Dr Barry Kerzin is a western-trained medical doctor, author, Buddhist monk and the personal physician of the Dalai Lama. Dr Kerzin teaches us about our ego, the difference between compassion vs empathy, and the power of interconnectedness. Dr Kerzin has created the Altruism in Medicine Institute, a non-profit with the goal of teaching compassion to medical schools. To find more information go to  https://altruismmedicine.org. Dr. Kerzin has also written No Fear, No Death The Transformative Power of Compassion.  This interview also features Dr Emeran Mayer-  gastroenterologist, world-renowned researcher and best-selling author of Mind-Gut Connection and Gut-Immune Connection.

Show Notes

2:00 – How Dr. Kerzin became the Dalai Lama’s doctor

10:00 – Are there some conditions better taught with eastern versus western medicine? Which type does the Dalai Lama use?

10:59 –Brief explanation of Tibetan medicine

13:55 – Does Tibetan medicine focus on longevity and quality of life better than western medicine?

15:22 – How meditation increases telomere length.

21:35 – The importance of compassion

23:20 – Reduced level of heart disease in Tibetan exile community

25:08 – Dalai Lama’s practice of Tonglen (meditative practice of giving and taking)

28:30 – Is anger a natural response?

30:00 – Understanding the importance of interconnectedness

33:19 – Core of Buddhism is deconstructing the ego

37:54 – Are there some things that science cannot currently prove that are integral to our health?

46:50 – Study on how love increased lifespan in cancer patients

49:00 – Dr. Kerzin’s study on lupus and a close association of trauma preceding the diagnosis

51:20 – Field of psycho-neuro-immunology explaining

51:40 – Eudemonic vs hedonic happiness

55: 10 – Meditation reduces inflammatory marker interleukin-6

57:58 – The science of compassion

59:30 – Dr. Kerzin discusses that health is not just to treat disease but to create a flourishing state

1:05 – Difference between empathy vs compassion

1:09:26 – How do you teach compassion?