Podcasts about Gaba

What if your cravings, mood swings, brain fog, and emotional overwhelm were signs of a nutrient deficiency rather than a lack of willpower? As we age, hormonal shifts, chronic stress, poor sleep, and nutrient depletion can significantly impact brain chemistry. Many people over 40 experience increased anxiety, brain fog, sugar cravings, and emotional volatility without realizing that amino acid deficiencies may be contributing. In this episode of The Health Fix Podcast, Laurie Hammer shares her powerful personal journey with amino acid therapy and how it transformed her mental health, cravings, emotional resilience, and overall brain function. We dive into the science behind amino acids as the building blocks of neurotransmitters and why they can be especially supportive for adults over 40 navigating stress, detoxification, and hormonal changes. You'll learn how amino acid testing works, the signs of deficiency, and practical ways to integrate amino acid support into a holistic health plan. About Laurie Hammer Being a mom and business owner isn't easy. Juggling responsibilities, sleepless nights, and constant demands can feel overwhelming and Laurie knows this struggle firsthand. Before becoming a mother, Laurie battled an eating disorder, anxiety, and depression, challenges that affected her health, relationships, and overall well-being. Discovering Amino Acid Therapy changed everything, helping her reclaim her life and igniting a passion for health and wellness. With a degree in psychology and certification in nutritional therapy, Laurie created the Calm Mom Method®, a proven approach designed to help moms reduce anxiety, restore energy, and live with greater purpose and resilience. What You'll Learn In This Episode:  ✅ Laurie's personal journey with amino acid therapy and what led her to explore this approach for mental and emotional health. ✅ How amino acids influence neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA—and why that matters for mood, sleep, focus, and cravings. ✅ The different ways to test amino acid levels and assess deficiencies, including how the body's responses can provide important clues. ✅ Why cravings and emotional eating may be rooted in brain chemistry rather than willpower alone. ✅ How targeted amino acid support can help with emotional regulation, stress resilience, and mental clarity. ✅ The role of amino acids in detoxification and brain health, including support for neuroprotection and recovery from chronic stress. ✅ How to integrate amino acids with functional medicine, nutrition, lifestyle habits, and other holistic health practices for a personalized approach to healing. Resources From The Show:  Check out Laurie Hammer's Website Listen in to Laurie's Podcast - Take Back My Brain Dr. Jannine Krause's Website

Do you feel exhausted but can't seem to wind down? That wired-but-tired feeling so many women experience in midlife has a name, and a cause most doctors never address. In this episode of The Art of Living Well Podcast®, Marnie and Stephanie are joined by Dr. Scott Sherr, a board-certified internal medicine physician and expert in health optimization, to explore the connection between chronic stress, hormone changes, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Dr. Scott introduces the concept of the "sympathetic spiral of doom" — the cycle of stress, poor sleep, and cellular energy breakdown that keeps so many women stuck, and shares practical, science-backed ways to break it. The conversation covers methylene blue (what it is, how it works, and who should use it), GABA and nervous system support, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Dr. Scott also explains why only 6% of US adults have optimally functioning mitochondria, and what the other 94% can do about it. Key Takeaways: Chronic stress and hormone fluctuations directly impair mitochondrial function Estrogen is a critical mitochondrial optimizer, losing it in perimenopause has real cellular consequences Only 6% of US adults are metabolically healthy; symptoms of the rest range from brain fog to poor sleep to slow recovery Methylene blue supports mitochondrial energy production and works as a bridge while you optimize your health more broadly If a GABA supplement works for you, that's a warning sign worth paying attention to Down-regulating the nervous system too fast, without mitochondrial support, can cause a crash Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is most effective once you have a foundational health plan in place Sleep is one of the most powerful levers for mitochondrial health 00:00 – Introduction and Dr. Scott's background 04:13 – Why midlife women's bodies stop responding the way they used to 07:32 – Progesterone, GABA, and sleep disruption 09:04 – What mitochondria actually do and why they matter 13:16 – The 6% metabolic health statistic 17:00 – The sympathetic spiral of doom, explained 21:01 – Cortisol: misunderstood and mismanaged 29:32 – What methylene blue is and how to use it 33:55 – Who should not take methylene blue 38:33 – Performance, travel, and targeted use 47:17 – GABA support and down-regulating the nervous system 55:18 – Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: benefits, timing, and protocols 01:00:52 – One action to take today 01:03:09 – Where to find Dr. Scott and his products Guest Links: Dr. Scott Sherr: drscottsherr.com Troscriptions: troscriptions.com Use code LIVINGWELL for 10% off Products mentioned: Just Blue, Blue Cannatine, Tro Calm, Tro Zzz This episode is brought to you by Good Health Saunas. Visit goodhealthsaunas.com and mention The Art of Living Well Podcast® for exclusive pricing. Ready for a Reset, On Your Own Time? If you've been feeling sluggish, bloated, inflamed, foggy, or just not like yourself, our Vitality Reboot Anytime is a simple way to give your body the reset it's been craving. This is our do-it-yourself version of The Art of Living Well Podcast® community detox, designed so you can move through the program whenever it works best for you. You'll receive everything you need to support your body with nourishing foods, targeted detox support, and simple daily practices that help you feel lighter, clearer, and more energized. Subscribe to our Substack for wellness tips, episode updates, and your free Midlife Travel Resilience Checklist: theartoflivingwell.substack.com Follow us: Instagram: @theartofliving_well YouTube: @theartoflivingwellpodcast LinkedIn: The Art of Living Well Podcast TikTok: @theartoflivingwel Spotify and Apple Podcasts Connect with your hosts: theartoflivingwell.us/about-us

Dr. Liz Graves didn't set out to become a doctor. She discovered chiropractic as a patient, fell in love with its foundational philosophy that the body heals from the inside out, and built a career around that principle. Today, as the founder of Back 2 Real Food, she helps people restore their metabolic health through food, cyclic nutrition strategies, and targeted amino acid therapy — without relying on willpower, calorie restriction alone, or one-size-fits-all dieting.In this episode, Dr. Tara Perry sits down with Dr. Graves for a wide-ranging conversation on why so many people are doing "everything right" and still can't lose weight, what the modern food system is doing to our metabolism, and the counterintuitive strategies that actually work.Key Takeaways:The real reason diets stop working (00:07:00) — Every time you diet without recovery, your body adapts to living on less, slowing your metabolism over time. Dr. Graves explains her cyclic approach: a structured window of fat loss followed by a deliberate high-calorie phase that trains the body to metabolize more, not less.Seed oils are the #1 offender in your diet (00:16:44) — Vegetable, canola, sunflower, and safflower oils disrupt cell walls, cause inflammation at the cellular level, and impair mitochondrial function. Removing them is the first and fastest win Dr. Graves makes with every new client.Three foods worth adding right now (00:19:41) — Healthy natural fats (animal fats, olive oil, coconut oil), quality mineral-rich sea salt, and more whole foods without a label. Small additions that compound into meaningful change.Know your farmer (00:21:49) — Pesticide load, not the food itself, is driving the explosion in leaky gut, celiac, and autoimmune conditions. Dr. Graves recommends the Weston A. Price Foundation as a starting point for finding local farmers and co-ops, and makes the case that buying direct is often cheaper than buying organic at a grocery store.Targeted amino acid therapy changed everything (00:26:56) — Most people have never worked with a practitioner who assesses neurotransmitter imbalances and uses amino acids to correct them. Dr. Graves explains how depleted GABA, serotonin, and dopamine pathways fuel emotional eating, overwhelm, and burnout — and how replenishing them through targeted therapy gives people the neurological resilience to stay on course.Cortisol, stress, and weight retention (00:32:41) — Chronic low-grade stress (email, notifications, relentless demands) keeps the body in protective mode, holding weight and suppressing metabolic function. Dr. Graves connects the modern stress environment to the ancestral body we're still living in, and explains why supporting the brain matters as much as fixing the food.Body composition over the scale (00:58:06) — Dr. Graves uses body composition testing (muscle, fat, water, bone) rather than BMI or scale weight to track real progress. She shares the story of a five-foot-one woman with 105 pounds of muscle who technically "should" weigh 100 pounds — and why that framing is misleading and discouraging.What results actually look like (00:47:24) — On Dr. Graves' six-week protocol, most people lose about 10 pounds and drop one clothing size. On the nine-week plan, 15 to 30 pounds and two clothing sizes. She describes it as achieving six to nine months of focused progress in six to nine weeks — structured and demanding while you're in it, but consistently described as the easiest thing clients ever did when they look back.Ready to take your own next step?Visit calendly.com/consulttara/consult to book your free customized consultation with Dr. Tara Perry and get your GPS map — the coordinates for where you are now and where you want to go.

Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:09 Hi there, how are you? Bob Miller 00:00:10 Excellent! Pedaling as fast as humanly possible, but doing okay. Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:14 Good, good. Well, I’m looking forward to our conversation today. This should be amazing. Bob Miller 00:00:20 Yeah, it should be a lot of fun. Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:22 Yeah, anything that’s off-limits for you in, our conversation? Bob Miller 00:00:28 No. Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:29 Okay, anything you want me to make sure we cover for you? Bob Miller 00:00:33 Well, I mean, is it okay if we put a little plug-in for our software? Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:35 Absolutely. Bob Miller 00:00:36 Yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:37 Absolutely. Bob Miller 00:00:36 Yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:37 Absolutely. Bob Miller 00:00:38 Hey, can we… can we do a screen share? Yes, we can. Yeah, because I want to show you some maps, and… Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:43 Okay. Things like that, yeah, so… Perfect. So just let me know when you want to do screen share. Bob Miller 00:00:48 Okay. Dr. Deb Muth 00:00:49 And yeah, feel free to plug your software wherever you want to. Bob Miller 00:00:53 Okay, well, good. Let me pull up a, a slide for that, and give me one second, I just want to shut the door to my office to get the noise down. Dr. Deb Muth 00:01:01 No worries. Bob Miller 00:01:16 And, how should I refer to you? Dr. Debb? Dr. Muth, what do you like? Dr. Deb Muth 00:01:18 Dr. Deb is great, or Deb, either way, I’m pretty informal, so… Bob Miller 00:01:22 Yeah, and… Bob is fine for me. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, there you go. Why people feel like they need this, son. Special name, it’s like, seriously. Dr. Deb Muth 00:01:33 Right? I agree. Bob Miller 00:01:35 When I work with my clients, it’s like, Dr. Millison, just, just bop, just, just bop. Dr. Deb Muth 00:01:41 Yep, that’s how I am, too. Just call me Deb, it’s good. Dr. Deb Muth 00:01:44 They feel a little awkward with that, you know? They’re not used to that, but… Bob Miller 00:01:48 Alright. And you’re a naturopath, medical doctor. Dr. Deb Muth 00:01:52 A nastropathic doctor and a nurse practitioner. Oh, nice. Yeah, so I got the best of both worlds, right? Bob Miller 00:01:58 Yeah, damn. Okay. Alright, so here we go… There we go. Alright, so I got that ready, and then I will do a, I will do a screen share. I think you’re gonna really, appreciate what we’ve come up with. We’ve come up with the concept of, Cellular CPR. Dr. Deb Muth 00:02:23 Oh, nice! Bob Miller 00:02:24 And that is, construct the cell membrane, Protect the cell membrane. And restore it if it’s damaged. Dr. Deb Muth 00:02:32 Love that. Bob Miller 00:02:34 I love that. Yeah, so that’s what we’re focusing on, and then how, You know, we want to get to the point that, you know, most people think of genetics, they think of, like, 23andMe or Ancestry. Dr. Deb Muth 00:02:44 Yeah. Bob Miller 00:02:45 And then you have the professional geneticists who are looking at, you know, odd things that could create a disease. We’re looking at functional genomics. Dr. Deb Muth 00:02:54 Which is so much better. Bob Miller 00:02:56 Yeah. Are you familiar with what we do here, or… Dr. Deb Muth 00:02:58 A little bit, a little bit. So, it’ll be new to me, too, so I’m excited. Bob Miller 00:03:03 And how much time do we have? Dr. Deb Muth 00:03:04 We have an hour, give or take a little bit on either side. Do you have a hard stop anywhere? Bob Miller 00:03:10 No, no, I put a, I moved my clients around, and I don’t have anybody till, 3.30, so we’re good. Okay. Dr. Deb Muth 00:03:16 Perfect. Alright. Bob Miller 00:03:18 It’s like we’re getting started early as well, so… Dr. Deb Muth 00:03:19 Yeah, we’re getting started a little bit early, so that’s good. Bob Miller 00:03:22 Yeah, I just got my office cleaned up, so… Dr. Deb Muth 00:03:23 Okay, good. All right, are you all set to get started? Bob Miller 00:03:28 I’m good to go, my friend. Dr. Deb Muth 00:03:29 I’m gonna just record a little intro and a little bit of a, hook for people, and then we’ll get started. I’ll ask you to kind of tell us a little bit about yourself, and then we’ll just take this conversation wherever it’s supposed to go. Bob Miller 00:03:39 Okay, you got it. Dr. Deb Muth 00:03:40 Alright, sounds good. So what if the reason you’re not healing isn’t your diet, your supplements, or your labs, but it’s actually your genes? Dr. Bob Miller is uncovering how genetic variants, when combined with modern toxins, explain why some of us stay sick no matter what we try. Today, we’re talking genetic pathways, detox blocks, and the new science every wellness warrior needs to know. Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now, the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, exploring cutting-edge regenerative medicine, and empower you to heal from the inside out. I’m Dr. Deb, your medical detective, and today, our guest, Dr. Bob Miller, is a true pioneer in functional genomics. He’s a board-certified traditional naturopath and the founder of Neutrogenetic Research Institute. And he’s the leading groundbreaking research on how genetic variants influence chronic illness, inflammation, and detoxification. His work has been recognized on international stages, uncovering links between genetic expression and conditions like Lyme disease, mast cell activation, or MCAS, and mitochondrial dysfunction. I’m so excited to talk to Dr. Bob today. He is gonna reveal some things that even I don’t know about, so I’m excited to learn alongside of you guys. So… Dr. Bob, let’s get started. Tell us a little bit about yourself, and kind of how you got on this journey. Bob Miller 00:05:04 Well, that’s, that’s interesting. I was sort of like a mid-career coming to the natural health field, because in my early 30s, I found myself with a severe case of ulcerative colitis. Bob Miller 00:05:15 And I was in the hospital for 21 days. probably within hours of death, pleading to death. And they told me I’ve got one option, and that is cut out the colon and wear a bag. Didn’t sound like a lot of fun. Dr. Deb Muth 00:05:27 Not an option I would want. Bob Miller 00:05:29 So, you know, the medical folks wasn’t real happy with me, but I said, yeah, I’d like to explore some alternative things.Never thinking that I’d get into this field, and then I just, you know, worked with some herbalists and things that I found absolutely fascinating. So, that’s how I got into this around 30 years ago. And, haven’t looked back since, and just having a… having a blast as we now move into how our genetics impacts things. So, that’s what we’re gonna… that’s what we’re gonna talk about today. Dr. Deb Muth 00:05:58 I’m excited to talk about this genetic thing. When you started over 30 years ago, what kind of patience and problems first inspired you to dig deeper into that root cause healing and kind of get into the genetic piece of it? Bob Miller 00:06:10 Sure. Well, you know, as a… now, I’m in a part of the country called Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where there’s a lot of Amish and Mennonite, and they gravitate towards these things.So, this is their first thing to do, and that doesn’t work, then they’ll go other routes. So, you know, back then, we just saw typical, you know, a little tired, constipation. You know, a little bit of fatigue, arthritis, those kind of things. But things have changed dramatically over the years, as people are now getting more chronically sick. You know, it’s worse than it’s ever been. And what we’re finding is the, the culprits Primarily is mold exposure and Lyme disease. When people get those two together, they’re just… it’s an inflammatory cascade that nobody can seem to unravel. So that’s where we spend a lot of our time. And we’re also spending a lot of time looking at mental health, like ADD, ADHD. And, we give… this year I’ll be speaking at three autism conferences. And we can dig into that a little bit as to why we think we’re seeing such a dramatic increase. And aside from autism, that used to be 1 out of 1,000, now it’s 1 out of 33, or 23. You know, we’re also seeing dramatic increases in ADD, ADHD. People are stressed out. And today, I think we’ll have the time to actually go through and show how environmental factors combine with genetics to cause that to happen. So we’ll… we should have a fun visit here today. And today, I think we’ll have the time to actually go through and show how environmental factors combine with genetics to cause that to happen. So we’ll… we should have a fun visit here today. Dr. Deb Muth 00:07:37 This should be a fun visit. We can cover lots of topics. I am so excited. So, you founded Nutri Genetic Research Institute in 2015. What did you hope to accomplish, and what kind of surprised you in your findings so far about that? Bob Miller 00:07:51 Well, you know, let’s back up at what, you know, genetics is used for. Everybody’s familiar with 23andMe and Ancestry that, you know, tells you where your ancestors came from. Then you have your professional geneticists. I mean, these are people with a degree in genetics. And they’ll look for, you know, very odd sort of things that are prone to relate to a disease. So there are disease-related genetics. Well, in functional, we don’t look at either of those. We look at For example, how you’re breaking down your fats and utilizing them. How you’re recycling your glutathione. How you might be handling your iron. And none of those are disease-causing on their own.And none of those are disease-causing on their own. But when they pile up on you, and then combine that with environmental factors, that’s when things start to go south on us. So, that’s what we’re doing, we’re looking at patterns. And our first foray into this was, we did studies on Lyme disease. And our first foray into this was, we did studies on Lyme disease. So, we looked at, like, I think 50 people with Lyme disease. We looked at their genome. So, we looked at, like, I think 50 people with Lyme disease. We looked at their genome. And we found patterns that were more evident in those with Lyme. Now, this doesn’t… these genetics don’t mean you get Lyme, it just means if you get Lyme, you react worse to it. And we found patterns that were more evident in those with Lyme. Now, this doesn’t… these genetics don’t mean you get Lyme, it just means if you get Lyme, you react worse to it. So, as you know, some people get Lyme, they go on a round of antibiotics, and they’re done. So, as you know, some people get Lyme, they go on a round of antibiotics, and they’re done. Others have a little more struggle, and then others are struggling terribly for years. So there’s an old adage of genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger. Dr. Deb Muth 00:09:14 Yeah, that is so true, and I think when we’re talking about Lyme and mold and things like that, we forget sometimes that our genetics can predispose us to be more sensitive to those things, and if we have genetic pathways where we don’t clear things properly, it’s harder for us to get them out of the body. And then you add on that whole rain barrel effect that we’ve always used as a functional medicine term, right? If the barrel’s half full, you’re okay. If it’s full, and now it’s spilling over, it’s a bigger problem. Have you guys found, too, that some of these environmental things actually are changing the genetics of people, or how they’re processing their own genetics? Bob Miller 00:09:53 Well, let’s go back to, Genetics 101. But we’ll go back a little bit further. So, what an interesting mechanism, what a miracle the body is. Bob Miller 00:10:03 Fats, carbohydrates, proteins, drink water, breathe air, expose the sunlight, and somehow everything gets made. I mean, when you just step back and think about that, it’s like, It’s pretty darn amazing. Dr. Deb Muth 00:10:15 I always tell women, you know, the fact that we get pregnant and we have healthy pregnancies and births is a miracle, because if we had to try to control that, that wouldn’t work so well. Bob Miller 00:10:25 Right. Well, that’s another miracle. These microscopic sperm and egg, human being, 9 months later, it’s like. But even inside of us. We are making our hair, our skin, our nails, our blood vessels, our ATP, our energy, it’s all being created. Well, that gets created by enzymes. So, enzymes take one substance, combine it with something else, and make something new. Then another enzyme comes along and does the same thing. Your DNA is the instructions on how to make the enzymes. So, when we are conceived. If it’s a, if it’s a female, of course, it’s the XX, the two chromosomes. You know, we’ve… everybody’s seen those… the genetics that… Listed pair. So, if it’s a female, the father donated the X enzyme. And the mother has no choice but to give the eggs, so that’s female. If the father donates the Y, you have a male that’s in chromosome number 1. Then 2 through 23 is the rest of the instructions on how to make enzymes. So, what can happen? We can get what are called SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms. And SNPs just mean that the instructions to make the enzyme’s not quite as good. So, if one parent gives a SNP on the making of an enzyme, The enzyme’s fine. It works. But, general rule of thumb, It may only work at 70-80% of efficiency. Now, a good analogy is think of an 8-cylinder and a 6-cylinder car. If parents give you good information, that’s like having an 8-cylinder car. If one parent gives you that snip, it’s like having a 6-cylinder car. Now, is a 6-cylinder car a fine car? Sure. It’ll get you from point A to point B, but it’s just going to have the power of an 8-cylinder. Then if both parents give you a SNP on the same enzyme, it may be 30-40%, and that’s like having a 4-cylinder car. Sits in the driveway, looks the same, puts gas in it, everything. But if you’ve got a 4-cylinder car. Probably not a good idea to go cross-country pulling a trailer behind you up and down mountains. Dr. Deb Muth 00:12:29 This is true. Bob Miller 00:12:32 So… We can get an 8-cylinder, 6-cylinder, or 4-cylinder enzyme. Now, if it’s not under a lot of stress, if that 4-cylinder car is just taking you to the bank and the grocery store. It’s just as good as an 8-cylinder car. But if you gotta pull that trailer, and there’s a lot of stress on it, being mountains, it’s gonna struggle. Now, there’s one other little caveat to this, and that is some genetic mutations are gain-of-function. They actually work faster. Now, we have enzymes that do all kinds of things. We have enzymes that make and recycle our antioxidants, but we also have enzymes that make inflammation. No, that’s a good thing, because if we get a virus or bacteria, if you didn’t make inflammation to kill it, well, we’d all die of infection. So, you know, we tend to think of free radicals as bad, antioxidants as good. They both play an important role. But interestingly, some of the major enzymes that make inflammation, they can be overactive. They can be turbocharged. And when they’re stimulated by environmental toxins, they overreact. Bob Miller 00:13:40 And therein lies the problem. When they overreact, we have a problem. Bob Miller 00:13:46 So, if we have genes that overreact when stimulated. And then the enzymes that take care of inflammation are underactive. Then you’re gonna be more inflamed. You know, the majority of people that, you know, come for functional medicine Or naturopathic help, or… Inflammation that they can’t seem to get under control. Dr. Deb Muth 00:14:06 Right. Bob Miller 00:14:07 And we will be, you know, during this hour, we’re going to look at some of the pathways that make that happen. So, what we can do then, we can’t change our genetics. When you’re conceived, that’s the hand you’re dealt. When your life would be over, if someone would take some tissue and measure, it’d be exactly the same as conception. Does it change. Bob Miller 00:14:28 The enzyme’s ability to do its job may be compromised. Because remember I said there’s a, the enzyme takes a cofactor. So an enzyme takes substance A, cofactor, make substance B. Well, if that cofactor’s not there, the enzyme’s not going to work either. So, you could have an 8-cylinder car, and if there’s no gas in it, it’s not going anywhere. So… It’s the strength of the enzyme, it’s the cofactor to do the A to B conversion. And that’s what we’re going to get into. So, many people say, well, where did these SNPs come from? Nobody knows for sure. Sometimes they’re what’s just called de novo, when the sperm and egg go together, the instructions get mixed up a little bit. We do believe a lot of it came from a long time ago, when we were almost wiped out by sexually transmitted diseases. And those STDs were altering the genes when the conception, in other words, when the sperm went into the egg, the STDs were interfering. And causing the problem, so… I often joke, if you want to blame somebody. Blame your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents for, being a bit promiscuous, so… Dr. Deb Muth 00:15:31 Yeah, for being… having a little too much fun, right? Bob Miller 00:15:35 So, we don’t know for sure, but, you know, there are some that, But most of the SNPs that we get inherit from our parents. So, if you look at a child. And you look at the SNPs. 99.9% of the time, it came from one of the parents. Dr. Deb Muth 00:15:50 In identical twins, do they have the exact same identical makeup? Bob Miller 00:15:54 Yep, Dr. Deb Muth 00:15:56 But not in fraternal twins, correct? Bob Miller 00:15:59 No, no, those could be different, Jeff. Dr. Deb Muth 00:16:00 It could be different because they have different sacs, they’re not sharing that same genetic makeup. Bob Miller 00:16:04 Yeah, so keep in mind, both your mother and your father have, you know, the two And so you get one from one parent, one from another. Dr. Deb Muth 00:16:13 So… Bob Miller 00:16:14 Interesting situation. I had, 3, 3 boys. And, we were looking at an enzyme related to breaking down oxalates. Now, the mother and father each had one SNP, and that’s called heterozygous. Three boys, and they all come together, they’re Amish boys, they’re a lot of fun. And I looked at their genomes, and the one boy didn’t have any SNPs at all. And one had won. And the other one had two. Dr. Deb Muth 00:16:41 Interesting. Bob Miller 00:16:42 So, we don’t quite know how these things get handed off, but with the parents each having one, you could have a child with none, one, or two. So, the one, his ability to break down oxalates, which is fine. The other one was slightly impaired, and the other one was dramatically impaired. So, you can have 3 children, and it all depends what the parents have. Now, if a parent has a homozygous, or 2 copies. And the other parent has nothing. Every child will have one. Okay. If both parents are homozygous, that they both have two, Every child will have two. Dr. Deb Muth 00:17:19 too. Bob Miller 00:17:20 Yes, so that’s the way it works, but, you know, but it’s somewhat rare that both parents are homozygous on an enzyme, but it can happen. Dr. Deb Muth 00:17:27 Do we think that infections today, like Lyme disease or mold exposure, things like that, if the parent, the woman, primarily, I’m thinking, is pregnant, and she actively has these infections. Can those infections affect the genetics, kind of like a past sexual transmission did where we thought back in the day? Bob Miller 00:17:47 Yeah, I… I mean, I’m not that much of a geneticist to answer that for sure, but my thought would be no, that at conception, the pattern’s made. Dr. Deb Muth 00:17:55 Okay. And then that’s… that’s the hand you’re dealt. Bob Miller 00:17:58 Yeah. So, I tell people we have good news and bad news. The good news is we can compensate for the weakness. The bad news is we can compensate for the weakness. Dr. Deb Muth 00:18:09 That is so very true. Bob Miller 00:18:11 Yeah, we can’t, because I often get asked, so we’ll do some things now, and we’ll check my genes again, and they’ll be better. It’s like, nope. Dr. Deb Muth 00:18:18 Oh, – – Bob Miller 00:18:19 You gotta play the hands you’re dealt, so… Dr. Deb Muth 00:18:21 That’s right. Bob Miller 00:18:22 You can test your genetics… if you’re looking at the same enzyme, you can test it every year. It’s not gonna change. It’s like the blueprint. Dr. Deb Muth 00:18:30 It’s good and bad, right? It’s the one test you only have to do once in your lifetime. Bob Miller 00:18:34 No, unless, you know, like, our. Dr. Deb Muth 00:18:36 All the time. Bob Miller 00:18:37 Yeah, now our test looks at, called the Functional Genomic Analysis Test of your genomic Resource. We look at 220,000 steps. Dr. Deb Muth 00:18:46 Wow, that’s a lot. Bob Miller 00:18:47 That’s not all of them. Dr. Deb Muth 00:18:49 Right. Bob Miller 00:18:50 So, maybe in the next year, we’re gonna come out with our third version of the chip. And then, if someone wants to get those new things that weren’t on it, they’d have to repeat. But whatever we measured is gonna stay the same. Dr. Deb Muth 00:19:03 That’s a lot of SNPs to look at. Bob Miller 00:19:05 Keeps us busy. Dr. Deb Muth 00:19:06 But there’s still, but there’s still SNPs that we. Bob Miller 00:19:09 That we’d like to have that we don’t have, so… Bob Miller 00:19:11 We started out with version 1 on our genetic test, then we worked with version 2, and we’re already compiling a list of what version 3 would look like. So if somebody has our version 2, And we’re saying, you know what, it’d be nice if we could see these, well, then you’d repeat, but it won’t change what you already know, so… Dr. Deb Muth 00:19:29 Got it, got it. So, when you started out, and you started looking at the research of Lyme disease and chronic infections, which detox pathways are most important for people who struggle with those conditions? Bob Miller 00:19:43 Okay. You know what might make sense as we do a screen share, and I’ll actually show you the pathway. Does that make sense? Bob Miller 00:19:48 Alright, so… let’s see if I… let me just press the share… Dr. Deb Muth 00:19:52 Yep, you should just be able to press share. Bob Miller 00:19:54 And… number 2. Okay. Are we seeing the screen there? Bob Miller 00:20:01 Okay. Dr. Deb Muth 00:20:02 So, this is a map that we made. Bob Miller 00:20:05 And by the way, this is not… All-inclusive of all the things we look at, but we believe this is a core issue. So, where we’re going to start here, there’s something called the microglia. And the microglia are glial cells. They’re in the brain and the central nervous system. And they’re very interesting little creatures, because most of the time, and this is just a drawing of what they sort of look like. Most of the time, they’re in what’s called the M2 anti-inflammatory mood. What that means, these little guys pick up dirt, debris, Recycle them. Turns on an enzyme called interleukin-10 that’s anti-inflammatory. And just kind of does general housekeeping. And just kind of does general housekeeping. However, when a trigger comes along. However, when a trigger comes along. They… it’s the same glial cell, but it moves over to a very pro-inflammatory enzyme. A pro-inflammatory glial cell. And it triggers these 3 enzymes, Actually, these four. That are pro-inflammatory. Tumor necrosis vector alpha, Interleukin-6. NF Kappa B, Inos. Now, these create inflammation. So you might think, well, why is that good? Well, if you have some foreign invader, virus, bacteria coming in, parasite. If you didn’t have these guys coming to the rescue, you would just die of infection. So, these guys are your friend unless they’re your worst enemy. Because TNFA, and we’ll show you when we actually do a demo account, TNFA can be overactive. So, in other words, it over-responds. Interleukin-6 can be overactive. And if Kappa-B can be overactive. The INOS, and I’ll explain each of these as we go through a demo, can be overactive. Now, what that means is, you’re very good at killing virus and bacteria. But this is where autoimmune disease comes in, and just inflammatory conditions. Now, this is just speculation, but we think what happened is, as you know. Thousands of years ago, we didn’t have refrigeration, we didn’t have sewer, we didn’t have pure water, and we didn’t have antibiotics. So, if you made it to 40, you were an old-timer, because everybody was dying of infection. So, what we believe happened is, by what’s called natural selection, Having these overactive. A thousand years ago was to your advantage. Dr. Deb Muth 00:22:31 Hmm. Bob Miller 00:22:32 But now… We have pure water, we have refrigeration, we have sewers, we have antibiotics. But now we have environmental factors that are stimulating them. Now it’s to our disadvantage. And we’ll talk about that a little bit as it relates to the hemochromatosis genes and maybe the G6PD. Dr. Deb Muth 00:22:48 Yep. Bob Miller 00:22:49 Now, why are we becoming so inflamed? Let’s look at the triggers. Now, one of my, favorite expressions is. I was born all the way back in 1954. Dr. Deb Muth 00:23:01 And it was a different world back then. Bob Miller 00:23:05 These are some of the triggers. And we’ll get into these, but right now, high fructose corn syrup, And the high-fat diet. High fructose corn syrup only came about in 1968. So now we’re being exposed to high fructose corn syrup. Then… we didn’t have these, these viruses like COVID. Dr. Deb Muth 00:23:26 Yeah. Bob Miller 00:23:27 Now, there’s now pretty strong evidence that COVID Was actually, you know, made as a gain of function. It’s debated, and I’m not taking an opinion on it, but there’s some people who believe Lyme disease was also a part of experimentation. Dr. Deb Muth 00:23:40 Go. Bob Miller 00:23:41 Then we have molds, and it appears as though mold is getting stronger. you know, 20 years ago, when I was seeing folks, mold wasn’t on the radar. I would say 7 out of the 10 folks we speak to today have mold problems. Yeah, 20 years ago, we talked more about mold allergy being an issue versus mold toxicity being an issue. Right. So… I know some folks are, you know, speculating what’s happening, but one of the theories out there is that EMF is strengthening mold. I don’t know if you ever heard that theory, and I don’t… Dr. Deb Muth 00:24:13 I have. Bob Miller 00:24:14 I’m not claiming it’s true, but it’s an interesting theory. Then even, you know, your black mold from water-damaged buildings. Then our air pollution is getting worse. We’re getting more toxic metals. Dr. Deb Muth 00:24:26 You know, if we have a… Bob Miller 00:24:27 You know, we’re gonna look back someday and say, what were we thinking, smearing aluminum into our armpits? The, what were we doing putting mercury in our teeth? Then, you know, glyphosate. When I was a kid, there was no glyphosate. So, all of these herbicides and pesticides. Polychlorinated biphenols, And then EMF. So, we love our cell phones, you know, and I think unless you, or in the middle of the desert, or down in a cave, you’re being exposed to EMF somewhere. So, you know, we have our cell phones with us, we have, We have Wi-Fi, the towers are everywhere. And we don’t know long-term, but we may find that this can… this creates some inflammation. And I don’t know if you get any folks, but do you have any folks that have… are they EMF sensitive? Dr. Deb Muth 00:25:16 Oh yeah, we have a whole bunch of them. Bob Miller 00:25:18 Yeah, and then if you have any TBIs, So, plenty of things here. that will stimulate into the microglia, M1. Now, you could say, well. We’re all pretty much exposed to the same thing. Why do some people get hit harder than others? So here’s where we’re gonna start. There’s an enzyme called Nrf2 and RF2. And Nrf2 is the enzyme that senses when there’s inflammation. And turns on hundreds of anti-inflammatory enzymes. We’ll show when we do the demo, you can have genetic weakness on NERF2. And NERF2 inhibits and slows down microglia M1. supports M2. Now, if it’s not complicated enough, there’s an enzyme called KEEP1. And KEEP1 inhibits NRF2. And you can actually have gain of function on keep 1, that makes Keap 1 stronger. So… A lot of the people who land on my doorstep So… A lot of the people who land on my doorstep Both parents gave a mutation on KEEP1, making it overactive. Both parents gave a mutation on KEEP1, making it overactive. Dr. Deb Muth 00:26:31 Hmm. Dr. Deb Muth 00:26:31 Hmm. Bob Miller 00:26:32 Suppressing Nrf2, nerve 2 might be weak. So, nobody’s putting the brakes on, M1. And by the same token, Nerve 2 supports M2. Then there’s a process called mTOR and autophagy. mTOR stands for mammalian tard of rapamycin, the growth of new cells. And then autophagy, taking our dead cells and recycling them. We need a balance between the two of them. If we didn’t have mTOR, the sperm and the egg would never become the baby, the baby would never become the adult, we wouldn’t make new cells. But our cells are constantly, you know, the old cells dying off. Autophagy is where we take that debris from the cell and recycle it, just like a farmer Plows the crop under at the end of the year. The dead plant then becomes the fuel for the spring, your dead cell becomes the fuel for the spring, and that’s autophagy. So we’re gonna look back someday and say, what were we thinking? We give our animals growth hormones so they get fatter faster. Oh my. So, we consume those animals, and inventory runs faster. Now, for anybody who’s, You know, maybe above 40, 45 years old. Think back when you were 12, and what did girls look like? They were primarily flat-chested little girls. Now they look like 16-year-olds. Because environmentally, we’re jacking up mTOR. So, mTOR stimulates microglia M1, suppresses microglia M2. Probably 80% of the folks we visit with. This is the part of the problem. NRF2 is weak. mTOR is strong. Environmental factors come along. And this guy gets carried away. He doesn’t do that burst and move back. Stays here. We’re calling that How environmental factors create a locked-in, pro-inflammatory. and neurotoxic phenotype. In other words, once it starts, it just keeps… Feeding upon itself. Alright, so what happens now when microglia is overactive. it triggers these 3 enzymes, TNFA, N of kappa B, And interleukin-6. Each one of these can have genetics that make them run stronger. Then it stimulates an enzyme called NLRP3, Which makes what are called inflammasomes. Now, guess what inflammasomes can be? Your best friend or your worst enemy? Because they will, if you’ve got, again, a virus or bacteria, or possibly even some bad cells in the body. They will zap them. Well, that’s good. Unless it’s overactive. Unless it’s overactive. And then what it does, through interleukin-1 beta, makes excess glutamate. And then what it does, through interleukin-1 beta, makes excess glutamate. Anxiety, gut inflammation, OCD, ADD, autism. And, you know, glutamate, we’ll talk about that a little bit, but glutamate makes you intelligent, highly motivated go-getter. but can also be excitatory. And then, look what it does. Let’s see, do I have the drawing tool here? Yes, I do. Okay. So, it comes down through here, Makes the glutamate. Comes back up through here. through the ADORA 2A enzyme, Then we’ve got a feedback loop that feeds upon itself. Then, through interleukin-18, we make histamine. and mast cells. And then through histamine receptor site number 1, we come back and spin it. And now you’ve just got this spinning feedback loop. So, the glutamate will make you anxious, the histamine will give you allergies and make you anxious. And you’re allergic to everything, and you’re feeling horrible. Now, it doesn’t end there, Dr. Dad. It then goes on to make something called gast dermins that creates pyroptosis, where it actually starts punching a hole in the cell membrane. And you’re only going to be as healthy as your cells are. Just a little background. You know, we’re made up of trillions of cells, and each one of them has what’s called a lipid bilayer, made from lipids, which comes from fats. And you’re only going to be as healthy as those membranes are. So that’s why we coined an interesting phrase. Cellular CPR. Construct the cell. Protect the cell. And restore the cell membrane. And we believe that’s going to be revolutionary in the functional medicine world. So… It’s not hard to figure out that if you start punching holes in the cell membrane, that’s not a good thing, okay? Bob Miller 00:31:22 Now… There’s an interesting molecule called NAD. Thicotide adenoside dinucleotide. And anybody who’s in the, you know, listening to the health podcasts and things, they’re… They’re, they’re learning about NAD. And I’m going to show you a chart later, all the good things that NAD does, but For the most part, it helps what’s called sirtuins. And sirtuins are quite interesting. If anybody’s looking at longevity. The sirtuins is where they’re looking at.Because sirtuins turn on good things. Turn off bad things. And I’ll show some charts on that later. So for right here, this sirtuin uses NAD, to slow down NF-kappa-B. CERT 2 uses NAD to slow down an ORP3. So, if we’ve got genetic weakness on these, or we don’t have enough NAD, We don’t hold this pathway back. Make sense? Dr. Deb Muth 00:32:24 Yeah, makes perfect sense. Bob Miller 00:32:25 Now, I’ll show this a little bit later. So, people are like, oh, well, I’m gonna start taking some NAD. Dr. Deb Muth 00:32:31 Right. Bob Miller 00:32:32 And there’s functional doctors who give NAD intravenous. It was just this morning, I was talking to a woman who said, Oh my gosh. I went and got intravenous NAD, and it took me a month to recover from that. Dr. Deb Muth 00:32:45 Hmm. Bob Miller 00:32:46 what happens is, and I’ll show this in a little more detail, there’s an enzyme called CD38, that’s stimulated by NF-kappa-B. And it takes NAD, To make intracellular calcium. that stimulates NLRP3 and actually makes things worse. So, if we have this guy upregulated, and I’ll show a chart what does that. taking NAD will make you worse. Again, when I go into the software, I’ll show you that whole pathway, so… I would encourage people, you know, just don’t go out and start taking massive amounts of NAD, you know, stick your toe in the water, see how you do. Because everything you’ve heard about, how good it is, is true, unless this guy says, oh, thank you very much, let me make more inflammation. Now, this might be part of our innate immune system, that if we have some pathogen that’s gonna kill us. By golly, we want that to happen. But if this is happening by environmental factors, Then it’s detrimental. So the immune system that protected us a thousand years ago now might be turning on us because of the environmental factors that we showed earlier. All right. Then there’s an enzyme called PARP that’s NAD-dependent, and that actually repairs strain breaks in your DNA. Now, the next thing that happens… is there’s an enzyme called NADPH oxidase that gets stimulated. and something called INOS. Now, I’m sure most people know about nitric oxide. It’s a gas that dilates your blood vessels. That’s why sometimes they’ll even give people drugs, nitroglycerin, to boost their nitric oxide. That’s why people are doing beetroots and other things to boost their nitric oxide. But there’s an OS3 enzyme that makes the nitric oxide that’s good for blood flow. But there’s an INOS That makes nitric oxide to kill pathogens. probably might be the third or fourth time I’ve said this. That’s a good thing, unless it isn’t. So, if it’s killing some pathogen, great. It was just misfiring. it combines… With superoxide that’s made by this enzyme, and makes something called peroxynitrite, which is one nasty free radical that chews you up and spits you out. So, the NOx enzyme, NADPH oxidase, uses NADPH, To make this free radical called superoxide. If we have time, we’ll get into it. NADPH is what your body needs to recycle your antioxidants.So, I coined the phrase, the NADPH steel. Where the NOX enzyme takes this very important NADPH, And rather than being useful, makes superoxide. Now, again, is that fine if you’ve got some bacteria to kill? Of course. But if it’s just chronically running, it’s just making all this chronic inflammation. Then it makes something called hydrogen peroxide. And we need to clear hydrogen peroxide by 3 enzymes, catalase, thyroid reduction. And glutathione peroxidase. If we have genetic issues on here, or we don’t have the cofactors. There’s something called the Fenton reaction, discovered in 1895 by Dr. Fenton. Where hydrogen peroxide combines with iron to make what are called hydroxyl radicals. And guess what they do? They create lipid peroxides, That damages your cell membranes. Now, again, the body’s pretty darn amazing. We have glutathione, And here’s where your body’s taking glutathione and recycling it. But look who’s needed to recycle it. NADPH. So, if this guy up here is chewing it up, We don’t recycle our glutathione. And then an enzyme called glufon peroxidase 4, Takes this damaged lipid and repairs it. So, here we’ve got this protecting, we want to protect it by not having this happen. But then we also need this guy to do the restoration. So, there’s a lot that can go wrong in here, Dr. Deb. Dr. Deb Muth 00:37:07 There’s a lot that could go wrong. And I can imagine some of my listeners are thinking that lipid peroxidase, is that the same thing as what they’re thinking of when we talk about lipids and cholesterol? Is that the same process that’s happening there? Bob Miller 00:37:22 Well, no, no, the lipids can be used to make cholesterol, but here we’re talking about where they’re going to build the cell membrane. And they’re being… and they’re being, destroyed. If anybody would like to see a visual representation of this, just go on YouTube. And type in, ferrooptosis Animation. cool little video, it’s about 3 minutes long, and it shows the lipids coming over, being oxidized, and now GPX4 fixes them, so… YouTube, Pharaoptosis Animation, cute little video. It’s just that really… Shows vividly what we’re… what we’re talking about here. Now, this is… Dr. Deb Muth 00:37:59 And so this is very common, too. Like, a lot of people do hydrogen peroxide IVs. Dr. Deb Muth 00:38:04 And so, if somebody doesn’t know their genetics, they could have a problem with doing those, just like they could doing the NADHIVs, correct? Bob Miller 00:38:13 Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I’ve talked to so many, you know, of course, the hydrogen peroxide kills pathogens. I mean, that’s what it does. So… but I’ve spoken to so many people that said. I had one client that said they’ve never been the same after having one hydrogen peroxide infusion. Dr. Deb Muth 00:38:30 Interesting. Bob Miller 00:38:31 Yeah. So… it can be… I see why people use it, because it. Bob Miller 00:38:36 pathogens, But on the other hand. And now’s a good time to speak about… I don’t have it on here, but there’s a, there’s an enzyme called the HFE gene. And that is what causes you to absorb iron. And there’s mutations in it that cause something called hemochromatosis. Were you overabsorb iron? Now, true hemochromatosis is when both parents give you a mutation. But there’s now growing evidence even a heterozygous can cause a little bit more iron absorption, not to the human chromatosis point, but overabsorption. So, if you overabsorb iron, And you have too much hydrogen peroxide that’s not cleared, All kinds of inflammation. Now, what’s happened is sometimes this inflammation Will damage the red blood cells. And some well-meaning doctor says, oh, you need some iron. And they take iron and it makes it worse. So, can’t tell you how many people I’ve said, you’ve got the overabsorption of iron, and they say, well, that can’t be right, because I’m low in iron. Well, that could be because it’s being chewed up here. Dr. Deb Muth 00:39:40 Sure. GPX1 and TXN turn it into, to water. The, catalase turns it into water and oxygen. Dr. Deb Muth 00:39:58 Now, I see a lot of my clients who have mutations or SNPs on that GPX gene, on that glutathione gene. And they really struggle to clear a lot of their toxins. Bob Miller 00:40:12 Sure. Dr. Deb Muth 00:40:14 Yeah, absolutely. Well, GPX4. Bob Miller 00:40:18 is what, repairs, but you can see GPX1 Is what uses glutathione. To turn hydrogen peroxide. So, but it all depends upon having enough glutathione. Dr. Deb Muth 00:40:30 Yeah. Bob Miller 00:40:31 Well, guess who controls making a glutathione? Dr. Deb Muth 00:40:34 Nerf 2. Bob Miller 00:40:37 So, if you have a keep one weakness, or strength to two… I’m sorry, keep one is too strong. Nrf2 is too weak. You don’t make glutathione. So, when a lot of people do that, it’s like, well, I’m gonna take glutathione. Dr. Deb Muth 00:40:51 Right. Bob Miller 00:40:52 And some do great, and some do poorly. You know, because… and I’ll show this on one of the other charts. You can see here that the, The glutathione has to be recycled. And if we don’t recycle it, it actually turns into superoxide free radical. So… NADPH are the cofactors, For taking the oxidi… here’s oxidized glutathione, here’s reduced. So, this is a good glutathione. After it does its job, you can see it becomes oxidized.We need to recycle it. Well, if we have weakness on the enzyme that does that, or a weakness in Nrf2, or not enough NADPH. The oxidized glutathione never gets recycled. So, I’ve talked to a lot of people who said, oh, glutathione made me so sick, and say, well. Dr. Deb Muth 00:41:43 Yeah. Bob Miller 00:41:44 You need it, but you need to recycle it. Dr. Deb Muth 00:41:46 Can you speak for just a brief moment, too, about MTHFR? That is a very popular gene, it’s all over social media as the major gene, but can you speak to a little bit about that, and how that fits into this whole process of things? Because it is just such a small piece. Dr. Deb Muth 00:42:04 understanding genetics. Bob Miller 00:42:06 Yeah, to be honest, it drives me nuts. Dr. Deb Muth 00:42:08 Me too. Bob Miller 00:42:11 Alright, so… You know, there are people on social media I won’t say what I think, I’ll be kind. But… But the, And, you know, they might mean well. But they talk about, if you have MTHFR and COMT and PEMT, that’s… oh my goodness, that’s horrible, and we’ll fix that for you, and you’ll be fine. Bob Miller 00:42:36 it just irritates me to no end. And it really could get anybody who’s doing this legitimately in trouble. I mean, I’m afraid someday, you know, there might be some cracking down on this kind of nonsense. Now, to answer your question about MTHFR. Dr. Deb Muth 00:42:51 I mean, it really is, but I’ll tell you what, why don’t we hold that thought until I go to another map and I can actually… Okay. Bob Miller 00:42:56 But the real… the cliff notes is the MTHFR puts a methyl group on your folate, which is needed, but it has gotten way, way, way too much attention. And people learn they have MTHFR, and they start taking a multivitamin with methylfolate, then they take a B vitamin with methylfolate. Dr. Deb Muth 00:43:13 And they’re pushing it too hard. Bob Miller 00:43:15 Yeah. So I can’t tell you how many people I’ve helped by saying, stop it. Dr. Deb Muth 00:43:20 Yeah, take less of it. Bob Miller 00:43:21 Take less of it, yeah. So, yeah. Yeah, there’s a… If somebody, say, ranked the enzymes at their level of importance, MTHFR might be 40 or 50 on a scale of 100, you know. Keep one Nerf two. big deals. Dr. Deb Muth 00:43:40 deals. Bob Miller 00:43:41 NQO1 that I didn’t even talk about yet, NQO1, takes your, NA… your NAD goes into NADH, To make electrons for the electron transport chain. you need NQ01 to bring that back. If that’s not working, and I’ll show you on the NAD map how disastrous that can be. Now, the next piece is here, and I think You know, if you talk to any school teachers and say, if you’ve taught for more than 10 years, how are the kids today? Every one of them says, more ADD, ADHD, more autism. Just look at human beings, we’ve never been so agitated. You know, everybody, and it might be a social media thing, but people take a position on something, and if anybody doesn’t share that position, they view them as the enemy. Dr. Deb Muth 00:44:29 And it’s kind of scary what’s happening to us. Bob Miller 00:44:33 So, we can’t agree to disagree anymore. We see anybody who has a differing opinion as the enemy. And, you know, there was… there’s people that didn’t have Christmas dinners together, because they had political differences, like… Dr. Deb Muth 00:44:44 Excuse me. Bob Miller 00:44:45 can’t you put your political differences aside to have Christmas together, you know? Dr. Deb Muth 00:44:49 Right? Bob Miller 00:44:50 become that, you know, no matter what your position is, and I’m not saying anyone’s right or wrong, I’m just saying. You know, in the old days, they used to say that the Republicans and Democrats in Congress would argue policy and then go have dinner together. And now everybody’s all up in arms, angry. Dr. Deb Muth 00:45:05 Yeah. Bob Miller 00:45:06 So… There’s likely multiple reasons for that. But let me show you one of them. That, you know, to what degree this is… very important, we don’t know, but I think We’re beginning to believe this is very important. So, there’s something… there’s a neurotransmitter called GABA. And God buys the don’t worry, relax, be happy. Chill. Okay. Dr. Deb Muth 00:45:31 Nobody has enough of that anymore. Bob Miller 00:45:33 Well, yeah, you’ll be surprised what I’m gonna show you. So, let me see if I can find a, Let me see if I can find the right slide here. Let me look for it here. So, there’s something called a GABA receptor site. And here you can see… This is a neuron, and this is where you, The neuron normally is excitatory. However, there’s normally low chloride in the neuron. Dr. Deb Muth 00:46:09 Hmm. Bob Miller 00:46:10 So, GABA itself is neither relaxing. For excitatory, all GABA does, it opens up what’s called a chloride channel. And then chloride, which has a negative charge, will flow into the neuron. Follow me there? Dr. Deb Muth 00:46:26 Yep. Bob Miller 00:46:27 And as it does, it changes this from a positive charge to a negative charge, And it’s relaxing. and inhibitory. Dr. Deb Muth 00:46:34 Hmm. Bob Miller 00:46:36 Now, on the other hand, there’s enzymes called NKCC1, That will push chloride in. and KCC2 that will bring chlor… oops and bring chloride out. And then there’s a sodium channel. And, sodium has a positive charge. And glutamate will push that in. So, as long as this is happening. And GABA says, receptor sites, open, chloride goes in, Chill. However, If NKCC1 Pushes extra chloride in. KCC2 doesn’t pull it out. and GABA hits the receptor site, the GABA comes flowing out, Sodium comes in, And now it’s excitatory. So Gabba didn’t change. GABA just opened the receptor site, that’s all it does. Dr. Deb Muth 00:47:33 Yeah. Bob Miller 00:47:34 But it’s the chloride balance that’s going to determine whether this is relaxing or not. Now, these are the things that go along with when they lose that KCC2 or gain NKCC1. Pain and sensitivity, burning electrical, neuropathic pain. Normal touch hurts. Sound and light sensitivity. Tinnitus can flare. Headaches and migraines. Seizure tendency. Body jolts. Spasticity, cramps, stiffness, startle reflex. Trouble falling asleep, non-restorative sleep. Anxiety, stress, reactivity, that’s what we have now. Hyperarousal, panic-like surges, irritability, racing thoughts. Brain fog, slowed processing, working memory slip-ups. Mental fatigue. Episodes of racing hearts, sweaty palms, guts on edge. Those are all the things that happen when this GABA switch occurs. Now, here’s what happens, and this is what I’m going to be presenting at an autism conference. When you have a newborn, they need that NKCC dominant to develop. By early childhood, it should… or, sorry, early adulthood. we should move over to the KCC dominant, that’s the taking the chloride out. Nice-looking 25-year-old boys, functioning very well. However, when we get microglia M1 upregulated. Because of environmental toxins, processed foods, Tylenol, aluminum. they stay in NKCC1 dominant, and there’s ADD, ADHD, Autism, the whole spectrum. because… They’ve not moved over to the… They’ve not moved over to the KCC2. And again, this is caused by… Environmental factors. Stimulating the microglia. And then, interleukin-1, interleukin-18 weakens KCC2, interleukin-1 beta, Strengthens NKCC1. high chloride. We open up the chloride channel, In Rebell Excitatory. So, I think when, When the pediatricians get ahold of this, they’re going to be very excited to know that This could be why we’re seeing such a rise, and not just autism, but ADD, ADHD, anxiety, the whole shit mess. Dr. Deb Muth 00:49:58 thing. Bob Miller 00:49:59 Yeah, so… and you can see NF-kappa-B stimulates that. These stimulate it, and I think that’s why everyone’s getting so anxious. Now, there’s a little bit more to it, and we’ll get into this when we look at some of the maps, but… The, the glutamate, Which is excitatory. will stimulate the NMDA receptor, make more glutamate, And glutamate will inhibit KCC2. And then we also need an astrocyte To, take both ammonia And glutamate, and… Turn them back into glutamine. And I’m going to talk to you a little bit about arachidenic acid, and if we have too much arachidenic acid. or TNFA is upregulated, that doesn’t happen. Ammonia goes up, and there may be multiple reasons for this, but this is a reason why some of the autistic kids do flapping. Dr. Deb Muth 00:50:49 Hmm. Bob Miller 00:50:50 Because they’re not clearing their ammonia. And you can tell if somebody has high ammonia by… they get that old person smell, you know. Dr. Deb Muth 00:51:00 Yup. Bob Miller 00:51:01 your vehicle cycle’s not taking out the, the ammonia. Now, last pathway here. There’s growing interest in mast cell activation. So, back here, we talked about peroxynitride. And that will stimulate mast cells, and those are white blood cells that are your best friend, unless they’re your worst enemy. Then it’ll make histamine. And there’s enzymes called histidine decarboxylase that’ll make more. Dr. Deb Muth 00:51:28 I’m sure everybody’s heard of DAO, the enzyme that degrades histamine. Yep. Bob Miller 00:51:31 We can have genetic weakness, we don’t make that. There’s an enzyme called histamine and methyltransferase, That, That breaks down the histamine. Then if we don’t do that, it’ll get stuck in the histamine receptor site. And then it’ll make something called, renin. Which will cause angiotensinogen to turn into angiotensin. One, that turns into angiotensin II,And that’s where people make aldosterone, where they’ll get the, The swollen ankles and high blood pressure. But interestingly, there’s an enzyme called ACE2, that takes this guy and turns it into angiotensin 1-7, Which is anti-inflammatory and also inhibits… TNFA. Now, you can have weakness on ACE2, But… and anybody’s saying, that sounds familiar? Dr. Deb Muth 00:52:25 That’s where COVID comes in, using ACE2. Bob Miller 00:52:28 And now we just found there’s literature that if you get COVID long enough, it can actually make ACE2 not be able to work as well. So look what it does. It comes down here, stimulates the NADPH oxidase, More superoxide. More peroxynitrite. And we’re on a cycle here. We’ve actually named this the Home Cycle Hypothesis, the proposed feed-forward loop. That just keeps feeding on itself. All being caused by… Primarily, The environmental factors. But hitting those who have genetic weakness the hardest. That’s why. Dr. Deb Muth 00:53:08 To the people. Bob Miller 00:53:09 Don’t live in a moldy house. One person is sick as can be, and the other person says, well, you must be imagining things, because I don’t feel anything. Dr. Deb Muth Yeah. Same thing with long haul, right? Two people can both get sick, one gets sick and never seems to recover, and somebody else gets sick, and they have absolutely no problems with it at all. Bob Miller 00:53:30 Sure. Well, think about it, if you get COVID, and ACE2 is weak, and some of this other stuff is going on. This thing just starts feeding upon itself. Dr. Deb Muth 00:53:38 Keep creating more inflammation, more complications, nothing’s calming down. Bob Miller 00:53:43 Yeah. Now, you, you ask about, MTHFR. So, this is the, this is the, the software called Functional Genomic Analysis. There’s a demo report we have. So, let’s talk a little bit about, MTHFR. So, we actually have a map called a methylation map. Now, what happens is, when you do your saliva test, you, you know, you spit, you put some saliva. in a collection kit, goes to a lab, takes out the DNA data, sends it to the computer, and now you can actually see it visually. Okay. So, it’s gonna take a second for this, data to load up, it’s, and each of these Circles, each of these ovals, is an enzyme. And the data gets loaded up to see where it is. So, until it gets loaded up here, I didn’t preload this. There it goes. So… The primary thing about methylation is There’s a nasty substance called homocysteine that, if it’s too high, can really be detrimental. The body takes methylfolate, and combines with methyl B12, To bring this back up to methionine. And then through the MAT genes, we make SAMI, S-adml methionine. Which is involved in so many processes. Then after it does its thing, it turns back into homocysteine. And this thing needs to keep spinning around. That’s why, you know, it’s a good idea to keep homocysteine at, do you have a number that you’d like? 7, 8? What do you like for a number? Dr. Deb Muth 00:55:24 Yeah, I like mine below 7. Bob Miller 00:55:26 Yeah. So if the homocysteine goes too high. It, caused all kinds of problems. So, here’s where you ask about the MTHFR. So, here you can see on this individual. I click on MTHFR, and you can see it comes up here, here’s the C677. And you can see here where it says, variants. I’ll… I’ll draw in case somebody’s having a hard time seeing that. So, you can see there’s nothing in there. That means there’s no genetic mutations. If one parent would have given a mutation, there’d be a 1. If both parents did, there’d be a 2. Now, here’s why Yes, methylation is important, I’m not saying it isn’t important, but look at this MTHFRC677. In my software. Only 42.5% of the population does not have a mutation. 44.7% have won. 12.9 have 2. So, this isn’t some rare, oh my god, I’m gonna die… Kind of thing, yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 00:56:27 Right. Bob Miller 00:56:28 So, And then what happens is that, and again, I’m not dismissing methylation, I… we could do a whole show on methylation. Bob Miller 00:56:36 get it. But I think that what people are doing is they’re, they’re learning about MTHFR, they get it measured, they panic. They start taking massive amounts of methylfolate, which many times is to their detriment. Dr. Deb Muth 00:56:50 Well, it’s… and isn’t it true, too, with MTHFR, like, you have to also look at MTR, MTRR, and the more we stack up of those, the more complicated than MTHFR can be. It’s not… it’s not as simple as just saying MTHFR 677 versus 1298. It’s more complex than that, kind of like what you’ve already shown with some of the other things. There’s more to it than just that one little sliver. Bob Miller 00:57:17 Oh, sure, well, let’s take a look. So, remember I said there’s a cofactor? One of the cofactors is called FAD. Just a Bob Miller observation, that’s all. But when people have trouble with their riboflavin and they don’t have enough FAD, They’re doing much worse than people who have just a C677. So, right here, you could have perfect C677th. And if you don’t have the cofactor, it’s not gonna work, okay? Dr. Deb Muth 00:57:48 And as you said, there’s an MTR enzyme. Bob Miller 00:57:51 that takes methylfolate and methyl B12, to spin it around. So, here on this individual. here’s your… here’s your B vitamins, or I’m sorry, your B12s. There’s an enzyme called TCN1 that takes it from the stomach into the blood. Then there’s other enzymes that take it from the blood into the tissue. And if you’re having trouble here. Well, then you’re not going to have this working, so… Even if you don’t have MTHFR, And you have MTR, like this, no, I’m sorry, this person doesn’t. But they have the MTRR, and then they don’t have enough B12, this isn’t gonna work, aside from that. And then there’s a middle pathway. And then there’s enzymes called the MAT1. they take the methionine to the salmon. If that’s not working, we stick… we get stuck in methionine. So, it’s, it’s not just an MTHFR. And then, one of the things that people forget about. is through these CBS enzymes and CTH, We make cysteine, which is needed to make glutathione. The master antioxidant. So, it really is that… I call it the, The 3D chess game played underwater. Dr. Deb Muth 00:59:07 It really is. I mean, I see people who have CVS, COMT, glutathione, MGHFR genes. And some of them function just fine. Like, they have Like, I look at this person and I’m like, oh my gosh, I don’t know how they’re functioning because they’re double mutated on so many pathways, but yet they don’t have a lot of symptoms, they don’t have a lot of complications. Somehow their body has figured out a way to adapt to what it has so it can stay alive and it can function at a high functioning level. Bob Miller 00:59:36 Yeah, and they may be, you know, eating right? Yeah. Staying out of a moldy house. reducing stress. So, it’s diet, it’s stress, it’s genetics, environmental factors. So, yeah, we can’t just say somebody’s gonna be good or somebody’s gonna be bad. You know, some people get scared, oh, I got all these, it’s like, well… Bob Miller 00:59:56 Are you living in a moldy house? You know, and if you live in a moldy house and your glucuronidation pathway doesn’t do well, or if you’re, you know, a smoker, or you’re constantly eating junk food, I mean, all. Bob Miller 01:00:07 things come together. Although, you know, when we focus on genetics, we’re well aware that this is just a piece of it. You know, you could have identical twins, Genetically, and if one… Is exposed to mold and smokes and drinks and stressed out. They’re gonna be a whole lot sicker than their sibling. Bob Miller 01:00:28 Yep. Dr. Deb Muth 01:00:29 Yeah, it’s that concept of taking twins, and one gets raced with one family, and one gets raced with another family, and they don’t have the same… problems that… that each other have, you know? It’s a very unique situation, we don’t think about that enough. Bob Miller 01:00:44 Alright, so again, genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger. So, if you’ve got a loaded gun, but you don’t have the triggers, you’re okay. Dr. Deb Muth 01:00:53 Yeah. Bob Miller 01:00:54 Yeah. So, remember I said I was going to talk about NAD? So, here’s NAD, and what it does, it turns into NADH. And what NADH does, it, Comes down this pathway, what’s called the electron transport chain. And that makes your ATP, that’s your energy. So, if this wasn’t working, we wouldn’t be alive, because we wouldn’t have energy. So it donates an electron, that’s why it’s called electron transport chain. So, we need NAD, To make this, to make the energy. But remember I said that NQ01, this would probably be, like, on my top 10 list of… Bob Miller 01:01:36 Much more important than MTHFR. This one takes NADH back to NAD. If we’re stuck over here, We’re low in this NAD+, But what happens is, NQO1 also provides CoQ10. And CoQ10 Is what’s needed for the electron transport chain to flow. So if we get too many electrons up here. And they don’t turn them into energy. They make a nasty free radical called superoxide. Okay. Now, NAD plus also makes NADPH, And that is needed. Remember I said we need to recycle our antioxidants. So, if we have a problem with FAD from riboflavin. Yeah, we don’t have enough NADPH, Glutathione’s not getting recycled, and you’re gonna be inflamed. And you take glutathione, you’ll feel worse. There’s another enzyme called thimoredoxin. Same thing, needs NADPH and FAD. And same way with your nitric oxide, there’s an enzyme called NOS3, That makes the nitric oxide that dilates your blood vessels. And if we don’t have enough NADPH or fat, You’re gonna make superoxide. Rather than nitric oxide. Now, remember

Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed,2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.4 Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.5 And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein,6 These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;7 Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;8 The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.10 The children of Arah, six hundred fifty and two.11 The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen.12 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred forty and five.14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.15 The children of Binnui, six hundred forty and eight.16 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and eight.17 The children of Azgad, two thousand three hundred twenty and two.18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred threescore and seven.19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand threescore and seven.20 The children of Adin, six hundred fifty and five.21 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.22 The children of Hashum, three hundred twenty and eight.23 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and four.24 The children of Hariph, an hundred and twelve.25 The children of Gibeon, ninety and five.26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, an hundred fourscore and eight.27 The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.28 The men of Bethazmaveth, forty and two.29 The men of Kirjathjearim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred forty and three.30 The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.31 The men of Michmas, an hundred and twenty and two.32 The men of Bethel and Ai, an hundred twenty and three.33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty and two.34 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.35 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.36 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and one.38 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.39 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.40 The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.41 The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.42 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.43 The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the children of Hodevah, seventy and four.44 The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred forty and eight.45 The porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, an hundred thirty and eight.46 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth,47 The children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon,48 The children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Shalmai,49 The children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar,50 The children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda,51 The children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah,52 The children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim,53 The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,54 The children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,55 The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah,56 The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.57 The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida,58 The children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,59 The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.60 All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two.61 And these were they which went up also from Telmelah, Telharesha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not shew their father's house, nor their seed, whether they were of Israel.62 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred forty and two.63 And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, which took one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite to wife, and was called after their name.64 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.65 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.66 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,67 Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.68 Their horses, seven hundred thirty and six: their mules, two hundred forty and five:69 Their camels, four hundred thirty and five: six thousand seven hundred and twenty asses.70 And some of the chief of the fathers gave unto the work. The Tirshatha gave to the treasure a thousand drams of gold, fifty basons, five hundred and thirty priests' garments.71 And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of the work twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred pound of silver.72 And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand pound of silver, and threescore and seven priests' garments.73 So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.

In this episode, Leigh Ann welcomes Dr. Scott Sherr, co-founder of Troscriptions, for a conversation on GABA, anxiety, stress, sleep, and fast-acting nervous system support. Dr. Sherr shares how his background in internal medicine, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and health optimization medicine led him to help create products designed to support people while they are on a longer healing journey. He explains why many people may be struggling with GABA deficiency, how chronic stress can deplete the body's calming pathways, and why anxiety, insomnia, racing thoughts, and low energy are often interconnected. Leigh Ann and Dr. Sherr discuss the unique buccal troche delivery method, how it differs from capsules and sublingual supplements, and why it can allow for faster absorption and more flexible dosing. The conversation also explores TroCalm, Trozy, alcohol's impact on the GABA-glutamate balance, sleep architecture, and why calming the nervous system does not have to mean feeling sedated.Product Discount Codes + LinksHoolest: Website (Discount Code: THEACCRESCENT10)Froya Hair Care: Website (Link gives 10% off)Herbal Face Food: Website (Discount Code: LAL30)Episode LinksTroscriptions - Website (Discount Code: LEIGHANN)Guest InfoDr. Scott Sherr - WebsiteRelated EpisodesPodcast Ep. 203: Anna Finck - Reconnecting to Our Bodies, Reclaiming Our Health, and Remembering Our PowerPodcast Ep. 150: Michael Byrne - The Bia Smart Sleep MaskWork w/Leigh AnnLearn: What is EVOX Therapy?Book: Schedule a Session or FREE Discovery CallMembership: What is The Healing Alchemy MembershipConnect w/Me & Learn MoreWebsiteInstagramTiktokYoutube

Drs. Ken Johnson, Jaideep J. Pandit and Peter Goldstein discuss the article "Are "GABAergic" Agents Really So Selective for GABA? Implications for Single- versus Multi-Site Hypotheses From Promiscuous Behavior of Anesthetics and Their Molecular Targets In Vitro" published in the June 2026 issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

If you've been doing everything right and still feel exhausted, anxious, and like your body just won't cooperate — this episode is for you. I sat down with Dr. Scott Sherr, a board-certified internal medicine physician and COO of Troscriptions, to talk about the sympathetic spiral: a chronic fight-or-flight loop most people don't even know they're in. And here's what surprised me most — you don't have to feel stressed to be stuck in it. We get into why your cellular energy and your anxiety are locked in a loop, what mitochondrial dysfunction actually means for your daily life, and how a specific sequence of support can help you finally start feeling better. We also go deep on methylene blue — the history, how it works, the right dosing range, and the sourcing and safety details that most people skip (including who should absolutely not use it). Plus: why GABA deficiency is so common, how to calm your nervous system without sedating yourself, and why sleep is a full-day practice — not just a bedtime routine. For the complete show notes, links and transcripts, visit inspiredliving.show/247

In this episode of the Essential Wellness Podcast, Aisha Harley welcomed certified aromatherapist and holistic health coach PJ Hanks for an in-depth yet approachable discussion on the science behind essential oils. PJ explained how essential oils work at a cellular level through specific targets, pathways, and biological mechanisms, helping listeners better understand why these plant compounds can have such profound effects on health and wellness.   The conversation explored the importance of oil quality, absorption methods, synergy between compounds, and the unique benefits of oils like Frankincense, Lavender, Copaiba, and Rose. PJ also shared practical application tips and dosing recommendations to help listeners maximize the benefits of their oils.  

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Sign Up to Receive Peter's Weekly Newsletter In this episode, Peter dives into the pharmacology of sleep, exploring where sleep medications fit within the broader framework of achieving healthy, restorative sleep. He explains why sleep is a biological imperative, why behavioral and environmental interventions must remain the foundation of good sleep, and how medications can serve as useful tools when carefully matched to a person's specific sleep problem. Peter examines the major classes of prescription sleep medications, including how they work, their effects on sleep architecture, their duration of action, side effects, and risks of tolerance and dependence. He also discusses the dangers of using sleep drugs without a clear understanding of the underlying problem being treated, the role of medications as short-term bridges during periods of acute stress, pain, or anxiety, and the promise that newer drugs like DORAs may hold for Alzheimer's prevention in high-risk individuals. Finally, Peter reviews the evidence for select off-label medications and supplements commonly used for sleep. We discuss: The biological foundations of sleep, the major drivers of sleep dysfunction, and the role sleep medications can play when appropriately matched to specific sleep problems [1:00]; Sleep hygiene, circadian alignment, and the medical causes of insomnia: building the foundation for effective sleep treatment [7:15]; Understanding insomnia: hyperarousal, CBT-I, paradoxical insomnia, and why different sleep problems require different treatments [12:45]; The difference between sedation and physiologic sleep: sleep architecture, restorative sleep stages, and matching medications to specific sleep problems [17:00]; Benzodiazepines for insomnia: mechanisms, effects on sleep architecture, and the risks of long-term use [18:45]; Z-drugs for insomnia: how Ambien, Sonata, and Lunesta work, and the ongoing risks of sleep medications targeting GABA systems [23:00]; Dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) and the future of sleep medicine: orexin signaling, sleep architecture, and the emerging connection between sleep and Alzheimer's disease [27:15]; Melatonin for circadian timing: how timing signals differ from sedatives in the treatment of sleep disorders [36:30]; Trazodone for insomnia: preserving deep sleep while minimizing the risks of traditional sedative-hypnotics [42:00]; First-generation antihistamines for sleep: short-term sedation, anticholinergic risks, and concerns about long-term cognitive health [44:00]; Sleep supplements and the evidence behind them: glycine, magnesium, ashwagandha, phosphatidylserine, and more [45:45]; Takeaways: supplement quality, individualized sleep treatment, and the importance of matching interventions to the biology of insomnia [52:00]; and More. Connect With Peter on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

Serotonin does far more than regulate mood — 90% of it is made in your gut, not your brain. In this episode, Nurse Doza breaks down exactly what serotonin does, why so many people are unknowingly depleted, and how to naturally restore levels through gut health, B vitamins, sunlight, and targeted supplementation.   FEATURED PRODUCT Bliss by MSW Nutrition Serotonin production depends on methylation — and if your methylation pathways are sluggish, you can be doing everything right and still come up short. Bliss is a lemon-flavored sublingual powder featuring TMG (trimethylglycine), a powerful methyl donor that directly supports the methylation reactions your body needs to synthesize serotonin and dopamine. As discussed in this episode, the MTHFR gene, B vitamins, and SAMe are all essential cofactors in serotonin production — and Bliss is formulated to address exactly that gap. Just place it on your tongue and let it absorb in seconds. One serving a day is all it takes.

⚡️Like the Mix? Click the [Repost] ↻ button so more people can hear it!

We talk a lot about hormones in midlife, hot flashes, weight gain, sleep issues, low libido. But one of the biggest complaints I hear from women is actually about their brain. The brain fog. The anxiety that comes out of nowhere. The flat motivation. The unpredictable sleep. The feeling that you just do not feel like yourself anymore. And for a lot of women, that is the part that feels the most unsettling. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Scott Sherr to go much deeper into what may actually be happening underneath those symptoms. We talk about mitochondria, brain energy, neurotransmitters, methylene blue, nitric oxide, GABA, glutamate, and even nicotine, and how all of these may play a role in the way the midlife brain feels and functions. This is one of those conversations that helps connect the dots between hormones and everything else that is happening in the brain and nervous system during this transition. If you have been feeling mentally flat, overstimulated, exhausted, or like your brain has changed in ways no one can fully explain, this conversation is going to open up a whole new lens on what may be going on. In this episode, we cover: Why brain fog is such a common midlife complaint What mitochondria actually are and why they matter for brain energy How estrogen loss may contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction How methylene blue may support mitochondria, energy production, and mental clarity The difference between low-dose and high-dose methylene blue use The truth about methylene blue and nitric oxide Why GABA, glutamate, progesterone, magnesium, and B6 matter for the midlife brain How stress and sympathetic overload affect mood, sleep, and focus Why nicotine is being explored for cognition, brain inflammation, and vagus nerve support Why HRT may help, but may not be the whole story for every woman Who this episode is for This episode is for women in perimenopause and menopause who are dealing with brain fog, anxiety, fatigue, poor motivation, sleep disruption, feeling overstimulated, or simply not feeling like themselves anymore. It is especially for women who want to understand what may be happening beyond hormones alone and are curious about the role of mitochondrial health, brain energy, and neurotransmitters in midlife symptoms.   Dr. Sherr is a board-certified internal medicine physician and a specialist in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. He's the COO of Troscriptions, a company developing physician-formulated buccal troches designed to support things like energy, focus, sleep, and stress resilience using compounds like methylene blue and other novel ingredients. Troscriptions: Use coupon code HORMONE for 10% off your order.     Sponsors Get 15% off Masszymes at bioptimizers.com/hormone  Order your LMNT electrolytes today and get a FREE 8 pack of samples! Plus try it risk free, they have a no-questions-asked refund policy – you don't even have to send it back!  Timeline is offering up to 39% off your first order of Mitopure. Gummies. Go to timeline.com/HORMONE use coupon HORMONE     Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve? At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, with the ability to prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.   Book your FREE Hormone Discovery Call Find out what's really driving your symptoms and what your next best steps are.   Visit the website: https://karenmartel.com   Shop the Midlife Solutions Store Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed. Including: • Progesterone • Estrogen Face Cream • Vaginal Moisturizer and more!   Take the Hormone Quiz Discover hidden hormone imbalances that could be driving your symptoms. Get personalized results (and yes, they may surprise you).   Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program Clinically guided, hormone-aware weight loss for midlife women.   Midlife RESET HRT Program A complete, supportive approach to hormone replacement therapy in midlife.   Your host: Karen Martel Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert   Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

|BIS AGH|W premierowym odcinku nowego formatu “Musicale? Nie znam wcale!” - podcastu zarówno dla fanów teatru muzycznego jak i osób, dla których temat ten jest kompletnie obcy - Kasia i Gaba rozmawiają na temat dwóch musicali, które obecnie oglądać możemy w Krakowie - “Rentu” Jonathana Larsona oraz “Six” Lucy Moss i Toby'ego Marlowa. W podcaście usłyszeć można o fabule, warstwie muzycznej czy historii musicali, ale także prowadzące rozważają poruszane w nich tematy społeczne czy wyrażają własne wrażenia, które miały podczas oglądania danego tytułu.Zapraszamy do słuchania!Prowadzące i montaż: Gabriela Światłowska, Katarzyna MiduraGrafika: Ana Gomółka

Welcome to MENO — your go-to for perimenopause, menopause, and everything in between. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Allie Sharma, a Cornell-trained psychiatrist and Co-founder of Being Health. Dr. Sharma's backstory includes working with trauma survivors in post-conflict countries like Afghanistan and marginalized populations in the South Bronx. Despite her elite training, she reveals she learned zero about menopause in medical school—a gap she now solves through an integrated mental health model that bridges the gap between hormones and the brain. IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER: -The 40% Surge: Why the risk of depression can be 40% higher in perimenopause than premenopause. -Neurotransmitter 101: How estrogen directly impacts serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine metabolism. -The GABA Connection: Why progesterone acts as a natural "calming" hormone on the brain's GABA pathway. -The Truth About the Pill: Why standard birth control may not be the right solution for perimenopausal mood shifts. -Biohacking with Ketamine: How infusion therapy facilitates a "neuroplastic window" to treat resistant depression. -The SSRI Libido Myth: Navigating sexual side effects and finding alternative treatments like SNRIs or Wellbutrin. -Ancient Medicine, Modern Results: Why the WHO endorses acupuncture for treating depression. -CBT for Menopause: Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to manage the psychological distress of hot flashes. RESOURCES beinghealth.co Dr. Allie Sharma on IG @alliesharmamd @mentalhealthcoalition @beinghealthcare ABOUT MENO MENO is the definitive platform for menopause and perimenopause care — connecting women to trusted experts, solutions, and support https://joinmeno.com/ https://www.instagram.com/join.meno https://www.tiktok.com/@join.meno Follow our Founder/CEO on Instagram @jacquelinebuckingham Disclaimer: MENO is for general information and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine in any way. MENO does not constitute professional health care services or medical advice. No doctor/patient relationship is formed as a result of this podcast. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of MENO is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard getting medical advice for any such medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darien, CT A new way to help alleviate Neuropathic Pain is using Transcutaneous Pulsed Radio frequency therapy. This treatment helps quiet pain signals coming from the brain in several ways. Lets use tPRF to describe the therapy.Chronic pain bombards the brain, like a phone left off the hook-the pain signals are trying to get the brain's attention. The electromagnetic field created by tPRF quiets the oversensitized nerves. When this happens, it is called allodynia. This presents as extreme pain being felt where it should not. The damaged nerves can deplete neurotransmitters that facilitate normal nerve firing. GABA acts like a brake on the nervous system to prevent overfiring of damaged nerves.Norepinephrine binds to receptors to block the release of pain chemicals from peripheral nerves.Serotonin is another inhibiting neurotransmitter that inhibits the transmission of pain signals. However, In chronic states, its role can become complex, sometimes facilitating pain if the system is "exhausted".How your brain stops pain. The body has a built-in "volume knob" for pain called the **Descending Inhibitory Pain Pathway**. When the brain decides to suppress pain, it sends efferent signals from the **Periaqueductal Gray (PAG)** in the midbrain down to the **Rostral Ventromedial Medulla (RVM)** and finally back into the spinal cord.This pathway works like a gatekeeper. If the "gate" in the spinal cord is closed by these descending signals, the pain message from your nerves never reaches your conscious brain.Transcutaneous Pulsed Radio frequency can help people with chronic debilitating nerve pain by changing the brain's ability to suppress pain signals. This can dramatically improve the life of a person suffering from neuropathy. If you have questions please reach out to me Dr.Brian McKay at 203-656-3636Have a Question? Just AskThis podcast welcomes your feedback here are several ways to reach out to me. If you have a topic you would like to hear about send me a message.  I appreciate your listening. Dr. Brian Mc Kayhttps://twitter.com/DarienChiro/https://www.facebook.com/ChiropractorBrianMckayhttps://chiropractor-darien-dr-brian-mckay.business.sitehttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-just-chiropractor-for-stamford-darien-norwalk-new/id1503674397?uo=4Core Health Darien-Dr.Brian Mc Kay 551 Post RoadDarien CT 06820203-656-363641.0833695 -73.46652073GMP+87 Darien, Connecticuthttps://youtu.be/WpA__dDF0O041.0834196 -73.46423349999999https://darienchiropractor.comhttps://darienchiropractor.com/darien/darien-ct-understanding-pain/Find us on Social Mediahttps://chiropractor-darien-dr-brian-mckay.business.site  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNHc0Hn85Iiet56oGUpX8rwhttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nJ9wlvg2Tne8257paDkkIBEyIz-oZZYy/edit#gid=517721981https://goo.gl/maps/js6hGWvcwHKBGCZ88https://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=Uhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/darienchiropractorhttps://www.facebook.com/ChiropractorBrianMckayhttps://sites.google.com/view/corehealthdarien/https://sites.google.com/view/corehealthdarien/home

Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;2 Which came with Zerubbabel: Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mizpar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel:3 The children of Parosh, two thousand an hundred seventy and two.4 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two.5 The children of Arah, seven hundred seventy and five.6 The children of Pahathmoab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and twelve.7 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.8 The children of Zattu, nine hundred forty and five.9 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and threescore.10 The children of Bani, six hundred forty and two.11 The children of Bebai, six hundred twenty and three.12 The children of Azgad, a thousand two hundred twenty and two.13 The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six.14 The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty and six.15 The children of Adin, four hundred fifty and four.16 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety and eight.17 The children of Bezai, three hundred twenty and three.18 The children of Jorah, an hundred and twelve.19 The children of Hashum, two hundred twenty and three.20 The children of Gibbar, ninety and five.21 The children of Bethlehem, an hundred twenty and three.22 The men of Netophah, fifty and six.23 The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.24 The children of Azmaveth, forty and two.25 The children of Kirjatharim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty and three.26 The children of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred twenty and one.27 The men of Michmas, an hundred twenty and two.28 The men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred twenty and three.29 The children of Nebo, fifty and two.30 The children of Magbish, an hundred fifty and six.31 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred fifty and four.32 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.33 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred twenty and five.34 The children of Jericho, three hundred forty and five.35 The children of Senaah, three thousand and six hundred and thirty.36 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred seventy and three.37 The children of Immer, a thousand fifty and two.38 The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred forty and seven.39 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.40 The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy and four.41 The singers: the children of Asaph, an hundred twenty and eight.42 The children of the porters: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all an hundred thirty and nine.43 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth,44 The children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon,45 The children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub,46 The children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan,47 The children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah,48 The children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam,49 The children of Uzza, the children of Paseah, the children of Besai,50 The children of Asnah, the children of Mehunim, the children of Nephusim,51 The children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur,52 The children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha,53 The children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah,54 The children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.55 The children of Solomon's servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda,56 The children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel,57 The children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami.58 All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants, were three hundred ninety and two.59 And these were they which went up from Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer: but they could not shew their father's house, and their seed, whether they were of Israel:60 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred fifty and two.61 And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name:62 These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.63 And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim.64 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore,65 Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.66 Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five;67 Their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.68 And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place:69 They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments.70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Brain fog in perimenopause isn't inevitable decline.Brain fog in perimenopause isn't inevitable decline. It's a systems puzzle, and once you understand what's actually driving it, you can do something about it. In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Sarah McKay, neuroscientist and author of The Women's Brain Book, and we break down the real neuroscience behind why your brain feels different in midlife, what the research actually says about HRT and brain health, and the evidence-based strategies to protect and optimise your cognitive performance. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN • What actually causes perimenopause brain fog (it's not just your hormones) • How night sweats disrupt sleep architecture even when you don't fully wake up • Why anxiety and waking at 3am are early signs of the perimenopause transition • What the research really says about estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone on brain health • Why the progesterone and GABA sleep claim is not what it seems • How your career and daily habits are already shaping your long-term dementia risk • Why your mindset about aging may be affecting your cognitive performance • The daily framework for protecting your brain: sleep, nutrition, strength training, and stress TIMESTAMPS: VALUABLE RESOURCES • Take the BioSyncing Quiz to help you understand what's actually happening in your body — and how to fix it.

Dr Paul Saladino reacts to new comments from Jordan Peterson's wife describing him as living in “another realm of pain” from benzodiazepine injury years after first being prescribed the drug for severe anxiety and autoimmune‑driven insomnia. He explains how benzos like Xanax, clonazepam and Valium act on GABA receptors in ways similar to alcohol, why withdrawal can be medically dangerous, and how long term use may leave lasting changes in the brain that are extremely hard to reverse.

What if the most powerful tool for mental health recovery isn't a medication — it's your metabolism?  Dr. Erin Louise Bellamy joins Dr. Vera Tarman for a deep dive into ketogenic metabolic therapy: what it is, how it works, and why it may be one of the most underutilized interventions in both psychiatric care and food addiction recovery.  Dr. Bellamy is a chartered psychologist, CEO of IKRT (International Ketogenic Research & Therapy), and a research fellow at the University of East London. She has been researching and applying ketogenic metabolic therapy in clinical settings since 2014, with a background that bridges eating disorders, psychiatric research, and metabolic health.  In this episode, Vera and Erin discuss:  How Erin went from eating disorder and alexithymia research to ketogenic metabolic psychiatry — and why the field's "biopsychosocial" model was missing the bio  The difference between metabolic psychiatry, ketogenic therapy, and therapeutic carbohydrate restriction — and why the terminology matters  What carbohydrate range actually produces therapeutic ketosis (and why "dirty keto" doesn't cut it)  The shared mechanistic pathways across psychiatric diagnoses — including mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance, and neuroinflammation  Why antipsychotic medications create metabolic dysfunction, and how ketogenic therapy can help offset those side effects  The GABA/glutamate shift that makes ketones naturally anxiolytic — and why this may work differently than the serotonin model of depression  The "buffer effect": what it feels like to be in ketosis when you're a food addict — and why some people describe it as a pane of glass between themselves and a trigger food  How ketogenic therapy compares to GLP-1 medications (Ozempic/Wegovy) for reducing food noise — and Erin's concerns about the long-term research  MCT oil vs. exogenous ketones: when each is useful, and when exogenous ketones are counterproductive  Applying ketogenic therapy to people with ADHD, bipolar disorder, and co-occurring food addiction  How to support vegan or plant-based clients who want to pursue ketogenic therapy  Why the first week matters most — and how to help clients through withdrawal without triggering a binge  The 19-person IKRT group program published in Frontiers — and what's coming next in the research  Connect with Dr. Erin Bellamy:  

In this episode we talk about the science behind alcohol and what it's actually doing to your brain, nervous system, hormones, gut health, mood, anxiety, and overall well-being.We dive into:*GABA, dopamine, serotonin, and why alcohol feels relaxing at first*why anxiety and emotional lows increase after drinking*the gut-brain connection and inflammation*how alcohol affects women differently as we age*hormones, cortisol, sleep, muscle recovery, and mood*why “moderation” can feel so exhausting*what really happens when you remove alcohol*the emotional and spiritual side of becoming alcohol-freeThis episode is not about shame or labeling yourself. It's about understanding what's happening in your body so you can make empowered decisions and reconnect with yourself on a deeper level.If you've been questioning your relationship with alcohol, feeling disconnected from yourself, or craving a healthier and more aligned life, this episode is for you.Connect and work with me:Instagram: HereWork with me: Here

Does GABA Actually Help With Sleep? What the Research Says for Brain Injury Recovery Someone in our community recently asked me about GABA for sleep. They’d seen it recommended online, understood that sleep was critical for their recovery, and wanted to know whether the supplement was worth exploring or just noise. It’s a genuinely good question. And it deserves a proper answer. In this post, I’m going to walk you through what GABA is, what the clinical research actually shows about its effect on sleep, why the blood-brain barrier debate matters (and why it might not derail the whole argument), and what the evidence says about the relationship between sleep and brain recovery. By the end, you’ll have enough to have an informed conversation with your medical team. I’m not a doctor. I’m a three-time haemorrhagic stroke survivor who has spent years researching the science of brain recovery and interviewing hundreds of clinicians and survivors on the Recovery After Stroke podcast. What I offer is a careful read of the evidence, not a clinical prescription. What Is GABA and Why Does It Matter for Sleep? GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. If your nervous system were a car, GABA is the brake pedal. It reduces neuronal excitability, quiets cortical arousal, suppresses the brain’s primary arousal centre (the locus coeruleus), and modulates the HPA axis, the stress-response system that drives cortisol. Most sedative medications work by amplifying GABA activity. Benzodiazepines, for instance, bind to GABA-A receptors to increase chloride channel opening, producing their calming effect. GABA isn’t doing something unusual here – it’s doing something fundamental. The question with supplemental oral GABA is more specific: Does taking GABA as a capsule or powder actually produce meaningful neurological effects? What Does the Research Show? Finding 1 — Oral GABA Reduces Sleep Latency (and EEG Can Measure It) A 2015 clinical trial published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology by Yamatsu and colleagues used EEG measurement, actual brainwave monitoring, rather than self-reported sleep questionnaires. One hundred milligrams of oral GABA shortened sleep latency (time to fall asleep) by 5.3 minutes compared to placebo. That might sound modest. But for someone lying awake for 30–40 minutes each night, it’s a meaningful shift. Crucially, this was objective neurophysiological data, not a survey response. (PMID: 26052150) Finding 2 — A 90-Day RCT Showed Improved Sleep Efficiency and Mood A 2024 randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements (Guimarães et al.) gave 200 mg of GABA daily for 90 days to sedentary overweight women also undergoing an exercise program. The GABA group showed significantly improved Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores, significantly reduced depression scores, and improved heart rate variability, a marker of parasympathetic nervous system activity. The HRV finding is particularly interesting. It suggests GABA may be doing something broader than simply reducing sleep latency – it appears to support the overall physiological state that makes rest restorative. (PMID: 38321713) Finding 3 — But a High-Dose RCT Found No Effect Here’s where intellectual honesty matters. A 2023 Dutch RCT (de Bie et al.) published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition gave participants 500 mg of GABA three times daily, 1,500 mg/day total, and found no significant effect on self-reported sleep quality. Fasting plasma GABA wasn’t significantly elevated either, raising real bioavailability questions at that dose. This isn’t a reason to dismiss GABA entirely. It is a reason to pay attention to the dose. The evidence base supports 100–300 mg, not 1,500 mg. Higher is not better, and the non-linear dose response is clinically important. (PMID: 37495019) The Blood-Brain Barrier Debate — and Why the Gut May Be the Point The most common objection to oral GABA supplementation is this: GABA is a zwitterion at physiological pH, meaning it has low lipophilicity and poor predicted ability to cross the blood-brain barrier via passive diffusion. So if it can’t get into the brain directly, how does it produce neurological effects? The emerging explanation involves the gut-brain axis. The enteric nervous system, your gut’s own neural network, has GABA receptors. When oral GABA activates these enteric receptors, it can signal the brain via vagal afferents without needing to cross the BBB at all. Think of it as a side door rather than the front entrance. Supporting this: a 2024 RCT (Li et al.) found that a probiotic strain engineered to increase gut GABA production significantly improved objective sleep duration as measured by wearable devices, alongside reduced cortisol and suppressed HPA axis activity. The mechanism wasn’t direct CNS access – it was gut-brain signalling. (PMID: 39385735) The BBB debate doesn’t negate the clinical effect. It changes how we understand the mechanism. Why Sleep Is Not Optional in Brain Recovery This is the part that I think gets underweighted in recovery conversations — and the research is unambiguous. A 2026 large retrospective cohort study (Muhtar et al., Sleep Medicine) matched over 35,000 stroke patients and found that post-stroke insomnia was associated with a 29% higher risk of post-stroke cognitive impairment and a 30% higher risk of all-cause dementia. The association with Alzheimer’s disease was also significant. (PMID: 41924789) A 2024 observational study from Monash University and Alfred Health (Smith et al.) found that in stroke rehabilitation patients, poor sleep quality was significantly associated with higher fatigue severity and lower salivary BDNF gene expression. BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is one of the primary molecular drivers of neuroplasticity. Less BDNF means a less receptive environment for the neurological rewiring that rehab is trying to build. (PMID: 38802847) And then there’s the glymphatic system: the brain’s waste-clearance mechanism that is most active during deep sleep. Poor sleep means reduced clearance of metabolic byproducts, including proteins associated with neurodegeneration. This is not a theoretical risk. It is an active, ongoing process. Sleep is not passive recovery. It is one of the primary mechanisms of recovery. What to Do With This Information Here are three practical steps if you’re exploring GABA for sleep: 1. Measure your sleep baseline first. Use the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (freely available online) before you make any changes. Understanding whether you’re struggling with latency, duration, or quality will determine what you actually need to address. 2. If you trial GABA, choose the right form and dose. Look for PharmaGABA — naturally fermented GABA, derived from Lactobacillus hilgardii, which has the strongest clinical evidence base. A dose of 100–300 mg taken 30–60 minutes before bed is consistent with the positive studies. Avoid very high doses; the null result at 1,500 mg/day is important context. Important drug interaction note: If you are taking benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin, valproate), or any other GABAergic medication, discuss GABA supplementation with your prescriber before adding it. The additive sedative effect is a real risk. The same applies if you drink alcohol regularly. 3. Don’t skip the foundation. Sleep hygiene interventions, consistent sleep and wake times, a dark and cool room, and no screens in the 60 minutes before bed, are consistently among the highest-leverage sleep interventions in the literature. GABA may provide a genuine incremental benefit. But it cannot compensate for a fundamentally disrupted sleep environment. The Bottom Line The evidence for GABA and sleep is more substantive than I expected when I started researching it. The EEG data is real. The 90-day RCT showed meaningful clinical outcomes. The gut-brain axis mechanism is biologically plausible and now has direct RCT support. And the consequences of poor sleep in neurological recovery are not trivial – they are quantifiable, significant, and, to a degree, addressable. GABA is not a guaranteed fix. Individual responses vary. The research is not yet definitive at the level of large multi-centre trials in neurological populations. But as one tool in a comprehensive approach to sleep quality alongside good sleep hygiene, appropriate medical support, and consistent rehabilitation, the case for cautious exploration is reasonable. The next step is a conversation with your neurologist, GP, or rehab physician. Take the research with you if it’s useful. Research References All studies cited in this post are retrievable via PubMed: Yamatsu et al. — GABA sleep latency EEG clinical trial (2015) — PMID: 26052150 Guimarães et al. — GABA 200mg RCT, sleep efficiency + mood (2024) — PMID: 38321713 de Bie et al. — GABA high-dose RCT, null sleep result (2023) — PMID: 37495019 Li et al. — Gut-brain GABA axis and sleep RCT (2024) — PMID: 39385735 Muhtar et al. — Post-stroke insomnia and cognitive decline cohort (2026) — PMID: 41924789 Smith et al. — Sleep, BDNF, and fatigue in stroke rehabilitation (2024) — PMID: 38802847 This post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your supplementation or treatment plan. If you or someone you care about is recovering from a stroke, brain injury, or any neurological condition, the Recovery After Stroke podcast and this blog exist for you. Subscribe on YouTube @BillGasiamis, or visit Recovery After Stroke to find episodes, resources, and community. The post GABA, Sleep, and Brain Health – Neurological Recovery appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.

Why are so many women waking up exhausted… but unable to shut their brain off?” In this episode, Dr. Mariza sits down with Scott Sherr to unpack the hidden nervous system and biochemical shifts driving sleep struggles, anxiety, exhaustion, and feeling “wired and tired” in midlife. Together, they explore why women in perimenopause often lose stress resilience, why the brain gets stuck in overdrive at night, and how neurotransmitters like GABA, serotonin, adenosine, and cortisol shape sleep quality, recovery, and mood. They also dive into the powerful connection between mitochondrial health, nervous system regulation, energy production, and why building more “reserve” may be the missing key to feeling calm, focused, and resilient again. If you've been struggling with middle-of-the-night wakeups, burnout, anxiety, or feeling like your brain never truly powers down, this episode will help connect the dots—and offer practical solutions that actually move the needle. Dr. Scott Sherr Dr. Scott Sherr is a physician, health optimization expert, and Chief Operating Officer of Troscriptions. His work focuses on nervous system regulation, mitochondrial health, hyperbaric medicine, sleep optimization, and performance medicine. He is passionate about helping people improve resilience, energy, recovery, and cognitive performance through science-backed strategies and targeted support. IN THIS EPISODE Why so many women feel “wired and tired” in perimenopause The real reason behind 2–3 AM wakeups and racing thoughts How GABA, cortisol, serotonin, and adenosine impact sleep and stress Why nervous system regulation is essential for resilience and recovery The connection between mitochondrial health, energy, and brain function How chronic stress and sympathetic overload affect hormones and mood Practical tools to support sleep, focus, calm, and nervous system balance QUOTES “Sleep will make or break you the next day—especially in this season of life.” “To increase your performance is having more reserve.” “You're not meant to live in a state of disruption, exhaustion, and feeling wired and tired all the time.” RESOURCES MENTIONED Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your Troscription Order http://troscriptions.com/ENERGIZED Use code ENERGIZED and get 10% off on your MitoQ Order https://www.mitoq.com/energized%C2%A0 Troscriptions Website Dr. Scott Sherr Instagram Dr. Scott Sherr Youtube RELATED EPISODES  744: The Midlife Brain Reset: How to Protect Your Memory, Focus & Mental Sharpness Starting Now 717: “I Don't Feel Like Myself Anymore”: The Mental & Emotional Reality of Perimenopause 728: Why Brain Fog Isn't Random: The Hormone Shift Behind It 593: Why EVERYONE Needs Progesterone in Perimenopause & Beyond with Carol Petersen

Cortisol after cancer is the conversation nobody on my care team had with me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 — invasive ductal carcinoma, stage one, grade two. I went through lumpectomy, radiation, ovarian suppression, and two years on an aromatase inhibitor before I had to come off because my bones were already in osteoporosis. Throughout all of it, my nervous system was screaming. My cortisol was running hot all day long, confirmed by a Dutch test. And not one doctor told me what stress was doing to my body or how to mitigate it. In this solo episode of Not Today Cancer, I'm walking you through the seven activities that lowered my cortisol...broken into the things that don't cost a dime (meditation, breathwork, walking outside, unplugging) and the things that do (acupuncture, energy healing, therapy). I'm also sharing the actual research behind each one, so you know this isn't woo...it's documented science.  What you'll learn: • Why cortisol is wrecked after a cancer diagnosis (and why mine was high long before) • The symptoms of high cortisol most breast cancer survivors miss • How mindfulness meditation protected the cortisol rhythm of breast cancer survivors in a randomized controlled trial • Why a single session of slow breathing drops cortisol immediately • The "nature pill" research showing 20–30 minutes outside lowers cortisol 21% per hour • Why the NCCN officially recommends acupuncture for cancer survivors If you're a breast cancer survivor, caregiver, or anyone whose body has been running on fumes...this episode is for you. We don't get the option of not mitigating stress. Pick one thing on this list and start tomorrow. Disclaimer: This episode reflects my personal experience and a summary of public research. It is not medical advice. Always consult your care team.

Anxiety has a way of making ordinary moments feel life-or-death. A simple interaction can feel significant, a passing thought can spiral into catastrophe, and your body can react as if something is deeply wrong - even when rationally you know you’re probably okay. In this episode, we get into the neuroscience behind anxiety - why your brain becomes obsessed with certain thoughts, why false alarms feel so convincing, and what actually helps when you want to feel less trapped inside your own mind. We explore: • Why anxiety feels so intense and urgent• Our physical and emotional reactions to anxiety• The role of GABA and glutamate in anxiety• Why trying to ‘stop thinking about it’ doesn’t work• How avoidance perpetuates the anxious cycle• Practical ways for living with an anxious brain Happy listening! Watch on Netflix: HERE Follow Jemma on Instagram: @jemmasbeg Follow the podcast on Instagram: @thatpsychologypodcast Subscribe on Substack: @thepsychologyofyour20s For business: psychologyofyour20s@gmail.com Our favourite sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9559819/ https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn2555 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-022-01332-2 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027273580000057X The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was an elite marathoner running 150 miles a week. A few years later, his SPECT brain scan looked comparable to 80-year-old patients with dementia. He was 22.Cameron George is the founder of Tru Kava and a member of the Kava Coalition. He has worked with physicians and researchers to modernize kava as a functional beverage category and has spent more than a decade studying plant pharmacology, GABA modulation, and nervous system recovery. In this conversation, Cameron explains the biochemical credit card model of synthetic drug dependency, why acetaldehyde — not ethanol — drives the effects of alcohol, and how traditional kava binds to GABA-A receptors without producing the depletion and tolerance seen with benzodiazepines. He describes how the kavalactone entourage effect enables reverse tolerance, the mechanism that allowed him to taper off benzodiazepines in under two months. Listeners learn the measurable impact of casual alcohol use on HRV and sleep architecture, the difference between real kava and US-market extracts, and the practical applications of kava for stress, focus, sleep, and alcohol-free social life.Cameron also shares his own collapse: the high-dose Adderall and benzodiazepines that nearly destroyed his nervous system, the years of multiple chemical sensitivity that followed, and the serendipitous phone call from a friend in Vanuatu that changed the trajectory of his recovery.This conversation is for anyone questioning the role alcohol plays in their performance, anyone who's been handed a prescription without answers, and anyone looking for a credible path back to a regulated nervous system.Cameron talks about:00:00 Why alcohol is a metabolic poison and acetaldehyde causes the buzz09:11 Biochemical credit cards: how synthetic substances drain your neurochemistry20:40 The Adderall and benzodiazepine prescription that broke his nervous system22:16 A SPECT brain scan comparable to 80-year-old dementia patients29:30 Autoimmune collapse, 10 grand mal seizures a day, and reacting to water31:33 The Vanuatu phone call that introduced him to traditional kava35:28 How kavalactones modulate GABA-A receptors37:10 Reverse tolerance: why kava heals the system instead of depleting it41:46 What hyper-sobriety, focus, and the kava afterglow feel like44:00 Why kava hepatotoxicity claims were debunked in 201446:30 Why traditional preparation beats kava extracts51:55 The 200 strains of kava and the vision to replace coffee cultureAdditional Resources✨ Follow Cameron George on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameron.george_/ ✨ Learn more about Tru Kava: https://trukava.com ✨ Connect with Cameron George on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-george-0311aa185/ ✨ Follow Tru Kava on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trukava/ Visit My Clinic: Chara Health

TJ starts off giving his Weekly World News roundup. Then he and Gaba talk about cutbacks from airlines such as Southwest Airlines, that might mean you don't get cookies or peanuts on a flight, sacrilege! Also TJ has an email bag regarding redistricting, and who quit the Trump administration. All this and more on News Radio KKOB See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us Fan MailA rare autoimmune disorder can feel invisible until it steals someone's movement, and stiff person syndrome is one of the starkest examples. We break down what's happening in the nervous system when GABA-driven “calm down” signals get disrupted by autoantibodies, why symptoms can escalate into severe spasms and rigidity, and why the condition has captured public attention through Celine Dion's story.Then we shift from symptoms to source: an experimental CAR T-cell therapy designed to eliminate the B cells that produce the harmful antibodies in stiff person syndrome. We walk through what a phase two clinical trial reported, including real-world changes like faster walking and fewer people needing walking aids, plus the caveats that matter for anyone following medical research such as side effects, small sample sizes, and unknown durability.Pet parents get a deep dive too. Chronic kidney disease in cats is common, progressive, and often detected late, so we cover a promising approach involving AIM protein and recombinant AIM therapy (RAIM) injections, including how researchers tracked toxins like indoxyl sulfate and what survival outcomes looked like over a year. Finally, plant scientist Dr. Vikram Baliga joins us to make botany feel urgent and strange in the best way, from ancient bristlecone pine “time capsules” to crown shyness and the science of how plants sense nearby competitors, plus a glimpse at nitrogen-fixing corn research that could reduce fertilizer dependence.Dr. Vikram's linksAll our social links are here!Support the showFor Science, Empathy, and Cuteness!Being Kind is a Superpower.All our social links are here!

Text Dr. Lenz any feedback or questions Gabapentin and Pregabalin Explained: Calming an Overactive Nervous System in Pain, RLS, Fibromyalgia, and SleepThe script explains gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin) as neuromodulators that “turn down” an overexcited central nervous system seen in central sensitization/nociplastic pain syndromes, helping conditions such as neuropathic pain, restless leg syndrome (RLS), fibromyalgia, anxiety, and sleep disruption. It clarifies they don't act on GABA receptors; instead they bind the alpha-2-delta-1 subunit on calcium channels, reducing calcium influx and release of excitatory neurotransmitters (glutamate, substance P, norepinephrine), lowering pain, restlessness, and anxiety. The script highlights guideline shifts making gabapentinoids first-line for chronic RLS due to minimal augmentation risk versus dopamine agonists, notes pregabalin's FDA approval for fibromyalgia (gabapentin used off-label), and emphasizes improved slow-wave sleep and restorative recovery. Practical guidance includes nighttime dosing, “start low and go slow” titration, side effects, off-label use, and the need for doctor supervision.00:00 Nervous System Overdrive01:41 Central Sensitization Explained03:52 What Are Gabapentinoids05:45 How They Work in Brain08:14 Restless Leg Syndrome Shift10:14 Fibromyalgia and FDA Approval12:05 Deep Sleep Healing Boost14:55 Nighttime Dosing Strategy17:04 Side Effects and Titration20:59 Off Label Uses and Kids22:49 Analogies and Key Takeaways24:51 Final Summary and Disclaimer Click here for the YouTube channel Support the showWhen I started this podcast and YouTube Channel—and the book that came before it—I had my patients in mind. Office visits are short, but understanding complex, often misunderstood conditions like fibromyalgia takes time. That's why I created this space: to offer education, validation, and hope.  If you've been told fibromyalgia “isn't real” or that it's “all in your head,” know this—I see you. I believe you. This podcast aims to affirm your experience and explain the science behind it. Whether you live with fibromyalgia, care for someone who does, or are a healthcare professional looking to better support patients, you'll find trusted, evidence-based insights here, drawn from my 29+ years as an MD.Please remember to talk with your doctor about your symptoms and care. This content doesn't replace per...

#317 I'm a degree-qualified naturopath with over 20 years of clinical experience, with a primary focus on complex gut health conditions — and in this video, I'm doing something I've never done before. I'm turning the lens on myself. I recently got my own gut microbiome tested, and I want to walk you through every single result. I didn't get tested because I had gut symptoms — my bowels are actually moving beautifully. I got tested because I'd been dealing with over a year of persistent rosacea and wanted to know: could what's happening in my gut be connected to what's showing up on my skin? I also wanted to show you exactly what this test looks like when it's interpreted by someone who does this for a living. We cover every section of the report — the pathogen panel, the diagnostic GI markers, microbiome diversity and richness, short-chain fatty acids, TMA, emerging metabolites, the species table, and more. I also share the result that was flagged as severely abnormal — and why, in context, it almost certainly isn't. This is what it looks like to use real data to motivate real change — not because something has gone terribly wrong, but because catching the trajectory early is the whole point. What we cover What makes shotgun metagenomics different from other stool tests The targeted pathogen panel — what it tests for and what my results showed Pancreatic elastase — the result that flagged severely low, and why context changes everything Lactoferrin, calprotectin, zonulin, secretory IgA, and faecal occult blood Microbial diversity and richness — what we're aiming for and why it matters Butyrate, acetate, propionate, and TMA — what they mean and how diet influences them Prevotella copri — nuanced, misunderstood, and more common in traditional diets than you'd think Emerging markers, including GABA, and why we need to hold them lightly Human DNA elevation — and why collection context explains it My action steps and why seeing this data now motivates me to act I'm Lynda Griparic, a degree-qualified naturopath with extensive experience in complex gut health conditions, including SIBO, IMO, and chronic constipation. Book a consultation or shop BetterMe Tea at lyndagriparic.com This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health routine.

Are you ready to stop being a victim of your diagnosis and become the master of your own body?In this powerful episode of Mind Body Medicine for Self-Healers, host Sarah Dawkins welcomes Karen Zuzu Armes, an international holistic health educator and founder of the School of Natural Medicine. Zuzu shares the science-backed, practical strategies she used to reverse "permanent" conditions: epilepsy, scoliosis and arthritis.We Explore:The GABA Connection: How Zuzu ended 34 years of seizures by repairing her nervous system with GABA-rich foods and healthy oils.The Truth About Topical Oils: Why coconut oil won't absorb into your skin and why Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the secret "humectant" for delivering minerals like magnesium into your body.Reversing Scoliosis: A deep dive into Myofascial Release, the "Angel of Pain" and how stretching and oxygenation can literally straighten the spine.Healing Arthritis with Alkalinity: Why arthritis only thrives in an acidic environment and how Zuzu used collagen and a pH-balanced diet (80/20 rule) to clear spinal inflammation.The Frequency of Emotion: The fascinating link between stuck emotions and physical organs, why anger lives in the liver and sorrow in the lungs.The "Master of Your Body" Mindset: Zuzu's ultimate tip for anyone facing a health crisis and how to find your "inner pharmacy."Key Highlights & Timestamps:03:33 Why your nervous system is made of the oils you eat.11:10 Reversing scoliosis at age 55 through fascia manipulation.20:46 The ultimate list of GABA-rich foods (from almonds to shiitake mushrooms).25:50 Debunking the Coconut Oil Myth: Why it's not the best carrier for topical healing.28:55 The emotional roots of arthritis: How releasing trauma can heal the joints.30:40 Organ frequencies: Understanding how the liver, kidneys, and heart vibrational frequencies with specific emotions.33:10 "Where focus goes, energy flows"—Zuzu's final message on self-belief.Karen's Bio Karen “ZuZu” Ziemer Armes is a holistic health educator, author and speaker known for her practical, science-backed approach to helping people restore and sustain vibrant health. After reversing her own epilepsy, scoliosis, and arthritis through holistic strategies, ZuZu has dedicated decades to empowering others to reclaim their health. She has presented more than 2,500 seminars, authored four health books and guided thousands through transformative, action-oriented education.ZuZu is the co-founder and co-owner of Holistic Health Educators (HHE) and Lilly Fields Retreat Center, where she leads a global holistic health education platform serving over 45,000 wellness seekers worldwide. Her work focuses on gut and cellular healing, sustainable energy and integrative longevity, blending lived experience with accessible science to inspire confidence, awareness, and lasting health transformation.Connect with Zuzu www.ZuZuUnleashed.comhttps://www.instagram.com/lillyfieldscenter/ https://www.facebook.com/LillyFieldsWC/Who am I? Sarah Dawkins is a passionate Holistic Health and Healing Coach, international speaker and author of Heal Yourself. She's also a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and the award-winning host of the uplifting podcast Mind Body Medicine for Self Healers with Sarah Dawkins.With over 20 years' experience as a Registered Nurse, Sarah combines her deep understanding of conventional medicine with her own powerful self-healing journey to create a truly integrative approach. Having overcome multiple chronic health challenges herself, she now supports others in uncovering and addressing the root causes of their symptoms, helping them restore balance, reclaim their energy and create lasting, vibrant wellness.www.sarahdawkins.com#epilepsytreatment #scoliosistreatment #arthritisrelief #naturalhealing

Llevo años hablando de disciplina, coraje y voluntad y durante mucho tiempo juzgué a personas que no podían hacer lo que yo sí podía. Este episodio nace de la pregunta que nunca supe responder bien: ¿por qué para mí es fácil y para otros no lo es? ¿Y por qué hay días en que para mí tampoco lo es? La respuesta está en la economía cognitiva, el glutamato, el GABA y en la diferencia entre el pensamiento y la actividad cerebral. Hablo de lo que Earl Nightingale y Sócrates ya sabían, y de por qué el entorno en el que vives determina más de lo que crees quién puedes llegar a ser. Un episodio sobre neurociencia, filosofía clásica y desarrollo personal. En este episodio: Por qué confundimos actividad mental con pensamiento. Qué es la red neuronal por defecto y cómo te gobierna sin que lo sepas El papel del glutamato y el GABA en tu capacidad de decidir y aprender Por qué el entorno es el terreno sobre el que opera todo lo demás Lo que Séneca sabía sobre la fortaleza moral que nosotros hemos olvidado Si te ha gustado este episodio puedes ampliarlo con esta clase oculta sobre esta temática. https://youtu.be/2tSmlo7XhMg?si=wljXL_101mHVfnGz - Por último, si quieres aprender y llevar esto a la práctica con una comunidad de élite comienza la V edición de Enkrateia, y aún quedan plazas disponibles. https://diarioestoico.com/enkrateia/ Mi compromiso de que será una de las mejores decisiones de este año.

Join our FREE upcoming masterclass: Why Midlife Weight Gain Won't Budge A smarter way to use GLP-1s in midlife without wrecking muscle or metabolism When: April 30th 11 am PST Register here: https://coaching.karenmartel.com/glp1-masterclass Welcome to Quick Hits — where we bring you the most impactful moments from past episodes in under 15 minutes. Today's clip comes from one of our most replayed conversations. If you want the full episode, check the link in the description below. Listen to the full episode here: https://karenmartel.com/blogs/podcast/metals-amp-menopause-the-impact-of-heavy-metals-on-your-sex-hormones-thyroid-and-energy-and-how-to-properly-detox-them-with-dr-chris-shade  Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/metals-menopause-the-impact-of-heavy-metals-on-your/id1438772276?i=1000657503673 Christopher Shade, PhD, founder and CEO of Quicksilver Scientific, continues to be the driving force of development and innovation. Dr. Shade's vast depth and breadth of knowledge, passion for healing, and intuitive understanding of chemistry and biology are reflected in Quicksilver Scientific's well-designed detoxification protocols, unique supplement delivery systems, and patented mercury speciation test. We'll talk with Dr. Shade in this episode about his revolutionary work with nanoparticle-based hormone formulations and how they've transformed the landscape of hormonal health. Dr. Shade also explains the delicate relationship between hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, and the body's detox pathways. We hear about the dangers of heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium on health, critiquing traditional heavy metal chelation methods and exploring more effective modern protocols. In this episode we discuss: How Dr. Chris Shade's personal experience of seeing women with perimenopause influenced his focus on hormone therapy. Why nanoparticle-based hormone formulations revolutionize hormonal health and detoxification. Why nanoparticle delivery systems offer smoother detoxification and fewer side effects. How progesterone's effects on GABA receptors can promote calmness and relaxation. Why heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, and arsenic impact anxiety, fatigue, and thyroid function. How traditional chelation methods compare to modern protocols like EDTA and glutathione. Why ongoing detox efforts are crucial, especially for conditions like Lyme disease and insulin resistance. How high doses of lipoic acid can disrupt metal balance and glutathione levels. Why Dr. Shade dislikes Andy Cutler's chelation protocol and its impact on patients. How substances like cilantro and chlorella vary in effectiveness for natural chelation. What role heavy metals in vaccines may play in the development of autism. Why administering vaccines individually and during good health is important. Why hormone optimization is vital before starting detox treatments. How heavy metals like lead and cadmium can contribute to insulin resistance and hormone dysfunction. How environmental toxins and xenoestrogens may be linked to the rise of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).     Are you in perimenopause or postmenopause and struggling with symptoms—but not getting the support you deserve? At Midlife Solutions, we specialize in hormone optimization for women in midlife. Our all-female clinical team offers telehealth care across all 50 U.S. states, with the ability to prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid medication.   Book your FREE Hormone Discovery Call Find out what's really driving your symptoms and what your next best steps are.   Visit the website: https://karenmartel.com   Shop the Midlife Solutions Store Over-the-counter bioidentical hormone creams and oils — no prescription needed. Including: • Progesterone • Estrogen Face Cream • Vaginal Moisturizer and more!   Take the Hormone Quiz Discover hidden hormone imbalances that could be driving your symptoms. Get personalized results (and yes, they may surprise you).   Women's Peptide Weight Loss Program Clinically guided, hormone-aware weight loss for midlife women.   Midlife RESET HRT Program A complete, supportive approach to hormone replacement therapy in midlife.   Your host: Karen Martel Certified Hormone Specialist, Transformational Nutrition Coach, & Weight Loss Expert   Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

 Guest: Cynthia Thurlow, NP — Author of The Menopause Gut | 2x TEDx Speaker In this episode:How a Morocco trip landed Cynthia in the hospital for 13 days — and what God showed her thereWhy your gut is the key longevity organ you've never heard ofThe gut-brain, gut-bone, and gut-ovarian axes — how it's all connectedWhy "I go to the bathroom every day" doesn't mean your gut is healthyWhy digestion starts in the brain — not your stomachHow stress spikes your blood sugar more than food doesSkin rashes, brain fog, and psoriasis as gut signals — not separate problemsShort chain fatty acids, sodium butyrate, and rebuilding the microbiomeWhy postmenopausal women need to stop thinking about their hormones in silosCynthia's non-negotiables: sleep, boundaries, fiber, HRT, and no alcoholResources: Free Midlife Gut Guide → http://themenopausegut.com/midlife-gut-guide?am_id=tabatha7584 The Menopause Gut Book → https://themenopausegut.com/?am_id=tabatha3589 All-In-One Microbiome Lift → shop.fasttofaith.com/product/gut-lift/ Use code PODCAST for 20% off"I will restore your health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord." — Jeremiah 30:1700:00 — So many women have lost hope — give them some right now 00:58 — Welcome back: spring break, nature, and God's goodness 02:38 — Introducing Cynthia Thurlow: author, 2x TEDx speaker 04:11 — Pain to purpose: the theme of Fast to Faith guests 05:35 — Why women still don't know this information 06:36 — Cynthia's personal journey: how it all started 07:34 — Morocco, food poisoning, and 13 days in the hospital 12:54 — God is doing good works — are you getting on board? 15:35 — Giving women permission to advocate for themselves 15:45 — Omega Lift: why omega-3s matter more than ever 18:30 — How Cynthia healed: 9 months carnivore, 18 months to vegetables 22:04 — Why you can't eat fiber when your microbiome is decimated 23:19 — Carnivore as therapeutic — not forever 24:00 — Digestion is a north-to-south process — it starts in the brain 29:19 — Sodium butyrate and rebuilding the microbiome 30:51 — Gut health affects serotonin, GABA, and dopamine 31:52 — Your gut health determines your longevity 35:39 — Genesis, the microbiome, and how God designed us 36:39 — Skin rashes and psoriasis as gut signals 38:34 — Healthy Her: catching the signals before they become crises 39:35 — Healing takes years — not weeks 40:21 — Blood sugar, cortisol, and the CGM lesson 42:05 — It took time to learn these boundaries 42:19 — Cynthia's non-negotiables: sleep, stress, fiber, HRT, no alcohol 47:41 Ready to stop trying harder and start healing smarter? Start with the $5 Faith Reset Challenge — your first step to regulating your nervous system, stabilizing your metabolism, and reconnecting with your identity in Christ through simple, faith-centered rhythms. This is where most women begin. 

Dr. Deb Muth 0:03What are the answers to your child’s chronic allergies, ADHD, or autism?weren’t just in another prescription, but in restoring balance to their body chemistry. Today’s guest has spent nearly two decades uncovering those answers through integrative and biomedical medicine. That’s a mouthful, isn’t it?Helping children heal when nothing else seemed to work.This is the conversation about science, compassion, and changing the future of pediatric care.Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now. The show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, explore regenerative breakthroughs, and empower you with the practical tools to heal. I’m your host, Dr. Deb, your medical detective, and today’s episode is one every patient should hear.My guest is Dr. Anu Usman Singh, Medical Director of True Health Medical Center in Naperville, Illinois, and the owner of Pure Compounding Pharmacy.And for over 17 years, she has been pioneering evidence-based integrative interventions for children with ADD, autism, allergies, and complex gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders. She’s not only a practicing physician, she’s a researcher who’s investigated copper-zinc imbalances.metallonine dysfunction, biofilm-related infections, vitamin D in pregnancy, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.Dr. Usman serves on the executive board of TACA, and is a faculty member at MAPS, training other practitioners in pediatric integrative care. So get ready for a conversation that will open your mind and heart to the possibilities of when medicine truly becomes holistic.If you guys can insert the ad in here, that’d be great.Well, welcome back. I’m so excited to have Dr. Usman with me today. I have known her for, oh my gosh, 15, 17 years, something like that. We’re aging ourselves. Anju 02:32Oh, yeah, when we were in our 20s, right? Dr. Deb Muth 02:35Yes, exactly. So, welcome back, and I am so excited for you to be here, because you have literally helped thousands of families over the years.But I’d love for you to share a little bit about your journey, kind of who you are, what drew you into exploring integrative and biomedical approaches for helping children and families. Anju 02:58I think my journey is similar to a lot of you out there, the audience. I mean, we’re looking to help our families, and our kids, and ourselves, and I was doing my residency at Cook County Hospital, downtown Chicago, in the 80s.And I thought, oh my goodness, if I could take care of the sickest patients, then I can take care of anybody. So I came from Indiana, and I went to Cook County, and my children, my eldest daughter, started having, severe allergies and asthma, really, really at a young age.And I went to, like, my residence, and I went to my attendings, and I said, this baby is wheezing. And they told me, babies don’t have asthma.And I said, she has all the symptoms of asthma. She has asthma. And I remember with, in her crib, I would just nebulize her, you know, and I was like, what is going on?And I figured out that she had a lot of food allergies, and I was nursing her, eating the foods that she was allergic to, and back then, in the 80s, you know, we didn’t have the internet, we didn’t have Whole Foods, and I just…being a doctor, and I didn’t even know what to do, and I felt so hopeless. And I thought, gosh, you know, I’m a doctor, I have these, like, skills, I have… people I can talk to, and I still feel so… it’s so difficult. And then this… my particular daughter, the oldest one, her name is Priya, and she developed severe, asthma, and I couldn’t figure it out. She was in junior high. Every time she would walk into the lunchroom, she would have a severe asthma attack.And I’ll be like, what’s going on? What’s going on? I kept her home over the weekend, she was better. I sent her back to school, she was bad again.And we figured it out that it was other people eating peanuts. Dr. Deb Muth 04:54Severe peanut allergy. Anju 04:56And I went to the school, and I said, she…can you, like, put her somewhere else? Can… they said, oh, no, that’s not fair to other kids and their food. And this was in the 90s. Dr. Deb Muth 05:10Yeah. Anju 05:10And so, I just…You know, my heart goes out to families who are struggling to find answers for their kids, and my daughter Priya, the one I told you about, she ended up passing away from a peanut allergy.And so, I’ve just… Dr. Deb Muth 05:26Yeah. Anju 05:27My heart goes out to parents and my own kids and their illnesses.And so I just started working with families, with kids, andIt just kind of grew from there. Dr. Deb Muth 05:40Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and I think being a mom who went through that yourself, and…was seen but not heard, and turned away from the traditional medical community, you’re forced to start finding answers on your own. And we always feel like we’re on an island by ourselves in the medical world when we’re doing that. Anju 06:01Yeah, I, it was really hard when I found out, you know, about…Integrative medicine, and just different…ideas and approaches to diet and supplements, I thought, how come I wasn’t trained in any of this?And… Dr. Deb Muth 06:21So angry when I learned some of the things that I learned in the beginning. I was like, same thing, like, how did they not teach us this? And then I think, you know, it’s my fault, was I asleep, was I not paying attention, whatever. And then you just realize, like, there’s this whole part of the human body.That they just didn’t teach us. Anju 06:42Yeah, so then I… I, probably like you, we had to learn it on our own. There weren’t, like, classes or any way to learn this stuffAnd I just reached out. There’s a clinic that,I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Pfeiffer Treatment Center? Dr. Deb Muth 07:00No. Anju 07:01Do you know Carl Pfeiffer from the attendees.He has a clinic called the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in New Jersey. It was called the Princeton Brain Bio Center. Dr. Deb Muth 07:12And in the 70s, they did orthomolecular medicine for patients with ADD. Anju 07:18And schizophrenia. Dr. Deb Muth 07:20Mmm… Anju 07:21and depression.And they used to categorize them in 3 categories, and at the time, they called them histopenics, histidelics, and pyrolurics. Dr. Deb Muth 07:31Okay. Anju 07:32Histapenix were low histamine patients.Delix were high histamine patients, and pyrolurics were their own kind of category. We added another category of copper-zinc imbalances, and then we would categorize that population into high histamine, low histamine, pyrolurics, and copper-zinc.Now we talk about under-methylation, over-methylation. Sure. So, under-methylation is the, you know, the high histamine people, they can’t clear the histamine. And the over-methylators are, you know, what we call about low histamine now.And, and then pyrolurics and copper zinc. So…I lost my train of thought, but in the 80s, when I was going through this, in the 90s, I reached out to the Pfeiffer Treatment Center.He’s like, can I calm and just hang out and, like, see what you guys do? Because I need some answers.And I started working there and, started doing research on copper-zinc imbalances, and I did it in children with autism.And that’s how people started coming to me, and I kinda got, like. not famous, but I, you know, the word spread about, okay, we could talk about it, and Dr.Walsh was the, you know, PhD there that did a lot of the research, so we worked together for 8 years. Dr. Deb Muth 09:05Isn’t it crazy to think that we knew about histamine issues way back in the 70s? You know, I got the pleasure of being trained by, environmental medicine doctors. Dr. Wayne Konetsky and Glenn Toth taught me about environmental medicine, and what we called histamine issues that we call it today, mast cell, right? But when I was learning in the early 2000s, it was labeled as chemical sensitivity. And so it was just people that would react to everything, and we really didn’t know why, and they didn’t necessarily have this very specific allergic reaction, but we knew they were reacting, and we would try to treat them, to lower the histamine way back then. And it’s taken all these years, 25 years, to get to a point where we understand mast cell activation now, and histamine issues.And it’s really sad to me that it’s taking this long for us to identify things.And we’ve all got our journey, and I loved back in those days, too, because as I learned, I would call people up and say, hey, I just got a patient from you, and they told me this great story, and I have other people, can I come see what you were doing? And back then, everybody was very open. They were like, yes, please, come, learn. Now everybody’s like, oh, we can’t teach you, we can’t give you our secrets, but…Or pay me $20,000 to come learn with me. But back then, I mean, everybody was just… we were all in the same boat. We were all just trying to learn from each other. Anju 10:36Oh, yeah, oh yeah, and any bit of knowledge you got, you’re like… Dr. Deb Muth 10:41Yes. Anju 10:41God, you know, I learned this piece, and… Dr. Deb Muth 10:43Hmm? Anju 10:44We just kind of built from that. I keep thinking about back then, you know,the under-methylators, over-methylators, copper, zinc, and then I learned about metals.And then, as a physician, I was like, oh, okay, well, there’s mercury in vaccines, there’s aluminum in vaccines, and now I’m seeing these high levels. Dr. Deb Muth 11:04In my patients, now what happens? Anju 11:07And then we started, kind of, trying to get the word out about those things. Dr. Deb Muth 11:13Yeah. Anju 11:13And in 2000, a lot of the people that I knew put out a paper about, you know, mercury. Dr. Deb Muth 11:22And then… Anju 11:22And we all got on the Mercury bandwagon. Dr. Deb Muth 11:25Yes. Anju 11:26And did that for a while, and then we started learning about other things, like mitochondrial issues in chronically ill people, and these chronic infections, like Lyme disease, and so… and then now, you know, understanding mast cell activation, cell danger response. Dr. Deb Muth 11:44On endocrine, and adrenals, and hormones, and… Anju 11:48Yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 11:49biofilms. Anju 11:50Biofilms, I started talking about that in 2007. Dr. Deb Muth 11:54And so then… Anju 11:56It just… it just kind of keeps adding, and keeps adding, and keeps adding, and it’s like…Sometimes you think, how come I didn’t know about this back then? But I feel like it’s a process. Dr. Deb Muth 12:06It definitely is a process, and it’s amazing to seehow many people are researching different things, and they’re all, like, putting a piece of the puzzle together. And I think this is really important for our listeners to understand, is when you see a practitioner and they don’t have all the answers, this is why. It’s very complicated, it’s not black and white. And I’ve had patients over the years say to me, well, why didn’t you say this to me 6 months ago? And the truth of the matter was, I didn’t knowabout it 6 months ago. Like, all of this stuff is just… it’s evolving constantly, and when you’re a practitioner like Dr. Usman and myself, you are learning every single day. Our training has never stopped from the day we stepped into integrated medicine, and you just… you keep learning new things, and sharing new things, and talking to new people, and that’s what expands our knowledge base. Anju 12:57Yeah, the more I learn, the less I feel like I know. Dr. Deb Muth 13:01Yes, me too. Every time I go to a conference, I’m like, how did I not know this? How am I stupid? And I know we shouldn’t say that word and call ourselves that, but sometimes you feel like that. It’s like, how did I not know? Anju 13:14Or you’ll see a patient, and you’ll look at them, and you’re like, how come I didn’t realize this about this particular patient? Dr. Deb Muth 13:20Yes. Anju 13:21Yeah, they present differently, see things differently. I think that’s why it’s good to find a doctor that you trust and that you can work with, because it’s evolving. Dr. Deb Muth 13:31Yes. And, you know, we have those patients that they come, and I get those. I call myself, like, a tertiary care center. Anju 13:38You know, you get those patients that have been everywhere, and seen every doctor, and then they’re like, you’re my last hope, you’re gonna solve all my problems, and…I say to them. We’re a team, like, we’re gonna solve these together, but it takes time for me to unravel this puzzle. Dr. Deb Muth 13:54Excuse me? Anju 13:54And it… and sometimes, you know, there’s a few hits and misses along the way. Dr. Deb Muth 14:00Yup, but if. Anju 14:00If we keep at it, you know, we also say it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Yes. You know, if we keep at it, we can kind of figure it out together. Dr. Deb Muth 14:09Yeah, and a partnership, for sure, because without the feedback of the person you’re working with.understanding, like, we do this, and this happens to you, it’s very complicated as a practitioner to then be able to figure out, what do we do next? I see more and more clients these days, they come in and they just want to ask me within the first 5 minutes of, what am I changing? And I’m like, I have no clue yet. Like, you have to tell me what’s happened since the last time we did something, and then we have to look at labs, and we have to look at this, and we… it’s a synopsis.that we have to look at. You know, it’s not that black and white for us to be able to put the pieces together for them. Anju 14:47I think my most successful patients are the ones who are able to communicate with me.Their ups and downs. Yeah. And they also use their own intuition. Help me guide them. Dr. Deb Muth 15:06Yeah. Anju 15:07So, there are some people that they just hear, you do it, and you tell me.There are people who try to tell me everything. Dr. Deb Muth 15:15Okay. Anju 15:15Say, I want you to do this, do this, do this. Dr. Deb Muth 15:17Yeah, so I was like, okay. Anju 15:19I can do those things, but, you know, like. Dr. Deb Muth 15:21Yep. Anju 15:22think about blah blah. But, like, this… that collaboration.and, intuition. I kind of feel like even thoughI’ve trained allopathically as a traditional medical doctor. I feel like as I learn, I learn that being open and,Letting go of fear. Dr. Deb Muth 15:46Yeah. Anju 15:47And, not trying to jump on every, like, new thing, and being. Dr. Deb Muth 15:53consistent. Anju 15:54and diligent. really helps. Dr. Deb Muth 15:58It helps a ton. We see that, too, you know, the latest…Instagram influencer that’s talking about the latest topic, and all of a sudden, everybody sees themselves in there, and they must have that, but not realizing putting those connections together. It’s like when MTHFR came out, right? We were all so excited that this was going to be the detox gene.And then we learned so much more about genes, and now MTHFR is very popular again, and everyone’s talking about it, but they don’t understand how some of those other genetics fit together. And if you don’t understand that, we’ve all done it, we’ve all made people worse instead of better, sometimes when we’ve given too many methyl groups together, or this supplement without this support before we knew that there was another gene that we had to support for that.And I think it’s really important for people that are listening to us today talk about this, is don’t just jump on the bandwagon. Like, you really want to work with somebody seasoned who understands how all these pieces fit together. Anju 16:57Yeah, and I think that’s what individualized medicine is about.And there is no magic here, a magic bullet.I think that example of MTHFR is really good. Now, President Trump talked about Leukovorin. Dr. Deb Muth 17:14Yes. Anju 17:15in, and, you know, he’ll get up and say something like, leukovorin cures autism.And then the rest of us are like…Did you just say that? Dr. Deb Muth 17:26Yep, he did. Anju 17:30It’s folinic acid, it’s calcium folinic acid, it’s been around a long time. We’ve been using it for 20 years. Dr. Deb Muth 17:37Yeah. Anju 17:38But it does help a subset of people who potentially have what we call cerebral folate deficiency.And some of those people are misdiagnosed as autism. Dr. Deb Muth 17:50Yeah. Anju 17:51So, are you treating autism, or are you treating cerebral folate deficiency?same thing I could say about… I have a lot of cases of kids who recovered from autism.and severe ADHD using chelation type of. Dr. Deb Muth 18:06up. Anju 18:06Approaches, or detox approaches.again, did we treat their ADD and their autism, or did we treat their lead…Toxicity or lead burden, and their symptoms of those things got better. Dr. Deb Muth 18:20Yeah. Anju 18:20So, like, to put a big, like, a label like, oh, ADD on something, or autism on something, I think it does a disserviceTo the individuals, because it’s such a broad issue. Dr. Deb Muth 18:35It is, and I think the diagnosis has gotten to be much more popular these days.And yes, thank goodness we’re getting better diagnostics, but sometimes we’re getting over-diagnosis, or like you said, it may look like one thing, but it could be something else, but because it looks like autism, they’re going to get labeled with autism.And in some respects, that’s good, they can get more services that way, but sometimes we’re missing the actual picture of it. Can you talk a little bit about how autism is different than the cerebral folate deficiency? Anju 19:11Yeah, so there are some people that make an antibody to their folate receptor. Dr. Deb Muth 19:18Hmm. Anju 19:20So, to get folic acid into your cells, there’s a receptor on your cells. Dr. Deb Muth 19:25And then the folate has to bind to it, and then it lets it enter into the cells. Anju 19:30And there’s these receptors that allow folic acid to get into your brain.Now, you and I know when you put folate in your brain.On one end of the folate cycle, you help make more neurotransmitters. You’ll make something called BH4, and that’ll help make serotonin and dopamine, and then norepinephrine and epinephrine. So folate is really important for making your neurotransmitters, folate and B12.On the other end, it’s like, another cycle on the other end of folate is our methylation cycle.And methylation is so important for our RNA and our DNA, and making choline, phosphatoly choline, and making creatine for speech.And helping us with all the precursors for detoxification.So without folate in our brain, we can’t make our neurotransmitters efficiently, we can’t break them down efficiently, and we can’t detox our brain.Imagine what that will do to your brain. Dr. Deb Muth 20:36Yeah, Anju 20:37And you will see symptoms like speech delays, cognitive delays, processing issues, poor attention.All of those things. Excitation, anxiety.All of those, and so if the folate isn’t getting into the brain efficiently, then we’ll have all these symptoms, and we’ll end up with diagnoses like these. Dr. Deb Muth 20:59Yeah, so is there a way that people who are listening to this can request a test to see if they make this antibody to folate, or is it more of a diagnosis of exclusion? Anju 21:14That’s a great question. When I first started doing this, like, 20 years ago, there was, like, a university that was doing this.studies, and it was Dr. Quadros. He was the guy, and we would take samples and send them to his lab, and he would tell us about these blocking and binding. Dr. Deb Muth 21:30folate antibodies. Anju 21:32And if patients had positive blocking or binding folate antibodies, we would follow his protocol. And he’s done papers on patients with severe autism.Where he found these folate antibodies, and then did spinal taps on the kids, and they were associated with this cerebral folate deficiency. the cerebral… spinal fluid.And in his papers, he gave .5 to 2 milligrams per kilogram of calcium folinic acid, which is leukovorin. It’s a vitamin. And over a 6-month to a 12-month period.The majority of those patients improved drastically.Some of them regained speech, and some of them lost their autism diagnosis. Dr. Deb Muth 22:26Because they never truly had autism. Anju 22:29Well, they have autism symptoms, and that’s what autism is, but we call it autisms. Dr. Deb Muth 22:36Yeah. Anju 22:37And so now, like, we need the research to categorize these people. You know, what percentage of autism is cerebral folate deficiency? Yeah. What percentage of autism is, heavy metal. Dr. Deb Muth 22:51Bourbon. Anju 22:52And what percentage of autism is Clostridia overgrowth, or… Dr. Deb Muth 22:57Hmm. Anju 22:57microbiome… Dysfunction, and then there’s overlap. Dr. Deb Muth 23:01Right, yeah, Lyme and mold and viruses. Anju 23:04and infections, and you can see… Dr. Deb Muth 23:07injury from medications and things like that that happen, or birth traumas. Yeah, I mean, it’s not… it’s not as simple as what people think autism is.Why do you think that we’re seeing so much more autism today than when you and I were kids? We didn’t see this that often. I know environment has a lot to do with it, but do you have a couple of things that you suspect are contributing to the rise of autism these days? Anju 23:38Yeah, I mean, that’s a million dollar question. Dr. Deb Muth 23:40Right. Anju 23:41And, just because I work with children, you know it’s not just autism that’s epidemic, and yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 23:49You know that. I mean, it’s… it’s probably… if you add all the epidemics that are happening to children. Anju 23:54Autism still supersedes it.Now it’s 1 in 33s, 1 in 35 boys, I mean, it’s…children. It’s really sad. When I was in med school, it was 1 in 10,000. Dr. Deb Muth 24:10That’s crazy. Anju 24:11What’s causing it? I mean, obviously it’s multifactorial. Dr. Deb Muth 24:15Yeah, 80,000 chemicals in the environment that we never had before. Anju 24:20I, I, I, look, I’ve… 219 million. Dr. Deb Muth 24:26Oh my gosh. Anju 24:27I looked it up today. Dr. Deb Muth 24:29119 million different chemicals in the environment. Wow. Anju 24:33We don’t know how many of those are super toxic. Dr. Deb Muth 24:36Yeah, and we don’t know what they do together. Anju 24:38A lot of them were, like, before, like, grandfathered in and all of that.Yeah, it’s really crazy about the chemicals. So, chemicals… I kind of… feel like…you know, this burden of all this, it’s not just on our children, it’s on our mothers. Dr. Deb Muth 24:56Yes. Anju 24:56oh my gosh, the moms of these children that… And they don’t even realize it, you know, we’re just so happy to be pregnant and have a kid.So I think it really, really starts with that piece. Care, good prenatal care, yeah. Yeah, and not just what we think is prenatal care, taking your prenatal vitamins. Dr. Deb Muth 25:18Yes. Anju 25:19And going to your gynecologist, but what you and I think is prenatal care, you know, before you get pregnant, let’s detox, let’s clean up our diet, let’s get rid of those chemicals, let’s make sure we’re not in a moldy environment.You know, let’s do our due diligence, clean air, clean water, clean food, sunshine. When I did my residency at county, I don’t think I saw the sun for 3 years. Dr. Deb Muth 25:44How?Yeah. Anju 25:46it’s just that intense, and I was pregnant twice, and my eldest hasthe allergies and asthma. Number 2 is type 1 diabetes and mold sensitivities and allergies and asthma. Number 3 has severe chemical sensitivities, mast cell activation,Hormonal issues. Dr. Deb Muth 26:09Yeah. Anju 26:09And… number 4 is my… Golden, baby. Dr. Deb Muth 26:15And those three, you know, those years that you’re there, and you’re not seeing the sunlight, there’s vitamin D deficiency, and we don’t talk about vitamin D that much during pregnancy.I still am appalled that we’re giving folic acid these days during pregnancy instead of folate, but… Anju 26:36Folenic, or methylfolate? Dr. Deb Muth 26:38Yeah, nothing. So, when, when you,discovered vitamin D in pregnancy, and it’s linked to neurodevelopment outcomes. How did you stumble across that? Anju 26:50Well, in… when I started working on Copper Zinc, Dr. Walsh and I would go to the, like, DAN conferences.Yeah. At the time, and it was interesting, because DAM conferences were a collaboration between parents.And practitioners, and researchers. Dr. Deb Muth 27:10Very unique for. Anju 27:11That’s how that new IACC committee is. It’s a collaboration of parents. Dr. Deb Muth 27:17Hmm. Anju 27:18Practitioners, researchers, And individuals with autism. Dr. Deb Muth 27:25Yeah, so for those of you who are listening to us, it’s… we’re talking about the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee that Bobby Kennedy just put together. It’s called IACC, and they are on a mission to try to do the research to figure out what’s causing autism. Anju 27:43Yeah, and not just causing it, like, these people have been living it, most of the people on that committee have been living it, and their whole lives, for some of them.And being able to bring forwardlike the question about vitamin D, we started seeing a lot of patients in Minnesota. Dr. Deb Muth 28:04Mmm. Anju 28:05who were from Somalia. Dr. Deb Muth 28:08Okay. Anju 28:09Who were… it was, like, 1 in 4 families with kids with autism.And the theory was that the vitamin D levels that they get in Somalia versus the vitamin D levels that the moms get in Minnesota. Dr. Deb Muth 28:27Hmm? Anju 28:28Affected the immune system. Dr. Deb Muth 28:31Yeah. Anju 28:32predispose them. So there’s a few papers on that. Dr. Deb Muth 28:36Yeah, that’s a… I mean, it would be a very significant difference, and when you’re thinking about genetically, like, what their culture, who they are as a species.was used to and adapted to with the sunlight and different things from a different region, geographical region, and then they moved to a new geographical region, that can take decades before the body adapts and readjusts.to that new environment. We don’t think about those things in…traditional medicine, and conventional medicine, as most people know it, but we do in functional medicine. Anju 29:14Yeah, so again, the clinicians were bringing this up, like, why am I seeing so many families? Dr. Deb Muth 29:18Yeah. Anju 29:18Then let me go to the… and then in the think tank, the vitamin D researcher said it’s vitamin D. Dr. Deb Muth 29:24Yeah. Anju 29:25And then they started researching it, and it was almost like a backwards… backwards. Dr. Deb Muth 29:31Thank you. You know, they didn’t first… Anju 29:33Think it. Dr. Deb Muth 29:34Think about it, yeah. Anju 29:35Until you start seeing… and that’s why I think that, like.clinicians like you and me, who are… I consider us on the front lines. We’re the front lines. We are seeing… we’re seeing this epidemic unfold. Dr. Deb Muth 29:46Yes. Anju 29:47front of our eyes, we’re seeing, like, the gut issues and the severe inflammation. We’re seeing the autoimmunity, and now they have to study it. Dr. Deb Muth 29:57Yeah. Anju 29:57They have to study this. They really, really, we really need, we really need protocols, we need tools, we need things that you and I have been figuring out anecdotally with our colleagues over the years, and, oh, how do we treat yeast? How do we treat Lyme? How do we treat metal burden?For this podcast today, I wanted to talk about low-level lead exposure, because for me.1 in 3 children have a lead level, above 5. 1 and 3. Dr. Deb Muth 30:31Yeah, that’s very high. Anju 30:33800 million children. Dr. Deb Muth 30:36And let’s clarify this, because the first thing people are going to think of is, what are they eating? They’re not eating lead paint to get this. That is not what’s happening here. They are getting lead from someplace else, and their bodies are not able to detox this. Anju 30:53And the reason I’m bringing this up is because when I was in residency at County in the 90s, I ran a… I worked at a lead clinic. Dr. Deb Muth 31:01And back then. Anju 31:03When we looked… we just diagnosed lead toxicity, the level was 60. Dr. Deb Muth 31:10Their level had to be 60 to diagnose them. Anju 31:13Correct. Dr. Deb Muth 31:13Oh my gosh. Anju 31:14And that’s when we would treat.And back then, there was a study, it’s called the TLC study, where they used DMSA, which is a drug to lower lead.And our goal was to get it from 60 to 20. Dr. Deb Muth 31:33And was the normal range the same back then as it is today? Anju 31:37The normal range has gone from 60 to 40 to 20 to 10 to 5 to 3.5.But you and I know I’m the normal range. Dr. Deb Muth 31:47Yes. Anju 31:47Zero. Dr. Deb Muth 31:48Zero. Anju 31:50So… so again, in my… in the lead clinic, we were given DMSA, and we got the lead from 60 to 20, and the number one thing was to get rid of the lead in the environment. Dr. Deb Muth 32:02Yeah. Anju 32:03But we haven’t evolved since then.Because in that study, It did not improve cognitive abilities. So if you think about what lead does, it causes attention issues, slow processing, it affects hearing, it can cause hyperactivity, it can cause impulsivity, it can cause aggression, it can cause constipation, it can cause hypotonia.So if you think about all these kids with ADD and autism, how many of them have low-level lead exposure from the lead pipes? In Chicago, it’s a big, a big problem. Dr. Deb Muth 32:37Yeah, Milwaukee. Anju 32:38Everybody thinks Flint, Michigan, but Flint, Michigan is not the only place. Dr. Deb Muth 32:42Right. Our infrastructure is so terrible, it has not been updated, and even though you might look in your house and you might see a white PVC or plastic pipe, what’s coming under the ground to the house in the cities is usually still lead. Anju 32:58Right. Right. Dr. Deb Muth 33:00Yeah. Anju 33:01So, I guess the point is, is that…the… the idea of, like, studying this. So, again, they study this, and they say, well, we’re not going to treat low-level lead exposure because it doesn’t improve their cognition.But did they really treat it? Dr. Deb Muth 33:18Right. We got it from 60… we got it from 60 to 20. Right. But when I know, where is the lead hiding? Anju 33:24So high. Look at the bones, it’s gonna be coming out. It’s gonna be coming out, especially during puberty. What happens to some of our kids during puberty? They just go a little wonky. Comes out again during menopause. Dr. Deb Muth 33:38Yes. Anju 33:39I don’t know, male menopause, too. Like, we’re all losing bone mass then, and our lead is coming out, our blood pressure goes up. So, again, these are some of the areas that I think, like, really need some… hard… looks. Dr. Deb Muth 33:53Right, yeah. So, what are you hopeful about this committee? Like, are you hopeful that this committee is going to be able to research some of these big things, and we’re really going to be able to find answers around some of the functional things and the biochemical things that we see, you and I know happen in the body, that might give some standardization and education to practitioners in the future. Anju 34:23Well, I think this committee understands the scope of the issues.And they’re coming from different perspectives, like I mentioned, research. Dr. Deb Muth 34:33Yeah. Anju 34:35really highly qualified MDs. MDs like you and me, who have been on the front lines. moms. Dr. Deb Muth 34:43Yeah. Anju 34:44dads, patience, And so, the strategy would be to get, again, their input, and then…get the places… people in places to do their research. And even make some guidelines and some, like, you know, thoughts about what we want to put out there. Dr. Deb Muth 35:05Yeah. Anju 35:05You know, how do we want to strategize for… Dr. Deb Muth 35:08Prevention. Anju 35:10Like, the pre-pregnancy thing. Dr. Deb Muth 35:12Yeah, I’m really hopeful that this doesn’t become a… political football,And it doesn’t get taken away if the administration changes or whatever, because people need to understand that this kind of researchthis is going to take decades for people to do. Granted, we have AI, and AI can help a little bit and get some things quicker.But trying to figure out all of these nuances to why the body does what it does is not gonna be, like, next week we’re gonna find out that this was the single cause, and I know a lot of people, they’re afraid of the vaccines, and that’s gonna be the sole answer.And that has a piece of it, but it is just a small piece of it for some people larger, but at the end of the day, that’s not what this is about. This isn’t about just labeling one thing that is the cause of autism, because it is not one thing. It is so multifactorial. Anju 36:09And I think that whole cause, I know,A lot of money has gone into. Dr. Deb Muth 36:16Yeah. Anju 36:16looking at that. They’re looking for the gene, right? The gene that causes it, and… Dr. Deb Muth 36:23answer. Anju 36:24They have not… they’ve spent millions of dollars looking for this.And it’s not gonna pan out. It’s not. Dr. Deb Muth 36:33I’m not. Anju 36:34pan out. It’s more complex, like we’re talking about. Dr. Deb Muth 36:38Yeah. Anju 36:38And, I do think that sometimes, you know.Even though, like, politically, it seems like it’s a political topic, but it has zero to do with politics. Dr. Deb Muth 36:52Yeah, exactly. This is our children. This is the future of our country, the world. I mean, America’s not the only place that has kids with autism. I mean, this is the future of humanity. If we don’t figure out what’s injuring our children, there will not be a humanity that you and I have seen. It will be different. And, and this is important, we owe it to the future of our generations, we owe it to our children to figure this out and clean up our environment, and make it safe for everybody. Anju 37:24Yeah. Clean up our air, clean up our water, clean up our food… Dr. Deb Muth 37:29Yeah. Anju 37:30You know, our lifestyle a little bit, but… Dr. Deb Muth 37:32hoodie? Anju 37:33It’s… it’s… it’s everywhere. I travel all over. Dr. Deb Muth 37:36Bye. Anju 37:37Consult with doctors in different countries, in Italy, in India, Bulgaria, Romania… Dr. Deb Muth 37:46Yeah. And. Anju 37:48we’re going to Australia for med maps to treat doctors in, in April. And it’s a problem everywhere. Dr. Deb Muth 38:00Yeah. Anju 38:01really big problem, and it affects everybody. Even if you don’t have a child with autism or a grandchild with autism, it’s still affecting families, becauseI kind of think of ADD as being on the spectrum, in the sense thatI think the same kind of positive issues that lead to the autism are causing the ADD, just to… you know, your genetics are playing a little bit of a different role, whatever… whatever protection you have is a bit more there, but we’re seeing kind of, like, similar metabolic… issues in our ADD population. Dr. Deb Muth 38:43Yeah. Yeah, there’s so many different levels of this, and it does affect everyone. Like, I think everybody knows… a family or someone in their classroom or their school or their community that’s affected by, definitely, ADHD, Asperger’s, autism, all of those things, whether you’re high functioning or not functioning or whatever.everything is affected. The school system is affected, your social circles are affected, your families are affected.the healthcare is affected. I mean, everything is affected. We owe it to our families and our communities to help people try to figure this out. Anju 39:22Yeah, and I think even if it’s not ADD, or ADHD, or autism we’re talking about, or even OCD, anxiety, depression, I mean, you know… Dr. Deb Muth 39:33Candace? Anju 39:34Any kind of chronic illness that people are dealing with has underpinnings of these kinds of, you know, issues. Dr. Deb Muth 39:43Yeah. Anju 39:44Any autoimmune issue? That’s great. Dr. Deb Muth 39:48inflammatory syndrome that we’re seeing these days, I mean, the pants-pandas piece, the biofilms, the strep, I mean, our environment is just so laden with infections and biofilms, and And, you know, when you and I first were learning about this, we never thought anything could cross the blood-brain barrier, right? It was pristine, there’s nothing getting in there unless you could drive it in there, and now we know that’s different, and now we’re seeing bugs in the brains of people who have had Alzheimer’s disease and dementia because they’ve donated their brains for research, and we can see what’s crossing the blood-brain barrier, and it’s really scary. Anju 40:24Yeah, yeah. There’s a lot of things we don’t know. Remember when we just found out that they… the brain had a lymphatic system? Dr. Deb Muth 40:33And that wasn’t About, what, 5, 6 years ago? 7 years ago, maybe? Yeah, not that long ago. Anju 40:38You’d be like, why wouldn’t the brain have a lymphatic system? Dr. Deb Muth 40:41Yeah! Yep. Anju 40:44Yeah, so things get in and out. Dr. Deb Muth 40:46They, they definitely. Anju 40:47You know, they get in easier than they get out, I think. Dr. Deb Muth 40:50I agree, I think they do, for sure, for sure. You know, when you’re talking to a family who’s undergoing issues like this, what’s the role, do you feel, in personalized nutrition to help them make things better? Anju 41:10I kind of go through, like, a little bit of a start here, start there, and then do this. I always start, number one, I say, okay, you gotta clean up your environment, because… We gotta do that. Dr. Deb Muth 41:24But that’s a… Anju 41:24process. And then number 2 for me is cleaning up the diet. And then, when you say personalized nutrition. To me, figuring out what is a good diet for the individual. Dr. Deb Muth 41:38Makes it a little bit difficult. Yeah. Anju 41:41I mean, there is, like, healthy eating concepts, where, you know, eat upside-down food pyramid kind of concept, I guess, is the new one, but whole foods, whole grains, organic as much as possible, especially for animal products, good fats, avoiding, you know, hydrogenated oils, and those seed oils, and… Just some basics, and then individualizing for my patients, a lot of people with any kind of autoimmune condition, and we kind of put autism in that neuroimmune, autoimmune, inflammatory That, gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free kind of go there, like, as a given. If there’s a lot of gut issues, a lot of our folks have oxalate issues. And then we have to sometimes do low or limited oxalate diets. Many of my patients can’t convert glutamate to GABA efficiently. Dr. Deb Muth 42:44Yeah. So, high glutamates associated with OCD, and kind of looping or repetitive behaviors. Anju 42:51So, low-glutamate diets. And then some of my patients have SIBO, and then we do the low FODMAPs diet, and then some of my patients have messel, and we’ll do the fail-safe kind of concept with the fail-safe diet, so nutrition can get a little bit complex for certain people, but there are some basics, and then there are some, like, more of… Individual, kind of, diet approaches. And then there’s supplementation. There’s some things that I call foundational. For me, certain things most people need that have a chronic illness. Dr. Deb Muth 43:26Yeah. Anju 43:26Vitamin D3 is one of those. Omega-3s are another one for most. And then, because I did a lot of research on copper, zinc, I think 3 mineral… 4 minerals. I feel like people underdo minerals. They’re so important. Every single enzyme has a mineral cofactor, so… zinc is really important for my population with autism and ADD. 99% of them had high copper or low zinc in. Dr. Deb Muth 43:58Wow. Anju 43:59Over 400 patients that we tested. Dr. Deb Muth 44:01Wow. Anju 44:03And, magnesium.So, zinc, magnesium, and then the other two minerals I really like are selenium for glutathione. and molybdenum for sulfation, and glycolysis. So… So those are kind of my foundational pieces, and then I like to work on the gut next. So, from a nutritional perspective, prebiotics are my new favorite. Dr. Deb Muth 44:29Yeah, we go in and out with prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics. Anju 44:34Yeah, exactly, symbiotics. Dr. Deb Muth 44:36Yes, exactly, exactly. Anju 44:38demos, and… Dr. Deb Muth 44:40Yeah. Anju 44:40So yeah, biofilm busting, and all of that, so… And then I go into my other nitty-gritty stuff, like you probably do. Dr. Deb Muth 44:47individualized, right? So, you created, True Healing Nature, a supplement line, a supplement company, correct? Anju 44:56Yeah, True Hing Naturals. Dr. Deb Muth 44:58Truly Naturals, okay. Anju 44:59True, he is hard. Dr. Deb Muth 45:01Oats! Anju 45:01True! Dr. Deb Muth 45:01Healing natural. Got it, sorry about that. Tell us a little bit about what made you decide to create a supplement company. Was it because you couldn’t find formulations that you wanted? Couldn’t find clean products? That’s a big problem for people, for sure. Anju 45:19Yeah, a little bit of both. I told you that my kids were really sensitive, they had a lot. Dr. Deb Muth 45:23I know. Anju 45:24And when I would even try to give them things like ibuprofen. Dr. Deb Muth 45:28or Benadryl. Anju 45:30For allergies, they couldn’t tolerate the products that were over-the-counter. Dr. Deb Muth 45:35Yeah. Anju 45:35So, in 2007, I opened a compounding pharmacy so I could make things clean for them. Dr. Deb Muth 45:42Yeah. Anju 45:43And I thought it was so valuable. And so then I started seeing, like, certain issues with my patient population, for instance, say, mitochondrial issues. So, I would compound a mito cocktail. in my pharmacy. And then I had True Healing Naturals manufacture it, so I didn’t have to have patients get it compounded. Dr. Deb Muth 46:08Got it. Anju 46:09So that particular product’s called Mito Rescue. Okay. But then, I started… I do a lot of oats testing. Organic acid urine tests. Dr. Deb Muth 46:19Yeah. Anju 46:20But there’s, like, a marker on there for, oxalates, and I saw a lot of patients with oxalates, and oxalates inhibit some… an enzyme called, pyruvate decarboxylase. And that basically means you can’t take your carbs and turn them into energy. Dr. Deb Muth 46:38Okay. Anju 46:39So, if I saw this pattern with high oxalates and high pyruvic acid, I knew that that enzyme wasn’t working very well, and that enzyme is B1, molybdenum, and biotin dependent. So, I started compounding doses of that. And then I turned that into a product called Motor Connect, because high doses of biotin help with connectivity in the cerebellum. Dr. Deb Muth 47:08Got it. So, I did come… kind of start with the compounding pharmacy, try it, use it, and then turn it into. Anju 47:17products, and I have one for copper-zinc imbalances called True Minerals. Dr. Deb Muth 47:21Yeah, to fix the problems that were not commercially available. Could you talk a little bit for people who don’t understand what a compounding pharmacy is? Anju 47:32So, when you guys go to a pharmacy, you, you know, you send a prescription, and it’s already, it’s manufactured, and you get it. Well, a compounding pharmacy actually makes that for you. So they get the raw ingredients, and then they make that prescription. So it’s still prescription-based. But, for instance, say, I want Nystatin. And I go to Walgreens or CVS, and the nystatin there is a liquid, and it has yellow dyes and sugar. Dr. Deb Muth 48:02Yep. Or it’s a title, and it’s red. Anju 48:04or it’s bread, and a tablet, and I, like, oh, I want to treat the yeast, but I don’t want to use this. So I sent my nystatin prescription to a compounding pharmacy, and it’s Nystatin. That’s what you got. Yep. Dr. Deb Muth 48:17disappear. Anju 48:18So, pure compounding pharmacy, it’s pure, it’s pure stuff. Especially for our mast cell people. They’re so sensitive, and, you know, my kids are all mast cell, and so I just find that excipients, some people will say, oh, this doesn’t work, and I said, it’s probably the excipient that’s stimulating your mast cell activation. So, yeah. So, compounding pharmacies, You know, with all the big, kind of. conglomerates and big companies, they’ve become… they used to be, like, mom-and-pop kind of places. And my pharmacy is like that. It’s just… it’s… it’s a few of us, and we… we do it, and it’s nothing big or fancy, but we get the job done. So, we compound things like methylcobalamin injections, hydroxycobalamin, low-dose naltrexone. Different things for chelation. So, it’s nice. I love having it. Dr. Deb Muth 49:11Yeah, the compounding pharmacies really have made a huge difference for people who are sensitive. You know, so many ingredients are contaminated with corn and gluten and soy and dairy and all the big things that we want to stay away from, especially if we’re trying to treat the immune system. And even if the manufacturer says that’s not in our product. it’s contaminated, usually, because they’re usually preparing it in a facility that has those things floating around. Right. And for people who are really sensitive, that’s going to create some issues. Anju 49:45Yeah, people who are sensitive are sensitive to parts per trillion. Dr. Deb Muth 49:48Yeah. Anju 49:49I found that with my daughter with chemical sensitivity. You don’t have to see it, or you don’t have to smell it, but they could react to it. Dr. Deb Muth 49:55Yeah. And, a lot of these, like. Anju 49:58These different, substances, for instance, like enzymes, even the natural enzymes. Dr. Deb Muth 50:03They’re cultured in Aspergillus. Anju 50:07And so they’re extracted from mold. Dr. Deb Muth 50:10Yeah. Anju 50:11And so the really mold-sensitive people will maybe take a digestive enzyme, and they’ll have a reaction, and they’ll not understand why. Yeah. But it’s not because of the enzyme, it’s because of where it’s coming from. Dr. Deb Muth 50:22Yeah, where it’s cultured from. And if you have mold toxicity and mold sensitivity, and we’re looking at your mold test, wondering why are you getting a hit while we’re trying to clear it out, sometimes we forget that those products, and a variety of products that we used are cultured from molds. Yeah. Anju 50:40Yeah, yeah. It’s hard for the laypeople to understand all. Dr. Deb Muth 50:45You know. Anju 50:45of these pieces, but I think that… It used to be, like, the insurance companies would cover prescriptions from compounding pharmacies, but over the years, the lobbying and all of that has gotten so intense where, you know, a lot of that ends up out of pocket, but it’s really… it doesn’t really get that much more expensive than a copay would be. Dr. Deb Muth 51:05Right, right. Anju 51:06People just don’t know about it, yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 51:08Yeah, absolutely. So, you’ve been doing this now for more than 17 years, and you’ve made some remarkable progress with your patients. Can you share some success stories that still inspire you to do what you do every day? Anju 51:27I don’t know about you, but, like, when you first start, I think, God puts you… God puts all those really gray cases in front of you, because you’re like, whoa! Dr. Deb Muth 51:37Yes, and maybe… Anju 51:38I gave this patient methylcobalamin, and they started talking. Yeah. So methyl B12 back in the day was huge. you know, Dr. Nebrander’s protocol, and we would use that, and we would get speech, and… I mean, I’ve… it’s just… there’s hundreds of cases. There’s hundreds of cases, and same with Leukovorin now. Not for everybody, but when it really works, it’s really, really decent. Dr. Deb Muth 52:07Yeah, and worth a try, you know, if… if we suspect that’s what’s going on, these things are worth a try, because sometimes you just never know what’s going to be the key that unlocks the answer for them. Anju 52:19Yeah, but I think, you know, like, I can say… chelation, or… you know, I can, like, throw out a bunch of stuff. Dr. Deb Muth 52:26Okay. Anju 52:27In terms of, like, I’ve… I… I have those families, and I have those kids who are just… they’re just amazing, and they’re in college, and having jobs, and having kids, and… Dr. Deb Muth 52:38Yeah. Anju 52:38you know, all of that, but I think, you know, the ones that really strike me are the ones that I have to work really hard to get. Dr. Deb Muth 52:44And then we’. Anju 52:45they go, it’s not like, oh, I just did the diet, I’m cured, or I did this, and I’m better, or… Right. And I have those cases where the parents come to me and they say, I never thought my kid would Be going to college. And I never thought we would be here. So, those are the ones that really, like, when I get the little notes, or the, like, the college or the high school graduation pictures, and they… and some of them, you know, you lose touch with because they don’t need me anymore. Dr. Deb Muth 53:19Yeah. Anju 53:20And then you hear about it later. And then, I think the ones that don’t get better are the ones that, like, sit with me the most They just sit with me, and we’ve had this population of children with severe apraxia. So, apraxia is a motor planning issue, but if you saw these patients, you would think that they were… mentally deficient. Dr. Deb Muth 53:44Hmm. Anju 53:45Because they can’t talk. Dr. Deb Muth 53:46Yeah. Anju 53:47They’re the classic person that you would see that looks autistic. You know, running around, excited, verbal stimming, no speech. Dr. Deb Muth 53:57Hmm. Anju 53:58And that group of patients are incredibly Brilliant. And we are just finding out about how smart they are. There’s a book called Underestimated by J.B. Hanley and his son Jamie. JV has all the resources in the world. He used to put those ads in the New York Times about autism and vaccines. He could take his kid anywhere and do any treatment, and still, we… Blocked. Locked. Couldn’t get through. Couldn’t get through. And they started, spelling. To communicate, and this speller’s method, and it just opened a door. And it opened a door for so many of my patients who are metabolically challenged, so we do help them metabolically. Getting that ability to communicate. Some of them never got high school diplomas, and they went back to get their high school diplomas so they could go to college. Dr. Deb Muth 54:56Oh, wow, that’s amazing stories. Anju 54:59Yeah, and Elizabeth Bonker is one of those spellers, and she… she was a valedictorian in her high school, college. And she did a valedictorian speech that went. Viral, and she’s one of the people on that committee. Dr. Deb Muth 55:13That’s awesome. Anju 55:14He’s non-speaking. She… she can’t not speak. Dr. Deb Muth 55:20Wow. Anju 55:21But they asked her to be on this committee. Dr. Deb Muth 55:24That’s fantastic. Anju 55:26Huge. Dr. Deb Muth 55:27That’s huge. It is huge. There’s a way she can communicate, she just can’t verbalize the way you and I verbalize. Anju 55:34She’s brilliant. I mean, people on that committee, the, the individuals with autism on that committee, I know they’re brilliant people. Wow. But if you… if… If people saw them, they wouldn’t see that. Dr. Deb Muth 55:47Right. Anju 55:47So, I guess, for me, it’s like seeing the brilliance, seeing the competence in individuals, and as a practitioner, just trying to optimize it. But I know, like, the neurodiversity people say, okay, you know. We’re fine, and it’s like, yes, you are fine, you’re fine, and it’s okay. Whatever it is, it’s okay. But if you’re struggling metabolically, and we can help you feel better. What’s… what’s the harm in that? Dr. Deb Muth 56:13Right, let’s do that. Yeah. So you’re also part of something called MAPS, and you’re educating doctors worldwide. Tell us a little bit about MAPS, and how do you see the integrative pediatrics evolving in the next decade as a result of what we’re learning today? Anju 56:36I think we’re at a crossroads, and Maps is kind of in the middle of that crossroads. It used to be called Dan. Dr. Deb Muth 56:47Okay. Anju 56:47Autism Now. Dr. Deb Muth 56:48Yeah. Anju 56:49And then they kind of dissolved Dan and turned it into MedMaps. And MedMaps is Medical Academy for Pediatrics and Special Needs. So it’s not just special needs, it’s pediatrics. as well.So it’s kind of like the functional medicine for peds. And our goal is to train an army of clinicians to be the frontline. And how medicine should be, and how people should be trained. We should train them to do these types of things from the beginning. Because now it’s backwards. Dr. Deb Muth 57:28Right. Anju 57:30they come see us when nobody else can help them. But, so, we have some good leadership, and then… We are just trying to get people trained so that they understand that this is the future. Dr. Deb Muth 57:50If there’s a practitioner that’s listening to this, how do they get involved in MAPS? Anju 57:55They could come to a conference. Dr. Deb Muth 57:57Okay. Anju 57:58And the website is medmaps.org. And there’s 2 conferences a year. And we have scholarships, and we want people to come, so contact You know, the executive director, and… We just want people to come, share… their experiences, learn about functional medicine, it’s evidence-based, we try to… it’s really scientific, you know, we talk a lot of science. Dr. Deb Muth 58:25Oh yeah, a lot of science. Anju 58:26We talk a lot of science, and and so hopefully we can move all of this forward. Baster. Dr. Deb Muth 58:35I think the greatest thing, when you get into the functional medicine integrative space like this, and MAPS, and some of the other environmental academies and things like that. A lot of people might think it’s not science-based, and I’m always amazed at how much science we have, and it’s right, it’s all the things that you and I learned in biochem class, and chem class, and organic chem, and we were like, oh, let’s just learn this to be done with it. And then you get back, and you start doing integrated medicine, and you realize, like, all of that biochemistry stuff is what we needed to truly understand to fix people these These days, and you go back and you have to learn that in an intense version of it. Anju 59:18I felt like I finally understood the Krebs cycle, when I learned how it made metabolic stents, instead of just memorizing these cycles for… For the… Dr. Deb Muth 59:30Right? Like, they, like. Anju 59:32They just make sense to me. Dr. Deb Muth 59:34Yeah. Anju 59:35And I think that’s so important to understand, that all of this has science behind it, and it’s there, and the research is there. Dr. Deb Muth 59:46It’s just us having to learn how to utilize it, and recognize that not every person is going to be straightforward, and what we do for one might not work for another. There’s… It’s not as easy as prescribing a prescription and letting the person walk out the door in 10 minutes. That’s not what this is about at all. Anju 01:00:05No, and at MedMaps as well, they have a call for abstracts, and so we’re always looking for research, experience, so if any of the clinicians out there have, you know, things they want to share. then send an abstract to Maps. What a great blonde. I think, one of my doctor friends is doing an abstract on research that was done on sensory qigong massage. Dr. Deb Muth 01:00:34Oh. Anju 01:00:34And it helped with speech, and the theory was that, we were all thinking of the sensory system in the brain, the sensory system. In the periphery being affected neurologically, and how to turn that back on. So, it was… it’s… Dr. Deb Muth 01:00:51That’s neat. Anju 01:00:51Again, with the research, and with the science behind it, and with, like, clinical trials, and all of that. Dr. Deb Muth 01:00:58That’s awesome, I love that.For parents that are just starting in this journey, what would you recommend be their first one or two steps? Anju 01:01:10Educate, educate, educate? How do you get educated? I do think that, TakaNow.org is a good place for, like, a biomedical approach, or this functional approach for autism. It’s the Autism Community in Action. MedMaps is doing a parent conference in March. Dr. Deb Muth 01:01:31Oh, awesome. They usually do that around, Memorial Day, right? Anju 01:01:36They’ll do it around Labor Day in September. Dr. Deb Muth01:01:40Labor Day in September, okay. Anju 01:01:42Yeah, and then mid-March. Dr. Deb Muth 01:01:44Okay. Anju 01:01:45Yeah. And they hadn’t done a parent conference before, but we had parents that wanted to come to the conferences, and it was just for clinicians before. Dr. Deb Muth 01:01:54Got it. Is it Autism One that does theirs around Memorial Day? Anju 01:01:59Oh yeah, they don’t exist anymore. Dr. Deb Muth 01:02:01Don’t, really. Anju 01:02:03conferences. There was. Dr. Deb Muth 01:02:06NAA, the National Autism Association. Anju 01:02:09They don’t do a lot of parent conferences in functional medicine either, so there’s a few left. Documenting Hope. That’s another really nice one. Oh, that’s great. Dr. Deb Muth 01:02:21So, what last words do you want to leave with our listeners? Anju 01:02:29You know, that’s… people always ask that at the end of these… I, I do feel that, Listen to your heart, you know, follow your intuition. Dr. Deb Muth 01:02:40I’ll let that guide you. Anju 01:02:42There’s a lot of information, sometimes it gets to be too much information. It’s hard to process everything, try not to make impulsive decisions about things. And… If you have a child with special needs, or if you have a grandchild with, issues. Presume competence. There’s a lot there. Dr. Deb Muth 01:03:04Yeah. Anju 01:03:05Especially some of these kids with behavior issues. I don’t know how many patients of mine are… Put on psychotropic meds. Metabolic issues, and, you know… It’s like, a lot of them have pain, like headache, abdominal pain, and inflammation, and they’re treating them with psych meds. Dr. Deb Muth 01:03:25Yeah. That’s sad, isn’t it? Anju 01:03:28I think, you know, try to look for the underlying cause. Not just band-aid things. Dr. Deb Muth 01:03:34Where can listeners, learn more about your work and what you do? Anju 01:03:40Oh, that’s tough. I don’t have a book. One of these days. Dr. Deb Muth 01:03:48Yes! Anju 01:03:49Yes, one of these days. I think, you know, med maps, we have a… if they’re clinicians. Dr. Deb Muth 01:03:55Hmm? Anju 01:03:56I have lectured a lot. For, for, communities like Taka, so there’s just a lot of… lectures that I’ve given online. Dr. Deb Muth 01:04:09Awesome. Well, thank you for taking your time with us today. It’s been a great conversation with you. Anju 01:04:15Thank you so much for inviting me, Debra. I’m honored to be here, and thank you for doing the work that you do to put Put this out there for people, because it’s really important information. Dr. Deb Muth 01:04:27Thank you. Thank you for joining me today on Let’s Talk Wellness Now. Today’s discussion with Dr. Usman reminds us that there’s always more we can do. We can look deeper into biology, environment, and lifestyle. to heal the next generation. If this episode inspired you, please share it with a parent or a practitioner who believes every child deserves a chance to thrive. And to learn more about Dr. Usman, you can visit TrueHealthMedical.com or TrueHealingnaturals.com. And if you’re ready to explore your own root cause healing, visit us at Serenityhealthcarecenter.com. You can also follow me on Instagram, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of Let’s Talk Wellness now. Until next time. I’m Dr. Deb, reminding you to nurture your body, mind, and spirit. Be well, and I’ll see you soon.The post Episode 262 – The Root Cause of ADHD & Autism: Beyond the Diagnosis with Dr. Anju Usman Singh first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.

ARREAZA: Today we will expand on other treatments for insomnia in adults. MOIRA: Yes, we spent some time explaining the assessment of insomnia and the first-line treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). We also mentioned sleep hygiene. You can listen to episode 220 if you want to learn more about that. Medication should be considered a secondary option. The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends that clinicians use a shared decision-making approach, including a discussion of the benefits, harms, and costs of short-term use of medications, to decide whether to add medication in adults with chronic insomnia disorder in whom CBT-I alone was unsuccessful.  In general, pharmacotherapy is associated with risks of dependence, tolerance, and poorer quality sleep, whereas evidence-based psychotherapies, like CBT-I, result in better long-term outcomes, no drug dependence or polypharmacy risk, and potential cost savings. ARREAZA: Yes, we will start this episode by talking about medications. If you practice primary care, I'm 100% sure that a patient has asked you for “sleeping pills” in clinic. Moira, I know our listeners want to hear about meds. What can you tell about meds to treat insomnia? Moira:We can really split pharmacotherapy for sleep into two categories, OTC, and prescription. And many folks reach for OTC sleep aids before talking to a clinician. When we say OTC sleep aids, we're mostly talking about sedating antihistamines, like diphenhydramine and doxylamine, which are common in products marketed for occasional sleep difficulties. Melatonin is often marketed as a supplement rather than a drug, but it's also widely used OTC in many places, though regulations and quality vary by country. ARREAZA: Exactly. Several studies describe widespread use of these agents among adults and especially older adults, who may face sleep problems related to comorbidities and polypharmacy. Many older adults use OTC sleep aids, often without consulting a healthcare professional or reading labels carefully. Moira: And there's evidence that a substantial share of OTC sleep products contains diphenhydramine or doxylamine—first-gen antihistamines that carry anticholinergic burden, which is particularly relevant for older adults. Melatonin's story is similarly mixed for efficacy. It can modestly affect sleep onset and duration in some populations, especially older adults or circadian rhythm–related sleep problems, but the overall clinical impact is small. What about on the prescription side? DR. ARREAZA: “Z-drugs” are nonbenzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics that enhance the effects of GABA (neurotransmitter). For example, Zolpidem, Zaleplon, eszopiclone. The risks of benzodiazepine use are significant.Benzodiazepine use is associated with increased fall risk across all age groups, and older adults are the highest risk group. That's something we should mention to patients who are requesting a “sleeping pill”, “you may sleep a little better, but you may fall.” A meta-analysis of randomized trials in adults over 60 found that benzodiazepines (vs placebo) caused: 2.6× more psychomotor problems (like falls and car accidents), 3.8× more daytime sleepiness, 4.8× more cognitive impairment. Also, benzodiazepine use is associated with a 34% increased risk of hip fractures (RR 1.34) in older adults. MOIRA: Very significant. Benzodiazepine use is only recommended for four weeks or less due to unproven long-term efficacy and the risk of tolerance, dependence, and misuse. Psychological and physical dependence on benzodiazepines can develop within a few weeks of regular or repeated use. Long-term use is associated with multiple consequences, including dependence, and even increased risk of opioid use.  Dr ARREAZA: And the withdrawal symptoms are very uncomfortable for benzo dependent patients who try to stop benzos on their own. MOIRA: And with the Z-drugs you were mentioning, the FDA has required that all Z-drugs carry a Boxed Warning highlighting the risk of complex sleep behaviors such as sleepwalking and sleep-driving, which can result in serious injuries including death. Medications such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants should be avoided for the treatment of insomnia in older adults whenever possible. DR ARREAZA: There are other prescription options too. Let's talk about low-dose doxepin has shown to have one of the best balances between efficacy and tolerability. When I hear “doxepin” the word “old” comes to my mind. And, yes, it was approved in 1969, it is a tricyclic antidepressant used to treat depression, anxiety, and insomnia. The recommended dose for insomnia is between 3-6 mg. It is not free of side effects, but lower doses seem to be better tolerated. Complex behaviors associated with doxepin: Doxepin may cause out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. You have a higher chance of doing these activities if you drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy with this medicine. Reported activities include: "sleep-driving", cooking and eating food, talking on the phone, having sex, or sleepwalking. Moira: Another group of medications is dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) such as lemborexant are considered medications with good balance of efficacy and tolerability. No single medication is considered the "best" for all patients. Let's remember that optimal medication depends on patient age, comorbidities, safety considerations, and the type of insomnia (sleep onset vs. maintenance.) MOIRA: Older adults deserve special attention. Although insomnia is not a normal part of the aging process, we do see its prevalence increases with age. CBT-I is effective in older adults and is associated with minimal side effects. We can't talk about sleep meds and older adults without mentioning BEERS criteria, which is a guideline which aims to reduce adverse drug events and polypharmacy by highlighting drugs with risks outweighing benefits, urging safer alternative. In sleep medicine and insomnia management for older adults, Beers Criteria explicitly flag sedating antihistamines (e.g., diphenhydramine, doxylamine) as potentially inappropriate for elderly patients due to anticholinergic burden and adverse effects such as delirium, cognitive impairment, sedation, and falls risk. MOIRA: Yes! So again, I want to highlight that the first line treatment should always be CBT-I, but when this isn't working or isn't an option, then think about adding pharmacotherapy. We should really be sharing that OTC options should only be for occasional sleep trouble, not chronic insomnia. Also, be mindful of age-related risks. And consider melatonin with caveats, melatonin may be an option with generally small sleep-onset effects but again, short-term use and quality matters. To close, OTC sleep aids fill a real need for short-term relief, but they're not a substitute for diagnosis and evidence-based treatment of insomnia, especially in older adults where safety is a particular concern. And our prescription options like benzos, z drugs, antidepressants, aren't much better. DR. ARREAZA: Primum non nocere (“first, do no harm”) is a chief consideration in insomnia management. Sleep is foundational to health, and I hope this helps our colleagues feel more confident in addressing it.If you found this helpful, share it with a friend or colleague and rate us wherever you listen to us. This is Dr. Arreaza, signing off. Even without trying, every night you go to bed a little wiser. Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. We want to hear from you, send us an email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. See you next week!  _____________________ References: Morin, C. M., & Buysse, D. J. (2024). Management of Insomnia. The New England journal of medicine, 391(3), 247–258. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp2305655 Healy, W. J., Khayat, R. N., & Kwon, Y. (2024). Insomnia: Advancements and Limitations of Current Management Strategies. American family physician, 109(2), 107–108. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38393789/ Drugs.com. (2025, August 6). Doxepin. Retrieved April 15, 2026, from https://www.drugs.com/doxepin.html Theme song, Works All The Time by Dominik Schwarzer, YouTube ID: CUBDNERZU8HXUHBS, purchased from https://www.premiumbeat.com/. Even without trying, every night you go to bed a little wiser. Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. We want to hear from you, send us an email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. See you next week!

Dr. Eboni Cornish is the Associate Medical Director at Amen Clinics and president-elect of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), with 16+ years specializing in neuroinflammation, Lyme disease, mold illness, PANS/PANDAS, and long COVID. In this episode, she joins Karena to break down the overlooked root causes driving brain fog, anxiety, poor sleep, and chronic illness — making the case that most people suffering from mood and cognitive symptoms have an underlying physical cause that's going completely undetected. What if the anxiety, brain fog, and exhaustion you've been managing as mental health symptoms are actually your body flagging something physical — something that's never been investigated? When mental health is treated as brain health, the entire conversation changes. Dr. Eboni Cornish shows us what's possible when we stop medicating symptoms and start asking why. (02:15) Brain Health Is the Missing Piece of Longevity You can sauna, plunge, and lift — but if you're not sleeping, your brain can't heal Non-restorative sleep is the number one red flag your brain is under stress Hormones, cortisol, and fight-or-flight mode all disrupt sleep Supplements Dr. Cornish recommends: L-theanine, GABA, and magnesium (18:31) Mold, Environmental Toxins & Your Mood Mold toxins cause inflammation that mimics depression, anxiety, and even dementia Some patients' mood symptoms resolved entirely after leaving a water-damaged building HLA gene testing can reveal whether your body can clear mold toxins or retains them Brain fog is a symptom, not a diagnosis (33:49) Lyme Disease, Tick Bites & PANS/PANDAS in Kids and Adults Less than 50% of people with Lyme ever notice a tick bite or bullseye rash Lyme is a global disease, a "great imitator" that can present as depression, fatigue, or psychosis In kids, sudden personality changes after illness can signal PANS/PANDAS, an autoimmune neuropsychiatric response Thanks for the support from our partners, including: Guest Resources Visit Dr. Eboni Cornish's website (https://www.drebonicornish.com/) Follow her on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dr.ebonicornish/) Learn about Amen Clinics (https://www.amenclinics.com) Find an ILADS-trained physician (https://www.ilads.org) If this episode moved you, please consider supporting The Big Silence Foundation and exploring our resources: Connect with The Big Silence Community Order: The Big Silence Memoir audiobook (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/audiobook) Shop The Big Silence Self Love Collection (https://thebigsilence.com/collections/shop-all) Subscribe on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL3RrbvDLuTTGFN4VYzEpw) Donate to The Big Silence Foundation (https://thebigsilence.com/donate) The Big Silence Resource Guide (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/resources) Find exclusive offers from our supporters (https://thebigsilence.com/pages/our-podcast-partners) Show Resources: VISIT THE CHALLENGE PAGE (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/new-year-new-tiyou-challenge) THE BIG SILENCE PODCAST (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-big-silence/id1607181597) TONE IT DOWN PODCAST (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-down-podcast) Tone It Up App (https://my.toneitup.com/pages/tone-it-up-app) Tone It Up YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@toneitup/featured) Tone It Up Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/toneitup/?hl=en) Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air! Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawn

Still feeling stuck despite doing all the right things? Discover how trauma and your gut keep you stuck in stress mode—and what your body needs to heal. With Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, expert in Regulation First Parenting™, learn how calming dysregulation creates lasting change.When your nervous system has been under chronic stress—whether from childhood experiences or ongoing life demands—it adapts to survive. That can leave you living in a constant state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, even when life looks “fine” on the outside.This episode uncovers a powerful truth: it's not just stress. It's the deeper connection between trauma, hormones, and gut health that can keep you stuck in a cycle of dysregulation.Why can't my body settle down?When your nervous system has been under chronic stress—whether from childhood experiences or ongoing life demands—it adapts to survive.That can leave you living in a constant state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, even when life looks “fine” on the outside.This isn't a mindset issue. It's a body-based response.And over time, that dysregulation doesn't just affect emotions—it impacts your gut, immune system, and hormones, too.Does trauma always have to be extreme?Many people think trauma has to be extreme to count. But in reality, it often shows up in quieter ways, like:Growing up in a tense or critical homeFeeling like you had to be perfect to stay safeNot having emotional support or validationThese experiences shape how your nervous system responds to stress. You may have become high-achieving, independent, or “put together”—but underneath, your system may still feel unsafe.Why do anxiety, brain fog, and overwhelm suddenly spike during perimenopause and menopause?For many women, everything seems manageable—until it suddenly isn't.Perimenopause and menopause can act as a tipping point because hormone shifts lower your stress tolerance. That's when you might notice:Increased anxiety or irritabilitySleep disruptionsBrain fog or low moodFeeling overwhelmed by things you used to handleIt's not random. It's your body signaling that it can't compensate anymore.Yelling less and staying calm isn't about being perfect—it's about having the right tools.Join the Dysregulation Insider VIP list and get your FREE Regulation Rescue Kit, designed to help you handle oppositional behaviors without losing it.Download it now at www.drroseann.com/newsletterWhat is the gut–brain–hormone loop?Chronic stress raises cortisol, and over time, that can disrupt your gut in significant ways:Weakening the gut lining (often called “leaky gut”)Altering healthy bacteriaIncreasing inflammationFrom there, the gut sends distress signals back to the brain, affecting mood, focus, and emotional regulation.Add hormone fluctuations into the mix, and the system becomes even more reactive. This is why healing has to address the whole body—not just symptoms.How do patterns get passed down?One of the most important takeaways? Kids don't just inherit your genes—they absorb your nervous system patterns.If you're constantly overwhelmed, reactive, or anxious, your child's system learns that as the baseline. But the opposite is also true: when you create calm, you model regulation.

It is increasingly understood that our brain health is dependent on our having healthy nutrient levels. But how do nutrients actually impact our neurotransmitters.We might assume that certain nutrient levels would cause certain symptoms or conditions. Instead, what we find are biotypes - one condition is often associated with a small handful of imbalances. For example, the biotypes of depression from the Walsh Research Institute, included undermethylation, overmethylation, pyrrole disorder, copper overload and metal toxicity. And reversely, one nutrient imbalance can contribute to a range of brain symptoms. Copper overload, for example, can be a factor in ADHD for one person, but for another contribute to panic or insomnia and still another rage or tantrums. There are some conditions, however, that have a very strong associations with specific nutrient imbalances. In this newsletter, I will address:* 5 Ways Nutrients Impact Neurotransmitter Functioning* Psychiatric Conditions That Can Almost Predict a Specific Nutrient ImbalanceThe data comes from the Walsh Research Institute. Nutrient Imbalances Can Be Due to Too Much or Too LittleI use the term nutrient imbalances, because it's not just about deficiencies of certain nutrients. Specific nutrient overloads can impact brain health as well. This biochemical diversity means we don't all have the same needs when it comes to diet and supplementation. Some of us, for example, can benefit from folate, but for others with excess folate, supplementation could worsen depression and anxiety. Those with copper overload can similarly have worsening of symptoms with copper supplementation, while others will have a need for copper.What Causes Nutrient ImbalancesWhile it might seem that this is all about our intake of nutrients, we can come by these imbalances genetically. We can also acquire deficiencies and even overloads through high oxidative stress. This is when our body (including our brain) is dealing with too many insults, resulting in a depletion of our inherent antioxidants leaving us vulnerable to DNA and thus cell damage, inflammation and their consequences). Copper zinc imbalances and elevated pyrroles, which results in relatively low zinc and B6, are signs of oxidative stress. Often an imbalance appears to have multiple causes. For example a woman with high copper causing high anxiety, could have a family history of high copper conditions (post partum depression, ADHD, angry outbursts) and thus have a likely genetic vulnerability. She may also, be taking a multivitamin with copper, eating a lot of chocolate (high in copper) dealing with high oxidative stress and not the least, be on an oral contraceptive (added estrogen can make copper go up).5 Ways Nutrients Can Impact Neurotransmitter FunctioningNutrients often function as co-factors, helping certain enzymes do their job. Specific nutrients are needed: * For production of neurotransmitters. Vitamin B6, for example is needed to make serotonin, dopamine and GABA. B6 can be low in pyrrole disorder and thus contribute to a range of symptoms.* To convert one neurotransmitter to another. Copper is needed to turn dopamine into norepinephrine (think adrenaline). If we are high in copper, we could have relatively low dopamine and high adrenaline states, which is what is seen in ADHD.* To support enzymes involved in the breakdown of neurotransmitters. For example MAOA is an enzyme that needs Vitamin B2 to do its job breaking down serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. If these aren't broken down, there could be problems with activation and anxiety.* To help receptors do their job. Receptors are what neurotransmitters bind to, resulting in a impulse being sent down the nerve cell. Zinc and magnesium help regulate the NMDA receptor. If not well regulated, there can be high activity, which can look like thoughts getting stuck - ruminations, obsessions in OCD, cravings in addiction, and even delusions in psychosis.* Regulate the expression of genes for serotonin reuptake receptors. Folate causes an increase in the expression of these genes (and thus production of these receptors). This results in more serotonin being picked up and less available between nerve cells. This could be a problem for someone who already has low serotonin symptoms. SAMe, on the other hand, does the opposite and it can function like an SSRI.Why One Diagnosis Isn't Always Associated With One Imbalance* Psychiatric conditions appear to have various causes. If someone comes to me with a diagnosis of depression, for example, that only tells me what type of symptoms they likely have. It doesn't tell me if those symptoms are related to high copper, a methylation imbalance, elevated pyrroles, candida, a misaligned upper cervical spine , mast cell activation, mold toxicity, metal toxicity, hormone imbalances or a combination of any of these…….or something else.* More often multiple factors appear to be aligning. It is not uncommon, for example, to have candida or mold causing high pyrroles causing low zinc, leading to high copper, and as an aside also be undermethylated.* One “root cause” can contribute to a range of conditions and symptoms. Some people with high copper are diagnosed with depression or anxiety and others with ADHD. Some people who are undermethylated have OCD, others depression and still other schizophrenia. Very often, people will be have multiple diagnoses fitting with an imbalance. “Comorbidities” in psychiatry are the norm, rather than the exception.Despite all of this, there are certain nutrient imbalances that occur so commonly in certain psychiatric conditions that they can almost be predicted . Data From Walsh Research InstituteSimply knowing someone has a mental health condition makes it more likely that they will have a methylation imbalance - more often undermethylation.The Walsh Research Institute has looked at the methylation status of 30,000 over 40 year and found that 70% of those with mental illness exhibit a methylation imbalance (undermethylation and overmethylation). This is relative to the general population, in which 30% had a methylation imbalance.Other Data From the Walsh Research Institute:* History of Postpartum Depression - 95% have copper overload* ADHD - 68% have a copper zinc imbalance* Autism Spectrum Disorder - 98% undermethylation, 98% low zinc* Antisocial Personality Disorder - 95% undermethylation, 95% pyrrole disorder, 95% low zinc* Oppositional Defiant Disorder - 85% undermethylation* Schizoaffective Disorder - 90% undermethylation* Anorexia - 82% undermethylation* Schizophrenia - 70% undermethylation* Violent behavior - 78% high copperEvaluation & Labs Are Still ImportantNone of these are 100%. And, again, there is rarely one contributing factor, so a comprehensive evaluation and lab testing are still important. Even if I am fairly confident that someone is low in zinc, I don't recommend starting zinc without checking zinc and copper levels. Starting zinc too rapidly can mobilize high copper and worsen symptoms. If copper is low, zinc can cause a further decrease.Also, there are occasions when it can be difficult to address an imbalance, without addressing another contributing issue first. For example, I see some patients who are unable to tolerate treatment of undermethylation until they begin treatment for candida or mold.There is always so much more data to share, when it comes to the Walsh Research Institute. I look forward to discussing biotypes of depression, ADHD and schizophrenia in a future episode.As always, I welcome your comments and questions.Until next time,CourtneyTo learn more about my discovery calls, non-patient consultations, and treatment practice, visit:CourtneySnyderMD.comMedical Disclaimer:This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit courtneysnydermd.substack.com/subscribe

Mike Collins has been completely sugar-free for over 35 years. He is the founder of SugarDetox.com and SugarAddiction.com, past chairman of the board of the Food Addiction Institute, and the creator of the Quit Sugar Summit. He has helped over 60,000 people break their sugar dependency and has spent a decade interviewing more than 400 of the world's leading experts on sugar, addiction, and metabolic health. He and his wife raised two children without sugar until the age of six, and both of his sons scored perfect on their college entrance exams.This is one of the most eye-opening episodes we've done on this show. Sugar isn't a willpower problem. It's a brain chemistry problem, and Mike explains exactly why, and what to do about it.In this episode, we cover:Why sugar addiction is the largest substance use disorder the world has ever known — and why it's not your faultHow sugar affects dopamine, serotonin, GABA, oxytocin, endorphins, and every brain reward chemical — not just oneThe connection between sugar, drugs, and alcohol — and why so many people in recovery can't put sugar downWhy sugar stunts emotional development starting in childhood — and how it compounds over a lifetimeHow Mike's mother's story explains why so many of us learned to equate sugar with love, comfort, and rewardSugar as the "good girl's drug" — why women ages 50–80 make up 95% of his clients and what that says about people-pleasing and emotional soothingWhy "eat less, exercise more" is a $78 billion lie that doesn't address the actual problemThe difference between conditioned guilt, emotional eating, and true sugar addictionWhat dopamine dysregulation actually means — and whether those receptors can come backHis 90-day approach to behavioral change and why he calls it a recovery program, not a dietGLP-1s, Ozempic, and why the most interesting research will be about what they're doing to the brain — not the bodyWhy over-supplementing may be stalling your weight loss — and what the liver has to do with itContinuous glucose monitors (CGMs), how to use one, and his free book CGMs for Everybody on AmazonAlzheimer's, brain clarity, and why he believes sugar is a neurotoxinThe journaling practice he recommends — tracking how you felt before and after eating, not just what you ateWhat to say to yourself when a craving hits — and the simple self-check that changes everythingConnect with MikeWebsite: https://sugardetox.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realsugarfreeman/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SugarAddictionPlease remember to rate, review, and follow the show – and share with a friend!Subscribe to the newsletter:https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletterCheck out our new Comedy Wellness Podcast: Anything But Mid, cohosted with Whitney Stropp:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anything-but-mid/id1849386215https://www.youtube.com/@AnythingButMidFind Amy's affiliates and discount codes: https://amyedwards.info/affiliatepageAll links: ⁠⁠⁠amyedwards.info⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@realamyedwards⁠⁠⁠Fight For Her: ⁠⁠⁠fightforher.net⁠⁠⁠TikTok:⁠⁠⁠ @themagicbabe⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠The Amy Edwards Show Podcast⁠⁠⁠Free Course:⁠⁠⁠ The Ageless Mindset⁠⁠⁠Full Course: ⁠⁠⁠The Youthfulness Hack⁠⁠⁠Amy's hair by ⁠https://www.thecollectiveatx.com⁠Podcast editing by https://podcastmagician.com/Get my FREE course "The Ageless Mindset: The Ultimate Guide to Look Younger and Feel Happier!" HERE: ⁠https://best-you-life.teachable.com/p/the-ageless-mindset-the-ultimate-guide-to-look-younger-feel-happier⁠Get the full course “The Youthfulness Hack: The Secret System to Reverse Aging Fast and Create a New, Radiant You!” Out now! ⁠https://best-you-life.teachable.com/p/the-youthfulness-hack⁠

This is one of the BEST interviews we've ever done on supplements and cutting-edge supplement technology... We had Dr. Scott Sherr on the podcast — a board-certified internal medicine physician who practices health optimization medicine and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This guy KNOWS his stuff and we break down some of the most powerful compounds you can get your hands on to improve cognitive function, athletic performance, and longevity. Here's the reality... 94% of US adults are metabolically UNHEALTHY. That means your mitochondria — the powerhouses of your cells — are struggling to produce the energy you need. Dr. Sherr explains exactly why this happens, how it connects to everything from anxiety and depression to fat loss struggles, and what you can actually DO about it. We dive DEEP into methylene blue — the first drug ever registered with the FDA back in 1897 — and why it's become one of the most powerful tools for supporting mitochondrial function and energy production. But it doesn't stop there... We cover the GABAergic system and why most people are walking around GABA deficient (hello anxiety, insomnia, and mood issues), the synergy between methylene blue and red light therapy, how to use these compounds for travel, and a complete sleep optimization stack that could finally get you those 90+ Oura Ring scores. If you're tired of being tired, stressed about being stressed, or just want to understand how to actually support your body at a cellular level — this episode is a MUST listen. MAPS PPL — https://mapsppl.com (code: ppl) SPONSORS Troscriptions — https://troscriptions.com/mindpump (code: mindpump) Seed — https://seed.com/mindpump (code: 25mindpump) 00:00 — Intro 5:56 — Dr. Scott Sherr's background and health optimization medicine framework 10:42 — Strengths and weaknesses of conventional vs alternative medicine 16:34 — Why 94% of US adults are metabolically unhealthy 22:30 — The 'sympathetic spiral of doom' and why doing MORE isn't better 25:48 — Deep dive into methylene blue — history and mechanisms 35:09 — MAO inhibition, serotonin syndrome risk, and dosing protocols 42:43 — Methylene blue and red light therapy synergy 48:55 — GABA system, B3-GABA, and the TroCalm formula explained 59:58 — Complete sleep optimization stack and nighttime routine 67:30 — Cordycepin benefits and immune support protocols PEOPLE MENTIONED Dr. Scott Sherr — Guest — board-certified internal medicine physician, health optimization medicine practitioner, co-founder of Troscriptions Dr. Ted Achacoso — Founder of Troscriptions and the Health Optimization Medicine nonprofit, mentor to Dr. Sherr Alan Sherr — Dr. Sherr's father — chiropractor for 45+ years who influenced his alternative medicine philosophy Francisco Gonzalez Lima — Researcher at University of Texas Austin studying methylene blue for Alzheimer's, TBI, and stroke Thomas DeLauer — Mutual friend who uses methylene blue 2-3 times per week on high-stress days Paul Stamets — Referenced regarding mushroom knowledge and Amanita Muscaria/Santa Claus connection

Welcome to this week's Midlife Minute episode. Today, I answer a question from a 55-year-old postmenopausal woman on HRT who still wakes up multiple times at night. I also explore the factors that tend to affect women's sleep in midlife and offer practical strategies for better sleep. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How sleep apnea shows up differently in women than it does in men Why being constantly sympathetic dominant may interfere with your sleep How not eating enough protein, healthy carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats can spike your cortisol overnight How drops in progesterone and changes in estrogen can impact GABA and glutamate The importance of doing vagal exercise during the day and gearing down before bed  Some simple vagus nerve practices to support relaxation How alterations in progesterone and estrogen impact neurotransmitters My favorite supplement for supporting sleep, and adaptogenic herbs that buffer cortisol Connect with Cynthia Thurlow   Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia's website Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow  Cynthia's Menopause Gut Book is on presale now! Cynthia's Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line Links: 1. Sleep and sleep disorders in the menopausal transition (Research Link) 2. The Sleep Goddess Reveals the Truth About Sleep, Menopause & Hidden Sleep Disorders | A. Matsumura (YouTube)  3. Pulsetto (Affiliate link): Discount code: CYNTHIA

What if feeling better didn't have to take months or years to figure out, but could start today? On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with Dr. Scott Sherr to talk about why so many people feel stuck in what he calls a “sympathetic spiral of doom.” Energy is low, recovery isn't what it used to be, and there's a constant sense of stress that doesn't seem to resolve. We walk through what's actually happening beneath the surface, why it can be so hard to break out of that pattern once you're in it, and how to start shifting your energy and recovery. Watch the full conversation on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. In this episode, we discuss: • Why you feel “tired but wired” and what it actually means for your body • What's keeping your energy low even when nothing obvious is wrong • How stress from your life and environment builds up and keeps you stuck • Why calming down doesn't always work—and what to focus on instead • How to start rebuilding your energy so your body can recover and adapt We shouldn't have to wait for something to go wrong to take action. The goal is to help your body function better so you can actually feel it day to day. View Show Notes From This Episode Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Sign Up for Dr. Hyman's Weekly Longevity Journal https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Results https://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive This episode is brought to you by Perfect Amino, Korrus, Timeline, BON CHARGE, BIOptimizers and Pique. Go to bodyhealth.com and use code HYMAN20 to get 20% off your first order. Visit korrus.com/drhyman for 15% off their newest product OIO Sphere with code HYMANSPHERE15. Visit timeline.com/drhyman for 20% off a subscription on top of the new starting price of $79. Head to boncharge.com/hyman and use code HYMAN for 15% off. Head to bioptimizers.com/hyman and use promo code HYMAN at checkout to save 15%. Secure 20% off your order plus a free starter kit at piquelife.com/hyman. (0:00) Introduction and guest Dr. Scott Scherer (3:31) Understanding the sympathetic spiral of doom (5:06) Symptoms and signs of sympathetic overdrive (7:10) Sympathetic activation, mitochondrial function, and stress (10:02) Mitochondria: their role and impact in the body (12:31) Stress, metabolic dysfunction, and their effects (17:43) Nervous system, mitochondria, and the cell danger response (21:25) Survival, stress, and breaking the sympathetic spiral (23:11) Contributors to stress: top-down and bottom-up (25:56) Mitochondria, microbiome, and medication impacts (29:38) Mitochondrial dysfunction and mental health (32:19) Limitations of parasympathetic activation and addressing root causes (36:46) How mitochondrial stress leads to fight-or-flight (37:52) Steps to break the sympathetic spiral and support mitochondria (42:41) Methylene blue: benefits, uses, and safety (50:35) Methylene blue as an MAO inhibitor and for chronic infections (57:17) Case studies, third-party testing, and Transcriptions' evolution (1:02:36) Parasympathetic edge, recovery, and the GABA system (1:07:44) GABA, supplements, and interventions for stress (1:12:23) Addressing root causes and methylene blue usage (1:17:29) Transcriptions products, sleep formula, and practitioner ecosystem (1:19:49) OneBase Health, hyperbaric space, and final information

When building a business, have you ever felt like working harder should be the answer, but the more you push, the more exhausted, misaligned, or stuck you become?  In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, Jason Hull sits down with Sean Patton, former U.S. Army Special Forces Commander, executive coach, and leadership speaker, to unpack what entrepreneurs can learn from military leadership, self-leadership, and mission-driven culture.  They discuss the dangers of hustle without recovery, why so many business owners never learn to lead themselves, and how clarity of mission, roles, and outcomes can transform the way a team operates.  Jason and Sean also explore why the military is far more collaborative than most people assume, how strong leaders facilitate input without losing ownership, and why mission dictates culture in both combat and business. Along the way, they dive into personal purpose, team alignment, trust in sales, and the mindset shifts required to build a business that creates both impact and freedom instead of burnout. You'll Learn (00:00) Introduction and Guest Background  (01:15) Sean Patton's Military and Entrepreneurial Journey  (04:16) Leadership in Difficult Situations: Military vs. Business  (08:29) Dispelling Myths About Military Leadership  (10:35) Collaborative Decision-Making in Special Forces  (12:56) The Role of Extreme Ownership in Leadership  (16:08) Culture as a Mission-Driven Concept  (19:16) Aligning Mission, Culture, and Outcomes  (20:51) The Power of Mission and Vision in Business  (25:41) The Why Behind Business Success  (29:24) The Entrepreneurial Hierarchy of Needs  (35:19) Applying Military Clarity to Business Operations  (37:31) The Importance of Clear Roles and Responsibilities  (41:37) Closing Remarks and Contact Information Quotables "Leadership isn't a title, it's a person you become." "Sometimes the loudest voice in the room isn't the smartest voice in the room." "Mission dictates culture." Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:01) Five, four, three, two, one. All right. Welcome everybody to the DoorGro show. I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGro, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. For over a decade and a half, we've brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry.   At DoorGrow, we are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses. We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now, let's get into the show. All right, so I have an awesome guest today. I'm hanging out here with Sean Patton. Welcome, Sean. I'm going to brag about you a little bit. Thanks for being here.   Sean Patton (00:53) Yeah, alright, you go for it. Thanks for having me, man.   Jason Hull (00:54) All right. All   right. So Sean is a former U.S. Army Special Forces Commander, Meta Performance Executive Coach at Novus Global and a leadership keynote speaker. Sean helps leaders accomplish seemingly impossible and thrilling visions through transformation. This is your bio. As a former U.S. Army Special Forces Commander, Sean brings a rare combination of battlefield tested leadership, real world business ownership.   and success back to human performance principles to every stage and coaching session. His work is grounded in one belief, leadership isn't a title, it's a person you become. As an ICF certified executive coach, host of the No Limit Leadership Podcast and author of A Warrior's Mindset, The Six Keys to Greatness. Awesome. Sean, so glad to have you here. Welcome to the show.   Sean Patton (01:48) Thanks, man. I'm excited to be here.   Jason Hull (01:50) Cool. So Sean, for those listening, I'd love for them to get a little bit of background on you. I gave a little bio, but tell them a little bit about how did you get into entrepreneurism? When did you wake up and go, hey, you know what? I'm an entrepreneur.   Sean Patton (02:04) Well, it took a little bit. was maybe a little late to the game. I originally went from a small town in Kansas. I went to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduated and then spent 10 years as an active duty officer in the army. So I was an infantry officer and then a special forces officer in the special forces group commanding two different Green Beret attachments. So it was a busy time. I feel like I crammed a lifetime of   leadership lessons into those 14 years, right? Like West Point is most intense leadership training that our nation has. And then, you know, was a rifle platoon leader and sniper platoon leader in Iraq. Then I was an Afghanistan with my team. So I was doing really difficult things and complex things with elite performing teams. And, you know, despite all of that and 22 months in combat and 30 months to point overseas,   I was never really the gun guy or the gear guy. Uh, it was all, it always about the people and the problems that we were solving. And so in 2015, a little before that, I decided that I was going to get out of the military in transition. And I just had this entrepreneurship itch that I wanted to scratch. Plus, you know, I want to check out with this freedom thing that I had been hearing about all these years was all about. And so I decided to try it and.   Jason Hull (03:04) Yeah.   Yeah.   Sean Patton (03:31) It was a rocky start. I had a lot of, I think I had some strengths coming out of the military and those experiences, but also some real gaps. And one of them was a, I think my risk tolerance was so high from things I had been doing. then also   Jason Hull (03:33) Yeah.   Yeah.   Sean Patton (03:59) The answer in the military so often, at least in the units I was in was when things got hard, right? When the, when the darkness came, when it seemed like the weight was unmanageable, the answer was just go harder. Like, you know, like the mission is going to end, you're going to redeploy, like you, know, the sun's going to come up, just keep going, keep going, keep going. And what I didn't appreciate was when you get into the entrepreneurship space is that in the military, even in those units, there was this like,   Jason Hull (04:11) Okay, yeah.   Yeah.   Sean Patton (04:28) mechanism around us almost protecting us. Like they had honed us into this machine that could push ourselves to these extreme limits. But they told us when it was time to turn it off and when it was time to refit and when it was time to recover. And then I got in entrepreneur space and when things got difficult and you know, I made some really bad financial decisions which we can get into and all of that. I found myself with all of that weight with the only answer I had was just go harder.   Jason Hull (04:52) Yeah.   Yeah.   Sean Patton (04:59) And so   three years later, I was in the hospital ⁓ and I had stress hives and my appendix almost burst and all these health issues and going through my first bankruptcy or my only bankruptcy, but bankruptcy after three years. And so it was a rough start to the whole thing. I had to learn a lot of lessons about myself in that.   Jason Hull (05:07) Wow.   Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, early stage entrepreneurism, there's some similar patterns I've noticed because, you know, I've talked to thousands of entrepreneurs. I've gone through this sort of journey. in the beginning, yeah, we do a lot of stupid stuff. Like we make mistakes and that's part of learning. You know, we believe weird things like I just like your first hire should be a clone of yourself. If I could just clone myself, I call it the clone myth. Like we believe like   You know, we think we can do everything ourselves. it'd be cheaper if I just figure out how to do it myself. If I just read the right book, watch the right YouTube video. And so we do dumb stuff like we don't get support. We don't get help. We don't get mentors. like it. had to things had to get really hard before I started getting mentors, getting help, getting coaches, getting support. And I had to be humble, you know, before I was willing to do that. And.   And yeah, and so I see, I see this, you know, a lot of people play out this journey and then early stage as an entrepreneur. Yeah. We're, we're, it's almost like the hustle's glamorized. And so we go through this process of like, I got a hustle. I got to work harder. That's what you do if you own a company, if you're a CEO, if you're a boss. And so you just burn yourself out. I remember I was at end of a sales call trying to wrap it up.   I was in so much pain because I like I think I'd slipped some sort of disc or was bulging in my back. And I was like by the end of the call and doing this call, I was laying on the floor and I ended the call and I was like, and I was in so much pain. I wasn't able to work and had to lay down for like two weeks. Yeah. And then I realized because I hadn't been eating, I'd been just working. hadn't been sleeping.   Sean Patton (07:04) my gosh.   Jason Hull (07:11) very well, I'd been just working. I thought I just need to work harder, work faster. And I didn't realize that probably I was like probably operating at like 10 % of my effectiveness mentally. I was being stupid. And I thought, I just need to work harder, I gotta hustle. And I wasn't taking care of myself. And then that's when I realized, if I don't take care of my body, I don't have a vehicle to achieve stuff or to get results. And I'm not even really present.   Sean Patton (07:23) Thank   Jason Hull (07:40) when I'm there with people because I'm hungry and I'm tired and I'm I'm everywhere else and I haven't even produced the, or my brain hasn't had a chance to clean itself like it does every night. And I haven't gotten food to fuel my brain. I don't have all the chemicals my brain needs. I'm lacking dopamine and serotonin and GABA and like, I'm just, I'm an absolute mess, right? And I see people do this all the time, all the time.   Sean Patton (08:05) It's so true. I, in my lens, how I look through that is through a leadership lens. And I learned in the military so many great things about leading others. And as I look back at it, what I had to learn in entrepreneurship, what you're kind of talking about is like, I never really had to master leading myself.   Jason Hull (08:31) Yeah.   Sean Patton (08:32) I never had to look at myself as like, how am going to lead myself? Cause the way you mentioned there, like I would never treat one of my soldiers or one of my employees or have an expectation of them the way I was, I was treating myself. And so it's like, how would you.   Jason Hull (08:41) Yeah.   Yeah, I wouldn't do I wouldn't I wouldn't push my spouse to be like this. I'd be like, hey, come on, clean more. Work harder.   Do this. Right. Yeah. Then marriage would be over real fast. I wouldn't like I wouldn't do that to my kids. Come on, go. Yeah. But to ourselves, we can sometimes be a cruel leader. Right. Can you dispel a myth? Because, you know, I got I kind of got a sense of this. I've never been in the military. And God bless you. Thank you for your service. I appreciate that.   Sean Patton (08:55) Yeah.   Jason Hull (09:15) ⁓ but I've realized I've been listening to, ⁓ Chaka Willa, Willick and Leaf, whatever their, their book, ⁓ the dichotomy of leadership. And I had this belief that in the military, I think a lot of people maybe that haven't been involved in it have this perception. Military, just, you either give orders or you take orders. It's rigid. There's no thinking. You just were told what to do. And, ⁓ you know, I've kind of gotten a very different picture of that.   that there's a lot of decisions and there's planning and know, this is lives are on the line and it's painted a very different picture. Can you just touch on that? Cause I think some people here, you've got this background in the military and to you, it's just, you know this stuff cause you had lived it. But for those that have never been in the military, what advantage did that give you in business and how is that different that maybe people perceive it?   Sean Patton (10:09) It's a great question. I do think that there is this idea from either whether it's like movies about basic training or, you know, the, or, know, about like submarines. Yeah. You just shut up and go. Right. And, know, there is in basic training or when you're, I would say when you're being transformed from a free citizen to a soldier, there is a bit of a breaking down of   Jason Hull (10:16) in movies. Yeah. You blindly follow and you're told what to do. Yeah.   Mm-hmm.   Sean Patton (10:39) some of that, that needs to come back. But then as you build that foundation of like, when it's time to go, I go ⁓ and I have some discipline and I can, can integrate with the unit, let's say. ⁓ Then you start getting more and more responsibility. And especially as you move up in the military, you become, I mean, it's not that long, like two or three years later, even the regular military, regular army, you're going to be a team leader. So you're going to be a leader.   And a of those kids are like 20, 19, and they're in charge of three people. And so they're no longer just like, it would make no sense to have someone to stand here and like, what do I need to do? This is what need to do. ⁓ That's not, not, that wouldn't like, that doesn't work in a company and that wouldn't work in a unit. And so there needs to be input on each side. And then especially when you get into like the Navy SEALs, like Jaco was talking about, or in a special forces team. mean, the planning, I was a facilitator of mission plan.   Jason Hull (11:11) Yeah.   Yeah.   Sean Patton (11:38) but I was by no means the smartest person in the room and it was a very collaborative experience. And so my job as the commander of a 12 man special forces ODA was to receive the mission that we had been given. And that mission doesn't come down and tell us this is how you're going to do it. It says, here's the effect we need to have in the area. Here's the questions we have. And then it was up for us to sit down and I had, you know, I have a warrant officer who's   Jason Hull (11:43) Hmm.   Sean Patton (12:08) trained in human intelligence to a level of a CIA operative. I have an intelligence officer or an intelligence sergeant who does the same work the NSA does. My average age on my team is 30 years old, people with multiple combat experiences. I remember one time I was in Lebanon and one of my younger soldiers, Greenbright, we were talking about why there was this conflict going on and how we were trying to influence it.   And I said, well, you know, it's probably because of this rift between this Hezbollah and the Shia sect and the Sunni sect of Muslims in the area. And, you my 26 year old soldier is like, actually, sir, that's incorrect. This conflict in the Becca Valley actually goes back hundreds of years. It's actually over like water rights. mean, like that's the level of conversation we're having in the planning session. And it is very much a collaborative   Jason Hull (13:00) Yeah.   Sean Patton (13:07) ⁓ discussion and we come up with multiple courses of action, but here's, I will say where it kind of converges to, ⁓ the lesson that comes from the military and maybe an issue, this is where the people maybe have this misconception, but I think it's an important one for when it comes to the, company is that at the end of the day, kind of go back to Jaco's first bunk on book, honestly, extreme ownership, has to be someone in charge as the commander is my dis   Jason Hull (13:11) Yeah.   Sean Patton (13:35) was my decision. was like, okay, I've heard everyone's input. We're going with, this is how we're going to do that. And immediately, because everyone had given their input, even if we didn't pick what their choice was, it was, okay, Roger that. Now we're going to execute that as if it was our own. And so that level of ownership when it comes to planning and execution is where we turn and say, okay, now we're on the same page.   the rich discussion and input that happens before that is an important job. And that's why I think whether it's in the military or in the civilian world, as a leader of an organization like that, you need to be a master facilitator. It's not your ideas. It's how can we be the composer of the group in front of us? And if someone is taking over, how do we calm them down? How do we...   Jason Hull (14:20) Yes, yeah.   Sean Patton (14:31) recognize when someone's voice is being stomped out and their valuable input isn't being contributed. You know, like how do you handle that and get the idea so that the best concept comes to the top and then get buy-in to execute.   Jason Hull (14:37) Bye.   I mean, what I'm hearing is like, you know, this picture you're painting is you've got this team of specialists. They each bring some value and some wisdom and some knowledge to the table. They're experts at this one particular craft. They see everything through a different lens and you're getting feedback from all these different lenses. And then as a leader, you have to decide which things are valid, which things do we incorporate? And, know, and it's up to each individual that's a specialist to really   put some pressure on the leader to say, this is significant, this is important. And it's up to the leader to make sure that, you know, maybe that quieter voice, but to recognize what is significant if they're not making it present, because sometimes the loudest voice in the room isn't the smartest voice in the room. And so, yeah, so that's fascinating. And, business is a lot like that, but a lot of business owners, they don't even run their teams like that. They think it's a dictatorship.   They mistakenly think that's how the military works. They're like, I'm the dictator and I have all the best ideas and I'm smarter than all of you. And they do, they end up as the emperor with no clothes. Cause everybody in the team were like, yes boss, we don't want to get fired.   Sean Patton (15:56) Absolutely. And that's why I think that the, main job of, let's say that entrepreneur, that business owner, that even commander, right. Is your job is to craft the vision of what you're trying to create. And yes, the outcome and clarity of outcome, clarity of vision of why does this company, why do we exist and what impact are we trying to have in the world? And once people are bought into that and aligned on that.   Jason Hull (16:09) The outcome, clarity of outcome.   Okay.   Sean Patton (16:26) then we can have a great and rich discussion on the how, the strategy.   Jason Hull (16:30) Got it. that,   you know, that's, so now we're talking about culture, right? Which is the foundation before we get into tactics, we have to have culture and the military, you have all kind of chosen into a particular culture. There's a set of beliefs and that's a foundation. It's kind of like, you might maybe even take it for granted, but the military has that and a lot of businesses don't. They don't have that set culture where it's defined.   Sean Patton (16:57) So can I, what I will say is that this is true in the military and I'll give you some military examples just because they're maybe interesting to your audience and then we can talk business is that mission dictates culture. So, know, for example, you might have, you know, especially a lot of the movies, right? You see like the Marines, That's stereotypical. We'll be super stereotypical right now. Marines mission, their core mission is secure the beach to land ships.   Jason Hull (17:04) Yeah, I love this. Yeah.   Yeah, OK.   Mm-hmm.   Okay.   Sean Patton (17:27) So if   you notice, are a bit like, just go get in line, full frontal assault, you're getting off ships on an uncovered area and you're just massive violence of action. That's how you win that battle, okay? So they need to have a certain kind of mentality and I'm generous. Okay. A special forces team will operate by, with and through an indigenous force. So we're a US sponsored insurgent. we've got, I will go on target with.   Jason Hull (17:42) Yes.   Sean Patton (17:54) 10 Americans and 300 Afghani commandos. Like that dictates a certain mission, right? And so ⁓ the difference between the Marines and then maybe the Navy SEALs who are operating and their job is to take over a ship underway with 30 SEALs that all live together, work together. They know each other in their ear, like synchronize their precise, you know, cause you've got to be right. You're, you're firing weapons inside of a ship corridor. Like   Jason Hull (17:57) Okay. Yeah.   Sean Patton (18:23) You have to be so precise. I can't do that on the ground with 300 Afghanis running around. I'm just like guns pointed this way. You know, like we've got to you've to be much more flexible and and how you plan that and how you think about success and all that is a different animal than the Marines who are on you're trying to storm a beach together. A SEAL team is operating with 30 people who've worked closely together and then.   where you've got 12 of us trying to work by with and through a different unit to do a different thing. Like the culture inside each one of those units would be completely different. In the Marines, you might have a bit more like go here, do that. Yes, sir. How, how jump high, jump faster. You know, you might need that because that's you need to storm a beach. You made, you need very precise, very black and white, right? And wrong, like precision to take down a ship with 30 people.   you need to be very clear about larger intent and what is the big thing we're trying to operate here and how do we control sort of an uncontrollable mass and chaos to operate a Green Break team. If you took the culture of each one of those, if you gave that mission to a bunch of Marines who are just like, where do I go? Where do need to blow up? And you're trying to like do a sensitive political operation with 300 indigenous, it would be a disaster.   Jason Hull (19:29) Yeah.   Sean Patton (19:46) And if you tried to set the precision of, cause we tried to do this sometimes, like you would work with an indigenous force. If you tried to set the precision and standard of a US special operator, whether it's a SEAL or a Green Beret on this indigenous force, you drive yourself crazy. Like it's not going to happen. All right. And so all of those different units have different missions. And so they all have different cultures. And to your point on your company, if you're not clear on missions,   If you're not clear on the vision and like why you exist and what you're trying to do, you will end up chasing your tail on culture because you'll just start grabbing like every other leadership book and culture. just like, what about this works here? This works here. This works here. Instead of saying, what are we trying to accomplish and what is the optimal culture for our mission set?   Jason Hull (20:36) I love that. Yeah, one of our guiding documents at DoorGrow is our, we call it our client-centric mission statement. And it talks about who we want to serve in detail, how we will help them, what our goal is, our plan, and then what kind of the long-term sort of vision that maybe we'll never achieve, but it's the goal we're striving for. And this is what we coach our clients on getting defined because it creates culture.   Then we have our how we do things. That's the company core values. And then we get into personal why statements for the business owner, business why statements. Creating all of this is, we call this the culture materials. There's like six key elements that I coach them on getting in place that help kind of make the culture visible to everybody on the team. And you're right, mission dictates culture. I love this idea because the mission of the business   which most people mistakenly think is just to make money, is actually to provide some sort of value and to solve a real problem in the marketplace. And that mission, whether you're good at it or not, and the team are conscious of it or not, and you're focused on it or not, dictates whether or not you have good culture that actually achieves outcomes. That makes a lot of sense.   Sean Patton (21:53) Yeah, absolutely. Cause   yeah, I love that you have that structure and I love how you also tied that down to personal why statements because this is another leadership issue that I see with a lot of entrepreneurs. We're big companies, honestly too, is that there is this assumption that you've accepted this job description and here's what matters to the company and therefore   what matters to maybe me as your leader or boss or the division or the company is also the most important thing to you as an individual or like the reason you're here is not really explored. So I think one of the most critical conversations you can have, and it sounds like you have a structured format for that, which is fantastic, is just sitting down with each member of your team, like, why are you here? What matters to you? Because often, right, I'm sure you've had this, I've had employees where you assume   a salesperson, the most important thing is compensation, right? It's how much money you can make. And that's great. Maybe it is, but then it's actually like, well, yeah, that's important. And also, you know, my, my youngest is a senior in high school and this is the last baseball season we have with, and man, the games start at four and it's so hard for me to get to games at four because you have me work till five. And it's like, if I could just make those baseball games, that would be amazing. And then all of sudden,   Once you know like what matters to them and why they're doing this, then you can adjust and say, cool, how do we align what matters to you? What your personal why statement as you mentioned it and the company why statement. And now you've got alignment. And when you align those two things where what matters most to them contributes to what matters most to the company, you just, create transformative effects.   Jason Hull (23:36) Thank   Yeah, the big challenge I've noticed, the biggest transformation I can get is to help the business owner get clear on their why. Because when the business owner isn't clear on why they do what they do, they end up doing the wrong things in the business. Because you're the business owner, you can do anything in the business. And so some business owners are like, well, I have to do the accounting. I'm the business owner. Do you really? If you hate accounting, you probably shouldn't be doing the accounting.   You're not the right personality fit for that, which means you're actually probably not the best person to do that. So some business owners love sales. Some love accounting. Some hate it. Some love operations. Some are really bad at that. And so if we can get clear on their personal why, and then we can look at their role and see if their role is helping align with that, we can then reorganize the entire business. But most business owners, the first team they build is they transition from solopreneur to having a team.   I find is a mess. The first team they have is built around the wrong person. And it's kind of like they're like, I'm this shape puzzle piece, but it's not really them. They're like, I'm doing accounting. I'm doing this and a little bit this. And then they're like, now I'm going to get team members. I'm going to puzzle pieces around this misshapen puzzle piece. And they fit that puzzle piece, but that's not even me. So I hate being in it. I'm uncomfortable in my own business.   In property management, this is where they get to two to 400 doors. call it the second sand trap or the team sand trap. They've made it through that transition of finally having a team from being a solopreneur and they're the most miserable they've ever been in their business. And adding more doors makes their life personally worse, not better. Because adding more doors just means they're working harder. They're doing more work instead of getting the right support and the right team, because they didn't build the right team around the right person from the beginning. So if I get them clear on their why,   They're like, my gosh, I'm a circle. I'm not a square. I need to build this whole different team around me. And then like when I got clarity on this many years ago, I think within a month I had fired like half my team. I changed everything. I changed the type of clients I was willing to work with. I changed my business model. Like I didn't want to tolerate certain things anymore because you know, I woke up one morning and I was like, I would rather stream Netflix and avoid growing my business.   even though I need money, then deal with the clients I'm dealing with at that time. I'm like, why is this so, why am I so out of alignment? Then I saw Simon's the next start with why, like presentation on the golden circle, why, how, what? And I was like, what? And I'm like, ⁓ what's my why? And so I went to, I've like, I need to figure this out. And my personal why is to inspire others to love true principles. What that means is I love finding the better way to do things. I love learning what works.   and sharing it with other people, I would do that for free for fun. If you're listening to this podcast, I'm doing it for free for fun right now. Like I love this. I love learning what's working for other people. And then I get to turn around and share that with clients and I get paid to do that. That's crazy. And that's the role I get to live in my business. And so my business, it feeds me my why.   Sean Patton (26:47) Yeah, it's all true.   Jason Hull (26:55) And so our why statement of door goes to transform property management, business owners and their businesses. So we get to create transformation. Everybody on my team buys into this vision. We all celebrate when our clients are winning. And so that's the culture we've created in the business. That's our mission, transformation. And we know if we transform the business owner, we transform the business. We transform the business, we transform the team. We transform the business and the team. We transform hundreds, maybe thousands of tenants and rental property owners lives.   There's this ripple effect and that's exciting to me. We're having impact, right? And so the thing I can get on a sales call and confidently say to a property management business owner, here's why you should trust me because if I'm selfish in getting what I want out of life, my why, my business is going to give you what you need and you are going to win. And we can always trust motives. And so I call that the golden bridge. The golden bridge is find out the prospects why.   Sean Patton (27:31) Yeah.   Jason Hull (27:54) and you build a bridge to it, the bridge is the business. It's what gives you both what you want. That's where the deal happens. And there's my why, there's the prospect's why, the business why is what connects us. And that's the golden bridge. And if I can relate that formula verbally, all the objections drop by the wayside, because the only real objection is, I don't trust you. If they're like, what about these features? And what do you do with my property? And what do you do? How do you handle evictions? All they're saying is blah, blah, blah, I don't trust you yet.   And so that's, I just teach my clients the golden bridge formula and that we have, and then they become great at selling because sales is about trust. That's it.   Sean Patton (28:35) Yeah, I love that, ⁓ that framework. And also I want to call out an important mindset shift that I know I struggled with. And I think a lot of other owners struggle with it. You mentioned there, which is this belief that if we're not suffering,   Jason Hull (28:57) ⁓ yeah. It's like suffering's a badge of honor in entrepreneurism.   Sean Patton (29:02) Yeah, like if we had, if we're actually enjoying what we're doing, if we're having time off, if we're like, you mentioned, we're taking care of ourselves and we're like inspired and energetic and it doesn't feel that hard, we must be doing something wrong or being lazy or we're not doing enough. And so then we're like constantly pushing ourselves to this point of, uh, I need to be overwhelmed. I need to be, and when things are going well, we'll crash the plane.   Jason Hull (29:11) ⁓ yeah.   Yeah, yeah.   Sean Patton (29:30) just so we can feel the pain again, so we feel like we're being productive. And so I love the fact that you, sounds like you sort of, we're running into that or identified that. And now the shift that it sounds like you've made around your mindset is like, what if this could be fun?   Jason Hull (29:32) Yeah.   Yeah. What if you actually love doing what you were doing in your business? I'll tell you what happens because I hope a lot of people do this. You make way more money when you focus on the money instead of the mission and you're not focused on your why you make way less money. But it's money is easy when you are focused on helping people get what they want. You're outward focus and it's you're being selfish enough to focus on your actual purpose. Money is not your purpose.   If I say, do you want money? There's a whole level of depth beneath that. Right. And so, yeah, but you're right. Like we're struggling, we're suffering, and it's like a badge of honor. Look at my hustle culture. And I'm like, it's so hard. And then we start succeeding and we get, the world gives us feedback because the world isn't supportive of entrepreneurs. The world cares about safety and certainty more than freedom. Entrepreneurs care about freedom and fulfillment more.   Sean Patton (30:24) Yes.   Jason Hull (30:48) than safety and security. And that's why we start businesses. That's a risk. But as soon as we start winning, what do we hear from people? ⁓ it must be nice.   Sean Patton (31:00) Yeah.   Jason Hull (31:01) it must be nice that you have this. Jason got his cyber truck or he's in his million dollar house. It must be nice. ⁓ know, and so you hear things like this and you're like, did I do something wrong? maybe I need to be small because I'm making some people feel uncomfortable because, know, it's to be a struggle. I can't show that I'm having success because it's got to be hard. I didn't I didn't work hard enough to earn this. Maybe it's that feeling or, know, it has to   Sean Patton (31:20) Yeah.   Or enjoyment, yeah, it's gotta be.   Yeah, I think there's a lot   of that. I know my relationship as I've reflected back with, with money, um, with success is, know, I grew up with a, with a single mom and she was phenomenal. I mean, raised me, worked full time as a waitress and bar center to put herself through undergrad and grad school to be a school psychologist, to work with special needs kids so that she could impact the world and take care of me. But in that, yeah. Yeah.   Jason Hull (31:31) Hard.   Yeah.   And love was working hard. That's what you saw. Like she was hustling.   You knew she loved you. She was serving. Yeah.   Sean Patton (32:02) Absolutely.   And so I would say there's two sides of that coin. One, what I tell people all the time is like, when you see your mom do that or that's your leader, like mediocrity is no longer acceptable. That's one thing I took away from it. then the, but there was this idea when we say we drove through nice neighborhoods or we saw big houses or we saw people with money. was like, ⁓ those it's like those people. Like it was very much put into, I feel like subconsciously that   Jason Hull (32:10) Yeah.   Yes. Yeah.   Sean Patton (32:31) I think that it was just a matter of like, ⁓ there's this idea of that good people or hardworking, working class folks like us, we're doing sort of this noble thing and these other people either just got lucky or they're just different or they were born into it or, it's this idea of like, we're not those people.   Jason Hull (32:49) Or even worse,   were unethical or hurt people to get there. Those rich people, those evil billionaires and those evil millionaires, and nobody should have that kind of money. They must have hurt people to get there and yeah, yeah, yeah.   Sean Patton (32:54) 100 exactly.   And so that   was like a story, even a money story and success story that over the last 10 years as an entrepreneur with different businesses, and I was, and I was as a coach of leaders inside companies, ⁓ and, business owners that I've had to overcome. And I have found myself to your point, sort of sabotaging or questioning when I do have certain levels of success or impact and downplaying it almost because I have this.   Jason Hull (33:17) Yeah.   Sean Patton (33:34) subconscious belief that like, wait a if I make this amount of money or if I get to do these things is like, am I, as you said, am I deserving of that? Or is that even like an ethical thing to be able to do? I need to suffer more and drive myself back to the suffering conversation.   Jason Hull (33:40) Yeah.   Yeah, I mean,   the feedback we get from the world as entrepreneurs. So one of my frameworks is the four, I call it the four reasons for starting a business. The first reason is fulfillment in life. That should be primary. We should be getting fulfillment in life, living our why, living our purpose. Number two, it should be more and more freedom. The business should give us more and more freedom. Now, we initially as entrepreneurs, when we start our journey, we make more and more money.   And the reason we want more money is we think it will give us more fulfillment and more freedom. But the default is, I've seen this over and over again, I live this, is we make more and more money and we have less fulfillment and freedom in our business initially. Until we get clear on this, because we're aiming for the wrong goal, we're aiming for money, not the four reasons. Once we have fulfillment and freedom though, once we figure that out, we're like, why am I doing this? I need to shift things. And we get alignment there, then we want to benefit others.   That's contribution. And that's actually why businesses exist. Businesses exist to contribute to the marketplace something of value, solve real problems. Otherwise, they're just snake oil and they're stealing people's money. And so true entrepreneurs, like they might start with just the motive of money, which maybe isn't the highest motive. But if they're going to be successful, eventually they graduate usually to contribution.   because that's the only thing that actually works in the marketplace. The marketplace is brutal to anything else. So it's almost like God tricks us into becoming good people by getting us to start businesses, you know? And so the fourth reason, once we have contribution, we have fulfillment, freedom, we get to, we're living a life where we feel like we're benefiting others, making a difference. And we love, we can't have those first three without the fourth, which is support. There's no,   Sean Patton (35:22) Yeah, yeah.   Jason Hull (35:41) business owner that I know of that enjoys doing every hat, wearing every hat in their own business. And so we have to have a good team. We have to have a good support. Just like you were talking about in the, in the military, like if you're going on a mission, you need some specialists that have expertise in different areas to make this work. Not everybody has the same personality, the same skills, the same intellectual abilities. And so we need other people if we want to stay in those first three.   We can't have fulfillment, freedom and contribution if we're doing stuff we don't enjoy. That's the opposite. And so we have to have team members. And that's why we build the vehicle of a business instead of just be a freelancer and do it all on our own. And that's the, so those are my four reasons. Now there is the fifth reason. The fifth reason is what everybody else wants. And we want this too as entrepreneurs, but the fifth reason is safety and security.   This is what makes us different. Everybody else on the planet wants all five of these things. But most people on the planet play safety and security first. They're like, forget your freedom. We saw this during the pandemic. It's like, fuck your freedom. Like, we don't care about your freedom. I want to feel safe. Make everyone feel safe. Force it on everybody. Make everybody feel safe first. And then freedom would be a really nice afterthought. And then entrepreneurial people were like, this what crazy planet am I on?   Sean Patton (37:04) Mm-hmm.   Jason Hull (37:08) Am I hanging out with aliens? Like, I don't understand. I thought we were in the land of the free home of the brave here in the US and like, what's going on? And we have all these different basic hierarchy of needs, but the hierarchy is different for entrepreneurs versus everybody else. And there's nothing wrong with that. Like I need people on my team that don't want to be the business owner.   Sean Patton (37:21) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Yeah, yeah   Jason Hull (37:32) You know, I need them to be with me and enjoy it, right? And they need somebody that like me, that's crazy, that's willing to take some of the risks. They just don't realize they're working for a crazy person, right? So that values freedom more than safety. So yeah, but look, I love safety and security too. That's why I process documentation. I have systems that makes me feel safe. If I lose somebody, right? So we need all of these things. So I love, I love that you were pointing that out. ⁓ Where should we go from here?   Sean Patton (37:42) Hahaha   Yeah.   Jason Hull (38:01) Like we're almost at the time and I love hearing the ⁓ how the military works because the military works its life or death. It's it's ⁓ and there's clear objectives and I feel like in business things get so fuzzy and there's so much BS. And when we hear it in terms of military, we're like, ⁓ duh, this would translate. I should do my business this way.   Sean Patton (38:04) Yeah.   Yeah, I think it's a good way to wrap in last couple of minutes is like, what are some key points there? think that what the military does, because not everything in the military is from personal experience translates perfectly over, right? But that there's certain things. Yeah, it's all the same. There are some similarities. I think that if there's an overarching word of why, and it's just true,   Jason Hull (38:43) Sure, it's not all exactly the same, yeah.   Sean Patton (38:58) military, good military units are able to accomplish the seemingly impossible tasks ⁓ is clarity, like extreme clarity and no nonsense around no clarity. And so whether that's clarity of mission, clarity of roles and responsibilities, who's doing what when and what are they committing to? There's so much... ⁓   Jason Hull (39:05) Yeah.   Hmm.   Sean Patton (39:26) sort of expectation or unsaid agreements that happen inside business, where we make assumptions about what we think other people understand or what they think success is or roles is. Instead of saying here's our clear mission, here's our outcomes, here's my role and responsibility, here's what I'm gonna own. I mean, the amount of times I work with a company or entrepreneur and we go in and they say, yeah, here are like the 12 things that are important before the next meeting, but there's no one's name next to it with a date.   Jason Hull (39:28) Hmm.   Yeah.   Yeah. Right.   Like who? Who's responsible? Who's accountable? Yeah.   Sean Patton (39:55) It's like, Hey, what'd we talk about last meeting? Who's doing that? Yeah. Who's taking,   who's accountable. So I think they're very clear about like what role and responsibility do you have so that you can lean into that. So clarity around roles, responsibilities, clarity around mission, then clarity around, you know, end state. Like what does success look like for this? Those are.   Jason Hull (40:14) What's the definition   of done on this? How do we know this is accomplished? I love it.   Sean Patton (40:19) Mm-hmm. And so I think   if companies could really take that approach of clarity in those three areas, it could be transformative.   Jason Hull (40:29) Totally agree. One of my mentors that really taught me operational stuff was a mentor named Alex Sharpen. And Alex would talk about outcome transparency and accountability. He was like a three-legged stool. And he said, there has to be a clear outcome. Like, who's responsible ⁓ is also, right? that's like outcome transparency, accountability. Accountability is who? What are we trying to accomplish is the outcome.   And then what's the scoreboard? How do we measure success? How do we know if it's done? And he said he would watch billionaires and follow them around and they go into a meeting. They didn't know what was going on, what was being discussed, but there was a problem. He would just walk in and he would ask three questions and the problems were solved. Cool. What are we trying to accomplish? Okay. Who's responsible for this? Awesome. How do we know if it's done or not?   And it was that simple. And then you walk out of the room, everyone's like, man, he's magic. So glad we have him. What a great leader. And I love it. Clarity is massive. one of the things, like a lot of businesses don't even have the clear role or job descriptions defined for their existing team members. If I went to, anyone listen to this, I went to your team member, ask yourself this question. And I asked them, what are you responsible to achieve on a weekly, monthly basis? What is your job?   Sean Patton (41:27) Yeah.   Jason Hull (41:52) What are your roles? What are you supposed to do? And then I went to the business owner. I went to you listening and said, what is their responsibility? What are these? I usually get two very different set of directions. But if you come to my team or hopefully some of my clients that I'm coaching and you ask that question, they would say, cool, let me pull up my document that is super clear that we review regularly. This is it. We've agreed on this. We're literally on the same page.   And it's that simple. And so they know what outcomes they're responsible for. And the outcomes are more important than the responsibilities. So on our job descriptions, we have results. What results or expected accomplishments are there? so little things like that. One of the things I love saying lately is, this is one of my little phrases, is any action we take without clarity is a little bit wrong. Sometimes a lot, a lot wrong.   Sean Patton (42:21) Yes.   Mmm, I love that.   I love that.   Jason Hull (42:51) Yeah, and so that's dangerous. like the last thing you want to do in on the battlefield is just rush out with a lot of gusto guns a blazing with no plan and a lack of clarity. But in business, sometimes that's how we operate for shooting from the hip. We're like, Woo, yeah.   Sean Patton (43:08) Yeah,   it is. That's the thing is because of the mission that the military has, the culture demands extreme clarity. And because of the mission of businesses, people can get away with leakage and mistakes because, you know, it's not life or death. But if you treat your business like that, that's how you get to the next level of performance.   Jason Hull (43:18) you   Love it. Cool. Sean, awesome having you on. Always fun to chat with you. We have some good conversations. ⁓ This is really interesting to me. I love hearing how ⁓ this all works and the contrast with military and whatnot. You brought up some really great points that really made me think. How can people get in touch with you? Tell them what you do real quick and all that.   Sean Patton (43:40) Yeah, absolutely.   Yeah,   absolutely. So you wanna, my personal site is SeanPatton.me. Super easy to find. I'm very active on LinkedIn. And I am a part of a larger firm called Novus Global, where we focus on creating meta performance leaders. A lot of the transformation we're talking about today. So yeah, LinkedIn and my website, easiest ways to get me. also the host of the No Limit Leadership Podcast. Please check that out and.   Jason, you have a scheduled day. I'm excited to have you on that podcast in the future.   Jason Hull (44:29) Yeah, I'm excited to be on that. That'll be great. It's been great having you. Cool. Thanks for being here. All right. Yeah, absolutely. So for those of you that are property management business owners and you felt maybe stuck, stagnant, you want to take your property management business to the next level, reach out to us at doorgrow.com for free training on how to get unlimited free leads. Text the word leads to 512-648-4608.   Sean Patton (44:35) Thanks, Jason. Appreciate the opportunity.   Jason Hull (44:57) Also join our free Facebook community just for property management business owners at doorgrowclub.com. And if you want tips, tricks, ideas, and to learn about our offers, subscribe to our newsletter by going to doorgrow.com slash subscribe. And if you found this even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review on wherever you saw this. We'd really appreciate it. And until next time, remember the slowest path to growth is to do it alone. So let's grow together. Bye everyone.   All right, and we are out in five, four, three, two, one.   Sean Patton (45:33) Thanks brother.

Host: Unique DoctorGuest: Dr. Jason Hawrelak (Microbiome Specialist & Educator)Episode SummaryIn this episode, Unique Doctor sits down with renowned clinician and researcher Dr. Jason Hawrelak to discuss why the modern trend of "carpet-bombing" the gut with antimicrobials like Berberine and Oregano oil may be doing more harm than good. They explore the nuances of Akkermansia, the dangers of hidden chemicals in natural supplements, and how to use fiber and targeted herbs as "snipers" to restore a healthy internal ecosystem.Key Information & HighlightsThe Problem with "Natural" Antimicrobials: Many popular herbal treatments (Berberine, Oregano Oil, Grapefruit Seed Extract) are non-selective. They kill beneficial Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producers, often leading to a "bloom" of pathogens like E. coli and Klebsiella shortly after treatment.The "Sniper" Herb – Pomegranate Husk: Unlike broad-spectrum killers, Pomegranate Husk acts selectively. It inhibits pathogens and fungi while actually encouraging the growth of beneficial microbes.The Oxygen/pH Dynamic: You can suppress pathogens without "killing" them by changing the environment. Pathogens hate acidity and oxygen-free environments. Feeding your gut fiber creates Butyrate, which sucks oxygen out of the gut and lowers the pH to a level pathogens cannot tolerate.Akkermansia Insights: If you are missing Akkermansia muciniphila, current supplements may not "colonize" you permanently. However, red polyphenols (Pomegranate, Dragon Fruit, Cranberry) and prebiotics like Inulin can drastically increase levels if the species is still present.The Probiotic Myth: Probiotics rarely "recolonize" a healthy gut. They are transient travelers that perform specific tasks (e.g., speeding up transit time or producing GABA for anxiety) but usually don't stay forever.Recommended ResourcesThe Corn/Quinoa Test: Eat corn or black quinoa and track how many hours/days it takes to appear in the stool (Optimal is 18–30 hours).Microbiome Testing: Look for Shotgun Metagenomics or 16S DNA testing rather than basic PCR pathogen tests. I like Tiny Health for North America. Code: youregreatDietary Goals: Aim for 40–50g of fiber daily from diverse plant sources.Watch the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/@beanprotocolJoin The Legume Love letter Newsletter here: LOVE LETTERS

Try TrueDark (with my discount): https://truedark.com/discount/DAVETUBEI have spent 20 years and over $2 million testing my biology, and the biggest lesson I've learned is that sleep is a neurological system, not just a chemical one. Most people fail to get deep rest because they are stuck in Beta brainwaves—a state of hypervigilance fueled by stress and blue light. You can take all the melatonin in the world, but if your brain is electrically "awake," you will stay "tired but wired."The "switch" I use to fix this is an amino acid called L-theanine. It crosses the blood-brain barrier to increase Alpha waves, which quiet the prefrontal cortex and stop overthinking. By boosting GABA and lowering glutamate, it prepares the brain for rest without the groggy "hangover" of traditional sedatives.To make this work, I follow a strict protocol: taking 400mg–1000mg about 45 minutes before bed on an empty stomach. I also protect my "Alpha state" by blocking blue and green "junk light" with TrueDark glasses, which prevents cortisol spikes that ruin sleep architecture. When you combine the right compounds with a dark, low-stimulation environment and consistent timing, sleep stops being something you chase and becomes something your body does automatically.Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction00:23 – How the Brain Enters Sleep01:00 – Why Most Supplements Fail02:15 – Beta Waves: The Sleep Blocker03:29 – Alpha Waves: The Sleep Gateway04:51 – The Amino Acid That Shifts Your Brain06:11 – Introducing L-Theanine06:48 – Common L-Theanine Mistakes08:02 – The Right Protocol09:34 – Light & Your Sleep Environment11:13 – Fixing Your Light Environment12:14 – The Full Sleep System13:59 – Putting It All TogetherThank you to our sponsors!AquaTru | Go to https://aquatruwater.com/daveasprey and save $100 on all AquaTru water purifiers.LYMA | Go to https://lyma.sjv.io/gOQ545 and use code DAVE10 for 10% off the LYMA Laser.Connect with Dave Asprey!Website: https://daveasprey.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@daveaspreyofficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dave.asprey/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Daveaspreyofficial/X: https://x.com/daveaspreyYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/daveaspreybprThe Human Upgrade Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/TheHumanUpgradePodcast/ https://m.facebook.com/Thehumanupgrade/Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/DAVE15Dave Asprey's BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com/Dave Asprey's New Book - Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated/Dave's favorite supplements: https://www.shopsuppgradelabs.com/discount/DAVE15Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Dr. Jockers sits down with Dr. Scott Sherr to break down why so many people are stuck in fight or flight and what it's really doing to your brain and body. You'll learn how GABA acts as the "brake system" for your nervous system and why low levels are linked to anxiety, poor sleep, and burnout. They also unpack why fixing stress is not just mental, but deeply biological.   You'll get a clearer picture of what's actually going on inside your cells when you feel exhausted, wired, or mentally foggy. Dr. Sherr explains how your mitochondria play a central role in all of it and why supporting them can change how you feel day to day. They also talk about tools like methylene blue and oxygen therapy, and when they can actually make a difference.   They also get into why constantly pushing harder isn't the answer, and how being able to slow your system down can actually improve your performance. You'll hear what it really means to shift into a parasympathetic state and why so many people struggle to get there. It may change the way you think about stress, recovery, and what your body actually needs.   In This Episode:  00:24 Show Intro and Guest 05:04 Sympathetic Spiral of Doom Explained 08:40 The Parasympathetic Edge 12:32 GABA Gas and Brakes System 15:22 Gut Inflammation and GABA Connection 16:49 Safer Ways to Support GABA 19:55 Alcohol, Benzos and Dependence 22:26 Why Calming Alone Can Backfire 27:13 Mitochondrial Dysfunction Root Causes 30:29 Methylene Blue as an Energy Bridge 32:40 Methylene Blue Controversies 36:20 SSRI Safety Considerations 37:47 High Dose Clinical Use 38:27 Versus CoQ10, PQQ and Creatine 41:29 Hyperbaric Oxygen Basics 43:29 Acute vs Chronic Protocols 46:01 Chamber Pressure Differences 47:17 Health Optimization Medicine Explained 49:55 Trauma and the Sympathetic Loop 55:26 Vagus Nerve Tools and Limits 01:02:54 Performance, Recovery and Closing Insights If you want practical, natural strategies to balance your hormones, heal your gut, boost your energy, and slow aging, don't miss The Dr. Josh Axe Show. Dr. Axe blends ancient wisdom with cutting-edge science and brings on world-class experts for unfiltered conversations you won't hear anywhere else. Transform your health from the inside out and subscribe to The Dr. Josh Axe Show, with new episodes every Monday and Thursday.   Experience faster, more effective health optimization with Troscriptions. Their innovative buccal troche delivery system sends ingredients directly into your bloodstream for rapid results, bypassing the digestive system. Whether you need a boost in energy, immune support, or relaxation, Troscriptions has a solution for you. Visit Troscriptions.com/DrJockers and use the code DRJOCKERS for 10% off your first order.  Most people have no idea how polluted their indoor air actually is. I didn't either until I looked into it. The air inside your home can be significantly worse than outside, which is a big deal when you're spending most of your time indoors. That's why I use Air Doctor. It removes 99.99% of contaminants like dust, mold, smoke, and even viruses, so you're breathing cleaner air every day. You can go to airdoctorpro.com and use the code NUTRITION to get up to $300 off. You'll also get a 30 day money back guarantee and a free 3 year warranty. It's one of the simplest upgrades you can make for your health. If you feel like you need caffeine or nicotine just to get through the day, you're definitely not alone. But there's a better option that doesn't come with the crash or the edge. Ultra Pouches give you clean, steady focus using ingredients like L theanine, Alpha GPC, and B vitamins. No caffeine, no nicotine, just smooth energy that actually feels good. Most people notice better focus, more stable energy, and even an improved mood. If you want to try it out, go to takeultra.com and use the code JOCKERS to get 15% off your order. It's a simple switch that can make a big difference in how you feel day to day.     "Most GABA is made in the brain from glutamate using magnesium and vitamin B6. If you're deficient, your nervous system struggles to slow down."      Subscribe to the podcast on: Apple Podcast Stitcher Spotify PodBean  TuneIn Radio Resources: Visit takeultra.com and get 15% off with code JOCKERS Visit airdoctorpro.com using code NUTRITION. Visit Troscriptions.com/DrJockers and use the code DRJOCKERS for 10% off.   Connect with Dr. Scott Sherr: Website: https://drscottsherr.com/ Connect with Dr. Jockers: Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/drjockers/ Facebook – https:/www.facebook.com/DrDavidJockers YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/djockers Website – https://drjockers.com/ If you are interested in being a guest on the show, we would love to hear from you! Please contact us here! - https://drjockers.com/join-us-dr-jockers-functional-nutrition-podcast/

Dr. Rhonda Patrick, PhD, is a biomedical scientist and public science educator. She shares the exercise, nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle practices linked to better health and lower disease risk including specific cardio and resistance training routines, when and why to do intermittent fasting, ways to lower visceral fat, omega-3 sourcing, creatine for brain and muscle and peptides such as BPC-157. It's broad and thorough coverage of how to build a total health program tailored to your goals and individual biology. Read the show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Our Place: https://fromourplace.com/huberman Lingo: https://hellolingo.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Mateina: https://drinkmateina.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Rhonda Patrick (00:02:40) Competition, Jumping Rope, Rope Flow (00:06:49) Rhonda's Exercise Routine, Cardiovascular & Resistance Training (00:12:30) Cognitive & Physical Benefits of Exercise, Serotonin & Impulse Control (00:14:40) Sponsors: Our Place & Lingo (00:17:03) Phones While Training? (00:18:45) Rhonda's Strength Training, Low-Reps, Modifications, Mental Resilience (00:27:00) Daily Protein Intake, Intermittent Fasting, Processed Carbohydrates (00:33:32) Lipopolysaccharide (LPS); Gut Permeability, Gluten; Cardiovascular Health (00:42:58) Sponsor: AG1 (00:44:21) Tight Junctions, Gut, Neuroinflammation (00:47:26) L-glutamine, Immune System, Cancer Risk (00:54:55) N-acetylcysteine (NAC), Vitamin E; Antioxidant Balance, Reductive Stress (01:00:08) Starch, Tool: Bedtime Fast & Cardiovascular Health (01:03:36) Cortisol, Intermittent Fasting Benefits (01:08:09) Cortisol, Train Fasted?; Hormones, Visceral Fat (01:13:35) Visceral Fat, Perimenopause/Menopause, Insulin Resistance in Brain & Body (01:21:13) Sponsor: LMNT (01:22:33) Cortisol & Sleep (01:25:42) Intermittent Fasting, Metabolic Switch, Ketones, Muscle Loss? (01:36:47) Tools: Logic-Based Habits; Daily Metabolic Switch; Exercise, Autophagy (01:45:06) Exercise After Poor Sleep?; Training Breaks (01:52:47) Tool: "Exercise Snacks"; Sedentary Lifestyle & Cardiorespiratory Fitness (02:03:31) Sponsor: Function (02:05:16) Creatine, Dose, Resistance Training, Cognitive Function (02:17:43) Biology; Creatine; Supplement Safety (02:25:18) Omega-3s, Inflammation, Cancer Risk, Vitamin D; Trans Fat (02:36:52) Magnesium Threonate vs Bisglycinate, Sleep, Cognitive Benefit; Vitamin D (02:45:46) Supplement Types, Multivitamin, Coenzyme Q10, Urolithin A, Sulforaphane (02:55:10) Microplastics (02:57:26) Sponsor: Mateina (02:58:28) BPC-157, NMN, NR, Tool: Evaluating Supplements, Safety, Sources (03:06:28) L-Carnitine, Alpha-GPC, Nicotine, GABA & Ketogenic Diet (03:15:20) Nattokinase; Microplastics, Water Bottles; Seed Oils (03:22:21) Sauna, Creatine for Kids?, Bananas, Tool: Evaluating Studies (03:28:37) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices