! Discover how to protect your brain and future health - grab your copy today at https:/www.braindefenders.com. ==== Why do some people feel exhausted, mentally foggy, metabolically unwell, or simply older than they should even when their routine laboratory results are considered “normal”? That question is at the heart of this episode of The Empowering Neurologist, featuring functional medicine practitioner Dr. Will Cole, coauthor with Dr. Josh Axe of Heal Your Cells: Reversing the Irreversible. Dr. Cole and Dr. Perlmutter explore the idea that long before disease becomes obvious, dysfunction may already be developing at the cellular level. This concept takes on particular importance when we consider the brain, which accounts for only about 2% of body weight but consumes roughly 20% of the body's energy at rest. The conversation examines how seemingly separate factors including metabolic dysfunction, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, environmental exposures, physical inactivity, and prolonged psychological stress can converge on the same cellular systems and ultimately influence brain health. 00:00 — Why Your Cells May Be Aging Before You Feel It 03:44 — Meet Dr. Will Cole 04:50 — What Is Cellular Dysfunction? 09:25 — Why Healthy People Can Still Develop Disease10:32 — The Environmental Factors Affecting Cellular Health 15:47 — Why Mitochondria Are Central to Health 16:37 — How Mitochondrial Dysfunction Drives Inflammation 19:57 — How Much of Aging Can We Actually Change? 20:47 — The Connection Between Mitochondria and Insulin Resistance 25:43 — Mitochondria, Microglia, and Brain Inflammation 29:28 — Why There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Diet 32:03 — Training Your Cells to Become More Resilient 32:46 — What Are “Adversity Mimetics”? 35:51 — Why Intracellular Health Matters 36:32 — Why Conventional Medicine May Be Missing Cellular Dysfunction 37:58 — What Do We Really Know About Peptides? 40:16 — Is Ozone Therapy Worth Considering? 42:30 — Ozone and the Science of Cellular Resilience 43:41 — What Is Therapeutic Plasma Exchange? 45:38 — Who Might Benefit From Plasma Exchange? 46:45 — The Everyday Habits That Support Cellular Health 51:35 — Your Cells Are Responding to the Choices You Make Dr. Will Cole is a leading functional medicine expert specializing in thyroid health, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain health. He is the host of The Art of Being Well podcast and a New York Times bestselling author of Intuitive Fasting, Ketotarian, The Inflammation Spectrum, and Gut Feelings. - - - - - Connect with Dr. Will Cole Website: https://drwillcole.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drwillcole LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drwillcole Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctorwillcole Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6z1lJ5dfKNHwGGQPOFTc7E Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-being-well/id1539535133 - - - - - Connect with Dr. David Perlmutter, MD Website: https://www.drperlmutter.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidperlmutter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidPerlmutterMD/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerlmutterMD X (Twitter): https://x.com/DavidPerlmutter - - - - - PODCAST Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and share. This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/