101. Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Chronic Illness with Ashok Gupta

In this conversation, Dr. Linda Bluestein interviews Ashok Gupta about his experience breaking the vicious cycle of chronic illness when he had ME-CFS. They discuss the impact of chronic conditions, the brain's priority of survival, and the vicious cycle of symptoms. Ashok explains the Gupta Program, which aims to make patients aware of subtle danger signals in the brain and retrain the brain's response. They also explore the concept of neuroimmune conditioned syndromes and address common myths about brain retraining. With a focus on hypermobility, they discuss the time commitment required to see results, different ways to engage with the program, the importance of somatic retraining and its impact on brain structures, and how clinicians can recommend brain retraining to their patients without sounding like gaslighting. They also explore the duration of the program, potential worsening during the program, and the accessibility and cost of the program. The conversation ends with a discussion on the power of neuroplasticity and a hypermobility hack to make friends with your body. Takeaways Chronic conditions often accompany joint hypermobility and can have a significant impact on individuals and the global economy. Brain retraining involves making patients aware of subtle danger signals in the brain and retraining the brain's response. The brain's priority is survival, which can lead to maladaptive responses and chronic illness. The Gupta program has shown promising results in improving symptoms and overall health in various conditions. Brain retraining requires a time commitment of at least 20 to 30 minutes a day, along with short exercises throughout the day. An independent audit looked at 16 different conditions for three months. They found improvement of 84% with Long COVID, 116% with Lyme disease, 67% with mold illness, and 85% with chemical sensitivities Clinicians can recommend brain retraining by emphasizing that it is not in the mind but in the brain, and that the brain is triggering the immune and nervous systems. The program is a minimum six-month commitment, but some people may continue for longer to maintain their progress and manage stress levels. Connect with YOUR Bendy Specialist, Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD at https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/.    Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them..🎧 Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/.     YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! 🧬🔬🦓 Resources:  Neuroplasticity Intervention, Amygdala and Insula Retraining (AIR), Significantly Improves Overall Health and Functioning Across Various Chronic Conditions https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38404605/ Mindfulness-Based Program Plus Amygdala and Insula Retraining (MAIR) for the Treatment of Women with Fibromyalgia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Mindfulness-Based Program Plus Amygdala and Insula Retraining (MAIR) for the Treatment of Women with Fibromyalgia: A Pilot https://www.guptaprogram.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@GuptaProgram #MECSF #GuptaProgram #BrainRetraining #ChronicIllness #Hypermobility #ZebraStrong #ZebraWarriors #Neuroplasticity #ChemicalSensitivity #LongCOVID #LymeDisease #MoldIllness #MindBodyConnection #HypermobilityHacks #Podcast #BendyBodiesPodcast #BendyBodies #MedicalPodcast #BendyBuddy #HypermobilityMD  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices