Investing in Your Health with Dr. Jeffrey Bland

Jeffrey bland

I’m honored to have today’s guest on my podcast share with you how you can invest in your health to not only be disease free but also have superior health.

My guest today is Dr. Jeffrey Bland. Dr. Bland has been an internationally recognized leader in the nutritional medicine field for over 35 years. A biochemist by training, Dr. Bland earned dual degrees in biology and chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, and completed his PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Oregon. Dr. Bland is a former professor of biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and served as Director of Nutritional Research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine in the early 1980’s, working directly with two-time Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling, who he considers his lifelong mentor.

Dr. Bland has authored five books on nutritional medicine for the healthcare professional and six books on nutrition and health for the general public including The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life.  Which I actually have a signed copy of and I’m going to explain at the end how you can have a chance to get this signed book.

Dr. Bland was the first member of the Board of Trustees of Bastyr University, the naturopathic medical school in Washington State. With his wife, Susan, Dr. Bland founded The Institute for Functional Medicine in 1991, a nonprofit organization focused on educating healthcare practitioners on effective approaches to treating and preventing chronic disease. He has provided lectures and medical education events to more than 250,000 health care providers in more than 50 countries.

His message has spread far and wide, and I’m excited to have him as my guest today.

In the interview today, Dr. Bland shares what inspired him to start The Institute for Functional Medicine and how functional medicine has come to impact so many people. We also discuss issues with the way most people look at and treat disease, including skin problems. He shares what he thinks is the single most important underlying factor behind skin issues as well as many other diseases. We also discuss diet fads, since he’s seen them come and go, and we even talk about his own daily schedule. We cover so much in this interview, so please enjoy. It’s long so if you need to take a break and come back another time, I promise you won’t want to miss anything in this interview!

 

Learn more about Dr. Jeffery Bland:

His Website

Other Information Here

The PLM Institute

If you have not done so already, I highly recommend that you get your customized skin profile at here.  It’s free and based upon your answers, it will give you great tips for glowing skin and vibrant health.  Also don’t miss out on all of the latest tips to get glowing skin and vibrant health, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. And join the conversation!

Thank you, and we’ll see you next time on The Spa Dr. Podcast.

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Reader Interactions

  1. This was an excellent interview. I’m so glad I could hear more about diet. I have rosacea (very red and inflamed) as well as digestive problems. I’ve been following a low carb, high fat diet (as well as supplements) and it hasn’t shifted things yet. It is nice to hear a ketogenic diet is not needed long term. I still need to find the balance to get my health back. His diet information was really helpful. I think these 2 books would really help me get my system back on track. I would love to have clear skin again, a happy belly, and help for auto immune conditions. I am worthy to be happy to be healthy and to be functional. I may not have the funds to go to a functional doctor at this time, but the books would really help me out greatly. I turn 50 in several months and my goal is to feel better than I have in decades. Thank you!

  2. loved the podcast. I’m excited to have found a functional practitioner near me because of it. I was diagnosed with rheumatiod and lupus-like autoimmune years ago. After clearing past traumas with Holographic Memory Resolution, my body has been functioning very well until recently. I was diagnosed with H-pylori and SIBO. Two weeks into the pylori treatment, I developed a skin rash which has been with me for 10 weeks now. I would love your two books to help me understand what’s happening in my body and help me heal so that I can get back to my counseling practice full-time.

  3. Wow great information. Dr Bland certainly walks his talk as he does not look like a 70 year old. Just amazing down to earth and practical information. What I got the most out of is that making time for your health is an investment in your life and yourself that will pay dividend for you and your loved ones. As a health coach I am dealing with several clients weekly that say they don’t have the time or cannot afford the time. Now I have extra leverage to help them take back control.

    Thank you so much.

    Rene.

  4. I liked the explaination for disease and how each person needs an individual protocol toward wellness plus developing a good immune system and keeping it working well. I would like the books to continue learning.

  5. First Thank you for sharing your passion, Changing Lives is a Beautiful Passion and Inspiration that I too share the Desire to be a Change in the World. I don’t know who said it but I love the quote “Be the Change that You Want to See in the World.” In this interview, I really enjoyed several points. I struggle with eating myself as I have a Casein,Egg, Beef Allergy, so it was really nice to hear that Paleo/Keto/Gluten any and all diets are not what works best with everyone and just to remain focused on eating what comes from Mother Earth. There is no one size fits all Nutrition for Everyone… For years I have struggle with many different issues, from weight gain that would NOT change no matter my deit or how much exercise I did. I had Adult Acne pop in that just blew me out of the water b/c I never had that as a teen and the dermatologist wasn’t helping. I had major aches, thyroid symptoms, fatigue, cravings and pains that no doctor seemed to be able to help me with. Basically I got told nothing was wrong with me & one told me I was a burden to my health insurance for asking for thyroid testing. For the past year I have started being my own health advocate, listening to podcast like yours, to help me try and figure out what is going on with my body, and how to heal so I can be more available to my family and enjoy the life we have. Thank You…I finally found a Functional Medicine Doctor who is helping me, already from just my first visit a month ago, we found that I have several food allergies that since removing from my diet, my aches are starting to subside. I am so grateful for people like you and Dr. Jeffrey Bland that are out there making a difference in others lives, (like my own), allowing us to find help where Conventional Medicine has failed us. Same goes for my children who suffer from Eczema (so bad that my sons patches will bleed), constipation, and horrible allergies (all I can say is the pediatricians,dermatologist and family doctors have done nothing to help other then offer a pill or cream, on top of more steroids,which don’t seem to do much and now I feel guilty for doing all that when obviously there is an underlining cause). I now have them scheduled to see a functional medicine doctor. I will continue on my path to be a Health Advocate for my family and would appreciate any advice you can give on where to follow. Thank you and Bless You.

  6. Dr. Bland is amazing! I wish I could have a one on one conversation with him. I’ve been a healthy person my whole life and here a couple months ago I was diagnosed with anxiety after a chiropractic adjustment. I have never been the same. The doctors that I have been too, just want me to take anti-depressants and Xanax. I feel like these medications have ruined my life! I really can’t pinpoint one thing, as there are several things that Dr. Bland said, but I thought his point about taking the 5% of your time and dedicating it to your health is crucial
    . Just like the bank account, if you don’t maintain it or put anything into it, then eventually you run out. Great conversation today, thank you for sharing!

  7. There were so many areas that the doctor covered that intrigued me… I loved the discussion around having the necessary items to build a house because without the proper building material things won’t happen. My problem is the foundation – I do what I understand to be helpful yet at 58 ½ I’m not sure the damage from my childhood and into early adult life can be repaired. What I most was surprised to learn was in regards to the brain. I never realized that it has an immune system and the types of potential problems from brain inflammation.This would be an amazing study.
    I have a laundry list of issues all of which I attempt to address through nutritional health and healthy habits but the battle scars of the past create a bit of a roadblock. I know it’s late in life but my desire is to become a naturopath.

    • Thanks for the comment! It’s not too late to become a naturopath. You could still do it, if you want. There are many other ways to support your health and others without having to go down that 4+ year road. Reading these books is a great place to start 🙂

  8. First of all, thank you so much for everything you do to help people achieve a healthy lifestyle. I have learned so much from you and everyone you interview on your Podcasts. I truly appreciate your efforts. Over the past three years, I have become obsessed with learning about diet and nutrition. I have made significant changes in my diet and lifestyle and and am definitely thrilled with the results. My friends and family sometimes think I am crazy because I no longer eat so many of the things that they eat or things that I used to eat, but it doesn’t stop me from maintaining my new standards! I try so hard to encourage my family, friends, and coworkers to move towards a healthier lifestyle. It is so amazing when I find people who are willing to make even just small changes! I love the feeling I get when I help people become healthier. I would love to change careers and become a health coach…that’s where my passion is now.
    There were so many things I learned during this podcast and am so excited to share them with others. Dr. Bland is so good at speaking and sharing his knowledge. I feel that I could learn so much more from him and will definitely be checking out his website. Although there were so many things I appreciated, the one thing that I really liked was when he was talking about life insurance. That is very similar to what I say to people who seem to be skeptical about the changes that I have made in my life. I usually say that what I’m doing today is part of my retirement planning and explain that I am trying to avoid paying hundreds of dollars for prescription medications and not feeling well enough to enjoy life during my retirement! Most people do some sort of financial planning for retirement, but too few plan for physical well-being. What good is having money available if you don’t feel well enough to use the money to enjoy life as you deserve after years of working for it?!
    Thanks again to both of you for sharing your knowledge!

  9. I have been an advocate of preventative health care my entire adult life (30 + years), but didn’t know about the functional approach until the last 2 years when my complete thyroidectomy started impacting the rest of my body and wreaking havoc. There aren’t very many functional practioners in Australia so I would love to learn more so I can help both myself, my friends, my children and their children so that we can become a health focused culture, not a disease focused culture. Loved to hear all these basics of the approach but especially that committing to our health is really a living life insurance policy.

  10. I too found Dr Bland to be a fastastic guest for your podcast, Dr Cates. I was riveted by his commentary regarding functional medicine — what a wealth of knowledge and experience! I was also very impressed by his opinions on health and specifically dietary recommendations. I appreciated that he wasn’t recommending any specific dietary fad, but instead was a proponent of living “close to the soil” with minimal animal protein. He didn’t condone – nor did he condemn – any specific diet, macronutrient, or part of food, but promoted a whole-food approach with a conscious approach to eating what’s healthiest for the individual. I was most impressed that his answers to your questions about disease and diet *always* came back to addressing the individual and looking past conventional “band-aids” for a solution. As someone who works with clients in the health and fitness space, I have often been swayed by exciting, “new” research that might help my clients achieve their short-term physical and long-term health goals. While I’m hesitant to recommend anything that goes against common sense and doesn’t have long-term studies backing up the diet guru’s hypotheses, it can be difficult to always keep your head on straight regarding what is the simple truth of our nutritional needs like Dr Bland has been able to do for the last 30 years. I believe that reading – and rereading – his book would allow me to continue to bring the safest and healthiest nutritional and lifestyle advice to my clients, as well as my two young children who look to me to set the example and teach them how to manage the “loud voices” of the extremely confusing and conflicting dietary landscape of our country.
    Lastly, I just loved Dr. Bland’s analogy of buildling our home with only 2×4’s and how its the equivalent of building our health with attention to only certain areas of nutrition, as well as his poignant comment about death insurance vs *true* life insurance…..love it! Thanks again for bringing this wonderful guest to your listeners!

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