“The way people think will affect their health in a big way,” says Apostolos Lekkos, DO. As a physician, Lekkos splits his time between emergency medicine and a private practice in Santa Monica, California, where his patients think of him as a secret weapon (sorry for sharing!). Western medicine really works in the emergency room, Lekkos says. But when it comes to preventive care, chronic conditions, and optimizing health, he believes the system is broken. In this chat with Elise Loehnen (a patient and friend), Lekkos breaks down his functional approach to well-being. They talk about genetic testing and regulating genes that influence cholesterol, mood, and disease. They talk about nutrition testing and supplements. They talk about leaky gut, autoimmunity, what to eat—and how to take power over your own health wherever you are on the spectrum. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)