Are We More Sick Than Ever?
Fatigue is rising. Chronic illness is rising. Autoimmune conditions, anxiety, metabolic dysfunction.
So let’s ask the uncomfortable question.
Are we actually getting healthier?
In this episode of Never Been Sicker, I sit down with Dr. Anne Dunev to unpack why modern life may be pushing human health in the opposite direction.
Not from a lack of medical advancement.
But from a mismatch between our biology and the world we’ve built.
Who You’re Listening To: Dr. Anne Dunev
Dr. Anne Dunev is a naturopathic doctor, clinical nutrition expert, and long-time educator in functional and natural medicine.
Her work sits at the intersection of:
- Cellular health
- Clinical nutrition
- Mind-body medicine
- Functional medicine
- Root-cause healing
In short: She challenges the idea that symptom management equals medicine.
And she’s spent decades helping patients understand how environment, lifestyle, and physiology shape long-term health.
“Everything Is Making Us Sick”
Early in the conversation, Dr. Dunev introduces a provocative perspective.
Our bodies are still analog.
But our world has become increasingly artificial.
- Screens.
- Synthetic materials.
- Sealed buildings.
- Constant stimulation.
Technology is impressive. But impressive does not automatically mean healthy.
Because human biology did not evolve for this environment.
What We Quietly Lost
Fresh air. Sunlight. Unstructured movement.
Things that once defined daily human life.
Dr. Dunev highlights a critical shift. Being outside is not the same as going to the gym.
- Natural light.
- Natural movement.
- Natural environmental inputs.
These are regulatory signals for the body.
Not luxuries.
The Sealed Box Problem
Modern homes are built for efficiency. Not necessarily for human physiology.
- Tighter envelopes.
- Less air exchange.
- More synthetic materials.
Combine that with moisture, and you create ideal conditions for microbial growth.
Then we breathe that air.
Day after day.
Often without realizing what’s circulating indoors.
Symptoms vs Healing
One of the strongest themes in this episode:
Relief is not the same as resolution.
Naming a condition and suppressing symptoms may reduce discomfort.
But it does not automatically address:
- Why the symptoms appeared
- What systems are stressed
- What exposures may be driving dysfunction
When root causes remain untouched, problems often persist.
Or evolve.
The Polypharmacy Spiral
Dr. Dunev describes a pattern many people recognize.
One medication leads to side effects. Which leads to another medication. Then another.
Until symptom management becomes layered complexity.
Without necessarily restoring function.
The Cost Barrier No One Talks About
Prevention often requires investment. And the system does not always support that....
Insurance commonly covers procedures.
- Not lifestyle optimization.
- Not environmental correction.
- Not foundational resilience strategies.
Which can push people toward reactive decisions rather than proactive ones.
How We Got Here
The episode also explores the explosion of synthetic chemistry.
Industrialization. Modern materials. Chemical exposures.
The human body now navigates a volume of inputs it was never designed to process at scale.
Not a single toxin problem.
But cumulative load.
The Biggest Lie
When asked directly about the most damaging message patients receive:
Dr. Dunev’s answer is immediate.
“It’s genetic. There’s nothing you can do.”
But health outcomes are rarely that binary.
Genetics influence risk.
Environment influences expression.
Lifestyle, exposures, stress load, nutrition, and physiology all shape how those risks unfold.
Why Mold & Environment Keep Reappearing
This is where our worlds strongly intersect.
Many chronic symptoms are investigated chemically.
But not environmentally
- Air quality.
- Water quality.
- Microbial exposures.
Questions that are often missing from conventional evaluations.
Regeneration & Cellular Health
Toward the end of the conversation, Dr. Dunev discusses her focus on cellular regeneration.
Her core premise:
- Health is fundamentally about cellular function.
- When regeneration slows, resilience declines.
- When function improves, capacity improves.
- Measurement, she emphasizes, matters.
Because biology is not guesswork.
The Bigger Reframe
This episode is not about rejecting medicine.
It’s about expanding the lens.
Symptoms are not inconveniences. They are information.
Health is not binary. It’s dynamic.
And many of the strongest levers remain rooted in:
- Environment
- Nutrition
- Recovery
- Nervous system regulation
- Indoor exposures
Why You’ll Want to Listen
If you’ve ever wondered:
- Why chronic illness keeps rising
- Whether modern environments affect physiology
- Why symptom relief doesn’t always equal healing
- How lifestyle & environment influence outcomes
This conversation connects critical dots.
🎧 Listen to Episode #112 of Never Been Sicker now!
Because the most important health variables are often the ones no one taught you to measure.
Meet Today’s Guest: Dr. Anne Dunev
Dr. Anne Dunev is a naturopathic doctor, clinical nutrition specialist, and long-time educator in functional and natural medicine.
With a background spanning naturopathic medicine, herbal medicine, kinesiology, and applied clinical nutrition, her work focuses on helping patients understand the deeper physiological and environmental drivers behind chronic symptoms.
She holds:
• A BS in Health Sciences from Ohio State University • A Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine • Post-doctorate training in Applied Clinical Nutrition • Training in Functional Medicine & Herbal Medicine
Dr. Dunev has helped thousands of patients across the U.S. and England improve their health by addressing cellular function, metabolic health, digestion, women’s health, and longevity through natural and root-cause strategies.
She is also a dedicated educator, having taught at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London and appeared on more than 150 radio and television programs.
Learn more about Dr. Dunev: https://www.annedunev.com/
