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Kush Sharma
Physician Innovator at Stanford Medicine
Kush Gupta is a Math & CS undergraduate at Harvard College with a strong interest in biotech. He is dedicated to combatting Eroom's Law, addressing neurodegeneration, and fostering life science innovation. Kush holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Harvard University and achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA in the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Sequoia High School. His professional journey includes roles in vaccine development at Curative Inc., research at Harvard Medical School, software engineering at Facebook, teaching AI at Harvard, quantitative research at Tiger Global Management, and product/strategy positions at Swellbox. He has also contributed as an Economics Research Assistant at Stanford University.
Highlights
The most underrated opportunity in longevity:
Understanding holistic medicine systems and recreating them for the modern West.
These systems have already figured out how to prevent and treat chronic disease, something we're still working on in the West.
They also have deeply sophisticated systems for increasing healthspan and lifespan.
We'd be well served to put our attention on them before trying to recreate the wheel.
📈 The US is facing a chronic disease epidemic. Why? We're using the wrong tool for the job.
Conventional medicine is designed to treat acute issues. If you have a broken bone, a heart attack, etc. - conventional medicine is highly effective.
Ayurveda is not the right fit for rapidly advancing cancer or a broken bone. However, it excel at treating chronic conditions. It view the body as a self-healing system. When you get a cut, it heals. So why do chronic conditions not heal? There's something in the way. There's either something you're doing that's contributing to the condition, or something in your body that's stopping healing. Usually, both. Ayurveda targets both to restore health.
Research supports Ayurveda's efficacy: One large study found that Ayurveda improved knee pain from arthritis 91% more than conventional treatments (Kessler 2018). Another study found that Ayurveda's nutritional advice helped people with irritable bowel syndrome 70% more than regular diet advice (Jeitler 2021).
We need an integrative approach that uses the strengths of both systems.
Here's a brief case study to illustrate this:
One of our clients, Jennifer, was diagnosed with microscopic colitis (inflammation in the colon) in 2003. She would have 6-8m flareups where she:
- couldn't eat most foods
- had constant diarrhea
- couldn't leave the house Different medications over 14 years couldn't stop the flareups. She finally found Jess, my cofounder and Ayurvedic doctor, during her most recent flareup. Jess worked with her to identify the root causes of her condition, and collaborated closely with her doctors to wean her off of medication. It took a strong commitment to transformation, but the symptoms began to disappear within a few months. The condition hasn't reoccured in the last 7 years.
Why was this a good case for Ayurveda? Like many chronic conditions, digestive issues are multi-causal. They involve food, lifestyle, and the state of the body. As a result, they aren't a good fit for pharmaceutical treatment. Ayurveda precisely targets all of these factors to reverse the disease. It analyzes the root causes and addresses them, step-by-step, in a personalized manner.
Unfortunately, most Ayurvedic treatment in the US is low quality. We started Radiance to bridge this gap. If you're interested in exploring Ayurvedic treatment, you can get a free initial assessment at the link below. We synthesize Ayurveda with modern science to create personalized treatment protocols.
If you have any questions or reactions, feel free to leave them below or DM to open up a conversation!
DISCLAIMER: We are not medical doctors. Ayurveda is regulated as a medical system in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Switzerland and Germany also allow Ayurvedic doctors to practice medicine after a licensure exam. However, the US has not yet recognized Ayurveda as a medical system. Be sure to make an informed decision about your own medical care.
