May 21, 2024

Living the dream with physician, scientist, and author Dr. Hossain Kouros-Mehr

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Join us on a fascinating journey into the world of science, personal growth, and healing with Dr. Hossain Kouros-Mehr, a dedicated cancer researcher and author of 'Master Your Default Mode and Thrive.' In this episode of 'Living the Dream with Curveball,' Dr. Kouros-Mehr shares his insights on the exciting breakthroughs in cancer treatment, the power of the default mode network in our brains, and how understanding it can lead to happiness and success. Discover how his work bridges the gap between religion and science, and learn about the potential medical benefits of psychedelic therapy. Whether you're interested in cutting-edge cancer therapies, overcoming emotional pain, or simply seeking personal growth, this episode offers valuable knowledge for all.
www.yourdefaultmode.com

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> Speaker A>Welcome, um, to the living the dream podcast with Curveball. Um, if you believe you can achieve Chee Chee.

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> Speaker B>Welcome, um, to the living a dream with Curveball podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Today we're going to be talking about things like cancer research and thought mode network, as I am joined by doctor, author and scientist Hossain Kurzmare. Doctor Kurzmere has spent decades in cancer research, and he's going to be talking about all that research he's done and what they've discovered and, uh, talking about, um, noticing the thought mode network and what that is. Uh, so without further ado, Doctor Kurtz, Mayor, thank you so much for joining me today.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >My pleasure, Curtis. Thanks for having me on your show.

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> Speaker B>Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Sure. So, I am an author, uh, as well as a physician scientist, as you mentioned, and, uh, I've just published my third book. Uh, it's called master your default mode and thrive. Uh, it's, I would say, a book about personal growth, self discovery. Um, and it really centers around understanding how your brain works and particularly something called the default mode network and how to master it so that you can be happy, successful, and overcome stress, anxiety, emotional pain, depression or addiction. So, uh, I am also a cancer doctor, as you mentioned. I actually develop cancer medicines. Um, and so I have these two passions, and what's common is that they're both at the front lines of, uh, science and research, basically. But, uh, I'd love to tell you more about this book.

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> Speaker B>Absolutely, we'll get into that. I just want to say real quick, I had said the thought mode network. My apologies for getting that wrong. That's what happens when you do it live.

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> Speaker B>So tell us about, um, your cancer research and, uh, what made you want to get into that, what you guys have discovered and what you got coming up as far as that.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Sure. I mean, this is, I think, a really exciting time where we are developing new breakthroughs for cancer. You know, when I was in medical school about 20 years ago or so, uh, we were just really understanding cancer, and we had just sequenced the human genome and we, uh, couldn't imagine the types of medicines we're developing now. So I'm working on cell therapies, where we take immune cells and engineer them so they attack cancer. We're working on gene therapies where we can correct genes, um, that are causing cancer and other kinds of therapies. So we're seeing therapies for lymphoma leukemia, myeloma, that are really transformational. They're really helping patients, um, survive longer and, uh, with fewer side effects. And these cell therapies are a single infusion, just one time dose. Um, and what we're trying to do now is make them more accessible, bring the cost down, and have them available to everyone who needs it. And that's what I'm very passionate about.

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> Speaker B>Okay, well, I know you talk in your bio how you have some help to solve things like emotional pain and addiction craving. Can you walk us through that?

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Yeah. So that gets at this book called breakthrough. Um, obviously, there are many books out there, faith, um, based, and psychology based books, um, about personal growth.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >So what's unique about this book is basically the science is now showing us that in our brain we've got at least seven networks that help us live day to day. One of them networks is the visual network. It helps us see, uh, you've got auditory network, it helps us here.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >And then one of the seven networks is called the default mode network. It turns out it's essentially your wandering mind. Um, and it's really you, it's your self, it's the storyline of you. You'll recognize it anytime your mind wanders away from the present. Uh, uh, let's say you're brushing your teeth, you're driving your car, and suddenly you, you think about the past, some old memories, or you think about the future, maybe a deadline coming up. So it's actually a part of the brain that turns on. It's called the default mode network anytime your mind wanders away from the present. And, and so, yeah, we need a healthy default mode network to be successful, to be happy. But for many of us, this wandering mind is on all the time to the point that it's causing us emotional pain or it's adding to our anxiety or our depression. So this book is, it's really self discovery, helping you understand and discover this default mode network so that you can, so that it works for you and not against you. And, um, and that process of self understanding really opens the door in many ways. Um, and that's what the book's all about.

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> Speaker B>Well, speaking of the default mode network, talk about how it brings religion and science closer together.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Yeah, well, if you take a look at the teachings of Buddha, the teachings of Jesus, the core principles at really all of the religions, they talk about transcending your ego or yourself, living for a higher purpose, living for God. And what we're now seeing is you've got this default mode network which is basically, it's a very selfish way to live. It's all about me. It is reactive. Ah, it's judgmental. Then I mentioned there's seven networks. There's actually another network called central Executive Network. It's just a different part of the brain that turns on, and when that part of the brain is on, you're fully present.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Um, your consciousness is more expansive. You're less focused about me and I, and more focused about what's above you. Um, in that state, you can observe your thoughts. I call it the observing mind. And when you look at what Buddha said, what Jesus said, in many ways what they're talking about is being in this central executive, spending more time in this central executive, where it's less about me, me, me, and more about something that's bigger than all of us. And I think there are some parallels here between the central executive and spirituality. And it's just amazing to me that the science is now telling us that having these core spiritual beliefs, things like compassion, forgiveness, equanimity, that these actually help us live a longer and healthier life. The science is actually telling us. So in many ways now, the new science is kind of merging with spirituality from long ago. And it's just amazing to see this in the data and in the papers coming out.

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> Speaker B>Well, what is the medical value for psychedelic delic therapy?

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Psychedelic therapy, wow. Um, so first of all, Native Americans know all about these plant medicines or psychedelic therapies. They've been using it for thousands of years in religious ceremonies. And it turns out, and there are many forms of these, right? They come from cactus and, um, different plants.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >And what they do in the brain, they actually shut off this default mode network. Ah, they took some patients, um, who were on these medicines, and they did some studies and found that the default mode network actually shuts off.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Um, and so for people who suffer from an overactive default mode network, people with addiction, people with depression, post traumatic stress disorder, who have tried prayer and mindfulness, and they've tried psychotherapy and nothing is working, it turns out that these plant medicines can really benefit them. People with refractory depression who've tried everything, uh, and their only option is what's called shock therapy, electroconvulsive therapy.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >And for those patients who are at high risk of suicide, unfortunately, these psilocybin and psychedelics actually have been shown to have tremendous value because they shut off that default mode network, that wandering mind, and they allow some freedom from it. Obviously, these are, um, medicines that are not currently available. They're actually illegal, but we're now seeing the medical value.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >And I think over the next couple of years, we're going to see some of these approved for patients with depression and post traumatic stress disorder. And it's going to be a new beginning finally.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Um, actually, Rick Doblin, who's been working 50 years, uh, on this, and he's the guy responsible for getting these plant medicines approved. He actually endorsed this book. And, um, as a physician, I just have to say these medicines are coming. I wouldn't go around experimenting with them. Uh, it's quite dangerous to do that. But I think soon they're going to be legal, they're going to be given by licensed people who know what they're doing, and we'll see more options for people who want better mental health, basically.

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> Speaker B>So, kind of give us an overview of all your books.

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> Speaker B>Tell us where we can get them and what listeners can expect when they check them out.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Sure. So this last book, breakthrough, um, the, uh, website is actually yourdefaultmode.com.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >And um, you can get a preview of it, you can read a chapter for free. Um, it's on Amazon. Um, and this is actually my third book. The first two were novels, very similar theme about helping people really become better, smarter, happier. But they were self help books written in the form of novels, actually, where you see the main character struggling at the beginning and overcoming, uh, obstacles.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Um, they were actually also futuristic books. So the first one, project bode, I wrote it about seven, eight years ago, about life in 2029. Um, and so there's some predictions in there, uh, about AI, and a lot of it has already come true, but there's some predictions about, um, I think smart glasses, which I think are going to replace the smartphone in the next few years. And uh, so that's just really a fun book. And then the second book, extinction six, is about life in the year 2066. Uh, so there's a lot about climate change in there. Where San Francisco is now. Uh, there's seven islands, the seven islands of San Francisco because of, uh, sea level rise. Um, and so that's more of a futuristic thriller type of book.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Um, yeah, but this last one breakthrough is self help, personal growth, self discovery, and it's all about helping you really master that default mode network.

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> Speaker B>Okay, tell us about any current upcoming projects that you're working on that people need to know about.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Sure. Well, I'm full time in the cancer field, so I'm actually leading a, uh, company developing new cancer medicines. And uh, it's a full time job in itself. So that's my primary focus. I'm here to help patients with cancer.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >And so I don't have any projects upcoming related to any new books or anything. I might release an audiobook version of Breakthrough. But, um, yeah, I love doing podcasts and reaching out, uh, to readers and so on that website, yourdefaultmode.com, comma, you can see some of the social media links on the bottom if you want to, uh, take a look. Um, but yeah, would love to connect with, um, any of your listeners out there and help spread this word, because what's emerging in the science, I think, can really help a lot of people out there.

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> Speaker B>All right, you just gave out your website, so close us out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to touch on, that you would like to talk about it. Just any final thoughts you have for the listeners?

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Yeah, so this book, I call them mental knots. In this book, I don't call them, uh, mental disorders or conditions or anything like that.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >There's eleven of them and they're listed in a particular order, and they're all. You see the role of the default mode network in causing these. So it starts off with stress, something that we all experience, how to prevent stress from happening. And then the second one is emotional pain, getting at the root cause of emotional pain, because once you address that stress and that emotional pain, it makes it a lot easier to tackle the rest of them. So number three is addiction, which I call addictive craving, and, you know, how to overcome its grip. Um, and default mode network plays a big role in addictive craving. Uh, uh, and so those are the big three. The other ones include loneliness, which is, um, um, actually a big driver of our health and well being. Uh, um. And so how to reverse loneliness? Loneliness can actually be reversed. There are things you can do to, to, um, you know, find some freedom from that. And then the other knots are negativity, anxiety and anger, um, dissatisfaction, dishonesty and denial. Inaction, which is kind of like procrastination, let's say. And how to improve your focus. Um, then at the very end, you've got poor lifestyle, which is kind of diet, sleep and exercise. And I put that at the end because once you overcome emotional pain and stress and addiction, it makes it a lot easier to lose weight to get the right diet. It's almost happens naturally when you've. Because a lot of times we overeat to self medicate because of some old emotional pain or some, uh, anxiety. So I put that lifestyle at the end of the book. And then resistance to change is the very last one where it's all about developing your resilience. Life is unpredictable and um, there's stress every day. So developing your resilience so you're ready for whatever life throws at you, basically. M and just one last thing I wanted to mention is a lot of the default mode network, it's also called the monkey mind, you may have heard that term. And a lot of people think that you've got to silence this wandering mind, this monkey mind. You've got to tame it, you've got to ah, restrain it. And actually we all need a healthy default mode to be happy, to be successful. You can't ever really get rid of it, but you can change your relationship with it and have gratitude for it so that it really helps you in life and not gets in the way all the time. So I'm somebody who had all eleven of these, uh, and a couple of years ago, took me about six months, didn't happen overnight, but I really resolved and healed all eleven of these conditions. And what really, what I noticed is when you understand how your brain works, it makes it a lot easier and more objective.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >Um, and so in the book theres spirituality, theres mindfulness, there are really practical exercises like breathing exercises and a range of mindfulness exercises. Also medications and medicines and therapy, different types of therapy. So I put all the tools there in one place, uh, to help your listeners and um, yeah, and I hope it helps some folks out there.

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> Speaker B>Uh, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. Doctor Hussain, yourdefaultmode.com dot. Please be sure to check him out. Pick up his books if you know anybody that can use his services.

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> Speaker B>Follow rate review share this episode to as many people as possible. If you have any guests or suggestion topics, see Jackson 10 two net. Please jump on your favorite podcast app and hit that follow button and leave us a review. As always, thank you for listening and supporting the show. Doctor Hussein, thank you so much for joining and sharing your expertise today.

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> Hossain Kurzmare (as inferred from the context, though the last >My pleasure. Thanks so much, Curtis.

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> Speaker A>For more information on the living the Dream podcast, visit www.djcurveball.com.

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> Speaker A>Until next time, stay focused on living the dream.

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> Speaker B>Dream.