The Urban Monk podcast with Dr. Pedram Shojai (general)

Humans are weird. Let's start there. Now, why? Why do we have weird dreams? Why do we see stuff that might not actually be there? What's the line between just mumbling to yourself and actual schizophrenia or multiple personalities? Eliezer Sternberg, author of NeuroLogic and resident neurologist at Yale–New Haven Hospital, explains the weird things the human brain can do. How can sleep paralysis lead people to believe they're being abducted by aliens or seeing a water ghost? Why does the brain fill in its own logic for us even if we know what we're seeing is illogical?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk082EliezerSternberg.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Today on The Urban Monk, Pedram Shojai speaks to an elder from his Taoist tradition, Thomas McCombs. He is a doctor of osteopathic medicine and has also been a professor at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He's been studying Taoist principles since the 1970s and resonated with the energy circles the principles can create. What does the Taoist tradition have to say about energy? How does this differ from traditional Western perspectives? How difficult is it for the average Westerner, the average person in the United States to understand and train to better utilize the energy available to them?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk081ThomasMcCombs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

You might have heard of Feng Shui. You might have even used it in casual conversation. But do you really know what feng shui is? At its most basic level, feng shui is the practice of harmonizing a person with their surrounding environments. Great, but what does that mean on a practical level? To help explain the practice of feng shui and how it can be applied to a western lifestyle, Denise Liotta-Dennis joins The Urban Monk. She is one of less than 100 genuine feng shui masters in the United States. She has studied with four feng shui masters from China, Malaysia, and Australia. What does everyone think feng shui is? What are major concerns to have in trying to master the environment of your home? And how exactly did a woman from Texas become a feng shui master?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk080DeniseLiottaDennis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

How can we be good people? What determines that? One indicator many people look at is the ability to empathize with others. The ability to look at the pain and suffering of others and enact change is looked upon as a great moral compass for humanity. But what if our ability to empathize is actually hindering society on a grand scale? Today on The Urban Monk, Paul Bloom, Yale researcher and author of "Against Empathy," argues that empathy is one of the leading motivators of inequality and immorality in society. How can empathy muddle our judgement? How does it actually create more prejudices that people might not notice upon first glance? How can we live a progressive life of compassion for others?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk079PaulBloom.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Does Capitalism fuel greed? In the United States, is the middle class shrinking? Are the rich getting richer and are the poor getting poorer? To help break through media taglines and tweetable snippets, Neil Gilbert, author of "Never Enough: Capitalism and the Progressive Spirit" and professor of Social Welfare at Berkeley Social Welfare, comes to The Urban Monk to help explain the current economic landscape. Is capitalism to blame for the current poverty levels throughout the world? What causes such inequality? Is grand inequality unavoidable? Does social welfare spending and universal benefits help or hinder those of less economic means? How do we all measure our own economic success? How can we make sure we see ourselves as successful?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk078NeilGilbert.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

When it comes to the news and the health risks inherent with apparently just living every day life, how do we know what to worry about? Do mobile phones cause brain cancer? Does BPA cause cancer? Is the HPV vaccine safe? There is conflicting information on the safety or lack thereof on nearly everything. To help cut through the false science reports, Geoffrey C. Kabat joins the program today. How can we distinguish real science from poorly reported and misinterpreted stories? What risks are worth worrying about and what should we let go?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk077GeoffreyKabat.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Many of us do everything we can to maintain a healthy life but sometimes there's a lot to worry about. From diet to exercise to sleep, the battles are ongoing. What do we prioritize first? Well, for Dr. Daniel Amen and his wife Tana Amen, they think you should focus first what's between your ears. Your brain is the control center of your body and when that's not working nothing is in control. How can we win the battles that constantly barrage against our brains? How can we be present and aware on a daily basis against the various fights we might face?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk076DanielAndTanaAmen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Well.org!

Is becoming a genius born or bred? For Michael J. Gelb, it's made. To him, everyone can become a genius like Leonardo da Vinci. How can people spark their own curiosity, creativity, and desire for learning like one of the great Renaissance masters. For us regular-folk in the 21st century, is it possible for us to think like a great Renaissance master? How can a change in thinking lead us to be better problem solvers or more creative thinkers or more expressive people? How can thinking like Leonardo da Vinci allow us to just better enjoy the world around us?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk075MichaelGelb.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT

Some of you might live with terribly chronic pain. It's impossible to ignore a life with such pain, but have you ever wondered where it even comes from? What is causing the pain and is it possible to stop it before it even begins? Today Miranda Esmonde-White joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk to discuss how muscle imbalances can cause connective tissue problems which can create some awful pain for people. What is causing muscle imbalances? Is it something people actively do or is it from habits or perhaps injuries? What alterations can we make in our lives to truly live forever painless?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Subscribe to the Health Bridge Podcast on iTunes: http://well.org/healthbridgepodcast

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk074MirandaEsmondeWhite.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21am MDT

We all have different genetic make-up that makes us all unique but many of us think we're stuck with the genes we have and that's it. But Dr. Jennifer Stagg wants to let us know that that is not the case. She is a physician who has been studying a different approach to disease prevention. How does our environment affect how our genes are expressed? How do we even know what genes we have? What sort of steps can we take once we know what genes we have and what may or may not be activated? Can we really radically transform our health by focusing on the environment around us?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://well.org/subscribe

Subscribe to The Urban Monk Podcast on iTunes: http://theurbanmonk.com/

Connect with us:
http://well.org/
Facebook - http://well.org/facebook
Twitter - http://well.org/twitter
Pinterest - http://well.org/pinterest
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/wellchannel

Direct download: UrbanMonk073JenniferStaggs.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00am MDT