Ep86. Brain Defenders: How to Protect Your Brain, Shape Your Future & Live with Greater Awareness - A Conversation with Dr David Perlmutter
Welcome to the Ask Sadhviji podcast! In this special episode, Sadhviji sits down with renowned neurologist and bestselling author Dr. David Perlmutter to explore the science of brain health and the powerful role we each play in protecting our brains. Dr. Perlmutter joins Sadhviji to discuss his new book, Brain Defenders, and why the greatest threat to our brain health may not be something outside of us, but the choices we make every day. Together, they explore the connection between metabolism, inflammation and the brain's immune system, including the role of microglial cells and how factors such as diet, blood sugar, exercise, sleep, stress and our environment can influence brain health. They also look at why protecting the brain isn't simply about preventing cognitive decline—it is about preserving our ability to think, remember, connect, meditate, create and fully experience our lives. The conversation also opens a beautiful bridge between modern neuroscience and ancient spiritual wisdom. Sadhviji and Dr. Perlmutter discuss how our responses to stress affect the brain, how meditation and yoga can help change those responses, and how the choices we make today can quite literally help shape our future. Tune in to hear them discuss: What are the brain's microglial cells, and why are they so important to brain health? How do blood sugar, metabolism and inflammation affect the brain? Why does protecting brain health need to begin decades before cognitive decline appears? What role do diet, exercise, sleep and stress management play in defending the brain? How does chronic stress affect the brain, and why does our response to stress matter? Can meditation, yoga and spiritual practice help protect the brain? Are our genes our destiny, or are we able to influence the future of our brain? What can neuroscience teach us about karma, free will and the choices we make today? This is a powerful conversation about agency: the understanding that while we may have predispositions we cannot control, we also have an extraordinary capacity to influence the health of our brain through how we live, think, eat, move and respond to the world around us. 📖 Dr. David Perlmutter's new book, Brain Defenders, is available at BrainDefenders.com. Join Sadhviji and Dr. Perlmutter for a fascinating conversation at the intersection of neuroscience, lifestyle and spirituality—and a reminder that we can each become the architect of our brain's destiny. If you would like to ask a question, please get in touch via social media (links below). Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadhviji https://www.instagram.com/sadhviji.hindi https://www.instagram.com/sadhviji_en_espanol YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Sadhviji IG Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sadhviji X: https://x.com/SadhviBhagawati Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SadhviBhagawatiSaraswati/ LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/sadhvi-bhagawati-saraswati-75822283 Bio: Sadhviji has devoted her life to guiding individuals in liberating themselves from self-limiting beliefs and...