SuperFeast Podcast

Chiropractor Dr Aisha Ahmed joins Mason on today's show. Aisha is an incredibly well-studied and accomplished individual with 20 years of experience working across many healing modalities. Aisha has always been drawn to caring for others and began her journey in the industry at the age of 15 working alongside her father in his medical clinic. With a deep reverence for the power of hands-on adjustment and a passion for the holistic approach, along with a myriad of tools in her practitioner belt; including a Masters in Chiropractics, certifications in Jungian Psychology, Dry Needling, NeuroEmotional Technique and 10 years apprenticing with a highly regarded traditional Chinese herbalist, Aisha uses the knowledge she's gained to restore her clients capacity to feel vibrant, energised and pain-free.   In this jovial conversation, Aisha and Mason emphasise the importance of viewing the body as one unified organism comprised of many systems and explore the role of integrative care in achieving positive client outcomes. The pair passionately speak to the power of the Five Element Theory and Chinese medicine framework, highlighting the simple yet effective lifestyle approaches, that when practised with consistency, can be the difference between an individual's recovery and a life laced with pain. An inspiring and informative listen for all, especially those who want to support the longevity of their body, mind and Spirit; an endeavour which could be as simple as wearing a scarf when it's windy, and socks when it's cold... Enjoy.   Dr. Aisha & Mason discuss: - The integration of holistic modalities within the medical system and the power they hold for positive treatment outcomes.  - The marriage between chiropractics and Chinese medicine. - The potency of physical touch and body manipulation in health and healing. - The inadequacy of standard medical training in understanding the body as unified organism.  - The simple lifestyle hacks Chinese medicine uses to help people live well for longer. - Treating injury with heat instead of ice. - Cancer through the lens of Chinese medicine.   Resource List Guest  Aisha's Facebook Mentioned In This Episode  Dr Simon Morgan Chiropractor  Related Podcasts Why Chinese Medicine Is Failing Us with Rhonda Chang (EP#80)YinYang Wuxing For Inner Harmony with Rhonda Chang (EP#89)   SuperFeast Online Education Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/chiropractic-care-the-power-of-the-5-elements-with-dr-aisha-ahmed-ep-192  

Today we welcome back the poetic and exquisitely wonderful Dr. Jimi Wollumbin, one of our beloved local medicine men and regular SuperFeast podcast guests. From the first few minutes of this conversation Jimi does what Jimi does best and dissolves the armouring around our collective heart as he eloquently speaks to the harrowing yet beautifully humbling path of the healer. The wounded one within all of us, that through necessity, is given no other choice but to be a student of its lived experience.  Jimi and Mason speak of the alchemical process, of Taoist fog walking, of the medicine contained in the shadows of life, the places pregnant with transformative possibility, the tunnels we fear to enter despite knowing there is light at the end. Through this conversation we're taken on a journey that calls us to embrace the entire spectrum of our human experience, to know strife as a teacher equal in esteem to love. We're reminded of the deficit of life that light-washing leaves us in, to honour the gradient of emotion in between what is "good" and what is "bad" because after all our misery is universal, and so is our joy. We all breathe, bleed, love, despair, succeed and fail. Just as the revolution of natures seasonal wheel inevitably turns, rising and falling, growing and decaying, so too do we; rise, fall, grow and decay, and it is these very innate, very human, very necessary processes that allow us to evolve, to adapt, to renew and to regenerate. To be alive in our living. This was a very special conversation, it is my sincere wish that you draw as much solace from it as I did.    Mason & Jimi discuss: - Initiation and walking the medicine path. - Love and Strife as the Western translation of Yin and Yang. - Ego death, surrender and soul growth. - The absence of cultural lore and rights of passage in our modern systems of living, and the impact that has on our psychology at both an individual and collective level. - Using seasonal imagery to guide you through the transitional phases of life. - Adaptation as a necessary and very innate aspect of life. - Jing Essence, the reserve that fuels our capacity to transmute challenging circumstances.  - Resilience, hormetic stress and the power of integration. - Befriending your grief.    Resource guide: Dr. Jimi Wollumbin Website Dr. Jimi Wollumbin Patreon Jimi Wollumbin Instagram Dr. Jimi Wollumbin Facebook Related Podcasts: Trauma, Resilience and Natural Disaster with Dr. Jimi Wollumbin (EP#155) Microbes and Viruses - The Hidden Wonders of The Invisible World with Jimi Wollumbin (EP#58)   SuperFeast Online Education Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/the-path-of-the-wounded-healer-with-jimi-wollumbin-ep-191  

Mikaela and Bryan of Alchemystic Fungi join Mason today for an explorative conversation around the multidimensional nature of the mycelial world.  Connected through their shared passion and reverence for mother nature and her plant queendom, Mason, Mikaela and Bryan dive deep into the unifying and medicinal role fungi play on the planet, placing a spotlight on the plethora of functional applications it can have, especially as a remedy to the industrial impacts of our time.  Whether it's churning through plastic, alchemising industrial waste, feeding the forests or supplying sustainable swaps for common synthetic materials, throughout this conversation we can begin to glean hope that despite the looming doom of the climate crisis, we have a future; and that future is fungi. Mikaela and Bryan spend their days on beautiful Bundjalung Country, visioning, researching, fossicking, educating and creating in the realms of fungi. Profoundly devoted to their craft and quest, this dynamic duo are deeply rooted in nature based ethics, unified by a circular economy where nothing goes to waste and everything is fed back into the death, birth, growth cycle of the earth.  Alchemystic Fungi have big dreams and I personally cannot wait to see Mikaela and Bryan bring their visionary magic into continuous creative form. A rich and inspiring listen.    Bryan, Mikaela & Mason discuss: - Heart math and the work of Stephen Harrod Buhner.  - The Alchemysitic Fungi origin story. - The mushroom market; competition verse connection and infinite unity. - Mycelium, water filtration and environmental toxins. - Mycorrhizal associations; the symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a root system. - Fungi and atmospheric carbon. - Mycelial based materials as the future of sustainable industry.   Resource guide Guest Alchemystic Fungi Website Mentioned in this episode  Paul Staments Christopher Hobbs Stephen Harrod Buhner Relevant Podcasts Entering The Imaginal Realms with Stephen Harrod Buhner (E#88) Psilocybin Journeywork & Fungi Academy with Jasper Degenaars (EP#120) The Wild World Of Medicinal Mushrooms with Jeff Chilton (EP#37)   SuperFeast Online Education Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/alchemystic-fungi-with-bryan-mikaela-ep-190  

Tania De Jong from Mind Medicine Australia joins Mason for another inspiring and informative conversation on the topic of psychedelic assisted therapies. In the time since Tania was last on the show, the TGA, Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration, made the monumental decision to reduce the scheduling of MDMA and psilocybin, two key allies in the successful treatment of drug resistant mental health conditions. The ruling to reschedule these compounds from Schedule 9 Prohibited Substances to Schedule 8 Controlled Drugs is incredibly important for the future of psychedelic assisted therapies, and although their immediate legal application is only indicated for a narrow index of specialised cases; MDMA for drug resistant PTSD and psilocybin for drug resistant depression, it's a huge win for Australia as the front runners in the legalisation of this movement.  Tania relays what these scheduling changes mean for the future of psychedelic assisted therapies, and introduces us to The Healthy Person's Trial, an exciting new research experiment for therapists operating out of The Australian National University in Canberra. Tania shares her personal story with psychedelic assisted therapies, and the experiential journey that lead to the creation of Mind Medicine, the not for profit company she founded with her husband and business partner Peter. Tania speaks with grace and humility, eloquently educating on what's happening on the ground with this movement. A penetrating and illuminating listen for all.  Tania & Mason Discuss: - Why the TGA's decision to schedule the therapeutic application of Psilocybin and MDMA is a big deal. - The future of psychedelic assisted therapy in Australia. - CPAT, Mind Medicine's Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapies course. - The Australian National University's Healthy Person's Trial. - Connection as a key factor in healing from mental health conditions. - Tania's personal experience with psychedelic assisted therapies. - The Mind Medicine's origin story.   Resource guide Tania's WebsiteTania's TED TalkTania's MusicMind Medicine WebsiteMind Medicine Instagram Mind Medicine Facebook Mind Medicine YoutubeCreativity Australia   Mentioned in this episode  Driftwood The Musical Mind Medicine CPAT CourseTania's Heaven On Earth Album   Relevant Podcasts: Psychedelic Assisted Therapies & Mental Health with Tania de Jong (EP#124)   SuperFeast Online Education   Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/the-future-of-psychedelic-assisted-therapies-with-tania-de-jong-ep-189  

Kohta Mitamura joins Mason for a deep dive into the guiding principles of Human Design. Speaking graciously to technology's influence on the rise of individualisation, Kohta shares his insights on how the principles of Human Design can enable individuals to harness their unique genius and apply that knowledge to create communities that transcend the moralistic world views often imposed on them by birth. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of both permaculture farming and Human Design, Kohta explores the correlation between these systems and how their foundational aspects can be utilised to gain self knowledge and create harmony on both an individual and collective level. Ultimately we can understand Human Design as a self regulating open sourced profiling system, founded on a backbone of astrology, the chakra system, Kabbalah and the teachings of the I Ching. Human Design offers a mechanical understanding of the circuitry that all human consciousness is comprised of. Mason and Kohta met on a permaculture farm in the Northern Rivers many moons ago and it is a delight to have them reconnect through this heartfelt and informative conversation today.     Kohta and Mason discuss: - The foundational principles of Human Design. - The four profiling types in Human Design. - How to apply Human Design to your life. - Using Human Design to create harmony in relationships. - The relationship between Human Design and Astrology. - Individual and collective destiny through the lens of Human Design. - Materialism and belonging.   Who is Kohta Mitamura? Kohta has spent last 15 years living in farming communities in Hawaii, Australia and Japan. With a mystical yet pragmatic inclination, Kohta found the study of Permaculture and Human Design as foundational frameworks for his pursuit of holistic well being. Kohta is a new staff member at Human Design America and is developing educational materials for their creative individuals. Resource guide Guest Human Design America Relevant Podcasts Maximsing Your Human Potential with Dr Molly Maloof (EP#47)   SuperFeast Online Education   Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/your-human-design-with-kohta-mitamura-ep-188  

Today Mason explores the world of plant based nutrition and performance with crossfit legend James Newbury and ATP Science co-founder and naturopath Matt Legge. The episode opens with an introduction to Phyba, James and Matt's new plant based protein powder, leading us down into a wonderful and very nuanced rabbit hole that exposes the cutting edge thinking and technology utilised to develop it. Throughout this conversation the gents speak passionately on a vast area of topics including epigenetic's, holistic living, the importance of fresh, seasonal and local foods, how the colour green has been used to manipulate consumers in the supplement industry, the key role the alcohol and perfume industries have played in the preservation of botanicals across history, cellular adaptation and so much more! What really shines through in this episode is the deeply heartfelt and devotional energy James and Matt carry on their mission to help people feel happy and be well. A mission that is fuelled by innovation, education, razor sharp vision and joy. We go deep into the nuts and bolts of the body's metabolic pathways, exploring the microbiome and how to best utilise plant based nutrition to create vibrant long lasting health.  Within the health industry exists an incredibly dense sea of quick fixes, fads, rules, restrictions and misinformation, and it is folks like James and Matt that allow us to breathe a breath of fresh air with their grounded, well researched and factual approach. A beautiful and insightful listen for all; regardless of dietary disposition or preference.   James, Matt and Mason Discuss: - Fibre and the importance of phytonutrient rich forms in the daily diet. - The key role of epigenetic's in health and wellness. - The link between branch chain amino acids, diabetes and depression. - Plant based protein, anti-nutrients and disturbances in the microbiome. - The misinformation surrounding green foods in the supplement industry. - Global food culture and the myths around it. - The pivotal role alcohol and perfumery have played in the preservation of botanicals throughout history. - The mission beyond the product and being a custodian of a company's spirit rather than of the company itself. - Performance fatigue, lactic acid and mitochondrial biogenesis. - Using discernment when applying ancient wisdom to a modern life.   Resource guide Guests Matt WebsiteJames Instagram James Website Mentioned in this episode  Phyba WebsitePhyba Facebook Phyba InstagramPhyba Podcast Tonics for Performance & Recovery Cordy Na Na Smoothie Relevant Podcasts The Power Of Recovery with Crossfit Champion James Newbury (EP#65)Mind Body Peak Performance with James Newbury (EP#106)   Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/a-plant-based-approach-with-james-newbury-matt-legge-ep-187  

Stephanie Nosco joins Mason for another instalment of our Five Element seasonal series. Today we're exploring the Earth Element and Yi; the Spirit of the Spleen. In this insightful conversation Stephanie shares the simple lifestyle measures we can take to nourish our Earth Element and allow our Yi to express freely. The Spleen/Earth Element corresponds to the practical magic of our daily toil, when harnessed with intention and care, this is the energy that allows us to anchor our visions and materialise them into tangible form. Yi is at the centre of this manifestation process. Yi is intercepting medium between what is of the heavens (Yang) and what is of the earth (Yin). Yi enables us the ability to reduce our projects into achievable bite sized tasks, think the methodical magic of a well written to do list. In relation to the seasonal cycle, Yi and the Earth Element are connected to Late Summer, the period that follows the Yang of Spring/Summer and precedes the descent into the Yin of Autumn/Winter.  This energy is characterised by digestion; whether that be on the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual planes. Yi governs intellect and applied thinking; processes that allow us to make sense of our experience through the organisation of thoughts and feelings. Yi is heavily interconnected with the Shen (cognition and clear thinking) and Hun (higher vision/planning), when all 3 are working in harmony we are more equipped to live our lives on purpose, devoting the chop/wood carry water of our daily actions to the embodiment of our destiny, and the establishment of a legacy that will exist beyond our physical form.   Mason and Stephanie discuss: - Yi, the Spirit of the Spleen. - Moving Earth; using the Five Elements to create bonds and boundaries. - Writing a to do list as a spiritual act.  - Pacifying overwhelm with celebration. - Bringing dreams into fruition and the energy or I vs we; individuation vs unity. - Navigating the upper, middle and lower worlds with Wu Shen. - Devotion and legacy; the relationship between the Fire and Earth elements. - Using Spleen energy to bring yourself back into centre. - The diaphragm; embodying Heaven on Earth through breath. - Rumination, knotted Qi and Damp Spleen. - Consumerism and Spleen imbalances. - Lifestyle tips to consider when working to nourish the Spleen/Earth Element.   Resource Guide Guest Nosco Yoga Stephanie's Instagram Stephanie's Facebook Yin Yoga Teacher Training  Stephanie's YouTube channel   Mentioned In This Episode Mantak Chia Lorie Dechar   Relevant Podcasts Shen, The Heart Compass and Fire Element with Stephanie Nosco (EP#185) The Wu Shen and Alchemy Vs Ascension with Stephanie Nosco (EP#123) Calm Mind, Joyful Spirit: The SHEN blend with Mason and Tahnee (EP#91) How To Eat In Spleen Season with Kimberly Ashton (EP#151) Check Out The Transcript Below https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/yi-spirit-stephanie-nosco-ep-186  

"The whole point of the Shen is to be our compass on earth, not to fly back up to heaven, because the Shen will do that. But it's really, can I call the Shen down and have the Shen and it's rhythm inform my life?" Oh, heavenly Shen! The ultimate expression of true intelligence and Joy, the bridge between heaven and heart, where wisdom lives and love reigns supreme. As we sit in the balmy heat of the hottest (and last) month of Summer- the Heart Fire element, we want to take a moment to journey to the core of this season and explore its equally soulful and outward Yang expression. Guiding us through this conversation, bridging the esoteric and physical nature of the Heart Fire element so gracefully, is Medical Qigong therapist, Yin Yoga teacher, psychotherapist and 5 Element educator Stephanie Nosco. Stephanie explores the apex of expression, which is the Fire Element- when the sun is at its highest point, nature is bursting with life, and the ascending energy of excitement fills the air. Stephanie also discusses the practices, protectors and boundaries to be mindful of in Heart Fire season and why balance is essential. This conversation is a divine exploration of how we can show up shining and expressing our full potential in the Summer season without soaring too high in the excitement and losing that soul connection to self and consciousness. Mason and Stephanie discuss: -The Shen Treasure. -Meditation and Shen -The expression of Shen. -Heart resonance and Shen. -Protectors of the Heart. -Boundaries of the Heart. -Practices for Heart Fire season. -The Small Intestine and discernment. -Listening to the compass of the Heart. -How the Heart Fire Element is expressed.  -The difference between excitement and joy. -Shen and the relationship with ourselves. -Gratitude practices to nourish Heart Shen. -Speech is the centre of the Heart and the Shen. -The physical and energetic purpose of the triple burner.   Resource guide Guest: Nosco Yoga Stephanie's Instagram Stephanie's Facebook Yin Yoga Teacher Training  Stephanie's YouTube channel   SHEN blend  SHEN blend - The Incredible Benefits. (Article) Relevant Podcasts: The Wu Shen and Alchemy Vs Ascension with Stephanie Nosco (EP#123) Calm Mind, Joyful Spirit: The SHEN blend with Mason and Tahnee (EP#91)   Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/summer-with-stephanie-nosco-ep-185  

In this special interview Mason shares a deep conversation with one of his greatest inspirations in work and in life, Stephen Harrod Buhner. Stephen's work in herbalism, heart perception, plant medicine, earth poetry, Lyme's disease, bacterial intelligence and more, has reignited the journey's of many into the indescribable "imaginal" realm that plant enthusiasts, artists and adventures throughout time have known well. In this chat Stephen invites us to reach beyond the reductionistic mental approach to life that our Western culture insists upon and "trains" us for, to discover and dance with the wild non linear spaces that lay within. Mason and Stephen touch on many beautiful topics ranging from wild terrain medicine, herbal antibiotics and the effect of pharmaceuticals on the planet. Delving into the mystical and empowering realm that is driven by feeling, the place where we can start to develop a deep relationship with the planet and the plants that help us to heal. Stephen's books and work are transformational, and we cannot recommend them highly enough! Among Mason's favourites are; The Lost Language Of Plants, The Secret Teachings Of Plants, Plant Intelligence And The Imaginal Realms and Sacred And Herbal Healing Beers.    Who is Stephen Harrod Buhner ? Stephen Harrod Buhner is a interdisciplinary, independent scholar, polymath, Fellow of Schumacher College UK and head researcher for the Foundation for Gaian Studies. Stephen is an extraordinary human who, like many (if not all), cannot be summed up in a simple paragraph, to read more about the universe that is Stephen Harrod Buhner, please see his extensive bio here.   Resources: Stephen's Website Stephen's Books Stephen's Articles The Foundation For Gaian Studies

Welcome to the podcast wrap-up episode for 2022- Although the year still has a few months to go, we're taking a brief hiatus to recharge, revamp and upgrade our beloved podcast on multiple levels. It's been a stellar year of rich conversations for everyone contributing and tuning in. Mason and Tahnee continued to push and explore the edges of many topics within the realms of Taoism, tonic herbalism vitality, and sovereignty of body-mind-spirit. These episodes then give life to conversations that disperse beyond the SuperFeast community into society- this is what it's all about. Mason started the SuperFeast podcast inspired by a larger mission to turn around excessive, unnecessary degeneration and leakage of Jing in society. By creating a space for conversations that contribute to the cultivation of Jing through consistent practice and tonic herbalism, this podcast will continue in its pursuit of the ultimate expression of wisdom- Shen. Today's episode is a selection of clips from some of our most loved and varied podcasts from the past year- If time permitted, we would have included clips from all the episodes because they're all worthy. Thank you to everyone who has tuned in, written in with feedback and contributed to this podcast. Mason and Tahnee will be back in 2023 with a wave of new episodes and conversations to keep you inspired on your journey. In the meantime, you can explore the SuperFeast podcast library to revisit favourites or episodes you may have missed. For links to all episodes featured in today's podcast, scroll down, and you will find them in the Resource section below.     Resource guide  Podcast episodes featured in order from start to finish: Menopause Perimenopause and Hormone Repair with Lara briden (EP#154) Sexual Activation and Feminine Embodiment with Eva Williams (EP#144) The Birthing Of Our Son with Tahnee and Mason (EP#163) The Privilege of Wellness with Acupuncturist Russell Brown(EP#146) Herbalism: The Peoples Medicine with Erin Lovell Verinder (EP#141) The Body Electric and Chinese Medicine with Dr. Daniel Keown (EP#150) Connecting to Country and Community with Ella Noah Bancroft (#EP164) Trauma, Resilience and Natural Disaster with Dr. Jimi Wollumbin (EP#155) Deconstructing The Beauty Industry with Jessica DeFino (EP#152) Adrenal Fatigue and Repair with Sage and Dan (EP#170) How To Eat In Spleen Season with Kimberly Ashton (EP#151) Stop Taking Vitamin C, D and Iron with Dan Sipple (EP#158) The Spirit and Energy of Liver Wood with Stephanie Nosco (EP#180) Daoist Herbs and Practices For Sexual Vigour with Mason (EP#160) Stop Taking Vitamin C, D and Iron with Dan Sipple (EP#158) The Six Thieves of Taoism with Mason Taylor (EP#175)   Mentioned in this podcast Is It PCOS or Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (Undereating)? Cure Your Fatigue Morley Robbins Check Out The Transcript Below:  https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/final-podcast-wrap-up-ep-184  

Today on the podcast, Mason is joined by Osteopath and long-time friend Cole Clayton. Cole is a unique and brilliant osteopath with a specialised interest in breathing and paediatric cranio-facial growth. He is also the creator of Baseline Breathing- an education programme for those wanting to journey into understanding the practical application of breathing physiology and breathing techniques. As someone who grew up suffering from undiagnosed sleep-disordered breathing, Cole is passionate about helping kids with the inextricably linked sleep/breath/behavioural problems realise their innate intelligence through breathing and airway early intervention. This conversation provides a fascinating insight into child development issues of the face, tongue, and airways that translate into sleep and breathing issues. If you're a mouth breather or want to understand what's at play on a deeper level underneath the inability to breathe through the nose (with ease)- I highly recommend tuning in to this episode. Cole also shares why he deeply aligns with cranial osteopathy. A philosophy of osteopathy that works with embryological growth forces, and honours the body's inherent wisdom and self-healing capacity. Scroll down to explore the fascinating topics discussed in this episode, and check out the resources at the bottom of the page for links to Cole's course and all specifics mentioned in this episode.     Cole and Mason discuss: -Pneumopedics. -Jaw pain and hearing. -Cranio-facial osteopathy. -The blocked nose epidemic.  -Embryology and osteopathy. -Mitochondrial DNA damage. -How sleep impacts behaviour. -How Cole works with the body. -How our breath affects everything. -Skull and airway underdevelopment. -Cole's baseline breathing programme. -Child development, sleep and breathing. -Conception, birth and growth development. -Honouring the body's ability to heal itself.    Resource guide Guest: Cole's website Bay Osteopathy Dr. Levis Clinic Baseline Breathing Course Mentioned in this episode: The Uncharted Body- Book by Dr. Daniel Keown Breathe- The New Science Of a Lost Art (book by James Nestor)  Tonics for Spring: MSM Schisandra I AM GAIA BEAUTY BLEND Deer Antler Velvet   Relevant Podcasts:  Transcending The God Matrix with George Kavassilas (EP#119) The Cosmic Adventure of Life- George Kavassilas on The Mason Taylor Show Health In a Technologically Connected World- Jason Bawden-Smith on The Mason Taylor Show   Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/cole-clayton-ep-183  

Velan Cadden is a movement devotee and has taught in the field of human transformation for nearly two decades. Through his work, he explores the limits, edges, and boundaries of the human experience. The opportunity to listen to Velan speak about quality and presence in practice and the ever-evolving dialogue between the feminine, masculine, and the cycles of nature is an opportunity to expand the soul. In dialogue with Mason, Velan joins us on the podcast delivering potent truths that encourage us to observe our relationships with ourselves, those we walk this life with and above all, Mother Nature, the elements and indigenous wisdom. Velan speaks to the themes of regenerative culture, the reciprocity of energy, honouring natural cycles, and the renewing effects on all of society when women step outside the patriarchal system and have space to stop and be in ceremony when they bleed. This is an inspiring conversation encouraging those who listen to ponder- How do we as individuals and a collective turn towards that which feels uncomfortable? In a society that offers us every reason not to, how do we turn towards ourselves, observe and sit with our actions?   Velan and Mason discuss: -Sincere dialogue. -How to shift culture. -Regenerative culture. -The essence of the altar. -The seasons of a woman's cycle. -What a woman's cycle activates in men. -Transformation through consistent practice. -Healthy systems need reciprocal dialogue. -Our relationship with nature and the elements. -Turning towards ourselves; transforming the uncomfortable. -How men can engage with the rhythms of a woman's cycle. -Business system structures that don't align with a woman's cycle. -How do we renovate and renew cycles within our relationships? -Going beyond the habitual movement of practice into the quality of presence.   Resource guide Guest  Velan's Instagram Art Of Relating Course with Adya and Velan  One Movement Embodiment School  Carmen  Vicente - School of Secrets Mentioned in the episode Carmen  Vicente - School of Secrets  Tonics for Spring:  MSM Schisandra I AM GAIA BEAUTY BLEND Deer Antler Velvet     Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/ep-182-velan  

Today's podcast guest Marcus Pearce is passionately devoted to helping others live fully charged lives with optimised effectiveness. A wellness coach, mentor, podcaster (100 Not Out podcast) and author of Your Exceptional Life- Marcus's work is ultimately about leaving a legacy of impact through inspiring others to their lives with complete activation and purpose.  In conversation with Mason, Marcus shares his potent wisdom cultivated from years of experience as a wellness coach and interviewing people about the secrets to ageing well and with grace in body-mind-soul. A big takeaway from this episode is that fulfilling one's destiny and moving towards longevity is not about doing exceptionally well in one or a few areas of our lives. It is an ever-evolving journey that requires us to nurture and apply diligence to every facet of our lives- no matter how banal or medial it may seem. Marcus speaks to the ten facets of life, which he has found through years of experience to be the definitive areas for ultimate soul fulfilment and living an inspired life with no regrets. Marcus breaksdown simple tools and insights for staying on path and in the flow of our destiny, as well as the outcomes and signs that present themselves when one id not living exceptionally.     Marcus and Mason discuss: -Aligning with destiny. -Progress over perfection. -The main tenants of longevity. -Why inspiration is magnetising. -Moving away from 'labels' towards freedom. -Keep it simple; complexity is the enemy of progress. -Cultivating willingness and strength in all areas of life. -Daily practices that guarantee harmony and fulfilment. -How to avoid regret and live a live of fulfilment and harmony. -How 30 minutes of daily exercise decreases chances of dementia. -The compound effect of having high standards in each area of life.   Resource guide Guest  Marcus Pearce website 100 Not Out Podcast Marcus Pearce Instagram Your Exceptional Life by Marcus Pearce Create Your Exceptional Life - Byron Bay 2022 Mentioned in this episode  Healthy at 100- book by John Robbins. Tonics for Spring: MSM Schisandra I AM GAIA BEAUTY BLEND Deer Antler Velvet   Relevant Podcasts: Personal Transformation and Purpose with Nick Perry (EP#153)   Check Out The Transcript Below: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/marcus-pearce-ep-181  

Today Stephanie expands this journey, taking us more specifically into the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the Liver Wood season- the visionary spirit of Hun and the onward and upward energy of the Liver Organ System and Wood Element. These seasonal podcasts are a beautiful way to connect with our internal landscape and observe nature and the energetics of each Element as we move through them. Stephanie discusses the underlying theme of Liver Wood season being one of renewal and envisioning; An upward growth in the direction of our Tao and informed by the Spirit of Hun. Stephanie speaks to the importance of the dream world and allowing space for dreaming during this season, as it is the Hun soul that guides and communicates our dreaming into reality. Stephanie provides medical Qigong practices for Liver stagnation and when the Wood Element is out of balance, as well as cleansing and purging practices that support our physical and energy bodies.  Stephanie and Mason discuss: -Pause pratice. -Dream work. -Liver stagnation. -The spirit of Hun. -The Hun and dreaming. -Qigong practices for Spring. -The spirit of Hun and the Liver. -The emotion of aggression and the Liver. -Cleansing practises for Liver Wood season. -Healing sounds for purging the energy body. -How to support the Liver on a physical level. -Movement practices to shift Liver stagnation. -Spring is the season for planning and visioning. -Creating consistency in our movement practices   Resource guide Guest: Nosco Yoga Stephanie's Instagram Stephanie's Facebook Yin Yoga Teacher Training  Stephanie's YouTube channel Mentioned in this episode:  Shaking Qigong Shaolin Qigong Tendon changing classics Qigong Standing Meditation guided by a Taoist master Tonics for Spring Liver Wood: MSM Schisandra I AM GAIA BEAUTY BLEND Deer Antler Velvet   Relevant Podcasts: The Wu Shen and Alchemy Vs Ascension with Stephanie Nosco (EP#123) The Importance of Sleep For Healthy Hun and Qi with Jost Sauer (EP#102)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/ep-180-stephanie-nosco-liver-wood-pod  

Marc Cohen is a doctor that focuses on prevention and keeping people well. A registered medical doctor with a PhD in TCM, Dr Marc has been practising and paving the way for progressive integrative medicine for over three decades. A professor, researcher and contributor to the fields of nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, detoxification, bathing, water quality, saunas, hot springs, and elite athletic performance- he is a true gift to the wellness industry. Today Dr Marc joins Mason on the podcast to discuss the Yin and Yang of hot and cold therapy. This conversation moves away from the surface elements of how the hot/cold therapy industry is usually marketed- to the depths of what the Finnish call- 'loyly'- a word that describes the steam that is produced when adding water to the hot sauna rocks but translates to 'Spirit of Life'. Dr Marc talks about the many health benefits of hot and cold therapy with specific techniques for improving your circulation and overall organ function. He discusses how controlling the breath is essential to any hot/cold exposure experience, his go-to hot and cold therapy hacks that anyone can try at home, and the common sense safety protocols he recommends. Like many conversations we air on the podcast, the golden thread that runs through this conversation is finding that sweet spot where the Yin and Yang are balancing. Dr Marc explains the importance of balancing hot and cold therapy with equal amounts of deep relaxation and how, when following this method, we find the sweet bliss point of homeostasis. This conversation will ignite (or reignite) inspiration for hot/cold exposure and maintaining the Yin and the Yang in all facets of life. Marc and Mason discuss: -Saunas. -Ice baths. -Hot springs. -Hot therapy. -Cold therapy. -Thermodynamics. -Heated hammocks  -Forced mindfulness. -The key to cold immersion. -The Yin and Yang of hot/cold therapy. -Getting comfortable in the uncomfortable. -The health benefits of hot and cold therapy -Finding the blissful midpoint of homeostasis. -The benefits of sauna for people with heart disease. -Hacks to put your body into parasympathetic mode.   Resource guide Guest  Dr. Marc'S Website Dr. Marc Extreme Wellness Mentioned in this episode  Wim Hoff Extremely Alive Tonics Maruia Hot Springs NZ  Relevant Podcasts: Healing Heat: Infarerd Saunas (EP#84)    Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/dr-marc-cohen-ep-179  

The season of Spring-Liver-Wood is a time of release and replenishment- it is the optimal season for cleansing (particularly the Liver Gallbladder organ system) and eliminating the accumulation of toxicities we've allowed to edge their way into our lives.  Today Mason chats with best-selling author and renowned expert on Chinese medicine/philosophy and Taoist longevity- Daniel Reid, about Taoist protocols for the prevention and treatment of toxic buildup and why he considers stress to be the most dangerous toxin for our health. The idea of detoxing for many feels like such a complex daunting task- that unless we outsource to be led by an expert or attend a retreat, it rarely (if ever) happens. However, as Daniel explains in today's episode, detoxing can be tailored to the needs of your lifestyle, and the ancient Taoists had many simple protocols for treating and eliminating toxins from the body daily.  Daniel speaks to the dangers of high-stress lifestyles, the body's ability to automatically 'self cleanse' when in the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and relax mode), and why the organs of elimination can't function when in a state of 'fight or flight'-which for many people this is a constant state. Daniel explains the best breathwork practices for cleaning out the accumulation of toxicity and practices to help support emotions and toxic thoughts that need to be released when cleansing.   Daniel and Mason: -Colonic irrigation. -Fasting protocols. -Intermittent fasting. -Herbs for detoxing. -Environmental toxins. -The art of Chinese Tea. -Qi Gong for toxin elimination. -Toxic emotions stored in the organs. -Breathing exercizes to alkalise the body. -Taoist herbal formulas to eliminate toxins. -How to get the body into an Alkaline state. -Breathing- learn how to use your diaphragm. -How to treat the buildup of toxins within the body. -Supporting the emotions that arise when cleansing. -Combatting 5G and wifi through the parasympathetic nervous system.   Resource guide  Dan Reid website The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity - Daniel Reid Shots From the Hip. Sex, Drugs, and The Tao - Daniel Reid Memoir Energy, Light, and Luminous Space - Daniel Reid Memoir  Mentioned in this episode  Otto Warburg Oolong Tea.org Eden Organics Idf#1 Eden Organics Idf#2 The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea - Daniel Reid The Tao of Detox: The Secrets of Yang-Sheng Dao by Daniel Reid  Tonics for Spring / Liver Wood: MSM Schisandra I AM GAIA BEAUTY BLEND Deer Antler Velvet     Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/dan-reid-ep-178-detox  

Today, in conversation with Sophia, Mason speaks to the subject of brain health, touching on the western perspective and expanding into the more holistic and conceptual Taoist lens- a perspective more geared towards long-term brain health.  The modern mind certainly has to work for its peace and solitude. Pervasive technology, busy schedules, high-stress lifestyles and poor sleep habits put the average brain under substantial pressure. Which poses the question- What are you doing to protect and cultivate the health of your brain long-term? What are your desires and intentions for long-term brain health?  In this episode, you will learn about nootropic herbs for brain health, how SuperFeast's potent neural nectar blend protects and upgrades mental acuity and why brain health is ultimately a result of full-body harmony and healthy flowing Qi through the organ systems.   Mason and Sophia discuss: -The Dantiens. -The Three Brains. -What is a nootropic? -The blood brain barrier. -The six extraordinary organs. -The function of The Sea of Marrow. -What's your brain health intention? -The Brain and the Kidney connection.  -The best herbs for long-term brain health. -The SuperFeast Brain Bundle-how to use it. -How Jing herbs improve brain health and Intelligence. -Neural Nectar contraindications and considerations.  -Mason's personal story behind creating the Neural Nectar blend. -Why the QI Blend and Neural Nectar Blend work so well together.   Resource guide  Sophia's Instagram Mason's Instagram SuperFeast Instagram  Mentioned in this episode  Heartmath Institute Brain Tonics: QI Blend JING Blend Lion's Mane Neural Nectar  Brain Gains Bundle Relevant Articles:  Nootropics- What Are They? (article) Neural Nectar and Its Incredible Nootropic Benefits (article)  The Taoist Brains: Who Are The Tao & What Is Their Philosophy? Relevant Podcasts: Brain Optimisation and Neurodegeneration with Jo Grabyn (EP#09) Superior Di Dao Sourcing From China with Mason Taylor (EP#162)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/ep-177-brain-podcast-mason-in-conversation-with-sophia  

Sleep- a naturally recurring altered state of consciousness in which all our vital systems get restored, and our psyche unfurls. The timing of our sleep depends on hormonal signals from the circadian clock- the circadian clock synchronises with solar time (light). Naturally, when our circadian clock shifts out of rhythm-sleep quality and overall vitality will be affected. However, as we will learn in today's episode with Australia's leading sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo- it is also the psychology and somatics of sleep that cradle sleep issues and disorders into existence. The subject of sleep from the Tao is something that weaves its way into many conversations on the podcast- last year Mason recorded a brilliant episode with Qi practitioner Jost Sauer, The Importance of Sleep For Healthy Hun and Qi. Today, sleep expert Olivia Arezzolo moves beyond the top-line sleep supports (no blue light/devices before bed, magnesium, diet, dark room, routine etc.) to the deeper elements at play causing havoc with people's rest. We're talking about the stories and beliefs that exist around sleep- "I'm a light sleeper", "I've always been a bad sleeper", "I've just got too much on at the moment", "I can't sleep because I'm stressed".  Olivia's repertoire of studies is one of the things that make her approach to guiding people to better sleep so successful. With studies in psychology, sleep psychology, personal development, nutrition, and fitness- her guidance to better sleep is a symbiotic combination of all these elements. Her coaching and programmes provide people with a step-by-step guide to long-term healthy sleep practices that work. Within Olivia's work, there is a distinct consideration for the Yin and the Yang- an integration of practical sleep support tools and the assertion of more complex psychological factors that sabotage sleep.  Olivia discusses the three chronotypes of sleep that most people fit into, which she has also written a book about (Bear, Lion, Wolf). Olivia explains how the chronotypes reflect one's inherent circadian rhythm preference, and through knowing our 'Sleep type'- the path to better sound sleep will become one of less resistance. Tune in, and scroll down for lots of beautiful resources Olivia offers on her website, including the chronotype quiz- where you can discover and learn more about your sleep type.   In this episode Olivia and Mason discuss: -Sleep anxiety. -Sleep saboteurs. -Sleep psychology. -Sleep chronotypes. -Sleep support tools. -Why sleep guidance/coaching? -Personal development for sleep. -Embracing the Yin for better sleep. -Being fluid within our sleep structure. -Basic (fundamental) supporters of sleep. -Living in alignment with the Dao for sound sleep. -Sleep strategies that are accessible for everyone. -How lack of sleep affects our hormones and health. -CBTI therapy (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia) Resource guide Olivia's website  Chronotype quiz Olivia's Sleep Kit Olivia's Instagram Bear, Lion or Wolf- Book email: enquiries@oliviaarezzolo.com.au   Tonics: Reishi Ashwagandha Ashwagandha capsules Sweet Dreams Bundle  Relevant Articles:  Sleep: Our Top10 Tips (article) Sleepy Ashwagandha Milk (recipe) The Amazing Benefits of Adaptogen Ashwagandha Relevant Podcasts: Reishi, Mushroom of Immortality with Dan Sipple (EP#08) The Importance of Sleep For Healthy Hun and Qi with Jost Sauer (EP#102)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/ep-176-sleep-podcast-with-olivia-arezzolo  

On the podcast today, we travel beyond the system of tonic herbalism through the gateway of philosophy to explore the revered wisdom teachings that underpin Taoism: A nature-based way of living that ultimately seeks to cultivate harmony within the mind and body. Many people desire a sense of harmony to be resolved within their life and restored within themselves. But how do we bring ourselves back to centre when the Ying and The Yang are out of balance? Today, Mason delves into the Taoist teachings of The Six Thieves (the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), The Seven emotions, Seven Injuries, and Ten Weaknesses; Teachings laid out by the Immortals to support the intention of harmony and guide us out of excessiveness. Mason discusses the beautiful anchorage of a foundational Yin/Yang lifestyle, when cravings and desires lead to excess, how a healthy flowing liver and strong heart will keep us out of excessiveness, and why women and men are most centred when following the rhythms of the moon and Qi cycles.   Mason discusses: -What are The Six Thieves? -The Seven Emotions and Injuries. -What are The Ten Weaknesses? -How the Six Thieves steal our Jing/Qi/Shen. -Why the 24 hour Qi cycle is essential for men. -The Yin Yang foundation of a woman's moon cycle. -Why we thrive with a Yin/Yang foundational lifestyle. -Moving from cravings/desires to intention/perception. -The relationships between the seven emotions seven injuries.   Resource guide Mason's Instagram SuperFeast Instagram  Cultivating Stillness book- Eva Wong Qi Health Cycle poster - Jost Sauer Beauty Tonics: Tremella QI BLEND Schisandra BEAUTY BLEND I AM GAIA BLEND. Radiant Skin Bundle Relevant Articles:  The Three Treasures (Jing, Qi and Shen) The Taoist Brains: Who Are The Tao and What Is There Philosophy? Relevant Podcasts: Yin Yang Wuxing For Inner Harmony with Rhonda Chang (EP#89) The Wu Shen and Alchemy Vs Ascension with Stephanie Nosco (EP#123)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/excessiveness-and-the-six-thieves  

"This is probably the first time we've talked about the San Jiao meridian- the invisible Yang Organ System. The San Jiao is responsible for the transportation of fluids through the body. It's responsible for the functional relationship between various Organs involved with fluid metabolism and metabolism in general. It's between the Lungs, Spleen, Kidneys, Small Intestine, and Bladder, and it's paired with the pericardium. It helps the body transport lymphatic fluid and prevents toxic build up". - Mason Taylor    Today on the podcast, we're taking a moment to observe and acknowledge the ancient healing tradition of Gua Sha. A healing technique that spans ages and cultures, bridging the gap between the practitioner's office and the home through direct engagement with the physicality of our bodies. Mason runs through the specific techniques and details of using the SuperFeast Bian stone Yin/Yang Gua Sha tools- how to engage, use them safely and feel connected to this ancient wisdom and ancient lore. Mason explains the function of eliminating internal heat and stagnation through the gentle scraping of the Gua Sha tool, supporting and assisting the movement of lymphatic fluids through the San Jiao meridian system. The Gua Sha tool offers profound benefits when incorporated into a daily facial-beauty routine, offering lasting radiance and buoyancy to the skin. But it is far more than just an elegant beauty tool for the face- it is a safe and gentle way of moving Qi around the body and preventing disease in our daily lives.   "The San Jiao meridian is the regulatory capacity for the body to move between the lower dantian, the middle dantian, the upper dantian, and the three burners-the three centres. And when they're in sync, you're connecting the Three Treasures, the Jing, the Qi, and the Shen. Everything's being regulated, harmonised, and connected, and the waters are moving on".  - Mason Taylor   Mason discusses: -Facial Gua Sha for detox. -Why Bian Stone for Gua Sha? -Chi Nei Tsang organ massage. -Immune function and Gua Sha. -How long do we use Gua sha for? -Gua Sha and the lymphatic sytem. -Gua Sha and the meridian systems. -San Jiao- the invisible Yang organ system. -How to use SuperFeasts Yin Yang Gua Sha tools. -The distinction between facial Gua Sha and body Gua Sha.  -Gua Sha and the distribution of Qi through the Gallbladder. -Why the San Jiao meridian system is essential for detoxification. -Stagnation-an indication of disease and disharmony within organ systems.   Resource guide Guest  Mason's Instagram SuperFeast Instagram    Mentioned in this episode  Movement Monk SuperFeast Gua Sha Bundle SuperFeast Yin Gua Sha Tool SuperFeast Yang Gua Sha Tool Chi Nei Tsang massage (Mantak Chia)    Beauty Tonics Tremella QI BLEND Schisandra BEAUTY BLEND I AM GAIA BLEND. Radiant Skin Bundle Relevant Articles:  Schisandra and Detox Go Hand in Hand Detoxification Guide -  A look At The Body's Detox channels Relevant Podcasts: Healing Heat: Infared Saunas with Sebastian Mierau (EP#84)   Check Out The Transcript Here:  

Today on the podcast, we're talking about Beauty-in particular, beauty as it is understood and pursued through the Taoist lens. The Taoist embodiment of beauty could simply be summed up through the understanding that internal harmony is the key to external radiant beauty, and the preservation of youth. As within, so without. Our radiance- the quality of our skin, hair, eyes, nails, and how we hold ourselves physically, is an insightful indicator of our internal organ health.  But what are the elements of this internal harmony that deliver sparkly eyes, healthy skin, glowing Shen, animated Qi, and well cultivated Jing? In conversation with Sophia, Mason discusses the ancient practices, tonic herbs, and Taoist wisdom available to us in our pursuit of beauty through the many seasons of life. Rather than forming an unhealthy, unrealistic, obsessive relationship with beauty- this ancient ark of knowledge passed down from the Taoist immortals will keep us in an embodied, balanced, holistic pursuit of beauty- one that supports the cultivation of us evolving into graceful, wise, Shen-filled elders. Mason also goes through the beauty-focused, single tonic herbs and tonic blends within the SuperFeast range- explaining why we love to use them and how they deliver external radiant beauty; from within. This conversation is a beautiful Yin/Yang dialogue between Sophia and Mason, with many pearls of beauty-wisdom, both practical and esoteric. Make sure you scroll down to see the many topics discussed in this episode.     "As we go along, we need this barometer to ensure the body is being preserved enough. Do we have enough juice, enough sexual juices- enough Yin essence to ensure we can go through these graduation cycles and evolve into truly beautiful elders"? - Mason Taylor   Mason and Sophia discuss:  - Ageless beauty. - Blood and beauty - Spleen and beauty. - Fertility and beauty. - Shen is radiant beauty. - Preservation of Yin Jing. - Schisandra for hair health.  - Beauty and Shen development. - Herbs that regulate the Liver system. - The preservation of health as beauty. - Signs that your youth/health is deteriorating. - Lung function, Qi cultivation and beautiful skin. - Chi Nei Tsang for healthy organs and radiant beauty. - SuperFeast herbs that support the embodiment of beauty.  - Why the Liver health is a critical key to embodying beauty.    Resource guide Guest: Mason's Instagram SuperFeast Instagram  Jost Sauer Organ Wheel poster Stephen Harrod Buhner Books Beauty Tonics: Tremella QI BLEND Schisandra BEAUTY BLEND I AM GAIA BLEND. Radiant Skin Bundle Relevant Articles:  Schisandra And Detox Go Hand In Hand BEAUTY BLEND: It's Amazing Health Benefits The Incredible Health Benefits Of Tremella Mushroom Relevant Podcasts: The Ancient Daoist Beauty Tonics with Mason Taylor (EP#29)  Deconstructing The Beauty Industry with Jessica DeFino (EP#152) Natural Beauty; Holistic Self Care and Dental Care with Nadine Artemis (EP#101)     Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/beauty-taoism-mason-ep-173  

As we enter the last month of Winter here in the Southern Hemisphere, it's very tempting to daydream about the sweet Spring air and warmer weather that awaits us. However, as we will learn in today's Winter podcast, this last month of Winter is critical to how we show up in Spring, Summer, and beyond. So as much as you can- REST, sleep, nurture and nourish yourself in these last days before spring arrives... Reflection, restoration, rest- through these Winter practices, we are able to access the wisdom of the Kidneys and the cultivation of Jing that will sustain us through Spring, the peak of Summer, and beyond. Today on the podcast, Tahnee and Mason share the practices, Kidney herbs, and Taoist wisdom of Winter/ Water time in a way that calls us to reflect and ask ourselves- Are we getting enough rest? If we observe the health of the collective during our current Winter season, the answer points to no. Tahnee dives deep into the energy of the Kidneys- explaining why rest/sleep in these cooler water cultivating months is critical to our vitality in every season.  Mason speaks to the Kidneys relationship with fear- when it's useful- when it's destructive, and how when we surrender to the stillness and darkness this season grants us, there is an opportunity for profound transformation- spiritually-mentally-physically.  This conversation comes at a most significant time, bringing up the much broader and ubiquitous question of sustainability. How sustainable are the lifestyles we live- and at what cost do they come to our health?   "I'm sleeping until seven most mornings, and I'm really feeling this deep nourishment from sleep at the moment. Obviously, we have a business and children, so naturally, we still end up burning the candle. But how many of us push through winter not getting that hibernation time, that deep rest of restoration in the Qi and the Organs? Then we get sick, and then we're suddenly crook all the time. It's like this because- as a culture, we keep the momentum going all year round. We don't have this time of acknowledging and making sacred the rest and the sleep that we require".    -Tahnee Taylor   Mason and Tahnee discuss: -Qi Gong -Jing energy -Qi cultivation -The organ wheel -Fear and the Kidneys. -Yin Yang Kidney herbs. -Why we need rest in Winter. -Herbs and foods for Winter. -Transforming fear into wisdom. -The Heart and Kidney meridians. -The esoteric nature of the Kidneys. -Balancing our Yin and Yang energy. -The Water element and the Kidneys. -Why we need sleep to cultivate Jing. -Why we protect ourselves against the cold. -Practices and meditations to support us through Winter. -What the menstrual flow says about our Jing/Kidney essence.   Resource guide Tahnee's website  Tahnee's Instagram Mason's Instagram SuperFeast Instagram  Jost Sauer Qi cycle poster Yoga Nidra: Divine Sleep Yoga Nidra The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine- a new translation of the Neijing.  Tonics: JING blend  Cordyceps Deer Antler Eucommia Bark Three Treasures bundle Relevant Articles:  Jing: What Is It? How To Cultivate It.  Adrenals and Kidney Health- Breathing and Movement. Relevant Podcasts: Adrenal Fatigue and Reapir with Dan and Sage (EP#170)  Water Element and Winter Food Therapy with Kimberly Ashton (EP#168) The Importance Of Sleep For Healthy Hun and Qi with Jost Sauer (EP#102)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/winter-rest-tahnee-mason-ep-172  

Today is the first of many podcasts to come, where we take a monograph-style deep dive into herbs and blends within the SuperFeast apothecary. Being 30 days of JING- and being our star foundation blend, it felt fitting to start with the JING blend.  In dialogue with Sophia- a long-time SuperFeast team member, stellar human being, and herb educator, Mason discusses the process of developing the JING blend, its beautiful balance of Yin/Yang herbs, and why it's an essential foundational blend for most people. We use the term foundational because the JING blend specifically focuses on servicing blood, core energy, libido, bones, marrow, longevity, brain capacity, youthfulness, buoyancy, and general hormonal regulation. In short, it's the blend to go to when you start to feel exhaustion and fatigue settling within your system. In this episode, Mason talks in depth about Jing essence- the driving force, resilience, and momentum that allows us to meet life with optimal capacity and stay grounded through the most challenging and animated times. As with everything we do at SuperFeast, the intention of evolving towards elderhood with grace and ease is bound to our Jing essence- our ability to cultivate, store and use it wisely. Mason goes through the individual herbs within the JING blend detailing their herbal actions, why he incorporated them in the blend, and the organ systems they tonify and work through. It's one thing to take a herb/blend and see results as they permeate through the body- but to understand the herbal actions and grasp how they work within your system- while feeling that action and seeing results takes healing to another level. Mason also weaves in a few of the mystical lore-based Classical Chinese Medicine stories behind some of the individual herbs, taking us back to the magical roots of this revered ancient herbal system.   Mason and Sophia discuss: -Jing, Qi and Shen. -Jing and Lung function. -Jing and Spleen function. -Jing and Kidney function -Prenatal and postnatal Jing. -Herbal actions of the JING blend. -Signs of Jing depletion within the body.  -Why JING blend is great for menopause. -How JING blend stops premature ageing. -When to incorporate JING blend into your life. -JING testimonials that have transformed lives. -How the JING blend services the Kidneys and Lungs. -Sourcing regions and Di Dao for each of the herbs in JING blend. -JING blend; a great grounding-introductory product to the SuperFeast range.   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/jing-with-mason-ep-172  

Are you living a life of excess? Do you feel like your battery pack is running on empty; and in constant need of a recharge? It may be time to check in with your Adrenal Glands (aka. Adrenals) and see how they're holding up.  We're just over halfway through 30 days of JING- the month where we give our Adrenals and Kidneys the nourishment and recharge they deserve. Today on the podcast, we're bringing one of favourite recordings out of the SuperFeast catalogue to keep you inspired and aligned for the remaining weeks of 30 Days of Jing and beyond. Mason, naturopath Dan Sipple, and herbalist Sage Dammers go deep in delivering vital knowledge on Adrenal health, Adrenal fatigue, and why these relatively tiny glands that are the powerhouse of the endocrine system play such a critical role in our day-to-day function. Each of them bringing their own unique wisdom and expertise to the conversation, Mason, Dan, and Sage lay out the foundations of Adrenal health, how they function, their role within the endocrine system, how they become fatigued, and the chronic illness that can set in when the symptoms of fatigue get ignored. A massive part of this conversation is dedicated to herbs/supplements that support Adrenal gland function, how gut health supports our Endocrine system and how to revitalise the Adrenals and get them back functioning optimally after fatigue.     Dan, Sage and Mason discuss: -Adrenal Fatigue. -Addison's disease. -The Endocrine System. -The role of the Adrenals. -Inflammation leaks Jing. -Mitochondrial dysfunction. -Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue. -Adaptogens for Adrenal Fatigue. -How trauma affects the Adrenals.  -Neurofeedback sessions for trauma -The emotion of fear and the Kidneys. -Chronic stress and cortisol secretion. -Herbs and Supplements for Adrenal Fatigue. -How gut health affects the Endocrine System. -Hormone production and the Endocrine System.   Foods For Adrenal Fatigue Root vegetables,  clean starches, good quality sea salt, sweet potatoes,  your taros, quinoa, buckwheat, black rice, black olives, black sesame seeds and oil, tamari or soya sauce, miso, capers, sea vegetables, jujube dates, blackberries, black beans, kidney beans, black tahini, mushrooms, seaweeds, dark kale.   Herbs that Support Adrenal Health: JING blend QI blend SHEN blend Cordyceps Deer Antler Ashwaghanda Eucommia Bark Schisandra   Who is Dan Sipple?  Dan Sipple also known as The Functional Naturopath is based on the south coast of NSW and has a special interest in gut health, immune dysfunction, pro-metabolic health, mineral rebalancing & hormones.  Dan has been in the health and wellness arena for over a decade and blends traditional herbal medicine systems and knowledge with cutting-edge functional and integrative testing to best facilitate a patient's journey to peak wellness. Who is Sage Dammers? Fuelled by a passionate desire to help people live the ultimate life and create a better world, Sage studied raw and superfood nutrition and traditional herbal systems, especially Taoist tonic herbalism. He has worked with and trained under the world's leading master herbalists and nutrition and longevity experts in Costa Rica, Australia, Bali, China, and America. Sage has developed products internationally and given lectures on peak performance nutrition in Australia, Bali, America, and France. His years of experience in this unique arena have allowed him to cultivate an unparalleled combination of cutting edge nutritional and culinary expertise. Sage has started tonic elixir bars in 5 star luxury hotels in Paris and Sydney serving longevity elixirs disguised as gourmet treats, introducing the novel concept of healthy indulgences to the market of world travellers. Resource guide Dan Website Dan Instagram Sage's website Sage's Instagram Mantak Chia Clearlight Infrared Saunas Benny Fergusson- The movement monk   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/adrenal-fatigue-ep-170  

Here at SuperFeast, we take great pride in the quality of our superior tonic herbs and medicinal mushrooms. We follow Di Dao philosophy and do our best to empower and educate you, our community on this ancient form of Chinese medicine sourcing that delivers the highest quality herbs and mushrooms imbued with integrity and powerful healing properties. New to SuperFeast or not, chances are at some point on your tonic herbal journey to health sovereignty you have wondered one or some of the following questions: -Which blend/formula is best for me? -What is the intention of each formula? -How many single herbs can i take at one time? -How many SuperFeast blends can i take at once? -Which bundle should I get at this point in my health journey?  In today's podcast episode Mason brings clarity to all these questions as well as breaking down the combining of herbs in tonic herbalism and the usage of single herbs within the context of Taoist tonic herbalism so you can feel empowered when integrating SuperFeast single herbs into your lifestyle and diet. Mason brings in some contextualisation around the different grades and classifications of tonic herbs, why SuperFeast chooses to use the safe superior tonic herbs (and not any major dangerous herbs), and the difference between taking practitioner level single herbs and classical/traditional Chinese medical system single herbs. There is a big difference, and both have their place.  There is a place for advanced clinical herbalist specialisation to treat specific symptomology and advanced disease states, and there is a place for individuals having their own decentralised tonic herbal engagement underpinned by an intention of proactive, sovereign, glowing health. Plants and herbs are for the people and tonic herbalism is there for all of us to engage with on different levels. Mason dives deep into the intentions behind each SuperFeast bundle as well as explaining the layered nuance when creating tonic herbal formulas that are both good for the general population and support a specific system within the body.    Mason discusses: -Combining herbs. -Herbal formulations. -Taking single herbs. -Advanced herbalism. -How to take the herbs. -Formulation in tonic herbalism. -What are superior tonic herbs? -Major, minor and supportive herbs. -Biophilia activations with single herbs. -The combining of herbs in tonic herbalism. -The classification and safety rating of herbs. -The purpose and intent of each SuperFeast bundle. -The distinction between clinical and tonic herbalism. Resource guide Guest: Mason's Instagram SuperFeast Instagram Tonics: SuperFeast Blends  SuperFeast Bundles SuperFeast Tonic Herbs Relevant Articles:  Tonic Herbs, What Are They? Everything You Need To Know. Medicinal Mushrooms: The 8 Most Powerful and Potent Mushrooms Relevant Podcasts: Yin Yang Wuxing For Inner Harmony with Rhonda Chang (EP#89) Entering The Imaginal Realms with Stephen Harrod Buhner (EP#88) Herbalism: The People's Medicine with Erin Lovell Verinder (EP#141) Preserving Classical Chinese Medicine with Dr. Simon Feeney (EP#127) The Science and Spirit of Herbal Medicine with Sajah Popham (EP#109) Relevant Books Plants For The People Book- Erin Lovell Verinder The Lost Language Of Plants- Stephen Harrod Buhner The Secret Teachings Of Plants- Stephen Harrod Buhner Plant Intelligence And The Imaginal Realms- Stephen Harrod Buhner  The Ancient Wisdom of Chinese Tonic Herbs- Ron Teeguarden book   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/herb-combining-and-bundles  

July is upon us, 30 days of JING has begun, and we have well and truly fallen into cooler temperatures that call for nourishment, replenishment, and slowing down. Today on the podcast, we're reminding you of all things warming, tonifying, and delicious to replenish you in these cooler months with wellness coach and Qi Food Therapist Kimberly Ashton. We love having Kimberly on for our seasonal Five Element food podcasts- she reminds us to eat local, eat for the season, and above all, eat intuitively. Within the Five Element philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is an understanding that the more we rest in Winter, the more harvest we can expect in Late Summer. Understanding this critical element of Water/Winter time helps us surrender more willingly into hibernation and doing-less mode. Just as nature withdraws to compound its reserves for the warmer months, so should we.  In this episode, Kimberly takes us on a journey through the flavours, foods, and cooking styles of the Water Element, explaining the philosophy behind eating and preparing food specifically for this season. Think salty flavours, Yin nourishment, and slow-cooked casseroles that leave you feeling satiated and warm. As always, Kimberly inspires us to localise our minds when buying produce, forage where possible, and eat intuitively- even if it means breaking the rules. Tune in and make sure you scroll down for Kimberly's deliciously warming black sesame superfood latte recipe.    Kimberly and Mason discuss: -Yin foods for Winter. -Winter shopping list. -Cooking styles for Winter. -Winter foods and flavours. -Supporting local produce. -The truth about soya foods.  -Foods that nourish the Kidneys. -Wild foraging Water Element foods. -How to eat if you have a Yin deficiency. -Why we don't eat the same foods all year round. -Traditional Chinese Medicine Five Element philosophy.   Kimberly's black sesame superfood latte recipe  Ingredients: -1 cup soy milk, cashew, or oat milk -1 teaspoon black sesame powder -1/2 teaspoon black tahini -1/2 teaspoon walnuts/hemp seeds (blended into powder)- optional -1 teaspoon coconut sugar/brown rice syrup or sweetener of choice -1/4 teaspoon SuperFeast JING tonic herb- optional -1/4 teaspoon Mason's Mushrooms tonic herb- optional -2 Jujube dates, to enjoy on the side    Method: -Add milk to a small pot with the black sesame powder and black tahini -Bring to a boil and then simmer -Add the sugar/sweetener, stir  -Add the walnut/hemp seed powder, stir -Turn off the heat and add the SuperFeast tonic herbs, stir well -Serve with the Jujube dates for a delicious morning or afternoon tea snack (alternatively you warm the milk and blend ALL the ingredients with the milk in a blender, including the Jujube dates- just remove the piths first).   Winter Kindney nourishing shopping list Salty condiments, good quality sea salt, tamari or soya sauce, miso, olives, capers, sea vegetables, jujube dates, Medjool dates, blackberries, black beans, black lentils, kidney beans, black sesame, black tahini, lamb, beef, beetroot, seafood, walnuts, mushrooms, seaweeds, dark kale, black rice, buckwheat.   Resource guide   Kimberly's website Kimberly's instagram Five Seasons TCM Kimberly's Element E-Book Five Elements and Cycles E-Course Tonics: Tremella Cordyceps JING blend Relevant Podcasts:  How To Eat In Spring with Kimberly Ashton (EP#133) Eating For Vitality in Summer with Kimberly Ashton (EP#147) How To Eat In Spleen Season with Kimberly Ashton (EP#151)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/ep-168-winter-podcast-kimberly-ashton  

In Part two of the birthing of their son- Tahnee and Mason pick up where they left off in sharing their journey and the deeper learning that has settled ten weeks after the birth of baby Leo.  In this expansive conversation about birth and union, we hear the final moments of Tahnee and Mason's free birth experience. Mason, receiving Leo as he entered the world posterior, Tahnee birthing the placenta, and the moments after birth where only Aiya, Tahnee, and Mason present, at home in the birth space. Tahnee shares the fears that arose in her mother-lead birth experience, how she processed fear, coped with surges of pain as she progressed deeper into labour, and how her strength to push through was animated by Mason's steadfast presence. Mason reflects on his experience, sharing valuable advice for birth partners on how to hold their purpose while a mother is journeying through pain and how to feel the intensity/pressure without reacting to it- "If it's not amazing for the mother, then it's not amazing for the father. Anyone in the birth space- strongly consider if you're reacting from and bringing your fear into the space. Also, be aware of the scope of fear mothers can carry with them into birth". This is a beautiful conversation about the bond and union created between parents and the family unit when a birthing experience is healthy. It also highlights why it's so important to allow space within the pregnancy to weave in discussions about the layered passages of birth and the opportunity to have the ideal birth-the way you envision.     "And that for me, I think was what I found so rewarding about this birth in particular was I feel like I got to dig very deep into my strength and my capacity to hold myself and be held through this experience and through the pain".    - Tahnee Taylor   Mason and Tahnee discuss: -Freebirth -Posterior birth. -Preconception. -Birthing the placenta. -Placenta encapsulation. -Children in the birthspace. -Low and high intervention birth. -Craneosacral therapy for babies. -Postpartum insights from Tahnee. -The pressure birth partners experience. -Honouring and respecting the birth partner. -How Tahnee coped with the pain during birth. -How Tahnee managed her energy during birth. -How Tahnee and Mason prepared for the pain of birth. -The spectrum of fear women and birth partners bring into the birth space.    Resource guide Tahnee's website  Tahnee's Instagram Jane Hardwicke Collings -Four Seasons Journey Jane Hardwicke Collings- Shamanic Dimensions of Pregnancy. Tonics: Reishi Tremella I am Gaia Beauty Blend   Relevant Podcasts: Pregnancy Health with Tahnee and Mason (EP#20)  Birth Is A Body Based Event with Clancy Allen (EP#79) Motherhood, Birth and Embodying Your Truth with Jinti Fell (EP#129) Nurturing All Phases of Birth with Nutritionist Tahlia Mynott (EP#138) Birth Work, Ceremony, and Rites Of Passage with Caitlin Priday (EP#148)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/birthing-part-2-ep-167  

If there is one thing the western lifestyle is exceptional at cultivating- it's EXCESS ...  The fast pace, busy busy busy, high-stress western lifestyles many of us live has us on the hamster wheel of always 'doing' and simultaneously always trying to cope with how much we're doing. In an attempt to handle (or survive) these obligatory motions of the daily grind, we reach for our beloved vices- coffee, sugar, meditation, alcohol, exercise, sex, Netflix, shopping, doom scrolling (you get the picture) to alleviate the stress and lighten the load. The more stressed we are, the more we tend to reach for a vice in an attempt to cope. Not such a bad thing if your 'vice' is conducive to good health- but for many, it tends to be the quick fix, like a coffee at 7:30, on route to school drop then work, while you mull over your endless 'to-do list in your head. Coffee is in the top ten most consumed legal addictive stimulants globally- humans LOVE to consume coffee. Sadly, our Kidneys and adrenals do not. Caffeine, alcohol, and a high-stress lifestyle, all excessively deplete our core energy- our Jing essence, which is stored within the Kidneys. The amount of Jing energy one has stored in their Kidneys is indicative of; Lifespan, immune system, and ability to cope with stress without reaching for a stimulant.  Enter 30 Days of JING. As many of our SuperFeast community know, The 30 days of JING Challenge is an annual opportunity to get off the stimulants and rejuvenate kidney and adrenal essence so you can begin regaining the zest in your step that was so familiar in our youth. In today's episode, Mason discusses his personal story with the Jing herbs (how they changed his life) and how the 30 days of JING challenge can transform your month, year, and (as an annual event)-the trajectory of your life. Mason dives deep into the dark waters of Kidney energy from a Taoist perspective and explains why 30 Days of JING, more than quitting coffee, is about creating an intention that will deepen our relationship with ourselves and our Jing essences through foundational lifestyle practices.   Mason discusses: -What is Jing essence? -Addiction and excess. -What are the Jing Herbs? -The Kidney's and Jing essence. -Yin and Yang transformation in the body. -How to protect and cultivate Jing essence? -Setting an intention for the 30 days of JING.  -Diving into the darkness of our Kidney essence. -Creating rhythms in our life that create automated flow. -How does 30 days of JING improve longevity and vitality?   Resource guide Guest: Mason's Instagram SuperFeast Instagram 30 Days Jing Starter Kit 30 days of Jing Facebook Tonics: JING blend SHEN Blend Deer Antler  Cordyceps Eucommia Bark Relevant Articles: Jing: What Is It? How to Cultivate It? JING Blend: Our Favourite Adrenal Tonic JING Challenge: 30 Days To Restore Core Energy Adrenal and Kidney Health- Breathing and Movement The Three Treasures: Jing, Qi and Shen Relevant Podcasts: Jing Energy with Mason Taylor (EP#02) Why The Weak Are Crumbling Right Now with Jost Sauer (EP#143)    Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/30-days-of-jing-with-mason-taylor-ep-166  

There are all sorts of reasons people seek out a psychedelic experience.  For some, psychedelic-assisted therapy helps treat depression, some seek a deeply embodied therapeutic experience to traverse major trauma or grief, and some seek a little magic-an escape from the mundane of the day-to-day 9-5 grind.  Whatever it may be, the depth of research and data proving the benefits of a well-integrated embodied psychedelic experience- is making the vision of psychedelic-assisted therapy becoming a recognised/available integrated form of healthcare a realistic vision for the near future. Today Mason chats with Tobias Penno, A government-funded psychedelic researcher and founder of ‘Psychedelic Healthcare'- a therapeutic service specialising in psychedelic integration work in Australia. Tobias talks about the benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy and its capacity to open up the mind/body interface for deep therapeutic work and mystical experiences that can evolve consciousness.  As with all journeys that crack open the psyche- The process of integration after any psychedelic experience (assisted or not) is an essential part of the journey. Tobias explains what integration after a psychedelic experience looks like when done well, the holistic self-work it takes to integrate meaningfully and embody the changes in your life, and how we can benefit from this type of therapy both on an individual and societal level.  Mason and Tobias discuss the intersection of the Taoist herbs and a well-integrated psychedelic/plant medicine experience  And how these majestic herbs and plant medicines can assist us on the journey towards becoming an evolved elder that embodies health and love in mind, body, spirit.   "People come to psychedelics looking for this silver bullet, thinking it's going to suddenly change their life. I think it's important to slow that right down because they're not a silver bullet. They're not right for everyone. There are some people who probably don't need psychedelics- they're already so open, so connected already. They kind of already have an inner psychedelic state, either through other practices or just by nature of their personality. And for them, throwing psychedelics in the mix is probably just adding more chaos than they really need".  - Tobias Penno   Tobias and Mason discuss: -Ayahuasca. -Somatic work. -What is a Dieta? -Psychedelic integration. -Psychedelic healthcare. -Holotropic breath work. -Plant medicine journeys. -Psychedelic integration groups. -Relational dose psychedelic therapy. -Why psychedelics aren't for everyone. -Somatic mapping and psychotherapy. -Deeper psychotherapeutic types of work. -High-quality preparation before a psychedelic experience. -Psychedelics are great prep for good deep therapeutic work. -Personal and collective integration of a plant medicine journey. -What happens when there is no integration after psychedelics?   Who Tobias Penno? Tobias Penno is a government-funded psychedelic researcher at the University of Western Australia (U.W.A.). His first academic publication titled 'How Ayahuasca Offers Psychosocial Wellbeing' won the social work research prize in the school of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Science at U.W.A. in 2017. Tobias is the current chair of the Australian Psychedelic Society (WA Chapter) and his current doctoral research is titled 'Interpersonal Neurobiology in Psychedelic Healing'. Tobias is also the founder of ‘Psychedelic Healthcare', a therapeutic service specialising in psychedelic integration work in Australia. One day he hopes to provide psychedelic-assisted therapy within an integrated model of emotional healthcare practices.   Resource guide Guest: Tobias's website  Tobias's Instagram Tobias's Facebook Psychedelic support Australian Psychedelic Society Tonics: JING blend Relevant Podcasts: Love, Sex and Psychedelics with Dr. Molly Maloof (EP#137) Psychedelic Journeywork and Fungi Academy with Jasper Degenaars (EP#120) Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Mental Health with Tania De Jong (EP#124)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/psychedelics-with-tobias-penno-ep-165  

Today on the podcast, we are graced with the presence of Ella Noah Bancroft, An indigenous-born artist, storyteller, published author, public speaker, mentor, and founder of The Returning Indigenous Organisation.  A proud Bundjalung woman- for the past decade, Ella has been deeply invested in decolonizing to thrive across all aspects of community, helping both indigenous and non-indigenous folk connect to the immense depth of knowledge and spirit her culture and this great land holds.  Ella, accompanied by Jataya, a young Bundjalung girl she mentors, chats with Mason about the recent Northern Rivers Floods in which she has played an integral role at the Koori Mail hub in Lismore. This 100% volunteer, First Nations-led response team for a natural disaster that shook the Northern Rivers to its core saw our First Nations brothers and sisters protect, support, and provide for a broken community when they had nothing. Ella shares her experience of volunteering at the hub and witnessing her community stand up as a backbone to the people of Lismore. "It's been an incredible way for us to reclaim what our cultural role is here, which is to protect all community, anybody that is on these lands, that we, us that have blood ties to these lands- It's our purpose to be here, to protect everybody. More than human kin and the natural world included in that space".   This heart-centered, wisdom-filled conversation is about bridging the disconnect between indigenous and non-indigenous Australia through building better relationships, investing in country and community, and building businesses that replenish and work with the natural world rather than those that extract and destroy it.  A must-listen, tune in now.     "Business doesn't need to eradicate just because we start to appreciate a more nature based world, or a more reciprocal way of being in the world. Actually, we can thrive and a big part of that thriving, I think is also moving away from individualistic needs and figuring out what community needs".   - Ella Noah Bancroft   Ella and Mason discuss: -Localisation. -Community. -Mental health. -Investing in community first. -First Nations wisdom; guiding us to a better world. -Lismore floods - the aftermath and where it's at now. -Investing in the natural world over the man-made world. -Koori Mail; A First Nation's led response team in the floods. -Community work for indigenous mob affected by the floods. -Business designed to work with and replenish the natural world.   Who is Ella Noah Bancroft? Ella is a Bundjalung woman and also has bloodlines to England, Poland and Scotland.  Indigenous born artist, storyteller, published author, public speaker, mentor and founder of “The Returning Indigenous Organisation." Ella has been promoting re-wilding and the importance of system change, as a way back to deep relationship nature and decolonizing of personal, social and ecological well-being for 10 years.  She has been on the board for Women Up North since 2019 . Women Up North is a Northern NSW service for women, children and young people who have experienced domestic or family violence or abuse. Ella is an active community member to all humans, more than human kin and the natural world.   RESOURCE GUIDE:   Guest: Koori Mail Ella's website Ella's instagram Women Up North Work with Ella Noah Bancroft The Returning Indigenous Organisation Donate to The Returning Indigenous Organisation   Books:  It Takes Courage To Tell The Truth - book by Ella Noah Bancroft   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/ella-noah-bancroft-ep-164  

Free birth, sovereign birth, natural birth, undisturbed birth, DIY birth, no matter how you describe it, the reclamation of birth by women away from the medical system is a beautiful thing to witness and be a part of as a birth partner. Today on the podcast, we are celebrating the wild pregnancy and free birth experience Tahnee and Mason journeyed through to bring their beautiful son Leo into the world the way they envisioned.  There has honestly never been a podcast that we've had so many requests for and questions about than today's episode. Over this two-part birth podcast series, Tahnee and Mason will be answering all the questions asked, plus telling the story of their journey from conception to postpartum. Recorded only three weeks after giving birth, Tahnee talks very openly about her experience of bringing her son into the world and laboring undisturbed at home with only Mason and Aiya present. Tahnee and Mason discuss how they prepared for the birth, mentally, physically, individually, and as a couple, the fears that came up and were integrated, why they chose to birth the way they did, and why it's so important to protect the ceremonial gateway of birth. There's a special guest appearance from baby Leo too, with lots of adorable baby cooing in the background (it's heart-melting), plus some suspense at the end that will have you tuning in for Part two.  "Free birthing is mother-led birth, or at least our version was, so that doesn't mean the role of support isn't a hundred percent essential, but it means that it wasn't Mason's job to learn midwifery. And wasn't really my job either. My job was to trust in physiological birth, to know that nature rarely makes mistakes. Mistakes do happen. I'm not saying everyone's a hundred percent guaranteed to have success, but the reality is that an undisturbed, physiological birth is going to be nine times out of 10, more successful than intervention of any kind".   - Tahnee Taylor Tahnee and Mason discuss: -Birth as Ceremony. -Mason's advice for birth partner's. -Birth as a cultivation of Jing, Qi, Shen. -There is no right or wrong way to birth. -Mother's advocating for themselves in birth. -Ultrasounds and scans; the pro's and con's. -What Tahnee did to prepare her body for birth. -Knowing what can go wrong and being prepared. -Knowing your rights when you're in a hospital system. -Why Tahnee and Mason chose to do a free birth course. -Fears that come up for Tahnee during birth and pregnancy. -Energy cultivation work that helped Tahnee prepare for birth. -Tahnee and Mason's birth with Aiya compared to Leo's birth. -How Tahnee and Mason prepared their birth space and birth altar. -The trauma from the western medical system inflicted on women, family and babies.    RESOURCES:  Tahnee's website Tahnee instagram Birth Pool- Water filter Birth altar tarot cards Birth a float birth pools  The radical birth collective- Wild Pregnancy and Free Birth Course   Tonics: Reishi Tremella  I am Gaia  Beauty Blend   Books:  Ina May's Guide to Childbirth Spiritual Midwifery - Ina May Gaskin Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering - Sarah Buckley Way of the Peaceful Warrior - Dan Millmen   Articles:   Tonic Herbs For A Healthy Pregnancy   Relevant Podcasts: Pregnancy Health with Tahnee and Mason (EP#20)  Birth Is A Body Based Event with Clancy Allen (EP#79) Motherhood, Birth and Embodying Your Truth with Jinti Fell (EP#129) Nurturing All Phases of Birth with Nutritionist Tahlia Mynott (EP#138) Birth Work, Ceremony, and Rites Of Passage with Caitlin Priday (EP#148)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/free-birth-tahnee-mason-ep-163

One of the most common questions we get from customers new to SuperFeast is, Why do we source our Mushrooms from China? The answer is simple and rooted in integrity and hundreds of years of ancient Daoist philosophy; Di Dao.  Di Dao is the concept of growing herbs in their spiritual and native homeland; The preferred environment, atmospheric energy, pressure, and altitude required to grow and thrive. When tonic herbs and mushrooms are grown Di Dao, they deliver their intended spiritual intention and potency to the body. Contrastingly when herbs or mushrooms are not grown Di Dao and are instead grown on grain, oats, or even wood- away from their natural environment, they inevitably lack quality and their innate energetic potency.  In today's episode, we're answering ALL your questions plus more as Mason travels through China, visiting the pristine mountains and valleys where SuperFeast grows and forages its Di Dao tonic herbs and medicinal mushrooms. You can hear the reverence and awareness in Mason's voice as he discusses the lineage of Daoism and the wisdom that has been handed down from the ancient shamanic Daoists to ensure the knowledge, healing, and essence of these revered herbs, is not lost. You will learn about the philosophies of tonic herbalism and shamanic Daoism, wild foraging, the conscious farming operations of SuperFeast medicinal mushrooms and tonics, and why we are so proud to grow our herbs Di Dao. Tune in for all of this and more.    Mason discusses:   -Meteria medica. -Di Dao philosophy. -How herbs are classified. -What are Inferior herbs? -What are superior herbs? -What is wild and semi-wild crafting? -How SuperFeast herbs are sourced. -The preventative approach to health. -How to grow the best schisandra and Chaga. -How Traditional Chinese Medicine lost its way. -Shamanic Daoist style of herbalism and its origins. -Why mushrooms grown on grain or oats are inferior. -How to make a herb more adaptogenic through conscious farming.   Mason Taylor  Mason Taylor is the CEO/Founder of SuperFeast and a renowned tonic herbalist. On a soul mission to bring people back to their body and nature while bursting through dogma, he shares passionately and uniquely in his workshops, podcast, and content on how to cultivate healing and potentiation through health sovereignty. An expert in Daoist tonic herbalism, Mason has helped tens of thousands of people globally discover medicinal mushrooms, adaptogenic tonic herbs, and the healing philosophy from which they emerged. Mason is also a budding comedian; bursting the bubble on the “health scene” with his antics.   RESOURCE GUIDE: Tonics: JING Reishi Chaga Schisandra Lion's Mane Eucommia bark   Books:   Shen Nong The Divine farmer's Materia Medica   Articles:   Tonic Herbs, What Are they? Everything You Need To Know. The Daoist Brains: Who Are The Dao and What Is Their Philosophy?    Relevant Podcasts: Transformation with Tonic Herbalism (EP#4)  The Ancient Daoist Beauty Tonics With Mason Taylor (EP#29)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/di-dao-ep-162  

Today on the podcast, Mason joins James Perrin as a guest on The Overview Effect podcast for an illuminative dialogue, exploring the most transformative and pivotal moments in his personal evolution. Mason talks about his conflicting relationship with the wellness industry and how both Daoism and heading up SuperFeast (from birth to success) have been at the centre of his expansion.    Mason and James discuss stifled thinking in society, the pitfalls of ideology, herd mentality, and the effects of personal power and sovereignty willingly being handed over to governments and organisations. Mason talks about his relationship with comedy and how comedians continue to keep our minds liberated through challenging the status quo, genius mockery, sarcasm, and satire. This conversation is a brilliant exchange of progressive thought and freethinking. Don't miss it.    "My comedic nature helps me inquire about myself and what I'm actually doing here, because it's quite a head fuck, to be honest. To be working within a lineage and be walking that line of, am I using it? Is it using me? Are we in collaboration? Am I just bullshitting myself? What's actually happening here? So I use comedy to narrate and take the piss out of myself. These herbs are messengers from heaven. They are so special." And what they allow in terms of a cultivation of a capacity for life to be protected inside of yourself rather than just used and commodified itself, is very special and huge to me".    - Mason Taylor   James and Mason discuss: - Innovations. - Cultivating Qi - Identity and ideology. - Decolonising the mind. - The problem with ideology. - Studying things in isolation. - Virtues and values in business. - Self awareness and self reflection. - Taking on responsibility in life/business. - How comedians are pioneers in society.   The Overview Effect with James Perrin The Overview Effect is the paradigm shift astronauts experience when viewing Earth from space; where their outlook on life changes, they experience an emotional and spiritual transformation, and they return to Earth profoundly connected to Nature and humanity. What would our world look like if we lived from the perspective of this ‘Overview Effect'? Join James Perrin as he speaks with influential thinkers, environmentalists, humanitarians, & entrepreneurs to explore the moments in their lives that have shaped the way they see the world, their stories of awakening and transformation, and ultimately, how these moments have influenced the impact they're seeking to create in their lives. In a world that faces endless crises (climate, wealth inequality, homelessness, health, racial injustice, and so much more), this podcast asks "What if we all experienced our own moments of transformation? What if the most pertinent crisis, that underpinned all of the others that we face, is that of our own consciousness and morality?"   Mason Taylor Mason Taylor is the CEO/Founder of SuperFeast and a renowned tonic herbalist. On a soul mission to bring people back to their body and nature while bursting through dogma, he shares passionately and uniquely in his workshops, podcast, and content on how to cultivate healing and potentiation through health sovereignty. An expert in Daoist tonic herbalism, Mason has helped tens of thousands of people globally discover medicinal mushrooms, adaptogenic tonic herbs, and the healing philosophy from which they emerged. Mason is also a budding comedian; bursting the bubble on the “health scene” with his antics.   RESOURCE GUIDE: Mason's Instagram The Overview Effect podcast The Overview Effect with James Perrin Instagram   Products and Books: Shen Blend Three Treasures Bundle   Articles: The Three Treasures (Jing, Qi and Shen) The Daoist Brains: Who Are The Dao and What is Their Philosophy?   Relevant Podcasts: Calm Mind, Joyful Spirit: The Shen Blend with Mason and Tahnee (EP#91) Sovereignty and Self Responsibility with Tahnee on Super Woo Radio (EP#159)    Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/mason-taylor-ep-161  

Are you looking to ignite the dulled flame of your sexual essence? Are you feeling depleted and lacking lustre for the day, let alone for having a robust lib*do? Perhaps you're looking to support your sexual vigour so you can continue to thrive, love life, and enjoy sex well into your later years. We're all sexual beings, and having the energy, spirit, and capacity to express ourselves in such a way is the spark that keeps us inspired and in love with life. Earlier this year, Mason did a live webinar on the topic of Lib*do and how Daoist tonic herbalism serves as a beautiful gateway into the cultivation of lifelong practices that will continue to expand sexual capacity, sexual vigour, and keep our essence burning strong well into our 60's, 70's and 80's. The webinar was so well received; that we've decided to make it an episode on the podcast. This episode is a holistic, integrated guide to establishing your intention and awareness of where you want your sexual vigour and capacity to be in 10, 20, and 30 years. Mason explains the relationship between Jing (Yin and Yang Jing), foundational energy, the kidneys, and how they are all inextricably woven into our potential for sexual desire and vigour. He also lays down an integrated guide to the Daoist tonic herbs, discussing how specific blends work within the organs to cultivate sexual essence, lasting potential and can work as a support system right through to our elderly years. Ultimately this is a holistic discussion around how we can use the teachings of Daoism to embody the most sexually robust, unique, love-filled expressions of ourselves! There is also a compact resource guide below with links to everything mentioned (and more) in the webinar, be sure to check it out.    "So put into place something to ensure you are taking your herbs regularly. Put your boundaries in place to ensure that you have enough time to cultivate your essence and have enough time to really go into that loving place where you know you have the space to take all those experiences that your potential and your sexual essence and lib*do have given you. And you have enough time to sit with it within your heart and let it sink in and make, gain wisdom".   - Mason Taylor   Mason discusses:   -Yang Jing herbs -The quality of lib*do. -Foundational energy. -Protecting our essence. -Spontaneous joy and sex. -The Daoist tonic herbs and lib*do -The cultivation of Jing, Qi and Shen. -Yin Jing- cultivating the waters of life. -Good sleep practices for sexual vigour. -How adaptogens help to restore lib*do. -Jing foundational essence and lib*do. Bonds, boundaries, spleen energy and protecting Jing.    RESOURCE GUIDE:   Products and Books: JING Blend Cordyceps Schisandra Ashwagandha  Deer Antler Velvet JING, QI, SHEN (Three Treasures bundle) Eucommia bark (primary Yang Jing herb). Ron Teeguarden - The Ancient Wisdom Of Chinese Tonic Herbs (Book)   Articles: Cordyceps Health Benefits- Article The 7 Sexy Benefits of Schisandra- Article The Three Treasures (Jing, Qi, Shen)- Article  Jing: What is it, and how to cultivate it- Article  Cultivating Passion and Desire Article by Molly Helfend. Discover Deer Antler Velvet Impressive Benefits- Article   Relevant Podcasts: Authentic Sex with Juliet Allen (EP#31) Sexuality and Libido with Nick Perry (EP#45)  Semen Retention with Taylor Johnson (EP#46) Nurturing Stability & Earth Energy with Tahnee & Mason Taylor Your Erotic Blueprint with Ian Ferguson from Jaiya Inc (EP#60) The Dao of Health, Sex & Longevity with Daniel Reid (EP#115) Love, Sex and Psychadelics with Dr. Molly Maloof (EP#137) Life-Changing Sex Makes Anything Possible with Kim Anami (EP#28)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/mason-taylor-ep-160  

In a very open and sovereign exchange on Super Woo radio, Tahnee sits in the guest seat and journeys deep into earthly, Daoist, yogic, and supernatural spaces with George Kavassilas. This episode is one of a kind, revealing the expanse of Tahnee's depth in all her nuanced layers; intellectual, spiritual, creative, vulnerable, masculine, and feminine (to name a few). Seated unwavering in the unified field of love, host of Super Woo radio, George Kavassilas, holds an impeccable space for this expansive conversation that explores the depths of our existence into other dimensions and beyond. Starting with a glimpse into her love story with her husband Mason, this episode weaves in and out of Tahnee's life journey, her value system, and the tenets of yogic and Daoist teachings that have informed her awareness along the way. Tahnee talks openly about the grief and bliss she has experienced in her life and discusses the importance of honesty, courage, self-responsibility, and sovereignty in any healthy relationship, business or personal. George and Tahnee discuss energy centres, chakra systems, other dimensions of space and time, and current events that call upon us to be clear on our value systems as we move towards an ominous technological future; that thrives on hive mind mentality. Tahnee's willingness to be equally real and vulnerable on all things discussed in this episode reminds us of the power our voices have when we operate from a place of integrity and speak from a place of authenticity.     "But it's this idea of, complete self-mastery isn't, 'I can hold my breath for 15 minutes. Or, I can stop my heart'... Or whatever it is. Those are all interesting things to play with. But can you actually master yourself? Can you master the singularity? And can you actually be in control"?    - Tahnee Taylor     Tahnee and George discuss: -Pain. -Trust. -Projection.  -Vulnerability. -Co-creation. -Relationships. -Value systems. -Natural yoga. -Plant medicine. -Shinto Buddhism. -Tantric Buddhism. -The chakra system. -Living authentically. -How to sit in discomfort.  -Honesty in all relationships. -Tahnee's embodiments of Yoga. -Boundary setting in relationships. -Connection in an age of disconnect.   Tahnee Taylor Tahnee is a self proclaimed nerd, with a love of the human body, its language and its stories. A cup of tonic tea and a human interaction with Tahnee is a gift! A beautiful Yin Yoga teacher and Chi Ne Tsang practitioner, Tahnee loves going head first into the realms of tradition, yogic philosophy, the organ systems, herbalism and hard-hitting research. Tahnee is the business brains behind SuperFeast, wife to Mason, and devoted mama to Aiya and baby Leo, the newest addition to the Taylor family. George Kavassilas George Kavassilas is an author, mentor, and public speaker. George has had a lifetime of experiences beyond the ordinary, encountering a wide spectrum of expressions of life both Inter-Dimensional and Extra-Terrestrial in nature. As a consequence, he went through a process of reconciling the knowledge and wisdom gained from these experiences and came to realise a natural responsibility to share what he has learned with our global community. George now embodies a limitless passion in addressing life's primordial questions: “Who are we? Where do we come from? and What are we doing here?”  George knows his life path includes a focus to expose all levels of deception, no matter how far they go. He carries a deep-seated sense of responsibility to help liberate our Humanity from all forms of imposing doctrine and dogma, without exception - be they Earthly or even Cosmic in nature. As George says, “It's really a remembering process to revitalise and resurrect the Sovereign and Infinite Being you truly are.” The Extent - The Challenge - The Creative Solution   Resources: Tahnee's website Tahnee instagram George's website To contact George Superwoo Radio (George's Podcast) Our Universal Journey (George's Book)  Transcending The God Matrix with George Kavassilas (EP#119)   Resources mentioned in the podcast: Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama Dr Hiroshi Motoyama books The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali- book Yin Yoga with Anatomist and Yogi Paul Grilley (EP#59)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/tahnee-ep-159  

We're discussing metabolic health, metabolic healing, the kinship of different nutrients and minerals, and how an imbalance of certain nutrients and minerals such as copper, zinc, iron, and magnesium are at the root cause of a range of health conditions becoming prevalent in society. In pursuit of health and healing, most people, at some point in their life, have been told by a doctor or healthcare practitioner that they need to take Vitamin C, D, and Iron supplements to bring their body back into a state of harmony. At some point in their life, many women will also be told they are anaemic. In this episode, Dan breaks down how and why many people who have been diagnosed as anaemic are actually not, and how downsizing the number of synthetic supplements you take daily (a less is more approach)- could be the missing link in achieving health harmony. Dan discusses his health journey finding out he was copper anaemic, which lead him to researching the relationship between ceruloplasmin production, copper deficiency, tissue-stored iron, retinol, D3, and whole-food vitamin C. We love having Dan frequent the SuperFeast pod; his non-dogmatic approach and devotion to upgrading his knowledge in health and vitality keep us inspired and on point. In this episode, Dan delivers accessible health protocols for acute situations and lifestyle maintenance and discusses what an ancestrally aligned diet looks like, and why our bodies thrive on them.     "It turns, out a lot of the time people aren't actually low in iron. It's just that so much of their iron is stuck in the tissue, and it looks deficient in the blood. So, what do they get? They get iron supplements. Which just compounds the whole problem. It creates more oxidative stress. No one's looking at copper. If anything, they've been told they have too much copper, right? So you can see how that conundrum just accelerates and accelerates. And you end up with this more inflammatory, more oxidative stress type of picture over time, which eventually leads to chronic fatigue". - Dan Sipple     Mason and Dan discuss:   -Anaemia. -Zinc deficiency. -Copper anaemia -Pyrrole disorder. -Metabolic health. -Metabolic healing. -Ancestral nutrition. -Bioavailable copper. -Autoimmune disorders. -DHEA supplementation. -The Importance of retinol. -Hemochromatosis in men. -Terrain theory vs germ theory. -Copper deficiency symptoms. -The difference between retinol and beta carotene. -The relationship between retinol and D3 supplements. -Whole food vitamin C vs ascorbic acid and liposomal C.    Who Dan Sipple?  Dan Sipple also known as The Functional Naturopath is based on the south coast of NSW and has a special interest in gut health, immune dysfunction, pro-metabolic health, mineral rebalancing & hormones.  Dan has been in the health and wellness arena for over a decade and blends traditional herbal medicine systems and knowledge with cutting-edge functional and integrative testing to best facilitate a patient's journey to peak wellness.   Resources:   Dan Website Dan Instagram Gut Health Podcast 1 Gut Health Podcast 2 Autoimmunity and Medicinal Mushrooms (EP#18) Optimising Your Gut Bacteria with Dan Sipple (EP#68) How to Turn Your Immune System On with Dan Sipple (EP#131)   Resources mentioned in the podcast:   Truth Calkins book Matt Blackburn website Morley Robbins - Cure Your Fatigue (book) Ray Peat- Generative Energy Restoring The Wholeness of Life   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/dan-sipple-ep-158

One in five women worldwide has had the major abdominal surgery commonly known as C-section- the word major is no hyperbole. Seven layers of tissue (both abdomen and uterus) are cut through, to deliver the baby. Traditionally C-sections were only used in emergencies where either the mother's or baby's life/health was at risk. In modern-day society, they have become a regular pre-elected surgery.  Today on the podcast, Tahnee talks to C-section Recovery Coach, Doula, and specialised Massage Therapist, Nicole Alfred about all things C-section trauma, recovery, and post-surgery care. Working in this field for over 15 years and having experienced C-section herself, Nicole brings much depth of knowledge and awareness to the lack of C-section rehabilitative care available to women within the healthcare system globally. Nicole's work focuses on changing the current narrative about C-sections, not to promote them like they're better or safer than vaginal birth, but rather something to be avoided where possible. Nicole also works passionately to bring awareness to the lack of preparation and follow-up care that would routinely happen with any other major surgery. Through her multi-layered healing programme (The C-Section Recovery Method), Nicole guides women back to a place of connection within their bodies on every level- physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.    Tahnee and Nicole discuss the untold realities of what happens during and after C-section, the trauma women carry (physically and emotionally) post-C-section, why women need to be advocates for themselves and the care they receive no matter how they birth, and so much more. Make sure you tune in for this beautiful, eye-opening conversation.   "I tell patients, "This is where you gave birth. In this area that I'm working on, I don't just dig right into scar tissue like I would with a muscle that was tight, I respect it. Post birth body acceptance is really important, but it's also really hard. It is hard because what your body was before you had a baby; was just your body. But now you've had a baby and there are all these changes that have happened. And now you have this permanent line across you that may or may not hurt sometimes. And so, it's a lot to integrate. And unfortunately our medical systems are failing. They're failing women by not having the right information available".   - Nicole Alfred   Tahnee and Nicole discuss:   -C-section trauma -What happens in a C-section? -Massage for C-section scarring. -Body acceptance post C-section. -Bacterial infections post C-section. -Urinary incontinence post C-section. -Subsequent pregnancies and VBAC. -Healing the pelvic floor post C-section. -The damaging 'bounce back' ideology. -REST - why it's so important post ALL birth. -Dyspareunia (painful intercourse) post C-section. -The feeling of failure many women experience post C-section. -Corsets/belly binding - when and how we should be using them.   Who Nicole Alfred? CEO of Fully Alive Wellness and creator of the C-section Recovery Method. Nicole Alfred is a trained doula and has been a Registered Massage Therapist in Oakville, Ontario Canada for the past 15 years. Nicole also co-owns a continuing education program called Perinatal Massage Therapy Education. Nicole helps C-section Mamas who have experienced an emergency cesarean recover from birth and contributes globally to education and healing protocols for C-section recovery.     Resources:   Nicole's Instagram C-section recovery Facebook group  C-section recovery method website Nicole's massage- Fully Alive Wellness Diastasis Recti book- Katy Bowman   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/nicole-alfred-ep-157  

It's time again for us to tune into the elements, our bodies, and the soothing subtle shifts occurring around us in nature; here in the Southern Hemisphere, we have entered into Autumn. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Autumn is the season of the Metal Element. As we come down from the energised Yang energy of warmer months into the Yin, we naturally find ourselves slowing down and going within. It is a time for introspection, reflection, and letting go of anything mentally, emotionally, or physically that no longer serves us. The Lungs and Large Intestine are the organs associated with the Metal Element. The Lungs, also known as the Seat Of Wisdom, play a vital role in the natural process of fortifying surface immunity (protective Wei Qi), strengthening Qi and our overall immune system. The Lungs also purify; The fresh Autumn air is inhaled and processed into True Human Qi, which is then carried throughout the body and distilled down to the Kidneys. This beautiful flow of transformation and distillation is why it's a good practice to take nourishing Yin herbs that keep the Lungs moisturised and protect the chest area from the cool, drying Autumn air. The Large intestines release toxins and waste from the body that is no longer required.  Mason Taylor: So if your Qi is transforming with flow through each of the organ systems through yang and yin, yin and yang, and different degrees and expressions, and let's say, you have a terrain which can protect itself. But that doesn't mean you'd be disrespectful to the system and be aware that it's not as much as it is infinite. It also is finite in what it can do because it's yin and yang. And therefore, you still put a scarf on when the wind is coming in cold to stop that the wind invading in through your throat. You still make sure that your kidneys are nice and warm, so the cold doesn't invade them all through your feet. So, it's yes to both. So, I'll just put it... because I had someone who wanted me to talk about it. Now, that's my piece   Tahnee and Mason discuss the herbs, practices, and emotions of this season, why breathwork practices are essential in this season and the importance of reflecting on the movements of nature with early bed, early rising, and lots of rest.     Mason and Tahnee discuss:  -Lung Foods. -Qi and Lung herbs. -Surface immunity and Wei Qi. -Convalescing foods for Autumn. -The energy of Lung Metal season. -The emotions of Lung Metal season. -Exercises for Autumn and Lung energy. -Contraction and introspection in Autumn. -The relationship between the Lungs skin. -The Lung and Large Intestine relationship. -How to strengthen Qi and build immunity. -Breathing practices for Lung Metal season. -Connecting with the seasons through nature. -Honouring the transition of seasons for good immunity.   Tahnee and Mason Taylor Tahnee and Mason Taylor are the CEO and founder of SuperFeast. Their mission with SuperFeast is to improve the health, healing, and happiness of people and the planet, through sharing carefully curated offerings and practices that honour ancient wisdom and elevate the human spirit. Together Tahnee and Mason run their company and host the SuperFeast podcast, weaving their combined experience in herbs, yoga, wellness, Taoist healing arts, and personal development with lucid and compelling interviews from all around the world. They are the proud parents of Aiya and Goji, the dog, and are grateful to call the Byron Shire home.    Resources: Shiitake Qi Blend Cordyceps Schisandra Astragalus Turkey Tail     Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast? A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We'd also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or check us out on Stitcher, CastBox, iHeart RADIO:)! Plus we're on Spotify!   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/tahnee-and-mason-ep-156  

How do we simultaneously exist and heal ourselves in a world that is in crisis? How do we integrate traumas when they occur at a community level? How can we turn a crisis situation into an opportunity for healing? Today on the podcast, we are journeying into all of this and more as we explore all types of trauma; with the guidance, knowledge, and wisdom of Dr. Jimi Wollumbin. Dr. Jimi Wollumbin is a renowned expert in his field of traditional Chinese Medicine and has been practicing for over 20 years. He is the CEO and founder of One Health Organisation, a wellness-based charity that has distributed over ten metric tonnes of herbs and supplements to 100 locations across 13 countries for the past 15 years. Jimi is an incredible human whose life soul work is devoted to the holistic healing and reconnecting of all humanity.  Over the past month, SuperFeast, and the entire Northern Rivers community of NSW, Australia, have experienced the worst flooding ever recorded in the history of this region. Thousands of people have been left homeless, heartbroken, and traumatised. Our hearts go out to all those who've been affected by these floods and suffered a tragic loss. It is true; that even a crisis like this allows us the opportunity to build resilience, strength, and experience growth. But what happens to the trauma left within us unhealed and unprocessed? Trauma cracks, leaks, and is passed on from person to person, through generations. Dr. Jimi explains: "It can not be walled off. You can't ignore it. The only way to heal trauma is to integrate it. When trauma heals, it becomes a rhizomatic resilience web built on love and connectivity". In this curative conversation, Dr. Jimi Wollumbin examines humanity's history of collective trauma and how these traumas are still affecting us today as a community in modern culture. Through metaphor and anecdote, Jimi illustrates the fragmented nature of trauma and compassionately explains how we can integrate our trauma wounds to become active conscious caretakers of any crisis, rather than adding to and further becoming a part of the problem.    "We've all experienced trauma. All living systems have a component of resilience or anti-fragility. Communities, rainforests, humans; We all become more resilient from stressors. But only if we have time to repair, integrate, and reflect upon it. If someone continues to get trauma after trauma, after trauma, after trauma, after trauma, after trauma without integration, what happens? They break. But if you have challenge integration, assimilation, repair, repeat, that's like a gym workout".   - Dr. Jimi Wollumbin    Mason and Jimi discuss:   -Survivors guilt. -Vicarious trauma. -Collective trauma. -Community trauma. -How trauma leaks. -Epigenetic switching. -The perpetrator model. -How to integrate trauma. -Victims, perpetrators and trauma.  -How to deal with the effects of trauma. -Shamanic medicine, trauma and soul retrieval. -How do we live and heal in a world that is in crisis?   Resources: Dr. Jimi Wollumbin Website Dr. Jimi Wollumbin Patreon Jimi Wollumbin Instagram Dr. Jimi Wollumbin Facebook   Resources mentioned In the Podcast: The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine Microbes and Viruses with Jimi Wollumbin (EP#58) SuperFeast Podcast   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/jimi-wollumbin-ep-155  

Today on the podcast, we have one of our most loved returning guests; naturopathic doctor and best-selling author Lara Briden. If you have had the pleasure of listening to Lara on one of our previous podcasts, you know she is an absolute wealth of knowledge for all things women's reproductive, menstrual, and hormonal health. As a woman, listening to her illustrate the inextricable relationship between female reproductive health, mental health, and hormone systems, there is a sense of belonging and reclamation for the natural cycles that have been medically interrupted.   Over the years, we've had Lara on the podcast talking about period repair, PCOS, Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, and all they encompass; Today, Lara is joining us to talk about the transitions into perimenopause and menopause. Lara's enlightened wisdom reminds us that menopause is not something to dread or treat as a medical 'condition' to be corrected; but rather a gateway and rite of passage to be honoured and exalted.    In this beautiful conversation with Tahnee, Lara dispels menopausal fallacies replacing them with profound knowledge and biological facts about what this sacred transition within the female body/psyche represents. Lara reframes the metabolic/hormonal shifts between the reproductive years and perimenopause,  details the best diet/herbal medicines for menopause, and offers a beautiful evolutionary perspective of menopause across time and cultures. "How the perimenopause transition is going for a woman depends on a lot of factors. Your stress, your adrenal system, your stress support system, how stable it is, how strong your circadian rhythm is, how well-nourished you are, how your immune system is. All of those things, including, unfortunately, how many environmental toxins you have been exposed to. Any of those negative things can increase the symptoms of the perimenopause transition".    - Lara Briden    Tahnee and Lara discuss: Menopause. Perimenopause. Contraceptive drugs The reproductive years. Pill bleeds are not periods. The phases of perimenopause. The transition into menopause. Herbal medicine for menopause. Hormone therapy for menopause. Why alcohol and menopause don't mix. The difference between progesterone and progestin. Bone density loss with perimenopause/menopause. The hormonal shifts during perimenopause/menopause. At what age do women start getting symptoms of menopause?   Who Lara Briden? Lara Briden is a naturopathic doctor and author of the bestselling books Period Repair Manual andHormone Repair Manual. With a strong science background, Lara sits on several advisory boards and is the lead author of a 2020 paper published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. She has 25 years' experience in women's health and currently has consulting rooms in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she treats women with PCOS, PMS, endometriosis, perimenopause, and many other hormone- and period-related health problems.   CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST    If you're wanting to enrich your knowledge and dive deeper into Lara's work, make sure you check out the resources below linking to Lara's websites, books and previous podcasts.      Resources: Dr. Lara's website Dr. Lara's Instagram Dr. Lara's Facebook Lara Briden Forum The Period Repair Manual-Lara Briden Period Repair with Lara Briden (EP#21) The Power of Menopause with Jane Hardwick Collings (EP#77) Is It PCOS or Hypothalamic Amenorrhea with Lara Briden (EP#99)   Resources Mentioned In The Podcast:   The Power of Eating Enough - Lara Briden Blog Post The Difference Between Progesterone and Progestin - Lara Briden Blog Post The Slow Moon Climbs - The Science, History, and Meaning of Menopause (book mentioned by Lara in podcast)       Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast? A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We'd also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or check us out on Stitcher, CastBox, iHeart RADIO:)! Plus we're on Spotify!   Check Out The Transcript Here:   Tahnee: (00:00) Hi everyone, welcome to the SuperFeast Podcast. I am here with Lara Briden, she is one of our friends of the podcast. It's our third episode with us today, really excited to have her here. And we're speaking about perimenopause and menopause, really in reference to her book, the Hormone Repair Manual, which if you're my age and over, I'm in my mid 30s, highly recommend getting a copy. It's actually a really good, fun read and really interesting just thinking about preparing for this stage of life. So thank you for joining us on the podcast again, Lara. I'm so happy to have you here.   Lara Briden: (00:34) Thanks for having me. Looking forward to our chat again.   Tahnee: (00:39) Yeah, another one. And we've been sort of all over the world. I think we've done a lot of stuff on menstruation really when you've been on with us, but I was really excited when I saw you publish this. It was last year, wasn't it?   Lara Briden: (00:48) Yeah. Came out early last year.   Tahnee: (00:50) Yes. I think I've had it for quite a while. And I guess from I think women hit this, I hit middle 30s and was like, "I don't have much information about menopause and I've only had these sort of anecdotal stories from family and friends about what happens to women and it's usually pretty negative. It's not really framed up in a positive way." And then I was telling you we had Jane Hardwicke Collings on the podcast and she spoke a lot around the spiritual side of things and these important transitions that we have in our lives. And it just made me a bit more interested and excited about what's coming.   Tahnee: (01:28) I think reading your book, yes, obviously it's a complex time, but just how you mapped out the stages and took something that can feel really sort of dark and unknown and maybe even a little bit scary and... I don't know, I think it just made me feel a little bit more confident and reassured, so thank you for that.   Lara Briden: (01:43) That's sweet. I had one review say, "Yeah, made me feel like everything's going to be okay." Which is-   Tahnee: (01:53) I think it's like with pregnancy, because I'm pregnant right now and you hear about birth growing up and it's always people's hectic horror stories. It's always like, "Oh and you have to carry a baby around this and that." And I think when you actually go through it, it's like, "That's actually really magical and quite beautiful." I mean, I know it's not for everybody, but that's been my experience and it's reframed a lot of that for me. And I think, just this book started that journey for me. So hopefully menopause is a fun experience. But I thought that idea of it being predictable was really interesting that you speak about early in the book, in the sense that there's a rhythm or a pattern that unfolds.   Lara Briden: (02:33) There's a sequence of events, it's not just chaos. It's portrayed as this hormonal chaotic time. That's not actually what's happening, it's a sequence. We'll start with this, it's second puberty. So we have first puberty, which we know is temporary, which we know is turning one thing into another thing. That's what perimenopause is. It's at the other end, it brackets our reproductive years. And it's second puberty, it's the end of periods.   Lara Briden: (03:08) The other good thing about that is it's temporary. And also, I guess the thing I want to say is that writing this book and going through menopause myself, I've reframed actually how I think about female physiology. I now have this sort of view that we have our basic female physiology, which starts at in childhood, we have low hormones, and then we go through 35 to 40 years at the most of our reproductive years, which is amazing. As you know I'm a huge fan of ovulation and periods and pregnancy and all of that's amazing and that helps us make hormones and build metabolic reserve.   Lara Briden: (03:44) But then that has to end, this is the thing about reproductive years, that is, there's an end point. And then we revert back to our more baseline female physiology. So for me, that's sort of really normalised it. It's far from being, "Oh, I'm longer a woman." No, it's the opposite. This is the basic female physiology and then I'm just thankful to have had, in my case about 38 years of periods, I guess.   Tahnee: (04:12) That's a really interesting way to think about it, I guess, because it's almost like this heightened state through these reproductive years, which are so intensive, really in many ways on us and then having this stability afterwards.   Lara Briden: (04:27) The reproductive years are a special time and that's true whether you have pregnancies or not, actually I would say. I mean, obviously pregnancies are a very special part of that, but even for women like myself who did not have pregnancies, it's still those years of ovulating and it's amazing. It also just, for example, having menstrual cycles and pregnancies increases our metabolic rate, increases our demand for calories. So when we exit that, come up the other end, our metabolism shifts, and that's always portrayed as a bad thing. You start to gain weight with menopause. But again, I've sort of reframed it as we need fewer calories in a way. And so from a-   Tahnee: (05:07) Less resources.   Lara Briden: (05:08) Yeah. From an evolutionary perspective, I might jump to that because as you know, I might have mentioned on the podcast before, before I became a naturopathic doctor, I was an evolutionary biologist and I see a lot of things through that lens. Menopause is particularly fascinating from an evolutionary perspective because all the evidence is now that even in ancient times, even in prehistoric times, there were women who made it through to 80 years old. Contrary to the mistaken belief that we all died by 40, that is not the case at all. A lot of people died young because of injuries and unfortunately childhood mortality and death in childbirth as well. There's lots of hazards before modern medicine, but it was always still possible and not uncommon for individuals to live to 80.   Lara Briden: (06:04) And actually what some of the research shows and in my book, I quote another book called The Slow Moon Climbs, where she builds the case that a longer human lifespan for both sexes evolved because of beneficial selection pressure on women in their post reproductive decades. So basically it's about the fact that 50 something, 60 something women are so productive for their group. They gather more food than any other demographic and they share it and they also need less themselves. So that's the perfect member of a society. They're helping everyone, they're gathering food. They're very lean, efficient machines themselves because they don't need as much energy. And it's a good thing, it's like a superpower. It's that reframing of the shift in metabolism as certainly beneficial for our ancestors.   Lara Briden: (07:00) It's a little bit trickier now in our modern world where we live with so many surrounded by sugar and processed foods. That's what you would call an evolutionary mismatch with our ancient metabolism. We can explore that a little bit, but just the basic message being, menopause is meant to happen. It evolved, it's not an accident of living too long. It's something, if we're lucky enough to live this long, that we do as women. I think understanding all of that just changed it all for me personally, I just feel far from feeling like I'm done. I feel now this is the next exciting chapter where you get to do lots of things.   Tahnee: (07:43) Well, I want to bookmark a little bit there because there's a couple things I want to drill down on. I think that piece around the mismatch evolutionarily is really interesting, but I just want to go back a little bit to what you said about, which I guess it's lining up, if you think about how we live now, back in those days it would've been that support of the older, wiser, probably more hands on members of society to the reproducing ones. And I think now we've got this interesting cultural thing where even with myself, I work full time, I have a kid, I'm going to have another kid. And I can see how that drains women as well as they head into their perimenopausal and menopausal years. I wonder if you've noticed that in your clinical work, is there's this extra pressure now on women during their reproductive years and how that affects menopause.   Lara Briden: (08:40) Oh yeah. Well, there's so many reasons. Couple things I'll say so that'll answer your question about clinically what I'm saying. If I could just allow me for a little bit to talk about the evolution a little bit more and restore of humans because I've [crosstalk 00:08:55]. So what we know now about hominids, well, ancient human groups is that we had to have a lot of... To do what we did and spread over the world and be so successful, there always had to be a high ratio between adults and children, which is very interesting. You had to have what they call, I think they called them alloparents. So you had to have non reproducing adults basically who would support and help the reproducing women do what they had to do.   Lara Briden: (09:28) And that's actually what enabled women, the reproducing members of society, to make babies every three years, back to back like that. Because you can imagine a individual human, a woman in the wild, there's no way you could raise baby after baby with no help. [crosstalk 00:09:46] And a husband isn't enough, one person isn't enough. You have to have aunts and uncles, grandmothers. And so there's that.   Lara Briden: (09:57) So obviously yes, I think to speak to your question, young mothers are under a lot of pressure now that they wouldn't have been. And that is a drain on their stress response system. That's certainly not ideal, in terms of stress level throughout the reproductive years. A lot of what happens at perimenopause, you know how in my first book I talk about the period as the monthly report card, perimenopause is like the final exam. It's everything that's been happening, what amount of metabolic reserve you were able to build up through... When you get to your early 40s, because for a lot of us, the change does start in our early 40s. It's not somewhere off in your mid 50s. I mean, that's a mistaken understanding that a lot of women have, like, "It's happening now." Not now for you, but for a lot of women, by 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, that's pretty common to start to get some of the neurological symptoms.   Lara Briden: (11:05) And the way that is going to be will depend on a lot of factors and certainly your stress, your adrenal system, we call it naturopathically, or your stress support system, how stable that is, how strong your circadian rhythm is, how well nourished you are, how your immune system is. All of those things, including unfortunately, how many environmental toxins you might have been exposed to. Any of those negative things can increase the symptoms of the perimenopause transition.   Lara Briden: (11:40) Because I'm convinced from a biology evolutionary point of view and also as discussed in the book that I mentioned, low Moon Climbs, the actual transition of perimenopause to menopause, historically would've not been symptomatic. There's no reason that we would've... The body should be able to make that change symptom free. Obviously you stop ovulating and stop having periods, that's what happens, but there's no reason that should go along with distressing, sleep or hot flushes or all the things that can happen. Just as there's no reason periods should be... Periods are not painful inherently. They are commonly painful, but that's a mismatch a lot of the time with our modern food supply and other things going on.   Lara Briden: (12:30) So that's the idea of evolutionary mismatch. I think actually to perimenopause and perimenopause symptoms is the classic example of evolutionary mismatch. This idea that symptoms arise from a mismatch between our ancient physiology and our modern environment. And not just food, not just environmental toxins, but circadian rhythm would come into that a lot, disrupted circadian rhythm. On the topic of environmental toxins, there's actually a bit of interesting research. I do include it in the book just only like one sentence [crosstalk 00:13:00].   Tahnee: (13:00) Lead stuff?   Lara Briden: (13:00) Yes.   Tahnee: (13:01) Yeah. I was going to ask about [crosstalk 00:13:03].   Lara Briden: (13:03) Good eyes. There's like one sentence about that, but possibly, and this is just one example of the way environmental toxins can affect us, but there's some research to suggest that some of the neurological symptoms of the perimenopause transition, so that would include anxiety, sleep disturbance, potentially hot flashes, may arise at least in part from the release of lead from our bones. It's sounds awful, but this is the case. That we've accumulated through a lifetime and now with increased bone turnover with dropping oestrogen levels, more of that lead is liberated into the bloodstream.   Lara Briden: (13:44) And so for example, just to give you... When I was a kid, we had leaded petroleum or leaded gasoline. Obviously the society has been trying to reduce lead exposure, but some of us, especially born in the '60s and '70s, were exposed to more. And with heavy metal toxins, as you probably know, the body sequesters it, so it's like, "Oh, this is bad." Puts it in the bones, which takes it out of circulation for a while, but eventually comes back. So that's an intriguing bit of research to kind of wonder if without body burden of lead, what would... I think there's other factors too. I don't think that would mean we're all of us symptom free, but it's an intriguing-   Tahnee: (14:26) It could be a tipping point or something.   Lara Briden: (14:27) Yeah. It's a factor.   Tahnee: (14:30) I found that really interesting too. And even just because you hear about osteoporosis in sort of menopausal years, but I think, I didn't really understand that it was just that turnover process was heightened and faster, I suppose.   Lara Briden: (14:43) Yes, it's an increased bone turnover. Which is real, and a lot of that's comes from losing oestrogen and progesterone to some extent.   Tahnee: (14:50) So that's happening in the body anyway. We have osteoblast clast going around and [crosstalk 00:14:56].   Lara Briden: (14:55) Yes, the turnover is always happening. Yes, exactly.   Tahnee: (14:57) So can you explain, is the difference with menopause is as the progesterone and oestrogen drop-   Lara Briden: (15:04) Yes.   Tahnee: (15:04) Is that just completely affecting the speed of that process, is that [crosstalk 00:15:09]?   Lara Briden: (15:09) So there's more osteoclast activity or the cells that kind of chew up bone. Osteoclasts are suppressed by oestrogen, not completely, but... So as you know, we're always, from peak bone density, peak bone mass around age 30, we, everyone, men and women, it's downhill from there basically. We're losing bone mass incrementally, continuously, and that's normal. But the idea is we want to have hopefully strong enough bones to last into our 80s or 90s. At some point we're not going to need our bones anymore. But around the later phases of perimenopause when oestrogen drops, because I just point out oestrogen is actually high in the early phases, which is interesting. But around the later phases and into after your final period, it is true, there is acceleration of that bone loss for at least about five years. And it's real, I think it's just, it's a lot of it your outcome.   Lara Briden: (16:15) And then, the concern is because you're not going to break bones from osteoporosis in your 50s, it's actually, what's going to happen when you're 75, 80. So it's all about this prevention for down the road, so it's about assessing risk. What other risk factors for low bone density might you have? A good example is eating disorders like undereating as a young woman is not good. There's some evidence that hormonal birth control actually impairs bone density, smoking. These are some of the obvious ones, smoking's [crosstalk 00:16:48] not good. So if you have any of those risk factors and then plus, especially if you have an earlier then for the sake of bones, there is a real argument to be made for taking oestrogen potentially long term to protect bones. So I'll just acknowledge that.   Lara Briden: (17:04) There's also lots of other ways to help bones. The muscle and bone are just connected like hand in hand. So maintaining strong muscles is a excellent way to maintain bone health. And we are unfortunately with the final phases of menopause or perimenopause and dropping oestrogen levels, we tend to lose muscle mass, which it's real. It's like you lose your bum, you just start to not have... You can maintain muscles, but you have to work at it. And well, it's a sad reality. And I guess just also speaking back to our ancestors, they didn't work at maintaining muscle exactly. They were walking around carrying [crosstalk 00:17:49]. Yeah. Carrying bundles of food and babies and-   Tahnee: (17:52) Children.   Lara Briden: (17:52) Yeah.   Tahnee: (17:53) Yes. 20 kilos to laugh that to me at the moment, people like, "Look at your arms." I'm like, I would, I have a 20 kilo child. I think that's a really interesting piece with our modern society. And we seem to keep looking back at this mismatch, but we would've been so much more active and just incidentally active through our day to day lives [crosstalk 00:18:17].   Lara Briden: (18:17) They didn't exercise.   Tahnee: (18:18) Yeah. They're not working out at the gym or anything.   Lara Briden: (18:20) No. [crosstalk 00:18:22]   Tahnee: (18:23) And I think that that losing that throughout our whole lives, it's a challenge, and for younger people.   Lara Briden: (18:29) Younger people. Sure.   Tahnee: (18:29) But I notice you mentioned walking, that's something you do a lot and-   Lara Briden: (18:33) Yeah.   Tahnee: (18:34) Some of the women I know who've had easier transitions movement does seem to play a part in that for them the more active jobs or people who walk a lot or do those more active things.   Lara Briden: (18:45) For sure. I love the fact that you use the word movements rather than exercise. I'm a convert to saying movement because of the inherent sort of just joyfulness of it. You're not, as you say, working out, it's not a chore. You're moving your body. So I would emphasise, it's pretty important to find a style of movement that is enjoyable because that's the way you're going to do it on a regular basis. Not to be healthy, not to specifically to build bone, but because it feels good to move your body.   Tahnee: (19:19) You actually like to do it. And I think that was interesting because you had some research around, I think it was yoga and hot flashes, which I hadn't heard and thought was super interesting, but I know yoga's not for everybody because some people it's too much stretching. Because sometimes I think resistance training can be better for like what you're talking about, holding muscle mass and strengthening bones and things. But I thought that was an interesting study because I hadn't heard of that symptom.   Lara Briden: (19:45) A lot of things affect hot flashes actually, because there are nervous system symptoms. So there's lots ways to help to stabilise. The nervous system is recalibrating. We can launch into that now, but I'll just say a word for... I love yoga and I agree [crosstalk 00:20:01].   Tahnee: (20:00) I love it. I'm a yoga [crosstalk 00:20:02].   Lara Briden: (20:01) You either love it or you don't. If you don't, that's fine, but it has a lot of things going for it. You do build muscle with yoga, especially if you're doing some of the stronger squats and lunges and things. And also as I talk about in the book, it's so good for the nervous system. It's this combination of actually arms above the head, controlled breathing, long exhales. That's really good for the vagus nerve as you probably know. And it's very stabilising for the nervous system. So I love it. I acknowledge not everyone feels the same, but I'm in the camp of how do people survive without yoga? [crosstalk 00:20:36]   Tahnee: (20:36) No, trust me, that's me too. But one thing I've noticed with, I don't know, I used to teach a lot of menopausal women and they seem to have, you mentioned it in the book, a lot of energy. And I do find sometimes I feel like they actually don't connect to the... They seem to enjoy moving more.   Lara Briden: (20:58) Okay. More vigorously maybe sometimes [crosstalk 00:21:01].   Tahnee: (21:01) Which is something interesting because I teach a lot of Yin and slower. I did used to teach hectic stuff too, but it was just interesting when I was watching how different people responded to practices. And look, it could be a nervous system thing too, like you're talking about. I thought that was an interesting chapter. I guess just thinking about how much, I mean, that affects all of us, like heart rate variability and all of these things. But I thought that was really interesting in relation to peri and menopause. So can you talk a little bit about that side of things?   Lara Briden: (21:33) Oh, about the nervous system [crosstalk 00:21:35]. Yeah. So let's talk about that. Perfect, because I mentioned about recalibration of the nervous system. And we'll get our terms straight too. So perimenopause is the lead up to menopause basically. I mean, there's different ways. Menopause itself as a word has different definitions depending on who you ask. But the definition I use comes from the professor who helped me with my book, Jerilynn Prior. She is in the camp that defines menopause as the life phase that begins one year after your final period. So she would call that menopause is the next 30 years going forward from perimenopause.   Lara Briden: (22:22) Some people define it differently. Some people call that post-menopause I'm with her, that menopause is all of those decades that come after. Whereas perimenopause is the change and that's where the symptoms come from. Most of the symptoms are temporary. With the, we probably won't get to it today, but just acknowledging that longer term symptoms with menopause or post menopause depending on how you want to define it, would be things like vaginal dryness and that whole syndrome that goes along with low oestrogen and how that affects the pelvis and bladder. And so that's obviously [crosstalk 00:22:57].   Tahnee: (22:56) Not the prolapse sort of.   Lara Briden: (22:58) That sort of thing. So that's-   Tahnee: (23:00) And you speak to that in the book.   Lara Briden: (23:01) I do. There's a chapter section on that. That's not temporary, but a lot of the other symptoms are temporary, especially the neurological symptoms of which most symptoms of premenopausal are neurological, and they arise from the recalibration process. So just as first puberty is, as you can imagine, a recalibration of the brain. The brain undergoes pretty major changes in first puberty, obviously. And the immune system undergoes changes with first puberty. The same happens with second puberty or perimenopause. So a brain rewiring, that's what I call chapter to seven in the book, is rewiring the brain.   Lara Briden: (23:44) The other system that undergoes quite a profound recalibration is the immune system. And that's why there's such thing as perimenopausal allergies and an increased likelihood of autoimmune flare. And the other system that undergoes a recalibration is the metabolic system and cardiovascular system all around a shift to insulin resistance, unfortunately, which also affects the brain.   Lara Briden: (24:09) But in answer to your question about the nervous system, I'll just talk about the nervous systems. So nervous system symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats. Night sweats are usually first, premenstrual night sweats, first in terms of sequence of symptoms to arise. And then sleep disturbance is quite a common one, increased likelihood of anxiety and depression, dialled up premenstrual mood symptoms potentially, and migraines. Did I already say migraine?   Tahnee: (24:44) No.   Lara Briden: (24:45) [crosstalk 00:24:45] No, increased frequency of migraines. I just had a patient the other day actually with classic. She said she'd had maybe two migraines in her first puberty and then they went away completely. And then they came back at 42, 43, they started coming back. And so I can talk about some of the underlying physiology that's contributing to that.   Tahnee: (25:07) Well, I just think it's super interesting because I guess reading the book that I noticed a lot of it seemed to come back to that nervous system piece around there's all the sleep symptom and that's really, if we work on regulating nervous system that helps. The hot flash if we work on [crosstalk 00:25:25]. And I guess one of the things I hear a lot from people is, how do I fix my hot flashes? Or how do I fix my insomnia? How do I fix my... And it's like the symptom becomes the focus instead of really drilling down to that root cause around well, maybe there's this imbalance in the activation of the nervous system.   Lara Briden: (25:43) Right. Or just the general strategy of supporting the nervous system rather than having to eliminate that [crosstalk 00:25:50].   Tahnee: (25:49) Yeah. Like focus on cooling down or eating [crosstalk 00:25:53].   Lara Briden: (25:55) For sure. And one thing before I launch into the nervous system and the physiology underlying that, I do just want to point out while I'm thinking of it, there's no diagnostic test for this. This is a little bit... This is worth mentioning-   Tahnee: (26:13) Like it's subjective kind of?   Lara Briden: (26:15) Because it's such a classic story, as women start having night sweats, increased migraines, they feel different. They're like, "Ooh something's happening? Could this be perimenopause?" And then the answer is probably yes. But they go to the doctor and they're like, "Oh, your blood tests are fine." That means nothing. That means absolutely nothing. And same with DUTCH testing or any kind of... There's no diagnostic test for perimenopause. It's purely based on context and symptoms. By context, meaning if you're older than 35, and symptoms and ruling out other causes. For example, thyroid disease can look and feel a lot like perimenopause, but it's something different. Although you can have both happening at the same time, which is confusing.   Lara Briden: (27:08) But I will say just to be clear, so I'm talking about a normal perimenopause, a normal progression where your symptoms might start in your late 30s or early 40s, but you're heading to a final period anywhere between 45 to 55, that's normal. Period stopping due to early menopause at like 35, that's different, and that can be diagnosed by blood tests. We'll leave the early menopause thing. I talk about it in the book, but we'll just leave that separately because obviously that's a whole other conversation.   Lara Briden: (27:45) Today we're talking about the normal timing of things. So what's happening with the nervous system is the sequence of events. Like I said, there's a logical sequence of events, it's not just random chaos. The first thing that happens is start to make less progesterone because we're having shorter luteal phases, your listeners know what I'm talking about, so we're-   Tahnee: (28:13) Yeah, I think so. I mean, the book has that beautiful graph I think. That visual was really good to show my husband. [crosstalk 00:28:20] But so we get that big curve of progesterone and sort of [crosstalk 00:28:26].   Lara Briden: (28:27) In the ovulatory cycle when we're healthy, when we're younger than 40, if we're not on hormonal birth control, we should be having every month, a couple weeks of strong progesterone production. And that helps to lighten periods, that is usually quite good for mood. Although there's a little bit of nuance around that, but generally progesterone for most women is a little bit tranquillising. Well, you've got lots of it right now. Second trimester pregnancy is usually quite tranquillising. I mean, again, it can vary as other factors.   Lara Briden: (29:00) But with on the journey to perimenopause, we just start, our ovulation just becomes less robust. It's nothing you've done wrong. In my first book, I talk about all the ways to promote healthy ovulation and we still want to do that. And in my new book, I have a chapter called cycle while you can. You still want to ovulate as best you can for as long as possible and always remove any obstacles to ovulation, but also accept the fact that ovulations are becoming less robust. Eventually they're going to stop, that's normal.   Lara Briden: (29:35) So with this reduction in progesterone, with shorter luteal phases, maybe a shift to having more anovulatory cycles or cycles where you don't ovulate, but still bleed, we make less progesterone. And that feels like trouble sleeping, increased migraines, increased anxiety potentially, and heavier periods as well, which we might not go into today. We'll see if we have time. But there can be heavy periods going along with all of this. So we lose progesterone, which is one of the reasons taking progesterone, not a progestin in the pill, but natural progesterone can be actually very helpful.   Lara Briden: (30:18) At the same time, we're getting in the early phases of perimenopause. And there's four phases, which I give a little chart in the book. But in the earlier phases, which in total last four or five years, we're also getting potentially oestrogen higher than ever before, up to three times higher than before and spiking up and down. And you can't really that with a blood test, because it's all over the place. But you know from symptoms and from some of the testing research that professor Prior has done, you can see this big oestrogen spikes. And along with oestrogen spiking up high can come this whole immune system reaction that I talk about in the book of high histamine and which is also very-   Tahnee: (31:04) Muscle reaction.   Lara Briden: (31:04) Very muscle activation and this in part is the perimenopausal allergies and it's headaches and irritability and hives sometimes or urticaria sometimes. There's definitely an immune thing going on that can feel terrible. And that I have noticed sometimes gets called oestrogen dominance, although I don't really use that word. But that's that kind of high oestrogen immune stimulated picture with very little progesterone sometimes to counterbalance that. And so that's the first phases and that is not pleasant. Sorry, so that affects the nervous system. That's where some of the other anxiety symptoms come from is that high oestrogen, high histamine plus then estrogen's on a rollercoaster. Then you get some oestrogen withdrawal symptoms leading up to the period, which also doesn't feel very good. That's where the night sweats come from is oestrogen dropping from high to low. So lowest [crosstalk 00:32:02].   Tahnee: (32:01) Kind of addictive. I just want to quickly dive in because I thought that was interesting. I'd never thought of it that way. It's a first.   Lara Briden: (32:10) Yeah. Oestrogen is addictive [crosstalk 00:32:11] for the brain.   Tahnee: (32:11) So when we're swinging, that's this kind of the low is like a withdrawal. [crosstalk 00:32:18]   Lara Briden: (32:17) Yeah. We get oestrogen withdrawal. Yeah, for sure. It's not pleasant. And just to reassure, it was perfect timing with your question, because I was about to say that once we get into that menopause phase, stable, low oestrogen... Not no oestrogen, we still make actually quite a lot of oestrogen still, but we don't get hot flushes and night sweats because it's not the like up and down crashing down part of the oestrogen roller coasters. So a lot of it comes from oestrogen withdrawal and also the oestrogen addiction side of things. It's worth mentioning that if women do take oestrogen therapy... And I think it's fine to take it. I just want to say, in general pro hormone therapy, not everyone needs it, but I think it's reasonable to take that.   Lara Briden: (33:09) Just one thing to understand, that if and when you decide to stop it, you have to taper down oestrogen. I've had patients who they want to take a break and so they've just stop it immediately, and of course get hot flushes back because you're going through oestrogen withdrawal. That doesn't really tell you anything about your underlying need for it, if you know what I mean.   Tahnee: (33:30) Okay. So that makes sense. It's like, you're got to be gradual in changing the body biochemistry [crosstalk 00:33:37].   Lara Briden: (33:36) When you're coming off hormone therapy, you can go on it more-   Tahnee: (33:39) Aggressively?   Lara Briden: (33:40) Rapidly. No, not aggre... No, I always think start low actually. I don't know if we'll have time today to go into all my thoughts about hormone therapy, but if [crosstalk 00:33:46].   Tahnee: (33:46) I think you really talk a lot about that option in the book and I think it's probably something better discussed clinically I think with a practitioner appointment and [crosstalk 00:33:57].   Lara Briden: (33:57) So read book and we'll talk, because I think we want to talk more about the nutrition side of things and-   Tahnee: (34:02) Yeah. I guess the distinction I thought was interesting in the hormonal chapters or sort of, was around the, so you're distinguishing between body identical, bio identical and then the more chemical like synthetic hormones, I suppose. Do you mind just giving us some distinctions around?   Lara Briden: (34:18) Yeah. So just very broad strokes. And I agree, because I think we should focus more on the nutrition side of things today. But I will say, put this simply, so-   Tahnee: (34:27) Good luck.   Lara Briden: (34:30) There's a confusion happening, which is that up until about eight years ago in Australia, it's different in different countries, but I remember exactly when body identical hormones went mainstream in Australia, it was 2016. So that's seven years ago. No, six years ago.   Tahnee: (34:48) Five or six.   Lara Briden: (34:49) How many years ago? I don't even know. With the pandemic, we're like, "Wait, how many years..."   Tahnee: (34:53) "Have I been?" I think it was five because my daughter was born in 2016 and she [crosstalk 00:34:58].   Lara Briden: (34:57) Okay. So it's only five years ago. Five or six years. [crosstalk 00:35:00] That's when body identical also called bioidentical hormones became mainstream. So until that point, which is not that long ago, the only way to access hormones that are actual hormones, actual estradiol, identical to the hormones we make, the only way to access those was compounded. You have to see an integrative doctor. So we have to be a special route to get to those hormones. And now they're pretty much mainstream, and I talk about it in the book, you have to ask for them by brand name. Not all the hormone therapy products on the market are bioidentical, but some of them are, and doctors do know now that it's safer and it's better.   Lara Briden: (35:51) And the real advantage, one of the big differences is that body identical or bioidentical, means the same thing, progesterone is safer for the breasts. So progestins, not progesterone, but the progesterone analogue drugs are not safe for the breasts. And that's actually where a lot of the breast cancer risk came from was the progestin part. So real progesterone in Australia is called Prometrium. This is the brand name in the US. It's Utrogestan in New Zealand and the UK. So hopefully there's a lot more detail in my book, but I hope that clears things up for some people listening.   Tahnee: (36:30) Well, I think that was interesting because you talk about women who've been on the pill until their 50s or some, and then they're like, "Oh I want to go back on the pill, because I got..." [crosstalk 00:36:43].   Lara Briden: (36:44) Don't do that. And then I say, "Yeah, no, no, exactly." And then [crosstalk 00:36:49].   Tahnee: (36:49) In the book you were like, "No," but they were yes in... Anyway, I thought it was an interesting, because I might have mentioned this another time [crosstalk 00:36:54]. But I had a professor who was doing all this research into how the pill's so great because it stops us having periods and blah, blah, blah. This is when I was 18, so this was a long time ago. But he made the point that if you're on the pill, it's mimicking preg... So he was coming-   Lara Briden: (37:10) No.   Tahnee: (37:11) Yes, I know. It's very [crosstalk 00:37:13].   Lara Briden: (37:12) Keep going. Yeah, yeah.   Tahnee: (37:14) But he was like, "It's just like these, our ancient ancestors, how they had lots of babies and they never were bleeding and blah, blah, blah." And so 18 year old Me's like, "Okay, this is making sense." And anyway, long story, but I feel like there's a little bit of that lingering sense of the pills keeping everything in balance and if I go off that it's going to... I hear that a bit in the world when I talk to people and yes, I'm curious if you could talk about how the pill relates to perimenopause and menopause.   Lara Briden: (37:42) Very good question. There's a whole section about that in my book. Again, I'll try to be concise here so we have time for some of the other things too. Just quickly to answer to what this professor was saying to you, which is that the pill mimics pregnancy, which is absolute standard narrative that we've been fed, not my strong word, but that's been out there-   Tahnee: (38:07) Well, this was in university biology course on human reproduction. It's a big thing to teach a bunch of kids.   Lara Briden: (38:13) Yeah. So the problem with that version of things, is that contraceptive drugs, just if we name them, let's say the drug called levonorgestrel and most pills or ethinyl estradiol, that's the synthetic oestrogen. They are not the same as the oestrogen and progesterone you make during pregnancy or during menstrual cycles. In terms of mimicking pregnancy, I mean only very superficially, not in terms of what that means physiologically for the body because the hormones of pregnancy are actually quite beneficial and particularly on the breasts.   Lara Briden: (38:53) And as you know, pregnancies in general, have a risk reduction effect for breast cancer long term. And part of that is the progesterone exposure because real progesterone that you make during pregnancy, that you make during a menstrual cycle, that you can take as Prometrium arguably has a risk reduction effect for breast cancer, whereas progestin increase the risk. So that's just one example of how progestins are different from progesterone. I have a blog post called the crucial difference between progesterone and progestin. So you can look at it there. So an answer to-   Tahnee: (39:28) I think you had the diagram in your book with the two different molecules as well.   Lara Briden: (39:32) Yeah, they're different. So an answer to your question, what does the pill mean for perimenopause? Well, it masks it for one thing. So as we talked about, we'll have to refer, you can put the show notes back to our first episode where I'm sure we had a little discussion about why pill bleeds are not periods. That's true in our 40s as well. So if you're having regular pill induced bleeds, you'll keep having those even after your body went through menopause. It doesn't delay it. If anything, the pill brings menopause a little sooner, it doesn't stop menopause. What will happen is if you've been on the pill and having those bleeds, then when you stop it, you'll be instantly into menopause, over the oestrogen cliff, which is probably why you asked that question thinking, but that's an example of oestrogen withdrawal going straight over. It's like... It's potentially not good.   Lara Briden: (40:32) And so in the patient story that I think you were mentioning from the book, she's like, "Oh, I need to go back on the pill is this is awful." And I'm like, no, well you might as well go on to modern menopause hormone therapy, which is body identical, which is at least giving you real hormones and safer than the pill because the pill is hormone therapy. It's a big dose of synthetic, almost like an old school type of hormone replacement therapy that's not even as good as what they give menopausal women now. So it always feels like a bit of a cruel thing that now finally menopausal women get access to natural hormones conventionally. The young women are still put on these horrible synthetic hormonal drugs that don't have...   Tahnee: (41:19) Very not good for us.   Lara Briden: (41:21) Yeah. So I have a chapter in Hormone Repair Manual called cycle while you can, making the argument. And I quote, professor Pryor, she said, "The 40s is not a time to take the pill because if you need something, you might as well take real progesterone to get those benefits rather than..." Yeah.   Tahnee: (41:39) Well, I thought that was an interesting point you made, I think it was in that chapter around just to have as many cycles as you can leading up to menopause and even pregnancies and things like how biologically we would've probably had babies until we couldn't. And that's actually quite potentially helps smooth that transition. Again, this is sort of [crosstalk 00:42:04]   Lara Briden: (42:04) Good eye. You have a good memory for all those parts of book. Yeah, it's true. Because-   Tahnee: (42:08) Not as much as I usually do, pregnant brain.   Lara Briden: (42:12) No, I'm impressed by those little parts that you remembered from the book, but yes, that's another example of evolutionary mismatch is our prehistoric ancestors. Well, and even historic, to some extent, would've had quite a different life menstrual history in that likely they would've kept having babies and breastfeeding and severe periods. Potentially what perimenopause would've looked like for them was you have your last baby at 42 or 43 or something, and then you breastfeed for three years and then you just never get your period back. It's just kind of a slow glide into... You come from the low oestrogen stage of breastfeeding into... And so there's no oestrogen withdrawal. You don't necessarily, they wouldn't have been going through these crazy up and down oestrogen roller coasters that we modern women do. So that's another explanation potentially for why they wouldn't have had the symptoms. I say wouldn't have, I mean, they don't have. In modern, I mean, the information we have is modern day hunter gather people like the Hadza don't report symptoms. They report stopping their periods at 45, but they're generally happy about it.   Tahnee: (43:30) Well, I've often fed this to my husband and it's something I think about with all stages of our biological shifts through life, but it shouldn't probably be as hectic as it is. You think about puberty, you think about pregnancy. Some people I talk to, they just have the most awful time. And I think, there has... And I guess that comes back to what you were talking about at the beginning around that mismatch around how we live and what we eat.   Lara Briden: (43:59) And environmental toxins. I mean, we really can't underestimate, environmental toxins are affecting our menstrual cycles and our perimenopause experience, unfortunately. And that's not-   Tahnee: (44:10) On pregnancy too, I'm sure.   Lara Briden: (44:13) ... women's fault. This is why I talk in the book and I'm starting to talk more about our environment, including our food environment, because we're like animals inside an environment. Certainly in terms of diet, we're eating because that's what's around us. I mean, it's not all about making the wrong choices, it's-   Tahnee: (44:34) It's what's available.   Lara Briden: (44:35) Yeah.   Tahnee: (44:37) Well, so on diet, I think in terms of what women... Because I noticed the piece on soy as well, which was interesting because I think we all grow up hearing soy good for menopause and don't really... Thought that was an interesting... You sort of debunked that.   Lara Briden: (44:52) Well, it's not oestrogen. This is the thing with phytoestrogens is their antiestrogen in young women, which can be good. That's not a bad thing. I actually think phytoestrogens are great. And they're somewhat pro oestrogen with menopause, just very briefly on phytoestrogens, and I do talk about it in the book, we're calibrated to them actually. Our ancestors, there's some research to suggest that especially those of us with agrarian ancestors, so ancestors eating grains and legumes, women evolved a higher level of estrodiol, ramped up our oestrogen to sort of overcome the anti antiestrogen effect from phytoestrogen.   Lara Briden: (45:41) So in that sense, we're calibrated to have those in our diet and phytoestrogens actually do have quite a stabilising beneficial effect on all stages of female hormonal health. In part with menopause, one thing they do that's very beneficial is they help to, this is a little bit technical, but they increase something called SHBG or sex hormone binding globulin, which actually helps to prevent some of the testosterone dominance and insulin resistance that can also happen, that I talk about in the book. So just to say, no, soy is not a substitute for oestrogen therapy or anything like that, but phytoestrogens generally are probably quite good for the perimenopause [crosstalk 00:46:26].   Tahnee: (46:26) Which would explain, I guess, why all those herbs that you use in those periods are very estrogenic.   Lara Briden: (46:32) And linseeds. That kind of thing can be very beneficial. So I certainly in trying to debunk that soy is oestrogen, would never want to take away from the fact that phytoestrogens broadly speaking are quite good for us. Yep.   Tahnee: (46:48) And I guess you did speak specifically to the isolates if I'm remembering correctly. So I'm probably putting words in your mouth.   Lara Briden: (46:54) Yeah. No, no. It's [crosstalk 00:46:57]. It's good to [crosstalk 00:46:57].   Tahnee: (46:57) But it's an interest. I do think like with that herbal piece, because there's... I mean, you mentioned black cohosh and there's a few talked about for sleep, which is one of my favourite herbs.   Lara Briden: (47:07) I love it.   Tahnee: (47:08) Yeah, it's a beautiful one. But I thought that was interesting because a lot of women, I think lean toward herbal therapy in the sort of, I guess alternative space. Can you speak a little bit to [crosstalk 00:47:20]?   Lara Briden: (47:19) Yeah. So herbal medicine can be very helpful. So I would say in the perimenopause space... So let's say if we're in the earlier phases of perimenopause, when oestrogen, as we've said is high, going high and then spiking low. There's different strategies to try to help with that. We're trying to stabilise the immune system, so stabilise histamine, that herbal medicine can be very helpful for that. We're trying support the gut so that the high oestrogen can clear safely through the gut, herbal medicine and supplements can help with that. And then there's the whole during the recalibration of the nervous system is where adaptogens can be quite helpful. So I don't name a lot of them, I don't go into a lot of the detail in the book, but things like Ashwagandha. A lot of those have anxiolytic kind of like, I mean calming, tranquillising-   Tahnee: (48:16) Effects. Yeah.   Lara Briden: (48:17) ... stabilising the nervous system. So there's a role for, I use herbal medicines quite a lot. I mean, I guess I do talk about how I've never seen that black cohosh as a standalone single intervention.   Tahnee: (48:33) Yeah. Well you mentioned you don't really use it, [crosstalk 00:48:35].   Lara Briden: (48:36) I've just never seen that it's... But I think as part of the whole programme, including diet, which we can talk about, and no alcohol, which we'll have to talk about, then I think adaptogen type herbal medicines can be part of that for sure and helpful. And phytoestrogen herbal medicines can be helpful in terms of stabilising the oestrogen roller coaster, sheltering from the spikes and at the same time helping with SHBG levels. And so it's lots of mechanisms by which phytoestrogens are helpful.   Tahnee: (49:10) It sounds like it's sort of a tapestry in a weave of maybe using the herbs, but also lifestyle changes. And maybe if we can talk a bit about diet and the alcohol is interesting because of the histamine. So let's jump into that.   Lara Briden: (49:23) Let's do my two big things. For my patients, this is basically what I say. If you could do these two things, there's a 50% chance that's all you're going to need to do. And then's 50% chance you might need some adaptogens or you might need some hormone therapy eventually or different options. But the two things are take magnesium because it's-   Tahnee: (49:45) I was about to say.   Lara Briden: (49:46) ... so stabilising and so-   Tahnee: (49:48) Nervous system, everything.   Lara Briden: (49:49) The nervous system loves it. And in the book, you'll see I talked about using of the magnesium taurine formulas, which is very easy to get in Australia. Taurine is an amino acid but it's also a neurotransmitter that's very calming. It's one of my favourite things for perimenopause, obviously, because I talk about it so much in the book. So, magnesium.   Lara Briden: (50:12) And then the second thing I would have to say quit alcohol. I mean, not forever potentially, but during the thick of it. If you're in that more intense part of perimenopause, phase two heading into phase three, approaching your final period, just removing alcohol entirely can be a game changer. There's several mechanisms by which that helps. I think definitely you talked about alcohol itself destabilises muscles and causes a histamine release. Also alcohol is just, well to put it bluntly, it's toxic to the nervous system, so there's that. I mean, it's just not friendly. It causes intestinal permeability, actually quite profound intestinal permeability when drinking, short term after alcohol intake and depending on the number of drinks.   Lara Briden: (51:14) And then also there's some research around habitual or even just moderate alcohol intake, sort of weakens the circadian rhythm response. So this is where alcohol can disrupt sleep. Not just the night you've had it, but more broadly. So I would invite people if you haven't before, try quitting it for a month and see what happens to your sleep, because it can be really quite interesting.   Lara Briden: (51:43) And the other thing about alcohol, I always try to mention this because for some reason, this is not common knowledge, but alcohol is conclusively linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Now, the risk is not enormous. I don't want to scare people, but it's very robust in terms of the research is very clear. It's not, oh, we need more research, it's it definitely increases the risk of breast cancer. And as much as oestrogen therapy does in fact, moderate alcohol intake, five or six drinks in a week increases the risk of breast cancer as much as oestrogen therapy does. So it's quite a strong effect.   Tahnee: (52:32) And a fairly, I mean easy one to... I guess it's that sort of thing around a lot of women probably reach for a glass of wine as a nervous system thing. And it's really about reframing how you manage that.   Lara Briden: (52:46) They do, and I see on social media, a lot of messaging around wine for menopause or kind of... It makes me sad because I feel like that's damaging messaging potentially.   Tahnee: (53:05) Magnesium for menopause has more [crosstalk 00:53:07]?   Lara Briden: (53:10) Yeah. This has a better reason to it, I think.   Tahnee: (53:10) I noticed you spoke about neurotransmitters a bit, and that was a super interesting thing around you spoke about it earlier, the brain changes. But you mentioned glycine and a couple of others as well for... And I guess I'm hearing a lot, like the liver needs supporting. Is that sort of a fair thing to say? Because I mean, thinking about histamines, they all end up affecting the liver, and just thinking about these hormonal clearing through the blood, that's going to have to happen with all these changes. It seems like this organ gets to work a bit harder at this time. Is that something-   Lara Briden: (53:40) I mean, generally broadly, yes. And also, I think when we say liver and natural medicine, we do also mean other things too.   Tahnee: (53:49) I'm even thinking Chinese medicine.   Lara Briden: (53:51) Yeah. But from a Chinese medicine perspective actually encompass, definitely actually that's one of the main angles is using another really nice herb is herbal medicine is bupleurum, which I also love for [crosstalk 00:54:02], which is a cooling... I mean, that works on the liver in a TCM perspective. But the liver, I mean maybe correct me or you can agree with this or not, but from a TCM perspective, liver also includes the digestion, the gut and definitely that's... And the whole histamine system is probably sort of liver related I guess if we're trying to sort of put that across the two medical traditions, trying to connect [crosstalk 00:54:30]. Because from a Western medical perspective, liver means different things, but yes, all that kind of stuff.   Lara Briden: (54:37) And also just to bring into it, and we're not going to have time to go into this in detail, but I will just say there's this shift to insulin resistance that happens in the later phases of perimenopause and that can actually cause fatty liver. So that can actually... Now we're talking real liver things. And so I guess one of my takeaways might be if you're 40 something or late 50s or early 50, or at any age after that really, and noticing a significant thickening around the waist, especially if you've got higher cholesterol and fatty liver, and it's really time to find out if you have insulin resistance or not. I've written about that in the book and how testing... You have to test, not just for glucose, because that won't tell you, but you have to try to test insulin if your doctor will do it and then reverse that and [crosstalk 00:55:32].   Tahnee: (55:32) Of your diet, are you recommending more of a paleo-ey kind of a-   Lara Briden: (55:41) I mean, I lean that angle, but I guess I would say what seems to work is finding a way to feel satisfied with the meals, which always involves mostly about protein. Getting satisfied, having a functioning digestion and yes, liver to some extent. And then being able to, because you feel better and you're on magnesium and feeling better. That's when it's time to say no to both alcohol and concentrated sugar. So I mean-   Tahnee: (56:11) Dessert.   Lara Briden: (56:13) Dessert, [crosstalk 00:56:13] like a soft drink and fruits. This always becomes a tricky topic as people think... I talk about high dose fructose and how that research is really clear that that's bad for insulin sensitivity. And then people are like, "Well, do you mean fruit is bad?" It's like, no. So whole fruit is fine, just to be clear, but desserts, full on ice cream and fruit juice and date balls and-   Tahnee: (56:37) I'm pregnant. I know all about dessert.   Lara Briden: (56:38) Yeah. The thing is, even then it's a nuanced conversation because some people can have desserts and get away with it. And it depends on your insulin sensitivity. It depends on so many things. And then there's different desserts. There's lots of really delicious treat, things you can make with low sugar. They don't have to be... So I don't want to make a blanket statement [crosstalk 00:57:03].   Tahnee: (57:02) Demonising it, but-   Lara Briden: (57:03) No, no, no. I mean, but it is [crosstalk 00:57:07].   Tahnee: (57:06) Well, I think what you're really pointing to is you want to avoid these things that are going to spike the blood sugar dramatically. Because if you don't have the capacity to process-   Lara Briden: (57:15) It's partly about spiking the blood sugar, it's actually more about some actual physiological damage that high dose fructose does to the liver. That's kind of how we got on this topic actually.   Tahnee: (57:25) Do you mean the actual molecule fructose?   Lara Briden: (57:30) Above a certain threshold. So it's really-   Tahnee: (57:33) And that's what you're looking at [crosstalk 00:57:34].   Lara Briden: (57:37) The threshold is different for different people, and at different ages, and in different situations. And some people, especially people who are very active and have a healthy gut and liver and everything's good. They can probably have fruit juice and it's fine, it's not a problem. But for people with insulin resistance, because there's been a lot of confusion. I just get that from my own patients. They might be for example, very scared to eat potatoes because they've heard that that's... but still then hungry, so then bingeing on like a date bar, slice paleo dessert after dinner. That is-   Tahnee: (58:18) Backwards.   Lara Briden: (58:19) That's back to front. This is where I talk about getting full. I have a new blog post called the power of eating enough, which is protein. I actually mentioned potatoes by name because they're actually quite filling.   Tahnee: (58:28) It's a good starch. Yeah.   Lara Briden: (58:29) They're quite good. And then feeling good and then being like, "No, I'm not going to have that fruit juice. I'm not going to have that SoBe. I don't need that. I might have a little dark chocolate or some fresh fruit or some frozen berries or something. And that's enough for me."   Tahnee: (58:46) So that's drilling down on getting tested if you can around insulin.   Lara Briden: (58:50) Yes.   Tahnee: (58:50) And that's really, you're looking at symptoms of weight gain and you said this in the book a lot, specifically this middle area, this-   Lara Briden: (58:57) Yes. Specifically that apple shaped around the middle. And just to point out for everyone listening, some thickening around the waist is inevitable with menopause. So that's just-   Tahnee: (59:10) So don't get too stressed out.   Lara Briden: (59:12) It's just a fact. I mean, it's a hormonal... How it's interesting actually, because I heard this interview. There's a scientist who just did this quite groundbreaking study debunking the idea that our metabolism reduces with age, which was quite controversial. But I heard an interviewed by a friend of mine actually. And he said specifically, he gave the example, he said, "Well, there can be other things going on. Like for example, at menopause, there's a whole hormonal redistribution of fat. So this is a change in body shape." This is what I'm saying, this is inevitable to some extent. So young women have an hourglass. Well some, the kind of normal healthy figure is hourglass figure. That's estrodial, that's oestrogen fat on the bum and a narrow waist. That is what that hormonal profile does.   Lara Briden: (01:00:05) When we shift with menopause, even on hormone therapy actually to some extent, there is a shift, we never take as much estrodiol as you would've or we made when we're 25, you wouldn't do that. And then we get this shift to what I talk about in the books, sort of a testosterone dominance. It's a shift to a more male body shape, and it's going to happen to some degree to everyone. So don't worry about it too much. But if there's significant waking happening around the middle and progressing more to a strong apple shape, that is insulin resistance. I hope that... Yeah.   Tahnee: (01:00:43) And I mean, the other thing you mentioned getting looked at and tested is Hashtimoto's autoimmune, which I thought was really interesting because I've had a few friends who have had that be triggered by pregnancy or maybe postpartum and I thought it was interesting that you [crosstalk 01:00:59].   Lara Briden: (01:00:58) That's a hormonal transition state. I don't know how much more time we have, but I'll just say-   Tahnee: (01:01:03) Well, we don't have much, but I've wanted to say that word that you said in the book, it's... What did you call that [crosstalk 01:01:10].   Lara Briden: (01:01:09) Critical window.   Tahnee: (01:01:10) Critical window, yes. Here it is, critical window for health. I thought that was a super important concept.   Lara Briden: (01:01:16) So this it's a critical window. Perimenopause is a critical window for health because it's a hormonal transition like puberty, postpartum. Postpartum is another critical window and perimenopause. And what that means by critical window is if things start to go off the rails health wise during a critical window, you're potentially going to skew a lot more in a bad direction than if things go a little bit off the rails when you're in a more stable state, if that makes sense