As a society, and as an industrial complex, we’ve made health complicated…and expensive. But, epidemiology suggests that what we need to do to achieve and maintain personal health is really quite simple.

Dr. Tom Frieden returns to the show to talk about the second half of his book, The Formula for Your Health. Through extensive research and review of hundreds of epidemiological studies, he distills the findings down to six basic things we need to be doing in order to be healthy. Dr. Frieden acknowledges that there is nuance, but he also affirms that history is clear. There are other societies in the world that were and are far healthier than the US population, and NOT because they had wearables, packaged food, home massagers, or Pelotons.

Dr. Frieden is author of the book, The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives—Including Your Own. He is also the founder and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global health organization that accelerates action against the world’s deadliest health threats. Resolve to Save Lives has worked with governments and other partners in more than 60 countries to save millions of lives. Dr. Frieden previously served as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York City Health Commissioner, where he led efforts that increased life expectancy by 3 years and helped end major health crises including the largest US outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, and responses to H1N1, Zika, and other threats.

It’s the start of a new year, and that means resolutions and recommitments to personal health and wellness. Undoubtedly, there were thousands of wearable devices purchased as presents over the holidays and many more in the post-holiday sale madness. Supplement commercials and social media ads are going strong as we start this new year. But, are these things actually necessary for health?

Today, we kick off our Winter Season of Creating a New Healthcare with a deep dive into the wellness industrial complex. Jess Greenwood, Producer of the podcast, joins Host, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth to dissect what we’ve heard from the experts interviewed on the show as well as our own personal experiences. We debate the role of wearables in behavior change, the influence of the wellness industrial complex, where supplements fit into a healthy diet, and what the companies that make these products really want and need from their users.

If you’ve been a bit skeptical if that Oura ring can help you achieve max readiness or even if you’re convinced those Magnesium supplements will be the game changer this year, this conversation is for you.

As we close out the year, Dr. Zeev Neuwirth steps away from his usual interviews to share a heartfelt, personal message directly with you, our listeners.