Podcasts about Gaba

In part one, Dr. Liz Bartman and I broke down why PMDD happens: the histamine surges, the GABA receptor glitch, the progesterone metabolite that either calms you down or completely wrecks you depending on your unique biology. If you haven't listened to that one yet, start there, because this episode builds directly on it. Now we get into the part everyone actually wants to know: what do you do about it? We talk about why popular fixes like DAO supplements and strict low histamine diets usually fall short, and what to focus on instead, starting with your gut, your liver, and your nervous system. Dr. Liz walks through her actual clinical protocols, including specific nutrients, herbs, and the EndoAccess formulas she uses with patients who have histamine overload, progesterone sensitivity, or both. We also get into the harder conversations: when a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor might help women who are pushing too much allopregnanolone, what's really going on hormonally for women hitting perimenopause with worsening PMDD, and yes, when birth control or even an SSRI might actually be the safest, most compassionate choice, even for someone who leans natural. Dr. Liz makes a case that will challenge how you think about "first, do no harm." This episode is about giving you an actual roadmap, not just information. Because once you understand your own biology, from part one, you can finally stop guessing and start treating the right thing. In This Episode, We Cover: Why DAO supplements and strict low histamine diets usually don't solve the problem long term The gut, liver, and nervous system focused approach Dr. Liz uses first with patients Key nutrients and antioxidants for calming histamine and neuroinflammation, including glutathione support, sulforaphane, green tea, pomegranate, curcumin, NAC, and glycine Why alcohol is one of the biggest hidden disruptors of histamine clearance and hormone balance Specific probiotic strains, including lactobacillus plantarum, and their surprising role in GABA receptor expression The EndoAccess formulas Dr. Liz uses clinically for histamine support and for progesterone sensitive PMDD, including early results from a small group of patients What 5-alpha reductase inhibition is, how it relates to allopregnanolone, and when it may help Why perimenopausal women can suddenly develop worse PMDD, and the surprising role of testosterone, insulin, and FSH The honest conversation about birth control, newer options, and when it may be the safest choice for severe PMDD Where SSRIs fit in, including luteal phase only dosing and what to support alongside them Why the nervous system piece is the part most women skip, and why it may be the most important one Who This Episode Is For This is for women who now understand why they're struggling, from part one, and want an actual plan. It's for anyone who has tried supplements or progesterone with no luck and felt like they were out of options. It's especially for women in perimenopause noticing their PMDD or PMS getting dramatically worse, and for anyone who has felt conflicted about whether birth control or an SSRI could ever be the "right" choice for them.     Sponsors Join the Midlife Women's Peptide Program today and get started for less than $200 a month! Timeline is offering up to 39% off your first order of Mitopure. Gummies. Go to timeline.com/HORMONE use coupon HORMONE Get 15% off Magnesium Breakthrough By BiOptimzers at bioptimizers.com/hormone with coupon code 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

If you've been on social media lately, you've probably seen it: women swearing that a combo of Pepcid and Claritin, ordinary histamine blockers, gave them their life back during the worst days of their cycle. It sounds too simple to be real, and honestly, it kind of is. But the reason it's working for some women and doing absolutely nothing for others is the whole story, and it's a story almost nobody is explaining correctly. In this episode, I sit down with one of my all time favorite guests, Dr. Liz Bartman, to go deep into progesterone sensitivity, PMDD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and how it's different from garden variety PMS. If you've ever felt like a completely different person for two weeks out of every month, only to feel like yourself again the second your period starts, this episode is going to make you feel seen in a way most conversations about "hormones" never do. We get into what's actually driving PMDD for so many women: an altered GABA receptor that stops responding correctly to a calming metabolite of progesterone called allopregnanolone. We talk about why histamine surges at exactly the wrong time in your cycle, how estrogen and progesterone are pulling the strings behind the scenes, and why some women feel like magic when they take progesterone while others feel like they've been poisoned by it. This is the foundational science you need before you try any protocol, viral or otherwise. This is part one of a two part series. Part two gets into what to actually do about it, but you need this piece first, because throwing supplements or medications at PMDD without understanding your own biology is how so many women end up frustrated and back at square one. In This Episode, We Cover: The real difference between PMS and PMDD, and why PMDD is classified as a mental health condition, not just a hormone imbalance Why normal estrogen and progesterone levels don't rule out PMDD, and what's actually going on in the brain instead What allopregnanolone is, how it works on GABA receptors, and why some women's brains stop responding to it correctly The viral H1/H2 histamine blocker protocol: what it is, why it can bring real relief, and why it isn't a PMDD cure-all The surprising role histamine plays as a neurotransmitter, including its connection to your morning cortisol response Why PMDD symptoms show up specifically in the second half of your cycle, and how estrogen, progesterone, and mast cells are all involved Why roughly half of women with diagnosed PMDD don't tolerate progesterone well, and what that tells us about the root cause How your gut microbiome, specific probiotic strains, and your nervous system state all influence GABA receptor expression and histamine regulation Why declining egg quality and corpus luteum function can cause progesterone to drop too fast in the luteal phase Who This Episode Is For This is for any woman who has ever felt like her brain and body get hijacked in the days before her period, and who has been told it's "just PMS" or that she's overreacting. It's for women who have tried progesterone and either felt amazing or felt so much worse, and never got a real explanation why. It's also for anyone who has seen the histamine blocker trend online and wants to understand the actual mechanism before trying it themselves.     Sponsors Join the Midlife Women's Peptide Program today and get started for less than $200 a month! Head to cozyearth.com and use my code HORMONES for 20% off sitewide! And if you get a Post-Purchase Survey, make sure to let them know you heard about Cozy Earth right here! Try the power of copper peptides on your skin today and get 20% off your order with coupon code km20 here.     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

TJ starts off talking about how New Mexico's voting process works, as it scores high among the Nation. Plus a quick conversation about the House of Representatives on Daylight Savings Time, and a story from Gaba about Hegseth and Testosterone and the military. All this and more on News Radio KKOB. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Your partner is not broken. Your relationship is not unsalvageable. She is simply going through one of the most profound biological transitions of a human life—and she shouldn't have to navigate it alone." — Dr. Rachel PopeWhy This Guide ExistsWhy is it that the most common question women in menopause support groups ask is: "How do I explain this to my partner?"How do you explain that the irritability, the sleep loss, the brain fog, and the sudden physical changes are not personal attacks or signs of a relationship unraveling, but rather the result of a massive, systemic neurological and hormonal transition?To bridge this gap, board-certified OBGYN and sexual medicine specialist Dr. Rachel Pope created this comprehensive audio guide. Written with equal measures of clinical precision and direct, honest language, this guide is designed specifically for the partner who loves a woman in transition. It is not designed to help you "fix" or "manage" her; it is designed to help you understand the profound science of what she is experiencing so you can show up as a true, informed partner.What You Will Learn in This Guide: Perimenopause: The actual timeline (it can last 4 to 10 years), ovarian decline, the pituitary "shout" (FSH), and why standard blood tests frequently miss it. Physical Body Transition: The real thermoregulatory science of hot flashes, night sweats, sleep architecture changes, metabolic shifts (visceral fat distribution), and cardiovascular safety. Psychological Landscape: Why her brain is not betraying her. The neurochemical connection between fluctuating estrogen, serotonin, GABA, sudden anxiety, panic, and "brain fog." Sex, Desire, Intimacy: Demystifying Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM), painful intercourse, the drop in testosterone, and the crucial shift from spontaneous to responsive desire. Practical Protocols for Partners: How to own the cognitive labor of the household, optimize the bedroom temperature (65°F to 68°F), utilize better intimacy tools (like UberLube), and support her medical treatment decisions (including Menopause Hormone Therapy).The Partner's Quick Communication Cheat Sheet:Instead of saying the wrong thing, try shifting your language to show partnership:Instead of: "You're being so emotional about this." Try: "I can see this is hard. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."Instead of: "Is it your hormones again?" Try: "What does support look like for you right now?"Resources Locate a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) near you at menopause.org Follow @drrachelpope on Instagram Love, Sex, and MenopauseIf you found this guide helpful, please leave us a 5-star review and share this episode with a friend or partner who needs to hear it!

Grossness, not my words but TJ's as he likes to describe his own show. On the grossness today, TJ briefly talks the MLB All Star Game, Gaba talks about Trump rescinding potential toll fees on the Straight of Hormuz. Lastly Paul Andrew Hutton joins TJ to talk about the Wild West History Association Round Up. All this and more on News Radio KKOB See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estrogen dominance is the hidden imbalance behind why your PMS, weight gain, and mood swings all hit at the same time — and most doctors never test for it. Nurse Doza breaks down four clinical reasons your cycle goes sideways: inflammation, dysregulated estrogen, your gut microbiome (the estrobolome), and an inflamed liver. Learn how your gut and liver actually regulate estrogen, why birth control isn't the fix, and the daily habits that restore a healthier, calmer cycle. Featured Product: Boost by MSW Nutrition When your hormones go sideways before your period, energy is usually the first thing to crash — the afternoon wall, the brain fog, the "I could nap standing up" fatigue Nurse Doza describes in this episode. Boost is the multivitamin you can actually feel: 2,500 mcg of methylated B12, a full multivitamin plus B-complex, electrolytes, and plant-based antioxidants including S-acetyl-L-glutathione — with a built-in liver detox support blend to help your body do the clearing work we talked about today. Clean, slow-release energy from one stick in water. No sugar, no crash.

Deep sleep and REM sleep get lumped together as "good sleep," but they're almost opposite states — one is the quietest your brain gets all night, the other is nearly as active as being awake. In this episode we pull the two apart: how we stumbled onto each of them, what's happening chemically while they run, and why one of them quietly shrinks as we age while the other holds steadier. In this episode we will:Break down what's actually happening in slow-wave sleep versus REM — brainwaves, muscle tone, and why one is a "quiet body, quiet brain" state and the other is "quiet body, active brain"Trace the history back to 1953, when a University of Chicago graduate student stumbled onto REM sleep almost by accidentGet basic on the neurochemistry: the GABA-driven shutdown that produces deep sleep, and the acetylcholine surge that flips REM onBring in new data from SLEEP 2026 in Baltimore, including a 22-million-night wearable dataset showing how deep sleep changes across adulthood, and a mattress-temperature study that moved the needle on restful sleep by nearly 20 minutes a nightCover what actually protects deep sleep — and what quietly wrecks it, from alcohol to late caffeine to a bedroom that's too warmTo find out more about this week's podcast sponsor SideSleeperZ, please use the following link: https://sidesleeperz.com/Original intro music Vigilanteology by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026) Original outro music Vigilanteology (reprise) by Abhinav Singh (copyright 2026)Produced by: Maeve WinterMusic by: Dr. Abhinav Singh (@sleep_vigilante), all rights reservedMoreTwitter: @drchriswinterIG: @drchriwinterThreads: @drchriswinterBluesky: @drchriswinterThe Sleep Solution and The Rested ChildThanks for listening and sleep well!

Send us Fan MailYour fuse feels shorter than it used to and you can't quite explain why. Before we blame it all on social media, sleep debt, or “the times we're living in,” we take a hard look at a quieter force that may be shaping mood from the inside out: PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals now found in the blood of most Americans.We walk through what PFAS are, why the carbon fluorine bond makes them so persistent, and where exposure hides in plain sight, including nonstick cookware, stain resistant materials, food packaging, and contaminated groundwater tied to firefighting foam. Then we follow the neuroendocrine thread that gets far less attention. We explain how PFAS may disrupt thyroid hormones, alter the HPA axis stress response, and contribute to neuroinflammation that can interfere with neurotransmitters tied to impulse control and calm, including dopamine and GABA. The result, in plain terms: less emotional buffer, more snap, and more anxious edge.We also dig into what the research is showing so far, from links between early-life PFAS exposure and behavioral outcomes to emerging adult findings in highly contaminated areas. Most importantly, we focus on agency and practical risk reduction. You'll get a clear, step-by-step plan for cutting exposure, including what water filtration works best for PFAS, what certifications to look for, which cookware to replace first, smarter food storage habits, and simple ways to support elimination over time.If this changes how you think about irritability, brain fog, or stress, subscribe for more, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review or comment with your biggest takeaway or the swap you're making first.DISCLAIMERThe views, information, or opinions expressed by guests during this podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of AFSO21's Weekend Wrap-up Podcast and its hosts. Furthermore, any views or opinions expressed by guests are their own alone and unless otherwise stated, do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, or official policies of any organization, institution, or employer they may be associated with or employed by.  Support the showContact AFSO21's Weekend Wrap-up Podcast - Email us at podcast@afso21.comAs always, keep supporting your local fire and emergency services, stay safe, and keep on listening!

If you've ever been told you have anxiety or depression without anyone checking your hormones first... this episode is for you. In this episode of Boss Bitch Radio, I dive into a conversation that I believe every woman needs to hear. Too many women are walking out of doctor's offices with prescriptions for antidepressants without ever getting a full hormone panel. While medication absolutely has its place, I'm asking a different question: What if your hormones are part of the real story? We're talking about how estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone affect your mood, sleep, energy, motivation, brain fog, and anxiety - especially during perimenopause and menopause. I also share my own experience with hormone changes, why I believe so many women are being misdiagnosed, and the lifestyle habits that can help support your hormones before we even get into treatment options. This episode isn't about fear or blaming doctors. It's about becoming your own advocate, asking better questions, and making sure you're getting the full picture before accepting that feeling anxious, exhausted, or emotionally flat is "just part of getting older." #Hormones #Perimenopause #Menopause #MentalHealth   Key Takeaways: 01:41 The 3 Hormones That Control Your Mood 02:46 Why Estrogen Affects Your Happiness 03:58 Progesterone, Anxiety & Better Sleep 05:26 Low Testosterone = Low Motivation? 08:50 Why So Many Women Get Misdiagnosed 10:26 The Stats That Will Shock You 12:26 Why Blood Work Should Come First 13:39 Simple Habits That Actually Help 19:10 When Healthy Habits Aren't Enough 20:39 Getting Real Answers with Hormone Testing 22:39 What I Hope You Take Away From This Episode Links mentioned: Ready to feel like yourself again? Visit Ivologist and use code DIANE50 for 50% off! https://ivologist.com/   Sources & References Menopause & Depression Risk (SWAN Study): Research shows women are 2–4 times more likely to experience a major depressive episode during the menopause transition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21306662/ https://www.swanstudy.org/womens-health-info/depression-menopause/ Antidepressants vs. Hormone Therapy: Approximately 1 in 3 women in perimenopause are prescribed antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications for mood symptoms, though current guidelines recommend considering hormone replacement therapy (HRT) when appropriate. https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/letters/assessing-the-suitability-of-antidepressant-use-during-perimenopause CDC (2023): Women are more than twice as likely as men to take antidepressants (15.3% vs. 7.4%) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db528.htm How Estrogen Affects Mood: Estrogen plays a key role in regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Fluctuations in estradiol levels during perimenopause and menopause can significantly influence mood https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7075107/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378512224001828 2025 Research on HRT: A recent study suggests that hormone replacement therapy - particularly when combined with testosterone - may reduce the need for antidepressants in menopausal women https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article/22/Supplement_1/qdaf068.081/8119509 Want more? Join the newsletter! Behind the scenes of the pivot, brand partnerships, real life in progress, and the things I'd only tell you in a DM: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/newsletter   Connect with Diane: Website: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/  Come find me on Instagram and reply to my Stories. I actually read everything and your opinion literally shapes the brand work I do:  https://www.instagram.com/thebossbitchdiane/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dianeflores_ifbb_pro  Are you a brand looking to work with me? I create content for brands I actually use and love. With 19 years of marketing and sales experience and an audience of women over 40 who are done being ignored by the brands that should be speaking to them. View my portfolio and let's talk: https://buffbunny.my.canva.site/diane-flores-ugc-portfolio  Freebies: Fit Girl Gift Guide: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/fit-girl-gift-guide  My Favorite Supplements: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/myfavoritesupplements  Protein Snack List: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/protein-snack-guide  Lower Body Blueprint: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/lower-body-blueprint  Full Body Training Program: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/full-body-gym-program 

A new Tennessee law is about to change access to CBD, THC/THCA, and kratom - and Dr. Barrett Deubert breaks down what's actually happening, why it's happening, and what it means for anyone using these products. Drawing on his own firsthand experience with all four substances, he walks through the real benefits (sleep, inflammation, nerve pain, focus) and real risks (addiction, anxiety, dependency) of CBD, THC, kratom, and nicotine - plus healthier alternatives like L-theanine, GABA, glycine, ashwagandha, and adaptogenic mushrooms for people looking to dial things back.. . . Watch the episode on YouTube here! Click here to view the episode transcript! Podcast Team Dr. Barrett Deubert - Host Grant Crenshaw - Editor (00:00) - Intro (00:37) - What's Being Regulated (02:27) - CBD (03:16) - THC/THCA (03:50) - Kratom & Nicotine (05:49) - Tennessee's New Law (07:13) - The Bigger Picture (09:33) - Healthy Alternatives (12:25) - Resetting Addiction & Closing DISCLAIMERThis content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Barrett Deubert and is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to replace medical advice or treatment from a physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding health questions and concerns. Neither Dr. Deubert nor the Real Health Co. takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All audience members, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.

If you’ve ever wondered whether alcohol permanently damaged your body—or you’ve quit drinking and found yourself asking, Why am I so anxious? Why can’t I sleep? Why do I still have brain fog?—this episode is for you. Today I’m walking you through what actually happens inside your body after you stop drinking. Not the social media myths. Not the gimmicks. The real biology. You’ll learn how alcohol changes your brain chemistry, why early sobriety can feel so intense, and what your body is doing behind the scenes to restore balance. We talk about the science behind sleep disruption, why your liver is one of the most remarkable organs in your body, how alcohol affects your gut, heart, immune system, and hormones, and why so many people begin feeling physically better long before they feel emotionally healed. One of the biggest messages I want you to take away is this: feeling worse after you quit drinking doesn’t mean alcohol was helping you. It means your body is recalibrating after years of adapting to alcohol. But we also have an important conversation about what sobriety doesn’t magically fix. Trauma, stress, anxiety, menopause, low testosterone, nervous system dysregulation, and emotional healing don’t disappear simply because you stopped drinking. Recovery is bigger than removing alcohol—it’s learning how to build a life you don’t want to escape from. In this episode, you’ll learn: 01:25 Your brain: GABA, glutamate & early sobriety 05:56 Alcohol and sleep: why you wake up at 3 AM 13:38 Your liver’s incredible ability to heal 19:07 Gut health, nutrient absorption & inflammation 24:22 Your heart, immune system & hormones after alcohol 36:26 Physical healing vs. emotional recovery If you’ve been wondering whether your body can recover after years of drinking, I hope this episode gives you something so many people desperately need in early sobriety: hope. Your body isn’t working against you. It’s been fighting for you all along.   Links mentioned in this episode:  Book A Call with Angela: addictionunlimited.com/call Join Sober Society: addictionunlimited.com/society Related Episode: Worried About Your Health in Sobriety? Here's How Your Body Heals After Drinking Instagram:  @addictionunlimited Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/addictionunlimited     Prefer to read instead of listen? Here's the full transcript of this episode. Angela (00:11.96) Hello, my friend. Welcome back to Addiction Unlimited Podcast. I’m your coach, Angela Pugh. If you’ve ever wondered whether alcohol permanently damaged your body, or you’ve quit drinking and found yourself asking, like, is this normal? Why am I so tired? Why am I anxious? Why can’t I sleep? Why do I still have brain fog after a month? Then this episode is for you. Because here’s what I want you to know right from the beginning. Your body wants to heal. In fact, healing begins within hours of your last drink. And while every person’s recovery looks a little different depending on how long they drank, how much they drank, age, genetics, nutrition, overall health, the human body is remarkably resilient. Today we’re going to walk through what alcohol actually does to different systems in your body, what happens when you remove it, what kind of timeline you can realistically expect. And why some parts of recovery happen on a calendar while other parts happen because of the work you choose to do. Angela (01:24.884) Here’s the thing about alcohol that almost nobody explains right. It’s not a substance your brain tolerates, it’s a substance your brain adapts to. Every single time you drink, your brain has to do damage control. And alcohol is a depressant. And before we go any further, I want to clear up one of the biggest misconceptions about that concept. When we say alcohol is a depressant, We don’t mean it makes you depressed or sad. We mean it depresses or slows down the activity of your central nervous system. Think of your central nervous system as the command center for everything your body does. It’s your brain and spinal cord communicating with every other system in your body. It controls your thoughts, your reaction time, your breathing and heart rate. Your coordination, your judgment, memory, emotions, everything. Alcohol comes in and starts turning the volume down on that entire system. Your thoughts and reflexes slow down, your reaction time slows down, your coordination gets worse, speech changes, your judgment becomes impaired. That’s what a depressant does. It slows the activity of your nervous system. But here’s where it gets really interesting. Your brain is obsessed with one thing, keeping you alive. And more specifically, it wants balance. Scientists call this homeostasis. Your brain wants everything operating within a pretty narrow range. So when alcohol keeps slamming on the brakes, Angela (03:13.194) Your brain wants everything operating within a pretty narrow range. So when alcohol keeps slamming on the brakes, your brain doesn’t just sit there and accept it, right? It adapts. It starts pressing the gas pedal to compensate. It ramps up excitatory chemicals, mainly glutamate. And over time it becomes less responsive to the calming effects of GABA because alcohol. Has been providing that calming effect artificially. Angela (03:47.384) Think of GABA as your brain’s brake pedal and glutamate as the gas pedal. As alcohol continues slowing everything down, your brain pushes harder on the gas just to keep you functioning normally. That’s why many people who drink heavily don’t necessarily look intoxicated because they’ve developed tolerance because their brain has adapted. But then one day you stop drinking. Suddenly the artificial breaks disappear. But your brain is still pressing on the gas. That’s why early sobriety can feel so physically and emotionally intense. Anxiety, restlessness, racing thoughts, irritabilities, shaky hands, trouble sleeping, feeling like your skin is crawling. Those aren’t signs something is wrong. They’re signs that your brain is trying to find its balance again. And every day you stay alcohol-free. Your brain begins adjusting in the opposite direction. It gradually turns the glutamate back down, restores its normal response to GABA, and it starts regulating itself without alcohol. That process doesn’t happen overnight, right? But it does happen. One of the biggest mistakes people make is believing that because they feel worse after they quit drinking, like alcohol must have been helping them. But that’s not what’s happening. You’re experiencing life without alcohol. You’re not experiencing life without alcohol. You’re experiencing a brain that’s recalibrating after alcohol. Those are two very different things. Angela (05:56.344) So we talked about the brain. Let’s talk about sleep. One of the biggest lies alcohol tells us is that it helps us sleep. I cannot tell you how many people say to me, Angela, I have to have a few drinks or I’ll never fall asleep. And I get it, I was exactly the same way. It certainly feels that way. Alcohol can absolutely make you fall asleep faster, but falling asleep and getting quality sleep are two completely different things. Think about it this way: if someone put you under anesthesia, Would you call that a great night’s sleep? Of course not. You were unconscious, but your brain wasn’t cycling through the normal stages of restorative sleep that your body needs. Alcohol works in a similar way. It sedates you, but it disrupts the quality of your sleep. One of the biggest problems is that alcohol suppresses REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement, and it’s the stage of sleep. That is incredibly important for learning, memory, emotional processing, and just overall brain health. It’s also the stage where most dreaming happens. So even if you’ve slept for eight hours after drinking, your brain may have missed out on some of the most restorative parts of sleep. Alcohol also causes your sleep to become fragmented. Like you may fall asleep quickly, but as your body metabolizes the alcohol during the night, your brain becomes more active. It gets agitated. That’s why so many people wake up at two or three in the morning with their mind racing, heart pounding, feeling Wide awake, even though you’re exhausted. Your heart rate stays higher, your body temperature is less regulated, your breathing can become less stable, and your nervous system is working much harder than it should while you’re supposed to be recovering. The good news is this starts to improve surprisingly quickly. During the first few days after quitting drinking, sleep sometimes can get worse before it gets better. That’s completely normal. Angela (08:03.212) Because your brain is learning how to fall asleep without alcohol, and that recalibration takes time. But over the next few weeks, your sleep architecture, right? The normal pattern of moving through different stages of sleep, all of that starts to recover. Many people begin noticing they’re sleeping more deeply, they’re waking up fewer times during the night and actually feeling rested in the morning. And that’s a huge difference. Because when you were drinking, you may have been unconscious for eight hours, but now you’re actually sleeping. And I also want to be really transparent about something because I think we do people a great disservice when we oversimplify recovery. Better sleep is one of the most common benefits of quitting drinking, but it isn’t a guaranteed, but it isn’t guaranteed on some magical timeline. Right. And I know this firsthand because I’ve never been a great a great sleeper. Not when I was drinking, and honestly, not long before I ever took my first drink. I’ve struggled with sleep since I was a young teenager. As I got sober, I started real recovery and healing, and I learned that alcohol wasn’t the only problem I had with sleep. I had a lot of problems with my nervous system. Years of chronic stress, trauma, and living in survival mode. Like all of that just taught my body it wasn’t safe to fully relax. And I know I’m not alone in that. Many people discover that alcohol wasn’t the root cause of their sleep struggles. It was just the way they were trying to cope with a nervous system that had been dysregulated for years. That was certainly my story. But once the alcohol was gone, I could finally see the other factors that were affecting my sleep. That’s why I want you to be careful about comparing your recovery to someone else’s timeline. There are so many variables. There are so many variables that affect sleep, right? Your history, stress levels, trauma, anxiety, depression, hormones, perimenopause and menopause, cortisol, blood sugar, caffeine, medications, sleep apnea. Angela (10:13.036) Like there are dozens of things that influence how well you sleep. But here’s what I can tell you without hesitation. The quality of my sleep improved dramatically. There’s a huge difference between spending eight hours unconscious because of alcohol and spending eight hours moving through the natural stages of restorative sleep that your brain and body are designed to have. Even if I still have a rough night here and there, I function better as a sober person, getting sober sleep than I ever did as a person who drank myself unconscious. My brain works better, my body feels better, I have more energy, my mood is more stable, my memory is sharper. I’m actually recovering while I sleep instead of asking my body to recover from what I drank. And that’s really the theme of this entire episode. Sobriety doesn’t remove every challenge from your life. It removes one of the biggest obstacles standing between your body and its ability to do what it was designed to do, and that’s heal. And once you’re finally getting real restorative sleep again, something else starts happening. Your body can begin repairing itself more efficiently. And one of the hardest working organs in that process is your liver. So let’s talk about what happens there. Angela (11:44.61) You know, one thing I always try to be honest about is that sobriety didn’t magically make me a perfect sleeper. I’ve struggled with sleep since I was a teenager. So anything that helps create a calmer, more comfortable sleep environment, I am all about it. I’ve been sleeping on cozy earth sheets for a while now, and they really are as good as everyone says. They didn’t make it to Oprah’s favorite things list for no reason. Okay, they’re incredibly soft. And honestly, they make getting into bed at the end of the day feel like its own little luxury. And since we’re talking about recovery, I think this fits perfectly. Recovery isn’t just about removing alcohol. It’s about taking care of yourself in ways that actually support healing. And creating a bedroom that helps you relax and get quality rest is one of those things that’s worth investing in. I also love that Cozy Earth stands behind what they make. Their sheets come with a hundred-night sleep trial, their clothing has a lifetime warranty. And if something isn’t right, returns are hassle-free. That tells me they’re confident in their products. And I appreciate companies that stand behind what they sell. Summers should feel easy for everyone in the house. Cozy Earth’s bamboo sheet set, the men’s everywhere pant, the women’s joggers. They’re all amazing, comfortable, and designed to keep you relaxed all summer long. Head to cozyearth.com and use my code ANGLE for an exclusive 20% off. That’s code ANGLE for an exclusive 20% off. And if you see a post-purchase survey, mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here on Addiction Unlimited. Angela (13:38.166) Okay, back to the liver. I have to tell you, I’m absolutely fascinated by the liver. If you’ve listened to this podcast for any length of time, you already know I’m a total brain nerd, right? I can talk about the brain for hours. But the liver, it is a very close second. It’s one of the smartest, hardest working, most dynamic organs in your body, and it doesn’t get nearly enough credit. The liver performs more than five. Hundred different functions every single day without you having to think about a single one of them. Like I say that and it makes me feel lazy. You know? It filters your blood, processes nutrients, stores vitamins, helps regulate blood sugar, produces bile so you can digest food, it makes proteins your body needs, it metabolizes medications, it supports your immune system. It just quietly goes about its business keeping you alive. Every second of every day. Then alcohol shows up. You know, the liver’s number one priority becomes breaking down that alcohol because, from your body’s perspective, alcohol is a toxin. And here’s the catch. While your liver is busy processing alcohol, many of its other jobs get pushed to the back burner. It’s like pulling your best employee away from everything they should be doing because they’re dealing with one emergency after another. If drinking becomes frequent or heavy, that emergency never really ends. Fat begins to accumulate in the liver. That’s what’s known as fatty liver disease. And it’s often the first stage of alcohol-related liver damage. the the important thing to know is that fatty liver doesn’t usually hurt, right? Most people don’t feel it happening. There may be no symptoms at all. That’s why a lot of people have no idea it’s developing. But if drinking can Continues, that fat can lead to inflammation. And over time, repeated inflammation can lead to scarring called fibrosis. If enough scar tissue builds up, it can eventually become cirrhosis. And that’s where that healthy liver tissue is permanently replaced by scar tissue. Now, I don’t tell you that to scare you. I tell you because understanding what’s happening inside your body helps make you. Angela (16:06.134) I tell you because understanding what’s happening inside your body helps you make better decisions. And here’s the hopeful part: the liver is one of the few organs in the body with an incredible ability to regenerate. In many people, healing begins within days of stopping drinking. Fat accumulation can begin to decrease within just a few weeks. And over the following months, many people with fatty liver disease can see significant improvement. It can be completely reversed if permanent damage hasn’t already happened, right? Inflammation goes down, liver function improves, your body becomes more efficient at processing nutrients and eliminating waste. Now, if someone has advanced cirrhosis, that’s a different conversation. Scar tissue that’s already formed generally can’t be reversed. But even then, stopping alcohol can slow or stop further damage. And obviously it’s gonna dramatically improve quality of life. So wherever you are on that spectrum, removing alcohol is one of the best gifts you can give your liver. Angela (17:21.354) And did you know that the liver actually has the capacity to regrow healthy tissue? Like surgeons can take a portion of a healthy liver for a living donation, and both the donor’s liver and the recipient’s transplanted portion will grow to meet the body and that body’s needs over time. I mean, think about that for a minute. It it’s amazing. It’s such an amazing organ. But so many people come into recovery believing they’ve ruined their bodies forever. And while none of us can erase the past, you have to understand the human body is amazingly resilient. If we give it the opportunity, it starts moving toward healing almost immediately. Like your liver is not just sitting there hoping for the best. You know, it’s constantly adapting, constantly repairing, constantly trying to keep keep up with whatever we throw at it. The problem is that every time alcohol shows up, your liver has to stop what it’s doing and deal with the emergency in front of it. And if alcohol keeps showing up day after day, your liver never gets the chance to fully catch up on all of its other incredibly important jobs. So the greatest gift you can give it isn’t some expensive detox tea or a cleanse you found on Instagram. Your liver already knows how to detox your body. That’s literally its job. It doesn’t need help doing its job. It just needs you to remove the thing that’s been monopolizing all of its attention. Every day you don’t drink, it can just get back to work trying to heal. And I love that because there’s a lesson in that for all of us, right? Our bodies. Angela (19:06.998) Are often far more willing to forgive us than we are willing to forgive ourselves. Your brain wants balance, your liver wants to heal. Your body is constantly trying to move you toward health. Our job isn’t to force the healing. Our job is to stop getting in its way. Okay, let’s keep following the path that alcohol naturally takes through the body, because alcohol doesn’t just affect your brain and your liver. It affects your digestive system from the very first sip. Your mouth, your esophagus, your stomach, your intestines, every step of the journey. Alcohol is incredibly irritating to the lining of your digestive tract. And over time it creates inflammation and it makes that lining more permeable. You may have heard the term leaky gut. And that phrase gets used a lot online. The medical concept behind it is what’s called increased intestinal permeability. And here’s what that means in plain English: the lining of your intestines is designed to be selective. Think of it like a really smart security guard or a coffee filter. It’s supposed to let the good stuff through things like vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients your body needs. While keeping larger particles, toxins, and bacteria out. Alcohol can damage that protective barrier over time. Instead of being as selective as it’s supposed to be, it becomes a little more leaky. Things that normally wouldn’t pass through can slip into the bloodstream. And that triggers inflammation and forces your immune system to work harder than it should. At the very same time, your body may become less efficient at absorbing some of the nutrients it desperately needs. The protective barrier in your intestines just doesn’t work quite as well as it should. And that matters because your digestive system isn’t just responsible for digesting food, it’s responsible for absorbing nutrients. And if your body can’t absorb nutrients efficiently, it doesn’t matter how healthy you’re eating. Angela (21:25.206) You’re not getting everything your brain and body actually need. Angela (21:35.286) And alcohol interferes with the absorption of a lot of nutrients, especially B vitamins, folate, magnesium, zinc. These nutrients are involved in everything from energy production to nerve function to brain health. So when people say they feel exhausted all the time while they’re drinking, alcohol itself is part of the story. But nutritional deficient, but nutritional deficiencies can be part of that story too. Then there’s the microbiome. Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria. And I know that sounds a little gross, but you actually want them there. Those bacteria help digest food, they provide certain vitamins, they support your immune system, and they communicate with your brain. Researchers call it the gut brain axis because your gut and your brain are in constant communication. So when alcohol repeatedly disrupts that environment, it can throw the whole system out of balance. And that contributes to bloating, digestive issues, inflammation, and even mood changes. The good news is your digestive system is another one of those parts of the body that starts responding pretty quickly once alcohol is removed. Many people notice less bloating in the first week, right? And Digestion becomes more regular over the following weeks. Acid reflux may improve, stomach irritation calms down, your body becomes better at absorbing nutrients again. Angela (23:18.862) And when your body starts absorbing nutrients more efficiently, you’re giving your brain better raw materials to work with. That’s another reason people will often notice improvements in energy and concentration and mood over time. It’s not one magical thing, it’s dozens of systems all getting a chance to do their jobs again. And I do want to make one thing clear because I don’t think because I don’t want anyone listening to think sobriety automatically fixes every digestive issue you’ll ever have, right? If you have food sensitivities, IBS, celiac, gallbladder problems, another medical condition, those don’t magically disappear because you quit drinking. Again, life is still going to be life, but removing alcohol eliminates one major source of irritation. It gives your digestive system a chance to calm down and work the way it was designed to work. Angela (24:21.804) And I love that idea because it keeps coming back to the same theme. Your body isn’t sitting around waiting to fail you, it’s constantly trying to heal you. Sometimes it just needs you to stop interrupting the process. So let’s talk about your heart. Your heart has one job, right? Keep blood moving. Every minute of every day, it’s delivering oxygen and nutrients to every cell in your body and carrying away waste products. And just like your liver, it never takes a day off. Alcohol asks a lot of your heart. Even a single night of heavy drinking raises your heart rate and your blood pressure. That’s one of the reasons so many people wake up after drinking feeling like their heart’s pounding out of their chest. It isn’t just anxiety. Your cardiovascular system is working harder than it should. And when drinking becomes frequent, that extra workload starts adding up. Alcohol can contribute to high blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, inflammation, and over many years, it can weaken the heart muscle itself. It also increases your risk for heart attack, stroke, especially with long-term heavy drinking. The encouraging news is that your heart responds surprisingly well when alcohol is removed. For a lot of people, heart rate begins settling down within days. Blood pressure often starts improving in a matter of weeks, although that depends on a lot of factors too: genetics, weight, medications, diet exercise, other health conditions, blah, blah, blah. Again, I don’t want to oversimplify it. Sobriety isn’t a cure for every heart condition, but removing alcohol takes a tremendous amount of unnecessary stress off your cardiovascular system. Your heart isn’t Constantly trying to compensate anymore. It gets to just do the job it was designed to do instead of cleaning up after alcohol all the time. Angela (26:29.242) And when your heart is pumping efficiently, then your circulation improves, and oxygen and nutrients are getting where they need to go. And every other system benefits from that. Your muscles recover better, your brain gets better blood flow, your energy improves, even your skin looks healthier because of improved circulation and reduced inflammation, right? Everything in your body is connected. That’s something I hope you’re starting to hear throughout this episode. We tend to think about alcohols affecting one organ at a time or whatever, but your body doesn’t work that way. Your brain talks to your gut, your tu your gut talks to your immune system, your liver supports metabolism, your heart delivers oxygen and nutrients everywhere. They’re all part of the same team. And when alcohol is out of the picture, it’s not just one player that gets better. The whole team starts working together again. And then there’s your immune system, right? I think this is another one of those systems that doesn’t get enough credit. Most of us only think about our immune system when we catch a cold or the flu. But your immune system is working every single day. It’s identifying viruses and bacteria, it’s repairing damaged tissues, cleaning up injured cells, helping wound. Helping wounds heal, monitoring for abnormal cells. It’s constantly scanning, communicating, and protecting you. And alcohol throws a wrench into that entire process, right? One of the biggest things alcohol does is increase inflammation throughout your whole body. Now, inflammation isn’t automatically a bad thing, right? If you cut your finger, inflammation is what helps it heal. If you catch a virus, inflammation is part of your body’s defense system. Angela (28:25.282) The problem is when inflammation never really gets the chance to turn off. That’s what chronic inflammation is. It’s like having your home’s smoke alarm going off all day, every day. Eventually, the whole system becomes stressed. Alcohol can keep your immune system in that constant state of activation. It’s responding to the alcohol itself. It’s responding to damage in the liver. It’s responding to changes in the gut. It’s responding to disrupted sleep. Everything we’ve talked about so far is connected. And over time, that chronic inflammation can contribute to fatigue, slower healing, increased risk of getting sick, and a higher risk for a lot of chronic diseases. Alcohol doesn’t just overactivate parts of your immune system. It can also weaken your ability to fight infections effectively, right? So if you’re in this strange situation where your immune system is working overtime in some ways while becoming less effective in others, it’s busy, but not necessarily efficient. When you stop drinking, that constant alarm finally starts quieting down. Inflammation begins decreasing, your immune system isn’t spending all of its energy responding to alcohol anymore. And it can start focusing on what it’s actually designed to do. And a lot of people notice they don’t get sick anymore. That was huge for me. I had like clockwork a few times a year. I would get super sick and be in bed for, you know, seven, eight days. And I’ve been sober 20 years. I hardly ever get sick. I don’t even get sick when my whole family is sick. Лайк ітскрази the difference it makes. Angela (30:16.588) But even when you do get sick, you recover more quickly too, right? Cuts and bruises heal faster. You just feel better. And while you can’t see inflammation the way you can see a cut on your hand, you definitely notice its absence, right? Like you wake up feeling less puffy, your face looks, your face looks less swollen, your joints don’t ache quite as much. Like your body feels lighter. Again, it isn’t magic, it’s biology. Your body’s been trying to restore balance all along. Removing alcohol just gives it one less battle to fight every single day. I think that’s one of the most hopeful things about recovery. Your body isn’t waiting for permission to heal. It’s been trying to heal from the very beginning. And sometimes the greatest act of self-care isn’t adding another supplement or buying another wellness product. Sometimes it’s simply stopping the thing that’s keeping your body stuck in survival mode. Angela (31:20.832) Okay, and then there are hormones, fucking hormones, ruining lives all day, every day. Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but only a little. When most people hear the word hormones, they immediately think about women: estrogen, PMS, perimenopause, menopause. And yes, we’re definitely going to talk about that. But hormones aren’t just a women’s issue. Every single one of us is running on hormones. They are your body’s chemical. Messengers. Okay, think of them like tiny text messages traveling throughout your body, telling different organs and systems what to do and when to do it. They help regulate your mood, your stress response, appetite, metabolism, sleep energy, sex drive, reproductive health, blood sugar, muscle mass, your body temperature. They influence almost everything we’ve talked about in this episode. And alcohol has its hands in all of it. So let’s start with cortisol. That’s your body’s primary stress hormone. Remember back in the beginning of the episode when we talked about alcohol slowing your nervous system down and your brain trying to compensate? Well, alcohol also disrupts your stress response. It can temporarily make you feel relaxed while you’re drinking, but as it wears off, cortisol often rises. That’s one of the reasons so many people wake up at two or three in the morning feeling. Anxious and restless and sweaty or like their heart is racing. It’s not just anxiety. Your stress hormones are literally shifting while you’re sleeping. And then there’s blood sugar. Alcohol can cause blood sugar to swing up and down, especially if you’re drinking on an empty stomach or you’re drinking sugary drinks. Those swings don’t just affect your energy, they affect your mood, your cravings, your concentration, even your ability to sleep well. And then there are sex hormones. Ladies, if you’ve ever been in perimenopause or menopause, you probably don’t need me to tell you that hormones can make life interesting, let’s say. Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, brain fogs, sleep disruption. I mean, sound familiar? Alcohol makes every one of those symptoms worse. Angela (33:44.852) It can intensify hot flashes, fragments your sleep even more, increases anxiety, it adds another layer of inflammation to a body that’s already going through enormous hormonal changes. So if you’re wondering why that nightly glass of wine doesn’t seem to be helping anymore, or why you suddenly feel worse instead of better, that may be part of the reason. But I also want to say something to the men listening: alcohol affects your hormones too. Heavy drinking can lower testosterone levels over time. And that affects energy, mood, muscle mass, strength, recovery after exercise, sex drive, even fertility. So if you’ve been feeling tired all the time or struggling to build muscle despite working out, or you’re noticing a lower sex drive, or you just feel like you don’t have the same drive and motivation you used to have, alcohol may be playing a much bigger role than you think. Again, it’s about understanding what’s happening inside your body. The encouraging thing. Angela (35:05.214) And many of these hormonal disruptions begin improving once alcohol is removed, right? Cortisol becomes more regulated, blood sugar becomes more stable, sleep improves, which supports healthier hormone production, inflammation decreases, your body starts communicating with itself more effectively again. And again, I don’t want to oversimplify this because if you’re in menopause, alcohol isn’t the only reason you’re having hot flashes. If you’re a man with clinically low testosterone, Quitting drinking isn’t guaranteed to bring your levels back to normal. Hormones are complicated. Age matters, genetics matter, medical conditions matter, stress matters. Just like we talked about with sleep, life is still going to be life. But removing alcohol gives your endocrine system one less obstacle to overcome. It gives your body the opportunity to find its natural rhythm again instead of constantly reacting to a substance that throws the whole orchestra off tempo. And that’s really what hormones are all about: communication, coordination, and balance. When alcohol leaves the picture, your body finally gets a chance to start having the conversations it was designed to have. Angela (36:25.866) As we wrap up this episode, I hope there’s one thing you take away from everything we’ve talked about today. Your body is incredibly intelligent. It is constantly working to protect you, adapt to whatever you give it, and move you toward healing. Your brain adapts, your sleep begins to recover, your liver regenerates, your gut repairs, your heart gets a break, inflammation starts to come down. Your hormones begin finding their rhythm again. None of that happens because your body is punishing you, right? It happens because your body has been fighting for you all along. Alcohol didn’t stop your body from wanting to heal. It just kept interrupting the process. And the beautiful thing is the moment you remove alcohol, your body gets back to doing what it’s always wanted to do heal. Now, I also want to make one really important distinction before we finish. Everything we talked about today is biology. Your body does this work automatically, but your emotional healing is different. Learning how to regulate your emotions without alcohol, building confidence, healing your relationships, setting boundaries, managing stress, working through trauma, learning who you are without alcohol, creating a life you don’t want to escape from. Those things don’t happen on a timeline. There isn’t a study that says 47 days in, your confidence comes back, or after six months, you’ll finally forgive yourself. Right. That part of recovery depends on something completely different. It depends on the work you’re willing to do. And honestly, I think this is a part that people miss. They quit drinking and start feeling physically better. And then they hit this point where they think, okay, now what? I’m sober, but I still feel stuck. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be working on. I don’t feel confident. My sobriety doesn’t feel solid. And if that’s where you are, I want you to know you’re not doing anything wrong. You’ve just reached the next stage of recovery. Your body’s been healing. Now it’s time to help the rest of you heal. Angela (38:41.068) And that’s exactly the work I love, right? It’s the work I’ve been doing with clients for years because quitting drinking isn’t the finish line, it’s the foundation. Once alcohol is out of the way, we get to build a life that actually feels good to live. A life where you have the tools to handle stress without reaching for a drink. A life where you trust yourself again, a life where sobriety doesn’t feel fragile. It feels like freedom. So if you’ve been sober for a while and you’re wondering what comes next, or your recovery feels a little uncertain and you want guidance, I would love to help. You can book a call to talk to me about working together and what that looks like. You can do that at addictionunlimited.com forward slash call. Angela (39:34.742) And if you’re still in those early days of sobriety, be patient with yourself. Healing is happening even when you can’t see it. Your body is doing what it was designed to do. Give it time, give it support, and most importantly, understand you are healing. And I’d love to talk to you if you’re ready to get to work and actually enjoy your sobriety. Addictionunlimited.com forward slash call. That link is always in the show notes. Addictionunlimited.com forward slash call. I love you guys. I hope you’re having a fantastic day and I will see you next week.

Today, I'm delighted to share a compilation of adrenal-centric discussions with experts Drs. Sonya Jensen, Carrie Jones, Scott Sherr, and Will Bulsiewicz, and geneticist Dr. Yael Joffe, Nurse Practitioner Heather Quaile, and Physician's Assistant McCall McPherson. In this masterclass, we explore the effects of generational silence and how the thrifty genotype impacts the likelihood of poor metabolic health outcomes over time. We define the GABAergic system and the effects of decreased progesterone in perimenopause, and examine how our immune and nervous systems are impacted in midlife. We discuss the impact of GABA cofactors, the connection between adrenal and thyroid health, how stress affects ovarian aging, and the impact of genetics on our lifestyle choices and responses. We also unpack shift work and circadian rhythm disruption, and their influence on the gut microbiome. Join us for today's action - and information-packed, adrenal-centric podcast. I know you will enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: The impact of generational trauma on stress resilience and metabolic health across generations How famine exposure, family history, and cultural background could contribute to our metabolic and hormonal health How estrogen metabolism pathways can influence hormone balance and long-term health The importance of B vitamins, magnesium, amino acids, protein, and overall nutritional status for healthy liver function and detoxification How ongoing fight-or-flight activation can impair energy production and contribute to a cycle of worsening stress and fatigue How hormones, sleep, toxins, infections, and insulin resistance can influence mitochondrial performance The importance of optimizing thyroid and adrenal dysfunction together  How chronic stress and adverse childhood experiences can influence ovarian aging  How gut barrier dysfunction can contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation How genetics and epigenetics can affect our appetite, hormone metabolism, mood, and treatment responses 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 Connect with Dr. Sonya Jensen On her book website: Heal Your Hormones, Reclaim Yourself Instagram Connect with Dr. Carrie Jones On Instagram Estrogen Detox Made Easy Hello Hormones with Dr. Carrie Jones - Podcast Connect with Dr. Scott Sherr On his ⁠website⁠ Troscriptions ⁠Health Optimization Medicine   One Base Health⁠⁠ Connect with McCall McPherson On Modern Thyroid Clinic Instagram and TikTok Modern Thyroid and Wellness Podcast Thyroid Lab Guide Connect with Heather Quaile On her website  Instagram Connect with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz On his website Connect with Yael Joffe On 3X4 Genetics Instagram Facebook Podcast Links: Ep. 559 Heal Your Hormones, Reclaim Yourself: Women's Health in Midlife with Dr. Sonya Jensen | Perimenopause, Menopause & Hormones Ep. 567 “Timing Is Everything” – The Best Way to Test Hormones, Cortisol & Thyroid for Real Answers with Dr. Carrie Jones BONUS: "The Sympathetic Spiral of Doom!” – The Fastest Way To Reset Your Nervous System & End Burnout with Dr. Scott Sherr Ep. 478 Thyroid Truths: Labs, Adrenals & Appetite Explained with McCall McPherson Ep. 498 Chronic Stress Is Aging Your Ovaries – The Shocking Link Between Trauma, Hormones & Menopause with Heather Quaile Ep. 537 The #1 Longevity Nutrient You're Missing – How Fiber Supercharges Your Gut, Immunity & Sleep with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz Ep. 558 Your DNA Isn't Your Destiny – The Most Actionable Way to Use Genetics for Weight Loss with Dr. Yael Joffe

In this episode, I'm giving you the full sleep protocol I built for myself and for the women I work with. Not just how to sleep longer, but how to make the hours you actually get deeper, more restorative, and more efficient. Even if you have a kid in your bed. Even if you are perimenopausal and running hot. Even if you have been broken for years. I share the exact protein-before-bed hack that ended my 3 AM wake-ups, the caffeine half-life math (why your 2 PM coffee is still in your system at 10 PM), why I do not recommend melatonin for most women, the 3 sleep peptides I trust the most (DSIP, Epitalon, Selank), and the fringe biohacks that actually move the needle. If you'd like to work with me, you can book a free call here.   Timestamps: 02:15 - Housekeeping: one-on-one consults are open 05:20 - Why broken sleep is physiological, not a willpower problem 07:50 - The 3 AM wake-up: cortisol, blood sugar, and the Chinese medicine organ clock 10:30 - Sleep architecture (deep sleep first half, REM second half) 12:20 - What good sleep looks like for a woman + how to track it (Oura Ring) 15:15 - The truth about melatonin (why more is not better) 17:30 - The hormone cascade: tryptophan, 5-HTP, serotonin, melatonin 19:35 - GABA, dopamine, cortisol, oxytocin: what happens while you sleep 21:15 - Pillar 1: Nutrition. the protein-before-bed experiment that changed my sleep 25:45 - Cherries, kiwi, magnesium-rich foods 27:30 - Caffeine half-life math + why alcohol wrecks the second half of the night 29:10 - Pillar 2: Lifestyle. the fixed bedtime rule, warm bath, blue light, morning light 35:00 - Pillar 3: Supplements. magnesium glycinate, glycine, L-theanine, chamomile 36:40 - Pillar 4: Peptides. DSIP (100 to 300 mcg, 3x per week) 38:45 - Epitalon (5 to 10 mg, 10 to 20 day course, once or twice a year max) 40:15 - Selank (nasal or subcutaneous, my favorite peptide for women) 44:45 - Sermorelin + Ipamorelin (growth hormone loop + deep sleep) 45:45 - Fringe biohacks: grounding, Pulsetto vagus nerve stimulator, mouth taping 48:00 - FilterOptix blue blockers + Eight Sleep cooling mattress + the EMF caveat 50:30 - Recap + where to start   Resources: My free, trusted Peptide Source Guide. Work with me one-on-one. The Her Stack Planner (digital or prints at home). Join The LongHer Life Longevity Community.   Products mentioned: BiOptimizers Magnesium Breakthrough 7-form magnesium blend. Code BIOHACKINGBRITTANY. WeNatal prenatal magnesium. Code BIOHACKINGBRITTANY. FilterOptix blue-blocking glasses. Code BIOHACKINGBRITTANY. Oura Ring sleep tracker. Eight Sleep cooling mattress cover. Pulsetto vagus nerve stimulator. Code BIOHACKINGBRITTANY.   Let's connect: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Shop my favorite health products. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music.   This is for educational purposes only. This is not medical advice.

Welcome to this week's Midlife Minute. In this episode, we're focusing on progesterone, exploring the differences between progesterone and progestins, how progesterone is used in clinical practice, and how individual responses can vary significantly. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why bioidentical progesterone and synthetic progestins are not interchangeable How early synthetic progestin studies continue to shape how progesterone is viewed How different routes of progesterone administration produce different effects  Why do some women experience stronger neurological or physical effects than others on the same progesterone dose How cyclical versus continuous use can affect how progesterone is used in the body  Why some women experience sleep or mood changes on oral progesterone The importance of personalized decision-making 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.  Purchase Cynthia's book, The Menopause Gut. Cynthia's Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line Resources:  The pharmacodynamics and safety of progesterone doi:10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2020.06.002 Profiles of plasma estrogens, progesterone and their metabolites after oral or vaginal administration of estradiol or progesterone doi:10.1016/0378-5122(93)90064-O Pharmacokinetics of progesterone and its metabolites allopregnanolone and pregnanolone after oral administration of low-dose progesterone doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2005.11.005 Allopregnanolone and mood in the peripartum: a longitudinal assessment in healthy women doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104465 Behavior of Male Gamete Fusogen GCS1/HAP2 and the Regulation in Arabidopsis Double Fertilization doi:10.3390/biom13020208 Tolerance to allopregnanolone with focus on the GABA receptor doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.01059.x Effects of exercise training on the cardiovascular system: pharmacological approaches doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2007.03.010 Sex steroid induced negative mood may be explained by the paradoxical effect mediated by GABA modulators doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.02.003 Paradoxical effects of GABA modulators may explain sex steroid induced negative mood symptoms in some persons doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.03.061 Progesterone selectively increases amygdala reactivity in women doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4002030 Progesterone and allopregnanolone neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system doi:10.1016/S0006-8993(02)02366-5 Allopregnanolone and mood disorders doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2013.07.005 GABA receptor plasticity and neurosteroid cell withdrawal during the estrous cycle doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2800-09.2009 Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study doi:10.1007/s10549-007-9523-x Management of Menopausal Symptoms: A Review doi:10.1001/jama.2022.24140 Progesterone vs. synthetic progestins and the risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis doi:10.1080/13697137.2018.1467611 Progesterone prevents sleep disturbances and modulates GH, TSH, and melatonin secretion in postmenopausal women doi:10.1210/jc.2010-2558

In this episode of the Health Optimization Medicine Podcast, the HOMeHOPe faculty (Dr. Scott Sherr, Dr. Ted Achacoso, Boomer Anderson, and Jodi Duval) tackles one of the most paradoxical trends in modern biohacking: sleep tracking. Moving past the mainstream obsession with daily device scores, the team breaks down the biochemical realities of how tracking your HRV might actually be sabotaging your sleep architecture. From the autonomic anxiety caused by digital wearables to the clinical application of precision chronobiology, this roundtable shifts the conversation from algorithmic scores to measurable, cellular safety signals. Join us as we delve into: The Orthosomnia Epidemic: Why waking up to a red recovery score immediately triggers your prefrontal cortex, activates your HPA axis, and flattens your diurnal cortisol curve. The HRV Paradox: Understanding the actual biological markers of Heart Rate Variability and why an algorithmic score doesn't dictate your physical reality. The Cell Danger Response: How the body is only able to sleep when it feels safe, and why the ultimate "detox" might just be a sleep divorce. Your "Do This on Monday" Protocol: Dr. Ted's clinical sleep anchoring technique, and why prioritizing sleep as the first activity of your day changes your entire circadian rhythm. Precision Cellular Nutrients: The clinical difference between taking generic sedatives and utilizing precision magnesium, glycine, and even strategic carbohydrates (like honey) to optimize GABA and melatonin. This episode is for you if: You are experiencing worsening sleep anxiety and chronic insomnia despite meticulously tracking your data every night. You want to learn how to test your cellular metabolomics for brain inflammation instead of relying on a generic smartwatch algorithm. You want to understand how your unique chronobiology dictates your sympathetic and parasympathetic balance. You can also find this episode on… YouTube: https://youtu.be/n71oG96M1Ek Find more from Health Optimization Medicine and Practice (HOMeHOPe): Website: https://homehope.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homehopeorg/ HOMeHOPe Conference 2026: https://homehope.org/homehope-conference-2026 Use PODCAST10 to get 10% OFF your purchase of the Clinical Metabolomics Module at https://homehope.org/products/clinical-metabolomics Find more from Troscriptions: Website: https://troscriptions.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/troscriptions/ Use POD10 to get 10% OFF your Troscriptions purchase at https://troscriptions.com/collections/our-products

TJ gets the show started by talking about top ten guitarists of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine. Plus Trumps attempt at voter suppression, and Gaba with news on the former New Mexico Republican Treasurer. Lastly Natassja Leyba talks about the Bliss building. All this and more on News Radio KKOB See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get Myo Relax and Calm by Myoscience (20% off, code auto applied): https://bit.ly/4oWU62X  Pre-order Keto Flex Revised and get free bonuses at: https://bit.ly/4wKG1sM    You can fast, do keto, count calories, and hit the gym, and still wake up stuck with the same belly fat. The reason is almost never your daytime effort. It is what happens after your head hits the pillow. Every night your body asks one question: is it safe to burn fat? About 70 percent of your fat burning growth hormone is released while you sleep, but only if insulin is low and your deep sleep is protected. In this lesson, Ben Azadi walks through the three bedtime habits, in the exact order your body wants them, to make the next 30 nights work for your fat loss instead of against it. Key takeaways: Insulin can stay elevated three to five hours after eating, blocking your overnight growth hormone pulse In a crossover trial, a 10 p.m. dinner reduced overnight fat burning and raised cortisol versus the identical 6 p.m. meal A Mayo Clinic trial showed four hours of sleep for two weeks added 11% more visceral fat, while the scale barely moved A cold (65 to 68°F), pitch dark room and a consistent sleep and wake schedule protect deep sleep Relaxation is chemistry: myo-inositol, magnesium glycinate, potassium glycinate, glycine, taurine, GABA, and L-theanine support it The three night challenge: no late snacks, a dark cool room, and track sleep, cravings, waist, and morning energy Find All The Ben Azadi Show Sponsorship Deals ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.ketokamp.com/sponsorship-deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is sponsored by AquaTru. AquaTru - Go to https://AquaTru.com/ now for 20% off (your purifier) using promo code FLIPPING50. AquaTru even comes with a 30-day best-tasting water guarantee. Other Episodes You Might Like: Previous Episode - Intersection of Blue Zones and Modern Muscle Science for Longevity Next Episode - 3 Workout Studies Every Woman Over 50 Needs to Know More Like This: Natural Solutions to Restorative Sleep in Menopause Is CBD the Answer? How Women Use CBD to Manage Menopause Resources: Don't know where to start? Book your Discovery Call with Debra. Leave this session with insight into exactly what to do right now to make small changes, smart decisions about your exercise time and energy. Get BlueSky CBD to boost your mood and motivation. Use code FLIPPING to get 20% off! The menopause motivation and mood boost you need might not come from trying harder—it may come from understanding your brain, body, and biology better.  If you've noticed more anxiety, lower motivation, brain fog, or a lack of enthusiasm for things you used to enjoy, you're not alone. In this episode, we uncover the hidden links between inflammation, brain chemistry, movement, and mood—and why so many women are overlooking it. Movement, healthy fats, community, sunlight, and even music influence the body's natural feel-good compounds that help you stay resilient through midlife and beyond.  If you're ready to feel more energized, optimistic, and in control of your health, this episode delivers powerful strategies to support your menopause motivation and mood boost. My Guest: Dr. Eric Dorninger ND, LAc is a naturopathic doctor, licensed acupuncturist, and founder of Roots and Branches Integrative Health Care in Boulder, Colorado. With a background in kinesiology, emergency medicine, naturopathic medicine, and acupuncture, he takes an integrative approach to uncovering the root causes of chronic illness. Since founding his clinic in 2005, he has specialized in helping patients with complex “mystery illnesses” by focusing on accurate diagnosis and removing obstacles to healing. He is also a certified Shoemaker practitioner with expertise in mold and biotoxin-related illness. In addition to private practice, Dr. Dorninger teaches functional medicine, practices Jiu-Jitsu, skis, and advocates for evidence-based natural medicine.  Questions We Answer in This Episode: How are inflammation, anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders connected? What are endogenous cannabinoids, and what role do they play in mood, pain, and inflammation? How do exercise and resistance training naturally boost the body's own feel-good chemicals? Why do we tend to avoid the types of exercise we need most, and how can we create better balance in our training? Can music, social connection, and community improve mood and reduce inflammation? How does CBD interact with serotonin, dopamine, and GABA to support mood, motivation, and stress resilience? What should women know before trying CBD, including product quality, dosage, safety, and realistic expectations? If this episode made you flip your workout routine — share it!

TJ is feeling it and starts off hot, with big subjects this week including more news on the Fentanyl dump, and Birth right citizenship. Then he talks about the good ole days of shock jock radio and an old picture he posted of himself with some scantily clad women. Also a Weekly World News roundup, and Gaba with data center news. All this on News Radio KKOBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the anxiety, rage, crying, and exhaustion before your period are not just “hormones being hormones,” but are actually showing you where your body needs support long before your period starts?You've tried the supplements. You cleaned up your food. Maybe you've tried medication, tracked your cycle, worked on your mindset, and done so many of the “right” things. And still, one to two weeks every month, it feels like someone flipped a switch.One part of the month, you feel like yourself - you can handle life, enjoy your family, and think clearly. And then the luteal phase hits, and suddenly everything feels heavier. You're irritated, anxious, crying, snapping, craving carbs, not sleeping well, and wondering why this keeps happening when you're trying so hard.So, in this episode, I'm putting the whole picture together for you.I'm walking you through what's actually happening in your body with PMS and PMDD. You'll understand why your luteal phase can feel so intense, why your symptoms are not a personality flaw, and what they are trying to show you about progesterone, cortisol, minerals, blood sugar, and the way your body is handling stress.I want this episode to feel like someone finally slowed down and explained in plain language what's been happening in your body.Here's what I'll get into:Why PMS and PMDD can make you feel like a completely different person, sometimes almost overnightWhat your luteal phase is trying to show you about the rest of your monthHow progesterone, allopregnanolone, and GABA affect your mood, patience, sleep, and ability to handle normal lifeWhy cortisol can steal from progesterone and keep your body in survival modeThe mineral pieces most women are missing, especially magnesium, sodium, and potassiumWhy blood sugar, breakfast, and consistency matter more than the next hormone trendLet's be really clear for a second. PMS symptoms like irritability, rage, breast tenderness, bloating, acne, painful periods, and feeling like you cannot handle your life are common, but they are not something you just have to accept forever.And if you've ever been told, “It's just your hormones,” or “That's normal,” or “Your labs look fine,” I want you to hear me. Your body is giving you information. Those symptoms are signals that something needs support, and once you understand the pattern, you can stop blaming yourself for it.Your cycle is not just your period. Your period is the end of a month-long hormone conversation your body has been having. So when things fall apart in the luteal phase, that is not random. That second half of your cycle is showing you what your body has been carrying all month long, and sometimes even the month before.One of the biggest pieces I talk about in this episode is progesterone. So many women think progesterone is the problem because they feel worse in the luteal phase, when progesterone should be higher. But progesterone is actually one of the hormones that helps you feel calm, steady, rested, and more like yourself.The problem comes when your body is not making enough progesterone, or when estrogen is not clearing well, or when your brain is extra sensitive to the normal hormone shifts before your period. That is where PMS and PMDD symptoms can get really intense.I also talk about cortisol, because this is where the “I'm doing everything right” woman can get stuck. If your body is getting signals all day long that life is not safe, from under-eating, skipping breakfast, running on coffee, over-exercising, not sleeping enough, emotional stress, or just living in constant go-mode, your body is going to prioritize survival.And when survival is the priority, progesterone gets pushed to the side.That is why safety is not just a cute nervous-system word. It is a biological requirement for making hormones well. Your body has to believe there is enough coming in before it will prioritize things like ovulation, progesterone, good sleep, healthy metabolism, stable mood, and smooth cycles.I also get into minerals in this episode, because this is such a missing piece for so many women. Magnesium gets talked about a lot, and yes, it matters. But magnesium does not work alone. Sodium and potassium matter too, and they are deeply connected to your stress response, energy, blood sugar, hormones getting into the cells, and your ability to feel steady instead of overwhelmed.Then there is blood sugar. If you are starting your day with coffee before food, skipping breakfast, eating something tiny, or going too long between meals, your body may be getting a stress signal before your day even gets stressful. And in the luteal phase, that matters even more because your body needs more support, not less.This is why random supplements, diet trends, fasting, cold plunging, and trying harder usually do not fix PMS long-term. Your body needs consistency. It needs food, minerals, sleep, sunlight, emotional safety, and a plan that fits your life as a busy mom.And I know that might sound simple, but simple is usually the part we skip because we think the real answer must be more advanced.If you've been stuck in the cycle of trying random things, feeling better for a minute, and then ending up right back in the same luteal phase spiral, this episode will help you zoom out and finally understand what your body has been asking for.So, take one step today that actually moves you forward. Listen to the episode, grab the breakfast mini podcast, or reach out about coaching so we can look at what is happening in your body and build a plan that makes sense for you.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Fix Your Breakfast, Fix Your Hormones Podcast CourseNEED HELP FIXING YOUR HORMONES? CHECK OUT MY RESOURCES:Breakfast GuideNourish Tracker - Discount code: HAPPILYHORMONALBook a FREE Hormone Strategy Call with meGrab your Happily Hormonal Quick Start GuideHormone Imbalance Quiz - Find out which of the top 3 hormone imbalances affects you most!Join Nourish Your Hormones Coaching for the step-by-step and my eyes on YOUR hormones for the next 4 months.Send us a text with episode feedback or ideas! (We can't respond to texts unless you include contact info but always read them)Don't forget to subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more women looking for answers.Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast is to be taken as medical advice, please take informed accountability and speak to your provider before making changes to your health routine.This podcast is for women and moms to learn how to balance hormones naturally in motherhood, to have pain-free periods, increased fertility, to decrease PMS mood swings, and to increase energy without restrictive diet plans. You'll learn how to balance blood sugar, increase progesterone naturally, understand the root cause of estrogen dominance, irregular periods, PCOS, insulin resistance, hormonal acne, post birth-control syndrome, and conceive naturally. We use a pro-metabolic, whole food, root cause approach to functional women's health and focus on truly holistic health and mind-body connection.If you listen to any of the following shows, we're sure you'll like ours too! Pursuit of Wellness with Mari Llewellyn, Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark, Found My Fitness with Rhonda Patrick, Just Ingredients Podcast, Wellness Mama, The Dr Josh Axe Show, Are You Menstrual Podcast, The Model Health Show, Grounded Wellness By Primally Pure, Be Well By Kelly Leveque, The Freely Rooted Podcast with Kori Meloy, Simple Farmhouse Life with Lisa Bass

As a holistic and functional psychiatrist, I see many people who are highly sensitive. Most are deep divers into information and able to connect a lot of dots. Many are gifted. Many struggle with overwhelm and low stress tolerance. Some struggled with anxiety, inner tension, or feeling “too much” for as long as they can remember. Some feel different - that they don't fit in.As a holistic and functional psychiatrist with over twenty years in practice, I've worked with thousands of highly sensitive adults and children. Most are deep divers into information, able to connect a lot of dots — many are gifted. And yet many struggle with overwhelm, low stress tolerance, anxiety, or inner tension that has been there for as long as they can remember. Many feel different, like they don't quite fit in. What I've found is that sensitivity itself is rarely the problem — it's the seeming vulnerability to brain-related or physical conditions. Over the years I've found three different models to be especially useful in explaining some of the vulnerabilities and the strengths of those of us who are highly sensitive: Dr. Elaine Aron's work on the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), the nutritional medicine concept of Pyrrole Disorder, and Dr. Sharon Meglathery's RCCX Theory. Each looks at a similar group of traits through a different lens — psychological, biochemical, and genetic, respectively.Before I start, I want to emphasize that sensitivity is not a pathology or a diagnosis. It is actually a trait that has existed across human history for a reason. My goal is not to pathologize it, but to understand it — and to offer tools to those who have these traits but who are struggling with a condition more prevalent in those with these traits. As I go through these three frameworks, the overlap will be obvious and I'll highlight what each of these has to offer that the others don't.What You'll Learn* The HSP model provides validation and a language for sensitive individuals.* Pyrrole Disorder involves an overproduction of pyrroles, leading to nutrient depletion of nutrients critical for neurotransmitter functioning.* Pyrrole Disorder is common in brain-related conditions.* RCCX Theory connects genetic vulnerabilities to sensitivity and chronic illness.* Stress amplifies the experiences of highly sensitive individuals.* Understanding these models can lead to effective treatment options.* There are meaningful paths forward for those who are highly sensitive.Chapters* 00:00 Understanding High Sensitivity* 02:26 The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Model* 10:23 Exploring Pyrrole Disorder* 18:18 RCCX Theory Explained* 30:11 Intersecting Models: HSP, Pyrrole Disorder & RCCX Theory* 34:40 Conclusion and Path ForwardI. THE HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSONIn the early 1990s, psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron identified a personality trait she called Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) — and the people who score high in it she called Highly Sensitive Persons, or HSPs.This is not a diagnosis. It is a trait, present in roughly 15–20% of the population. It has been found across more than 100 species — from fruit flies to primates. This tells us it is evolutionarily conserved — it confers survival advantages. In any social group, having members who are wired to notice subtle cues, process information deeply, and detect threats before others do is extremely valuable. Fitting with this, many of these individuals, who also struggle with complex chronic health issues are considered the “canaries in the coal mine” since their bodies react to environmental triggers (environmental toxins, chemicals, or stressors) long before the rest of the population.Dr. Aron captured the core features of this trait in an acronym she called DOES:D — Depth of processing: HSPs think deeply, reflect before acting, and notice subtleties that others miss.O — Overstimulation: Because they process so thoroughly, HSPs reach their threshold more quickly in high-stimulation environments.E — Emotional reactivity and Empathy: HSPs feel emotions intensely and are highly attuned to the emotions of those around them.S — Sensitivity to subtle stimuli: They pick up on things — in their environment, in social dynamics, in the body — that others simply don't register.As you can see, traits that are super powers, can become liabilities. The deep diver who loses sight of the big picture. The empath who absorbs everyone else's energy as their own energy becomes depleted. The person who withdraws from the world because the stimulation has simply become too much.HSP ResearchBeyond the clinical observations, there is now a growing body of neuroscience and genetic research supporting this trait. There is evidence that the brains of sensitive people are doing more, processing more and feeling more.fMRI studies (Acevedo, Aron et al., 2014) have shown that when HSPs view emotional images — particularly photos of loved ones expressing happiness or sadness — their brains show significantly greater activation in regions associated with awareness, empathy, and sensory integration.Twin studies show that Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) as defined by Dr. Aron is approximately 47% heritable. Small studies as opposed to large genome wide studies have focused on genetic variants involving dopamine and serotonin systems, such as a serotonin transport gene, a dopamine receptor gene, and COMT, which codes for the enzyme that metabolizes dopamine and norepinephrine.While this hints at a biochemical dimension, the HSP framework doesn't address this as directly as the other two models I'll discuss, nor does it explain the higher prevalence of physical health conditions in those who are highly sensitive.Research published in 2026 (Matsuzawa et al.) found that individuals high in SPS had substantially higher rates of depression (13.8%), anxiety disorder (10.5%), and developmental disorders, such as ADHD and ASD, compared to the general population.Despite this overlap with developmental disorders: unlike, ADHD, HSPs typically have excellent concentration in quiet environments. And unlike the social deficits described in ASD, HSPs tend to have heightened social attunement. They often feel too much of what's happening in social situations, not too little, even if they respond awkwardly at times.Research shows that high sensory processing sensitivity is associated with more frequent physical symptoms — back pain, fatigue, digestive issues, frequent illness.What This Framework OffersThe HSP model has given millions of people validation and a language for these traits that has allowed them to shift from “what is wrong with me” to “this is how I am wired.”It also offers an evolutionary reframe. High sensitivity is not a mistake and is not pathologic. It is a feature of the human population that has served us.What it doesn't offer is a biological explanation for why some sensitive people suffer so acutely — or a path toward biochemical intervention. II. PYRROLE DISORDERPyrrole disorder is a biochemical imbalance that has been recognized for decades, though it remains largely unknown in mainstream psychiatry. It involves an overproduction of pyrroles — metabolic byproducts that, on their own, are not a problem. When they are high, however, they can result in a depletion of zinc, B6 and a few other nutrients.First identified in the 1950s and first treated with zinc and B6 in the 1980s, pyrrole disorder is one of the most common nutrient imbalances found in brain-related conditions — and one of the most treatable. Yet most people who have it have never heard of it. I learned about pyrroles in 2014 when I first trained with the Walsh Research Institute.The Importance of Zinc, B6 & MagnesiumVitamin B6 is required to synthesize dopamine, serotonin, and GABA — three of the most critical neurotransmitters for mood regulation, anxiety, and stress response. Zinc plays a profound role in the central nervous system, the immune system, gastrointestinal tract (which we now know has its own significant influence on brain health) and connective tissue (joints and skin).Pyrrole Disorder Traits & SymptomsThe most consistent feature is low stress tolerance. People with elevated pyrroles are often described as those for whom life seems harder than it should be, every transition can be destabilizing and every large group or new environment feels like too much.The overlap with the HSP profile is striking, but here, we start to see not only traits, but symptoms.- Socially anxious, shy, or fearful since childhood, with severe inner tension- Sensitive to bright light, loud noises, textures, and odors- Avoids crowds, strangers, and new situations- History of reading difficulty- Poor short-term memory- Underachievement- Irritability, mood swings, bouts of depression- Tends to stay up late; little or no dream recall; morning nausea- White spots on fingernails; very dry skin; stretch marks; poor wound healing- Joint pain- Frequent infections or autoimmune tendenciesMost people with pyrrole disorder don't have all of these symptoms — but the inner tension, the high sensitivity, and low stress intolerance are very common.What the Data ShowsThe Walsh Research Institute has collected data on over 30,000 patients. Elevated pyrroles were found in:* 18% of those with ADHD* 24% of those with depression* 28% of those with behavioral disorders* 35% of those with autism* 35% of those with bipolar disorder* 30% of those with schizophrenia* 12% of those with PTSDAnd in only 8% of healthy controls — meaning those with no psychiatric diagnosis.What Causes Pyrrole Disorder?For many, there appears to be a genetic component, but for others, pyrroles appear to have increased due to high physiologic or emotional stress. Examples include candida overgrowth or other forms of gut microbial imbalances, mold toxicity, heavy metals, chemical exposures, illness, emotional trauma, major life transitions or even growth spurts in children.What This Framework Brings UsRelative to the HSP framework, an understanding of pyrroles gives a specific, treatable biological mechanism. When zinc, B6, Magnesium and other nutrients are depleted, we know how the brain's neurotransmitter functioning is affected — and we know what to do about it.Treatment from a Walsh Research Institute trained practitioner typically involves a nutrient protocol of zinc (based on zinc and copper testing), B6 or its active form P5P, and other nutrients for pyrrole disorder and other nutrient imbalances identified. For many patients, a lifetime of chronic inner tension and fearfulness begins to shift within days to a couple of weeks of starting the nutrients.Treatment doesn't change one's personality, but it can improve social discomfort, overwhelm, the anxiety, the depression that has been layered on top of that sensitivity.Where zinc deficiency can impact a lot of the physical conditions that appear to be more common in those who are hypersensitive, it doesn't fully explain the significant hormonal, inflammatory, connective tissue symptoms and autoimmunity we see in many who are hypersensitive.III. RCCX THEORYRCCX theory has been proposed by Dr. Sharon Meglathery, MD — a psychiatrist and internist whose own complex health history (which is very similar to my own) led her to one of the most compelling explanations I've encountered for why hypersensitivity, neurodivergence, psychiatric conditions, MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) and/or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and autoimmunity tend to cluster together in certain individuals and families.RCCX refers to a module of four genes on chromosome 6. Three of them appear to be particularly important to our health, and two of those have very high rates of mutation.The Three Key Genes(1) TNXB codes for a protein involved in connective tissue. Variants range from subtle joint hypermobility to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. But connective tissue isn't just about joints — it's also about the permeability of the gut-blood barrier, the blood-brain barrier, and vulnerability to upper cervical (neck) instability, which can put tension on the vagus nerve and affect the entire autonomic nervous system.(2) CYP21A2 is the most important gene in the module when it comes to psychiatric conditions. It codes for 21-hydroxylase, an enzyme needed to convert 17-hydroxyprogesterone into cortisol. When there is a mutation — and there can be many, of varying degrees — the body may struggle to meet the demand for cortisol under stress. A weakness on this gene could have two primary effects:First — The theory holds that many people with CYP21A2 mutations, even without hypermobility, may develop what Dr. Meglathery calls a “brain wired for danger” — essentially, a nervous system calibrated toward threat detection from early in life, with minimal trauma required. A mutation on CYP21A2 may essentially result in relatively higher androgens impacting the amygdala — the brain's fear and emotional center. Studies have found that hypermobile individuals (who often carry TNXB mutations) have a larger-than-normal amygdala.Second — because of this mutation, the body may not be able to keep up with the body's need for cortisol (especially when under stress). This deficit causes the brain to release corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) to signal the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. CRH binds to mast cells and activates the immune system — leading to secondary brain inflammation. This is the inflammatory pathway that can result in a number of secondary health issues including MCAS, CIRS, POTS, CFS and more.(3) C4 is involved in immune response and autoimmunity, and has been linked to schizophrenia. This gene variant is not as common as the first two referenced, though I do see a number of families who also have autoimmunity impacting multiple family members.The CAPS Psychological ProfileDr. Meglathery uses the term CAPS — CYP21A2 Mutation Associated Neuropsychiatric Spectrum — to describe the psychological profile she has observed in people with this genetic vulnerability. These traits can exist long before any formal psychiatric diagnosis, and they are not inherently pathological. - Anxiety and over-arousal during times of stress — high adrenaline, insomnia, sometimes manic-like characteristics- Under-arousal during low-stress periods — leading to ADD presentations, compulsive behaviors, or thrill-seeking to raise arousal- High emotionality, sensitivity, and reactivity to environmental stimuli- Sensory processing difficulties — typically over-stimulation in loud or chaotic environments- A strong ability to read emotions in others, paired with social awkwardness in response- Easily affected by events others would consider minor — an offhand comment, a disturbing movie- A tendency toward nonconformity- Special abilities: gifted musicians, scientists, creatives, systems thinkers- Hyper-focus and obsession with areas of deep interest, often leading to remarkable accomplishments- High tenacity and determination, when not derailed by overstimulation or past trauma- Strong emotions — positive or negative — that can manifest as obsessional worrying, harm avoidance, OCD tendencies, or very high standards for self and othersDr. Meglathery also notes — and I have observed this clinically — that people with this profile tend to find each other through friendships, partnerships and marriage. They are drawn together by shared sensitivities, emotional depth, and intellectual gifts. This means children are likely to receive a tendency towards CAPS from both sides.Women who are appear to have CYP21A2 mutations often have a male-pattern finger length ratio — the ring finger longer than the index finger — a possible marker of androgen exposure during development.What RCCX OffersRCCX theory offers the broadest biological framework we have for understanding why sensitivity, psychiatric vulnerability, and complex chronic illness so often travel together in the same people and families. It connects the nervous system, the immune system, the hormonal system, and connective tissue under one genetic umbrella.It also points toward specific interventions: nervous system regulation (limbic retraining, vagal work), mast cell management, and addressing the downstream biochemical consequences of cortisol dysregulation.The limitation is that genetic testing for variants on the gene for 21-hydroxylase is not yet widely available, which is why this isn't a gene that you'll see referenced when it comes to HSP, though I would argue it is likely the most prevalent. RCCX remains a clinical theory — but one that explains the constellation of traits and symptoms of most of the people that I in my practiceIV. WHERE THESE MODELS INTERSECTWhere Might Pyrrole Disorder and RCCX Theory Meet?The symptom overlap is almost complete: poor stress tolerance, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, inner tension, connective tissue symptoms, frequent infections, autoimmune tendencies. Relatively low zinc would impact most of these shared symptoms, but there may be a potentially deeper connection.21-hydroxylase contains a pyrrole-like structure — heme — within it. Could a mutation resulting in abnormal 21-hydroxylase lead to a buildup of abnormal heme-like compounds, contributing directly to pyrrole disorder? This is not proven, but in an exchange about this with Dr. Meglathery, she indicated that she also believes there is a strong association, and the biochemical logic is compelling.This matters, because we know what helps pyrrole disorder. We have a treatment — treatment that can complement what RCCX theory makes evident — that the stress response has to be addressed.Stress (again from any cause - physiologic or emotional) is the great amplifier across all three models. Stress worsens the HSP experience, and tips the CYP21A2 mutation from manageable to destabilizing (through the hormonal consequences and the inflammatory cascade) and yes, it even causes pyrroles to increase.BRINGING IT TOGETHERFor someone who is highly sensitive, and struggling with brain related or physical symptoms or conditions, pyrrole disorder and even RCCX theory are worth considering because they offer tools and start to answer, “What Can We Do About It?”The three frameworks work together:The HSP model offers validation and language. It shifts the frame from deficit to difference. It reminds us that sensitivity is not pathology — it is a trait with evolutionary value, and it comes with great strengths.The Pyrrole model offers a treatable nutrient imbalance. It explains, at the neurotransmitter level, why stress hits harder for these individuals. Treatment doesn't take away the sensitivity; it lifts the weight that has accumulated on top of it.The RCCX model offers the broadest systems view. It connects the dots between what the body is doing — the immune activation, the hormonal dysregulation, the connective tissue involvement — and the psychiatric and psychological profile that tends to accompany it. It also provides additional tools: nervous system regulation, mast cell support, hormonal awareness.If any of this resonates — the sensitivity, the inner tension, the feeling of always being at the edge of overwhelm — please know that there are roots to explore and meaningful paths forward.If you are looking for someone trained by the Walsh Research Institute knowledgeable in assessing for and treating pyrrole disorder (and other common nutrient imbalances impacting brain health), or learning more about Dr. Aron's work on HSP and Dr. Meglathery's RCCX theory, I am providing those links below.And as always, I welcome your thoughts, experience and questions.Until next time,CourtneyAbout the AuthorDr. Courtney Snyder MD is a Holistic and Functional Child and Adult Psychiatrist who offers non-patient consultations to individuals and practitioners nationally and internationally in addition to her treatment practice serving FL, IN, KY, OH. Her educational content, shared through her website, Substack Newsletter, the Holistic Psychiatry Podcast and YouTube Channel reaches readers and listeners in over 160 countries.ResourcesWalsh Research Institute: walshinstitute.orgRCCX Theory — Dr. Sharon Meglathery: rccxandillness.comDr. Elaine Aron — The Highly Sensitive Person: hsperson.comOther Sources: Acevedo et al. 2014, “The Highly Sensitive Brain,” Brain & Behavior | Matsuzawa et al. 2026, Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences ReportsMedical 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

Exploring Depakote as a bipolar disorder treatment: how it stabilizes manic episodes, its mechanism involving GABA, common and serious side effects including liver risks and pregnancy concerns, dosing strategies, withdrawal management, and how it compares to Lamictal for different mood phases. Learn more at https://missionconnectionhealthcare.com/mental-health/mood-stabilizers/depakote/ Mission Connection City: San Juan Capistrano Address: 30310 Rancho Viejo Rd. Website: https://missionconnectionhealthcare.com/

小時候跌倒長輩說「痛痛飛走了」 你有沒有覺得，好像真的沒那麼痛了？ 那些我們小時候看似荒唐的安慰動作 原來不是單純的心理作用 背後隱藏一個非常真實的生理反應在發生 是一集整理完資料後會讓一些鐵齒人三觀大改的主題 讓安慰不只是嘴上說說而已 而是真實發生在你體內的事 你也有哪些小時候到現在都還是會做的安慰動作嗎 也來社群分享經驗給我們吧！ -------------------------------------------- ⚡哈拉充能量 × 豐傑生醫 限時優惠⚡

You've made it to part three, and this is the one that ties everything together. If parts one and two left you with a clearer picture of your stress system and your sleep, this episode takes you somewhere deeper: into your thyroid, your brain chemistry, and a layer of midlife that almost nobody talks about on a podcast about hormones. I'm breaking down why your thyroid and your adrenal system are locked in a relationship that most doctors never explain, and why a normal TSH does not mean your thyroid is actually working. Then we go into your neurotransmitters. Serotonin, dopamine, GABA, the gut connection. If you've ever wondered why you suddenly feel less resilient, less motivated, or like you don't know who you are anymore, this is the missing piece. And if you've been prescribed an antidepressant during perimenopause or menopause, I want you to hear this part especially. But this episode also goes somewhere I don't always go. We talk about the identity and spiritual layer of this transition. The old patterns, the buried feelings, the relationships and jobs that suddenly feel impossible to keep tolerating. I share something personal about what came up for me last year, and why I believe what feels like falling apart in midlife might actually be something else entirely. And because I know all of this can feel like a lot, I close the series with exactly where I'd start if I were you. What to test, what to ask for, and what I actually do every night for my own sleep. In This Episode, We Cover: Why a normal TSH result does not mean your thyroid is functioning properly The two way relationship between chronic stress, cortisol, and thyroid hormone conversion Why so many women are prescribed antidepressants in perimenopause and menopause when the real driver may be hormonal How estradiol affects serotonin (your sense of okay-ness) and dopamine (your motivation and drive) The role of progesterone and GABA in anxiety, racing thoughts, and the 2 to 4 AM wake up How chronic cortisol elevation disrupts neurotransmitter balance across the board Why 90 percent of your serotonin is made in your gut, not your brain The spiritual and identity layer of perimenopause and menopause, and why old patterns resurface now A personal story about a repeating pattern Karen had to finally face What Karen recommends first: the four point cortisol and DHEA test, and why it matters more than a single blood draw Karen's actual nightly routine for sleep, including HRT and magnesium Who This Episode Is For This one is for you if you have been told your labs are normal but you do not feel normal. It's for the woman who has been on an antidepressant for years and has quietly wondered if her hormones were ever part of the conversation. It's for anyone who feels more anxious, less motivated, or less like themselves than they used to, and cannot figure out why. And it's for the woman who feels like midlife is cracking something open in her, whether that shows up as a relationship that no longer fits, a job that drains her, or a feeling she cannot quite name yet.     Sponsors Timeline is offering up to 39% off your first order of Mitopure. Gummies. Go to timeline.com/HORMONE use coupon HORMONE Get 15% off Masszymes By BiOptimzers at bioptimizers.com/hormone with coupon code 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

Most energy drinks trade your long-term health for a short-term jolt. This episode breaks down a smarter approach to energy, one that builds mitochondria function, supports gut health, stabilizes mood, and helps you sleep better at night, all without the crash -Get 15% off your next order at: https://getmte.com/dave Host Dave Asprey sits down with Jeff Boyd, founder and chairman of MTE (More Than Energy), the caffeine-free energy drink built around adaptogens, nootropics, and prebiotics that delivers what Boyd calls "energy that loves you back." Before launching MTE, Jeff spent 15 years as President and co-owner of Luggage Free, scaling the company to operations in over 100 countries before selling it in 2019. He brings the operational discipline of a veteran entrepreneur and the personal conviction of someone who built the energy product he actually wanted to exist. Dave and Jeff get into the full science and strategy behind MTE's ingredient stack, including paraxanthine, ashwagandha, eleuthero, maca, GABA, theanine, and saffron, and why each one was chosen for its role in stress response, brain optimization, and sleep optimization. They also dig into the formulation challenges of building a clean-label supplement over a stimulant base, the real difference between caffeine and its downstream metabolite paraxanthine, and why this blend functions more like a foundational biohacking protocol than a beverage. You'll Learn: Why conventional energy drinks wreck your cortisol curve and what to do instead How paraxanthine delivers the benefits of caffeine without the jitters or sleep disruption The adaptogen trio (ashwagandha, eleuthero, and maca) and how they work together for stress response and human performance Why saffron is one of the most underrated nootropics for mood and brain optimization How gut health and the microbiome connect directly to your energy, metabolism, and longevity The mitochondria connection between willpower, physical performance, and entrepreneurial output How AI is reshaping small teams and what founders need to do right now to stay competitive Why the cleanest path to anti-aging and longevity starts with how you manage your energy across the day Thank you to our sponsors! - Beyond Wonderland Conference | Oct 13 - 14, 2026. Get your ticket now at wonderlandconference.com. - Gatlan | Book your free consultation at www.gatlan.com/DAVE - BrainTap | Go to http://braintap.com/dave to get $100 off the BrainTap Power Bundle. - Danger Coffee | Grab yours at DangerCoffee.comand use code DAVEPOD at checkout for 15% off. Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights inhealth, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. Keywords: Jeff Boyd, MTE, More Than Energy, caffeine-free energy, paraxanthine, adaptogens, ashwagandha, eleuthero, maca, nootropics, saffron, GABA, theanine, prebiotics, gut health, stress response, cortisol management, sleep optimization, huckleberry acai, clean label formulation, stevia Reb A, energy drink alternative, paraxanthine vs caffeine, afternoon energy, Luggage Free, cycling endurance, long jump training, ADHD entrepreneurship, AI small teams, willpower mitochondria Resources: • Get 15% off your next order at: https://getmte.com/dave • Purchase Dr. Fotuhi's New Book The Invincible Brain: https://a.co/d/0iHCgPpL • Get My 2026 Clean Nicotine Roadmap | Enroll for free at https://daveasprey.com/2026-clean-nicotine-roadmap/ • Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today. • Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15 • My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off) • Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off) • Dave Asprey's BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com • Dave Asprey's New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated • Join My Substack (Live Access To Podcast Recordings): https://substack.daveasprey.com/ • Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com Timestamps: 00:00 – Trailer 00:42 – What Is MTE? 03:50 – Ingredients Deep Dive 09:49 – Flavors & Formulation 12:31 – Dave's Caffeine Origin 18:35 – Athletic Identity 22:38 – ADHD & Entrepreneurship 26:43 – AI & Future of Work 30:47 – Willpower & Mitochondria 35:34 – MTE Wrap-Up See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Naltrexone is often a first-line medication for AUD. It works as an opioid receptor antagonist, reducing the rewarding effects of alcohol and decreasing cravings. Patients frequently report that alcohol becomes less pleasurable while taking the medication. Oral naltrexone is typically dosed at 50 mg daily, while a long-acting injectable formulation is also available. Avoid use in patients taking opioids and use caution in significant liver dysfunction. Acamprosate helps maintain abstinence by modulating glutamate and GABA neurotransmission. Chronic alcohol use disrupts the balance between excitatory and inhibitory pathways in the brain, and acamprosate helps restore equilibrium. It is primarily eliminated renally, making it a useful option in patients with liver disease. The most common adverse effect is diarrhea. Disulfiram works through a completely different mechanism. It inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase, causing acetaldehyde accumulation when alcohol is consumed. This can lead to flushing, nausea, vomiting, headache, and hypotension. Because of this aversive reaction, patient motivation and adherence are critical for success. Be sure to check out our free Top 200 study guide – a 31 page PDF that is yours for FREE! Support The Podcast and Check Out These Amazing Resources! NAPLEX Study Materials BCPS Study Materials BCACP Study Materials BCGP Study Materials BCMTMS Study Materials Meded101 Guide to Nursing Pharmacology (Amazon Highly Rated) Guide to Drug Food Interactions (Amazon Best Seller) Pharmacy Technician Study Guide by Meded101

Most people who say they've tried kava have tried a watered-down extract that feels like weak chamomile, then concluded the plant does nothing. Cameron George has spent years arguing that the real thing, whole-root and traditionally prepared, is one of the most misunderstood plant medicines on Earth. In this conversation Aubrey sits down with him for a full masterclass on what kava actually is, why the West got it so wrong, and how a South Pacific root that has anchored entire island civilizations for thousands of years might be the missing piece in the modern search for connection without self-betrayal.Kava occupies a strange category of its own. It relaxes without sedating, opens you emotionally without impairing you, and softens social armor without the crash, the fog, or the regret that follows alcohol. Cameron walks through the pharmacology behind that (the GABA upregulation, the dopaminergic support, the reverse-tolerance phenomenon where the plant becomes more effective with consistent use rather than less) and into the cultural story underneath it, including the poorly constructed studies from 1999 that nearly killed kava's reputation in the West right as it was set to break through. From there the conversation widens into nervous-system repair, the difference between borrowed relief and generative states, the role kava can play in psychedelic integration, and what it means to change your state without leaving yourself behind.Check out TRU KAVA and USE CODE AUBREY10 FOR 10% OFF►Website | https://trukava.com/►Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/trukava/This episode is sponsored by►Metal Mark Gold Aurum Collectable Art |  ⁠https://mtlmrk.com/⁠►Korrect Life | ⁠https://korrectlife.com/| Aubrey Marcus |►Website | ⁠⁠https://www.aubreymarcus.com/►Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/aubreymarcus►Facebook |⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/AubreyMarcus/►X |⁠ https://x.com/aubreymarcus►Substack: https://www.aubreymarcus.com/blogs/substack► Love To The Seventh Power: ⁠https://chakaruna.com/collections/books⁠Subscribe to the Aubrey Marcus podcast:►iTunes |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://apple.co/2lMZRCn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠►Spotify |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://spoti.fi/2EaELZO ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠►IHeartRadio |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ihr.fm/3CiV4x3 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠►Partner with the Aubrey Marcus Podcast | https://www.aubreymarcus.com/pages/booking

Fibromyalgia and adrenal fatigue go hand in hand — and most people are never told why. In this episode, Nurse Doza breaks down five things you need to understand: why fibromyalgia is a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight, how your adrenals burn out first, why DHEA-S is the one lab that reveals severity, and how to restore rest-and-digest mode with targeted adrenal and neurotransmitter support. Featured Product: Zen Years stuck in fight-or-flight leave your adrenal glands running on empty — and that burnout is the fatigue, poor recovery, and wired-but-tired feeling at the center of fibromyalgia. Zen is an adaptogen formula built for exactly that. It pairs bovine adrenal glandular tissue with a comprehensive blend of botanical adaptogens, B vitamins, and vitamin C to support your stress response, steadier energy, and a calmer nervous system. Take one capsule twice daily to start supporting the system from the inside.

In this episode of the Female Health Solution podcast, I'm doing something a little different. Instead of walking through the science, I'm sharing the real stories of three women I've worked with recently—each doing all the "right" things, yet feeling stuck, dismissed, and frustrated. If you've ever been told your labs are "fine" while you know something is off, these stories are for you. You're not crazy, and you're not too far gone. Case #1: The 44-Year-Old ER Doctor She was wired but exhausted, running on caffeine and adrenaline through brutal shifts, and couldn't sleep without a pill. A one-off cortisol test came back "perfect," but it never mapped her full circadian rhythm. When we ran proper testing, we found chronically elevated cortisol and blood sugar instability driving her sleep issues. With targeted support (Chinese herbs, blood sugar regulation, and adequate protein—just 4 to 5 supplements, not 20), she was sleeping deeply without a pill within three months, dreaming again, and sharper at work. Case #2: The 51-Year-Old CEO She had meals prepped, a trainer, total accountability—and still couldn't budge the tire around her belly. She assumed it was menopause, but it was really insulin resistance (a "normal" glucose of 98, with fasted insulin never tested) layered on a completely flat cortisol curve. She was also severely under-eating for her stress and output. I had her eat significantly more, which terrified her—yet she lost three pounds in the first six weeks as her body finally started functioning instead of just surviving. Case #3: The 37-Year-Old Mom of Three She told me she didn't recognize herself anymore—snapping at her kids, feeling like a "rage monster," then drowning in guilt. This wasn't a character flaw or bad mindset; it was physiology. Her inverted cortisol curve was tanking her progesterone (which fuels the calming GABA receptors), and her liver wasn't processing well—where anger and irritability literally get held. Within the first month of supporting her liver and reversing that cortisol pattern, her mood transformed. My favorite win? She started listening to her old-school Taylor Swift again and became the fun mom she'd always wanted to be. The Common Thread All three women were right that something was wrong—and all three needed the right testing in the right order to fix it. You can't out-supplement a liver processing issue or out-train insulin resistance. When we identify what's actually happening and do things in the correct sequence, everything changes. If you saw yourself in any of these stories, head to the show notes and download my Hormone Cascade Map so you can start doing the right things at the right time. And if you're sick and tired of feeling stuck and being dismissed, click the link to schedule a strategy call with my team. We'll look at what you've tried, run the in-depth functional testing you actually need, and build a customized plan to get you real results. You deserve answers—let's get them.  

TJ loves to date himself, it's ridiculous, talking about an old George McGovern T-shirt he had? Then the crew talk about the alleged Reflecting Pool vandalism. Gaba and TJ get into a spirited debate about the movie Disclosure, and an email bag about Iran. All this and more on News Radio KKOBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

本集節目由【豐傑生醫】贊助播出 你有發現記憶深刻的事情通常是壞事情嗎? 為什麼別人稱讚你五分鐘就忘了 但有人嗆你一句卻能記一輩子? 這集聊的是一件你一定有感覺 卻很少停下來想的事 我們打開新聞、滑開社群 排在最前面討論最熱烈的幾乎都是壞消息 其實不是這個世界突然變壞了 而是我們的大腦天生就是一台「壞消息雷達」 如果你最近覺得社會好亂心情總被新聞牽著走 那這集很適合你來解惑我們的大腦是如何運作的 你會更懂自己為什麼會這樣 也會聊聊要如何與壞消息和平共處 開頭的「哈拉新體驗」 聊聊五月中開通的淡江大橋 從一開始發想到卡關一直聊到完工 過程中發生了哪些有趣的故事 可以讓你下次經過淡江大橋時 會對這座橋有更多的感受與體驗 一起來了解這座創下世界紀錄的淡江大橋吧！ -------------------------------------------- ⚡哈拉充能量 × 豐傑生醫 限時優惠⚡

If you are exhausted all day, wired at night, and waking up between 2:00 and 4:00 AM with your heart pounding and your brain suddenly wide awake, this episode is for you. Because midlife sleep issues are rarely just about needing more progesterone or taking a melatonin gummy. They are usually a sign that a whole system is asking to be recalibrated. In this episode, I go deeper into the sleep side of the midlife stress puzzle and break down what may actually be happening beneath the surface. In this episode: Why so many women in midlife feel exhausted all day but wide awake at night Why progesterone can help sleep, but is not always the whole answer How oral progesterone works through allopregnanolone and the GABA system Why stress affects progesterone through disrupted ovulation, not "progesterone steal" How estradiol affects serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, and your circadian rhythm Why estrogen decline can destabilize sleep, mood, body temperature, and stress resilience How melatonin really works and why it is more than just a sleep supplement Why blood sugar drops can trigger cortisol and adrenaline spikes in the middle of the night What adrenaline wakeups feel like and why they are so common in midlife How to start becoming your own detective with sleep, stress, hormones, and testing Who this episode is for This episode is for women in perimenopause and menopause who are waking up between 2:00 and 4:00 AM, struggling to stay asleep, feeling anxious for no clear reason, or finding that the old sleep advice is no longer working. It is especially for women who want a deeper understanding of what is happening hormonally and neurologically, instead of being told to just take more progesterone and hope for the best.   Use coupon code SLEEP to get 20% off our Progest Sleep oil. Get 15% off DHEA 10 mg capsules here. Use coupon code DHEA15! Order your own Adrenal Stress Kit or DUTCH kit here.     Sponsors Get 30% off BATCH Gummies. Go to hellobatch.com/HORMONE and use code HORMONE at checkout. Get 15% off BiOptimzers Masszymes and all other products at bioptimizers.com/hormone with coupon code HORMONE. Try Mito Q Hormone and metabolic control www.mitoq.com/karenmartel Code: MARTEL10     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

You're not depressed. You're not in crisis. You're functioning, showing up, holding it all together. But something is still off, and you can't quite name it.This episode is for that person.Brandi and Dr. Desiree Caruso, ND sit down to break down the real biology behind low-grade mood dysregulation — the kind that doesn't show up in standard bloodwork but is absolutely happening in your body. We're talking about two specific functional mushrooms, lion's mane and reishi, and going straight into the mechanisms: the actual compounds, the actual pathways, and the actual research that explains why these mushrooms have a genuine relationship with how you feel.This is not a vibe episode. This is the science.We've been asked over and over again whether functional mushrooms can do something for mood, and if so, how. Today we answer that question properly. If you've ever walked out of a doctor's appointment feeling dismissed — told everything looks normal, maybe it's stress, maybe it's your age — this episode is what comes next.What you'll learn:Why mood is a physiological state, not just a feeling, and what that means for how you address itThe specific terpenoid compounds in lion's mane (hericenones) that can cross the blood-brain barrier and what they do once they get thereWhy BDNF is the mechanism most antidepressants are thought to work through, and how lion's mane stimulates it directlyHow 90% of your serotonin is produced in your gut, and exactly how lion's mane supports that pathwayThe three-directional approach lion's mane takes: blood-brain barrier, neuroinflammation, and gut-brain axis simultaneouslyWhat the HPA axis is, why chronic stress dysregulates it, and how reishi's ganoderic acids help restore the natural cortisol rhythmReishi's relationship with GABA, the brain's calming neurotransmitter, and why that explains the felt sense of settling downThe 2026 randomized controlled trial showing measurable reductions in anxiety, cortisol, and inflammation at 12 weeksHow disrupted sleep literally changes how your brain processes emotional information, and the two specific mechanisms reishi addresses to help with thatHow to self-diagnose which mushroom fits your experience right now, and what to track over four weeks to know whether it's workingResources Mentioned:Dr. Andrew Huberman episode on adenosine and coffee: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/using-caffeine-to-optimize-mental-and-physical-performanceVigna, L. et al. (2019). "Hericium erinaceus Improves Mood and Sleep Disorders in the Elderly." Journal of Medicinal Food, 22(5).Contato, A.G. & Conte-Junior, C.A. (2025). "Lion's Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus): A Neuroprotective Fungus with Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antimicrobial Potential — A Narrative Review." Nutrients, 17(8), 1307.Frontiers in Nutrition (2025). "Benefits, side effects, and uses of Hericium erinaceus as a supplement: a systematic review." Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 1641246.Ratto, D. et al. (2023). "Hericium erinaceus: Acute and Chronic Effects on Cognitive Function, Stress, and Mood in Young Adults." Nutrients, 15(22), 4842.Cui, X.Y. et al. (2012). "Extract of Ganoderma lucidum prolongs sleep time in rats." Journal of Ethnopharmacology / Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. PMID: 22297086.Yong, V.K.J. et al. (2026). "A blend of medicinal mushrooms including Reishi reduces anxiety, cortisol and CRP in a 12-week randomized controlled trial." Brain and Behavior.Your Next Steps:Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eversiowellness/Shop Eversio Wellness and save 15% with code PODCAST15: https://www.eversiowellness.com/discount/PODCAST15?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Fall-productsTake our wellness quiz to find the right mushroom for you: https://www.eversiowellness.com/pages/take-our-quiz

Dr. Scott Sherr is an Internal Medicine Physician certified in Health Optimization Medicine (HOMe), a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) expert with over a decade of clinical experience, and the COO of Troscriptions, a company that creates precision-dosed buccal troches with cutting-edge ingredients, including methylene blue and GABA modulators.

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

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.

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

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.

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