- 19 minutes ago
The gut and brain constantly communicate, influencing mood, digestion and emotional responses. At the India Today HealthWealth Summit 2026, experts explained how stress, food and lifestyle habits affect this connection.
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00:00So in the last session, we've spoken all about health and fitness.
00:04It's time to talk about gut.
00:06And it's time to talk about the gut-brain access that we have.
00:11When you're in a rut, look to the gut.
00:15When you're in a rut, look to the gut.
00:17That's a good mantra to start this conversation.
00:21You know what Dr. Chopra does and what RASIK do is a very interesting bit.
00:25We are in a time where there is a health version of things and then there is a wellness version
00:32of things.
00:33Very rarely do you come across conversations where the two actually talk about the connect between each other.
00:40Like the connect between your gut and your brain.
00:43The connection between how you're feeling, how stressed out you're feeling and the reaction it has on your gut and
00:50vice versa.
00:50So I'm so glad that this is a very wholesome conversation where Dr. Chopra, who looks at everything on the
00:57clinical side, on the medical side of the gut.
01:00And then we have RASIK, who's not just his son, but somebody who is healing, but in a very different
01:07form altogether.
01:09Dr. Chopra, I'll start with you.
01:10For our audience, just explain to us firstly, what exactly is this gut-brain access?
01:17So we have a central nervous system, which is the brain and the spinal cord.
01:21And then we have something called the autonomic nervous system, which as the name suggests, functions on its own.
01:27This has three components.
01:28The sympathetic nervous system, which is the flight-of-flight.
01:30The parasympathetic nervous system, which is the rest and digest.
01:33And then the hero, which is the enteric nervous system, which is the gut-brain.
01:38Now, embryologically, when we are children, when we are born, the brain and the gut nerves develop from the same
01:46tissue.
01:46So they are essentially the same thing.
01:48And as we grow up, they differentiate into brain and they differentiate into the enteric nervous system.
01:54Now, there is a dual highway between the gut and the brain.
01:58And this dual highway is mediated through a nerve, which is called the vagus nerve.
02:02So the gut sends messages to the brain and the brain sends messages to the gut.
02:07Now, electrophysiological studies have shown that 80% of these messages go from the gut.
02:12And only 20% of the messages come from the brain.
02:15Now, even though the brain is managing so many things, it waits for information from the gut,
02:21who scans the environment, scans what is happening inside, sends the message to the brain,
02:25and the brain then signals the body what to do.
02:29Now, this enteric nervous system, which is called the gut-brain, is extensive.
02:33It's lying from the mouth to your anus.
02:36It is communicating with your lumen in the cavity in the intestine,
02:41communicates with the hormones, with the immune cells, with all these cells.
02:45And it's so extensive that there are about 100,000 nerves in the enteric nervous system, in the gut-brain.
02:53And they have a higher number of nerves in the gut than they have in the spinal cord.
02:57And if you take out all the nerves from the gut, they are heavier than the brain.
03:01So this little organ, which produces these brown bumps and these smells and sounds,
03:07is obviously meant to do something more than just transport and absorb.
03:11So why the hell should we have such an extensive nervous system
03:15if the gut was not supposed to do something else?
03:17We now know clearly that the gut brain, the gut nerves are connected to those centers of the brain,
03:25which mediate our mood, our motivation, our morality, fear, our self-awareness,
03:31you know, all sorts of things that are connected.
03:34Now, who actually does this?
03:35If the gut is sending signals to the brain, then who is sending the signal?
03:39It is the microbiome.
03:41And I assume that you know what the microbiome is.
03:43These are helpful bacterias that live in our gut, that actually digest our food,
03:49they make vitamins, they make nutrients, they destroy toxins.
03:54So 90% of what we eat is going to these bacteria.
03:58It's the only 10% which goes into our body.
04:00So if we didn't have these bacteria, we would not be here.
04:03We are actually more bacteria than human.
04:05Yeah.
04:05Really.
04:06Yeah.
04:06So, you know, and we say things like, I had to swallow my disappointment.
04:12This experience left a bad taste in the mouth.
04:14When I fall in love, I have butterflies in my stomach.
04:17So these are not just metaphorical things.
04:20These are real things.
04:21I mean, our gut is actually sending these intuition signals to our brain,
04:27which are transmitted electrically.
04:29And this is a very powerful, deep knowing.
04:32You see, whenever we have a thought, we have these electrical sparks which go on inside our brain, right?
04:38So the brain is the hard wire of our thoughts.
04:40And whenever we have a gut feeling or intuition feeling,
04:43we have these electrical signals going on in the gut.
04:45So your brain in your skull is the hardware for your intellectual,
04:52whereas the brain in the gut is what is your emotional and spiritual GPS.
04:59Without it, we would be lost.
05:01Now, if the gut is unhealthy, it makes certain toxic substances which make their way up to the brain,
05:07and they completely disrupt things like pain signals, and they cause anxiety,
05:12they cause stress, they cause depression, they cause chronic fatigue syndrome,
05:15and a host of other diseases.
05:16And when we are stressed from here, the hypothalamus pituitary axis secrees cortisone, epinephrine, and adrenaline,
05:24and they go down and disrupt the gut microbiome.
05:27So this is what happens.
05:29The head screws up the gut, and the gut screws up the head.
05:32Now, who know which came first?
05:33The egg or the murgi or the anda?
05:35So when they say that you are what you eat, they literally mean that.
05:40Yes.
05:40And what beautifully Dr. Chopra has explained is this,
05:43that what you eat and how your gut is feeling that day will have an impact on your immunity.
05:47You are actually, you are what you absorb.
05:50You are what you absorb, even better.
05:52But, Rasik, the other way around is also true.
05:55You could be eating really healthy, you could have a really healthy microbiome,
05:59but if you are too stressed, your gut will get to know.
06:03Tell us, how does that work?
06:06I think that it's what, first of all, thank you for having us here.
06:12Thank you all for having us here.
06:14Thanks to Kali, thanks to you.
06:16And it's really cool for me to be here,
06:18because I've never actually been on stage with him.
06:20I've probably spent more than a thousand hours on stage in my life,
06:24but this is the first time I've had the pleasure of being on stage with him,
06:27which is really cool, Dad.
06:28We should do this more often.
06:29Okay.
06:31To echo what he said, you are what you absorb.
06:35We don't, we think we're experiencing life.
06:38You go out, it might be raining, it might be shining.
06:40You think you're experiencing what's happening around you.
06:43But the reality is, what you experience is the life that you see, right?
06:49Two people can walk out into the same weather and experience two different things.
06:52One person can say, ayya, it's so hot.
06:54And one person can say, oh, it's sunny, it's amazing, right?
06:58So you don't experience life.
06:59You experience the life you focus on, right?
07:01So whatever it is you decide you're going to experience,
07:05that's your internal experience.
07:06Because if you think about the definition of stress,
07:09it's an external force that creates an internal force.
07:12So whatever the external force is, it's how we absorb it.
07:15Now, it's like he said, how you absorb it in your stomach is one thing,
07:18but how you absorb it in your mind is a completely different thing.
07:21And it all comes down to one thing.
07:24What is it that you're going to focus on?
07:26Am I going to focus on what's good about this?
07:28Am I going to focus on what's bad about this?
07:30Am I going to focus on what I'm losing out on?
07:32Or am I going to focus on what I can do with this?
07:34Am I going to focus on what I have?
07:36Or am I going to focus on what I don't have?
07:38So every moment your life is being decided simply by one thing.
07:42What are you going to focus on, right?
07:43If you decide to focus on something that is empowering to you
07:46and serves your needs and moves you towards the life you want,
07:49you'll have a certain life.
07:50If you decide to focus on what's missing, what's lacking,
07:53what you don't have,
07:54it's going to be a completely different experience.
07:57Great thought.
07:58How do you do it?
08:00You know, I must say one thing.
08:02How do you ensure you focus on the right thing?
08:04Who come to me with gut problems
08:05and I send them to Rasik for life coaching,
08:08they come back much more healed, you know.
08:10And I thought, should I take the credit for it or he should?
08:14In fact, there's a very funny story.
08:15There were two patients of mine, both friends.
08:17One of them I had sent to Rasik for treatment.
08:20And the other girl said that,
08:21who are you seeing?
08:22She said, forget the dad, go to the son.
08:27So, it's a funny story.
08:28In answer to your question, how do you do it?
08:30It's like anything else.
08:32Practice.
08:33Right?
08:34You're not born with anything.
08:36Right?
08:36Everything that you have today,
08:38whatever you believe, your outlook in life,
08:40is something that has come with practice.
08:42Some of it was unwitting practice.
08:44Perhaps it's what you saw around you,
08:46what your teachers told you,
08:47what you saw your parents do.
08:48Perhaps you saw that and said,
08:50I'll never be like that.
08:51Or you saw that and said,
08:52I want to be exactly like that.
08:53And a lot of those decisions
08:55get made subconsciously, right?
08:56But whatever it is you practice,
08:58that is what you become.
09:00It's true in the gym.
09:01Like, Milind came here and did 50 push-ups.
09:02He wasn't born being able to do 50 push-ups.
09:04He practiced being able to do 50 push-ups.
09:06Right?
09:07We make these decisions.
09:09We make micro decisions in every second.
09:10In fact, when you experience something,
09:13which could lead to disappointment,
09:15if the conversation in your head is,
09:17Iya, life is so tough.
09:18Why does this always happen to me?
09:20I can't believe this is happening again.
09:22You're practicing suffering.
09:24Right?
09:25See, pain is inevitable in life.
09:26We're all going to experience pain.
09:27But suffering is always an option.
09:29Right?
09:30When something negative happens,
09:31if you take that and say,
09:32take care, this happened.
09:33What can I do?
09:34You know what?
09:35There's all these wonderful things in my life
09:36I can focus on.
09:37Right now, if I drop this mic,
09:39if I forget what I wanted to say,
09:40anything can happen.
09:41I can say, well, that sucks.
09:42But I can focus on the fact
09:44that I'm on this amazing stage
09:45with lovely people
09:45and I can pick the mic back up
09:47and go on.
09:48Right?
09:48Right.
09:48So, whatever you practice
09:50becomes your life.
09:51The more you practice suffering,
09:53the better you get at it.
09:55The more you practice being optimistic,
09:57the better you get at that.
09:58That's beautiful.
09:59And before I come back to the gut on this one,
10:01I have an interesting question for you.
10:03These days, we hear a lot about trauma
10:06and trauma that comes from childhood.
10:09It's a great question
10:10with your dad sitting right here
10:11to tell me...
10:13It's all his fault.
10:14...to tell me
10:16how much of a role
10:17does childhood upbringing,
10:20experiences,
10:22play in who we become,
10:24how we think,
10:25and what that internal voice
10:27is always telling us.
10:29Well, I think that most psychologists,
10:32psychiatrists, scientists
10:33will tell you that
10:34what we experience in our childhood
10:35is an integral part
10:37of the experience
10:38that we carry forward
10:39with us into our adult life.
10:40But like with life today,
10:42the meaning that we assign to that
10:44is always up to us.
10:45I can look back
10:46at my experiences
10:47with my father.
10:48I've had some incredible experiences
10:49and I've had some
10:50disappointing experiences.
10:51And every child
10:52will say that, right?
10:53No parent is perfect
10:54no matter how hard
10:55they might try to be perfect.
10:56So, he did some amazing things
10:58and he did some
10:59really stupid things.
11:00I've done some amazing things
11:01and some really stupid things
11:02with my kid too, right?
11:03I can look at the stupid things
11:05and say,
11:06because of that,
11:07I have lack in my life today.
11:09Or I can say,
11:10because of that,
11:11I have learned
11:12how to deal with those things
11:13and today I'm even stronger.
11:15Right?
11:15That's my choice.
11:17And every day
11:18that I live in suffering,
11:19every day I look to the past
11:20and I say,
11:21because of this,
11:22I'm weak today.
11:23That's a choice
11:23that I'm making.
11:24Every day I look to the past
11:25and say,
11:26because of this,
11:27I can learn
11:27how to be stronger.
11:29That's a choice
11:29I'm making too.
11:30Because self-esteem
11:32doesn't just come
11:33because your parents
11:34are good to you.
11:35Self-esteem comes
11:36from doing hard things.
11:38If you don't do hard things,
11:39you have no self-esteem.
11:40Right?
11:41So, whatever it is
11:42you carry from your childhood,
11:43if you do the hard thing
11:44of looking at that
11:45and saying,
11:46I can be more than this,
11:47you get self-esteem.
11:49Right?
11:49So,
11:50I don't think
11:51it's easy
11:52to blame our parents.
11:53It's also
11:55important to remember
11:56that if you're blaming them,
11:57then we must blame them fully.
11:58We must blame them
11:59for all the good stuff
12:00they did
12:00and the stuff they did
12:02that was not so good.
12:03Right?
12:03We can blame our parents
12:04for making us
12:05what we did.
12:06Yeah.
12:06And the good stuff
12:07they did
12:08gives us the ability
12:09to deal with the stuff
12:11that was not so good.
12:12Right?
12:13But you can tell us.
12:13Was he a strict dad?
12:14The sense has shown
12:15that between the ages
12:16of two and six,
12:17whatever we experience,
12:18whatever we go through
12:19is who we become.
12:21Because that is the time
12:22when we are receiving
12:23but not responding.
12:24So, that's what is called
12:25the theta realm,
12:26the theta rhythm.
12:27And that is why
12:27this thing called
12:28theta healing came up.
12:30Because we are
12:31what we are,
12:31what we were,
12:32what was done to us,
12:33what was not done to us,
12:34what was said to us,
12:35what was not said to us,
12:36between the ages of two and six
12:38is who we become.
12:39Baaki,
12:40it's up to,
12:41you know,
12:41to change whatever Rasik said.
12:43Yeah.
12:43Well, the fundamental,
12:43I'm so sorry.
12:44No, no, please go ahead.
12:45The fundamental premise
12:47of human life
12:48is that unlike
12:49most other animals
12:49who are born
12:50and two minutes later
12:51they can go out and hunt,
12:52right?
12:53Yeah.
12:53Humans are born helpless.
12:54And for the first
12:5610, 15 years of our life,
12:57all we are trying to do
12:58is find a way
13:00to find the resources
13:02within us
13:03to survive,
13:04to thrive.
13:0415 years?
13:05Yeah.
13:05Right?
13:06Because, I mean,
13:07look at our modern society today.
13:09You are not earning
13:10until you are in your 20s.
13:12Perhaps if you are
13:13less privileged,
13:14you might,
13:14but let's at least say
13:15for the first 10 years
13:16of your life,
13:17you are completely dependent
13:18on your parents.
13:19Which means you have
13:20to do two things.
13:21One,
13:22you have to find ways
13:23for your parents
13:24to love you.
13:27because if you cannot
13:28be lovable to your parents,
13:29in your mind,
13:31there is an actual threat
13:32that you will die.
13:33Right?
13:34So, you are
13:35completely dependent
13:36on the love and approval
13:37of your parents
13:38and that's what people
13:39often look back to
13:40and say,
13:41my parents didn't give me
13:42the love and approval
13:42that I wanted,
13:44therefore today
13:44I'm not able to deal
13:45with life in the way
13:46I want.
13:46The reality is that
13:48our brain
13:49is still a reptilian,
13:50mammalian brain.
13:51Right?
13:51It's 2 million years old
13:53as far as the software
13:54is concerned.
13:56We knew
13:56from back in the cave days
13:58that if we were not
13:59accepted into the group,
14:01we would literally die.
14:02You could not survive alone.
14:03So, we are wired
14:04to be accepted by the group.
14:06We are wired to please
14:08and be accepted.
14:09And if we cannot please,
14:11we think that we might die.
14:12That's why people
14:12want to be on Facebook.
14:13That's why they want
14:14to be on social media.
14:15That's why they want likes.
14:16That's why they want
14:16the approval
14:17of everyone around them.
14:19So, without that approval,
14:20we feel like we'll die.
14:22The growth comes
14:23in understanding
14:24that actually
14:25the greatest way
14:26to get approval
14:27is not to seek it
14:28but to give it.
14:29And the moment
14:30we make that shift
14:31in our own head
14:32saying that,
14:32you know what,
14:32it's not that I need it,
14:34it's that I'm here
14:35to provide it.
14:36I'm here to make
14:37the people around me
14:38feel loved.
14:39That's when you expand
14:40internally.
14:41And that's when you're able
14:42to live a full life.
14:42That is indeed insightful.
14:43May I say something?
14:44Yeah, yeah.
14:44Once there was a time
14:45when Raseh was saying,
14:46should I have a child
14:47or should I not have a child?
14:48Why should I have a child?
14:49I said you will never know
14:51the meaning
14:52of unconditional love
14:53unless you have a kid.
14:54Yeah.
14:54So, that's actually true.
14:56Yeah, but let me switch
14:57back on the axis
14:58and go back to the gut
14:59since we spoke so much
15:00about the brain there.
15:01I'm loving this duo.
15:02Is it true that emotional eating
15:05feeds more emotional eating?
15:07Sorry?
15:08Emotional eating,
15:09do you think that feeds
15:10more emotional eating?
15:11And when we say
15:12that the gut is imbalanced,
15:15what exactly does that mean?
15:17We are, as a society,
15:18focusing so much
15:19in the right combination
15:21of fiber and protein
15:22and gut biome
15:23and prebiotics
15:24and probiotics.
15:25If you take that combination,
15:27can you uncomplicate that for us
15:29to say what exactly
15:30is a balanced gut?
15:31that 90% of certain hormones
15:34like serotonin,
15:35which is a happy hormone,
15:37is made in the gut.
15:38People didn't know that.
15:39You know, the dopamine,
15:40which is a reward hormone,
15:41is made in the gut.
15:43GABA, which is a calming down hormone,
15:45is made in the gut.
15:46Yeah?
15:46And oxytorin,
15:48which is the hugging hormone,
15:49is all made in the gut.
15:50Now, our brain has receptors
15:52to receive these hormones, right?
15:54Now, if my gut is corrupt,
15:57that means it's dysbiotic.
15:58Dysbiosis means
15:59if I have overgrowth
16:00of bad bugs
16:01as compared to the good bugs,
16:02then it releases
16:04a substance called LPS,
16:07liposaccharides,
16:08which go and contaminate
16:10the receptors in the brain.
16:12So the dopamine
16:13cannot enter the brain.
16:14So the brain now wants
16:16more things to do.
16:18So addictive behavior,
16:19sexual behavior,
16:20gambling,
16:21all sorts of things come in
16:22because they are looking
16:23for that dopamine,
16:23which is there,
16:24but not entering
16:25because the gut
16:26has disrupted those mechanisms.
16:28Now, why does the gut
16:29get disrupted?
16:30You know,
16:30the commonest reason
16:31is antibiotics,
16:33painkillers,
16:35all these fertilizers
16:37and, you know,
16:37herbicides
16:38that we eat in our gut.
16:39All those things
16:40destroy the good bacteria.
16:43So the bad bacteria,
16:44which are opportunistic,
16:46on their own,
16:46they can't do anything,
16:47but they can read
16:48the stress signal.
16:49If my mind is stressed,
16:50I will release
16:51adrenaline into my gut,
16:53the opportunistic bacteria
16:54will say,
16:55hey, this is my turn
16:56to shine now
16:56and they will take over
16:57and they will start
16:58craving for sugar.
16:59They will start craving
17:00for, you know,
17:01high-calorie,
17:02non-nutritious stuff.
17:03That sort of a thing.
17:05Right.
17:05So is there a formula
17:07for...
17:08So tell me,
17:09Dr. Chopra,
17:10I've had a bad day
17:10at work.
17:11Okay?
17:11Let me rephrase that.
17:13I've had a bad day
17:14at work.
17:14I'm in mood
17:15to open a tub
17:16of ice cream
17:16and just deep dive
17:17into it.
17:18Okay?
17:19What is it
17:20that I'm doing
17:21to my gut
17:21in that emotional state?
17:24You're falling
17:24into the trap.
17:25You're falling
17:26into the trap
17:26of taking excessive calories
17:28which contains
17:29very little nutrition.
17:31So your body
17:32has not got the nutrition
17:33so you will,
17:34after some time,
17:35want to eat
17:35a little bit more.
17:36And that cycle
17:37goes on and on and on.
17:38What should I be eating
17:39instead then?
17:41You can have...
17:43You can have
17:44like a
17:44nibbu pani
17:45or dab ka pani
17:46or something like that.
17:48Okay.
17:48And the same question
17:49to you,
17:49Dinrasik.
17:50I've had a bad day
17:51at work.
17:51I'm craving.
17:52I have that picture
17:53of this Belgium
17:54chocolate ice cream
17:56in my head.
17:57I want to open
17:57the dab and die
17:58because that's the only
17:59thing that will make
18:00me happy today.
18:01What can I tell myself
18:02then to stop that
18:04and perhaps switch
18:06my mind like you say
18:06make the right choice?
18:09So,
18:10I think the word
18:11right is a bit
18:12of a tricky word
18:13because right
18:15as soon as
18:15you have moral
18:16overtones
18:16to anything
18:17that you do
18:17it becomes
18:18very heavy.
18:19Right?
18:20I think
18:21if you want
18:22to have
18:22ice cream
18:23you should have
18:24ice cream.
18:25You should have
18:26a whole tub of it.
18:27You should have
18:27five tubs of it.
18:28You should have
18:28ten tubs of it.
18:29Will the doctor
18:30agree to that?
18:31Well,
18:31here's the thing.
18:33You,
18:33if you come home
18:35and you feel like
18:36it's going to give you
18:37joy,
18:38I think that's fine.
18:39If you come home
18:40and start doing it
18:41every day
18:41and it starts having
18:42an effect on your health
18:43then that's something
18:44that you have to
18:45think about
18:45separately.
18:47You have to decide,
18:48see,
18:48we try and
18:50micromanage our habits
18:51but that rarely works
18:52because eventually
18:53what sustains you
18:55is who you've decided
18:57you want to be
18:57as a person.
18:58Right?
18:59If you want to be
19:00a person
19:01who is a healthy person
19:02that's a decision
19:04that you have to make
19:04at this level.
19:06If I am a healthy person
19:07then what are the things
19:08I'm going to do?
19:09A healthy person
19:10is going to behave
19:11in a certain way,
19:11is going to exercise
19:12in a certain way,
19:13is going to eat
19:13certain foods.
19:15That is a decision
19:16that you have to pre-make
19:17because if you try
19:18and negotiate
19:19with every tub of ice cream
19:20that comes your way
19:21that's a lot of work
19:22and it takes a lot
19:23of willpower
19:23and willpower
19:24is a finite resource.
19:26Right?
19:26Eventually you'll run out of it.
19:27One day you won't eat
19:28the ice cream,
19:29the second day
19:29you won't eat the ice cream,
19:30the third day,
19:30the fourth day,
19:31the fifth day,
19:31sixth day you'll finally say
19:32F it, I want a tub of ice cream.
19:34Right?
19:35It's only when you decide
19:36at a very meta level
19:37what kind of person you are
19:39and what you're going to do
19:40when these circumstances occur
19:42that you can actually
19:43negotiate it with it
19:44in that moment.
19:45Right?
19:45It's like you already know
19:46that if someone comes over here
19:48and says something unkind to you
19:49you're not going to get up
19:50and beat them over the head.
19:52Right?
19:52Would you agree?
19:53Let's say someone
19:54from the audience
19:54got up and came here
19:55and said something unkind
19:56to you saying
19:56I don't like the show
19:57you're doing.
19:58Are you going to go
19:58and punch them in the face?
20:00Of course not.
20:00Of course not.
20:01Right?
20:01That's a decision
20:02you've already made
20:03and no matter what they say
20:04you're not going to do it
20:05because you have decided
20:06what kind of person you are.
20:08I'm not the kind of person
20:09who punches people in the face
20:11because they say unkind things.
20:12So when you make a decision
20:14in your heart
20:15about the kind of person you are
20:16I am the kind of person
20:18who eats ice cream
20:19once in a while.
20:20F it.
20:20Right?
20:20Or I'm the kind of person
20:22who never eats ice cream
20:23or I'm the kind of person
20:24who eats ice cream
20:25when I'm on holiday.
20:26You can decide up front
20:28who you want to be
20:29and then you never have to negotiate
20:30with that tub of ice cream.
20:32Does that make sense?
20:32You can do an 80-20 thing.
20:34Yeah.
20:3480% behave yourself
20:3520% have fun.
20:36Ah.
20:37That's a good formula.
20:38That's a good formula.
20:39In fact the blue zones
20:40people have this thing
20:41called hara hachi boo.
20:42That means eat
20:43until you're 80% full.
20:44So the 80-20 rule works
20:47Yes.
20:50Yeah.
20:51Yeah.
20:51Let me pivot a little bit
20:52to bring in another aspect
20:54of what Dr. Chopra
20:55you do so brilliantly.
20:58Unlike a lot of doctors
20:59I've seen of age
21:00you have embraced
21:01alternate therapies as well.
21:03You talk about
21:03the gut brain access
21:04that's one part of it.
21:05You talk about fitness.
21:06Yes.
21:06But talk to me
21:07a little bit about
21:08what role
21:09has alternate medicine
21:11played
21:13also
21:13how is it evolving
21:14in these times
21:15because we find
21:16so much of wisdom
21:17in what has
21:18not
21:19been proven
21:21but
21:21seems to show
21:23promising results.
21:24No it's not that.
21:25See
21:25earlier when
21:26modern medicine
21:27was not there
21:28we were practicing
21:29what we now call
21:30alternative medicine.
21:31alternative medicine
21:32is not
21:33it's a lifestyle
21:34that you choose
21:35you know
21:35it's more a lifestyle
21:36how we eat
21:38how we sleep
21:39what sort of
21:39precautions we take
21:40or what sort of
21:41exercises we do
21:42what sort of food
21:43we eat
21:43so that was where
21:44the basis of these
21:45things came up.
21:46Ayurveda for example
21:47is a complete science
21:48you know
21:49homeopathy also
21:50I believe in homeopathy
21:51and I prescribe it also
21:52and I send people
21:53over there
21:54so I mean
21:55there are just
21:56different aspects
21:56of healing the body
21:57it's not just
21:58a simple mechanical tool
21:59it's mixed up
22:00of so many things
22:01so I wouldn't like
22:03to call it
22:03alternative medicine
22:05that's just another
22:06way of healing.
22:07Another way of healing
22:08I don't always
22:09come across
22:10an allopathic doctor
22:11who will say that
22:12about homeopathy
22:13so this is refreshing.
22:14people are now
22:14turning and understanding
22:16that this is something
22:17that works
22:17yeah
22:18absolutely
22:19you've had experiences?
22:21You know
22:22growing up
22:23it was quite incredible
22:24I had allergies
22:26growing up
22:26and it was
22:27I didn't appreciate
22:29at the time
22:29but he tried
22:31to put me
22:31through the allopathic
22:33forms of treatment
22:34they didn't work
22:35and then he tried
22:36everything on me
22:37I was one of his
22:37early guinea pigs
22:38right
22:39bark flower remedies
22:41homeopathy
22:42what did you say
22:42bark flower
22:43bark
22:44B-A-C-H
22:45B-A-C-H
22:46you take extracts
22:47I don't know
22:48what he was doing
22:49these are petals
22:50of certain flowers
22:51which are extracted
22:52through
22:52sunlight
22:53and then you have
22:55a flower remedy
22:56for every mood
22:57and every personality
22:58so where do you get
22:59these flowers from?
23:00they're available
23:01I have one every night
23:02if I can't sleep
23:03I just squirt
23:03some rescue remedy
23:05in my mouth
23:07and I think there was
23:08a treatment where you
23:08travel somewhere
23:09down south
23:09and swallow
23:10a whole fish
23:11while it's still alive
23:12and that cures
23:13you of asthma
23:13hold on
23:15hold on
23:15one second
23:16dial back
23:16dial back
23:17that is just
23:17swallow a live fish
23:20I think
23:21I think my grandmother
23:22was sent for that
23:23that is faith
23:24earlier we used to say
23:25seeing is believing
23:26but now I say
23:27believing is seeing
23:28if you believe in something
23:29you will see it
23:30that is true
23:31so what I appreciated
23:33was that he was willing
23:35it's very easy to let your ego
23:37get in the way
23:38I'm an allopathic doctor
23:39and so allopathic medicine
23:40is the only way
23:41I didn't appreciate it
23:42at the time
23:42but as I've grown up
23:44I really appreciate
23:44that he was able
23:45to take a step back
23:46and say
23:46this is not about
23:47the medicine
23:48that I've spent
23:48the last decade
23:49of my life learning
23:50this is about
23:51serving the patient
23:52and it's something
23:53I've brought into
23:53my practice today
23:54and I learned it
23:54from him
23:55which is
23:55it's not about me
23:56it's about
23:57the person
23:58who needs the help
23:59and I think
23:59if whatever gets you there
24:01and sometimes
24:02it is literally
24:02belief that will get you there
24:04that's all that matters
24:05all that matters
24:06is the person
24:06who's come to you
24:07for help
24:07for healing
24:08whatever it is
24:08they're looking for
24:09they're able to find that
24:10and usually
24:11they find it
24:12within themselves
24:12like he said
24:13it's all that bacteria
24:15that live in you
24:15that's actually doing
24:16most of the work
24:17the immune system
24:18in the body
24:19is actually incredibly
24:20you'll know more about it
24:21than I do
24:21is incredibly powerful
24:23and frequently
24:23the medications we give
24:24is just a way
24:25to help support
24:26that immune system
24:27and allow it to do
24:28what it already does
24:28so well
24:29when we experience
24:31feelings of trauma
24:32of anxiety
24:33of stress
24:34what we're often doing
24:35is just suppressing
24:36our immune system
24:36and when we release
24:38those feelings
24:38or we replace them
24:39with something more
24:40creative and beautiful
24:41and powerful
24:41sometimes all we're doing
24:43is allowing the immune system
24:44to again
24:45and just do what it does
24:46a lot of medicine
24:46is anti-like
24:47antibiotic
24:48anti-histamine
24:49anti-energy
24:50so it's anti-life
24:53so I'm not against medicine
24:55I'm for you know
24:57proper philosophy
24:58psychology
25:00but since you are talking
25:01about lots of things
25:03like that
25:03the internet has also
25:05got its own version
25:06so I'm going to throw
25:07a couple of things at you
25:09that the internet
25:09is filled with
25:10for a healthy gut
25:11and also a healthy mind
25:13so you can tell me
25:14either to take it
25:15or trash it
25:16I'll come to both of you
25:17with it
25:17so are you ready for that
25:18okay
25:20for gut
25:21something which is
25:22very popular
25:23is prebiotic capsules
25:25take it
25:26or trash it
25:28see
25:29we must say
25:30that this is
25:30an interventional approach
25:32you know
25:33all these things
25:34that come in
25:35you know
25:35either are going to
25:36enhance
25:36a particular system
25:38or lower it down
25:39or enhance
25:40a particular pathway
25:41or lower it down
25:42or enhance
25:42a particular molecule
25:43or lower it down
25:44so it's not one
25:45we have hundreds
25:46and thousands of pathways
25:47hundreds and thousands
25:48of molecules
25:49hundreds and thousands
25:50of genes
25:51and bacteria
25:51and other things
25:52like that
25:52it's very complex
25:53so by doing these things
25:55we are doing
25:56an interventional therapy
25:57we should be
25:58doing an influential therapy
26:00we should influence
26:01the gut
26:01to behave
26:03and these are
26:04collective things
26:05that we do
26:05which are mostly
26:06lifestyle changes
26:07concerning our diet
26:08our exercise
26:09our sleep
26:09our thoughts
26:10and all those things
26:11so that's why
26:12all these
26:12little little remedies
26:13one short here
26:14one short here
26:14doesn't work
26:15firstly
26:15our body
26:16our liver
26:17our skin
26:17our lungs
26:18our kidneys
26:19are perfectly equipped
26:20to take care of toxins
26:22unless we are
26:22you know
26:23unwell
26:24so trash it
26:25trash it
26:26and tell you why
26:26because all of them
26:27will have
26:28flavorings
26:29colorings
26:30preservatives
26:30emulsifiers
26:31this that
26:32everything
26:32you know
26:33or they will have
26:34added sugar
26:35or they will have
26:36added saturated fat
26:37so
26:37I would not do that
26:39unless there are
26:39certain specific
26:40constituents
26:41which we can
26:41discuss later
26:42there are liver
26:43detoxification compounds
26:45which I can mention
26:46or colonic
26:47secondly
26:48this thing
26:49of loading yourself
26:50with probiotics
26:51is absolutely wrong
26:52we now deal
26:53with single
26:53probiotic therapy
26:54if I give a
26:55multiple strain
26:56of probiotics
26:57they may
26:58one probiotic
26:59may be doing
26:59something else
27:00to something else
27:00so I would never
27:01give a collection
27:02of probiotics
27:03so all these
27:03probiotics
27:04drinks
27:04and detox
27:05drinks
27:05are bull
27:06okay then
27:07that's a strong
27:08one
27:09what about
27:09curd
27:10homemade curd
27:11for a healthy
27:11happy gut
27:12perfect
27:12perfect
27:13so this is
27:14basically
27:14what is curd
27:15it's a fermented
27:15thing
27:16that means
27:16it has already
27:17made some
27:18probiotics
27:19there
27:19so all fermented
27:20foods
27:21unless you have
27:21certain histamine
27:22problems
27:22are fantastic
27:23for your gut
27:25kombucha
27:25kefir
27:26you know
27:27all these things
27:27kombucha was
27:28going to be
27:28the next one
27:29gen z apparently
27:30is not drinking
27:31these days
27:31but they are
27:32high on kombucha
27:33would you recommend
27:35well some
27:35commercial kombuchas
27:37contain sugar
27:37and contains
27:38coloring agents
27:39if you make
27:40your own kombucha
27:40at home
27:41with tea bags
27:42that's okay
27:44okay
27:44e-sub gold
27:45for a healthy gut
27:46e-sub gold
27:48is a soluble fiber
27:49it's fantastic
27:50because it gives
27:51the e-sub gold
27:52basically is what
27:52is called
27:53a prebiotic
27:54a prebiotic
27:55is something
27:56that feeds
27:56the probiotics
27:57so e-sub gold
27:58is good
27:58but some people
27:59who are horribly
28:00constipated
28:01they sometimes
28:01the e-sub gold
28:02goes and get
28:03jammed
28:03and that can
28:04happen
28:05so what I
28:05sometimes do
28:06I give like
28:06a half a teaspoon
28:07of e-sub gold
28:07with each meal
28:08so rather than
28:09loading them up
28:10so it depends
28:11on a person's
28:12basic digestive
28:14pattern
28:14e-sub gold
28:15basically the answer
28:16is yes
28:16it's good
28:16okay
28:17take it
28:18but check
28:18with your doctor
28:19before you
28:20understand
28:20the quantity
28:21in which
28:22what about
28:23gut healing
28:24gummies
28:25you know
28:26gummies
28:26is just one thing
28:27I mean gummies
28:28is a convenient
28:29thing to have
28:30you know
28:30so but the gummies
28:31again made in
28:32something which
28:32may not be
28:33right
28:33they have some
28:34sugar in it
28:34they may have
28:35some preservative
28:36in it
28:36so you see
28:37you have the
28:38natural stuff
28:38you know
28:39you're going to
28:40trash it
28:40no trash
28:41gummy is easy
28:43people love
28:44gummies
28:44they'll chew it
28:45up and it
28:45tastes like
28:46round trees
28:47and things like
28:47that
28:49but you know
28:50I mean
28:50I would rather
28:50go for the
28:51natural stuff
28:51okay
28:52what about
28:52detox teas
28:53same thing
28:54same thing
28:55same thing
28:56same principle
28:57that we have
28:58the capacity
28:58to detox
28:59we cannot
28:59use one
29:00single pathway
29:01to cure
29:01a particular
29:02thing
29:02and my last
29:04one
29:04this is
29:04very popular
29:05these days
29:06people are
29:07doing all
29:07sorts of
29:09stool tests
29:10and poop
29:10tests
29:11these days
29:11to understand
29:13their gut
29:13and fix it
29:14does it work
29:15yes it does
29:16it does
29:17because these
29:17stool tests
29:18are very important
29:19to decide
29:19what sort of
29:20imbalances
29:21we have
29:21what good
29:22bacteria we have
29:23what bad
29:24bacteria we have
29:25are we digesting
29:26enough
29:26do we have
29:27enough enzymes
29:27so yes they
29:28are very important
29:29Dr. Dang
29:30is sitting
29:30right here
29:31in front
29:31so he does
29:32all these
29:32things
29:32yeah great
29:33timing to
29:33have that
29:34question on
29:35our time is
29:35up but I
29:36want to just
29:36end before
29:37I let you
29:38guys go
29:39I want
29:39Rasik to
29:40start now
29:40give me
29:41three things
29:43three easy
29:44formula for
29:45a healthy
29:45mind
29:47well everyone
29:48defines healthy
29:49differently
29:49I think
29:52healthy mind
29:53is a mind
29:54which does
29:55what you want
29:56it to do
29:57because often
29:57we don't
29:58run our
29:59mind
29:59our mind
29:59runs us
30:00because we
30:00have these
30:01patterns we've
30:01been living
30:02these beliefs
30:02which may or
30:03may not serve
30:04us
30:04so I think
30:05a healthy
30:05mind is a
30:06mind that
30:06can think
30:07feel and
30:09act in the
30:10way that
30:12serves you
30:12according to
30:13the life that
30:14you want to
30:14live
30:14so life on
30:15your terms
30:15yeah
30:16so I think
30:17the fundamental
30:18approach to
30:19having a healthy
30:20mind if that
30:21is your definition
30:21of a healthy
30:22mind is to
30:23train yourself
30:24to start
30:25thinking the
30:27thoughts that
30:27you want to
30:27think
30:28okay train
30:28your mind
30:29that's one
30:29to start
30:31feeling the
30:31feelings that
30:32you want to
30:32feel more
30:33often and
30:34to start
30:34doing the
30:35things that
30:35you actually
30:36want to
30:36do right
30:37because
30:38what will
30:39frequently happen
30:40is at the
30:41end of the
30:41day you look
30:41back and how
30:42many of the
30:43things that
30:43you've thought
30:44and felt are
30:45actually the
30:45things that
30:46you wanted to
30:46think and feel
30:47so in every
30:48moment you
30:49actually have
30:50the opportunity
30:50let's say
30:51you're losing
30:51your temper
30:52let's say
30:52you're frustrated
30:53right imagine
30:54you're just
30:54all scrunched
30:55up like that
30:56you can decide
30:57you know what
30:57I'm going to
30:57let go I'm
30:58going to drop
30:59my shoulders
30:59right now
31:00maybe for a
31:01minute I'll be
31:01upset but I
31:02can change
31:03that right
31:03now so
31:04rather than
31:05waiting till
31:05the end of
31:05the day to
31:06make that
31:06change or
31:07not even
31:07thinking about
31:08it what if
31:09in every
31:09moment whether
31:10you had the
31:10opportunity to
31:11think a
31:11different thought
31:12feel a
31:12different feeling
31:13do a different
31:13thing you
31:14actually acted
31:15on it
31:16that's it
31:17I often tell
31:18my patients to
31:18journal their
31:19feelings you know
31:20because when I
31:21have a thought I
31:21actually secrete a
31:22chemical which
31:23goes into my
31:23body and my
31:24body and because
31:25it's a chemical I
31:26get a feeling so
31:27my body is
31:27eavesdropping on
31:28my mental
31:28conversation so I
31:30start to feel the
31:30way I'm thinking
31:31and when my brain
31:32notices how I'm
31:33feeling it starts to
31:33think the way I'm
31:34feeling so thinking
31:35produces feeling
31:35feeling produces
31:36thinking and this
31:37cycle goes on so
31:38by journaling I'm
31:39bringing those
31:40feelings out I'm
31:41looking back to what
31:42I wrote on Monday
31:42and say hey why did
31:43I lose my temper I
31:44could have done
31:45differently so I
31:45act rather than
31:46react yeah I
31:48think that's
31:48beautiful I can't
31:50you know way to
31:51ask you our time is
31:52up on what dinner
31:52table conversations
31:53are like in the
31:54house where gut and
31:55brain and the
31:56entire axis in the
31:57middle is getting
31:58discussed what if
31:58you have brain
31:59curry for dinner
32:01well that's
32:02something we can
32:03make happen but
32:03before I let you go
32:04would request you to
32:06please sign a health
32:07prescription for
32:08India thank you
32:11thank you
32:13applause
33:20Please put your hands together for Rasik Chopra and Dr. Ashwini Chopra.
33:25We just had India's fittest family before this.
33:28We have the fittest doctor family over here.
33:30Huge round of applause please.
33:31Thank you so much.