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The Better Body Lab Podcast

The Better Body Lab Podcast

By: Dr. Taryn Marie and Mike Alden
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The Better Body Lab Podcast explores how science and lived experience intersect within the human ecology. Hosted by best-selling authors Dr. Taryn Marie and Mike Alden, each conversation brings together physicians, researchers, and wellness thought leaders to examine how we adapt, recover, and grow stronger—physically, mentally, and emotionally—in a complex world.

© 2026 The Better Body Lab Podcast Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • Coffee, Cannabis, Psychedelics, and Clinical Trials

    Coffee, Cannabis, Psychedelics, and Clinical Trials
    Jul 1 2026
    What if the future of health optimization isn't hiding in the next trend — but inside clinical trials happening right now?In this episode of The Better Body Lab Podcast, we sit down with clinical trial recruitment expert and Patients VIP founder Joseph Minkowitz to explore the discoveries quietly reshaping the future of medicine. Together, we examine how resilience, recovery, longevity, and performance are increasingly influenced by therapies most people won't hear about until years after they reach the public.From psychedelics and personalized cancer vaccines to breakthroughs in Type 1 diabetes, chronic pain, hearing restoration, and regenerative medicine, this conversation offers a rare look inside the front lines of clinical research. We also discuss the reality that nearly 90% of potential therapies never make it from laboratory concept to human clinical trials, making the breakthroughs that do emerge even more remarkable.Joseph shares how his work through Patients VIP and The Studies Guy has given him a front-row seat to some of the most promising developments in medicine. Together, we explore the relationship between coffee and dementia risk, the growing evidence surrounding alcohol and brain aging, the potential of psychedelic therapies for depression, and why patient participation may be one of the most overlooked drivers of medical progress.At its core, this episode asks an important question: how do we separate scientific progress from hype, and evidence from optimism?About Joseph Minkowitz: Joseph Minkowitz is the founder of Patients VIP, a company specializing in patient recruitment for clinical trials. He got his start at Vanderbilt, learning digital marketing hands-on under one of the top practitioners in the field during the day, and spending his nights in the library teaching himself everything else. He put those skills to work helping his family's research site and other practices find patients, then went on to serve as a Marketing Director at a venture capital group before launching Patients VIP. Today, Patients VIP is trusted by over 45 sponsors and CROs across multiple therapeutic areas, having recruited for hundreds of studies across over 100 sites in over 5 countries. Joseph’s exposure to various studies sparked his social media channels, @TheStudiesGuy, where he has built an audience of over 250,000 people by breaking down cutting-edge clinical research for everyday audiences. For information about Patients VIP visit: https://patients.vip/ and https://thestudiesguy.com/Follow Joseph Minkowitz here:Instagram: @TheStudiesGuyFacebook: @TheStudiesGuyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-minkowitz-b9b9aa48/Key Timestamps: 00:00 — Why 90% of Drug Ideas Fail01:25 — Meet Joseph Minkowitz & Patients VIP07:28 — How Clinical Trial Recruitment Works15:08 — Cannabis, Alcohol & Brain Aging20:13 — Coffee and Dementia Prevention29:18 — The Future of Type 1 Diabetes Treatment46:37 — A Potential "Switch" for Chronic Pain56:15 — Psychedelics and Mental Health Research01:04:28 — Gene Therapy Restores Hearing01:07:59 — Personalized Vaccines for Pancreatic Cancer01:11:09 — Regrowing Cartilage in Aging KneesFollow The Better Body Lab Podcast here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebetterbodylabpodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582408795363Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBetterBodyLabPodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebetterbodylabpodcastDr. Taryn Marie: www.resilience-leadership.com/Mike Alden: https://www.mikealden.com/ Follow Dr. Taryn Marie here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTarynMarieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtarynmarie/Follow Mike Alden here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeAlden2012Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikealdenVisit:https://bodycaremd.com/https://bioaccesslabs.com/
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • The Future Of Science Backed Wellness

    The Future Of Science Backed Wellness
    Jun 24 2026
    What if the biggest challenge in health and wellness today isn't discovering new solutions, but figuring out which ones actually work? In this episode of The Better Body Lab Podcast, we sit down with physician-scientist, entrepreneur, and Radicle Science co-founder Dr. Jeff Chen to explore the growing gap between wellness innovation and scientific validation. Together, we examine how supplements, peptides, wellness technologies, and personalized health interventions are shaping the future of health optimization, resilience, recovery, and longevity—often long before rigorous evidence catches up.Dr. Chen shares how Radicle Science is transforming clinical research through decentralized, technology-enabled trials that make gold-standard studies faster, more affordable, and more accessible. We dive into the controversy surrounding BPC-157 and research peptides, the surprisingly strong evidence behind creatine, the role of AI tools like ChatGPT in evaluating health claims, and why consumers need better ways to separate science from marketing hype.We also explore wearable technologies, placebo effects, microbiome research, precision psychiatry, and the future of evidence-based wellness. At its core, this conversation is about building a healthier relationship with information—using curiosity, critical thinking, and scientific rigor to make better decisions for long-term wellbeing.About Dr. Jeff Chen:Dr. Jeff Chen, MD/MBA, is the co-founder and CEO of Radicle Science, an AI-powered healthtech Public Benefit Corporation recognized by Fast Company as a "World Changing Idea" and by Inc. 5000 as one of America's fastest-growing companies. Radicle's mission is to create proven, precision wellness through large-scale, gold-standard clinical trials focused on supplements, foods, wellness devices, and digital health solutions. Previously, Dr. Chen founded and served as Executive Director of UCLA’s Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, where he led some of the first official cannabis-related clinical studies. A nationally recognized voice in evidence-based wellness, he has been featured by CNN, TIME, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Politico, and many others. He earned his BS from Cornell University and completed both his MD and MBA at UCLA.For information about Radicle Science visit: https://www.radiclescience.com/Follow Radicle Science here:Instagram: @RadicleScienceFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/RadicleScience/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/radiclescienceFollow Dr. Jeff Chen here: Instagram: @DrJeffChenKey Timestamps: 00:00 — Wacky Wellness Trends 01:41 — Introducing Dr. Jeff Chen & Radicle Science 04:53 — The Promise & Pitfalls of Peptides 08:09 — BPC-157: A Case Study 09:37 — The Compounding Pharmacy Conundrum 15:06 — The CBD Analogy 16:50 — The Bottleneck for Peptide Research 17:40 — Misleading "BPC Supplements" 24:12 — The Science Behind Creatine 29:27 — The Supplement Hype Cycle 31:00 — Using AI to Discern Hype from Fact 32:49 — Validating Emerging Wellness Technologies 35:40 — How to Properly Test a Wellness Device 39:42 — The Importance of Customer Retention 41:42 — The "Food as Medicine" Renaissance 43:49 — Radicle Science's "Seal of Effectiveness" 49:34 — How Radicle Science Conducts Clinical Trials 57:20 — The Rise of Wearables & Remote Monitoring 01:01:03 — The Future of Mental Health Treatment 01:04:20 — The ARPA-H Mental Health Study 01:07:04 — How to Participate in Radicle Science StudiesFollow The Better Body Lab Podcast here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebetterbodylabpodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582408795363Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBetterBodyLabPodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebetterbodylabpodcastDr. Taryn Marie: www.resilience-leadership.com/Mike Alden: https://www.mikealden.com/ Follow Dr. Taryn Marie here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTarynMarieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtarynmarie/Follow Mike Alden here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeAlden2012Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikealdenVisit:https://bodycaremd.com/https://bioaccesslabs.com/
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • AI Could Redefine Body Composition Measurement

    AI Could Redefine Body Composition Measurement
    May 22 2026
    What if the future of health optimization isn’t just about losing weight — but understanding what your body is actually made of? In this episode of The Better Body Lab Podcast, we explore how AI, computer vision, and smartphone technology may reshape the way we measure metabolic health, recovery, longevity, and performance. Together, we sit down with Prism Labs CEO Steve Raymond to examine why BMI often fails individuals — and why body composition, lean muscle mass, and visceral fat may provide a far more meaningful picture of long-term wellbeing. Steve explains how Prism Labs uses AI-powered smartphone scans to estimate body fat percentage, lean muscle, metabolic age, and visceral fat from a simple 30-second video. We explore the limitations of BMI, Dexa scans, and bioimpedance devices, while discussing why consistency and trend tracking matter more than obsessing over a single “perfect” number.Our conversation also examines the growing role of lean muscle in metabolic resilience, especially for individuals using GLP-1 medications, and why visceral fat remains one of the most overlooked markers in preventative health. Along the way, we discuss data privacy, wearable technology, AI-driven wellness tools, and the future of personalized health optimization. Steve Raymond: Steve Raymond is the CEO of Prism Labs, the company turning any smartphone camera into a clinical-grade body composition scanner — measuring the biomarkers that matter most for longevity and health: metabolic age, body fat, lean muscle, and visceral fat. Prism is built as an enabling platform for innovators across longevity, fitness, weight management, and clinical care, and powers experiences for Noom, WeightWatchers, Signos, and Novo Nordisk. The team is now advancing the field with BodyGPT, a foundation model which uses every pixel in a video to push 3D optical scanning to new levels of precision — and was selected as a leading technology for the FNIH-backed REAL BODY study. It's the fifth time in 25 years Steve has jumped into a new technology early and done the work of turning science into product — helping it cross the chasm from early adopters into the mainstream. Earlier chapters: Yahoo! Music, co-founding YouTube-era creator company Big Frame (acquired by DreamWorks), and leading 8i, which pioneered neural networks and computer vision for 3D modeling of the human body. Steve holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame.For information about Prism Labs visit: www.prismlabs.techFollow Prism Labs here:Instagram: @prismlabs.techLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prismlabs-inc/Follow Steve here: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenpraymond/ Key Timestamps: 00:00 — The Problem with BMI 01:20 — Podcast Introduction 02:50 — Steve Raymond’s Background 07:04 — Prism Labs’ Business Model 08:29 — What Is a Dexa Scan? 10:38 — Traditional Body Fat Measurement Methods 15:06 — The Challenge of Accuracy 20:39 — How Prism Labs Technology Works 23:41 — Why Visceral Fat Matters 27:14 — Using Smartphone Body Scans 30:12 — Revisiting BMI Limitations 33:56 — Data Privacy & AI Training 41:26 — Lean Muscle & Metabolic Health 43:17 — Episode Wrap-UpFollow The Better Body Lab Podcast here:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebetterbodylabpodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582408795363Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBetterBodyLabPodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebetterbodylabpodcastDr. Taryn Marie: www.resilience-leadership.com/Mike Alden: https://www.mikealden.com/ Follow Dr. Taryn Marie here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTarynMarieInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtarynmarie/Follow Mike Alden here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeAlden2012Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikealdenVisit:https://bodycaremd.com/https://bioaccesslabs.com/
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    46 mins
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