#067 Dr. Ashley Mason on Drug-free Approaches for Treating Depression, Insomnia, and Overeating

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Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.

Fitness, Depression, Foundmyfitness, Timferriss, Sleep, Diet, Longevity, Ketosis, Rhondapatrick, Kevinrose, Domdagostino, Health, Sauna, Nutrition, Medicine, Fasting, Healthspan, Mattwalker, Coldexposure, Lifeextension, Health & Fitness, Exercise

4.8 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2021

⏱️ 110 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Ashley Mason is a clinical psychologist and director of the Sleep, Eating, and Affect Laboratory at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF. Her research centers on nonpharmacological approaches for treating depression, insomnia, and overeating.

In this episode, we discuss:

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:08:10 - Whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) and sauna use differ
00:17:06 - Depression causes thermoregulatory dysfunction – but sauna use may correct it
00:21:12 - WBH and sauna use may reduce symptoms of depression
00:33:22 - Heating the body slowly may improve heat tolerance and increase WBH effectiveness
00:39:35 - Sauna use may benefit people with depression and cardiovascular disease – which often coincide
00:40:18 - Dr. Mason and Rhonda are collaborating on new research on depression and WBH
00:44:19 - Sauna bathing and similar practices often provide opportunities for people to connect socially
00:53:12 - Common causes of insomnia
01:01:26 - Cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep hygiene, stimulus control, and sleep restriction for treating insomnia

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, my friends. Today's podcast features a friend and as we'll talk a little bit more
0:05.2	in the podcast episode, a collaborator. Dr. Ashley Mason is a clinical psychologist and
0:10.6	director of the Sleep Eating and Affect Laboratory at the Oshar Center for Integrative Medicine
0:15.4	at UCSF. Her research centers on non-pharmacological approaches for treating depression, insomnia,
0:22.5	and overeating. Before we get to the interview, I'd like to tell you a little bit about how
0:27.2	I came into contact with Dr. Mason. But first, a little backstory. One of Dr. Mason's mentors,
0:33.6	Dr. Charles Raison, was a previous guest here. We had him on back in 2018 in podcast episode
0:40.0	number 41. Dr. Raison is notable for a variety of reasons, but when I think of Chuck, I think most
0:47.2	of all of his pioneering work seeking an integrated theory of everything on the origins of depression.
0:53.2	This theory is known as the Pathogen Hosts Defense Theory of Depression, and it's fascinating for
1:00.0	the unique way it integrates emerging understandings of the underlying mechanisms of depression,
1:05.2	helping us to interpret why, for example, cytokines like interferon or immune stimulators like
1:11.4	lipopolysaccharide from bacterial membranes should influence human behavior and mood. That discussion
1:18.7	is where you'll find Dr. Raison or Chuck describe preliminary research demonstrating a technique
1:24.9	called whole body hyperthermia, which showed promise as a tool one of the unique characteristics
1:31.6	that might put into a very special place as a therapeutic intervention highly useful in the fight
1:37.8	against depression. You can catch that podcast on our podcast feed or on Spotify at episode
1:44.9	number 41. Fast forward to now. Dr. Mason is following up on those early findings. Her most recent
1:53.6	trial has cleared the way to use inexpensive infrared sonas and clinical research by demonstrating
2:00.0	it first is safe and healthy people. Now her research is taking the next step. Using sonas,
2:07.6	she will soon begin to work with people who are actually depressed, giving them not only one,
2:13.0	but many sessions over weeks and months in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy,
	...

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