Podcasts about clia

All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to welcome Josh Bowie and Dr. Divyen Patel from Your Genetic Wellness as guests to the show.   About Naga V. Naidu, Ph.D., Lab Director at Your Genetic Wellness:   Dr. Naga V. Naidu is a PhD-trained toxicologist and laboratory leader with more than 10 years of experience in forensic and clinical diagnostic laboratories. He earned his PhD in Toxicology in Houston, Texas, following completion of his bachelor's degree in pharmacy in India. Early in his career, he served as Scientific Laboratory Director at a forensic toxicology laboratory and achieved board certification as a Toxicology Chemist through the National Registry of Certified Chemists (NRCC).   Dr. Naidu has held multiple leadership and technical roles across forensic and clinical diagnostic environments. He currently serves as a General and Technical Consultant Director for several Clinical Diagnostic Laboratories, where he provides oversight in laboratory operations, test development, validation, regulatory compliance, and quality systems management.   His expertise includes method development and validation of advanced analytical platforms used in toxicology, molecular diagnostics, and genetic testing. Dr. Naidu has experience reviewing and supporting genotype-based testing panels and translating molecular data into clinically meaningful wellness and risk-assessment frameworks.   In addition to his technical expertise, Dr. Naidu is highly experienced in laboratory compliance and regulatory standards, including CLIA, CAP, proficiency testing, and quality assurance systems. His multidisciplinary background allows him to bridge scientific rigor, clinical relevance, and regulatory integrity, ensuring high-quality, reliable genetic and diagnostic testing.   About Josh Bowie, SVP of Strategy & Insights at Your Genetic Wellness:   Josh Bowie is a creative strategist and systems thinker dedicated to solving the "Last Mile" problem in precision health. As the SVP of Strategy & Insights at Your Genetic Wellness, Josh serves as the Strategic Lead for the Results to Routines™ framework, a methodology designed to translate complex biological data into clear, actionable wellness pathways for everyday life.   Josh's approach is rooted in the belief that data is only as valuable as the habits it inspires. He moves beyond the traditional model of overwhelming, static health reports, focusing instead on Actionable Biology: a human-centric design where technology and clinical expertise intersect to create sustainable change. By synthesizing market signals with a unique perspective on consumer behavior, Josh ensures that Your Genetic Wellness functions as a "GPS for the Human Body," empowering individuals to navigate their health with confidence and clarity.   A vocal advocate for collaborative wellness, Josh emphasizes that the most successful health journeys are never walked alone. His work focuses on building the bridges between cutting-edge science and the real-world decisions that define long-term vitality, ensuring the future of health is both personalized and profoundly practical.   About Your Genetic Wellness:   Your Genetic Wellness is shifting the conversation from reactive care to proactive clarity. Too often, we wait until symptoms appear before investigating our health, forcing us into a cycle of trial and error to find relief.   We believe in a different approach: providing a personal biological roadmap before the guesswork begins. Using a simple at-home swab, we translate unique genetic markers into clear, actionable insights that show how a body may process nutrients, respond to medications, and manage long-term wellness.   Whether you are a proactive professional, a parent, or a caregiver, we provide the data-driven confidence to move away from reactive "sick care" and toward more informed, personalized health decisions.

In this podcast episode our host, Peggy Hoyt, interviewed Austin Collins, CEO and co-founder of Five Strands, a wellness company that provides intolerance testing for both people and pets.  Through their testing, they can help to identify dietary and envrionmental stressors. Austin explained how Five Strands has tested 500,000 people and pets over nearly 10 years, offering four main categories of testing: food intolerances, environmental sensitivities, nutritional imbalances, and heavy metal sensitivity, with results provided through a CLIA-certified lab using hair sample collection. The company recently released an updated mobile app and continues to focus on personalized testing rather than generalized DNA panels, with Austin emphasizing the importance of early dietary rotation and environmental awareness for pet health.Support the show

Dr. Deb Muth 00:02What if I told you that before a single drop of chemotherapy goes into a cancer patient’s body, we can take a blood sample, grow their actual living cancer cells in a lab, and test 70 different drugs against those cells, all outside the patient’s body, to find out which ones actually work. And what if I told you that the conventional oncology doesn’t routinely use this test? Well, today we’re going to talk about why that matters and we’re going to go through and I’m going to share a story that is very personal to me. It’s about a 38 year old man with a rare complex cancer diagnosis and the precision testing that is helping to keep that cancer from progressing. Stay with me. This is one that is going to change how you think about cancer treatment. Dr. Deb Muth 01:05You guys can put a little ad right in here before we start the next segment here. Hey everybody, welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now. I’m Dr. Deb and today we’re going deep. I mean really deep. It’s some of the most cutting edge cancer testing I have ever seen in clinical practice. Now, normally I don’t talk about cancer. And I would not be sharing this story if it was anyone other than my own family. I do have permission to share and talk about this publicly. So I want to do this. I want to make sure that I share this message. And he is giving his blessing to share this story because we both believe that it can save lives. So his name is Cameron. He’s 38 years old. And he is my son-in-law. And two years ago, he came to me with a small lymph node underneath his arm and a bullseye rash. So of course, being the lime literate person that I am, my first inclination was to say, yeah, this makes sense. You have an enlarged lymph node because you have this bullseye rash. You got bit by the tick. Let’s keep an eye on it. If it doesn’t go away, let me know. So Fast forward a year and a half later, he comes to me and says, mom, what do you think about this? This thing is getting a little bit larger. And I said, yeah, it’s a little larger. Not sure. Let’s keep an eye on it. He wasn’t feeling anything. All his labs looked okay. And then one day he was out chopping wood and he started getting numbness in that arm and he felt it again. And it had exploded in size. And so after some evaluation with my daughter and him, we decided to do a ultrasound. And we thought what was going to come back was a fatty tumor. It felt like one looks like one responded to one. He’s 38 years old. He’s healthy. There’s nothing in our mind that’s ever thinking the result that we’re going to get back. Dr. Deb Muth 03:28Is a possible lymphoma. Needless to say, we were shocked by that ultrasound result. And we go fast forward, we have the biopsy. I requested a total excisional biopsy. I was told by the oncologist that that was old school. They don’t do that that way anymore. And I need to stay out of this. I need to let the experts take care of this because that’s what they do best. And this came from a breast surgeon here in Wisconsin. And so I stepped back for a moment. I let him do his biopsy and what came back was adenocarcinoma of an unknown origin. Had we excised the entire lymph node, we would have had more tissue to work with. I think we could have gotten a better diagnosis. So over the course of the next two and a half, three months, we have some more imaging done. We have some more testing done. They send a pathology out to Mayo Clinic. And what continues to come back is this incongruent test results. If anybody’s ever had this, it’s extremely frustrating. One test shows lymphoma. Now it shows breast cancer. Then the next week it shows estrogen receptor HER2 positive breast cancer. Two weeks later, another test comes back and it says, no, it’s not HER2, it’s triple negative breast cancer. And now it looks like it’s out of the lymph nodes. Now it looks like it’s in the lymph nodes. And we do a PET scan and they can’t find cancer anywhere except in this axilla area. But now we find a lymph node on the right side. So it must have spread.Let’s go ahead and do a biopsy on that. And so they biopsy the right side and the right side comes back with nothing other than tattoo ink. Now, all of this is kind of crazy. I am not a cancer specialist. I want to start by saying that I am not a cancer specialist. What I am sharing today is from a mother-in-law’s perspective, from a medical detective’s perspective, I do know how to do research. I do know how to find answers. And so what I’m going to share with you Dr. Deb Muth 05:54Is totally my opinion and totally my experience. And I’m not telling anybody to do anything different than what their doctors are telling them to do. But I am telling you to ask questions. So I go deep down the rabbit hole and find out that Tattoo Ink can appear like metastatic cancer on a PET scan. And we all know everybody gets tattoos today. They’re all over everyone. And yet we’re not thinking about how this tattoo ink can cause problems for us down the road, not to mention that there are heavy metals in them and it’s a toxin and it’s creating an inflammatory process in your body that your body’s constantly trying to get rid of. So the surgeon says to us, well, yes, that’s normal that that lymph nodes inflamed. It’s normal that there’s tattoo ink in it. The body’s doing what it’s supposed to do. It’s trying to get rid of a toxin. Okay. I will agree with that, but My son-in-law is covered with tattoos everywhere. And why didn’t we mention the tattoo ink that was found in the left axilla? We are only mentioning it in the right axilla. So there’s a lot of controversy, a lot of confusion. Many of you would never know any of this because A, you either don’t look at your lab results. And if you do, you don’t understand what you’re looking at. And that creates a problem for us, right? You don’t know what questions to ask. So we go into the doctor and the doctor tells us you have cancer and we’re going to swoop you in. And in the next two weeks, you’re going to be doing chemotherapy and radiation. And six months from now, we’re going to be doing surgery and there’s no time for questions and you’re scared shitless and you’re just doing what you can to survive. And I get that. And I totally understand that. And I appreciate that. But I’m telling you that If that is your choice, that is your choice. But as you’re doing that, take the time to ask the right questions. When this happened to us, there was a lot of challenging things with the oncology team. Nobody bothered to allow them to be a partner in their care. They dictated their care, but didn’t allow them to be a partner. So, Dr. Deb Muth 08:17Here’s what most oncologists do when patients get a cancer diagnosis. They look at the tumor type, they look at the stage, they look up the NCC guidelines, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and they follow the algorithm. Now, I have an enormous respect for conventional oncology. I really do. Working with cancer is probably one of the hardest things in medicine that anyone can do. The advances in this field over the last 10 years have been remarkable. But here’s my issue. Standard treatment assumes your cancer is the same as the cancer in the clinical trial that created the guidelines. It’s assuming that you and your cancer are the exact same as everyone else. You are the unique fingerprint, not the cancer. And this is the problem because your cancer is unique, just as unique as if you had your fingerprint taken, the mutations driving your tumor, the drugs your cancer cells are sensitive to, the metabolic vulnerabilities of your cancer. These are all different from the person sitting next to you in the chemo suite that has the same triple negative breast cancer or HER2 positive breast cancer or prostate cancer or colon cancer that you have. So what do do about that? Well, in my world, in the integrative medicine world, we test precisely, intelligently with the tools that most oncologists have never heard of. Or if they have, they haven’t incorporated it into their treatment modality for a variety of reasons. Either it’s not acceptable by the organization that they work for, they don’t understand it, They’re not going to be able to change their protocol anyway because they have to follow the NCCN protocol. So they don’t do it or they use a portion of it and they don’t do anything outside the protocol. So today I want to cover three things with you, three tools that we used that I think every cancer patient should be asking for when they start treatment or wherever you are in treatment at this point. Dr. Deb Muth 10:44you need to have these tests done. I don’t have any affiliation with any of these companies. I don’t get paid to tell you any of this. So let me just start by saying that I understand the chemistry behind these and how important it is to give you precision cancer treatment. And that’s why I’m talking about them today. The first one we’re going to talk about is the North Star response. This is your cancer surveillance score in the blood. How much cancer is circulating in the blood. The North Star Select, your cancer’s genomic blueprint from a blood draw. And the Datar Cancer Genetic Chemoscale, the live cell drug sensitivity test that tells us which drugs actually kill your cancer. So let’s go. Let’s dive into this. Let me just take a drink here. I’m going to cough a little bit. I apologize. I have this horrible tickle. It just never seems to go away, but that is not for today to discuss. So what is all of this? OK, the North Star response is a test that was developed by a company called Billion to One. And yes, that name is intentional because of the precision involved. It’s a next generation sequencing test, meaning it reads DNA at an incredibly detailed level. And it looks at something called methylated circulating tumor DNA or methylated CT DNA. Now let me break this down in plain English for you, because this can get a little overwhelming. When the cancer cells die or shed, they release tiny fragments of DNA into your bloodstream. We call this cell-free DNA or CFDNA, and it’s hidden within that cell-free DNA. And there are fragments that come from tumor cells. We call those CT DNA or circulating tumor DNA. Here’s what makes North Star’s response different. Rather than just looking for mutations in that tumor DNA, which is what most liquid biopsies do, and a liquid biopsy is just a blood test, Dr. Deb Muth 13:03This test looks at something called methylation patterns. Think of methylation like a dimmer switch on a gene. In healthy cells, certain genes are switched on and off in a very predictable way. In cancer cells, those dimmer switches go haywire. And cancer DNA has a characteristic hypermethylation, meaning switches are turning on and should be off or off and they should be on. And these patterns are essentially a cancer fingerprint in the blood. Now the North Star response scans more than 2000 locations in the genome for these cancer specific methylation patterns. And then it adds them all up into a single number called the tumor methylation score or TMS. So for Cameron, Cameron’s blood which was drawn on April 20th, 2026, his baseline tumor methylation score came back at 13. Now here’s the critical thing, to understand this was his baseline test, his starting point. And the real power of this test is in serial monitoring, meaning we run it again and again and again over time. And if that number goes up, the cancer activity is likely increasing. If it goes down, we’re likely suppressing the tumor activity. And if it stays flat or falls, that’s telling us that the disease is responding. So this is now in the blood. We have an actual fingerprint and every test from here forward will be compared to this number. Now let’s talk a little bit about this because I was not familiar with this test at all. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I did not order this test. He’s working with Inveda Medical and they are fabulous over there. I will tell you that from the beginning. This is coming from a practitioner and from a mother-in-law. They were absolutely wonderful to us. So when I saw this North Star, I didn’t know, should it be zero? Should it be a hundred? And when I talked to the doctor, he said, Dr. Deb Muth 15:29This number is actually really good. An average person walking around who’s never been diagnosed with cancer, who doesn’t have cancer, their number will be between 75 and 100. Cameron’s was 13. I think that’s fantastic. But what was the first question that went through my head? It’s probably the same question that you guys are doing. How can he have cancer with a number of 13 when it’s less than the normal average? And if we’re supposed to use this to track what’s happening with his cancer, how are we going to do that once we remove the cancer? Is this number going to go to zero? And it could possibly do that. And we may not be able to use this to track whether or not the disease is actually gone. But what we can do is use this to track over the course of his lifetime to see if the cancer cells are coming back long before we detect them on imaging. And that’s the huge part of this.So this is not a test that just anybody should go out and get because you’re worried about cancer. It is a test that should be done in somebody that is already diagnosed with cancer. So let’s start by making sure we explain that, okay? So imagine if every time your cancer cells are active and they’re shedding and they’re multiplying and they’re fighting back, they’re leaving a signature in your blood not just any signature, but a specific chemical tag that says, cancer’s here. That’s what the North Star Response Test reads. Those tags across thousands of locations and gives us a single score. So we track that score over time like a thermometer for your tumor. If it goes up, we get concerned. If it stays stable or goes down, we celebrate. And we can catch a change in the blood often months before it will show up on a scan. Pretty important when we’re talking about surveilling somebody for cancer returning, when we’re worried about it, and everybody knows the cancer patient is always worried after they get that clean bill health that something’s gonna come back, and most of the time they’re told that there is no way for them to determine that or know that from a blood test. And here is the blood test that can tell us, yes, it can. Dr. Deb Muth 17:51So I would really encourage you guys to talk to your oncologist about this. If you can’t find an oncologist that will do this, talk to an integrative cancer doctor. They will most likely be familiar with it. If not, ask them to find it for you and order it for you. So next, let’s talk about that genetic blueprint because North Star Select is a different test also by billion to one run on the same blood draw, but this one is doing something completely different. This is a comprehensive genomic liquid biopsy. Liquid biopsy just means blood tusks, meaning it’s looking for specific mutations in 84 cancer related genes, all from a blood sample, no biopsy needle, no surgery, just a blood draw. It looks for CNVS, single nucleotide variants, tiny one-letter typos in the DNA code. It looks for indels, small insertions or deletions in the DNA. It looks for copy number changes, the sections of the genomes that are duplicated or deleted. It looks at fusions. So when two genes incorrectly link together to create a dangerous hybrid, MSI status, micro satellite instability, which tells us whether immunotherapy is likely to work. And it has extraordinary sensitivity. It can detect a mutation that represents as little as 0.15 % of cell free DNA in the bloodstream. That is an almost impossibly small signal in the ocean of genetic noise. So what did this show for Cameron? This is where Cameron’s case gets clinically fascinating and where it tells the story of how his cancer is being held in check. Two major mutations were identified as actionable. One was called CRAS G12C. Dr. Deb Muth 20:11And it’s a variant-ELI fraction at 0.1%. Now, CRAS, if you’ve spent any time in integrative oncology, you’ve heard this name. CRAS is one of the most well-known oncogenes in cancer biology. Think of it like an accelerator pedal in the car. In a healthy cell, CRAS pushes the cell to grow when it receives the signal to do so. And then it stops. In cancer, crass gets stuck in the go position, like on the accelerator, foot on the accelerator, to the floor, going as fast as you can around that track, right? But it’s stuck there permanently. It doesn’t turn off and it’s supposed to be turning off. The G12C variant specifically is a mutation at a very precise location. Position 12 of the CRAS protein, where a glycine is replaced by cysteine. And this matters because CRAS G12C is now a drugable target. There are FDA approved drugs specifically designed to lock this mutation into its inactive state, essentially putting a foot on the brake. Now those are drugs like, and I’m gonna slaughter these names, Sordisib, a brand name is Lumacras, and Atacras, the brand name is Crastol. Neither is yet FDA approved for breast cancer, but they are approved for lung and colorectal cancer with CrasG2C. And Cameron’s tests identified 10 active clinical trials within a region that he could potentially qualify for with this mutation. The fact that his CRAS G12C is circulating at only 0.1%. That is a very low fraction. We call that a VAF, V-A-F, very low fraction. And it tells us something important. It means that this mutation is present in a small subclone of the tumor. It’s not the overall tumor burden. So either way, when we identify, we know it’s there. Dr. Deb Muth 22:37We can catch it and we can watch it. Now, here’s another interesting thing that we saw. His TP53 was at 0.23%. This is a tumor suppressor gene, the guardian of genome. And this gene is responsible for telling damaged cells to either repair themselves or self-destruct. And when it mutates as it is here in the position R196Q, that guardian goes off duty. The cell no longer has a reliable mechanism to prevent uncontrolled growth. So TP53 mutations are present in roughly 50 % of all human cancers. And there’s currently no FDA approved drug directly targeting the TP53 but there are clinical implications. TP53 mutant tumors may respond differently to chemotherapy and several investigational approaches, including TP53 vaccines and aurora kinase inhibitors are under active investigation. So we are seeing things happen in this part of cancer right now. Now there’s something called the VUS list and we are watching This is what we’re watching. beyond those two actionable mutations, NORSTAR Select identified what we call variants of an unknown significance, VUS, adenocarcinoma of an unknown significance, ACUP. These are mutations where we don’t yet have enough clinical evidence to determine whether they’re driving cancer or not, but we watch them. So on our mutation list was CDH1, a gene linked to hereditary gastric and lobular breast cancer, CDKN2A, a tumor suppressor cell cycle regulator, CDK12, involved in DNA repair, EGFR, ERBB, this is HER2 receptor, tyrosine kinases. Dr. Deb Muth 24:55I thought this one was pretty interesting since he had an IHC that showed a three plus HER2, but then when we confirmed it with FISH, FISH showed that was negative, but now we’re actually seeing genes expressing this HER2. So is there a HER2? Is there not a HER2? This is really important because if we don’t get these diagnoses right in cancer the first time, people will spend months and years treating the wrong type of cancer with the wrong type of medication. And this may be in part why some people do better than others. If we get it right out of the gate, they do good. If we don’t get it right out of the gate, they don’t do so good. Very important to have the actual genetic makeup of the tumor that’s growing in somebody. Now last, we have something called Notch C1, NRAS and RAF1. These are key pathway components. Now all of these were at very low baffs under 0.5%. These are just whispers, not shouts, but whispers that this cancer is excreting, but your body is listening. We have to be listening. We have to be able to watch these things and monitor these. Now here’s another note of clinical interest. It was an androgen receptor positive cancer. So also detected as a VUS.We know from tissue pathology that Cameron’s tumor was androgen receptor positive. So seeing this in circulation confirms that this AR expression of the cells are present in the bloodstream and that an anti-androgen approach remains worth considering. What that means is suppressing the testosterone. What all of you know I’m about ready to say is that I hate ever suppressing hormones, especially in a 38 year old male. That is not necessarily a good thing. So before we go suppressing hormones willy-nilly, we have to know that it’s the right thing to do. And we have to be able to combat all of the complications that are going to result of that. A 38-year-old male with no testosterone could lead to heart disease down the road, could lead to bone loss, could lead to dementia, Alzheimer’s. Not to mention the sexual side effects that are going to be present. And in a man that is very, very Dr. Deb Muth 27:20Difficult for someone to manage. So you have to be very specific and you want to be very, very diligent about what you’re doing in these cases like this. Now the MSI status was not detected. This tells us that cancer is not a microsatellite instability high, meaning that standard monotherapy may have a lower baseline response of probability and the strategic integration that we’re working with with in Vita could create an immunogenesis genicity becomes even more critical. So immunotherapy is going to be very critical in a cancer case like this and working with somebody that understands that and can carefully navigate that, especially if you have an autoimmune disease like Hashimoto’s or lupus, this is all very, very pristine and has to be looked at very carefully and done very diligently in order for somebody to do this without overstimulating that immune system and causing more problems. So when we looked at the blood and found this DNA fingerprint of the cancer cells circulating in the body, from that, what we see exactly is the genetic switches that are stuck on. They’re stuck on in the wrong position. This tells us which drugs were designed to fix exactly that problem. And it opens the door to clinical trials built for these specific mutations. It also gives us a list of things to watch for over time. And if one of those tiny little signals starts to grow, we know that cancer is gaining a ground in that area. And if it shrinks or disappears, we know we’re winning. This is like, I cannot tell you how exciting this is in the cancer world and the medical world because this is really pristine cancer therapy that we’re dealing with here. And to be able to have this is just so important to life saving events in treating cancer. So. Dr. Deb Muth 29:41Let’s talk about something called the Dittar Chemoscale. This is the battle before the battle. Okay, so I’ve saved the most remarkable test for last, and this is one from a company called Dittar Cancer Genetics. They’re based out of the UK. They are CAP and CLIA certified, which means it meets the rigorous standards required for clinical laboratory testing in the US. And this test is called the ChemoScale. And it is a live cell chemosensitivity assay. So let me explain exactly what that means because it sounds complex, but the concept is actually quite elegant. When we drew the blood from Cameron, the Dittar’s laboratory isolated what are called circulating tumor associated cells or CTACs. And these are actually living cancer cells and they’re associated cells that are traveling through his bloodstream. Excuse me. So let’s think about that for a moment. Real live cancer cells isolated from a blood draw. Those living cancer cells were placed into a lab environment and exposed to over 70 different drugs, both conventional chemotherapy agents and what we call repurposed drugs. I’ll talk more about those in a minute. The lab then measured how many of those cancer cells were killed by each drug expressed as a percentage of cell death. So the scale runs from zero to a hundred and below 25%, that drug doesn’t work well against any type of cancer in that person. Might work great in somebody else, but in that particular person’s cancer that they have, it’s not gonna work so great. Anything that’s 25 to 50 % is intermediate and above 50 % is a high response. And that’s really where Dr. Deb Muth 31:43we want to be. We want to see anything higher than 50 % because that’s a great medication that can be used to kill the cancer. This is not a theoretical test. This is not based on tumor’s genetic sequence and the computer algorithm that predicts the drug response. This is a HIS actual tumor cell being killed or not being killed in real time. That is the difference. So in traditional chemotherapy, we have our protocols. If you have triple negative breast cancer, if you have HER2 positive breast cancer, if you have prostate cancer, if you have colon cancer, here’s the protocol that you’re going to use because that’s the type of cancer you have. That’s what’s been studied. Now, the problem is most of these cancers have mutated over time, especially depending on how long they’ve been in your body, because that’s what they do to try to survive. They have to change so they can survive because your immune system’s constantly trying to kill them. And so this is a really important thing. And if we don’t take an individual into response or into our thought process when we’re creating these protocols, we may give a drug that doesn’t work at all towards that cancer and you just wasted seven cycles of chemotherapy with a drug that never would have worked in the first place or had such low resistance to it that it’s now just created side effects for you but did nothing to the cancer. And then we pull out another drug and we try that. And then we pull out another drug and we try that. Instead of us knowing precisely what we can use and what we can do. And this goes for both the conventional world and the alternative world. In the alternative world of cancer, we use things like IV vitamin C and tumeric and lately ivermectin and fenbendazole and mendendazole and all kinds of other things. And if we are not truly aware that this is going to do anything, we could be wasting somebody’s time and money. So I love that this test is available. I want to walk you through a little bit about what Dr. Deb Muth 34:01we are what we saw in our case, because I think this can make a big impact on people to ask the right questions. So this particular blood test looked at several different drugs. Cameron had sensitivity from 44 % up to 61 % on different medications. Now he was really lucky. The three main drugs that they would use to treat his cancer he had greater than a 50 % response to. So that was great. However, the drugs that were recommended for him to use out of the gate had less than 50 % activity. So he would have had one drug that was really good, one drug that was not so good. And we don’t know what the outcome would have been, right? So I think this is such an incredible, incredible test to have done. This is critical friends. I’m telling you if his oncologist had chosen the two drugs based on the general guidelines for his tumor, his cells would have largely not survived. But because we ran this test, we know. So we know to avoid the drugs that won’t work and we focus on the firepower where it really counts. So I want to also talk about this repurposed drug result because this is where it gets integrated for us. Now, this section is what I want everyone in our community, our Let’s Talk Wellness community, our members to understand. This is where conventional medicine and integrative medicine intersect in a peer-reviewed clinical validated way. So the Dittar test looks at live cancer cells against what they call repurposed drugs, meaning pharmaceuticals and natural compounds that were developed for the purposes, for other purposes, like it could be an antibiotic, it could be an herbal medicine, it could be all kinds of things, vitamins, whatever. But they have demonstrated anti-cancer activity in research. And when we’re talking about integrative medicine, this is a lot of where we get Dr. Deb Muth 36:26The integrative protocols from because these particular drug compounds are known for having anti-cancer benefits. And so that’s how integrative protocols get developed. But again, it could be just like medication, like cancer drugs. If your body doesn’t have a susceptibility to it, then you’re using a product that’s not necessarily going to work. And we all know we cannot take everything that somebody recommends just simply because it has an anti-benefit to whatever it is we’re treating. There’s only so many supplements you can take. There’s only so many things you can do before you get burnt out on taking it. We call it supplement fatigue. And so we want to be very precise with what we’re doing and target this very specific area. So one of the things that showed up really, really well for our case was artemisium, sweet wormwood. It’s an anti-malarial drug that has very potent anti-cancer effects. Now I found this extremely interesting in Cameron’s case because he does have a positive tick-borne illness called Babesia. And this is one of the things that we use to treat Babesia. The other thing I think is very interesting in this case is we are studying how parasites affect cancer these days. And that’s how Ivermectin, Fenbendazole, and Menbendazole have all gotten thrown into the treatment of cancer. And so for this drug or this herb to be sensitive to this type of cancer is really intriguing to me in the world of parasites and how parasites are truly decreasing the body’s immune system and causing cancer to grow. Another thing that worked, showed up really well for him was Valprolac acid. It’s an anti-seizure drug with HDAC inhibitor properties, and this disrupts cancer cell gene expression. There was a soy formula that showed up really well. Naltrexone, you guys have heard me talk about low dose naltrexone, LDN. This actually stimulates an endogenous opioid immune response feeling, and this drug actually showed up really well. Dr. Deb Muth 38:49Something as simple as quercetin. It’s an anti-inflammatory. This is a crass inhibitor in some studies. So this is really important. I’m sure most of you have heard about the benefits of green tea and green tea also actually has anti-angiogenic or anti-cancer benefits to it. Hydroxychloroquine, very popular drug. It’s another anti-malarial drug. So again, now we have two anti-malarial drugs that are susceptible to this type of cancer. And on top of it, he has a positive babesia test. So just saying, you got to connect the dots sometimes. You got to think outside the box sometimes. Metformin is very well known as a anti-proliferative in cancer. We use it to suppress the sugar because sugar feeds cancer. Nobody should be eating sugar if they have cancer. So this one showed up as well. And then CBD, we all know of the benefits of THC, the Rick Simpson oil, and CBD can be tested to see if that is beneficial to a particular cancer cell. This is different than THC. THC works very differently in cancer. CBD is your healthy component of it. It’s the part of the marijuana plant that does not make you high. So very important here. So now let me be very clear, because I always try to be very clear. This is not FDA approved. I’m going to repeat that. This is not FDA approved. This test is a laboratory developed test, not FDA cleared. These results represent in vitro testing, meaning in a lab, not inside the human body. And the results can differ in what we call in vivo, inside the body. And this is why I always say work with a qualified clinician who can interpret these results in full clinical context. But here’s why this matters. We now have evidence, live evidence of a cancer cell that shows sensitivities to compounds that are accessible, relatively safe, and some of which he may already be using, which some of them we were. Dr. Deb Muth 41:13We were already using some of them, which made us sit back and say, this cancer has been in there for two years. If it’s a triple negative breast cancer, it’s supposed to be an aggressive breast cancer that should have spread to a different organ already after two years. It is not, it has stayed in one spot. Also interesting in this case is that there is no breast tumor that they could find anywhere. This was all confined to the axilla into the lymph node. So to have this growing for this period of time with such a small tumor marker number, that 13 that we talked about in the North Star test originally, and to see some mutations, there’s a lot of questions to this particular case. And there are lots of questions to everybody’s cancer case. They are not all straightforward cancer cases. So this is what’s important to understand this fingerprint of these cancer cells so that you can identify exactly, exactly what’s going on and treat it exactly the correct way. Super important. So this kind of information gives us the direction in an integrative protocol. It’s not guessing. This is not eat more tumor, I can hope for the best. This is personalized tumor specific precision guided integrative oncology. It is very precise. There are several countries, several clinics like this around the country that offer this type of therapy. If it’s something that you’re interested in doing, I would encourage you to look at in Vita Medical. Hope for Cancer is another great facility. There are several great facilities around the country. Like I said, that could put together an integrative approach for you if this is something that you are thinking about doing. If you’re looking for answers, if you’re in stage four or stage three and you are not getting the results that you want to get, you want to look at a different approach. You want to do a combo approach of integrative medicine and traditional medicine and alternative medicine. Dr. Deb Muth 43:37I think this is so important to look at and have experts on your team. You know, in our case, Cameron’s cancer is very complex. It’s genomically aggressive in its presentation, yet it’s not progressing to distant areas, which is so wonderful. And I want to be careful here. I can’t tell you with certainty that this is any one thing. Biology is complex. Cancer is adaptive. It’s trying to survive. That’s what it is supposed to do. It is changing its shape. It’s changing its genetic structure. It’s changing everything to try to survive and try to hide against your immune system. Now we are not even close to the finish line in our journey, but what I can tell you is that what the integrative precision approach has done that standard care alone might not do. I can tell you that today and I will share our journey along the way for any of you that are going through this that want to look at a different approach as well because I think it’s important to have this information. So first of all, we know the tumor’s fingerprint. North Star response gives us that TMS score. so we can track it over time. And if the cancer tries to gain ground, we’ll see it in the blood before a scan, we’ll show it. We know the cancer’s genetic vulnerability. We know how to handle the DNA now. We know the watch list of things to look for. And when those signals start to grow, we have a roadmap of how to address it next, how to change it. We know which drugs will automatically work against the tumor cells. We’re not guessing based on a tumor type. We tested the cells. We know how many drugs in the commercial world and in the repurposed world will and will not work. And this is going to guide the treatment protocol that we walk forward with. So we’re not giving him drugs that won’t work or have a low response. Dr. Deb Muth 45:55We’re avoiding them completely and that matters because every ineffective drug is a dose of toxicity with no benefit. There is no lie to this. Chemotherapeutic drugs are toxic. That’s how they kill the cells, but they kill the good cells and the bad cells. And if we can avoid using a drug that’s not going to work, that is so important. And then we’re layering in those repurposed and natural compounds with proven activity against specific cells. This is not complementary fluff. This is biologically active tumor tested precision medicine. Very, very important. So here is what I need you all to know and what I want you to walk away with today. If you or someone you love is facing a cancer diagnosis before treatment starts, before the first infusion goes in, I want you to ask these questions so quick. Go grab something to write with. Pause this if you need to, because this is really, really important for you to do that. And we’re going to take a break for just a second while you guys go and do that. We’re going to give you a word from our sponsor, and then we’re going to come back. And I’m going to give you the four questions that I want you to ask specifically of your medical team so that you have the answers and the ammunition that you need to work with. So we’ll be right back. Dr. Deb Muth 47:29All right, everybody, welcome back. I hope you got your pencil, your paper, your pen, your phone, whatever you’re going to take notes with because this is important. So I’m to give you four questions that I want you to ask your medical team before you get started. Question one, can we do a chemo sensitivity test before we choose a chemotherapy regime? Ask specifically about DATAR, D-A-T-A-R. cancer genetics, Oncostat Plus, or a similar functional chemosensitivity platform. Very, very important to ask those specific things. All right, question two. Can we do a comprehensive liquid biopsy to identify actionable mutations and monitor tumor burden? Ask about North Star Select, Billion to One, Guardian 360, or Foundation One Liquid CDX? I’m gonna say those for you one more time, because I said them kind of fast. North Star Select by Billion to One, Guardian 360 or Foundation One Liquid CDX? Okay, question three. Can we establish a baseline tumor methylation score, TMS, so we have a surveillance marker to track over time? and ask specifically about the North Star Response Test. All right, question four. Is there an integrative oncology center that can layer precision guided natural compounds alongside conventional treatment? Research institutes like Inveda Medical Center, CTA CA Integrative Medicine, or Hope for Cancer, these people are doing integrative medical miracles. Let me tell you, I have researched every one of them. I have spoken to each of them individually before we made our decision of who we were going to work with. They are all fantastic. You want to work with an integrative nurse practitioner who understands oncology. And if you’re working with an integrative practitioner, you want to ask them these same questions about this test so that you can get the best outcome. Dr. Deb Muth 49:56For what you’re dealing with. You are allowed to ask these questions. You are allowed to want more information from that protocol that was designed for the average patient. You’re not average and your cancer is not average either. And your care doesn’t have to be. You do not have to settle for the same thing that the person sitting next to you in the IV suite is dealing with when you both have different cancers excreting different genetic material. This is so incredibly important. want to make sure you understand precision medicine is what changes the lives for people every single day, every single day. So I started this episode by telling you about a 38 year old man with a cancer that baffled conventional medicine and integrative medicine, an occult primary that was not found complex genetic genomic profile, a presentation that in many hands might have resulted in a one size fits all treatment protocol and a prayer. And instead we ran the tests, we mapped the fingerprint, we watched the cells, we guided the protocol, and we are still fighting with precision, with data, with intelligence. This is what Let’s Talk Wellness is all about not giving up. This is what not accepting we don’t know as a final answer and demanding the level of scrutiny and personalization that every cancer patient deserves. So if this episode resonates with you, please share it because somewhere out there, there is a person who is about to get the wrong chemotherapy because no one ran the right test. And maybe, just maybe, that This episode will be the reason someone asks the right question at the right moment. If you’re going through something like this, you need a group, you need somebody to connect with, please join our free Facebook group called Seen At Last. It is where we support one another, we share this information, we share knowledge, and we help people for free support and ask the right questions. Dr. Deb Muth 52:23And if you’re inclined in your heart to pray, pray for Cameron, we could use every ounce of prayer. If you are in a position where you can help support this journey financially, we do have a fund going in free funder. I can post the link below. Every little bit helps. If you have $5, $500, it doesn’t matter. We’re raising money for this treatment. And along the way, I am documenting every step of what we’re going through so I can provide more episodes like this for you guys to share the outcome and share what our journey is like so that it can help the next person along. I really always believe that whatever happens to us happens to us because we’re meant to share it. That’s why I’ve shared my personal journey. I’m sharing his personal journey and we want to help other people. So until next time, I’m Dr. Deb. Keep asking questions, keep advocating, and never ever accept being unseen.The post Episode 274 – Stop Guessing on Chemotherapy: The Live Cell Test Most Doctors Miss first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, to discuss updates on the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) and other policy changes affecting clinical diagnostics. Later, Dr. Pritt welcomes Ann Moyer, M.D., Ph.D., a molecular genetic pathologist at Mayo Clinic and chair of the hereditary genetics practice, to explore how precision therapeutics are improving cancer treatments.PAMA update (00:01): Get the latest on PAMA as the first data collection period begins, including ongoing efforts to advance the Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services (RESULTS) Act.Policy changes influencing diagnostics (04:09): Learn how evolving reimbursement policies for blood-based cancer screening and a proposed CLIA modernization bill may impact the field.Pharmacogenomic tests improving cancer care (08:14): Discover how pharmacogenomics are benefiting patients with cancer, the benefits of medication-based testing, and how this field is advancing.ResourcesCMS: CLFS & PAMA reporting and resourcesPrecision Oncology Therapeutics: Personalized cancer treatmentAnswers From the Lab: Genetic Tests Identify Risk of Irinotecan-Induced Toxicity: John Logan Black, M.D.Answers From the Lab: Genetic Tests Identify Risk of Fluoropyrimidine-Induced Toxicity: Ann Moyer, M.D., Ph.D.

Lumos Diagnostics CEO Doug Ward joined Steve Darling from Proactive to discuss the company's recent achievement of CLIA waiver status and the growing adoption of its FebriDx® rapid diagnostic test across the United States. Ward said FebriDx® is now being used at more than 100 healthcare locations across 18 states, including urgent care clinics, primary care practices, concierge medicine providers, and collegiate health centers. The rapid point-of-care test uses a simple fingerstick blood sample to help clinicians differentiate between bacterial infections and non-bacterial causes of illness, supporting faster treatment decisions and reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. The rollout follows the company's receipt of CLIA waiver status, which significantly expands access to the test by allowing its use in a wider range of healthcare settings. As respiratory infections remain highly seasonal, Lumos is currently focused on onboarding new customers, integrating FebriDx® into clinical workflows, and preparing healthcare providers ahead of the upcoming respiratory season. Ward noted that establishing reimbursement pathways remains a key priority. The company reported that more than 90% of submitted reimbursement claims have been paid to date, with average payments exceeding the Medicare benchmark of US$41.38 per test. Lumos is using the traditionally slower spring and summer testing period to build market awareness, support pilot programs, expand customer adoption, and further demonstrate the clinical and economic value of FebriDx® in real-world healthcare environments. Management believes the growing adoption of FebriDx® highlights increasing demand for rapid, actionable diagnostic tools that can improve patient care, support antibiotic stewardship efforts, and enhance operational efficiency at the point of care. #proactiveinvestors #lumosdiagnosticsholdings #asx #ldx #otc #ldxhf #FebriDx #PointOfCare #HealthcareInnovation #Diagnostics #PointOfCareTesting #MedicalTechnology #AntibioticStewardship #Healthcare #RapidTesting #MedTech

roDx Health is all about good health and no guesswork—your health fuels everything, and feeling good helps you live your best life. ProDx Health makes testing easy, fast, and stress-free. It was founded in Menlo Park, in the heart of Silicon Valley, by Dr. Andreas M. Kogelnik (aka Dr. K), a pioneer with 25 years of medical experience and a passion for advancing healthcare through technology. A powerhouse team backs him, including Advisory Board members: Ellen Jo Baron, PhD (former Lab Director of the Stanford Hospital Microbiology and Virology Laboratories) and Dr. Charlotte Gaydos (former Johns Hopkins University STI Lab Director). Redefining lab testing with cutting-edge innovation, ProDx Health is a high-complexity CLIA-certified lab that offers the same accuracy and credibility as traditional clinics without the hassle. Results are delivered within 48 hours of the sample reaching the lab (typically the day it arrives at the lab), and they prioritize your privacy with HIPAA-compliant processes and discreet packaging. ProDx Health offers high-quality testing at competitive prices for performers, content creators, swingers, and other sex-adjacentgroups. ProDx Health currently offers ten STI testing kits, with the Pro13, the first at-home testing kit, serving as the industry gold standard for professionals. Additionally, the company offers eleven hormonetesting kits and an HPV testing kit, with more products coming soon.    Their kits and brands have already received major recognition. ProDx Health has already won two awards—Emerging Web Brand of the Year from the XMA Awards, and Safe Sex Product of the Year from EXXXOTICA's Fanny Awards. They've also scored industry nominations from the Sexual Wellness Awards in the Health Shield Award Category, Best Supporting Business nomination twice from the ASN Awards, and Marketing Exec of the Year and Progressive Leadership Award noms from the XBIZ Exec Awards *BRANDITSCAN** **Protect Your Digital Presence** One of the best defenses against social media fraud, impersonation, and stolen content. Protect your name, likeness, and online presence today, and get your first month free when you sign up through my link: **Sign Up:** https://branditscan.com/?aff=marcelaalonso ### **PODCAST AFFILIATES** **SDC | The Lifestyle Community** Looking to explore the lifestyle, meet open-minded people, or learn more about non-monogamy? Join one of the largest lifestyle communities online. **Explore here:** https://www.sdc.com/signup.php?ref=37593 *Take control of your sexual wellness with private at-home testing kits. Convenient, easy, and informed health tracking. **Shop Kits:** https://prodxhealth.com/products/pro-13-home-collection-kit?variant=42594725298278&_ef_transaction_id=&oid=1&affid=123 **Mums Candy | Sweet Deliveries** Treat yourself to fun candy and treats delivered directly to your door. **Get Treats:** https://www.mumscandy.com?sca_ref=11159574.RUXJwCcADs0U8m ### **FOLLOW MARCELA** **Exclusive Content (OnlyFans)**  * **VIP Membership:** https://onlyfans.com/marcela_luv  * **Free Membership:** https://onlyfans.com/latinamilfnyc **Untamed in the City (Substack)** Deep dives and personal writing on lifestyle and culture. **Subscribe:** https://substack.com/@untamedinthecity*ProDx Health | Wellness From Home** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A norovirus outbreak sickens 115 aboard Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess, forcing the ship to skip Nassau and ramp up sanitation on a 13-night Southern Caribbean voyage. An SEC filing reveals Royal Caribbean's new Discovery Class will carry about 4,300 guests at double occupancy, a notably smaller newbuild than its Icon and Oasis giants. And Ketchikan prepares to review a five-year agreement with CLIA that would govern cruise port fees and growth as Alaska's busiest ports wrestle with congestion and rising costs.

Click to Send us a text!We challenge the idea that heart risk is just cholesterol and explain why “normal” numbers can still hide an inflammatory burden that drags down focus, recovery, and resilience. We break down a simple way to measure omega-3 balance and give practical nutrition, supplement, and lifestyle steps to tune inflammation like a race setup. • cholesterol as essential physiology and a signal of demand • chronic inflammation as a quiet performance killer in motorsports • AA versus EPA and why balance matters • omega-3 index and AA:EPA ratio targets • how the at-home finger-stick test works and why CLIA-certified labs matter • food-first omega-3 strategy with fatty fish guidance • what to avoid with processed and fried foods • EPA-focused omega-3 supplement basics including dose, EPA:DHA ratio, TG form, third-party testing • sleep, hydration, toxins, training load, and stress as inflammation drivers If you enjoy conversations around physiology, recovery, longevity, and high performance health, click subscribe so that you never miss an episode. If you're the kind of person who's serious about optimizing performance naturally at the root level, you can apply to work with Victory Lane Wellness at VictoryLaneWellness.com. Support the showAs a token of gratitude, of course you're interested in these FREE and powerful resources, and because you enjoy the show, first be sure to leave your 5-STAR Review HERE!

The FBI's former Deputy Director walked out of federal service and into Royal Caribbean within days. A former Coast Guard officer joined CLIA as their regulatory chief. The industry has spent an estimated $70 million lobbying Congress. This is how the rules stay the way they are. Foreign-flag registration shields the industry from U.S. taxes and jurisdiction simultaneously. The CVSSA created a reporting floor and nothing else. The industry fought even that. This final episode of Cruising with Predators lays out the concrete reforms: device screening, an international registry, prosecution before deportation, independent investigations, ending NDAs in cases involving minors, and licensing standards for youth programs. Each one is tied to a case from the series. Each one would have changed an outcome. The system was designed. It can be redesigned. But only if families demand it. A Hidden Killers investigation.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#CruiseLobby #CLIA #CruiseReform #NDA #CruisingWithPredators #CruiseSafety #ChildProtection #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #MandatoryScreening

This Week in Pharmacy – 04-06-2026 Sponsored by Outcomes and Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC) On this episode of This Week in Pharmacy, we dig into another high-impact week across the profession with TWIRx news, practice transformation, oncology leadership, pediatric research innovation, and a look ahead to one of specialty pharmacy's biggest gatherings of the year. This week's episode is powered by our sponsors, Outcomes and Independent Pharmacy Cooperative (IPC), organizations continuing to support independent pharmacy innovation, patient engagement, and pharmacy performance. In the TWIRx News segment, we cover four important stories shaping the national conversation in pharmacy. First, we discuss the federal fraud case involving a Dearborn Heights pharmacy owner who pleaded guilty in a $1.9 million health care fraud scheme. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Rabih Hamdan admitted to conspiring to submit false claims for prescription drugs that were either medically unnecessary or never actually dispensed, impacting Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Federal prosecutors say the fraudulent claims totaled at least $1.9 million over a five-year period. Next, we look at oncology pharmacy leadership through the lens of Amy Seung, who is stepping into the HOPA presidency during a period of rapid acceleration in cancer care. In Pharmacy Times, Seung describes a practice environment where new approvals, indications, toxicity data, and clinical questions are arriving weekly or even daily. She positions HOPA as a key bridge between emerging science and real-world implementation, with this year's conference emphasizing bispecific therapies, real-world evidence, supportive care, and toxicity management. We also spotlight a powerful research update from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, where professor David Drewry and student researchers are advancing work on diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an aggressive pediatric brain cancer with limited treatment options and an average life expectancy of about one year after diagnosis. The team is using an open-science model to accelerate discovery while keeping future therapies more affordable, and they are working with M4K Pharma to advance an ALK2 inhibitor toward a Phase 1 clinical trial. Finally, we feature a practice transformation story from Drug Topics: Gregg Jones, MBA, RPh, made the leap from corporate pharmacy leadership to launching Compass Core Pharmacy, described as Rhode Island's first cost-plus pharmacy model. The cash-only model focuses on generics, uses AI-driven ordering, serves a growing veterinary segment with more than 1,400 pet prescriptions, and operates as a CLIA-waived pharmacy offering point-of-care testing. It is a compelling example of how pharmacists are reengineering care delivery outside the traditional reimbursement framework. We are also getting ready for Asembia 2026 in Las Vegas, where the Pharmacy Podcast Network will once again provide press coverage with support from Clearway Health. You can find us at booth 1805, where we'll be capturing conversations that matter across specialty pharmacy, access, patient support, innovation, and care delivery. Our first featured interview is with Nick Baird, Director of Marketing with Outcomes, where we will explore the growing role of pharmacy engagement, patient activation, and value creation in community-based care. Our second interview features Dr. Jen Hammons, PharmD, DrPH, with Health Wagon, a vital community healthcare organization dedicated to serving medically underserved patients through an expanding network of care. In 2024 alone, Health Wagon served 7,291 unique patients through 21,615 patient encounters, supported by five mobile health units, three stationary clinic sites, a dental clinic, a vision clinic, and a pharmacy. Known for hosting one of the nation's largest health outreach efforts of its kind, Health Wagon continues to expand its impact through the dedication of staff, volunteers, trustees, partners, donors, and supporters. Join us as we connect the week's top headlines to the broader transformation underway in pharmacy practice, policy, specialty care, and community health. To learn more, follow the Pharmacy Podcast Network and stay connected as we head into Asembia 2026.

Listeners asked, so I'm answering. In this episode, we're pulling back the curtain on one of the most powerful tools in personalized health: pH 360. You've heard it mentioned before, but today, we're going deeper into the how and why behind it. How can a system understand your body so precisely it feels almost eerie? And why are so many people stuck spinning their wheels with one-size-fits-all approaches that were never designed for them in the first place?This conversation breaks down the science, technology, and real-world application of a platform that analyzes thousands of data points to create truly individualized health and lifestyle strategies. From body measurements and environment to hormones, genetics, and behavior patterns, this is about understanding you at a level most people never experience.Because your health isn't random. It's responsive. And when you finally stop guessing and start working with your biology instead of against it, everything changes.If you've ever felt frustrated, stuck, or like nothing is working… this episode will shift how you see your body, and what's actually possible for you.In this episode:What pH 360 is and why it's a game-changer in personalized healthHow 10,000+ data points are used to create your unique “health code”The science behind epigenetics and how lifestyle impacts gene expressionWhy one-size-fits-all health advice often fails (and what to do instead)How your environment, stress, and daily habits influence your resultsThe role of anthropometry (body measurements) in predicting health risksThe 6 health types and what they reveal about your body and tendenciesHow AI-powered tools like CLIA enhance precision and personalizationReal client transformations, from blood sugar regulation to inflammation reductionWhy guessing your way through health is keeping you stuckRESOURCES:Episodes mentioned:The Power of Chronobiologyhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/79-the-power-of-chronobiology-why-timing-is/id1736527617?i=1000729045492Chat GPT Vs. CLIAhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/85-chatgpt-vs-clia-the-ai-revolution-thats/id1736527617?i=1000732622032Find all of Susan's Resources and links in the show notes: Shop the products: http://healthygut.com/healthyawakenings (this link will provide you a special discount!)https://healthyawakening.co/2026/04/06/episode119/Connect with Susan: https://healthyawakening.co/Visit the website: healthyawakening.co/podcastFind listening links here: https://healthyawakening.co/linksP.S. Want reminders about episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, you can find the link on our podcast page! https://healthyawakening.co/podcast

Send us Fan MailPaper Discussed in this Episode:Clarifying validation terminologies in healthcare. Amanda Dy, Sandra M. Buetow, Andrew J. Bredemeyer, et al. npj Digit. Med. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02471-2.Episode Summary:In this deep dive, we unpack the silent chaos surrounding a single, universally used word in healthcare innovation: "validation". Exploring a 2026 paper by the Pathology Innovation Collaborative Community (PIcc), we uncover how differing definitions of this word across AI developers, hospital directors, regulators, and venture capitalists can lead to massive miscommunications, millions of wasted dollars, and compromised patient safety. We ask the critical question: when a developer says an AI tool is "validated," what are they actually selling you?In This Episode, We Cover:• The "Chameleon Word" of Healthcare: Tracing the evolution of "validation" from its Latin roots, to its 1940s use in physical measurement accuracy, and its 1962 shift into hold-out testing. Today, the word functions simultaneously as an evidence claim, a lifecycle activity, and a quality label, creating a fractured meaning across disciplines.• The AI/ML Trap (Three Shades of Validation): Why an AI developer claiming a model is "validated" might just mean they checked the raw data for corrupt files (dataset validation) or tuned the model's math in the lab (validation data). Calling a model "validated" after internal cross-validation severely misrepresents its readiness for actual clinical deployment.• The Clinical Lab Reality Check (Analytical vs. Clinical): The crucial difference between analytical validation (proving a tool is technically perfect, like a thermometer) and clinical validation (proving the tool actually helps diagnose patients correctly). We also explore why the gold-standard US lab framework, CLIA, completely abandons the word "validation" in favor of establishing "performance characteristics" that require rigorous, site-specific verification.• The Regulatory and Business Minefields: How geography alters the legal definition, with the FDA focusing on intended use while European frameworks (IVDR) encompass entire lifecycle risk management. Furthermore, we discuss why "business validation" (securing investor funding) does not equate to clinical safety or regulatory readiness.• The "Lightweight" Solution: The authors don't propose a massive new dictionary; instead, they advocate for simple, lightweight qualifiers. Teams must stop using "validation" as a binary yes/no label and instead explicitly define the context—stating exactly what phase, reference standard, and operational conditions were tested.Key Takeaway:The word "validation" has morphed into a pseudoscientific label of trust that can mask a product's true readiness. To prevent dangerous misalignments in medical innovation, interdisciplinary teams must demand explicit context: never just accept that a tool is "validated" without asking "validated for what exactly?"Support the showGet the "Digital Pathology 101" FREE E-book and join us!

In this episode of the *Innovations and Clinical Implementation* podcast recorded at LongevityFest, hosts Tom Blue and Chris D'Adamo discuss the rapid evolution of epigenetic testing with Ryan Smith. Ryan Smith is the founder and global head of research and development at TruDiagnostic, a CLIA-certified lab and health data company that has built one of the world's largest private epigenetic databases to advance the measurement of biological aging. The discussion traces the 140% year-over-year growth in consumer interest regarding biological age and explores how TruDiagnostic utilizes AI to interpret over 1.3 million DNA methylation sites to validate longevity interventions in clinical trials. Smith previews the upcoming release of "methylation risk scores" that can predict the onset of diseases like COPD and Lyme disease, and details the development of "Epigenetic Biomarker Proxies" (EBPs) intended to eventually replace traditional labs by deriving thousands of metrics—such as HbA1c, CRP, and environmental toxins—from a single finger stick.   For access to episode resources, click HERE.

What if we could take the guesswork out of cancer treatment—and move from try and hope to test and know? In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Jim Foote, CEO and Founder of First Ascent Biomedical, whose mission began after losing his son to cancer. That experience became the driving force behind Functional Precision Medicine (FPM)—a groundbreaking approach that combines tumor testing, genomics, and AI to rank the most effective drugs for each patient in just ten days Backed by a Nature Medicine study showing an 83% patient benefit rate, First Ascent is proving that personalization saves lives. With automation reducing lab times from hours to minutes and new CLIA-certified labs accelerating access, Jim and his team are reshaping how cancer care is delivered. From building trust with clinicians to leading through loss, Jim shares a powerful story of innovation, resilience, and purpose that every medtech leader can learn from.

Ads arrive inside ChatGPT, cruise industry leadership puts emissions front and center, and travel demand shows signs of becoming more selective — not weaker. On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Sarah Dandashy breaks down what advertising inside conversational AI could mean for travel distribution, why Carnival's CEO stepping into the top role at CLIA signals a sharper climate focus for cruising, and how AI is reshaping loyalty as travelers optimize for price, timing, and convenience in 2026. This episode is brought to you by Lodgify! Articles Referenced: ⁠⁠⁠⁠OpenAI is Testing ChatGPT Ads — Travel Brands Should Pay Attention ⁠⁠Carnival CEO to Lead Cruise Group, Says Emissions Cuts Are a Priority ⁠⁠The Rebalancing of Travel and Decline of Brand Loyalty ⁠⁠Honorable Mention: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AskAConcierge on IG⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Skift LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ WhatsApp: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Threads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/skift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SkiftNews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and never miss an update from the travel industry.

What if the most powerful health checkup you ever had happened at your kitchen table, not a clinic? We sit down with Dr. Natasha Milinkovic, a UK physician who moved from the front lines of vascular surgery and emergency medicine to the leading edge of preventive care, to explore how lab‑grade at‑home blood testing and intelligent coaching can change outcomes before a crisis hits.We start with the problem he saw repeatedly: people arriving late with preventable chronic disease. That urgency drives a practical roadmap for what to measure and why. You'll hear a clear breakdown of high‑value biomarkers—HbA1c for glucose trends, ApoB and the ApoB to ApoA1 ratio for cardiovascular risk, and thyroid markers for therapy tuning—and why total cholesterol alone often misleads. Tosh explains how accuracy is maintained through CLIA‑accredited labs and transparent methods, addressing trust in a post‑Theranos world. We also dig into biological age: how markers like hs‑CRP, HbA1c, and sex hormones push it up or down, and the specific lifestyle levers that can nudge it younger over the next 90 days.Then we open the hood on Sai, an AI longevity expert trained on a clinician‑curated knowledge base. Instead of scraping the noisy web, Sai reads your longitudinal labs, medications, and context to deliver personalized, evidence‑based guidance. Think trend detection for creeping glucose, stubborn ApoB, or hidden inflammation—and concrete next steps that you can take today. Looking ahead, Tosh shares what's next: home hardware that brings instant panels into your routine and a vision of predictive health where alerts trigger action long before symptoms do.If you want to cut through hype, track the markers that matter, and pair credible data with smart coaching, this conversation will give you the playbook. Subscribe, share with a friend who's optimizing their health, and leave a review with the one biomarker you plan to track this year.Note: I am an advisor to Siphox but I only advise those companies whose products I would use for myself and family.https://siphoxhealth.com/lufkinFASTING CHALLENGE: https://robert-lufkin.mykajabi.com/fast?ref=RLLies I Taught In Medical School : Free sample chapter- https://www.robertlufkinmd.com/lies/Complete Metabolic Heart Scan (LUFKIN20 for 20% off) https://www.innerscopic.com/Fasting Mimicking Diet (20% off) https://prolonlife.com/Lufkin At home blood testing (20% off) https://siphoxhealth.com/lufkin Web: https://robertlufkinmd.com/X: https://x.com/robertlufkinmdYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/robertLufkinmdSubstack: https://robertlufkinmd.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertlufkinmd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertlufkinmd/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@robertlufkinThreads: https://www.threads.net/@robertlufkinmdFacebook: ...

Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 15, 2025 ⎯ Today, Sequencing.com (Sequencing), a biotech company offering the world's largest platform for whole genome sequencing and personalized health insights, announces a partnership with true. Women's Health, a concierge medical practice providing personalized care to women of all ages.   true. Women's Health focuses on midlife, menopause, sexual health, and weight management through a membership-based model. Now with Sequencing, their patients can gain insights into ~100% of their DNA test data and screen for almost all known health conditions, traits, and medication responses. Then, they can work with true. providers to translate that knowledge into clear, actionable steps for managing risks, optimizing wellness, and extending longevity.   Whole genome sequencing offers women deeper insight into their risk for heart disease, cancer, and metabolic conditions. For the first time, true. Women's Health will integrate DNA insights directly into personalized care plans for women navigating perimenopause and menopause. true. patients can take a test with one of Sequencing's custom kit bundles, which requires a simple cheek swab, and within weeks, they will have their results.   Dr. Celia Egan, MD, MSCP, DABOM, true. Women's Health Director of Obesity Medicine & Metabolic Health says, "Our vision is to offer a comprehensive framework for lifelong wellness through our programs. Many of our patients are interested in genetic tests but are rightfully nervous about choosing the appropriate one and understanding the results.   As a clinician, I shared that challenge. I needed a genetics test that could fit directly into our programs, but struggled to find reports that aligned with our pillars for easier patient understanding. Sequencing is the perfect solution."   Allyn Lebster, true. Women's Health President & Co-founder says, "Sequencing is working with us to provide a customized report bundle that maps directly to our wellness pillars, from metabolic health and cancer to bone density and emotional coping. This integration is the key. It finally allows us to guide patients in both test selection and result interpretation, turning complex genetic data into a clear, actionable part of their personalized health journey."   Dr. Brandon Colby, MD, Sequencing Founder & CEO, says, "true. Women's Health patients only need to be sequenced once, and from that single, definitive dataset, our platform becomes a permanent health resource, evolving alongside new scientific discoveries, medical research, and personal health goals. We're honored to partner with true. to better serve women and to tailor our sequencing service to align with their wellness programs."   This week, true. Women's Health hosted a public event for women to learn more about the new Sequencing partnership and to engage in whole genome sequencing themselves. Dr. Celia Egan shared how genomics fits into personalized healthcare, Sequencing walked patients through the science and the reports they will receive, and true. providers answered questions about how genetic testing can support midlife, menopause, and long-term health.   Importantly, Sequencing offers the most private DNA test on the market with HIPAA and US-EU-UK-Swiss Data Privacy Framework compliance. Testing is also performed in CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited clinical sequencing laboratories in the United States.   Learn more about this partnership at https://truewomenshealth.com/sequencing/.   About Sequencing.com Founded by Dr. Brandon Colby, MD, Sequencing.com (Sequencing) is a U.S. biotech company offering whole genome sequencing that unlocks the most complete view of DNA. Most DNA tests allow users to gain insight into less than 0.1% of their DNA data, but Sequencing allows users to obtain ~100%. The company screens for almost all known health conditions, traits, and medication responses, then translates that knowledge into clear, actionable steps for managing risks, optimizing wellness, and extending longevity. The platform continuously reanalyzes information throughout a person's life, evolving alongside new scientific discoveries, medical research, and personal health goals. Sequencing offers the most private DNA test on the market with HIPAA and US-EU-UK-Swiss Data Privacy Framework compliance. Their whole genome sequencing is performed in CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited clinical sequencing laboratories in the U.S. To learn more about Sequencing, please visit Sequencing.com and LinkedIn.   About true. Women's Health About True Women's Health (true.) true. Women's Health® is a Grand Rapids-based concierge medicine practice dedicated to women's health across all stages of life. Specializing in midlife, menopause, sexual health, lifestyle medicine, and weight management, true. delivers personalized care that emphasizes prevention, education, and patient goals. Founded by nationally recognized menopause expert Dr. Diana Bitner, MD, MSCP, FACOG, and healthcare executive and attorney Allyn Lebster, true. is transforming how women experience healthcare in Michigan and beyond. Learn more at truewomenshealth.com.   Media Contact: Amanda Bell PR Lead amanda@sequencing.com SOURCE: https://sequencing.com/blog/post/sequencingcom-true-women%E2%80%99s-health-now-incorporates-whole-genome-sequencing-their-complete

Cancer screening is evolving beyond a single-organ approach to an approach that evaluates multiple organs throughout the entirety of the body with a simple blood test. In this episode, Dr. Michelle Beidelschies shares how Cancerguard can help health systems detect more cancers earlier, reduce late-stage diagnoses, and improve outcomes. We explore the clinical, operational, and financial implications of adopting multi-cancer early detection testing at scale. Information presented is not clinical, diagnostic, or treatment advice for any particular patient. Providers should use their clinical judgement and experience when deciding how to diagnose or treat patients. Exact Sciences does not recommend or endorse any particular course of treatment or medical choice. The Cancerguard test was developed, and the performance characteristics validated by Exact Sciences Laboratories following College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations. This test has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The test is performed at Exact Sciences Laboratories. Exact Sciences Laboratories is accredited by CAP, certified under CLIA regulations, and qualified to perform high-complexity clinical laboratory testing.

Andy Harmer talks with Lifts To and recent Married At First Site star David Bailey (AKA Bailey) about his time on the show and also how he's taken what he learnt on the show into his day to day life as well as improving business connections. Bailey also tells us about the many transfer services Lifts To offer and the importance of their partnership with CLIA.

Interim CEO of ASCP and host Dr. Ali Brown sits down with Dr. Eric Konnick and Michelle Campbell, MLS(ASCP) to discuss lessons learned from the latest efforts to place laboratory developed tests under FDA oversight. For listeners unfamiliar with LDTs, they begin by establishing what LDTs are and what their value to the lab and patient safety are before debunking common misunderstandings cited by patient advocacy groups regarding their accuracy, validity, and the transparency with which they're developed. They go on to define what FDA oversight would mean for laboratories in terms of cost, time, and labor, contextualizing these added costs in ongoing workforce shortages in the lab. They close their conversation by spotlighting which efforts ASCP and similar organizations made to advocate for the lab were most successful, and describe alternative strategies for updating laboratory regulations, such as modernizing CLIA. 

在離開舒適圈之前，你不知道待在舒適圈裡有多爽。聽到網路迷因傳來的這句話，然後呢？其實離開舒適圈，才知道外面的舒適圈更爽。在職涯的旅途上，每個人多少都經歷過跌跌撞撞、起起伏伏，但終究會走到自己喜歡的位置上發光發熱。往往偶而放慢腳步，蹲下來才能跳的更高 （但是也別蹲到腳麻了喔！） 本集邀請在猶他州新創Teiko.bio擔任Chief Scientific Officer的鄭立群博士，來跟大家分享協助打造新創公司的經驗、以及如何在激烈的競爭環境中安內壤外，帶領團隊走在穩定成長的道路上。另外，立群在職涯探索過程中的心路歷程也同樣不藏私的和聽眾們分享，期待能帶給同樣在生技產業奮鬥的大家帶來暖暖的正能量！  

Dr. Tomasz Beer, MD, chief medical officer at Exact Sciences, joins HealthLeaders for a discussion on the clinical research behind Cancerguard tests and how they enable health systems to detect multiple deadly cancers early, streamline diagnostic workflows, and deliver proactive, value-based care. Information presented is not clinical, diagnostic, or treatment advice for any particular patient. Providers should use their clinical judgement and experience when deciding how to diagnose or treat patients. Exact Sciences does not recommend or endorse any particular course of treatment or medical choice. The Cancerguard test was developed, and the performance characteristics validated by Exact Sciences Laboratories following College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations. This test has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The test is performed at Exact Sciences Laboratories. Exact Sciences Laboratories is accredited by CAP, certified under CLIA regulations, and qualified to perform high-complexity clinical laboratory testing.

Dr. Pedro Barata and Dr. Aditya Bagrodia discuss the evolving landscape of testicular cancer survivorship, the impact of treatment-related complications, and management strategies to optimize long-term outcomes and quality of life. TRANSCRIPT:  Dr. Pedro Barata: Hello and welcome to By the Book, a podcast series from ASCO that features engaging conversations between editors and authors of the ASCO Educational Book. I'm Dr. Pedro Barata. I'm a medical oncologist at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and associate professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. I'm also an associate editor of the ASCO Educational Book. We all know that testicular cancer is a rare but highly curable malignancy that mainly affects young men. Multimodal advances in therapy have resulted in excellent cancer specific survival, but testicular cancer survivors face significant long term treatment related toxicities which affect their quality of life and require surveillance and management. With that, I'm very happy today to be joined by Dr. Aditya Bagrodia, a urologic oncologist, professor, and the GU Disease Team lead at UC San Diego[KI1]  Health, and also the lead author of the recently published paper in the ASCO Educational Book titled, "Key Updates in Testicular Cancer: Optimizing Survivorship and Survival." And he's also the host of the world-renowned BackTable Urology Podcast. Dr. Bagrodia, I'm so happy that you're joining us today. Welcome. Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: Thanks, Pedro. Absolutely a pleasure to be here. Really appreciate the opportunity. Dr. Pedro Barata: Absolutely.  So, just to say that our full disclosures are available in the transcript of this episode.  Let's get things started. I'm really excited to talk about this. I'm biased, I do treat testicular cancer among other GU malignancies and so it's a really, really important topic that we face every day, right? Fortunately, for most of these patients, we're able to cure them. But it always comes up the question, "What now? You know, scans, management, cardio oncology, what survivorship programs we have in place? Are we addressing the different survivorship piece, psychology, fertility, et cetera?" So, we'll try to capture all of that today. Aditya, congrats again, you did a fantastic job putting together the insights and thoughts and what we know today about this important topic. And so, let's get focused specifically about what happens when patients get cured. So, many of us, in many centers, were fortunate enough to have these survivorship programs together, but I find that sometimes from talking to colleagues, they're not exactly the same thing and they don't mean the same thing to different people, to different institutions, right? So, first things first. What do you tell a patient perhaps when they ask you, "What can happen to me now that I'm done with treatment for testicular cancer?" Whether it's chemotherapy or just surgery or even radiation therapy? "So, what about the long term? What should I expect, Doctor, that might happen to me in the long run?" Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: Totally. I mean, I think that question's really front and center, Pedro, and really appreciate you all highlighting this topic. It was an absolute honor to work with true thought leaders and the survivorship bit of it is front and center, in my opinion. It's really the focus, you know, we, generally speaking should be able to cure these young men, but it's the 10, 15, 20 years down the way that they're going to largely contend with. The conversation really begins at diagnosis, pre-education. Fortunately, the bulk of patients that present are those with stage one disease, and even very basic things like before orchiectomy, talking about a prosthetic; we know that that can impact body image and self esteem, whether or not they decide to receive it or not. Actually, just being offered a prosthetic is important and this is something, you know, for any urologist, it's kind of critical. To discussing fertility elements to this, taking your time to examine the contralateral testicle, ask about fertility problems, issues, concerns, offer sperm banking, even in the context of a completely normal contralateral testicle, I think these things are quite important.  So if it's somebody with stage one disease, you know, without going too far down discussing adjuvant therapy and so forth, I will start the conversation with, "You know, the testes do largely two things. They make testosterone and they make sperm." By and large, patients are going to be able to have acceptable levels of testosterone, adequate sperm parameters to maintain kind of a normal gonadal state and to naturally conceive, should that be something they're interested in. However, there's still going to be, depending on what resource you look at, somewhere in the order of 10-30% that are going to have issues. Where I think for the stage one patients, it's really incumbent upon us is actually to not wait for them to discuss their concerns, particularly with testosterone, which many times can be a little bit vague, but to proactively ask about it every time. Libido, erectile quality, muscle mass maintenance, energy, fatigue. All of these are kind of associated symptoms of hypogonadism. But for a lot of kids 18-20 years old, it's going to be something insidious that they don't think about. So, for the stage one patients, it absolutely starts with gonadal function. If they are stage two getting surgery, I think the counseling really needs to center around a possibility for ejaculatory dysfunction. Now, for a chemotherapy-naive, nerve-sparing RPLND, generally these days we should be able to preserve ejaculatory function at high volume centers, but you still want to bring that up and again kind of touch base on thinking about sperm banking and so forth before the operation, scars, those are things I think worth talking about, small risk of ascites. Then, I think the intensity of potential long term adverse effects really ramps up when we're talking about systemic therapy, chemotherapy. And then there's of course some radiation therapy specific elements that come up. So, for the chemotherapy bits of it, I really think this is going to be something that can be a complete multi-system affected intervention. So, anxiety, depression, our group has actually shown using some population resources that even suicidality can be increased among patients that have been treated for germ cell tumor. You know, really from the top down, tinnitus, hearing changes, those are things that we need to ask about at every appointment. Neuropathy, sexual health, that we kind of talked about, including ED (erectile dysfunction), vertigo, dizziness, Raynaud's phenomenon, these are kind of more the symptoms that I think we need to inquire about every time. And what we do here and I think at a lot of survivorship programs is use kind of a battery of validated instruments, germ cell tumor specific, platinum treated patient specific. So we use a combination of EORTC questions and PROMIS questions, which actually serves as like a review of systems for the patient, also as a research element. We review that and then depending on what might be going on, we can dig into that further, get them over to colleagues in audiology or psychology, et cetera.  And then of course, screening for the hypertension, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome with basically you or myself or somebody kind of like us serving, many times it's the role of the PCP, just making sure we're checking out, you know, CBC, CMP, et cetera, lipid parameters to screen for those kind of cardiac associated issues along with secondary malignancies. Dr. Pedro Barata: So that's super comprehensive and thorough. Thank you so much. Actually, I love how you break it down in a simple way. Two functions of the testes, produce testosterone and then, you know, the problem related to that is the hypogonadism, and then the second, as you mentioned, produce sperm and of course related to the fertility issues with that.  So, let's start with the first one that you mentioned. So, you do cite that in your paper, around 5-10% of men end up getting, developing hypogonadism, maybe clinical when they present with symptoms, maybe subclinical. So, I'm wondering, for our audience, what kind of recommendations we would give for addressing that or kind of thinking of that? How often are you ordering those tests? And then, when you're thinking about testosterone replacement therapy, is that something you do immediately or are there any guidelines into context that? How do you approach that? Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: So, just a bit more on digging into it even in terms of the questions to ask, you know, "Do you have any decrease in sexual drive? Any erectile dysfunction? Are your morning erections still taking place? Has the ejaculate volume changed? Physically, muscle mass, strength? Have you been putting on weight? Have you noticed increase in body fat?" And sometimes this is complicated because there's some anxiety that comes along with a cancer diagnosis when you're 20, 30 years old, multifactorial, hair loss, hot flashes, irritability. Sometimes they'll, you know, literally they'll say, "You know, my significant other or partners noticed that I'm really just a little bit labile." So I think, you know, there's the symptoms and then checking, usually kind of a gonadal panel, FSH, LH, free and total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, that's going to be typically pretty comprehensive. So if you've got symptoms plus some laboratory work, and ideally that pre-orchiectomy testosterone gives you some delta. If they started out at an 800, 900, now they're 400, that might be a big change for them. And then, when you talk about TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) recommendations, you know, Pedro, yourself, myself, we're kind of lucky to be at academic centers and we've got men's health colleagues that are ultra experts, but at a high level, I would say that a lot of the TRT options center around fertility goals. Exogenous testosterone treats the low T, but it does suppress gonadal function, including spermatogenesis. So if that's not a priority, they can just get TRT. It should be done under the care of a urologist, a men's health, an endocrinologist, where we're checking liver chemistries and CBCs and a PSA and so forth. If they're interested in fertility preservation, then I would say engaging an endocrinologist, men's health expert is important. There's medications even like hCG, Clomid, which works centrally and stimulate the gonadal access. Niche scenarios where they might want standard TRT now, and then down the way, 5, 7 years, they're thinking about coming off of that for fertility purposes, I think that's really where you want to have an expert involved because there's quite a bit of nuance there in recovery of actual spermatogenesis and so forth.  To kind of summarize, you got to ask about it. Checking it is, is not overly complicated. We do a baseline pre-orchiectomy and at least once annually, you can tag it in with the tumor markers, so it's not an extra blood draw. And if they have symptoms of course, kind of developed, then we'll move that up in the evaluation. Dr. Pedro Barata: Got it. And you also touch base on the fertility angle, which is truly important. And I'm just curious, you know, a lot of times many of us might see one, two patients a year, right, and we forget these protocols and what we've got to do about that.  And so I'm interested to hear your thoughts about when you think about fertility, and how proactive you get. In other words, who do you refer for the fertility clinic, for a fertility preservation program? You know, do all cases despite getting through orchiectomy or just the cases that you're going to, you know you're going to seek chemotherapy at some point? What kind of selection or it depends on the chemo, like how do you do that assessment about the referral for preservation program that you might have available at UCSD? Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: Yeah, I mean I feel really fortunate to sit on the NCCN Testis Cancer Guidelines. It's in there that fertility counseling should be discussed prior to orchiectomy. So 100% bring it up. If there are risk factors, undescended testicles, previous history of fertility concerns, atrophic contralateral testicle, anything on the ultrasound like microlithiasis in the contralateral testicle, you kind of wanna get it there. And then again, there's kind of niche scenarios where you're really worried, maybe get a semen analysis and it doesn't look that good, arrange for the time of orchiectomy to have onco-testicular sperm extraction from the, quote unquote, "normal" testis parenchyma. You know, I think you have to be kind of prepared to go that route and really make sure you're doing this completely comprehensively.  So pre-orchiectomy all patients. Don't really push for it too hard if they've got a contralateral testicle, if they've had no issues having children. There's some cost associated with this, sperm banking still isn't kind of covered even in the context of men with cancer. If they've got risk factors, absolutely pre-orchiectomy. Pre-RPLND, even though the rates of ejaculatory dysfunction at a high-volume center should be low single digits, I'll still offer it. That'd be a real catastrophe if they were in that small proportion of patients and now they're going to be reliant on things like intrauterine insemination, where it becomes quite expensive.  Pre-chemo, everybody. That's basically a standard these days where it should be discussed and it's kind of amazing currently, even if you don't have an accessible men's health fertility clinic, there are actually companies, I have no vested interest, Fellow is one such company where you can actually create an account, receive a FedEx semen analysis and cryopreservation kit, send it back in, and all CLIA certified, it's based out of California. The gentleman that runs it, is a urologist and very, very bright guy who's done a lot of great stuff for testis cancer. So, even for patients that are kind of in extremis at the hospital that kind of need to get going like yesterday, we still discuss it. We've got some mechanisms in place to either have them take a semen analysis over to our Men's Health clinic or send it off to Fellow, which I think is pretty cool and that even extends to some of our younger adolescent patients where going to a clinic and providing a sample might be tricky.  So, I think bringing it up every stage, anytime there's an intervention that might be offered, orchiectomy, chemo, surgery, radiation, it's kind of incumbent on us to discuss it. Dr. Pedro Barata: Gotcha. That's super helpful. And you also touch base on another angle, which is the psychosocial angle around this. You mentioned suicidal rates, you mentioned anxiety, perhaps depression in some cases as well as chronic fatigue, not necessarily just because of the low testosterone that you can get, but also from a psychological perspective. I'm curious, what do the recommendations look like for that? Do these patients need to see a social worker or a psychologist, or do they need to answer a screening test every time they come to see us and then based on that, we kind of escalate, take the next steps according to that? Do they see a psychologist perhaps every so often? How should that be managed and addressed? Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: It's an excellent question and again, these can be rather insidious symptoms where if you don't really dig in and inquire, they can be glossed over. I mean, how easy to say, "Your markers look okay, your scans look okay. See you in six months," and keep it kind of brief. First off, I think bringing it up proactively and normalizing it, that, "This may be something that you experience. Many people do, you're not alone, there's nothing kind of wrong with you." I also think that this is an area where support groups can be incredibly useful. We host the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation support group here. They'll talk about chemo brain or just like a little bit of an adjustment disorder after their diagnosis. Support groups, I think are critical. As I mentioned, we have a survivorship program that's led by a combination of our med oncs, myself on the uro-onc side, as well as APPs, where we are systematically asking about essentially the whole litany of issues that may arise, including psychosocial, anxiety, depression, suicidality. And we've got a nice kind of fast path into our cancer center support services for these young men to meet with a psychologist. If that isn't going to be sufficient, they can actually see a psychiatrist to discuss medications and so forth. I do think that we've got to screen for these because, as anticipated from diagnosis, those first 2 years, we see a rise. But even 10, 15 years out, we note, compared to controls, that there is an increased level of anxiety, depression, suicidality that might not just take place at that initial acute period of diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Pedro Barata: Really well said. Super important.  So I guess if I were to put all these together, with these really amazing advances in technology, we all know AI, some of us might be more or less aware of biomarkers coming up, including microRNA for example, and others, like as I think of all these potential long term complications for these patients, look at the future, I guess, can we use this as a way to deescalate treatment where it's not really necessary, as a way to actually prevent some of these complications? Like, how do we see where we're heading? As we manage testicular cancer, let's say, within the next 5 or 10 years, do you think there's something coming up that's going to be different from what we're doing things today? Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: Totally. I mean, I think it's as exciting as a time as there's ever been, you know, maybe notwithstanding circa 1970s when platinum was discovered. So microRNAs, which you mentioned, you know, there's a new candidate biomarker, microRNA-371. We are super excited here at UCSD. We actually have it CLIA-certified available in our lab and are ordering these tests for patients kind of in their acute stage, you know, stage one and surveillance, stage two, post-RPLND, receiving chemotherapy. And essentially this is a universal germ cell tumor specific biomarker, except for teratoma, suffice it to say 90% sensitive and specific. And I think it's going to change the way that we diagnose and manage patients. You know, pre-orchiectomy, that's pretty straightforward. Post-orchiectomy, maybe we can really decrease the number of CT scans that are done. Maybe we can identify those patients that basically have occult disease where we can intervene early, either with RPLND or single cycle chemo. Post-RPLND, identify the patients who are at higher risk of relapse that may benefit from some adjuvant therapy. In the advanced setting, look at marker decline for patients in addition to standard tumor markers. Can we modulate their systemic therapy?  So, the international interest is largely on modifying things. There's really cool clinical trials that we have for stage one patients, that treatment would be prescribed based on a post-orchiectomy microRNA. I think the microRNAs are really exciting. Teratoma remains an outstanding question. I think this is where maybe ctDNA, perhaps some radiomics and advanced imaging processing and incorporating AI may allow us to safely avoid a lot of these post-chemo RPLNDs. And then identification using SNPs and so forth of who might be most susceptible to some of the cardiac toxicity, autotoxicity and personalizing things in that way as well. Dr. Pedro Barata: Super exciting, right, what's about to come? And I agree with you, I think it's going to change dramatically how we manage this disease.  This has been a pleasure sitting down with you. I guess before letting you go, anything else you'd like to add before we wrap it up? Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: Yeah, first off, again, just want to thank you and ASCO for the opportunity. And it's easy enough to, I think, approach a patient with the testicular germ cell tumor as, "This is an easy case. We're just going to do whatever we've done. Go to the guidelines that says do X, Y, or Z." But there's so much more nuance to it than that. Getting it done perfectly, I think, is mandatory. Whatever we do is an impact on them for the next 50, 60, 70 years of their life. And I found the germ cell tumor community, people are really passionate about it. If you're ever uncertain, there's experts throughout the country and internationally. Ask somebody before you do something that you can't undo. I think we owe it to them to get it perfect so that we can really maximize the survivorship and the survival like we've been talking about. Dr. Pedro Barata: Aditya, thanks for sharing your fantastic insights with us on this podcast. Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: All right, Pedro. Fantastic. Appreciate the opportunity. Dr. Pedro Barata: And also, thank you to our listeners for your time today. I actually encourage you to check out Dr. Bagrodia's article in the 2025 ASCO Educational Book. We'll post a link to the paper in the show notes. Remember, it's free access online, and you can actually download it as well as a PDF. You can also find on the website a wealth of other great papers from the ASCO Educational Book on key advances and novel approaches that are shaping modern oncology.  So with that, thank you everyone. Thank you, Aditya, one more time, for joining us. Thank you, have a good day. Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement. Follow today's speakers:         Dr. Pedro Barata  @PBarataMD   Dr. Aditya Bagrodia @AdityaBagrodia Follow ASCO on social media:         @ASCO on X (formerly Twitter)         ASCO on Bluesky        ASCO on Facebook         ASCO on LinkedIn         Disclosures:      Dr. Pedro Barata:  Stock and Other Ownership Interests: Luminate Medical  Honoraria: UroToday  Consulting or Advisory Role: Bayer, BMS, Pfizer, EMD Serono, Eisai, Caris Life Sciences, AstraZeneca, Exelixis, AVEO, Merck, Ipson, Astellas Medivation, Novartis, Dendreon  Speakers' Bureau: AstraZeneca, Merck, Caris Life Sciences, Bayer, Pfizer/Astellas  Research Funding (Inst.): Exelixis, Blue Earth, AVEO, Pfizer, Merck   Dr. Aditya Bagrodia: Consulting or Advisory Role: Veracyte, Ferring  

Jane Middleton from The Authentic Travel Company talks about her journey from Aviation into the cruise industry. Hear how she discovered CLIA and how one webinar changed her life as she fell in love with expedition and Antarctica. Jane also shares her tips for other agents looking to sell Expedition cruises and also what she thought when she visited Svalbard during CLIA's expedition showcase in 2025.

In this fascinating and much-anticipated conversation, Susan sits down once again with the one and only Dr. Cam McDonald, CEO and Chief Educator of pH360, mentor, and longtime friend, to explore one of the hottest topics in the health world today: AI in medicine.We're diving deep into the difference between using general AI tools like ChatGPT to make health decisions versus precision medical AI systems designed specifically for clinical use, like CLIA, the cutting-edge AI developed by pH360.Dr. Cam breaks down how CLIA has been built over 15 years of real-world medical data from 140 countries, offering a truly individualized, evidence-based approach that considers your genes, environment, biology, and lifestyle, not just generic “one-size-fits-all” answers from the internet.In this episode:Why using ChatGPT for health advice can be risky, and sometimes dangerousHow CLIA's advanced data modeling transforms AI into a medical precision toolThe three V's that make data trustworthy: Volume, Veracity, and VarietyHow CLIA integrates with your pH360 profile, labs, DNA, and lifestyle data for truly personalized insightsReal-world results from Susan's clients, from dramatic cholesterol drops to reversing early kidney diseaseSusan also shares her own story of using CLIA to optimize her thyroid health, improve sleep, and even lower her biological age, proving that the right technology, used correctly, can truly transform human potential.If you've ever turned to ChatGPT or Google for health advice, you need to hear this one.This conversation will completely change how you think about AI, medicine, and the future of personalized wellness.Listen in to discover: Why not all AI is created equal — and how precision health technology like CLIA is rewriting the future of healthcare.Learn more about our guest Dr. Cam McDonald:Dr Cam McDonald is a leader, educator, PhD scholar and internationally recognised speaker on personalised and precision health. As a key executive & education leader at Precision Health Alliance – his mission is to eliminate chronic disease and pain by 2050, and having ‘healthy' and ‘resilient'  as the norm. Dr Cam is an exercise physiology, accredited practising dietitian, PhD Scholar, a Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, an experienced clinician and is an international leader in the application of personalised health, epigenetics. His focus is to educate individuals on how the whole environment impacts physical and mental health and disease. Dr Cam leaves an indelible mark on the audience through his ability to simplify the complexity of health science, infuse hope and stimulate action.RESOURCES:Connect with Dr. Cam McDonald:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcammcdonald/Website: https://precisionhealthalliance.org/Find all of Kate and Susan's Resources and links in the show notes: https://healthyawakening.co/2025/10/20/episode85Connect with Susan: https://healthyawakening.co/Connect with Kate: https://theradiantlifeproject.com/Visit the website: healthyawakening.co/podcastFind listening links here: https://healthyawakening.co/linksP.S. Want reminders about episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, you can find the link on our podcast page! https://healthyawakening.co/podcast

See all the Healthcasts at https://www.biobalancehealth.com/healthcast-blog You will learn: What holds up new treatments for diseases and conditions How long the FDA sits on a known safe medical medication before it is released to the public. Why safe and effective drugs are NOT approved by the FDA Why doctors are forced to use medications off label How you can help During my 44 years of medical practice, I have encountered conditions for which there is no approved medication or surgical treatment available as recognized by the American College of OBGYN or the FDA. This situation can present challenges both for physicians managing these patients and for individuals seeking relief from their symptoms. This issue is not often addressed on Dr Oz, in the news, or at medical conferences. For many conditions, physicians wait for the development of approved medications or treatments, and in the meantime may inform patients that there is currently no treatment or cure available. Some doctors may attribute a patient's concerns to aging, stating that it is a universal experience. While this may be accurate, such explanations may not provide comfort to patients seeking solutions to their symptoms. This lack of helpful guidance can discourage individuals from seeking medical care when they feel their concerns are not acknowledged. This seems to result from insurance companies prioritizing cost savings by minimizing patient care.  Every year insurance companies decrease what they pay doctors for their services, while their expenses go up, and the Government requires more and more work behind the scenes like HIPPA, OSHA, and Clia requirements that costs more to deliver the same service.  If you have a problem with the time your doctor spends with you then blame the insurance companies whose profits rise every year…Soon doctors will do what I do and only take cash.  The practice of medicine is not working in a free market. While insurance limits the prescriptions of medication to those meds that are FDA Approved, the FDA and medical specialty colleges often delay approval of new, low-risk treatments for up to 20 years after their effectiveness is demonstrated. This lengthy process should be reconsidered to treat people who are ill and suffering, now. There is plenty of research in the medical journals that explain the safety of new and effective treatments that can save peoples' lives that are not FDA approved yet. The FDA is not interested in expediting the release of medication/ devices quickly to those people who need help now. They drag out the testing of a medicine that has been effective for years and may or may not approve it. On the flip side they have approved many drugs that later are found to have severe side effects, and they just change the warnings on the medication inserts. They don't take them off the market except in severe cases. Drugs that have worked treating patients successfully are being used but are not FDA approved. These “grandfathered drugs” don't need to go through the testing that new drugs go through because they work with few well-known risks. I use many if these medications because they are inexpensive for my patients and are often more effective than new meds for the same problem. One of the drugs that the FDA has not had to approve is Armour Thyroid, a natural thyroid replacement. My experience with treatments not approved by the FDA Armour Thyroid: Armour Thyroid (AT) has been prescribed by doctors to replace thyroid hormones for about 100 years. It is natural, made from Pig thyroid. It only comes from “medical Pigs” that are raised for medical purposes.  We use medical pigs for skin grafts, and other parts of the pig to treat human diseases like heart valve replacements.  Armour Thyroid is composed of the four thyroid hormones that humans make: T4, T3, T2, T1. The synthetic thyroid replacement, Synthroid/levothyroxine is only T4.  The active form of thyroid is T3, and it requires an enzyme to convert T4 into T3. If a person can't convert T4 into active T3 then nothing improves except the blood levels of T4, and TSH. The majority of women cannot convert T4 into T3. Therefore, if they take Synthroid or levothyroxine and their doctor only checks their TSH level and not the level of free T3 and free T4 to see if the Thyroid is working, then women are told that they are healed, yet they know they are not because none of their low thyroid symptoms are resolved. When this happens, doctors tell female patients that it is all in their heads and dismiss us when we tell them we are not cured with this synthetic T4 medication. Yet Synthroid is a chemical, and AT is natural from medical pigs, so the FDA is trying to Bann the only drug that has successfully treated millions of women. PS. Synthroid was not tested on women like many other drugs that were passed through the FDA before 2014! If you think this is a small problem, think again. Thyroid hormones are vital to human life, and the thyroid gland requires Iodine in the diet. The Midwest US has no Iodine in the soil or water. Therefore, this area is overburdened with hypothyroidism. I have been on AT for 50 years without complication and I have prescribed it thousands of times ever since I went into private practice.  AT works to relieve the symptoms of hypothyroidism for women and men, and it works better for women that the “new” drug Synthroid/levothyroxine, which is FDA approved. You ask how could the FDA approve a drug that doesn't successfully treat women? It is because Synthroid was not tested on women!  Until 2014 the FDA did not test women in the required drug trials.  AT works for us (women), Levothyroxine does not. Now the FDA wants to ban AT. It is not approved because it was around for decades before they started testing medications like they do now, and the history of successful treatment should stand on its own merit! Example 2: Bio-Identical Hormones BIH:  BIHs had not been approved by the FDA until recently and there was no announcement that they are now approved for women who have hormone deficiency symptoms or postmenopausal symptoms. Most doctors and women who have been afraid of the only hormones that can help them, bioidentical hormones, haven't yet been told that NOW, FINALLY the medical colleges and the FDA finally have quietly approved BI hormones.  There are no pure estradiol and pure testosterone pellets that are made by a drug company for women. My patients get their estradiol and testosterone pellets from a compounding pharmacy.  I have been prescribing BIH since 1985 without FDA approval because the oral estrogen formulations that were available at pharmacies caused weight gain and put women at high risk for blood clots. Non-oral BI hormones have fewer risks than FDA approved estrogens.  I waited more than 45 years for the FDA to approve BI hormones for treatment of women.  All those women in the last 45 years who were taking FDA approved estradiol and those who couldn't tolerate them have been harmed by FDA goals of never approving compounded or bio-identical hormones.  The delay has harmed 50% of American women. Example #3 Devices for Weight Loss I was involved in the discovery and testing of a unique device that stimulated acupuncture points with a TENS-unit-type patch connected to your cell phone for easy adjustment of your hunger or “fullness”. The FDA requires testing to approve any new device so the group of investors I was part of had to invest thousands of dollars for a device we already knew worked. The FDA told the investigators of all new devices who they should test, who they can't have in the study, and how long the testing should take. I found their parameters for the study of this device to be unrealistic. The women in our test group could not be taking hormones of any kind (birth control, ERT, HRT), and could not be on antidepressants, could not have diabetes or insulin resistance or be on any drug that assisted in weight loss. These women subjects had to be a certain BMI (level of obesity) and had to be tested repeatedly with weight and body composition measurements None of my patients who needed weight loss could participate.  Most GYN patients are on some medication or supplement, so the FDA made this study of our device so narrow that REAL WOMEN weren't tested! Sadly, we lost many women in the control group from the study because they were NOT losing weight while the ones on the device were obviously dropping pounds, so we had trouble maintaining test subjects. The testing phase of this simple device took 7 years! Our device works and no one will ever know about it or be able to use this non-medicinal weight loss device because when the FDA rejects your device you will be breaking the law if you produce and sell it directly to the public. It has no side effects or dangers..it just controls the amount you eat with stimulation of an acupuncture point. There are many ways to change this situation, and it takes years and billions of dollars to change the whole system of bringing treatments to patients quickly.  I'm afraid I won't see a revolution of the way we bring medicines and devices to market during my lifetime. Currently there is a 17-year delay between proving a drug or device works for a particular illness or condition and when it becomes available to doctors and patients. So what do we do in the meantime?  I seek treatments for patients who are unresponsive to traditional medicine by reading journals like Life Extension, that inform doctors and patients alike about new effective solutions for common medical complaints and diseases that the FDA has ignored or stymied with endless drug trials.  Life Extension Magazine highlights studies on new medications for diseases without an FDA approved solution and publicizes diagnostic tests often overlooked by mainstream publications because they are not yet FDA approved. The medical journals I read (New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Menopause, Metabolism and Endocrinology, Journal of Age management, to name a few) offer treatments for orphan diseases or even common problems that haven't been blessed by the FDA. It takes an average of 17 years from the culmination of research on a new drug, test or device until it is approved for use by the public! At the end of this Blog, I will give you a link to make your voice heard by signing a petition to shorten the approval of new treatments and medications from the average of 17 years to 3 years! My patients don't have time to wait for relief, and that may be the case for you as well. If you want to do something to help, please click this link and let the FDA know how you feel. Please sign a Petition to enact an amendment to the FOOD, DRUG and COSMETIC ACT, by going to: https://age-reversal.net/fda/

Crystal Cruises, VP President, Trade Sales UK & EMEA Luke Smith sat down with CLIA's Andy Harmer to talk about joining Crystal Cruises , his goals for making them the most trade friendly and easy to do business with ultra-luxury cruise line. Updates coming to their travel agent portals and how to get in touch with him and his team.

Standard blood tests barely scratch the surface. Ryan Smith shares how TruDiagnostic's TruAge & TruHealth tests use over 1,700 biomarkers from just a drop of blood to measure biological age, hormone health, immunity & more. Go beyond standard labs & start bioharmonizing with cutting-edge precision so you can make decisions that actually impact how you feel & age. Meet our guest Ryan Smith studied Biochemistry at Transylvania University before founding Tailor Made Compounding, which became one of the fastest-growing healthcare companies in the U.S. After exiting in 2020, he launched several ventures, including TruDiagnostic, a CLIA-certified lab specializing in methylation-based diagnostics for longevity & preventive health. TruDiagnostic leads the field with one of the largest private epigenetic databases, over 13,000 patients, & active participation in 30+ clinical research studies. Ryan remains a key figure in advancing functional medicine through innovative health data solutions. Thank you to our partners Outliyr Biohacker's Peak Performance Shop: get exclusive discounts on cutting-edge health, wellness, & performance gear Ultimate Health Optimization Deals: a database of of all the current best biohacking deals on technology, supplements, systems and more Latest Summits, Conferences, Masterclasses, and Health Optimization Events: join me at the top events around the world FREE Outliyr Nootropics Mini-Course: gain mental clarity, energy, motivation, and focus Key takeaways Biological age gives a clearer picture of health risk than birthdate by showing how your body is actually aging Lifestyle basics like exercise, clean eating, stress reduction & social connection remain top tools for aging well Some biological age tests are more reliable thanks to stronger prediction power & actionable results Longevity interventions can now be ranked using technology that tracks measurable improvements over time Leading tests don't just score your age but give clear next steps to improve healthspan & lifespan DNA methylation data offers biomarker proxies that sometimes outperform traditional blood tests Methylation-based tests bring better precision & consistency than standard lab results affected by daily shifts Immune system strength plays a major role in aging by influencing inflammation & clearing damaged cells Supplement & lifestyle tracking tools now show whether specific changes are actually improving key health markers TruAge tests work well for most while biohackers may benefit more from deeper panels like the TruHealth test Episode Highlights 3:29 What Biological Age Really Tells You 10:12 Inside TruDiagnostic's Testing Framework 11:39 Key Lifestyle & Supplement Insights from the Data 15:10 How to Interpret Your Report & Take Action 30:12 Understanding Your Immune & Metabolic Health 45:29 Practical Application & Future of Epigenetic Testing Links Watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MykPl4fZ3Sc  Full episode show notes: outliyr.com/221 Connect with Nick on social media Instagram Twitter (X) YouTube LinkedIn Easy ways to support Subscribe Leave an Apple Podcast review Suggest a guest Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for us? Let me know in the show notes above and one of us will get back to you! Be an Outliyr, Nick

Seabourn VP, UK, Europe & EMEA Lynn Narraway sat down with CLIA's Andy Harmer to share her decades of experiences in the cruise industry. She also highlights the role of people driven individuals who work in cruise industry and why it remains as important as event even in the era of Ai. Hear how Lynn feels the industry, demographic and her role has changed. Lynn also tells about what's attracting those “New to Cruise” and also those “New to Seabourn” guests. Not forgetting Seabourn moments, Lynn shares some inspirational and emotional Seabourn moments they have given guests and also locals to the regions their ultra-luxury ships visit.

Hannah Went is the Co-Founder of TruDiagnostic, a leading health data company and CLIA-certified laboratory that specializes in epigenetic testing and research.. Hannah is also the creator and host of the Everything Epigenetics Podcast. She is a molecular biologist by day and content creator by night and speaks with the most knowledgeable physicians and researchers in the world. Hannah is passionate about empowering people to take control of their health and wellness, and to discover new ways to enhance their overall performance. Epigenetic Experts & 
Aging Authorities At TruDiagnostic, we are firm believers that harnessing the power of epigenetic data can help the world live longer and healthier lives! We are a group of innovative doctors, researchers, clinicians, molecular biologists, biotechnology leaders, and diagnostic professionals. LEARN MORE, ORDER: https://www.trudiagnostic.com/ LISTEN TO FULL PODCDAST EPISODE: https://conciergemedicinetoday.net/podcast About Our Guest, Hannah Went, Co-Founder | TruDiagnostic  Hannah has a lifelong passion for longevity and breakthrough, disruptive technologies that drive radical improvement to the human condition. She attended the University of Kentucky and graduated with a degree in Biology. During that time, she had multiple research internships studying cell signaling and cell biology. After graduation, she worked for the International Peptide Society as their Director of Research and Content. Through work in the integrative medicine industry, Hannah saw an opportunity for methylation based age diagnostics and started TruDiagnostic in 2020. TruDiagnostic is a company focusing on methylation array-based diagnostics for life extension and preventive healthcare serving functional medicine providers.  TruDiagnostic has a commitment to research with over 30 approved clinical trials investigating the epigenetic methylation changes of longevity and health interventions. Since TruDiagnostic's inception, they have created one of the largest private epigenetic health databases in the world with over 75,000 patients tested to date. Hannah has since created Everything Epigenetics where she shares insights on how DNA regulation has an impact on your health. Connect with and Learn More about TruDiagnostic ... (https://www.trudiagnostic.com/)

The 2025 NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competition, an intensive 4-week accelerator programme for student entrepreneurs, which is now in its 11th year, has commenced today at University College Dublin (UCD) with 11 early-stage ventures and 22 participating students. The participating ventures are focused on a wide range of business ideas including; sustainable agriculture, robotics, edtech, smart sensing systems for healthcare, sustainable fashion and music. A €3k NovaUCD One to Watch Prize, sponsored by Terra Solar, is available for the overall winning venture at the end of this year's competition. The accelerator programme is run by NovaUCD, the innovation and start-up hub, as a framework to support UCD undergraduate and postgraduate students who want to work together to develop and grow start-up companies. The aim of the accelerator is to assist the students in refining their start-up ideas through a series of structured workshops, including taught content from industry experts, interactive workshops, regular mentoring and pitching sessions. Caroline Gill, Innovation Pathway Manager at NovaUCD who manages the competition said, "Over the next month we will be supporting the participating student entrepreneurs as they begin the process of accelerating their business ideas into early-stage start-ups. A key objective of this annual competition is to provide the students with the skills, the confidence, and the opportunity to further develop their ideas and hopefully in time launch their start-ups in Ireland and even internationally." The 4-week accelerator, which uses the Lean Startup and Business Model Canvas approach, includes a series of structured and interactive workshops delivered by Raomal Perera, Lean Disruptor. Topics such as, customer development; value proposition; working in teams; design thinking; prototyping, environment mapping; financial planning and effective fundraising and pitching, will be covered. At a final workshop, to be held in late-June, the participating ventures will pitch to a judging panel. Based on the evaluation of the presentations an overall winner will be selected and will receive the €3k NovaUCD One to Watch Prize sponsored by Terra Solar. At the end of the 2024 competition physiotherapists Rory Lambe and Ben O'Grady, both then masters students in the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, were announced as winners of the Tech Sustainability Prize. Clia, their early-stage venture, aims to make a meaningful difference to the lives of people with cardiovascular disease by combining clinical data with wearable technology to improve its management. Rory is now a PhD student and earlier this year to further develop Clia he was one of several UCD students selected to participate in Conception X, a nine-month venture programme in London, focused on supporting PhD students from the UK and across Europe, to turn their research into deep tech start-ups. Fourteen (14) postgraduate and 8 undergraduate students are participating on this year's accelerator programme. Over 80 early-stage ventures and some 200 students have completed NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competitions to date. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

What does it take to stand up for people navigating the complex journey of immigration? Mary Choate knows firsthand as Executive Director of the Center for Legal Immigration Assistance (CLIA) in Lincoln, Nebraska.Founded in 2001, CLIA provides comprehensive legal services to help immigrants and refugees thrive throughout Nebraska. Mary explains why this work matters deeply: "Your neighbors probably have an immigration story they could tell." These are people living in our communities, paying taxes, and contributing to local economies—yet they face significant challenges navigating legal systems, especially amid widespread misinformation.Want to learn more or support CLIA's vital work? Visit www.cliane.org to discover how you can help Nebraska's immigrant communities thrive.Welcome to the Agency for Change podcast.

Everyone loves a good tech strategy session—but how do we make sure those plans don't just sit on a shelf? We're diving into the realities of making strategy happen. Join us for the second installment of Tech Strategy in Action, a series where we dive into exactly that.   Today we will be discussing how CLIA has implemented their newly imagined website based on an enormous amount of user research, led by our guest Jill Straniero, SVP of Digital Solutions and Managing Director of Global Technology. We will discuss how deep user interviews and audience analysis revealed the need to shift from a department-focused approach to an audience-focused digital strategy. The findings helped streamline twelve websites into two distinct ones. The conversation highlights how user research is not just for usability—it's a strategic tool for long-term organizational alignment and smarter tech investments  Hosted by Norma Castrejon, Vice President, Information Technology at the American Osteopathic Association and Rhoni Rakos, Lead Consultant, Digital Strategy at Ellipsis Partners.  Make sure to follow TPAC on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asae-tpac/ 

J.C. Sheppard, is the Founder of The Fentanyl Test, the world's first FDA-CLEARED, CLIA-waived dip-card test for over-the-counter use, and the world's only Harm Reduction test strip to reach the cutoff level of 1ng/mL which is also the world's only test to not require dilution of any tested substance. China says fentanyl issue is responsibility of the United States

Louise Craddock Oceania Cruises (Director of Sales UK & Ireland) shares her journey into her current role as well as an overview of the Oceania brand. Having been with Oceania Cruises for over 14 years her passion remains as she tells us more about what sets Oceania apart and how they have elevated what they offer their guests onboard and ashore. For those lucky to be joining us at CLIA conference they will get their first chance to catch a glimpse of their latest ship Oceania Vista which will also give agents a taste of what's to come in their upcoming ship Allura. She also has some exciting updates about shorter sailings which can be a great entry point for first time customers looking to experience Oceania. Join the Join the Trader Inside Oceania Cruises UK Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1EXD1z6ZTg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

As you’ll hear in this discussion, it’s Earth Month, and we couldn’t not have an episode about sustainability efforts within travel. Here, host Rebecca Tobin speaks with Paula Vlammings, the chief impact officer of nonprofit Tourism Cares, and Travel Weekly hospitality editor Christina Jekski about some of the hot topics of 2025. Topics we cover: Solutions to overtourism; why travelers don’t want to pay more for green travel initiatives; and whether recent shifts in U.S. policy will have an impact on sustainability efforts. This episode was recorded April 24 and was edited for length and clarity. Episode sponsor: This episode is sponsored by The TTC Tour Brands https://agents.ttc.com/login Related links: Sustainability-minded hotels are staying the course https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Sustainability-minded-hotels-staying-the-course Arnie Weissmann’s From the Window Seat column: CLIA: “Regulate us. please!” https://www.travelweekly.com/Arnie-Weissmann/CLIA-Regulate-us-Please From 2024: A focus on overtourism overlooks destinations’ problems: https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Overtourism-focus-misses-destination-problems From 2024: Overtourism solutions: putting residents first https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Tourism-related-issues-need-right-approach-experts-say Tourism Cares: https://www.tourismcares.org/ Note: This episode is ahead of the news: A column by Christina Jelski on Trina White and the Parkside Hotel & Spa will be published later this week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeling exhausted, dealing with brain fog, or noticing unexplained weight gain—even though you're doing all the right things? This episode dives into the surprising root cause behind symptoms often blamed on hormone imbalance or stress. It's something most women overlook, and it could be sabotaging your energy, focus, and sleep. Tune in to uncover what might really be going on beneath the surface—and why your environment could be playing a bigger role than you think.

We are well into 2025 so saying Happy New Year is not appropriate anymore. I think now people are asking others how they are doing with their resolutions. I have just one goal this year and that is to learn something new. I'll let you know how I do. Send me your resolutions in the comment section. I am excited for you to listen to my conversation with Dr. Brian Fiske, Chief Scientist for the MJFF. I like to kick off the new year/new season with a medication update. This year we are going to get an update on the research landscape and what it means compared to previous years. There are therapies in various stages of clinical testing using several different therapeutic approaches.  It is exciting to learn about what to expect in the future and how we all can contribute to move things forward faster. Let's learn from Dr. Fiske what we now know about the biology of Parkinson's, genetics and the environment's contribution, the advances in testing for a Parkinson's diagnosis, and where we stand in slowing the progression of the disease. This podcast is sponsored by  CND Life Sciences, home of the Syn-One Test ® - the first commercially available skin-based test to help clinicians diagnose Parkinson's and related disorders. CND Life Sciences supports the care of patients facing the potential diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease. CND's Syn-One Test® helps clinicians to diagnose suspected synucleinopathies using skin biopsies to detect, visualize, and quantify phosphorylated alpha-synuclein located in nerves in the skin. The Syn-One Test is performed in CND's CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory located in Scottsdale, AZ.   https://www.michaeljfox.org/state-field https://www.michaeljfox.org/ppmi https://www.michaeljfox.org/trial-finder https://cndlifesciences.com/ https://cndlifesciences.com/syn-one-test/  

Women who believe their implants are making them sick report a wide range of symptoms including extreme fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache, brain fog, hair loss, rashes, dry mouth and eyes, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. These conditions appear within a few months to several years following surgery and seem to follow a secondary surgery like revision or exchange. However, the exact cause is difficult to pin down because other conditions, like Lyme disease and toxic mold exposure, can cause similar symptoms. Using PCR testing (instead of traditional CLIA-based lab testing), Dr. Rob discovered that over 60% of the breast implants he removed all had one thing in common. Dr. Robert Whitfield describes his methodology for identifying this complicated, misunderstood condition and shares his treatment strategies utilizing nutrition and genetic testing to put his patients on the path to healing. For more healing resources created by Dr. Rob, visit our store - Dr. Rob's Solutions at https://drrobssolutions.myshopify.com (https://drrobssolutions.myshopify.com). Show Highlights: Causes of BII (00:03:56) Biofilm and its significant contribution to breast implant illness cases What is Biofilm? (00:04:56) Explanation of biofilm as a bacterial or fungal contaminant affecting health and inflammation Environmental Factors (00:05:26) Environmental exposures, like mold and Lyme disease, and their role in BII symptoms Gut Health and Immune Response (00:07:43) Gut health's impact on immune function and overall wellness in BII patients Identifying Symptoms and Providers (00:10:12) How to identify symptoms and seek appropriate medical guidance for BII Explant Surgery Options (00:10:12) Overview of surgical options available for patients considering explant surgery Symptom Abatement Timeline (00:11:20) Discussion on the expected timeline for symptom improvement after explant surgery Pathology and Testing (00:12:36) Importance of laboratory analysis in evaluating post-surgery health and contamination Nutritional Support and Genetic Testing (00:13:50) The role of nutrition and genetic predisposition testing in managing BII Cautions on Online Medical Advice (00:15:13) Warnings against seeking medical advice from unqualified sources online Links and Resources Let's Connect... Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/breast-implant-illness/id1678143554 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1SPDripbluZKYsC0rwrBdb?si=23ea2cd9f6734667 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drrobertwhitfield?t=8oQyjO25X5i&r=1 IG: https://www.instagram.com/breastimplantillnessexpert/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/DrRobertWhitfield Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-robert-whitfield-md-50775b10/ X: https://x.com/rob_whitfieldmd Read this article - https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/surgery/breast-reconstruction/types/implant-reconstruction/illness/breast-implant-illness Shop: https://drrobssolutions.com SHARP: https://www.harp.health NVISN Labs - https://nvisnlabs.com/ Get access to Dr. Rob's Favorite Products below: Danger Coffee - Use our link for mold free coffee - https://dangercoffee.com/pages/mold-free-coffee?ref=ztvhyjg JASPR Air Purifier - Use code DRROB for the Jaspr Air Purifier - https://jaspr.co/ Echo Water - Get high quality water with our code DRROB10 - https://echowater.com/ BallancerPro - Use code DRROBVIP for the world's leader in lymphatic drainage technology - https://ballancerpro.com Ultrahuman - Use code WHITFIELD10 for the most accurate wearable - https://www.ultrahuman.com/ring/buy/us/?affiliateCode=drwhitfield

Dr. Sara Naseri joins me on this episode to talk about the exciting, at home, affordable, easy to use, hemoglobin A1C testing her company QVin had developed that utilizes menstrual blood. Throughout this episode I just kept saying: why weren't we always doing this??!! But the wait is over as QVin can send an FDA approved, CLIA certified and easy to collect test right to your door. H1C is a test we all need and may get pushback from our providers or our insurance about routinely checking it so it's win, win, win, win and has some exciting prospects for future testing on other hormones and possibly even screening for conditions like endometriosis.  Episodes referenced in this show: Dr Brooke Show #398 Making Sense of Blood Sugar Testing: Hemoglobin A1C, Glycomark, CGMs and More   Stuff I Know You Will Love   If you are looking for an expert prescriber for HRT during your perimenopause or menopause journey but are at odds with your local provider being a bit behind current best practices or you simply can't find anyone near you to help, Join MIDI! I've worked with a number of telehealth services in my search for providers that are up to date on modern menopause medicine, have great customer service and who are licensed in all 50 states and I'm so thrilled to have found my provider with MIDI. If you too need help with getting HRT please use this link to check out MIDI! No membership fees and insurance billing available.    Did you know that 95% of women taking a prenatal are still nutrient deficient? The founders of Needed saw this as a big problem and I couldn't agree more! But Needed quickly became a bigger solution to a bigger problem by providing more options for moms and moms to be. Women need so much support during the time from thinking about getting pregnant all the way to having little ones and so often they are left with options that don't address their needs (prenatals that have nutrients in the wrong forms or that they can't take due to nausea) or they are left with low energy, anxiety or even colds/flus while they are pregnant or nursing because there aren't natural products that are considered safe during these times. Needed solved all of these problems as well as created a community of no-guilt, education and support for new moms and moms to be. Learn more about Needed visit thisisneeded.com and save 20% off your first order with code BETTEREVERYDAY at checkout.   Don't miss Organifi Gold Pumpkin Spice! Limited edition of their cozy cup of relaxing deliciousness with turmeric, passionflower, lemon balm and Reishi. Perfect end of a fall evening! Get it before it's gone! Link www.organifi.com/bettereveryday saves you 20%.    Be sure you connect with me in my FREE PRIVATE Facebook group: Hormones & Happiness with Dr Brooke where other amazing, like minded women like YOU are already hanging out! Join us!   Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,  I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I'd like to send you one too. To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review! 

Research Requires Flexibility: Protease-Free Permeabilization Expands FISH Tissue Applications.-Andrelie Branicky, Shared Laboratory Resources, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) visualizes the presence of a specific DNA or RNA sequence in a tissue sample or cell. This method, particularly the mRNA version, detects gene expression when protein might not be present or IHC is impossible. FISH combined with immunohistochemistry enables spatial transcriptomics, which provides significantly more information about the tissue microenvironment. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are the standard for tissue preservation in the clinical world. Most commercial mRNA probe and amplification systems are built around the model of FFPE tissue that can withstand harsh protease permeabilization. In the research world, tissues are fixed in different fixatives for varying times; all at the discretion of the investigator instead of an organization like the CLIA.  Given the wide range of tissue preparations, the HCR automated FISH-ISH protease-free program provides the flexibility to combine  FISH and fluorescent immunohistochemistry on tissue fixed in a variety of ways such as: 10% NBF, Histochoice (a glyoxal-based fixative), and methanol/acetic acid, with only minor changes to the basic protocol. Additionally, the lack of harsh protease pre-treatment maintains tissue integrity and morphology for staining and imaging. 

Priyanka Jain is the co-founder & CEO of Evvy, a precision women's health startup discovering unnoticed biomarkers, starting with the vaginal microbiome. The episode explores the challenges women face in diagnosing and treating conditions like PCOS and the significance of the vaginal microbiome in women's health. Priyanka Jain shares her journey from working in nonprofits to founding Evvy, a company dedicated to improving women's health through better data and diagnostics. Evvy's at-home vaginal microbiome test is the first and only CLIA-certified, mNGS vaginal health test, providing you with the most reliable, comprehensive answers from a single swab. The discussion covers the impact of hormonal imbalances, the role of the vaginal microbiome in preventing infections, and the importance of personalized healthcare. Sponsors: Find SmartMouth at CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart or visit https://smartmouth.com/shemd to snag a special discount on your next SmartMouth purchase. Your mouth will thank you!You can try Freed for free right now by going to https://getfreed.ai. Listeners can use the SHEMD code for $50 off their first month.Timeline is offering 10% off your first order of Mitopure. Go to https://timeline.com/SHEMD.Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code SHEMD at https://OSEAMalibu.com.Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com and enter promo code SHEMD.In This Episode:[2:55] Priyanka Jain's background and journey[5:50] The importance of destigmatizing women's health issues[8:20] Understanding the vaginal microbiome[20:03] Evvy's approach to vaginal health testing[31:02] Insights from Evvy's data on women's health[46:45] Tips for maintaining a healthy vaginal microbiomeKey Takeaways:Consult Before Self-Diagnosing: Always seek professional medical advice or testing before assuming you know the cause of any vaginal symptoms. This helps avoid unnecessary treatments and ensures accurate diagnosis.Be Your Own Advocate: Pay close attention to your body and symptoms. Gather data and information about your health to effectively communicate with healthcare providers, ensuring you receive the best care possible.Understand the Impact of Sexual Activity: Recognize that sexual activity can influence vaginal health. Be mindful of changes in symptoms following sexual encounters and consider discussing these with a healthcare provider if issues arise.Consider Proactive Testing: If you experience recurrent symptoms or are in a specific life stage (e.g., trying to conceive, menopause), consider using at-home testing services like Evvy to monitor your vaginal health and seek guidance when necessary.Avoid Overuse of Antibiotics: Be cautious with antibiotic use, as it can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria. Discuss alternative treatments with your healthcare provider, such as probiotics or lifestyle changes, to maintain a healthy microbiome.About the Guest:Priyanka is the co-founder & CEO of Evvy, a precision women's health startup discovering overlooked biomarkers, starting with the vaginal microbiome. Before founding Evvy, Priyanka was the Head of Product at pymetrics, a startup using behavioral science and AI to make talent matching more effective and fair. She graduated from Stanford University and serves on advisory boards for the XPRIZE Foundation and the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up campaign.Priyanka received her B.S. from Stanford University, where she was a Mayfield Fellow and President of Stanford Women in Business. She has been recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 and Inc's Top Female Founders.EvvyEvvy's at-home vaginal microbiome test is the first and only CLIA-certified, mNGS vaginal health test — providing you with the most reliable, comprehensive answers from a single swab. All results come with a custom plan of clear next steps, along with science-backed education, community, and 1:1 coaching. For eligible tests, they also offer integrative, prescription treatment programs. The results from the Evvy testing kit are analyzed to give users a detailed report on their vaginal health. This report can include information on the balance of different microorganisms, potential health issues, and personalized recommendations for maintaining a healthy microbiome. In addition to its products, Evvy provides educational resources to help women understand their vaginal health better. This includes information on how the vaginal microbiome works, how to interpret test results, and ways to support overall vaginal health. Resource Links:Priyanka's LinkedInInstagram @evvy Company URL www.evvy.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join me as I dive into the fascinating world of epigenetics and biological age with TruDiagnostic™ Co-Founder Hannah Went. With a deep-rooted passion for longevity and wellness, Hannah shares insights into how we can measure and influence our biological age. Discover the power of methylation testing, TruDiagnostic's revolutionary health assessments, and actionable strategies to improve health and potentially reverse aging.Hannah Went is the Co-Founder of TruDiagnostic, a pioneering health data company and CLIA-certified laboratory specializing in epigenetic testing and research. As the creator and host of the Everything Epigenetics Podcast, she connects audiences with the world's leading physicians and researchers.A molecular biologist by profession and a content creator by passion, Hannah is dedicated to empowering individuals to take charge of their health and discover innovative strategies to enhance wellness and performance.Website: https://everythingepigenetics.com/X: https://x.com/EverythingEpiFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/EverythingEpigenetics/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingepigenetics/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thehannahwent/TruDiagnostic™Website: www.trudiagnostic.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TruDiagnosticInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/trudiagnosticofficial/?hl=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trudiagnostic/PODCAST Thank you for listening please subscribe and share! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Shop supplements: https://healthybydrjen.shop/ CHECK OUT a list of my Favorite products here: https://www.healthybydrjen.com/drjenfavorites WATCH THIS:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lSyAFy5U4U&list=PLaDiqj0yz1eeCOATXPoUDt8HEJxz1_lfW - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FOLLOW ME: Instagram :: https://www.instagram.com/integrativedrmom/ Facebook :: https://www.facebook.com/pflegmed Tik Tok :: https://www.tiktok.com/@integrativedrjen YouTube :: https://www.youtube.com/@integrativedrmom - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FTC: Some links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I truly appreciate your support of my channel. Thank you for watching! Video is not spons...

Jason Sheppard, is the Founder of The Fentanyl Test, the world's first FDA-CLEARED, CLIA-waived dip-card test for over- the-counter use. PA Dems say 50 Cents is Worth More Than Their Constituents' Lives

My guest today is Kelly Craighead, President & CEO of CLIA - one of the travel industry's most important associations representing all things cruises! Before running CLIA, Kelly was the senior government representative for all travel and tourism matters at the Department of Commerce.  So if you're interested in travel trends and what's new in the cruise industry, you're in for a treat!  Kelly and I chat about everything from how millennials are the fastest growing generation for cruise travel, to sustainability on the oceans, to fabulous new destinations you can reach by ship.  Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com   Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn  

Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviewed Sheila Michelle Foye.  Her career began with the Gas Company here in Atlanta just before natural gas was deregulated. She began as an Office Assistant and moved lattice style into mission-critical senior leadership roles within organizations and across industries such as SunTrust Banks (Truist), CapGemini, Accenture, Cox, and healthcare giants such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Piedmont, and Grady. Foye leveraged her corporate knowledge gained over the years to become an award winning, respected successful Entrepreneur in Drug Testing and CLIA-waived Laboratory Testing. Drug Testing was chosen due to her oldest son's murder (age 24), which was drug/ gang violence related and her family history of substance/alcohol abuse that made for a rocky road in life. Nearly two years into the business, Michelle was able to innovate and pivot Precis Screening by establishing a consulting arm that has now assisted more than 3,000 Entrepreneurs and counting. #BEST #AMI #STRAW #SHMSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time Emmy and three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald, interviewed Sheila Michelle Foye.  Her career began with the Gas Company here in Atlanta just before natural gas was deregulated. She began as an Office Assistant and moved lattice style into mission-critical senior leadership roles within organizations and across industries such as SunTrust Banks (Truist), CapGemini, Accenture, Cox, and healthcare giants such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Piedmont, and Grady. Foye leveraged her corporate knowledge gained over the years to become an award winning, respected successful Entrepreneur in Drug Testing and CLIA-waived Laboratory Testing. Drug Testing was chosen due to her oldest son's murder (age 24), which was drug/ gang violence related and her family history of substance/alcohol abuse that made for a rocky road in life. Nearly two years into the business, Michelle was able to innovate and pivot Precis Screening by establishing a consulting arm that has now assisted more than 3,000 Entrepreneurs and counting. #BEST #AMI #STRAW #SHMSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Her career began with the Gas Company here in Atlanta just before natural gas was deregulated. She began as an Office Assistant and moved lattice style into mission-critical senior leadership roles within organizations and across industries such as SunTrust Banks (Truist), CapGemini, Accenture, Cox, and healthcare giants such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Piedmont, and Grady. Foye leveraged her corporate knowledge gained over the years to become an award winning, respected successful Entrepreneur in Drug Testing and CLIA-waived Laboratory Testing. Drug Testing was chosen due to her oldest son's murder (age 24), which was drug/ gang violence related and her family history of substance/alcohol abuse that made for a rocky road in life. Nearly two years into the business, Michelle was able to innovate and pivot Precis Screening by establishing a consulting arm that has now assisted more than 3,000 Entrepreneurs and counting. #STRAW #SHMSSupport the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Her career began with the Gas Company here in Atlanta just before natural gas was deregulated. She began as an Office Assistant and moved lattice style into mission-critical senior leadership roles within organizations and across industries such as SunTrust Banks (Truist), CapGemini, Accenture, Cox, and healthcare giants such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Piedmont, and Grady. Foye leveraged her corporate knowledge gained over the years to become an award winning, respected successful Entrepreneur in Drug Testing and CLIA-waived Laboratory Testing. Drug Testing was chosen due to her oldest son's murder (age 24), which was drug/ gang violence related and her family history of substance/alcohol abuse that made for a rocky road in life. Nearly two years into the business, Michelle was able to innovate and pivot Precis Screening by establishing a consulting arm that has now assisted more than 3,000 Entrepreneurs and counting. #STRAW #SHMSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unlock the mysteries of your skin's health and aging process in our enlightening conversation with Dr. Barbara Paldus PhD, founder of Codex Labs. Ever wondered how our DNA holds the keys to our body's functions, and how small genetic variants can have substantial impacts on our health? Dr. Paldus takes us on a captivating journey of understanding the world of genetics, exploring how single nucleotide polymorphisms can serve as markers for medical conditions.Get invaluable insights about Codex Labs' innovative DNA kits, 'Decode my Skin DNA' and 'Vitamins DNA,' that offer a comprehensive analysis of genes linked to skin conditions and vitamin deficiencies. Learn about the rigorous process of genetic testing, the evolution of sequencing, and the importance of CLIA certification for quality lab practices. Moreover, we delve into the vital role of medical professionals in prescribing tests and interpreting their clinical utility.We also tackle the fascinating relationship between genes and skin aging, highlighting the essential role vitamins play in skin health. Dr. Paldus shares compelling insights into the impact of specific genes on skin's health, the influence of environmental factors, and the importance of understanding our genetic predispositions. We also weigh the advantages and challenges of genetic testing, emphasizing the value of professional guidance in interpreting results. Pull up a chair and feed your curiosity about the intersection of genetics, skin health, and aging in this engrossing conversation with Dr. Barbara Paldus, PhD.Get 50% off for first 50 customers using the code TRYDNATEST50 when you visit www.codexlabs.comSupport the showFollow The Show On All Socials Using The Tag @skincareanarchy