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Guest:

Dr. Jasdeep Saluja is the Chief Medical officer and Co-Founder of the Aroga Institute, which has served over 10,000 patients through the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: nutrition, fun physical activity, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, restorative sleep, and social connections, and his seventh pillar, purpose and meaning. With this integrative approach, he helps patients improve their lifespan and healthspan while reclaiming their joy and impact in the world. Dr. Saluja is widely regarded as a preeminent leader in his field, serving as a diplomat at the American Board of Obesity Medicine, an advisory council member of the Global Positive Health Institute, an advisory board member of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, and at the Elected Leaders Collective. 

About the Episode: 

In this episode, we explore Dr. Jasdeep Saluja’s deeply personal path to discovering Lifestyle Medicine. This journey began with changing his habits to support his father and evolved into transforming the health of thousands. Dr. Saluja shares how Lifestyle Medicine bridges the gap between lifespan and healthspan, empowering you to take control of your health future. We discuss the six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine and actionable steps to improve your well-being—whether you’re struggling with weight, hypertension, pre-diabetes, brain fog, or want to feel better in your body and mind. We explore how to integrate these tools effectively, from the essential health screenings and evaluations you should consider to wearable technology for tracking fitness. We also dive into the critical role of mindset, language, and culture in shaping health outcomes—like why framing movement as “fun physical activity” leads to better results than mandated “exercise.” Jasdeep introduces Aroga's Journal Club process, a collaborative method for evaluating new research and integrating evidence-based decisions into your health and leadership. Additionally, we uncover lessons from Blue Zones, regions with the highest concentrations of centenarians, and how their insights can inspire healthier, more connected communities. Dr. Saluja shares practical resources, books, and tools to help you create the mind, body, and life you want—while uplifting those around you. If you’re ready to make small changes that deliver big impacts, this insightful and applicable conversation with Dr. Jasdeep Saluja is for you.

Key Topics Discussed:

· [00:01:57 ] Guest Introduction 

· [00:02:28 ] Episode Overview

· [00:03:34 ] Get ready to nerd out with us! 

· [00:03:50 ] Summary of Tools/Practices we discuss

· [00:05:25 ] Origin Story: What made Jasdeep want to be Dr. Saluja 

· [00:07:19 ] The meeting point of caring and learning

· [00:08:02 ] Deeds and actions come from people

· [00:08:22 ] Who inspired your drive to help others? 

· [00:08:50 ] Teachers & Doctors

· [00:09:33 ] 3 Sikh Principles

· [00:09:46 ] An Honest Living 

· [00:10:19 ] The Systems do not incentivize or support. 

· [00:11:15 ] What is Lifestyle Medicine? 

· [00:11:29 ] (It should just be called “Medicine”) 

· [00:11:50 ] The 6 Pillars of Lifestyle Change. 

· [00:12:20 ] Positive Psychology 

· [00:12:57 ] The “7th Pillar” 

· [00:13:24 ] Meaning vs. Purpose

· [00:13:43 ] Clarity of purpose & meaning in the everyday

· [00:14:32 ] The winding path, the obstacles, and trusting the universe. 

· [00:15:52 ] Putting out fires - at a price. 

· [00:15:52 ] Not the person I want doing surgery!   

· [00:17:00 ] Convincing the Medical Community 

· [00:17:27 ] The pivotal point: “My Pops.”

· [00:18:19 ]  He had “excellent care” 

· [00:18:44 ] That one friend. 

· [00:18:56 ] We all knew: something’s got to change.

· [00:19:17 ] Heart Attack 

· [00:19:17 ] This does not make sense. 

· [00:19:40 ] Not just genetics

· [00:20:09 ] Literally a Google Search

· [00:20:15 ] Dr. Dean Ornish & Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn  

· [00:21:07 ]  Wait, you said Google?

· [00:21:22 ] There was nothing lacking in his standardized medical care. 

· [00:21:49 ] HOW. IS. THAT. POSSIBLE?

· [00:21:52 ] Nutrition study in medical school was minimal. 

· [00:22:04 ] Nutrition and Lifestyle are not given time. 

· [00:22:22 ] Nutrition and Lifestyle is not Assessed, aka unimportant. 

· [00:23:02 ] In the meantime, we are ruining our Ferraris!! 

· [00:23:41 ] Learning from Blue Zones 

· [00:24:15 ] We’ve traded one set of problems for another. 

· [00:24:43 ] Healthspan vs. Lifespan 

· [00:25:51 ] We make healthspan a personal responsibility 

· [00:26:11 ] Health is a societal concern. 

· [00:26:40 ] The healthy decision should be easy 

· [00:27:35 ] Prioritizing joy 

· [00:28:27 ] Bring back laughter

· [00:28:45 ] Community sense of purpose

· [00:29:43 ] ‘Heart of Wellness’ by Kavitha Chinnaiyan

· [00:30:00 ] ‘Undo It’ by Anne Ornish & Dr. Dean Ornish

· [00:31:10 ] ‘The Lifestyle Medicine Handbook’ by Dr. Beth Frates

· [00:32:10 ] What was Dad like pre & post Lifestyle Changes?

· [00:32:40 ] I had to change first. 

· [00:33:06 ] Feeling the difference!

· [00:33:54 ] Dad is now a world traveler. 

· [00:34:20 ] Dad is getting younger! 

· [00:35:06 ] The stories we tell ourselves about aging. 

· [00:36:29 ] Our communities inform our stories

· [00:37:27 ] Through-Put  vs. YOU-put 

· [00:37:58 ] How does the You-put model actually work? 

· [00:38:20 ] The Fee-For-Service Model 

· [00:38:50 ] Patients become numbers. 

· [00:39:23 ] The system is at fault, not the Patient or the Doctor. 

· [00:39:56 ] “I’ve done my job” 

· [00:40:30 ] A belief system based on a bad system: People can’t change. 

· [00:41:13 ] Models/Systems in the USA 

· [00:41:44 ] Big organizations are starting to get on board. 

· [00:42:30 ] Groundswell of Change: How do we implement these findings? 

· [00:43:16 ] What is Aroga’s financial system? 

· [00:44:00 ] Group Medical Visits

· [00:44:50 ] Physician Extenders

· [00:45:17 ] Aroga’s patient demographic

· [00:47:19 ] Can a healthy person get referred to Aroga? 

· [00:48:38 ] Medical tests for baseline health 

· [00:49:43 ] Cardiometabolic health: Blood pressure & Resting Heart Rate 

· [00:49:54 ] BMI can be useful but not the best indicator of health. 

· [00:50:47 ] Not everyone...

Episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/c4a4d8d6

Podcast: http://www.healingourpolitics.com