Why Chronic Disease Is Rooted in Inflammation & the Ancient Science That Can Help You Heal | Dr. Shivani Gupta

Shawn Stevenson (0:00)

You are now listening to The Model Health Show with Shawn Stevenson.

Today, you're going to discover the shocking connection between inflammation and our epidemics of chronic diseases. Heart disease, diabetes, depression and countless other conditions have a major inflammatory component. And if we're only treating the symptoms and not the root causes of these diseases, we will continue to see rapid degradation.

And how do we effectively treat inflammation? Well, today, you're going to discover the modern science based on a system of medicine with thousands of years of documented history. Through cutting edge use of Ayurvedic medicine, you'll learn how we all have a unique body type, especially when it comes to health and disease. You'll discover the common culprits that throw our bodies into inflammation and science backed ways to finally reduce chronic inflammation and bring your body into a state of health. Some of the stuff that I learned today truly blew my mind. And things that I take for granted that I have access to, I'm now inspired to utilize them at a whole new level. And so I cannot wait to share this powerful interview with you. But before we get to our special guest, I want to share something that's prized in the Ayurvedic system that's featured in a mind blowing peer reviewed study in a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial titled Clinical Evaluation of Purified Chilaji on Testosterone levels and Healthy Volunteers had men between the ages of 45 to 55 take 250 milligrams of purified Chilaji twice daily for 90 days.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that, versus a placebo, the men taking Chilaji had significant increases in total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEA. Total testosterone increased by upwards of 28 percent, free testosterone increased by upwards of 20 percent, and DHEA increased significantly as well, serving as a precursor that supports continuous testosterone synthesis. And all of this without negative side effects.

And I want you to understand how truly remarkable this is, because there are men today, millions of men are taking all kinds of stuff to get a boost to that test, and also dealing with the negative ramifications of these risky treatments and conglomerations of different pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, the list goes on and on and on. Now, why would men be doing this? Well, testosterone is obviously a huge influence on our sexual health and sexual function, but this is also about energy. It's about drive. And when it comes specifically to this domain of sexual function, still today, this is not talked about enough, but this study was done with men between the ages of 45 and 55, and it's well established that about 40% of men over 40 have erectile dysfunction. About 50% of men over 50 have erectile dysfunction, and then it just keeps going up precipitously from there. And just because this condition has now been normalized, does not mean that it's necessarily normal. And of course, there are many science-backed ways to support overall sexual function that many of us have access to, and we cannot understate the value of a nutritious diet, of getting adequate amounts of sleep. Sleep has a huge impact. Again, this is clinically proven on our testosterone levels. Our relationships as well, stress, the environment, all of these different things have influence on our testosterone levels. But when it comes to the domain of what can we fortify and supplement with, with true efficacy, look no further than, again, in the Ayurvedic system, in Sanskrit, Shilajit is commonly translated to mean the conqueror of mountains and the destroyer of weakness. Need I say more? The Shilajit that I utilize is from the incredible team at Organifi. They're actually providing us with these therapeutic amounts of Shilajit in an easy to utilize form with their incredible best-selling Shilajit gummies. Just go to organifi.com/model right now, and you're going to get 20 percent off store wide, including their amazing Shilajit gummies. Again, that's organifi.com/model. That's organifi.com/model for 20 percent off. Take advantage. And now let's get to our special guest and topic of the day. Dr. Shivani Gupta is an Ayurvedic practitioner with a master's degree in Ayurvedic sciences and a Ph.D. focused on the science of turmeric. Her pioneering work blends classical Ayurveda with functional medicine to help patients calm inflammation, balance hormones, and restore their energy. Let's dive in this conversation with the incredible Dr. Shivani Gupta.

Shivani, thank you so much for joining us today.

Dr. Shivani Gupta (5:59)

Thank you for having me.

Shawn Stevenson (6:00)

Of course, of course. Big question to start everything off. Why have you focused your work on inflammation?

Dr. Shivani Gupta (6:08)

Sure, so I grew up in a family that really struggled with diabetes. And so I grew up in Houston, Texas, but every year we'd go to India and see all my grandparents. And one year, by the time I got to college, I had already been visiting and seeing my grandma need a quadruple bypass, my other grandma constantly struggling with the effects of diabetes, my maternal grandfather who passed away of a heart attack, and then it was my paternal grandfather. And I landed in India one year, and my family had told me, you know, he's not doing well, he's had this injury, like, just be ready. But what I didn't know was he had been writing like a three-wheeler taxi in India, and his leg had been touching the wheel, and had been getting burned and harmed, and he had no idea because he had neuropathy. And so I grew up with generations struggling with diabetes. I was used to it. And when I saw that happen, I got to India, and it's late at night, we land on this plane, we get home to our dad's house, and I go to touch the feet of my grandpa, and he has only one leg.