Podcasts about ssri

In this Q&A episode of our neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) series, we address challenging and nuanced clinical questions surrounding withdrawal, toxicology testing, and newborn exposures. Our host, Paul Wirkus, MD, FAAP, and guest Camille Fung, MD, review the early signs of withdrawal and discuss the process of obtaining consent for neonatal toxicology screening, clarifying when testing is considered diagnostic and how results may have reporting implications.We also explore common clinical scenarios, including the impact of maternal fentanyl administered via epidural on newborn toxicology results, and how in utero SSRI exposure may present with symptoms such as apnea, posturing, or seizure-like activity. The conversation further examines the effects of prenatal THC exposure, addressing common misconceptions, potential neonatal impacts, and the persistence of THC in breastmilk.Throughout the discussion, the emphasis remains on careful clinical assessment, clear communication with families, and a nonjudgmental, evidence-based approach to care.Have a question? Email questions@vcurb.com.For more information about available credit, visit vCurb.com.ACCME Accreditation StatementThis activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Colorado Medical Society through the joint providership of Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics and Utah Chapter, AAP.  Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics is accredited by the Colorado Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians. AMA Credit Designation StatementKansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/ToddGet the new limited release, The Sisterhood, created to honor the extraordinary women behind the heroes.   Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeJeffrey Epstein and a Comet Ping-Pong Movie? // Raged and Refused: Satan's Plan for Gen-Z // Jesus = Hate SpeechEpisode Links:Island. Pizza. Young women. Predator. You can't make this up... James Alefantis, owner of Comet Ping Pong, implicated in PizzaGate as a member of the trafficking cult is credited as the executive producer of an indie film called AUTOMATIC AT SEA by Matthew Lessner and this is the description:Automatic at Sea': Why the Hyperreal Film 'Represents the Horror of Being Alive Right Now' Matthew Lessner's stylish thriller 'Automatic at Sea' challenges perceptions of reality.2023. Reid Hoffman explains why he funded E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit against Trump. Hoffman, the walking embodiment of perversion, a man who stayed at Epstein's ranch, island, and NYC home and sent Epstein gifts for "the girls," claims he funded the lawsuit to help Carroll get justice for the "torture" and sexual abuse she endured. Hoffman just wanted to help a woman stand up to a rich and powerfulGiving cross sex hormones and SSRI's to mentally ill people is proving to be a colossal mistake that will end up paying divendends in death and destruction. Believe detransitioners and share their stories, it's the only way this madness will end.Democrats in Oregon have killed a proposed bill that would have outlawed giving out drug paraphernalia like needles and pipes within 2,000 feet of a school or childcare center. Militant far-left groups linked to Antifa have been doing so for years.For today's teens, there's no such thing as dating without sex. He's a father at 13 years-old.Our Whiteness is part of the problem of meat eating” “Hamburger comes with a dose of misogyny” “The notion the best protein comes from corpses, is a racist belief” “Meat eating is also one of the ways gender based oppression is perpetuated”THIS IS ABSOLUTE INSANITY. Päivi Räsänen, MP in Finland has been dragged through the courts for 6 YEARS because she tweeted a Bible verse. She was acquitted twice but prosecutors won't drop it

Welcome to Indulgence Gospel After Dark! We are Virginia Sole-Smith and Corinne Fay, and it's time for your February Extra Butter episode! Listen to hear about:⭐️ Anti-diet GLP-1 life⭐️ Who gets left out when the tradwife aesthetic takes over influencer culture⭐️ Interrogating the ableism of not wanting to be on medication your whole lifePlus, serious stuff, like:⭐️ Corinne in a prairie dress⭐️ How long Virginia will last in a zombie apocalypse ⭐️ Why hot cheese is in for FebruaryTo hear the whole thing, read the full transcript, and join us in the comments, you do need to be an Extra Butter subscriber.Join Extra Butter!This transcript contains affiliate links. If you're going to buy something we mention, shopping these links supports Burnt Toast at no extra cost to you! Episode 232 TranscriptCorinneToday we are talking about the state of GLP-1 discourse. A few recent media pieces have us wondering if the GLP-1 backlash is finally beginning, and if so, why is all of the coverage still so anti-fat?VirginiaWe're going to use two primary texts for this conversation, but I also want us to talk more generally about how we're seeing the conversation shift, because I feel like there's been an amorphous shift.CorinneI think the initial craze has died down and we're starting to see a more nuanced conversation.VirginiaWhich in many ways is good. There's more nuance on both sides, but there's still a lot of harm being done in the way the media is framing this conversation.CorinneFor sure. VirginiaExhibit A on that front is a piece by Dani Blum that ran on January 15 in the New York Times. The headline is The Hard Truth of Weight-Loss Drugs: You Probably Need Them Forever. Corinne what is your immediate first reaction to that headline?CorinneNo shit, Sherlock. Why were people confused about this?VirginiaI guess people were. It seemed obvious that if a drug makes you lose weight, and you go off the drug, you won't continue to lose the weight.CorinneUnfortunately, except for maybe antibiotics, that seems to be how drugs work. You have to stay on them.VirginiaThere's a lot that comes up for me in this piece. It's looking at new research, bringing to light the fact that when people go off the weight loss drugs, which many people do because they can't tolerate the side effects and it's too expensive, they just get tired of it. There are lots of reasons that people fatigue about being on a weekly injection drug. They're seeing now that people regain the weight. This is being framed as a grave disappointment and a surprise in the article.CorinneNot to me, but to Oprah.VirginiaOprah particularly. Oprah was surprised. They referenced the fact that even Oprah said that she had stopped taking a weight loss drug cold-turkey for a year and then gained back 20 pounds. "I tried to beat the medication," she told People Magazine. It was then she realized it's going to be a lifetime thing. Brilliant marketing for Weight Watchers, Oprah. She thought she could go off it, but you can't. You should be on it forever. So buy your GLP-1s from Weight Watchers. Of course she wants us to be on it forever. She has a business incentive to make that work. It gets into ableism. Why is it problematic to be on a medication for the rest of your life? I have asthma. I expect to use an inhaler to manage that for the rest of my life. I have sleep apnea. I expect to use a CPAP for the rest of my life. Most people with mental health conditions expect to be on an SSRI for the rest of their life. Why is that a problem?CorinneI think there's something about human nature where people think, I don't want to be on a medication for the rest of my life. I've heard so many people say that.VirginiaOften it's the main resistance to starting a medication. Why? What is it about that that makes us sad?CorinneWe want to believe that we're strong and independent and don't need pills to make us ok.VirginiaYou and I are going to wear glasses for the rest of our lives.CorinneI am extremely screwed. So many medications, so many glasses.VirginiaIf the zombie apocalypse comes, I'm out in the first week because if they break my glasses or I lose an inhaler, I'm sorry, I'm not going to try that hard to survive. Even my acid reflux medication - I don't have debilitating acid reflux - but it's irritating. I would be out.CorinneSame. VirginiaTake me now. CorinneI take multiple medications every single day that I would be lost, if not dead, without.VirginiaI don't understand the aversion to that because it's great that I get to breathe through the help of medication. I'm a big fan.CorinneI think what you're hinting at is it's ableism.VirginiaIt's ableism. We want to believe we can overcome these challenges. We see it especially in conditions that are weight linked in any way. This is why people get told to diet before starting a blood pressure or cholesterol medication when those drugs work really well to manage those conditions ... Corinne... and diets don't.VirginiaAnd diets tend to not do so. Is it such a moral failing to have to go on a statin? I don't think so.CorinneThe other thing they're not talking about directly is - and we've talked about this before - that studies show people who take these drugs for conditions like diabetes and/or insulin resistance, don't tend to stay on them long-term because they're hard drugs to be on. VirginiaYeah.CorinneThis article is so sad for people who got to lose weight on these because they will have to be on them forever if they want to "keep the weight off." It's also sad for people who need to take them to manage chronic conditions. These drugs suck in a lot of ways and people don't want to be on them.VirginiaThat's a valid reason to think, I don't want to be on a drug for the rest of my life if it's giving me terrible side effects. My inhalers don't give me terrible side effects. I just like breathing and want to do it all the time. I'm an oxygen addict. If it's a medication that's giving you side effects, I understand not wanting to be on it for life. For folks who are pursuing this just for weight loss, independent of metabolic health, maybe that's a reason to reflect on whether you need to do that. It is a depressing thing to say, "I will be on a medication that gives me diarrhea, fatigue or whatever side effects, but at least I can be a smaller size." That feels like something to reflect on. That reflection is nowhere in this article, however.CorinneThe article doesn't mention side effects at all, does it? VirginiaIt mentions that it's why a lot of people in the studies are going off the drugs. It's this Catch-22 where they're saying, Oh, people are saying, wow, it's so expensive, or, wow, I have terrible side effects, so I go off it. Then they're framing it like those people were quitters. That they gave up. On the other hand, some of this aversion around "you wouldn't want to be on this medication for the rest of your life" is another layer of anti-fatness. The message is we shouldn't let fat people get away with thinness this way. We don't want them passing for thin because they can stay on a GLP-1 forever. We want them to do the "real work" of weight loss.The idea that you could only achieve weight loss by staying on the medication forever makes the weight loss feel fake to people. It's interesting because all intentional weight loss is fake to some extent. It's all manipulating your body in a direction it doesn't naturally want to go in. So why do we penalize medication-based weight loss versus excessive-running-based weight loss?There's also a nice shout-out to RFK, Jr., who also thought the drugs would just be a short-term fix for people and then we'd go back to eating beef tallow to stay thin. Turns out that's not science, but I don't think we're surprised he's not science. Another flavor of anti-fatness in this piece is the casual normalization that you could do this the old fashioned way. In talking about folks who are able to lose the weight even after they go off, the article says:It's not impossible, but it is extremely difficult. Dr Hauser estimates that fewer than 10% of her patients have successfully kept off 75% or more of the weight they lost after going on a GLP-1 without turning to another weight loss medication or undergoing bariatric surgery. "Those are the people that are working out two hours a day, tracking what they eat. They're working really hard," she said. "I haven't had anyone that just tapers off and isn't really putting that much thought into it and just keeps the weight off. I've never seen that happen."That's just casual normalization of eating disorder behavior. Working out two hours a day and tracking what you eat is not a normal way to live.CorinneThe choice is either drugs or an eating disorder.VirginiaThat's not interrogated by this piece, or in any of the discourse I've seen around the whole idea that you have to be on it forever. It's either you have to be on it forever, or we expect you to do this the old fashioned way, like a good fat person would.CorinneIt's also getting into the Rosey Beeme of it all. She lost some weight with a GLP-1 and then was like, Well, I guess weight loss surgery is the way to go here.VirginiaRight, to continue her health journey. I haven't checked on her in a while. Do you know how that's all going?CorinneNo, I don't and I don't honestly want to know. I just think that will become a more common storyline where people are saying, I didn't want to stay on this drug. It didn't lead to permanent weight loss, but maybe bariatric surgery will.VirginiaWell, that's depressing.CorinneSpeaking of influencers, the second article that we wanted to discuss today ran at the beginning of January in Vulture. It's titled ‘Less People Click If You're a Size 16' How plus-size influencers are faring in a GLP-1 world.VirginiaThis one is paywalled. CorinneI'm glad we're talking about this article because I saw so many people whispering about it on social media before I saw it, and then I saw a lot of folks sharing it. The gist of it is that plus-size influencers are not making as much money as before. They're not getting as many brand deals, etc.VirginiaThey're not getting brand deals from fashion brands and other lifestyle brands, which was interesting to me. The plus-size mom influencers, brands don't want them to show the car seat or the stroller anymore.CorinneI think a lot of plus-size influencers would make money from beauty skincare deals. That seems to be where a lot of the marketing money is. Even that area is slowing.VirginiaThe article talks about how one explanation, in addition to the rise of GLP-1s, is the rise of the tradwife aesthetic. An influencer named Joanna Spicer is interviewed quite a bit in the piece. She says:People in the industry, according to Spicer, are “afraid to say anything. It's being danced around. I've been told that I don't fit the criteria to work with the brand because they're more into the tradwife aesthetic. I'm like, ‘Got it.'”With the tradwife aesthetic, a baseline of thin is a given, right? They're all willowy thin blondes like Ballerina Farm. It's interesting that it's not just thin, but the whole Little House On the Prairie conservative fundamentalist perspective. That's what is trending right now. CorinneIt's very depressing. I like Joanna Spicer and that is not her aesthetic. There are plus-size influencers that lean more in that direction who are also suffering.VirginiaBecause they're not leaning enough in that direction.CorinneThey're not living on farms in Utah. I also thought an interesting part of this was her saying that it's being danced around, that no one's straight up saying what's going on.VirginiaOn the flip side, we've also seen (and reported on) a lot of plus-size influencers becoming not plus-size, or attempting to become not plus-size by sharing their GLP-1 journey. While we've had valid criticisms of the way Rosey Beeme and others have articulated those journeys by using a lot of anti-fat rhetoric, I do understand that when you've made your body your business, and now the business is changing, you feel a lot of pressure to change your body to keep up with things.CorinneThis article doesn't mention it, but there have been a couple of brands recently announcing they're not going to make plus sizes anymore, one of which is Christy Dawn, which is a big tradwife aesthetic brand.VirginiaI never did get a Christy Dawn prairie dress while they made them in my size. Now I guess I never will.CorinneI did try one once. It's really not my aesthetic, but it didn't seem nice.VirginiaI kind of wish you had photos. I really can't picture you in a tradwife dress.CorinneI put it on and was horrified.VirginiaYou had a reaction to that like I have to those boiler suit jumpsuits where I feel trapped, have a panic attack and I can't get them off.CorinneThere was too much shoulder. I didn't like it.VirginiaIt's the whole milkmaid thing.CorinneI like my shoulders covered.VirginiaYeah, not your aesthetic. All of this tradwife aesthetic taking over influencer culture and who's getting brand deals also very much ties into how much this is driven by the political climate right now, which is obviously a dumpster fire. Here is another excerpt from the piece:One vice president and an influencer marketing agency who asked to remain anonymous, said that while they haven't seen brands explicitly push back against working with plus-size creators. They are far more hesitant to sponsor any creator who gets even remotely political. What is acceptable now politically may not be in the future, and to avoid any issues, they don't want any voices that are not controlled internally from their side, he said.That made me wonder if fat influencers are more likely to be left wing and progressive than thin influencers. We don't have any data, but my instinct is yes.CorinneThey're probably more likely to be outspoken about size inclusivity, at least.VirginiaPeople think fat liberation is not political or it's not considered part of political action, and it is part of it. They also wrote:"The trend to move away from plus-size clothing aligns with the trend to move away from DEI. It's all related,” says Monica Corbin, a stylist at a plus-size fashion brand. “We had this big explosion during COVID around inclusivity, and I just think there's been the biggest backlash."So what's happening in influencer culture is just a microcosm of our whole country right now?CorinneThere is a part of this article that was so sad. Joanna Spicer was talking about how not being able to get work in your area of expertise makes you feel like a loser. That it's demoralizing and you feel like you've done something wrong. And you don't want to speak out about it because you don't want to screw yourself over in the future. It sounds so isolating.VirginiaThere's often a lot of pressure on influencers not to be transparent about the business model and the money, which is something we see in almost every female dominated industry. Anytime you have an industry that's majority women, people tend to be underpaid and you're encouraged not to talk about money, which is why all of my writer friends know I am extremely transparent about money. Because I feel like this is how any of us make any. It doesn't surprise me that people were so hesitant to go on record for this story because they think they have so much to risk if they say these brands are paying them less. But it also enrages me because these brands are treating you terribly. How else do we put pressure on them to do something different and make different choices?CorinneI don't know, but it's scary to do that now, especially when it feels like there's fear of political retaliation.VirginiaMaybe this is me grasping at a strand of hope, but I do wonder if the fact that Vulture did this story is a positive sign. Will this kind of media coverage put pressure on brands to be more inclusive again? You could read this piece and think, What is Virginia talking about? There's no GLP-1 backlash. The fact that the piece exists feels like a tiny bit of backlash. Or am I just grasping?CorinneWe'll see. It's probably going to take eight years, but I think at least some of the shine is off.VirginiaIt's hard to say that we're definitively in a backlash, or in a moment of change. I don't think we are. I think we are in a moment of increased nuance, and that's where we've landed. There's value in that. There's value in the conversations becoming more nuanced. The last piece we wanted to talk about was Amanda Richard's recent essay about her own experience taking GLP-1s and her take on where we are in this moment. It's called The return of thinness, without the reckoning. What are your thoughts on this piece?CorinneI thought it was really interesting. I read it this morning and haven't fully digested it. The most interesting part to me was this part near the end where she says:What this moment reveals isn't hypocrisy, it's preference, preference for ease over effort, relief over reckoning, for changing bodies instead of changing the rules that they're judged by. Fat acceptance faltered not because it was wrong, but because it asked more of people than a weight loss transformation ever could.She's getting at this moment in culture where people have lower tolerance than ever for friction. We want everything to be as easy as possible, myself included. That's not always what's best for the world, or even ourselves.VirginiaShe's arguing that we're not in a backlash, but that the rise of GLP-1s has legitimized the pursuit of thinness in new ways. She wrote:What's changed isn't the desire to be thin, but the way that desire is explained. It no longer has to pass through shame, discipline or denial, instead arriving framed as care, responsibility and common sense. we've had moral alibis for thinness before diets, program, supplements, lifestyle changes, but they were always imperfect because they still smelled like wanting. They required visible discipline. They demanded effort. They asked people to accept failure when their bodies didn't cooperate. Medicine is a better alibi.I thought that was pretty dead on.CorinneThat's interesting, although we had health as an alibi before.VirginiaWe definitely did. But she's right that making it something that doctors prescribe, that you have to do, and you have to do in very specific ways in order to adhere correctly to it, does feel different from when doctors say, Try to lose some weight and, you know, walk more. It's vague and nebulous and pushes people over to diet culture.Because you're accessing it through consumerism it feels more like something you want, like a choice you're making. There's aesthetic components. I'm doing this celebrity's plan, you know. It feels legitimate now that you're doing it as a responsible choice for yourself because a doctor prescribed it. It's not to say that the medical choices people are making to do these drugs are always wrong, or that it's a bad choice for everybody. Again, it's a great medication for managing diabetes. Because all of the research dollars in the world go towards these drugs, they are discovering other new benefits of them, and that's great if we don't want people to not have those benefits. CorinneWe didn't mention that the whole premise of the piece is that she's taking a GLP-1 for a condition, and it has helped tremendously.VirginiaShe's had some weight loss as a side effect, but that wasn't the primary goal. Fat acceptance needs to keep making more space for those stories and that reality. That is why we added the Anti-Diet Ozempic Life chat room on Burnt Toast, because I was hearing from readers ashamed and confessing to me that they were on a GLP-1 and not having a place to talk about how to do that with integrity and in alignment with their fat liberation values. I was thought, Well, we're doing something wrong if we're making people feel bad about their own individual choices. That's what the other guys do. That's not what we're about. The conversations there have been fascinating and super instructive to me. I've learned a lot. Everybody who's navigating this, if you've identified that fat liberation is one of your values, you have a responsibility to interrogate this thing that Amanda's articulating, how much of this is a moral alibi for thinness, and what does that mean if you're using medicine as your alibi to achieve thinness because of all the other reasons that thinness is valued.CorinneAlthough, in our culture, how can you not? There's always some element of "Being thin is good? Being thinner Is better?"VirginiaBeing prettier? I'll have better access to things. I don't think wanting that for yourself is "wrong" because how could you not want it?CorinneIt's the water we're swimming in. It's hard to make a neutral choice.VirginiaThere is no neutral choice. Articulating that tension to yourself is valuable versus just dressing it up in "I am doing this for x, y and z health reason. I don't care about being thin." Let's be honest. Of course we all care about that a little bit. We're in an interesting place with this stuff. I'm curious to hear what folks think. How you resonated with these articles and what else you're seeing in the discourse. I am glad for the increasing nuance and I wish mainstream media could spot its anti-fat bias even sometimes.

In this episode, we explore the controversial role of SERT gene testing in predicting SSRI response with Dr. Chris Aiken. Can genetic testing really tell us which patients will respond to antidepressants, or are we putting too much faith in pharmacogenetic promises that lack solid evidence? Faculty: Chris Aiken, M.D. Host: Richard Seeber, M.D. Learn more about our memberships here Earn 0.75 CME: The Role of Genetic Testing in Psychiatry SERT Gene and SSRI Response: Is It Clinically Useful?

*** Det här ett smakprov ur ett Patreon-exklusivt avsnitt, för att lyssna på hela avsnittet gå in på http://patreon.com/sinnessjukt ***I det tvåhundrasjuttiofemte avsnittet av podden pratar vi återigen om Nobelpristagaren Arvid Carlsson och psykofarmakologins födelse. Gäst är Kjell Fuxe. I den sista delen av tre pratar vi om Hans Corrodi, den schweiziske kemisten och språkgeniet som tillsammans med Arvid skapade världens första SSRI-läkemedel – Zelmid (zimelidin). Vem var Hans Corrodi och hur påverkade han svensk forskning? Vi får också höra om Kjells och Urban Ungerstedts arbete med serotonin och hur det väckte Arvids intresse för substansen.Kjell berättar därefter om varför han tror att Nobelpriset dröjde så länge, om den omvälvande resan till New York med Carlsson och Nils-Erik Andén, och varför han menar att schizofreni var den sjukdom som låg Arvid närmast hjärtat. Han berättar även om sina sista minnen av vännen och kollegan Arvid Carlsson.Om du vill kommentera avsnittet finns Christian på Twitter han heter c_dahlstrom, eller på Bluesky där han heter christiandahlstrom.bsky.social. Trevlig lyssning! Hjälp till att hålla merparten av avsnitten gratis och få tillgång till exklusiva avsnitt på: http://patreon.com/sinnessjukt Synka Patreon med Spotify: https://www.patreon.com/posts/sa-lyssnar-du-pa-34442592Köp signerade böcker och Beckomberga-printar här: https://vadardepression.seKöp Sinnessjukt-tishan här: http://sinnessjukt.se/butik Boka föreläsning här: http://vadardepression.se/forelasning-psykisk-ohalsa/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we explore a critical drug interaction: SSRIs combined with anticoagulants increase major bleeding risk by 35-47%. Should age and sex change our prescribing decisions? We break down the evidence from nearly 100,000 patients and discuss safer antidepressant alternatives for high-risk individuals. Faculty: Paul Zarkowski, M.D. Host: Richard Seeber, M.D. Learn more about our membership here Earn 0.75 CME: Quick Take Vol. 77 Do SSRIs Increase Major Bleeding Risk with Oral Anticoagulants?

Dr. McFillin was a guest on the popular Health Ranger Report. This is the full interview. He was joined by Tracy Thurman-a person of faith until a cardiologist—not a psychiatrist—put her on Prozac for "energy." Within weeks, her connection to God vanished. She became a materialist atheist for seven years. In this episode, Tracy and Dr. McFillin expose what they call the psychiatric industrial complex's "spiritual weapon of war"—and why these drugs are designed to make you feel dead inside and that experience is measured as "working". A fascinating episode featuring a topic rarely discussed. 

I detta avsnitt av Yada Yada välkomnar Fanny Ekstrand och Carin Falk dig till den stora beautypodden. De pratar beauty som self-care vs kontroll och flykt, Carins blowout-rutin (Dyson, heatless curls och timmar av dedication) och Fannys livslånga relation till ögonbryn, eyeliner och perfektion. Det blir också snack om “effortless”-myten, botox-dubbelmoral och varför spraytan för vissa är SSRI. Ett ärligt, bitskt avsnitt om stigma, begär och rätten att göra vad man vill med sitt utseende.

Download het cyclusdagboek hier.In deze aflevering spreekt Dokter Servaas over het premenstrueel syndroom, beter bekend als PMS. Deze maandelijkse realiteit beïnvloedt het leven van miljoenen vrouwen, maar wordt helaas nog vaak gebagatelliseerd of afgedaan als “een beetje vervelend”. In deze aflevering krijg je inzicht in waarom sommige vrouwen veel meer last hebben van PMS dan anderen, wat er precies in het lichaam gebeurt en vooral: hoe je dit herkent én wat eraan te doen is.Wat leer je in deze aflevering?Hoe hormonale schommelingen na de eisprong het zenuwstelsel en brein ontregelen.Waarom klachten als vermoeidheid, stemmingswisselingen, prikkelbaarheid en “mentale mist” geen kwestie zijn van ‘overdrijven', maar een neurobiologische reactie.Hoe je zelf met een cyclusdagboek inzicht krijgt in je klachtenpatroon, en waarom dit cruciaal is voor een juiste diagnose.Behandelopties: van simpele levensstijlaanpassingen en supplementen tot medicatie en zelfs chirurgie in extreme gevallen.Dokter Servaas bespreekt helder en genuanceerd de wetenschappelijke richtlijnen van NAPS (National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome).Concrete tips uit de aflevering:Hou minstens twee cycli een dagboek bij: noteer de dag van je cyclus, je lichamelijke en emotionele klachten, de ernst en de impact op je dagelijks leven.Bewegen, beter slapen, minder suiker en bewust omgaan met cafeïne en alcohol kunnen je hormonale schommelingen dempen.Supplementen zoals vitamine B6, magnesium, calcium en vitamine D kunnen helpen, maar steeds in overleg met je arts.Bij ernstige klachten zijn SSRI's (antidepressiva die je alleen tijdens de klachtenperiode neemt), hormoontherapie en in zeldzame gevallen chirurgische ingrepen opties.✨ Mis niets! ✨

Read the article at comedywham.com Episode #375 Macey Isaacs talks with Valerie Lopez about Trading the weight of the world for sharp jokes and playful joy Using her skills as a former basketball player to bounce back on comedy stages How ten years in comedy has helped her embrace the comic label Her Dry Bar Comedy Special, Don't Tell Comedy Special, Picture Day Comedy Show (Santa Monica), That's Our Time Podcast, and exciting upcoming projects Recorded January 2026 Follow Macey Website - maceyisaacs.com Beacon - beacons.ai/maceyisaacs TikTok - @maceyisaacs YouTube - youtube.com/@maceyisaacs Instagram - @maceyisaacs Facebook - facebook.com/Macey-Isaacs That's Our Time Podcast (formerly SSRI'm OK Podcast) Website - ssrimokpod.com Instagram - @ssrimokpod X - @ssrimokpod YouTube - youtube.com/@ssrimokpod The Picture Day Show Instagram - @thepicturedayshow Linktree - linktr.ee/thepicturedayshow Macey can be seen and heard: Lakeway Comedy Night - Saturday February 28, 6pm at The Highland Village Community Center - Tickets Half-Sister - Dry Bar Comedy Special Don't Tell Comedy Special LMAOF Comedy Special #86 The Picture Day Show - Every third Wednesday, The Crow (Santa Monica, CA) Dork Forest Podcast (Elvis Presley) That's Our Time podcast (formerly SSRI'm OK) Follow @ComedyWham on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Twitch, and Tiktok   If you'd like to support our independent podcast, check out our Patreon page at: Patreon.com/comedywham  .    You can also support us on Venmo - just search for ComedyWham.  

SSRI antidepressants are one of the most harmful medications on the market, and because of just how many people they are given to (often for no good reason as only a minority of patients benefit from SSRIs) they have had a profound effect on the consciousness of our entire society This article will review some of the more common side effects of SSRIs (and SNRIs), such as losing the ability to have sex, becoming numb to life, becoming severely agitated or imbalanced (sometimes to the point one becomes violently psychotic or commits suicide), losing your mind, and the development of birth defects Like many other stimulant drugs (e.g., cocaine) SSRIs can be very difficult to quit. Because of this, patients frequently get severely ill when they attempt to stop them (withdrawals affect roughly half of SSRI users). Worse still, it is often extremely difficult to withdraw from them and very few doctors know how to safely facilitate this Due to widespread denial in psychiatry about the issues with their drugs the common SSRI side effects (e.g., withdrawals) are often misinterpreted as a sign the individual had a pre-existing mental illness and needs more of the drug — which all too often then leads to catastrophic events for the over-medicated patient This article will provide the critical information SSRI patients are rarely warned about and resources for patients already trapped in challenging mental health situations  

Three facts are scientifically undisputed: Serotonin is essential for fetal brain development. SSRIs disrupt the serotonin system. SSRIs freely cross the placenta. So why are pregnant women being told these drugs carry "little or no risk"?In this rare head-to-head debate, Dr. Adam Urato—maternal-fetal medicine specialist and FDA expert panelist—faces off against Dr. Robert Chen, a psychiatry resident willing to do what most of his colleagues won't: step into the arena and defend the establishment position.What unfolds is a striking conversation where both physicians actually agree on more than you'd expect—including that informed consent is failing pregnant women, that the chemical imbalance theory is dead, and that "untreated depression" is a misleading frame designed to sell drugs. The uncomfortable question neither side can fully answer: If SSRIs are correcting depression, why does the research show worse outcomes for women who stay on them?This isn't anti-medication propaganda. It's the conversation your doctor isn't trained to have with you.Listen before you fill that prescription. Visit Center for Integrated Behavioral HealthDr. Roger McFillin / Radically Genuine WebsiteYouTube @RadicallyGenuineDr. Roger McFillin (@DrMcFillin) / XSubstack | Radically Genuine | Dr. Roger McFillinInstagram @radicallygenuineContact Radically GenuineConscious Clinician CollectivePLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS15% Off Pure Spectrum CBD (Code: RadicallyGenuine)10% off Lovetuner click here

-What's driving so many liberal white women to become verbally and physically violent in ways we've never seen before? Spoiler: it's personatlity pathology, not drugs or drink. -The myth of the Monstrous SSRI. The entire online public is blaming SSRI antidepressants (Prozac class of drugs) for ICE Karen meltdowns, mothers transing children, and the derangement of white liberal women. Nonsense. Join us for a lesson on teasing apart correlation from causation. -You don't have to feel emotions you don't feel, and you sure don't have to perform them for others on social media. -Potpourri du Moquerie, ICY HOT edition!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Można Pięknie Żyć *---Witaj! "Można Pięknie Żyć*" to seria podcastów, w której odkrywamy, jak zmiany w stylu życia mogą poprawić nasze zdrowie metaboliczne. Skupiamy się na Terapeutycznym Ograniczaniu Węglowodanów i jego pozytywnym wpływie na metabolizm oraz ogólne samopoczucie. Pamiętaj, że zdrowie zaczyna się od wiedzy, a my jesteśmy tu, aby dostarczać Ci inspirację i praktyczne wskazówki na drodze do pięknego życia. Zaczynamy!  W tym odcinku rozbijamy na części pierwsze dominującą narrację o depresji i lęku – pokazujemy, że to nie „niedobór serotoniny”, lecz problem energetyczny mózgu powiązany z insulinoopornością i stanem zapalnym. Na konkretnych badaniach i spektakularnych case study widać, że zmiana sposobu odżywiania potrafi w kilka tygodni wyciszyć ciężką depresję, często nieskutecznie leczoną latami farmakologicznie.

When does sadness become a disease? Grief? Dr. Roger McFillin sits down with Mary Ann Kenny a lecturer, a mother of two, and the author of The Episode: A True Story of Loss, Madness and Healing. Ten years ago, her husband went out for a morning run and never came home. What followed was grief—and then a collision with a psychiatric system that would change her life in ways she never could have anticipated. Visit Center for Integrated Behavioral HealthDr. Roger McFillin / Radically Genuine WebsiteYouTube @RadicallyGenuineDr. Roger McFillin (@DrMcFillin) / XSubstack | Radically Genuine | Dr. Roger McFillinInstagram @radicallygenuineContact Radically GenuineConscious Clinician CollectivePLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS15% Off Pure Spectrum CBD (Code: RadicallyGenuine)10% off Lovetuner click here

In our first podcast of 2026, Robert Whitaker joins us to answer questions submitted by Mad in America readers and listeners. We discuss the validity of ADHD diagnoses, withdrawal and sexual dysfunction risks of SSRI antidepressants, the harms of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), the rise of AI-generated misinformation and much more. *** Thank you for being with us to listen to the podcast and read our articles this year. MIA is funded entirely by reader donations. If you value MIA, please help us continue to survive and grow. https://www.madinamerica.com/donate/ To find the Mad in America podcast on your preferred podcast player, click here: https://pod.link/1212789850 © Mad in America 2026. Produced by James Moore https://www.jmaudio.org  

Dementia is often a highly burdensome disease process for patients, their caregivers and families, and the community at large. Palliating symptoms and providing guidance surrounding advance care planning and prognostication are integral components of the management plan. In this episode, Katie Grouse, MD, FAAN, speaks with Neal Weisbrod, MD, an author of the article "Neuropalliative Care in Dementia" in the Continuum® December 2025 Neuropalliative Care issue. Dr. Grouse is a Continuum® Audio interviewer and a clinical assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco in San Francisco, California. Dr. Weisbrod is a neurologist at Hartford Healthcare with the Ayer Neuroscience Institute in Mystic, Conneticut. Additional Resources Read the article: Neuropalliative Care in Dementia Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about earning CME, subscribing to the journal, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Grouse: This is Dr Katie Grouse. Today I'm interviewing Dr Neal Weisbrod about his article on neuropalliative care in dementia, which appears in the December 2025 Continuum issue on neuropalliative care. Welcome to the podcast, and please introduce yourself to our audience.  Dr Weisbrod: Thank you. I'm really excited to be here. I'm Neal Weisbrod. I'm a neurologist and palliative care physician currently working at Hartford Healthcare in Mystic, Connecticut. Dr Grouse: To start, I'd like to ask why you think it's important that neurologists read your article? Dr Weisbrod: The primary reason I think it's really important to read the article is because these are just really common problems that neurologists run into in clinical practice. So, Alzheimer disease and many other dementias are extremely common, and managing the burdensome symptoms and the complex discussions that we have to have with the patients and their families as they go through the course of dementia is something that is very common in clinical practice. And so my hope is that by reading this article, clinicians will pick up a few tools, a few new ideas for how to make these conversations easier and for how to help these patients get through the disease with a little bit less suffering. Dr Grouse: I learned a lot from reading your article, and I really encourage our listeners to check it out. But I was curious what you feel that you discussing your article would come as the biggest surprise to our listeners? Dr Weisbrod: So, I think that the most surprising thing a lot of people will see reading this article is the section on prognosis. A lot of times it seems families are counseled, when they're talking about the prognosis of Alzheimer disease, that it could be ten years or longer. But really, the data show that for many patients, the median prognosis is closer to three to eight years. And that is a little bit longer for Alzheimer disease than many other types of dementia, but also gets significantly shorter as patients get older. So, we're looking at a closer to three-year median prognosis for patients who are over eighty-five, whereas patients in their sixties are probably closer to the eight or nine-year median prognosis. And so I think that piece will hopefully help people give a little bit more accurate counseling about prognosis.  Dr Grouse: I'm glad you brought that up because I was wondering, why is it so important that we are careful to make sure that we're giving prognostic information for our patients and maybe even updating it as their clinical status changes? Dr Weisbrod: I think first of all, it's a really common thing that patients and families are thinking about and worried about. They don't necessarily always seem to ask as much as they want to know. I think there's a lot of fear around that conversation, even though it's really important. And then there's also often tension between the family and caregivers tend to want to know more than patients do. I think that it really helps people plan for the future as well as possible to know what their future might be. And we have a lot of limitations in predicting the future, but using the best information we can, laying out what we think the likely range is, allows people to make a lot more clear plans for their future. Dr Grouse: I'd imagine it's also pretty helpful for hospice referrals, too, having that data.  Dr Weisbrod: Yeah, definitely. And there's a lot of angst about when to refer patients who have dementia to hospice. The most important thing I think about when I'm making a hospice referral is that I don't have to be right. And I think it takes a lot of that concern off to just say, all I'm doing is making a connection, getting someone who's potentially interested in the hospice, who has a really advanced serious illness connected to a hospice agency. And then they can go through the full evaluation with the hospice and the hospice medical director and determine whether they're eligible. So, I think there are really helpful thresholds to think about that would be a good trigger. Like a patient who we think has advanced dementia, who has a hospitalization for pneumonia or a fracture of the hip or some other really serious acute medical condition, I think is a really good trigger to start to think about hospice. But most importantly, it's just the connection, and I tell the patients that upfront. I tell them that you're going to have a conversation and we'll decide whether you're a good fit, and if not, the hospice will usually just check in with you over time and decide when is the right time in the future. Dr Grouse: That's really helpful. And I think just a really great reminder to our listeners about thinking about hospice sooner or at certain critical points in their patient care rather than waiting, maybe, before it's gone on too long and may be of less use later on. I was wondering, in your own clinical practice, what do you think is the most challenging aspect of providing care to patients with dementia?  Dr Weisbrod: I think this one's easy. I would say managing the time has to be the most difficult part. I think that taking care of patients who have dementia is time-consuming. There's a lot of different priorities that we have to manage the time around. How much time are we going to spend doing cognitive testing? How much time are we going to spend doing counseling? How much time are we going to spend making up a treatment plan and discussing medications? How much time are we going to spend on advanced care planning? And the way I try to combat that is really just trying to think about what I'm going to prioritize in a certain visit and not try to accomplish everything. I'll tell patients and their families, the next time you come in, we're going to have a conversation focusing on advanced care planning. Or, the next time you come in, we're going to sit down and try to talk through all the questions you have about what the future might hold. That way I in that visit, I don't feel like, oh, I have to do updated cognitive testing and I have to review all the next steps in medication, and that allows me to take it in more bite-sized chunks. Dr Grouse: You made some of the great points, and specifically you mentioned advanced care planning. Your article makes a really strong case for the importance of advanced care planning, yet you definitely acknowledge the many barriers to initiating discussions that clinicians face. In your patients with dementia, can you walk us through how you integrate discussions about advanced care planning with your patients and their families?  Dr Weisbrod: Yeah, I think this is still something that is evolving in my practice, and I don't think there's any perfect way of doing it. I think there's a lot of right ways of doing it, and as long as we're thinking about it a lot and bringing it up periodically, that's probably the best. What I try to do, though, is after I discuss what I think is the most likely diagnosis with patients and their families, I try to have a fairly close follow-up visit after that. Allow them to digest that information, to often do a little bit of their own research, to talk about it as a family. And then when they come in for that next appointment, I try to at least lay some groundwork about advanced care planning, asking them what they've completed already, and then based on what they've already done to that point, talking to them about what I think the next step would be. If they have done nothing, usually it's just, hey, I really think you should start to think about who would be making decisions for you if you lose the ability to make your own decisions and counsel them about power of attorney paperwork and establishing a healthcare surrogate. When it's patients who have already done some of that initial prep, I think that it's really important to keep in mind it's a longitudinal discussion and you can take it in small pieces over time. Often that helps because you can really establish that rapport and that trust. And then I like to just keep checking in whenever there's major changes in the patient's health or condition, like admission to the hospital or transfer to an assisted living facility or memory care clinic. Those are good times to remember, hey, I really need to revisit this conversation.  Dr Grouse: It's probably good to also mention another really important point from your article, which was that impairment of decision-making in patients with dementia can actually start significantly even in the phase of mild cognitive impairment. Yet these patients will need to make many medical decisions with their neurologist as they go through this journey. How can we make sure our patients have capacity and make decisions appropriately regarding their care? Dr Weisbrod: Yeah, I think that's a definite challenge of taking care of patients with cognitive disorders of any type, including those with stroke and multiple sclerosis, that have some cognitive impairment. In my opinion, the most important way to help manage that is to make sure when we are making important decisions about the future that we're having a deep exploration of the values and the reasoning behind that. And definitely teach back is the most helpful way that I use to explore those values and the logic behind patients' decisions. So, I think we have to have a really low threshold to move on to a formal evaluation of capacity; if there's any inconsistency between what the patient's saying now and what their families say they've said in the past, or if they're having struggled to come up with a really clear logic behind their decision, then I think we have to have a low threshold to move on to a formal evaluation of capacity. So, I think having the family involved, having other people who know the patient really well, usually helps identify some of those periods where it seems like the patient's not making the decision that really reflects their true wishes. Dr Grouse: Now I wanted to switch gears a little bit and get into the management of neuropsychiatric symptoms, which you spend a lot of time on and I think a lot of neurologists find very challenging. What are some nonpharmacologic approaches that can help patients with significant neuropsychiatric symptoms?  Dr Weisbrod: I really like the DICE paradigm for coming up with nonpharmacologic approaches. The DICE paradigm is an acronym. The D is Describe, I is Investigate, C is Create, and E is Evaluate. The idea is that we're exploring what's happening behind the symptoms, we're creating a plan to intervene, and then we're evaluating the outcome of that plan and creating a sort of feedback loop there. But ultimately, I think, when we're creating a solution, thinking about how we can change the environment is the most important thing. We have very limited ability to change the way that someone who has severe cognitive dysfunction reacts to their environment, but we can often change the environment to not produce that reaction in the first place. One example is with wandering behaviors. Trying to change the environment where you put locks that don't have deadbolts that you can use on the inside of the house, you have to have a key on the inside of the house, and then the family can put that key somewhere safe where the patient is not likely to find it and be able to unlock the door and wander out unsafely. I also think it's really important to acknowledge that as doctors, we are maybe not the best people to always have the answer when it comes to changing a patient's environment. And so, I think we really need to rely on the wisdom of support groups and other people who are going through the challenge of dementia. Our interdisciplinary care teams like social workers and nurses who have experience in managing dementia, and really try to plug the caregivers into as many of these avenues as possible so that they can learn from all of that community of wealth and not always rely on the doctor to have the answer. Dr Grouse: Switching gears to pharmacologic management, which is a lot of what we do for patients as neurologists. Thinking about agitation, pharmacologic management of agitation can be very challenging. And reading your article, it reminds me how disheartening it is to reflect and how modest the effect of the available options are, along with the many potential risks of their use, When nonpharmacologic interventions fail, what should neurologists recommend for their patients with agitation? Dr Weisbrod: Yeah, I definitely agree. It's every time I go back and look at this literature and look at what's new, it is a bit disheartening. But even in the face of all that, I really feel like SSRIs are my first-line therapy for most of these patients. I always try to ask myself what might be causing the patient discomfort that they are then manifesting as agitation because they don't have a better way of expressing themselves. Often, I feel like that's anxiety or depression or some other psychological symptom that we might be able to address with an SSRI. So, I tend to use sertraline and escitalopram, start those early and as long as patients are tolerating it, give it a really good trial. Outside of that, escalating to other pharmacologic approaches, even though there's such controversy in the data about antipsychotics and even though there are very real risks, sometimes I think we essentially do need a chemical sedative. And I think that it's important to have a very frank conversation upfront with the caregivers and the medical decision maker for that patient. Make sure we are counseling them on the risk, the increased risk of mortality, and also to make it a time-limited trial. So, I think that saying we're going to try this medication (if the patient's decision maker agrees, obviously) for a month or two months or three months. But I definitely wouldn't want them to just have an open-ended plan where they're going to stay on it indefinitely. It should have some end point where we say, hey, is this working or not? And if it's working, then we'd make a decision, is the improvement in quality of life worth the risks? And if we're not seeing that improvement, then we definitely need to stop it. Dr Grouse: That seems very reasonable. And then thinking more towards some of the other types of symptoms that can be really challenging, I was really surprised to see how often uncontrolled pain is a significant contributor in patients with dementia. And certainly, both uncontrolled pain and poor sleep can worsen cognitive function and neuropsychiatric symptoms in general. But of course, there's ongoing concerns about side effects of these therapies and how they can also potentially worsen things. How should we be approaching management of pain and insomnia or poor sleep in these patients?  Dr Weisbrod: I think the key is just to start with really low burden treatments and escalate carefully and start with low doses of higher risk medications. So, when I think the low burden treatments for pain, scheduling acetaminophen, 1000 milligrams every eight hours, seems like a trivial thing to do, maybe? But it's actually surprising how much scheduled acetaminophen can take the edge off of pain and might be able to avoid some of these flare-ups of neuropsychiatric symptoms, may be able to really improve that pain a little bit. I do think it really has to be scheduled, though. Trying to rely on patients who have significant cognitive dysfunction to use a PRN medication is going to lead to a lot of problems and undertreatment. And then on the sleep disorder side, I think starting with low-dose Trazodone and gradually increasing the dose of Trazodone as a really safe way of initially approaching the insomnia. And then only when it's a more refractory case do I reach for the high-risk medications. Like for pain, we're talking about opiates. I think there's a lot of very reasonable concern about using opioids in patients who have cognitive dysfunction. But if there is a really good reason to think that they have severe pain, like they have a past pain disorder, I think that just like with antipsychotics, there are definitely real risks to these medications. But at the end of the day, if we are improving someone's quality of life dramatically and the patient's medical decision maker is willing to take on those risks, then we're really doing the patients a favor. Dr Grouse: Now, another issue that you mentioned in your article, which I see a lot and often struggle with myself, is how and when to deprescribe certain types of medications such as cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine. Any tips or tricks to how to approach this?  Dr Weisbrod: My approach to this has also evolved a bit over the years. The new data that cholinesterase inhibitors may have a mortality benefit in patients with Alzheimer disease has changed my thinking a little bit. But there are still lots of situations where it's just too burdensome or patients seem to be having side effects. And so, I think about deprescribing. The most important thing in my mind is really thorough counseling before deprescribing with the patient's family and medical decision maker. I think that letting them know that we might actually be holding things more stable with the medication than we realize, there could be a flare-up, that we can resume the medication if that flare-up happens but we don't always guarantee getting back to the same point. I think having that conversation ahead of time will ward off some of the worst issues that you have afterwards. And then I think doing a taper of cholinesterase inhibitors over two weeks to a month is probably the most prudent because of some of the data about withdrawal and exacerbation of neuropsychiatric symptoms or cognitive worsening. Memantine, I think the data is a lot more shaky on withdrawal. And so, I think it's less important to gradually taper memantine. But I think that once again, just having the conversation upfront and letting the family know these are the things we have to look out for and these are the risks is going to be the most important. Dr Grouse: That's really helpful and a great strategy to take advantage of. Another, I think, really difficult topic that I wanted to ask you about was the discussion around nutrition and whether or not to consider putting in some type of a permanent tube for tube feeds. How do you approach that conversation? Certainly a difficult one.  Dr Weisbrod: Yeah, I think it's easily one of the most difficult conversations to have in the care of patients who have dementia. And there's so much emotion in the families when they're having this discussion. And I think really acknowledging there's a huge emotional piece of the conversation is one key piece. For families and caregivers, they're thinking, I don't want my loved one to starve to death. That's usually the most important thing in their mind. We have to address that concern in the conversation, or they're never going to get to a point of satisfaction with the decision that's being made. So, I think while there is still some controversy in the literature about artificial nutrition for patients who have dementia, the bulk of data indicates that it is not helpful for patients. It may exacerbate dementia, it leads to more restraint. And so, I think unless there's some reversible medical condition that we're just trying to do artificial nutrition to get them through, like, they have a stroke and we're expecting that their dysphasia is going to improve because of the stroke is going to heal. Those situations might be a good reason, but if we really think that the driving factor behind their dysphasia is their dementia, I think we should be guiding the families away from that. And I think that explaining that as dementia gets really advanced, the body is slowly shutting down. The body is not needing as much nutrition, and forcing more nutrition in has not been shown to help people who have dementia. Really putting it in that sort of language is going to help the families understand and be comfortable with that decision. I also think that it's really helpful to consider talking to families about what they can do and not have the entire conversation be about what we're not doing or not putting in a feeding tube for artificial nutrition. So, I think really good counseling about, we can do comfort feeding, we can expand what food we're giving the person who has dementia and really focus on foods that they really enjoy and not worry so much about the health and nutrition anymore. I think that focus on what they can take control of can also help make the decision easier for families.  Dr Grouse: I really like that approach. And I agree, it does seem that it being such an emotional decision with just so much a concern about this underlying feeling of not caring for their family member. I think that is a really great way to look at it  and to kind of start off that conversation. Now, I'd love to hear more about what drew you to this field when you first got into your career as a neurologist. Dr Weisbrod: I had an interesting journey to doing neuropalliative care. Definitely didn't know that's what I was going to do when I started neurology residency. At University of Rochester, we had amazing palliative care physicians that were involved in medical school, and so I got a little bit of exposure to it early on. Then when I was in neurology residency, I first of all realized that I really enjoyed making sure that what we were doing respected a patient's wishes. And so, as other people seemed to run away from those conversations, I was really drawn to them. And so that definitely made me realize that that might be more of the right field for me. But also, as I went through neurology residency, I really discovered that I love so many different things in neurology, and that made me not want to subspecialize and focus on a narrower set of conditions in neurology. So, doing palliative care fellowship was a really good way of getting a specialist tool set and expanding my knowledge in one area, but staying a neurologist, generalist. And I think it also really enhances a lot of the other things I do in neurology. It gives me a lot of additional skills on how to counsel patients and how to prepare for the future in general. I think there's a lot about just good bedside manner in palliative care education. I feel like it helped me become a better neurologist, and I decided that I really loved the palliative care piece as well.  Dr Grouse: Well, we're certainly all grateful that you found this aspect of your career and have been able to share the skills you've honed with us as well. And we really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us about your excellent article today, which I encourage everybody to read.  Dr Weisbrod: Yeah, thank you. It's been wonderful to be on, and I hope that people can take away a few small points from the article. Dr Grouse: Again, today I've been interviewing Dr Neal Weisbrod about his article on neuropalliative care in dementia, which appears in the December 2025 Continuum issue on neuropalliative care. Be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues, and thank you to our listeners for joining today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

Show Notes:Hello and welcome to Authentically ADHD – I'm Carmen, and I'm so glad you're tuning in. Today we're exploring a topic I know many of us grapple with: why you're still exhausted even after resting, especially when you're both autistic and ADHD (often called AuDHD). If you've ever wondered, “I took a break, so why do I still feel drained?” this episode is for you.We often hear about the idea of a “social battery.” The classic metaphor goes like this: social time drains you, alone time or rest recharges you, then you're good to go again. It's a handy way to explain why you might feel wiped out after a party or a day of meetings – you used up your social battery and need some quiet time to recharge. For neurotypical folks or even just introverts, that simple formula sometimes works: hang out with people (battery drains), spend a night in (battery refills), and you're refreshed.But if you're neurodivergent – and especially if you're AuDHD (autistic + ADHD) – you've probably noticed it's not that simple. You might spend a weekend resting at home only to wake up on Monday still bone-tired. Or you take a day off to recharge, and by evening you're more exhausted than before. What gives? In today's episode, we're going to answer that. We'll talk about why the one-dimensional social battery metaphor doesn't fully capture what's happening in our brains and bodies. We'll dive into the neuroscience behind exhaustion in autism and ADHD: it's not just being “peopled out” – it's also things like masking, sensory overload, executive function fatigue, chronic stress mode, and even missed signals from our own bodies.By understanding these factors, we can start to make sense of why just “resting” isn't always enough for us. Importantly, we'll discuss what real rest means for an AuDHD brain. I'll share some strategies and tips on how to recharge the right way (because if your rest isn't targeting the actual type of tired you are, it's not going to truly restore you). And be sure to stick around till the end – I have 7 reflection questions for you. These will help you apply what we talk about to your own life, so you can figure out what drains your energy and how to refill your tank more effectively.So, grab a comfy seat, maybe a notebook, and let's unpack why you're still exhausted after rest – and what we can do about it.The Classic “Social Battery” Metaphor – And Its LimitsLet's start with that “social battery” idea. It's a popular way to describe energy levels, especially for introverts. The idea is pretty straightforward: social interaction uses energy, and solitude or downtime charges you back up. For example, if you spend all day socializing with coworkers or attending events, you might feel drained – your social battery is empty. Then you recharge by being alone, watching Netflix, reading, sleeping, what have you. The next day, your battery is full again (or at least partially recharged) and you repeat the cycle.This metaphor resonates because it acknowledges that socializing can be tiring, even if it's fun. It's commonly mentioned for conditions like ADHD or just shy/introverted personalities: “I need to recharge my social battery.” For neurotypical people, often a good night's sleep or a quiet Sunday morning might indeed restore that sense of energy.But here's the catch: the social battery model assumes only one dimension of fatigue – social energy in versus out. It treats all “rest” as equal, like plugging your phone into any charger will top it off. For those of us with ADHD, autism, or both (AuDHD), our experience tells a more complex story. We don't just have a single battery that drains and refills; we have an entire panel of batteries or fuel tanks, each for different kinds of energy. Sometimes you're not even sure which battery is low – you just know you're running on fumes. And crucially, if you try to recharge in the wrong way, it's like putting the wrong fuel in a car: you don't get very far, and you might even stall out.Have you ever tried to rest – say you cleared your weekend to do nothing – and you did all the “right” restful things like sleeping in or binging a show, but you still felt wiped out on Monday? I've been there. Before I understood the multiple dimensions of burnout, I would get frustrated at myself: “I rested, why am I still tired? What's wrong with me?” The social battery idea would have me believe that rest = recharge, so if I rested and I'm still tired, I must be doing something wrong. But the truth was, my rest wasn't actually addressing the kind of exhaustion I had.The classic metaphor doesn't account for things like:Mental overload – maybe your mind was exhausted from racing thoughts or decision-making, but your “rest” didn't quiet your mind.Sensory overload – maybe your senses were still on high alert from a noisy, bright, chaotic week, and watching TV on the couch kept bombarding you with light and sound.Emotional strain – maybe you were carrying stress or anxiety (perhaps from masking your true self or holding in emotions), and “resting” by doing nothing didn't process those feelings.Physical fatigue – maybe your body needed real recovery (nutrition, hydration, movement or sleep), but your rest was just lying around without addressing those needs.Executive function fatigue – perhaps you spent all week forcing your ADHD brain to stay organized and on-task, which is extremely draining, and simply taking time off work didn't automatically replenish that mental fuel.In other words, neurodivergent exhaustion is multi-faceted, and the social battery idea is just one piece of the puzzle. For AuDHD folks, social interaction itself can be exhausting, yes, but why it's exhausting goes beyond just “I don't like being around people too long.” There are underlying factors – neurological and physiological – that make social settings or daily life in general more draining for us than for others. Let's break down those factors.Why AuDHD Exhaustion Is More Than “Just Social”When you have autism, ADHD, or both, several concurrent processes are depleting your energy throughout the day. It's like having multiple apps running on your mental phone battery. If we ignore all but one, we miss the full picture. Here are some of the big drains on an AuDHD “battery”:1. The Masking Labor – Hidden Exhaustion of “Acting Normal”Masking refers to hiding or suppressing your natural neurodivergent behaviors to fit into a neurotypical world. Think of it as a social survival strategy: you force yourself to maintain eye contact even though it's uncomfortable, you hold back your stims (like fidgeting or rocking) to seem “calm,” you laugh when you're supposed to even if you're confused, you constantly monitor your tone and words so you don't offend or seem weird. Basically, you're running a mental filter 24/7 to appear “normal.” That is hard work!For autistic people especially, masking can be an enormous cognitive and emotional load. It's not just casually wearing a “social face”; it's more like performing a play where you're the actor and the director, constantly watching yourself from the outside. For ADHD folks, masking might involve holding back your impulsive comments, forcing yourself to sit still and appear attentive, or over-preparing for conversations so you don't lose track.All this mental multitasking consumes a ton of energy. Imagine your brain as a computer running several heavy programs at once – eventually it's going to lag or overheat. When you're masking, you might be:Analyzing every social cue and your own reactions (“Am I smiling enough? Did that joke land? Do I seem interested?”).Inhibiting natural impulses (“Don't stim, don't interrupt, don't pace even though I'm restless…”).Translating your intended words into more “acceptable” phrases.Absorbing the stress of not being able to relax or be yourself.No wonder by the time you get home from work or a social gathering, you feel like you ran a marathon (even if all you did was sit in a conference room or a cafe). Masking is exhausting. It's often described as wearing a heavy costume all day; when you finally take it off, you might physically collapse. This is a huge reason your “social battery” drains so fast and stays low: you weren't just socializing, you were performing and self-censoring nonstop.2. Sensory Processing Load – When the World Overwhelms Your SensesMany autistic and ADHD individuals experience sensory sensitivities. This means ordinary environments can feel like an assault on your nervous system. The lights in a grocery store are glaring and fluorescent, the chatter at a party is a jumble of noise, the fabric of your shirt tag is scratching your neck all day – these might barely register for a neurotypical person, but for us, they can be intensely distracting or irritating.Your brain is constantly processing sensory input: sight, sound, touch, smell, movement, etc. In neurotypical brains, there's a filter – they can often tune out background noise or adapt quickly to stimuli. In an AuDHD brain, that filter may be weaker or just different. Everything comes in at full volume, so to speak. As a result, you're expending energy just to exist in what others call a “normal” environment. You might not realize how much work your brain is doing to process and cope with the sensory avalanche until you find yourself utterly drained for “no obvious reason.”It's not just mentally tiring; it activates your physiology. When you're in sensory overload, your body can go into a mild fight-or-flight state. Think about being startled by a sudden loud noise – your heart jumps, adrenaline spikes. Now imagine smaller scale but chronic versions of that throughout your day: the phone ringing, the traffic noise, the uncomfortable chair, the strong perfume in the elevator. Your body might be perpetually a little on edge. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline might be slightly elevated as your system says “too much, too much!” Even if you consciously try to ignore a chaotic environment, your nervous system is still reacting. Over time, living in that amped-up state will wear you out.So if you spend a day in a noisy, busy setting (say, an open-plan office or a crowded mall), you might come home utterly spent. And here's the kicker – if your idea of “rest” is, say, plopping on the couch with the TV on, you might not actually be giving your sensory system a break. The TV is still light and sound. Your phone screen is still input. If sensory overload was a big part of your energy drain, you need sensory rest: dim lighting, silence or calm music, maybe a weighted blanket or whatever soothes your senses. Without addressing that, a quiet night might only pause the overload without truly clearing it, leaving you still jittery or frazzled the next day.3. Executive Function Taxes – Paying the “Brain Tax” on Every TaskExecutive function is like the brain's management system – it covers things like planning, organizing, focusing, remembering details, switching tasks, and controlling impulses. Both ADHD and autism can come with executive function challenges (though they might show up differently). For ADHD in particular, things like staying focused, following steps, meeting deadlines, and making decisions can require intense conscious effort. It's not that we can't do them – we often can, but it's like driving with the parking brake on. We have to press the gas harder to go the same distance.Studies have found that adults with ADHD use up more mental energy throughout the day just managing routine tasks. One psychologist described it well: people with ADHD exert greater effort on everyday decisions and self-control, which “burns up mental fuel” at a faster rate than neurotypicals. Have you ever felt strangely tired after doing “nothing” except answer emails or make a few simple phone calls? That could be because for an ADHD brain, shifting attention between those emails, resisting the urge to check social media, remembering what you had to do next, all of that took a lot of invisible effort.Autistic folks, on the other hand, might get mentally drained from tasks like navigating transitions (shifting from one activity to another can be jarring) or dealing with unpredictability without a clear plan. Planning and adapting – those executive functions – can take a lot of conscious processing if your brain doesn't do it automatically.All day long, we're essentially paying an “executive function tax.” Every time you force yourself to concentrate on a boring task, every time you have to break down a project into steps, every time you coach yourself through procrastination or try to remember an appointment – that's a withdrawal from your cognitive energy reserves. By evening, you've been taxing that system so heavily that you might experience brain fog, trouble concentrating, or an inability to make even trivial decisions (“decision fatigue” – like staring at the fridge unable to decide on dinner).If your rest doesn't give your executive brain a break – for example, if you “rest” by doing something mentally complex like reading dense articles or doing a puzzle when your mind was what was exhausted – you may not feel recovered. Sometimes what we need is true mental rest: no complex planning, maybe even a break from screens and information intake, letting our thoughts wander or doing a mindless simple activity. Without identifying that need, you might mistakenly think “I just need more sleep,” but eight hours later you still wake up mentally exhausted, because your mind never got a break from overdrive.4. Stress-System Activation – Living in Fight-or-Flight ModeThis one underpins all the above: chronic stress. Both living with ADHD and autism can be chronically stressful, even if you love your life and manage well. There's the stress of trying to meet neurotypical expectations, the stress of sensory assault, the stress of potential social missteps or failures at work, and often a history of anxiety or trauma from not being understood. All this means our sympathetic nervous system (the fight-or-flight responder) might be activated more often or more intensely.Physiologically, when you perceive a challenge or threat (and “challenge” can be as mundane as the boss unexpectedly asking you a question, or a sudden loud noise that startles you), your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Your heart rate might go up, blood pressure increases, senses heighten. It's your body's way of gearing up to face something. That's fine in short bursts, but if it's happening repeatedly through the day, you don't get much time in the restorative, relaxed state (the parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode).Being constantly in a subtle fight-or-flight mode is exhausting. It also affects sleep and energy recovery. For instance, if your stress system is always a bit activated, you might have trouble winding down at night or you might not get deep, quality sleep. You could sleep a full night and still wake up tired because physiologically, your body hasn't truly relaxed. Chronic stress can also mess with things like muscle tension (ever realize you've been clenching your jaw or shoulders all day?), digestion, and immune function – which can all indirectly make you feel more fatigued and rundown.For AuDHD people, stress might be coming from multiple angles: social anxiety, ADHD-related worries (“Did I forget something important again?”), sensory stress, or just the general pressure of appearing fine while you're actually struggling. Even exciting positive things can register as stress to the body – like hyperfocus or sensory excitement can amp you up similar to anxiety. So if you're constantly running “hot” internally, you need cooling-off periods. If your rest doesn't include something that actually calms your nervous system – like deep breathing, mindfulness, gentle movement, a safe feeling environment – you might stay in a semi-stressed state even during downtime. That means your “battery” isn't recharging; at best, you're just not draining it further for a while.5. Interoception Glitches – Missing Your Body's Early Warning SignalsInteroception is a fancy word for the internal sense of your body's condition – basically, feeling your own internal signals like hunger, thirst, tiredness, pain, needing the bathroom, etc. Many autistic people (and some ADHD folks too) have differences or delays in interoception. This can mean you don't notice your needs until they're screaming at you.Think about times you suddenly realize, “Oh my gosh, I'm starving – I haven't eaten in 8 hours!” or you're shivering and only then notice you're cold. Or you're so deeply focused on a project (thanks hyperfocus) that you don't realize you're exhausted until you stand up and almost fall over. That's interoceptive unawareness – our internal “fuel gauge” is not very accurate.For an AuDHD person, this might lead to literally running on fumes. You might be extremely low on energy but not fully register it until you hit a wall (like a shutdown or a meltdown or just a sudden wave of exhaustion that knocks you out). Likewise, you might not identify what kind of rest you need. You just feel “bad” or “tired” or “crappy” but can't tell if it's because you're dehydrated, or overstimulated, or emotionally upset. So you might try the wrong fix. For example:You feel out of it, so you assume you need a nap. But maybe what you needed was actually food and water (physical need), so you wake up from the nap still feeling off.Or you feel “tired” but actually you've been sitting indoors all day and your body is under-stimulated physically and craving movement (some ADHDers know the feeling of being lethargic from lack of activity). If you just lie down more, you feel even worse, whereas a short walk or some stretches might have rejuvenated you.Or you feel mentally drained and foggy, so you try to push through with caffeine and working more, when actually your brain desperately needed a break from screens and information (mental rest).When interoception isn't giving clear signals, it's easy to mis-match our rest to our need. We also tend to wait too long to address our needs. It's like driving your car until the fuel light is not just on, but the tank is nearly empty and the car is sputtering – then you pull into a random gas station and try to fill up without knowing what type of fuel you needed. If you put diesel in a gasoline engine, the car's not going to run, right? Similarly, if you try a form of “rest” that isn't what your body or brain actually require, you won't feel better. You might get a brief pause, but not true recovery.This can become a vicious cycle: you rest ineffectively, still feel exhausted, maybe even more frustrated (“I rested and it didn't help, why bother?”), and then you push yourself further next time, edging closer to burnout.So, to sum up this section: the social battery is more complicated for AuDHD folks because multiple systems are draining your energy – social interaction plus masking, sensory processing, executive function, stress responses, and trouble noticing your needs. It's like having five batteries in parallel, and when you say “I'm drained,” it could be one or all of them that are empty. If you only recharge one, the others might still be flashing red.Now that we understand why you might still feel exhausted after what you thought was adequate rest, let's talk about the science and physiology a bit more, and then we'll move on to strategies for tackling this in real life.The Physiology Behind AuDHD ExhaustionYou might be wondering, “Okay, so these different drains make sense, but what's actually happening in my body? Is this all in my head or is there a real physical basis for why I'm so wiped out?” It's very real, and neuroscience and physiology back it up. Let's take a peek under the hood of the AuDHD body and brain when it comes to energy:Brain Energy and Cognitive Effort: The brain, even though it's just 2% of our body weight, uses a ton of energy – some estimates say about 20% of our daily calories. When you're engaging in heavy cognitive effort (like constant self-control, focus, or social navigation), you're burning through glucose (sugar energy) in the brain at a faster rate. Neurotypical brains might solve a problem or engage in small talk using X amount of energy. An ADHD or autistic brain might need 2X because it's working harder to stay on track or decode the social nuances. Over a day, that adds up. By late afternoon, you might literally be low on brain fuel, which is why you experience that heavy fatigue or brain fog. It's not just mood or laziness – it can be a sign your brain's resources are depleted.Dopamine and Neurotransmitters: ADHD is associated with differences in dopamine regulation – dopamine is a neurotransmitter important for motivation, focus, and reward. If your brain has a dopamine deficit in certain circuits, tasks don't reward your brain as much, so you have to push yourself harder to do them. It's kind of like driving a car with low battery – you can do it, but it might sputter. This not only makes tasks feel harder mentally, it also can lead to a sort of constant seeking of stimulation to get that dopamine hit (hello, checking our phones or daydreaming), which itself can be tiring. Meanwhile, autistic brains often have different connectivity patterns – some areas might be hyper-connected, leading to intense focus or sensory awareness, while other regulatory circuits might be less connected, making switching tasks or filtering input harder. The result? A brain that's either revving high or working overtime to shift gears. These neurological differences mean that an AuDHD brain is often running rich (like an engine burning a lot of fuel) all day.Hormones: Cortisol and Adrenaline: I touched on this earlier – the stress hormones. Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone” that follows a circadian rhythm (should be high in morning, low at night) and spikes during stress. Chronic high cortisol from frequent stress can cause fatigue, brain fog, and even body aches. Adrenaline (epinephrine) is more immediate – it gives you that jolt in emergencies. If you're frequently anxious or overstimulated, your adrenaline might spike often, and afterwards you typically feel a crash – shaky, tired, maybe headachey. Some of us live in a pattern of mini adrenaline spikes throughout the day (panic about a task deadline, sensory shock from a siren, social anxiety spike when your phone rings…). Over time, this wears you down and can dysregulate your whole energy system. Your body might start overreacting or underreacting to stress due to burnout of the stress response system. This is why managing stress and actually engaging the relaxation response (like deep breathing to trigger the vagus nerve, which can lower heart rate and cortisol) is so key. Physically calming your body is not just woo-woo; it's helping your hormones rebalance so you can truly recharge.Muscle Tension and Physical Load: Ever notice how when you're mentally stressed, your body feels sore or tired? If you have anxiety or are masking, you might be unconsciously tensing muscles – clenching your jaw, hunching shoulders, or tapping your foot all day. Autistic folks might suppress stims which actually takes muscle control. ADHDers might be restraining their urge to move. All this can lead to physical exhaustion and even pain by day's end. Plus, conditions often co-occurring with AuDHD – like hypermobility, sleep disturbances, or digestive issues – can further sap physical energy.Sleep Quality: Many of us with ADHD or autism have sleep issues – trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or not feeling rested from sleep. Neurologically, if your brain has trouble shutting off (common with ADHD racing thoughts or autism's difficulty unwinding routines), you might not get enough deep sleep. Sleep is when the brain and body repair. It's like plugging in your phone overnight – if you only charge to 50% or keep getting unplugged, you start the day at a deficit. Over days and weeks, that compounded sleep debt can make any amount of daytime rest feel ineffective. It's like trying to fill a bucket that has a leak at the bottom.In short, there are concrete brain and body reasons for your persistent exhaustion. You're not just “bad at resting” or “lazy” or “weak.” Your system is genuinely handling more and recovering less than the average person's. Knowing this is validating – it's not in your imagination. And importantly, it points toward solutions: for example, approaches that reduce the constant load on your brain (like accommodations or assistive tools for executive function), or practices that actively help your nervous system relax (like mindfulness, therapy, or sensory decompression activities).What AuDHD Exhaustion Looks Like in Daily LifeIt might be helpful to recognize how this kind of multi-faceted exhaustion shows up, because sometimes we don't even have the words for what we're feeling. We just know we're done. Here are some common signs that your various “batteries” are drained:Brain Fog and Zoning Out: You've had a day full of interactions and tasks, and now you just can't think straight. You find yourself staring at the wall or scrolling mindlessly because your brain refuses to focus on anything else. That's mental exhaustion – your brain is literally trying to power down for a bit. Autistic folks might experience shutdowns: where you go non-verbal or withdraw because your brain says “nope, I cannot engage anymore.” ADHD folks might find their attention just ricochets around or flatlines.Physical Fatigue and Aches: Your body might feel as if you ran a marathon, even if you didn't move much. Maybe your legs feel heavy, or you have a tension headache from hours of concentrating or from sensory stress (like squinting in bright light or bracing against loud noises). Chronic muscle tension can manifest as back or neck pain. Some people get stress-related fatigue where you feel flu-like (aching, low energy) purely from the cortisol rollercoaster.Irritability or Emotional Volatility: When we're running on empty, small things become big things. You might have a shorter fuse – maybe you snap at your partner or get teary over a minor issue. For AuDHD individuals, emotional regulation can already be a challenge (ADHD is often associated with big swings of feelings or what's called “Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria,” and autistic people can feel emotions intensely too). Exhaustion strips away the buffers we normally have. So that irritability, sadness, or anxiety that creeps in after a long day might actually be a symptom of fatigue. Think of little kids – when they're overtired, they have meltdowns over nothing. We adults are the same, we just mask it better until we can't.Avoidance and Withdrawal: You might cancel plans with people you actually like, or avoid a phone call from your best friend, simply because the thought of any interaction is overwhelming. This is often labeled the “social hangover.” After too much stimulation or masking, you might need to be alone, sometimes for days, to feel normal again. You might also pull away from work or responsibilities – like ignoring emails, procrastinating important tasks – not because you don't care, but because you just can't right now. Your system is forcing a shutdown of non-critical activities to try to recover.Lack of Motivation or Pleasure: When all your energy is sapped, even things you normally enjoy can feel like chores. A hobby you love feels too demanding. Meeting a friend for a fun activity feels daunting. This can be tricky because it can start to look like depression. In fact, chronic exhaustion and burnout can lead to depression, and they share some symptoms. One distinguishing factor some people notice: if it's primarily AuDHD fatigue, when you do occasionally get a burst of energy or hyperfocus (say something really interests you or you had a very restful period), your mood and motivation bounce back. Whereas with clinical depression, even on good energy days you might not feel joy. It can co-occur though, so it's always good to be mindful of mental health – but often what we think might be “I'm depressed or lazy” is actually “I'm burnt out and my brain is desperately trying to conserve energy.”Failure to Rejuvenate: The hallmark sign – you tried to rest, and it “didn't work.” Like you slept in, but you still feel tired. Or you spent the evening doing nothing, but feel no more ready to face the next day. It might feel like you have a permanently low battery that never gets past 50%, no matter what you do. This is a big clue that something about the type of rest or the amount of rest isn't matching what you need (we'll address that soon). It can also be a sign of deeper burnout, where short-term fixes won't cut it and you might need a more significant change or longer recovery time.Frequent Illness or Pain Flare-ups: I'll mention this too – when you're chronically exhausted, your immune system can weaken. You might catch every cold that comes around, or if you have conditions like migraines or fibromyalgia (common in neurodivergent populations), they might flare when you're overtaxed. It's like your body is waving the white flag through symptoms.Does some of that feel familiar? It's not a fun list, I know. But recognizing these signs in yourself is important. It's the first step to acknowledging, “I'm not lazy, I'm not failing at self-care – there's something very real going on that I can address differently.”Now, the big question: What can we do about it? How do we recharge all these different batteries properly, so that rest actually means something and we can start to restore our energy (and maybe even prevent getting so drained in the first place)? Let's move into the practical part: strategies and tips to manage your energy as an AuDHD person.Tips and Strategies for True RechargingAlright, now that we've dissected the problem, let's talk solutions. The goal here is to help you rest smarter, not just more. We want to target the right kind of rest for the exhaustion you have, and also manage our lives in a way that prevents draining every battery to zero if possible. Here are some strategies and tips, a blend of personal experience, science-backed advice, and things that many neurodivergent folks find helpful:1. Identify What Kind of “Tired” You Are: When you feel wiped out, take a moment to do a self check-in: What exactly feels drained? Is it your brain (mental fatigue, too many thoughts)? Is it emotional (feeling numb or overly sensitive)? Sensory (craving quiet/darkness or feeling jumpy at sounds)? Physical (body is heavy, sleepy)? Social (sick of people, need solitude)? There's no one right answer – it could be “all of the above,” but try to sense which ones are strongest. This matters because the remedy depends on the cause. If your tiredness is mostly physical, then physical rest (sleep, a nap, or just gentle activity) will help most. If it's mostly sensory, then you might need low stimulation (noise-cancelling headphones, a dark room, minimal touch). If it's mental, you might need to give your brain a break from consuming info – maybe do something hands-on or take a walk in nature without your phone. Practice asking yourself “What kind of tired am I right now?” and “What would truly feel nourishing?” It might take time to figure it out, but even just pausing and naming it can prevent you from automatically doing the wrong kind of rest.2. Embrace Different Types of Rest: Building on the above, familiarize yourself with the idea that rest is not just sleep or sitting around. There are many types of rest – some experts break it down into categories like: physical, mental, sensory, social, emotional, creative, spiritual. This might sound abstract, but it's actually practical. For instance:If you've been around people all day (social drain), you likely need social rest – some time alone or with people who are “easy” to be around (like a close loved one who you don't have to put on a show for).If your senses are overloaded (sensory drain), you need sensory rest – a break from input. That could mean a quiet dim room, or closing your eyes for a bit, or a soothing sensory experience like a warm bath (which calms the system).If you've been solving problems and on the computer nonstop (mental drain), your brain needs mental rest – do something low-demand like doodling, listening to gentle music, or literally daydreaming. Let your executive brain go offline for a bit.If you've been masking and managing emotions (emotional drain), you might need emotional rest – which could look like journaling your true feelings, having a good cry, talking to someone you trust and letting out all the bottled-up stuff, or just engaging in something that makes you belly-laugh or feel comforted. It also might mean giving yourself permission to not care for a little while about others' expectations.If you have an under-stimulation fatigue (sometimes ADHDers get exhausted from boring routines), you might need creative or novelty rest – which ironically means doing something interesting that fills your tank (like a fun hobby, a new game, something that sparks joy). This is why “rest” isn't always just doing nothing; sometimes our brains are tired from monotony and need a safe kind of excitement or creativity to feel revitalized.And of course, physical rest is important if your body is tired – that means sleep, nap, or gentle movement that helps you relax (like stretching, yoga, slow walking – often called “active rest” because it helps circulation and muscle recovery without being strenuous).Mix and match these as needed. Often, we need a combo. Say you had an overstimulating workday – you might need sensory + social rest (e.g. go to a dim room alone) and mental rest (don't force yourself to tackle a big project in the evening). Or if you spent all day caregiving your kids (social + emotional + sensory drain, parents I see you!), you might need physical rest (put your feet up) plus emotional rest (vent to a friend or watch a comfort show that lets you feel something). Being intentional about the type of rest means your downtime is more likely to actually recharge the depleted battery, not just scratch some other itch.3. Schedule Targeted Recharge Time (and Protect It): We often plan our work or social events, but we don't plan our recovery, and then it either doesn't happen or gets eaten up by other things. If you know certain activities drain you, start building in counter-balances. For example:If you have a big social event on Saturday, block Sunday morning as “quiet time” for yourself in a way that addresses the expected drain. If the party will be loud and socially demanding, maybe Sunday morning is reserved for a nature walk alone (sensory calm + solitude).If weekdays drain your executive function (as they do for many of us), maybe declare one evening a week as “no-decisions evening” – prepare a simple routine meal or order takeout, and do a low-brain-power activity. Treat it like a meeting with yourself that you don't cancel.Use tools like alarms or calendar reminders to check in with yourself during the day. Sometimes we literally forget to rest. A short pause mid-day to ask “How am I feeling? Need water? Need a break from noise?” can prevent deeper depletion. I personally have a sticky note on my monitor that says “Pause: Breathe & Feel – what do you need?” because otherwise hours go by and I haven't even unclenched my shoulders.Learn to anticipate crashes: If you notice a pattern like “Every day around 3 PM I crash,” consider adding a 15-minute rest break at 2:30 – maybe a quick walk or a stretch, or listening to a calming song with eyes closed. It's like a pit stop for your brain so it can finish the day.And importantly, protect that rest time. It's tempting to give it up when someone asks a favor or an extra task pops up. But remember, without that recharge, you won't be at your best and you might pay for it double later. Treat rest as an important appointment with yourself – because it is!4. Reduce Masking and Energy Leaks Where Possible: We can't always drop the mask – the world isn't always accommodating, and in some situations you might feel it's necessary to appear “on.” But consider where you can safely be more yourself or make things easier:Communicate needs to close friends or family: Let them know that after a certain time or event, you might be quiet or need to leave early due to exhaustion. Educating the people around you that “I get overstimulated or drained and it's just how my brain works” can build understanding and reduce the need to put on a show. If your friends know you're going to be sitting in the corner petting the cat after an hour at the party, and they're cool with it, you don't have to force yourself to mingle beyond your capacity.Stim and relax, even in small ways: If you've been holding in all your fidgeting or sensory self-soothing at work, take bathroom breaks or “fresh air breaks” where you can wiggle, shake out, do some deep pressure (like a quick self-hug or wall push-ups) – basically let your body reset. These mini-releases throughout the day can prevent the massive end-of-day collapse.Delegate or use supports for executive tasks: Energy leaks happen when we spend way too long on something because our brain is struggling. If you can afford it or have the option, use tools to reduce effort: maybe that's using a grocery delivery service instead of roaming overwhelming aisles, or using a scheduling app to remember appointments instead of trying to hold it all in memory. Perhaps at work you can ask for an accommodation like written instructions or a quieter workspace or flexible hours. Finding areas where you're expending extra effort just to keep up, and finding a smarter workaround, can save precious energy for where you really need it.Learn where you can say “no”: This is tough, but are there social interactions or obligations you can limit? You don't have to attend every gathering or help every person who asks, especially if you know it will overextend you. It's perfectly okay to have a quota – like one social event per weekend, or keeping weeknights free – whatever works for you. Saying no to others is saying yes to yourself, to your rest.5. Calming the Overactive Nervous System: Since stress and sensory overload keep us in high alert, actively practicing techniques to switch into “rest mode” can be a game changer. Some approaches:Breathing exercises: Even something as simple as 3 deep slow breaths can signal your body to relax. One technique is the 4-7-8 breath (inhale for 4, hold 7, exhale 8) which can reduce anxiety. Or try diaphragmatic breathing (belly breaths). Doing this periodically, and especially before bed, can help lower that cortisol and adrenaline.Progressive muscle relaxation: Tense and release muscle groups one by one. This not only relieves physical tension but also helps you notice where you've been holding stress (like “wow, my jaw was super tight!”).Sensory comfort: Use tools that help you feel safe and calm. For some, that might be a weighted blanket or a soft hoodie. For others, it's noise-cancelling headphones or listening to white noise/rain sounds. Dimming the lights in the evening, using warm-colored bulbs instead of harsh white light, can cue your brain that it's wind-down time. Basically, create a little sensory safe space for yourself when you need to recharge.Mindfulness or meditation: I know, not everyone's into meditation, but even a few minutes of sitting and noticing your surroundings or your breath can pull you out of the racing thoughts and ground you. Mindfulness can also help with interoception – if you practice checking in with bodily sensations in a non-judgy way, you might start catching those “I'm thirsty” or “I'm anxious” cues earlier. There are apps and guided meditations specifically geared towards relaxation and body awareness, which some neurodivergent folks find useful (and if traditional meditation is hard, things like mindful walking or even a repetitive hobby can be meditative).Therapeutic supports: If anxiety or an overactive stress response is a major issue, consider professional support. Therapy (like cognitive behavioral therapy or somatic therapies) can help you develop coping strategies and address triggers. For some, certain medications or supplements that regulate sleep and anxiety (like melatonin for sleep, or as prescribed by a doctor, maybe an SSRI for anxiety) can also be part of the puzzle. There's no shame in using every tool available to help your nervous system find balance.6. Tune Into and Honor Your Body's Signals (Practice Interoception): This one is about building the skill of listening to your body. It might sound odd if interoception is an issue, but you can improve it with practice. Some ideas:Set external reminders to check internal states. For example, keep a water bottle at your desk as a visual cue to drink regularly, rather than waiting to feel thirsty. Have scheduled snack times so you don't go 10 hours without eating. Use a bedtime alarm to remind yourself to start a wind-down routine, since you might not notice you're tired until 2 AM when you're dead tired.Use tracking or journals: Sometimes writing down energy levels or what you did and how you felt can reveal patterns. Maybe you notice “Every time I have back-to-back meetings, I get a migraine in the evening.” That's a clue to insert breaks or coping strategies around meetings. Or “Whenever I skip lunch, I get really anxious by 4 PM” – aha, low blood sugar and stress might be combining. Tracking apps for mood/energy, or a simple diary, can improve your mind-body awareness.Body scan exercises: These are mindfulness exercises where you mentally scan from head to toe, noticing any sensations (tightness, hunger, discomfort, calm). Doing a short body scan once a day can train your brain to check in with places you normally ignore. You might catch “Oh, my heart is racing, maybe I'm more stressed than I realized,” or “My eyes ache, I might need to close them for a bit.”Don't wait for crisis to refuel: If you start recognizing the earlier signs of being low on a certain “battery,” try to address it then, not when you're already in meltdown or shutdown zone. This might mean proactively resting. For example, if you notice “I'm getting pretty peopled out at this gathering,” excuse yourself for a short break before you hit the wall. If you notice you're getting headachey and cranky at work, maybe step outside or to a quiet restroom for 5 minutes, rather than soldiering on until you can't function. We often override our early signals out of obligation or because we're used to pushing through. Give yourself permission to pause before you crash – it can make a world of difference in recovery time and intensity.7. Replenish the Basics: It sounds almost too basic, but when you're worn down, foundational health stuff becomes crucial: nutrition, hydration, movement, and sleep.Nutrition: A brain that's out of fuel will feel tired and foggy. Try to eat regularly and include protein and complex carbs in meals to keep your blood sugar stable (wild sugar swings can mimic anxiety and fatigue). If you're too tired to cook on bad days, no shame in keeping easy snacks or shakes around. The point is to give your body some real fuel. Also, deficiencies in things like iron, vitamin D, B12, etc., can cause fatigue – might be worth getting a check-up if you suspect it. Many ADHDers forget to eat; many autistics have limited diets – so a multivitamin or specific supplements might help if diet isn't covering bases (ask a doc or dietitian).Hydration: Even mild dehydration can cause tiredness and headaches. Keep water or something with electrolytes handy. If plain water is hard, try flavored or fizzy water. We often forget to drink when hyperfocused or out of routine.Movement: This is tricky because when you're exhausted, exercise sounds impossible. But gentle movement can actually create energy in the long run. It improves mood, reduces stress chemicals, and helps you sleep better later. The key is gentle and enjoyable: a slow stretch while watching a show, a short walk in fresh air, dancing to one song in your room – something that gets your blood flowing without feeling like a chore. It's like giving your body a little tune-up. Some days you might only manage to move from bed to couch and that's okay too; when you have the energy, try sprinkling small movement snacks into your week.Sleep hygiene: Since many of us have irregular sleep, paying attention to sleep hygiene is huge. That includes things like having a consistent-ish bedtime and wake time, making your bedroom as comfortable and low-stimulation as possible, avoiding screens right before bed if you can (blue light and information overload trick the brain into staying awake), or using tools like white noise, eye masks, or even melatonin if appropriate. Also, if racing thoughts keep you up, try keeping a notepad by the bed – jot down anything on your mind to “offload” it, or listen to a calming audiobook or podcast at low volume to focus your mind away from anxious thoughts (just not one that's too stimulating). The goal is to help your brain and body wind down enough to get quality rest. If insomnia or delayed sleep phase (night-owl syndrome) is severe, consider talking to a doctor – there are interventions that can help (like light therapy, prescription meds, etc.). Don't just accept terrible sleep as your fate – it's something worth troubleshooting, because better sleep will amplify all your other efforts to recharge.8. Be Compassionate and Adjust Expectations: This might be the most important tip: be kind to yourself. Recognize that your fatigue is not a moral failing. You're not lazy for being tired. AuDHD individuals truly do face more daily stress and effort – of course you're exhausted! Start reframing rest as productive and necessary, not a luxury. It's part of your health and effectiveness. Also, communicate and adjust expectations with those around you (and with yourself). Maybe you can't do “all the things” in one day that others can – that's okay. Quality of life improves when you stop comparing your energy output to neurotypical standards.It's fine if you need two hours of downtime for every three hours of social time, or if after work your only goal is making a simple dinner and then chilling – that might be what allows you to thrive long-term. If you plan a restful vacation and you spend the first two days just sleeping and doing nothing – perhaps you needed that. Trust that meeting your needs is the path to unlocking your best self. When you do start feeling more recharged, you'll actually be able to do the things you want to do, and enjoy them, which is the ultimate goal.Each small step – whether it's learning to identify your tiredness type, or setting a boundary, or finding a perfect snack that keeps you from crashing – is a win. Celebrate those. We often have a perfectionist streak or we've been made to feel we're not doing enough. But here you are, learning how to take care of your remarkable, unique brain and body. That's absolutely something to be proud of.Reflection QuestionsAs we come to the end of this episode, I want to leave you with some reflection questions. These are meant to help you apply what we've discussed to your own life. You might consider journaling your answers, or just ponder them quietly. There are no right or wrong answers – they're just prompts for self-discovery and practical planning.1. Which aspects of your life drain your energy the most lately? Try to name them: Is it social interactions? Sensory environments? Work-related executive function tasks? Emotional stress? Recognizing your biggest drains is the first step to addressing them.2. When you do feel recharged or have a good energy day, what helped? Think of a recent time you actually felt rested or upbeat – what had you done (or not done) leading up to that? Identifying even small things that rejuvenate you (like “I felt great after that hike” or “having a quiet morning to myself made a difference”) can give clues to the kinds of rest you need more of.3. What type of rest do you think you're not getting enough of? (Physical, mental, sensory, social, emotional, creative, spiritual, or any category that resonates with you.) How did you realize this – what signs or feelings point to that deficit? For example, “I might need more sensory rest because I've been feeling jumpy and irritable by evening,” or “I suspect I need mental rest because my mind feels overloaded and I'm forgetting things.”4. How well are you noticing your own needs in the moment? Do you catch yourself getting tired, hungry, overstimulated early, or only when you're at a breaking point? Reflect on one or two cues you might have missed recently (like “I missed that I was thirsty and got a headache”). What could you do to catch those sooner next time (maybe a reminder or a mindful pause)?5. What is one barrier that often stops you from resting or recharging properly? Is it guilt (“I feel like I should be productive”)? Is it external (too many responsibilities, lack of a quiet space)? Maybe it's not knowing how to rest effectively. Write down that barrier. Now brainstorm one or two ways you could lessen that barrier. For instance, if guilt is a barrier, how can you remind yourself that rest is necessary (perhaps repeat a mantra: “Rest is refueling, not wasting time”)? If time is a barrier, what can you delegate or drop or reschedule to carve out a bit of downtime?6. What are some small recharge rituals you could build into your day or week? Think of tiny actions that give you even a spark of energy or calm. It could be a 5-minute tea break with no phone, or doing a silly dance when nobody's watching, or stepping outside to feel the sun for a moment. Make a little list of “go-to quick rechargers” for yourself. These will be handy when you notice a specific battery running low.7. Envision your ideal restored self. Imagine that you have been taking really good care of all these different energy needs for a while. How do you think you would feel and act? Paint a mental picture: “I wake up feeling __, I go through my day feeling __, I have energy for __, I feel more __.” Describe the differences you'd notice in a well-rested, balanced version of you. This vision can be motivating – it's not a fantasy, it's something that can gradually become reality as you experiment with what works for you. What part of that vision could you start working towards now?Take your time with these questions – you might even revisit them periodically, because your needs can change over time or in different seasons of life. The purpose is to increase your self-awareness and to spark ideas for adjustments that can lead to better energy management.ConclusionWe've covered a lot in this episode, so let's briefly recap: The simple “social battery” idea doesn't quite cut it for AuDHD brains because our energy drains on multiple fronts – masking, sensory overwhelm, executive function effort, chronic stress, and missing our internal signals. Just “resting” in a generic sense often isn't enough; we need the right kind of rest for the right kind of tired. The physiology of our brains and bodies explains why this exhaustion is real and not laziness. And the good news is, there are strategies to help – from mixing up the types of rest you get, to planning recovery time, to advocating for your needs and learning to read your body's signals better.I hope you found some validation in this – you're not alone in feeling this exhaustion, and you're not failing when rest doesn't magically fix it. It's a complex issue, but you can make progress by understanding your unique energy profile. Even small tweaks – like using earplugs in a noisy place or taking a 10-minute brain break – can yield noticeable benefits. Remember, you deserve to feel restored and it is possible with patience and practice.Thank you for joining me today on Authentically ADHD. I'm proud of you for taking this time to learn about how to better care for yourself. If this episode resonated with you, feel free to share it with friends or anyone who might be running on empty and not know why. And if you have your own tips or experiences with the “social battery” and AuDHD life, I'd love to hear them – you can reach out on my socials or leave a comment.Paid subscribers get the downloadable “AuDHD Social Battery Decoder Kit” — a printable, fillable workbook that turns today's episode into actual tools you can use when you're fried.If you've ever rested and still felt exhausted, it's not because you're doing rest “wrong.” It's because your brain wasn't depleted by “socializing” alone — it was depleted by masking, sensory load, executive function taxes, stress activation, and not noticing your needs until your system was running on fumes.This kit helps you:identify what actually drained youmatch the right kind of rest to the system that's depletedbuild simple recovery ritualsuse copy/paste scripts when your brain goes blankplan your week like an AuDHD nervous system deservesIt's practical. It's kind. And it's designed for brains that hate homework.Until next time, be kind to yourself, pay attention to those batteries, and remember: rest isn't a reward, it's a necessity. Stay authentic and we will talk soon!This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Paid Bonus at end of this: Get full access to carmen_authenticallyadhd at carmenauthenticallyadhd.substack.com/subscribe

Do You Have A Hormone Imbalance? Take my FREE Hormone Symptom Profile Assessment: https://bit.ly/takemyhormonequiz Lately, have you noticed your patience disappearing faster than a plate of holiday cookies? According to The North American Menopause Society, mood swings and emotional volatility are among the top reported symptoms during perimenopause—right behind poor sleep and stubborn weight gain. Today, we're continuing my Countdown to the New Year series with a replay of one of the most popular episodes of the year: “Is Your Anxiety, Overwhelm, or Depression a Hormone Imbalance in Disguise?” In this episode, I'm peeling back the curtain on three hormone imbalances that commonly masquerade as a mental health issue—and what to ask your doctor before blindly taking an SSRI. In this episode, we‘ll address your most commonly asked questions, including ✅ Why do I feel anxious for no reason in my 40s? ✅ Can a hormone imbalance cause depression? ✅ Is anxiety in perimenopause normal? ✅ Why do antidepressants stop working in midlife? ✅ What hormones cause mood swings in perimenopause? ✅ What's the difference between hormonal anxiety and real anxiety? ✅ Why does my doctor say my labs are normal when I feel awful? If you've ever thought, “Maybe it's not me…maybe it's my hormones,” this episode is for you. — NEXT STEPS: Do You Have A Hormone Imbalance? Take my FREE Hormone Symptom Profile Assessment: https://bit.ly/takemyhormonequiz Become a Podcast Insider + Subscribe to The Hot Flash–Hormone hacks, recipes, and lifestyle tips I don't share anywhere else!: https://areyoutheremidlife.com/ Tired of Tossing and Turning? Grab my FREE “Better Sleep After 40” Supplement Cheat Sheet: https://monicalanetopete.kit.com/sleepbetter — *Disclaimer: Information provided in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The information is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. I share the strategies that have worked for me, and you are advised to do your own research and speak to your medical provider for care.

Do SSRIs help your brain?SSRI medications are among the most widely prescribed antidepressants, but what if we've misunderstood how they work? In this interview, Dr. Bret Scher sits down with biochemist and nutrition scientist Dr. Chris Masterjohn to explore a deeper, more systemic view of mental health and how we treat it.Dr. Masterjohn reveals why serotonin isn't just a “mood booster,” how SSRIs may be disrupting mitochondrial function, and why focusing on lifestyle strategies that support brain energy metabolism could unlock new paths for treating depression.

Is medication meant to help us heal, or has it quietly begun to replace the slow work of sanctification?In this Thinking Through episode, Jonathan Kindler steps into one of the most sensitive conversations today: the rise of mental health medication and the growing confusion around what pills can help and what they can never do. With clarity, care, and biblical depth, he explores the SSRI boom, cultural promises of relief, and the quiet pressure to medicate pain that Scripture invites us to walk through with God.Blending Scripture, neuroscience, humor, and pastoral reflection, this episode refuses easy answers. Instead, it holds tension: honoring medication as a possible mercy while drawing a clear line where only the Spirit can work. Through stories from Scripture and the counseling room, Jonathan invites listeners to rethink peace, suffering, and what true transformation actually requires.Whether you are taking medication, considering it, or wrestling with how faith and mental health intersect, this episode calls you to slow down, think biblically, and trust God with both relief and formation.Visit:Instagram: soundmind.live

Anders Sorensen is a Danish clinical psychologist with a PhD in psychiatry.  He's one of the world's leading authorities on psychiatric drug dependence and the complex science of safely discontinuing these medications. His  book "Crossing Zero: The Art and Science of Coming Off-and Staying off- Psychiatric drugs" is a seminal book on how to help people break psychiatric drug dependence and restore their inner compass and relationship to emotions. This conversation discusses emotion regulation in great depth and the lost art of how to respond to our inner world of thoughts, memories and emotions. Anders also discusses the future of mental health, his recent experience with psilocybin and how to restore sanity living in a culture in decline. Substack: https://crossingzero.substack.com/X: https://x.com/_AndersSorensenPurchase Crossing Zero on Amazon Visit Center for Integrated Behavioral HealthDr. Roger McFillin / Radically Genuine WebsiteYouTube @RadicallyGenuineDr. Roger McFillin (@DrMcFillin) / XSubstack | Radically Genuine | Dr. Roger McFillinInstagram @radicallygenuineContact Radically GenuineConscious Clinician CollectivePLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS15% Off Pure Spectrum CBD (Code: RadicallyGenuine)10% off Lovetuner click here

Check out Marek Health at https://marekhealth.com/syatt and get 10% OFF your first order using code: SYATTIn this episode of The Jordan Syatt Podcast, I shoot the breeze and answer questions from listeners with my podcast producer, Tony, and we discuss:- Abusing GLP-1's- My live and let live approach- Starvation Mode vs Metabolic Adaptation- SSRI's and weight loss- Great performance goals to test in the new year- Blood pressure, cholesterol, and fiber- Easy sources of fiber- Announcing our latest podcast winners- My podcast episode with Gary Vee- Nate Bargatze- And more...Check out my podcast episode with Gary Vaynerchuk: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jordan-syatt-podcast/id1348856817?i=1000662175110Do you have any questions you want us to discuss on the podcast? Give Tony a follow and shoot him a DM on Instagram - @tone_reverie - https://www.instagram.com/tone_reverie/I hope you enjoy this episode and, if you do, please leave a review on iTunes (huge thank you to everyone who has written one so far). Finally, if you've been thinking about joining The Inner Circle but haven't yet... we have hundreds of home and bodyweight workouts for you and you can get them all: https://www.sfinnercircle.com/

In this thought-provoking episode of the Nutritional Therapy and Wellness Podcast, host Jamie Belz, sits down with fellow FNTP, Patti McCoy, Assistant Instructor at the Nutritional Therapy Association and long-time adult educator, to unpack one of the most paradigm-shifting books on mental health today: Lost Connections by Johann Hari. What if depression and anxiety are not primarily caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, but by a series of broken connections in our lives? Together, Patti and Jamie explore how this book, combined with their work in functional nutrition and the Foundations of Health, can completely reframe how we view mental health, burnout, and the endless "hustle and numb" culture so many of us are stuck in. Some Topics Touched on: Disconnection from meaningful work, other people, meaningful values, childhood trauma, status and respect, the natural world, etc., and how all of this shows up as very real symptoms in the body: depression, anxiety, chronic stress, poor sleep, blood sugar swings, and "feeling like a shell" of yourself Many people are told, "Your brain is broken, here's a pill," and are given an SSRI instead of being asked, "What happened to you—and when did this start?" How childhood trauma and ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) can shape the HPA axis, stress response, food relationships, and long-term health The impact of intergenerational trauma, and how science now shows that stress imprints can be passed down biologically through both mother and father The "dash lights" on your body's dashboard and why symptoms (including nausea, anxiety, insomnia, low mood) are messages, not design flaws to be suppressed How screens, constant notifications, and the pressure to respond to everyone all the time are quietly eroding our capacity for deep connection, quiet, and repair Coping mechanism: alcohol, sugar, shopping, scrolling, gaming, pornography, or Netflix - and how these become nurseries for more trauma and disconnection How the Foundations of Health: digestion, blood sugar regulation, a nutrient-dense diet, sleep, stress management, hydration, and movement - create the biological stability we need to heal Marriage and relationships in the age of screens – the difference between being in the same room and actually being together The loneliness of remote work and why some of us didn't realize how much we needed daily in-person interaction until it was gone The loss of third spaces and micro-communities after COVID Why "busy" has become a bizarre badge of honor, and how Distraction Detox and intentional boundaries around technology can restore sanity and presence Resources Mentioned: Book – "Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions" by Johann Hari Book – "Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind–Body Medicine" by Candace B. Pert, PhD Book – "Childhood Under Siege" by Joel Bakan   Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA) Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) program PHWC program (Professional health/wellness certification track referenced in the episode) NTA – Foundations of Healing Course A course for anyone who wants to understand and apply the Foundations of Health: nutrient-dense diet, digestion, blood sugar, stress, and sleep NTA Health The clinical arm of the Nutritional Therapy Association, offering care rooted in foundational, root-cause principles JOIN A WEBINAR to Learn More!   Episode 4: Bio-Individuality Episode 21: STRESS!!! How It Impacts Your Brain and Body Distraction Detox Series: Ep 51: Death By Distraction - Rewire Your Rhythms, Restore Your Health Ep 52: The Hidden Health Cost of Distraction Ep 55: Distraction Detox - Dizzy Busy and Dying Inside Ep 56: Distraction Detox - Cluttered Spaces, Cluttered Brains Ep 57: Distraction Detox - THE MONSTER (Jamie's Favorite) Ep 58: Distraction Detox - Live Immediately   Follow, leave reviews, and comment directly on Spotify. We love hearing from you!

In this special AMA episode, Paul F. Austin answers the most common, and most nuanced questions emerging from recent trainings, webinars, and community sessions. Drawing from a decade of experience in microdosing, facilitation, and practitioner training, Paul explores how to choose the right microdosing protocol, the relationship between nervous system health and performance, the role of psychedelics in coaching, and the ethical boundaries practitioners must uphold. He also discusses SSRI tapering, creativity, leadership, and how to guide clients through integration with clarity and skill. Highlights How to choose a microdosing protocol Why nervous system health comes first Microdosing vs. macrodosing for integration SSRIs, tapering, and safe sequencing Creativity and leadership with microdosing Embodiment as the key to integration Coaching vs. therapy in psychedelic work Ethical boundaries for practitioners Episode Links Free Webinar on Dec 11, 2025: Social Media, Psychedelics, and the Law: What Practitioners Need to Know Practitioner Certification Program Microdosing Practitioner Certification

Vad händer med ett land där 1,2 miljoner människor tar ett piller om dagen för att orka med livet? I dagens avsnitt pratar jag med journalisten Johan Cedersjö om hans dokumentärserie Det sista pillret. Under tio år åt han SSRI, och i serien följer vi både hans egen nedtrappning och den medicinska revolution som utlovade lyckligare hjärnor – men som också skapade en ny normalitet där oro, sorg och livskriser ofta behandlas kemiskt. Vi pratar om hur den biologiska psykiatrin vann över Freudianerna, varför vården så lätt sträcker sig efter receptblocket, och hur en hel generation växer upp med diagnoser, terapispråk och pillerburkar som fond. Vi talar om priset för att skruva ner ”volymen” i själen, att kapa både toppar och dalar, om läkarna som sitter fast i ett omöjligt system, och om Johans eget år efter det sista pillret. Så är SSRI en livboj, en boja – eller båda samtidigt?Lyssna på alla avsnitt av Det sista pillret här.Intervju på samma temaOberoende endast tack vare erVi är nu över 25 000 prenumeranter här – och antalet växer stadigt. Rak höger med Ivar Arpi och Under all kritik ligger båda konsekvent på topp-20 bland nyhetspoddar i Sverige. Det är helt och hållet er förtjänst – tack för det!Skillnaden mot de flesta andra på topplistan är tydlig: medan de har public service-miljarder eller stora tidningshus med presstöd och annonsintäkter i ryggen, så har vi bara er. Konkurrensen är snedvriden, men ni har visat att det går att bygga något nytt. Vi är helt självständiga – tack vare er.Som ni märkt har vi nu tagit nästa steg med en videosatsning, som kommer ge ännu mer innehåll för betalande prenumeranter framöver. Redan i dag får du flera poddavsnitt i veckan – ofta med video – och minst en text, ibland fler.Vill du vara med och bygga vidare? Bli betalande prenumerant redan i dag och få 30 procents rabatt!Den som vill stötta oss på andra sätt än genom en prenumeration får gärna göra det med Swish, Plusgiro, Bankgiro, Paypal eller Donorbox.Swishnummer: 123-027 60 89Plusgiro: 198 08 62-5Bankgiro: 5808-1837Utgivaren ansvarar inte för kommentarsfältet. (Myndigheten för press, radio och tv (MPRT) vill att jag skriver ovanstående för att visa att det inte är jag, utan den som kommenterar, som ansvarar för innehållet i det som skrivs i kommentarsfältet.) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.enrakhoger.se/subscribe

In this Write Big session of the #amwriting podcast, host Jennie Nash welcomes Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Jennifer Senior for a powerful conversation about finding, knowing, and claiming your voice.Jennifer shares how a medication once stripped away her ability to think in metaphor—the very heart of her writing—and what it was like to get that voice back. She and Jennie talk about how voice strengthens over time, why confidence and ruthless editing matter, and what it feels like when you're truly writing in flow.It's an inspiring reminder that your voice is your greatest strength—and worth honoring every time you sit down to write.TRANSCRIPT BELOW!THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:* Jennifer's Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross: Can't Sleep? You're Not Alone* Atlantic feature story: What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind* Atlantic feature story: The Ones We Sent Away* Atlantic feature story: It's Your Friends Who Break Your Heart* The New York Times article: Happiness Won't Save You* Heavyweight the podcastSPONSORSHIP MESSAGEHey, it's Jennie Nash. And at Author Accelerator, we believe that the skills required to become a great book coach and build a successful book coaching business can be taught to people who come from all kinds of backgrounds and who bring all kinds of experiences to the work. But we also know that there are certain core characteristics that our most successful book coaches share. If you've been curious about becoming a book coach, and 2026 might be the year for you, come take our quiz to see how many of those core characteristics you have. You can find it at bookcoaches.com/characteristics-quiz.EPISODE TRANSCRIPTJennie NashHi, I'm Jennie Nash, and you're listening to the Hashtag AmWriting Podcast. This is a Write Big Session, where I'm bringing you short episodes about the mindset shifts that help you stop playing small and write like it matters. This one might not actually be that short, because today I'm talking to journalist Jennifer Senior about the idea of finding and knowing and claiming your voice—a rather big part of writing big. Jennifer Senior is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 2022 and was a finalist again in 2024. Before that, she spent five years at The New York Times as both a daily book critic and a columnist for the opinion page, and nearly two decades at New York Magazine. She's also the author of a bestselling parenting book, and frequently appears on NPR and other news shows. Welcome, Jennifer. Thanks for joining us.Jennifer SeniorThank you for having me. Hey, I got to clarify just one thing.Jennie NashOh, no.Jennifer SeniorAll Joy and No Fun is by no means a parenting book. I can't tell you the first thing about how to raise your kids. It is all about how kids change their parents. It's all like a sociological look at who we become and why we are—so our lives become so vexed. I like, I would do these book talks, and at the end, everybody would raise their hand and be like, “How do I get my kid into Harvard?” You know, like, the equivalent obviously—they wouldn't say it that way. I'd be like; I don't really have any idea, or how to get your kid to eat vegetables, or how to get your kid to, like, stop talking back. But anyway, I just have to clarify that, because every time...Jennie NashPlease, please—Jennifer SeniorSomeone says that, I'm like, “Noooo.” Anyway, it's a sociology book. Ah, it's an ethnography, you know. But anyway, it doesn't matter.Jennie NashAll right, like she said, you guys—not what I said.Jennifer SeniorI'm not correcting you. It came out 11 years ago. There were no iPads then, or social media. I mean, forget it. It's so dated anyway. But like, I just...Jennie NashThat's so funny. So the reason that we're speaking is that I heard you recently on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, where you were talking about an Atlantic feature story that you wrote called “Why Can't Americans Sleep?” And this was obviously a reported piece, but also a really personal piece and you're talking about your futile attempts to fall asleep and the latest research into insomnia and medication and therapy that you used to treat it, and we'll link to that article and interview in the show notes. But the reason that we're talking, and that in the middle of this conversation, which—which I'm listening to and I'm riveted by—you made this comment, and it was a little bit of a throwaway comment in the conversation, and, you know, then the conversation moved on. But you talked about how you were taking a particular antidepressant you'd been prescribed, and this was the quote you said: “It blew out all the circuitry that was responsible for generating metaphors, which is what I do as a writer. So it made my writing really flat.” And I was just like, hold up. What was that like? What happened? What—everything? So that's why we're talking. So… can we go back to the very beginning? If you can remember—Jess Lahey actually told me that when she was teaching fifth and sixth grade, that's around the time that kids begin to grasp this idea of figurative language and metaphor and such. Do you remember learning how to write like that, like write in metaphor and simile and all such things?Jennifer SeniorOh, that's funny. Do I remember it? I remember them starting to sort of come unbidden in my—like they would come unbidden in my head starting maybe in my—the minute I entered college, or maybe in my teens. Actually, I had that thing where some people have this—people who become writers have, like, a narrator's voice in their head where they're actually looking at things and describing them in the third person. They're writing them as they witness the world. That went away, that narrator's voice, which I also find sort of fascinating. But, like, I would say that it sort of emerged concurrently. I guess I was scribbling a little bit of, like, short story stuff, or I tried at least one when I was a senior in high school. So that was the first time maybe that, like, I started realizing that I had a flair for it. I also—once I noticed that, I know in college I would make, you know, when I started writing for the alternative weekly and I was reviewing things, particularly theater, I would make a conscientious effort to come up with good metaphors, and, like, 50% of them worked and 50% of them didn't, because if you ever labor over a metaphor, there's a much lower chance of it working. I mean, if you come—if you revisit it and go, oh, that's not—you know, that you can tell if it's too precious. But now if I labor over a metaphor, I don't bother. I stop. You know, it has to come instantaneously or...Jennie NashOr that reminds me of people who write with the thesaurus open, like that's going to be good, right? That's not going to work. So I want to stick with this, you know, so that they come into your head, you recognize that, and just this idea of knowing, back in the day, that you could write like that—you… this was a thing you had, like you used the word “flair,” like had a flair for this. Were there other signs or things that led you to the work, like knowing you were good, or knowing when something was on the page that it was right, like, what—what is that?Jennifer SeniorIt's that feeling of exhilaration, but it's also that feeling of total bewilderment, like you've been struck by something—something just blew through you and you had nothing to do with it. I mean, it's the cliché: here I am saying the metaphors are my superpower, which my editors were telling me, and I'm about to use a cliché, which is that you feel like you're a conduit for something and you have absolutely nothing to do with it. So I would have that sense that it had almost come without conscious thought. That was sort of when I knew it was working. It's also part of being in a flow state. It's when you're losing track of time and you're just in it. And the metaphors are—yeah, they're effortless. By the way, my brain is not entirely fogged in from long COVID, but I have noticed—and at first I didn't really notice any decrements in cognition—but recently, I have. So I'm wondering now if I'm having problems with spontaneous metaphor generation. It's a little bit disconcerting. And I do feel like all SSRIs—and I'm taking one now, just because, not just because long COVID is depressing, but because I have POTS, which is like a—it's Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and that's a very common sequela from long COVID, and it wipes out your plasma serotonin. So we have to take one anyway, we POTS patients. So I found that nicotine often helped with my long COVID, which is a thing—like a nicotine patch—and that made up for it. It almost felt like I was doping [laughing]. It made my writing so much better. But it's been...Jennie NashWait, wait, wait, this is so interesting.Jennifer SeniorI know…it's really weird. I would never have guessed that so much of my writing would be dampened by Big Pharma. I mean—but now with the nicotine patches, I was like, oh, now I get why writers are smoking until into the night, writing. Like, I mean, and I always wished that I did, just because it looked cool, you know? I could have just been one of those people with their Gitanes, or however you pronounce it, but, yeah.Jennie NashWow. So I want to come—I want to circle back to this in a minute, but let's get to the first time—well, it sounds like the first time that happened where you were prescribed an antidepressant and—and you recognized that you lost the ability to write in metaphor. Can you talk about—well, first of all, can you tell us what the medication was?Jennifer SeniorYeah, it was Paxil, which is actually notorious for that. And at the top—which I only subsequently discovered—those were in the days where there were no such things as Reddit threads or anything like that. It was 1999… I guess, no, eight, but so really early. That was the bespoke antidepressant at the time, thought to be more nuanced. I think it's now fallen out of favor, because it's also a b***h to wean off of. But it was kind of awful, just—I would think, and nothing would come. It was the strangest thing. For—there's all this static electricity usually when you write, right? And there's a lot of free associating that goes on that, again, feels a little involuntary. You know, you start thinking—it's like you've pulled back the spring in the pinball machine, and suddenly the thing is just bouncing around everywhere, and the ball wasn't bouncing around. Nothing was lighting up. It was like a dis… it just was strange, to be able to summon nothing.Jennie NashWow. So you—you just used this killer metaphor to describe that.Jennifer SeniorYeah, that was spontaneous.Jennie NashRight? So—so you said first, you said static, static energy, which—which is interesting.Jennifer SeniorYeah, it's... [buzzing sound]Jennie NashYeah. Yeah. Because it's noisy. You're talking about...Jennie SeniorOh, but it's not disruptive noise. Sorry, that might seem like it's like unwanted crackling, like on your television. I didn't really—yeah, maybe that's the wrong metaphor, actually, maybe the pinball is sort of better, that all you need is to, you know, psych yourself up, sit down, have your caffeine, and then bam, you know? But I didn't mean static in that way.Jennie NashI understood what you meant. There's like a buzzy energy.Jennifer SeniorYeah, right. It's fizz.Jennie NashFizz... that's so good. So you—you recognized that this was gone.Jennifer SeniorSo gone! Like the TV was off, you know?Jennie NashAnd did you...?Jennifer SeniorOr the machine, you know, was unplugged? I mean, it's—Jennie NashYeah, and did you? I'm just so curious about the part of your brain that was watching another part of your brain.Jennifer Senior[Laughing] You know what? I think... oh, that's really interesting. But are you watching, or are you just despairing because there's nothing—I mean, I'm trying to think if that's the right...Jennie NashBut there's a part of your brain that's like, this part of my brain isn't working.Jennifer SeniorRight. I'm just thinking how much metacognition is involved in— I mean, if you forget a word, are you really, like, staring at that very hard, or are you just like, s**t, what's the word? If you're staring at Jack Nicholson on TV, and you're like, why can't I remember that dude's name?Multiple speakers[Both laughing]Jennifer SeniorWhich happens to me far more regularly now, [unintelligible]… than it used to, you know? I mean, I don't know. There is a part of you that's completely alarmed, but, like, I guess you're right. There did come a point where I—you're right, where I suddenly realized, oh, there's just been a total breakdown here. It's never happening. Like, what is going on? Also, you know what would happen? Every sentence was a grind, like...Jennie NashOkay, so—okay, so...Jennifer Senior[Unintelligible]... Why is this so effortful? When you can't hold the previous sentence in your head, suddenly there's been this lapse in voice, right? Because, like, if every sentence is an effort and you're starting from nothing again, there's no continuity in how you sound. So, I mean, it was really dreadful. And by the way, if I can just say one thing, sorry now that—Jennie NashNo, I love it!Jennifer SeniorYeah. Sorry. I'm just—now you really got me going. I'm just like, yeah, I know. I'm sort of on a tear and a partial rant, which is Prozac—there came a point where, like, every single SSRI was too activating for me to sleep. But it was, of course, a problem, because being sleepless makes you depressed, so you need something to get at your depression. And SNRIs, like the Effexor's and the Cymbalta's, are out of the question, because those are known to be activating. So I kept vainly searching for SSRIs, and Prozac was the only one that didn't—that wound up not being terribly activating, besides Paxil, but it, too, was somewhat deadening, and I wrote my whole book on it.Jennie NashWow!Jennifer SeniorIt's not all metaphor.Multiple Speakers[both laughing]Jennifer SeniorIt's not all me and no—nothing memorable, you know? I mean, it's—it's kind of a problem. It was—I can't really bear to go back and look at it.Jennie NashWow.Jennie NashSo—so the feeling...Jennifer SeniorI'm really giving my book the hard sell, like it's really a B plus in terms of its pro…—I mean, you know, it wasn't.Jennie NashSo you—you—you recognize its happening, and what you recognize is a lack of fizzy, buzzy energy and a lack of flow. So I just have to ask now, presumably—well, there's long COVID now, but when you don't have—when you're writing in your full powers, do you—is it always in a state of flow? Like, if you're not in a state of flow, do you get up and go do something else? Like, what—how does that function in the life of a writer on a deadline?Jennifer SeniorOK. Well, am I always in a state of flow? No! I mean, flow is not—I don't know anyone who's good at something who just immediately can be in flow every time.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorIt's still magic when it happens. You know, when I was in flow almost out of the gate every day—the McIlvaine stories—like, I knew when I hit send, this thing is damn good. I knew when I hit send on a piece that was not as well read, but is like my second or third favorite story. I wrote something for The New York Times called “Happiness Wont Save You,” about a pioneer in—he wrote one of the foundational studies in positive psychology about lottery winners and paraplegics, and how lottery winners are pretty much no happier than random controls found in a phone book, and paraplegics are much less unhappy than you might think, compared to controls. It was really poorly designed. It would never withstand the scrutiny of peer review today. But anyway, this guy was, like, a very innovative thinker. His name was Philip Brickman, and in 1982 at 38 years old, he climbed—he got—went—he found his way to the roof of the tallest building in Ann Arbor and jumped, and took his own life. And I was in flow pretty much throughout writing that one too.Jennie NashWow. So the piece you're referring to, that you referred to previous to that, is What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind, which was a feature story in The Atlantic. It's the one you won the—Pul…Pulitzer for? It's now made into a book. It has, like...Jennifer SeniorAlthough all it is like, you know, the story between...Jennie NashCovers, right?Jennifer SeniorYeah. Yeah. Because—yeah, yeah.Jennie NashBut—Jennifer SeniorWhich is great, because then people can have it, rather than look at it online, which—and it goes on forever—so yeah.Jennie NashSo this is a piece—the subtitle is Grief, Conspiracy Theories, and One Family's Search for Meaning in the Two Decades Since 9/11—and I actually pulled a couple of metaphors from that piece, because I re-read it knowing I was going to speak to you… and I mean, it was just so beautifully written. It's—it's so beautifully structured, everything, everything. But here's a couple of examples for our listeners. You're describing Bobby, who was a 26-year-old who died in 9/11, who was your brother's college roommate.Jennifer SeniorAnd at that young adult—they—you can't afford New York. They were living together for eight years. It was four in college, and four—Jennie NashWow.Jennifer SeniorIn New York City. They had a two-bedroom... yeah, in a cheaper part... well, to the extent that there are cheaper parts in...Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorThe way over near York Avenue, east side, yeah.Jennie NashSo you write, “When he smiled, it looked for all the world like he'd swallowed the moon.” And you wrote, “But for all Bobby's hunger and swagger, what he mainly exuded, even during his college years, was warmth, decency, a corkscrew quirkiness.” So just that kind of language—a corkscrew quirkiness, like he'd swallowed the moon—that, it's that the piece is full of that. So that's interesting, that you felt in flow with this other piece you described and this one. So how would you describe—so you describe metaphors as things that just come—it just—it just happens. You're not forcing it—you can't force it. Do you think that's true of whatever this ineffable thing of voice—voices—as well?Jennifer SeniorOh, that's a good question. My voice got more distinct as I got older—it gets better. I think a lot of people's—writers'—powers wax. Philip Roth is a great example of that. Colette? I mean, there are people whose powers really get better and better, and I've gotten better with more experience. But do you start with the voice? I think you do. I don't know if you can teach someone a voice.Jennie NashSo when you say you've gotten better, what does that mean to you?Jennifer SeniorYeah. Um, I'm trying to think, like, do I write with more swing? Do I—just with more confidence because I'm older? Being a columnist…which is the least creative medium…Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSeven hundred and fifty words to fit onto—I had a dedicated space in print. When David Leonhardt left, I took over the Monday spot, during COVID. So it's really, really—but what it forces you to do is to be very—your writing becomes lean, and it becomes—and structure is everything. So this does not relate to voice, but my—I was always pretty good at structure anyway. I think if you—I think movies and radio, podcasts, are, like, great for structure. Storytelling podcasts are the best thing to—I think I unconsciously emulate them. The McIlvaine story has a three-act structure. There's also—I think the podcast Heavyweight is sublime in that way.Jennie NashIs that Roxane Gay?Jennifer SeniorNo, no, no, no.Jennie NashOh, it's, um—Jennifer SeniorIt's Jonathan Goldstein.Jennie NashYes, got it. I'm going to write that down and link to that in our show notes.Jennifer SeniorIt's... I'm trying to think of—because, you know, his is, like, narratives, and it's—it's got a very unusual premise. But voice, voice, voice—well, I, you know, I worked on making my metaphors better in the beginning. I worked on noticing things, you know, and I worked on—I have the—I'm the least visual person alive. I mean, this is what's so interesting. Like, I failed to notice once that I had sat for an hour and a half with a woman who was missing an arm. I mean, I came back to the office and was talking—this is Barbara Epstein, who was a storied editor of The New York Review of Books, the story editor, along with Bob Silver. And I was talking to Mike Tomasky, who was our, like, city politic editor at the time. And I said to him, I just had this one—I knew she knew her. And he said, was it awkward? Was—you know, with her having one arm and everything? And I just stared at him and went one arm? I—I am really oblivious to stuff. And yet visual metaphors are no problem with me. Riddle me that, Batman. I don't know why that is. But I can, like, summon them in my head, and so I worked at it for a while, when my editors were responsive to it. Now they come more easily, so that seems to maybe just be a facility. I started noticing them in other people's writing. So Michael Ondaatje —in, I think it was In the Skin of a Lion, but maybe it was The English Patient. I've read, like, every book of his, like I've, you know— Running… was it Running in the Family? Running with the Family? I think it was Running in the—his memoir. And, I mean, doesn't—everything. Anil's Ghost—he— you know, that was it The Ballad of Billy the Kid? [The Collected Works of Billy the Kid] Anyway, I can go on and on. He had one metaphor talking about the evening being as serene as ink. And it was then that I realized that metaphors without effort often—and—or is that a simile? That's a simile.Jennie NashLike—or if it's “like” or “as,” it's a simile.Jennifer SeniorYeah. So I'm pretty good with similes, maybe more than metaphors. But... serene as ink. I realized that what made that work is that ink is one syllable. There is something about landing on a word with one syllable that sounds like you did not work particularly hard at it. You just look at it and keep going. And I know that I made a real effort to make my metaphors do that for a while, and I still do sometimes. Anything more than that can seem labored.Jennie NashOh, but that's so interesting. So you—you noticed in other people what worked and what you liked, and then tried to fold that into your own work.Jennifer SeniorYeah.Jennie NashSo does that mean you might noodle on—like, you have the structure of the metaphor or simile, but you might noodle on the word—Jennifer SeniorThe final word?Jennie NashThe final word.Jennifer SeniorYeah. Yeah, the actual simile, or whatever—yeah, I guess it's a simile—yeah, sometimes. Sometimes they—like I said, they come unbidden. I think I have enough experience now—which may make my voice better—to know what's crap. And I also, by the way, I'll tell you what makes your voice better: just being very willing to hit Select Alt, Delete. You know, there's more where that came from. I am a monster of self-editing. I just—I have no problem doing it. I like to do it. I like to be told when things are s**t. I think that improves your voice, because you can see it on the page.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorAnd also, I think paying attention to other people's writing, you know, I did more and more of that, you know, reverse engineering stuff, looking at how they did stuff as I got older, so...Jennie NashSo I was going to ask a question, which now maybe you already answered, but the question was going to be… you said that you're—you feel like you're getting better as a writer as you got older. And you—you said that was due to experience. And I was going to ask, is it, or is it due to getting older? You know, is there something about literally living more years that makes you better, or, you know, like, is wisdom something that you just get, or is it something you work for? But I think what I'm hearing is you're saying you have worked to become the kind of writer who knows, you know, what you just said—you delete stuff, it comes again. But tell me if—you know, you welcome the kind of tough feedback, because you know that makes you better. You know, this sort of real effort to become better, it sounds like that's a practice you have. Is that—is that right?Jennifer SeniorOh yeah. I mean, well, let's do two things on that, please. I so easily lose my juju these days that, like, you've got to—if you can put a, you know, oh God, I'm going to use a cliché again—if you can put a pin in or bookmark that, the observation about, you know, harsh feedback. I want to come back to that. But yes, one of the things that I was going to keep—when I said that I have the confidence now, I also was going to say that I have the wisdom, but I had too many kind of competing—Jennie NashYeah. Yeah.Jennifer SeniorYou know, were running at once, and I, you know, many trains on many tracks—Jennie NashYeah, yeah.Jennifer Senior…about to leave, so…, Like, I had to sort of hop on one. But, like, the—the confidence and wisdom, yes, and also, like, I'll tell you something: in the McIlvaine piece, it may have been the first time I did, like, a narrative nonfiction. I told a story. There was a time when I would have hid behind research on that one.Jennie NashOoh, and did you tell a story. It was the—I remember reading that piece when it first came out, and there you're introducing, you know, this—the situation. And then there's a moment, and it comes very quickly at the top of the piece, where you explain your relationship to the protagonist of the story. And there's a—there's just a moment of like, oh, we're—we're really in something different here. There's really—is that feel of, this is not a reported story, this is a lived story, and that there's so many layers of power, I mean, to the story itself, but obviously the way that you—you present it, so I know exactly what you're talking about.Jennifer SeniorYeah, and by the way, I think writing in the first person, which I've been doing a lot of lately, is not something I would have done until now. Probably because I am older and I feel like I've earned it. I have more to say. I've been through more stuff. It's not, like, with the same kind of narcissism or adolescent—like, I want to get this out, you know. It's more searching, I think, and because I've seen more, and also because I've had these pent up stories that I've wanted to tell for a long time. And also I just don't think I would have had the balls, you know.Jennie NashRight.Jennifer SeniorSo some of it is—and I think that that's part of—you can write better in your own voice. If it's you writing about you, you're—there's no better authority, you know? So your voice comes out.Jennie NashRight.Jennifer SeniorBut I'm trying to think of also—I would have hid behind research and talked about theories of grief. And when I wrote, “It's the damnedest thing, the dead abandon you, and then you abandon the dead,” I had blurted that out loud when I was talking to, actually, not Bobby's brother, which is the context in which I wrote it, but to Bobby's—I said that, it's, like, right there on the tape—to his former almost fiancée. And I was thinking about that line, that I let it stand. I didn't actually then rush off and see if there was a body of literature that talked about the guilt that the living feel about letting go of their memories. But I would have done that at one point. I would have turned it into this... because I was too afraid to just let my own observations stand. But you get older and you're like, you know what? I'm smart enough to just let that be mine. Like, assume...Jennie NashRight.Jennifer SeniorIt's got to be right. But can we go back, also, before I forget?Jennie NashYeah, we're going to go back to harsh, but—but I would just want to use your cliché, put a pin in what you said, because you've said so many important things— that there's actual practice of getting better, and then there's also wisdom of—of just owning, growing into, embracing, which are two different things, both so important. So I just wanted to highlight that you've gone through those two things. So yes, let's go back to—I said harsh, and maybe I miss—can...misrepresenting what you meant.Jennifer SeniorYou may not have said that. I don't know what you said.Jennie NashNo, I did, I did.Jennifer SeniorYou did, okay, yeah, because I just know that it was processed as a harsh—oh no, totally. Like, I was going to say to you that—so there was a part of my book, my book, eventually, I just gave one chapter to each person in my life whom I thought could, like, assess it best, and one of them, so this friend—I did it on paper. He circled three paragraphs, and he wrote, and I quote, “Is this just a shitty way of saying...?” And then I was like, thank God someone caught it, if it was shitty. Oh my God. And then—and I was totally old enough to handle it, you know, I was like 44, whatever, 43. And then, who was it? Someone else—oh, I think I gave my husband the intro, and he wrote—he circled a paragraph and just wrote, “Ugh.” Okay, Select Alt, Delete, redo. You know, like, what are you going to do with that? That's so unambiguous. It's like, you know—and also, I mean, when you're younger, you argue. When you're older, you never quarrel with Ugh. Or Is this...Jennie NashRight, you're just like, okay, yep.Jennifer SeniorYeah. And again, you—you've done it enough that, you know, there's so much more where that came from.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorWhy cling to anything that someone just, I don't know, had this totally allergic reaction to? Like, you know, if my husband broke out in a hive.Jennie NashYeah. So, circling back to the—the storyline of—you took this medication, you lost your ability to write in this way, you changed medications, presumably, you got it back. What did it feel like to get it back? Did you—do you remember that?Jennifer SeniorOh God, yes, it was glorious.Jennie NashReally?!Jennifer SeniorOh, you don't feel like yourself. I think that—I mean, I think there are many professions that are intertwined with identity. They may be the more professional—I'm sorry, the more creative professions. But not always, you know. And so if your writing voice is gone, and it's—I mean, so much of writing is an expression of your interior, if not life, then, I don't know some kind of thought process and something that you're working out. To have that drained out of you, for someone to just decant all the life out of your—or something to decant all the life out of your writing, it's—it's, I wouldn't say it's traumatic, that's totally overstating it, but it's—it's a huge bummer. It's, you know, it's depressing.Jennie NashWell, the word glorious, that's so cool. So to feel that you got back your—the you-ness of your voice was—was glorious. I mean, that's—that's amazing.Jennifer SeniorWhat—if I can just say, I wrote a feature, right, that then, like, I remember coming off of it, and then I wrote a feature that won the News Women's Club of New York story for best feature that year. Like, I didn't realize that those are kind of hard to win, and not like I won... I think I've won one since. But, like, that was in, like, 99 or something. I mean, like, you know, I don't write a whole lot of things that win stuff, until recently, you know. There was, like, a real kind of blackout period where, you know, I mean, but like—which I think, it probably didn't have to do with the quality of my writing. I mean, there was—but, I mean, you know, I wasn't writing any of the stuff that floated to the tippy top, and, like, I think that there was some kind of explosion thereof, like, all the, again, stuff that was just desperate to come out. I think there was just this volcanic outpouring.Jennie NashSo you're saying now you are winning things, which is indeed true. I mean, Pulitzer Prizes among them. Do you think that that has to do with this getting better? The wisdom, the practice, the glorious having of your abilities? Or, I guess what I'm asking is, like, is luck a part of—a part of all that? Is it just, it just happens? Or do you think there's some reason that it's happening? You feel that your writing is that powerful now?Jennifer SeniorWell, luck is definitely a part of it, because The Atlantic is the greatest place to showcase your feature writing. It gets so much attention, even though I think fewer people probably read that piece about Bobby McIlvaine than would have read any of my columns on any given day. The kind of attention was just so different. And it makes sense in a funny way, because it was 13,600 words or something. I mean, it was so long, and columns are 750 words. But, like, I think that I just lucked out in terms of the showcase. So that's definitely a part of it. And The Atlantic has the machinery to, you know, and all these dedicated, wonderful publicity people who will make it possible for people to read it, blah, blah, blah. So there's that. If you're older, you know everyone in the business, so you have people amplifying your work, they're suddenly reading it and saying, hey, everybody read it. It was before Twitter turned to garbage. Media was still a way to amplify it. It's much harder now, so passing things along through social media has become a real problem. But at that moment, it was not—Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSo that was totally luck. Also, I wonder if it was because I was suddenly writing something from in the first person, and my voice was just better that way. And I wouldn't have had, like, the courage, you know?Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorAnd also, you're a book critic, which is what I was at The Times. And you certainly are not writing from the first person. And as a columnist, you're not either.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSo, you know, those are very kind of constricted forms, and they're also not—there are certainly critics who win Pulitzers. I don't think I was good enough at it. I was good, but it was not good enough. I could name off the top of my head, like, so many critics who were—who are—who haven't even won anything yet. Like Dwight Garner really deserves one. Why has he not won a Pulitzer? He's, I think, the best writer—him and Sophie Gilbert, who keeps coming close. I don't get it, like, what the hell?Jennie NashDo you—as a—as a reader of other people's work, I know you—you mentioned Michael Ondaatje that you'd studied—study him. But do you just recognize when somebody else is on their game? Like, do you recognize the voice or the gloriousness of somebody else's work? Can you just be like, yeah, that...?Jennifer SeniorWell, Philip Roth, sentence for sentence. Martin Amis, even more so—I cannot get over the originality of each of his sentences and the wide vocabulary from which he recruits his words, and, like, maybe some of that is just being English. I think they just get better, kind of more comprehensive. They read more comprehensively. And I always tell people, if they want to improve their voice, they should read the Victorians, like that [unintelligible]. His also facility with metaphor, I don't think, is without equal. The thing is, I can't stand his fiction. I just find it repellent. But his criticism is bangers and his memoirs are great, so I love them.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorSo I really—I read him very attentively, trying to think of, like, other people whose kind of...Jennie NashI guess I was—I was getting at more... like, genius recognizes genius, that con... that concept, like, when you know you can do this and write in this way from time to time anyway, you can pull it off.Jennifer SeniorYeah, genius as in—I wouldn't—we can't go there.Jennie NashWell, that's the—that's the cliché, right? But, like...Jennifer SeniorOh no, I know, I know. Game—game, game recognizes game.Jennie NashGame recognizes game is a better way of saying it. Like, do you see—that's actually what the phrase is. I don't know where I came up with genius, but...Jennifer SeniorNo, it's fine. You can stick anything in that template, you know—evil recognizes evil, I mean, you know, it's like a...Jennie NashYeah. Do you see it? Do you see it? Like, you can see it in other people?Jennifer SeniorSure. Oh yeah, I see it.Jennie NashYeah.Jennifer SeniorI mean, you're just talking about among my contemporaries, or just as it...Jennie NashJust like anything, like when you pick up a book or you read an article or even listen to a storytelling pack podcast, that sense of being in the hands of somebody who's on it.Jennifer SeniorYeah, I think that Jonathan Goldstein—I mean, I think that the—the Heavyweight Podcast, for sure, is something—and more than that, it's—it's storytelling structure, it's just that—I think that anybody who's a master at structure would just look at that show and be like, yeah, that show nails it each and every time.Jennie NashI've not listened, but I feel like I should end our time together. I would talk to you forever about this, but I always like to leave our listeners with something specific to reflect or practice or do. And is there anything related to metaphor or practicing, finding your voice, owning your voice, that you would suggest for—for folks? You've already suggested a lot.Jennifer SeniorRead the Victorians.Jennie NashAwesome. Any particular one that you would say start with?Jennifer SeniorYeah, you know what? I find Dickens rough sledding. I like his, you know, dear friend Wilkie Collins. I think No Name is one of the greatest books ever. I would read No Name.Jennie NashAmazing. And I will add, go read Jennifer's work. We'll link to a bunch of it in the show notes. Study her and—and watch what she does and learn what she does—that there it is, a master at work, and that's what I would suggest. So thank you for joining us and having this amazing discussion.Jennifer SeniorThis has been super fun.Jennie NashAnd for our listeners, until next time, stop playing small and write like it matters.NarratorThe Hashtag AmWriting Podcast is produced by Andrew Perrella. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Ask Kati Anything, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Kati Morton tackles the core question: Why Do I Feel So Behind? when it seems Everyone Else Seems to Have It Together. We dive deep into the psychological struggles of comparison, isolation, and overcoming trauma.We also address the debilitating internal experience: Are You Experiencing Complex PTSD? and provide clarity on What to Do When Your Brain Relates Everything to Trauma. Finally, we cover motivation loss, asking: Do You Have Anhedonia? and share strategies for Finding Motivation When Everything Feels Boring.‌ Don't forget to Like and Subscribe for more Ask Kati Anything episodes every week! Shopping with our sponsors helps support the show and allows us to continue bringing you these important conversations about mental health. Please check out this week's special offers: • MasterClass always has great offers during the holidays, sometimes up to as much as 50% off. Head over to http://MASTERCLASS.com/KATI for the current offer. • Go to Remi (Custom Night Guards & Dental Solutions) http://shopremi.com/KATI and use code KATI at checkout for 55% off a new night guard plus a FREE foam gift that whitens your teeth and cleans your night guard. • Visit https://on.auraframes.com/KATI for an exclusive $45-off Carver Mat - Use promo code KATI at checkout Audience questions & timestamps: 0:00:39 (Q1) Dealing with Friendship Envy. Kati reframes friendship envy as an indicator of what you truly want in life. 0:06:59 (Q2) Recovering from Burnout. The Effort vs. Reward Strategy The key to recovery is assessing where your time and energy go, and then placing boundaries in areas where... My new book is available for pre-order: Why Do I Keep Doing This? → https://geni.us/XoyLSQIf you've ever felt stuck, this book is for you. I'd be so grateful for your support. 0:14:12 (Q3) Moving On After Divorce. Rediscovery of Self Divorce is a huge loss, and therapy is a must. The core focus should be on figuring out who you are again through journaling (like The Artist's Way) and taking solo dates. 0:23:48 (Q4) Ego Death & Transformation. Ego vs. Connection Ego is a protective defense mechanism that, when overactive, can cause resistance, sabotage progress, and impede true connection. 0:30:10 (Q5) Why Everything is a Trigger (Complex PTSD) The listener is triggered by everyday items (like Vaseline) and experiences dissociation due to past sexual abuse by their mother. Kati emphasizes the brain is trying to protect the listener. 0:40:29 (Q6) In Crisis But Don't Want to 'Bug' Therapist. It's common for crisis feelings and body memories to intensify at night due to fewer distractions. Advice includes using crisis lines (988, 741741) 0:45:34 (Q7) Loss of Motivation (Approaching 70) Anhedonia and Behavioral Activation Lacking enthusiasm (anhedonia) and motivation is a common sign of depression in older adults, often linked to loss of purpose and isolation. 0:50:29 (Q8) Finding the Right Dose The feeling of being "numbed out" or lacking motivation on an SSRI is often due to blunted affect from a dose that is too high, or the wrong medication entirely. Ask Kati Anything ep. 290 | Your mental health podcast, with Kati Morton, LMFT MY BOOKS Traumatized https://geni.us/Bfak0j Are u ok? https://geni.us/sva4iUY ONLINE THERAPY (enjoy 10% off your first month) While I do not currently offer online therapy, BetterHelp can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/kati PARTNERSHIPS Nick Freeman | nick@biglittlemedia.co Disclaimer: The information provided in this video is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical or mental health advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problem or disease. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment. Viewing this content does not establish a therapist-client relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we examine groundbreaking research that challenges the widespread clinical belief that SSRI side effects improve with time. Using data from the landmark STAR*D trial, we explore which patients actually experience side effect resolution and which face worsening symptoms. Faculty: Paul Zarkowski, M.D. Host: Richard Seeber, M.D. Learn more about our membership here Earn 0.75 CME: Quick Take Vol. 75 Do SSRI Side Effects Improve Over Time?

Antidepressants like SSRIs are strongly linked to hyponatremia, a dangerous drop in blood sodium that disrupts nerve and muscle function The risk is highest in the first two weeks of treatment, when sodium levels plummet to life-threatening lows that trigger confusion, seizures, or fainting Older adults, especially women over 80, are among the most vulnerable, with nearly 1 in 15 experiencing profound sodium loss after starting these drugs Symptoms of drug-induced low sodium often mimic worsening anxiety or depression, leading to misdiagnosis and unnecessary increases in medication Natural strategies like optimizing nutrition, restoring key vitamins and minerals, daily movement, sunlight exposure, and restful sleep offer safer ways to support mood and energy without creating sodium imbalances

Marc Maron's podcast WTF recently ended its run, so today Asif and Ali discuss Maron and his influence on comedy and podcasting (6:18) (after a brief digression on a fundraiser Ali recently went to). They begin by discussing Maron's early life and career. They discuss him getting involved in radio and all the acting roles he has done in the past 20 years. They then discuss Maron's recent stand up special “Panicked”. Finally they discuss WTF, the importance of the show for comedy and podcasting in general and the most memorable episodes. In Marc Maron's recent special he discusses SSRI's (for his cats!)‚ so in the second half, they discuss these drugs (31:31). Asif talks about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, how they work and what they are used for. He then goes over the common types of SSRI's as well as their potential side effects. Asif then discusses how sometimes people can have a difficult time coming off SSRI's. Finally Ali asks Asif about other things that can be used for depression such as natural products and exercise. The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from PixabayContact us at doctorvcomedian@gmail.comShow Notes:Marc Maron's Rawest Interview Yet. The Truth About Grief, Anger, and Connection: https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a65608892/marc-maron-wtf-podcast-legacy-interview/Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554406/Many People Taking Antidepressants Discover They Cannot Quit: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/07/health/antidepressants-withdrawal-prozac-cymbalta.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfrontAdjunctive Nutraceuticals for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27113121/Exercise as medicine for depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regressio: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/16/1049?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_x-social-details_comments-action_comment-textEffect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials: https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-075847.abstractGreat Depresh' Comedian Gary Gulman Has 5 Tips to Get Through Isolation: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/big-depresh-comedian-gary-gulman-coping-isolation-1285949/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Methylene blue is one of the most misunderstood compounds in biohacking, yet it can upgrade your energy, mood, memory, and cellular resilience when you use it the right way. We are back again with another solo masterclass, and this one breaks down how to use methylene blue as a precision tool for brain optimization, longevity, and human performance while avoiding the dosing mistakes that create jitteriness, sleep disruption, or dangerous interactions. Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR Host Dave Asprey guides you through more than a century of research on methylene blue. He has been hacking this compound since the early 2000s and brings deep insight into mitochondria, neuroplasticity, metabolism, supplements, fasting, red light, ketosis, nootropics, and functional medicine. You will learn how methylene blue works inside the cell, how it improves electron transport, and why it appears in neurology, psychiatry, and anti aging research at the same time. This episode shows you how to test your own dose, how to stack it with light and ketosis for maximum effect, and how to avoid serotonin syndrome or sleep disruption. Methylene blue also touches nearly every major system that biohackers care about, which is why this solo masterclass shows you how it interacts with mitochondria, neuroplasticity, metabolism, sleep optimization, and long term anti aging pathways. You will hear how it influences redox balance, ATP production, brain optimization, and stress resilience, and how it behaves when combined with ketosis, fasting, creatine, NAD boosters, red light therapy, or other nootropics. Host Dave Asprey explains why methylene blue pairs well with certain supplements but clashes with psychedelics or SSRI medications, how it fits into functional medicine protocols for mitochondrial repair, and how to use data and wearable tracking to dial in your response. This episode gives you a complete framework to evaluate whether methylene blue belongs in your personal longevity strategy and how to use it with precision instead of guesswork. You'll Learn: • Why methylene blue acts like mitochondrial jumper cables and when it improves energy and mood • The exact signs that your dose is too strong, too weak, or in the Goldilocks zone • How methylene blue interacts with neuroplasticity, memory circuits, and cognitive resilience • Why psychedelics, SSRIs, and MAO inhibitors can create dangerous serotonin interactions • How to pair methylene blue with red light therapy, ketosis, creatine, fasting, or NAD boosters • The link between mitochondrial health, fertility, libido, and long term anti aging strategies • How to track sleep optimization, HRV, and performance signals to dial in your personal protocol • The difference between aquarium grade dye and pharmaceutical grade formulations • Why genetic testing for G6PD deficiency is essential before higher dose experimentation 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 in health, 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: methylene blue dosing, mitochondrial electron transport, Complex IV cytochrome c oxidase, redox cycling, MAO inhibition, serotonin syndrome risk, G6PD deficiency caution, neuroplasticity enhancement, dendritic spine density, mitochondrial stress adaptation, red light therapy stacking, cognitive performance optimization, ketone supported ATP production, nitric oxide independent focus boost, mitochondrial bottleneck repair, pharmaceutical grade methylene blue, sleep disruption signals, biohacking fertility support, oxidative stress buffering, functional medicine mitochondria repair Thank you to our sponsors! -BrainTap | Go to http://braintap.com/dave to get $100 off the BrainTap Power Bundle. -fatty15 | Go to https://fatty15.com/dave and save an extra $15 when you subscribe with code DAVE. -Zbiotics | Go to https://zbiotics.com/DAVE for 15% off your first order. Resources: • 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 • Upgrade Collective: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com • Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com • 40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.com Timestamps: 0:00 — Trailer 1:25 — Introduction 4:51 — History of methylene blue 7:38 — How methylene blue works 14:05 — Safety 17:53 — Dosing and timing guidelines 20:41 — Combining with red light therapy 22:41 — Quality and sourcing 23:17 — Dosing protocols 25:24 — Longevity and fertility effects 29:24 — Stacking options 32:10 — Common questions and FAQs 33:40 — Future research and wrap up See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SSRI prescriptions are more common than ever—but how much do we really understand about how they work, their true efficacy, and their potential downsides? In this episode, we take a deep dive into the world of SSRIs, breaking down their mechanism of action and why their use has skyrocketed in recent years.   We unpack the growing concern around emotional blunting, a well-documented effect that can leave individuals feeling flat, disconnected, or lacking drive. You'll learn why the serotonin deficiency model falls short, what SSRIs actually do in the brain, and why so many people are placed on them without a root-cause approach. We also explore powerful food-as-medicine and lifestyle strategies proven to support mood: from low-glycemic eating and amino acid repletion, to gut health, micronutrients, and more. If you're looking to understand the full picture of SSRIs and discover evidence-backed alternatives for mental wellness, this episode is a must-listen.   Also in this episode:  Free Detox Webinar Naturally Nourished Black Friday Starts Now - use code SAVE10 for 10% off all supplements Naturally Nourished Academy Now Enrolling with Early Bird Pricing Through 12/31 Give the Gift of Wellness with Naturally Nourished Gift Cards Episode 160: Neurotransmitters Part 1 The Anti Anxiety Diet What is Serotonin Sleep Support Low vs. High Serotonin What are SSRIs? Fu-Ming Zhou, Yong Liang, Ramiro Salas, Lifen Zhang, Mariella De Biasi, and John A. Dani: "Corelease of Dopamine and Serotonin from Striatal Dopamine Terminals" SSRIs and Violent Crime Associations between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and violent crime in adolescents, young, and older adults - a Swedish register-based study - PubMed Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Violent Crime: A Cohort Study | PLOS Medicine How to Naturally Boost Serotonin and Support Mood Protein Whey Protect Magnesium Role of magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial | PLOS One Magnesium supplementation beneficially affects depression in adults with depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials Relax and Regulate MethylFolate Assessing Effects of l-Methylfolate in Depression Management: Results of a Real-World Patient Experience Trial MethylComplete Movement Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials | The BMJ Gaba GabaCalm Keto for Mental Health The use of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders - PMC Probiotics as Natures Prozac Acceptability, Tolerability, and Estimates of Putative Treatment Effects of Probiotics as Adjunctive Treatment in Patients With Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Depressive Disorders | JAMA Psychiatry Probiotic Challenge Protocol   Sponsors for this episode:  This episode is sponsored by FOND Bone Broth, your sous chef in a jar. FOND's bone broths and tallows are produced in small batches with premium ingredients from verified regenerative ranches. Their ingredients are synergistically paired for maximum absorption, nutritional benefit, and flavor. Use code ALIMILLERRD to save at https://fondbonebroth.com/ALIMILLERRD.   

A major clinical trial in The Lancet Psychiatry found that boosting dopamine with pramipexole improved symptoms in treatment-resistant depression. This challenges the long-dominant serotonin deficiency theory Supporting those findings, another study showed that agomelatine, a serotonin-blocking drug, consistently reduced anxiety and depression in multiple placebo-controlled trials Research shows polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (PUFs and MUFs) directly trigger platelet aggregation and serotonin release, while saturated fats do not, linking modern diets to serotonin excess Studies confirm that combinations of unsaturated fats amplify serotonin release even at sub-threshold levels, making everyday dietary choices especially relevant to serotonin-driven health risks and mood instability Increasing GABA helps your body break down serotonin, restoring calm, better sleep, and mood stability without SSRI side effects, making it a safer alternative for addressing depression and anxiety

Nurses Out Loud – Pharma giants profit while patients suffer as SSRI fraud unravels. Paxil's deceptive marketing, ignored data, and journal complicity expose a system where lies outweigh lives. Lawsuits reveal how regulators, media, and lawmakers enable antidepressant corruption. Nurses Out Loud uncover the truth behind antidepressant harm, medical cover-ups, and the fight for real accountability...

Nurses Out Loud – Pharma giants profit while patients suffer as SSRI fraud unravels. Paxil's deceptive marketing, ignored data, and journal complicity expose a system where lies outweigh lives. Lawsuits reveal how regulators, media, and lawmakers enable antidepressant corruption. Nurses Out Loud uncover the truth behind antidepressant harm, medical cover-ups, and the fight for real accountability...

In episode 510 I chat with Dr Steven Poskar. Steven is a psychiatrist and clinical director of OCD NYC. He is also a member of the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board of the International OCD Foundation. We discuss his therapy journey, myths and misconceptions around OCD medication, SSRIs for OCD, choosing an SSRI based on their side effect profiles, weaning off medication, augmenting medication for OCD with anti psychotics, glutamate medications for OCD, benzodiazepines, psychedelic drug trials for OCD, cannabis, some reasons why medication doesn't work, supplements, and much more. Hope it helps. Show notes: https://theocdstories.com/episode/steven-510 The podcast is made possible by NOCD. NOCD offers effective, convenient therapy available in the US and outside the US. To find out more about NOCD, their therapy plans and if they currently take your insurance head over to https://go.treatmyocd.com/theocdstories Join many other listeners getting our weekly emails. Never miss a podcast episode or update: https://theocdstories.com/newsletter 

Dr. Irwin Goldstein is one of America's leading sexual health physicians, a pioneer in the field, and the director of San Diego Sexual Medicine.In this episode, he breaks down his latest research into what's known as post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD)—a condition that's not uncommon but rarely discussed publicly.He's found that a class of antidepressants known as SSRIs can cause lasting physiological damage even after patients discontinue the medication—contrary to what many patients are told.“When they stop the medicine, the usual teaching is that everyone returns to their pre-medication sexual function, and that's not what we're seeing in our sexual health clinic here,” Dr. Goldstein says.His recent research showed that SSRIs can cause structural damage to genital tissue as well as many other physiological problems, like genital numbness, erectile dysfunction, and loss of libido. These problems persist long-term after discontinuing SSRI antidepressants.“It's kind of an awful thing, and it doesn't go away,” Dr. Goldstein says. “These individuals in my clinic who have been given the medicines: Our youngest is age 11. They'll never experience what one would otherwise consider a normal sexual life.”Dr. Goldstein holds a degree in engineering from Brown University and a medical degree from McGill University in Montreal. He is credited with advancing the study and treatment of both male and female sexual dysfunctions and has authored more than 360 academic publications in the field.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Antidepressant use during pregnancy disrupts fetal brain development and increases the risk of long-term mental health problems in children Babies exposed to SSRI antidepressants in the womb often suffer withdrawal symptoms at birth, including weak muscle tone, poor feeding, and breathing difficulties Research shows counseling for depression lowers the risk of preterm birth, while antidepressant use increases it, highlighting the importance of non-drug approaches Major medical organizations and media outlets continue to downplay these risks, leaving many mothers unaware of safer alternatives Natural strategies like proper nutrition, exercise, sunlight, and stress management provide effective ways to support your mental health during pregnancy without harming your baby

With a calcium score of zero, is there any fat in your diet?  Are there any recommended supplements for IBS?What is the safest and most appropriate dose of vitamin D3 for most seniors?

INFINITY Study on the timing of thyroid medication ingestionI have a growth near my eye that is changing in color and becoming crusty. What should I do?I've been suffering from hip pain for the last three years. Any suggestions on what to do?Could toxic exposures like mold cause conditions like low thyroid or autoimmunity?

[NOTE: This is a repost of the most recent Feedback Friday that many of you reported being unable to hear last week. Second time's a charm, we hope!]Your relative killed pets, threatened to stab his mother, displays psychopath traits, and now you're checking cold cases in his area. It's Feedback Friday!And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1224On This Week's Feedback Friday:You've learned disturbing facts about a relative who hurt animals as a child, threatened his mother with a knife, and displays blank emotions at family gatherings. You're checking unsolved murders in his area. What can you do before this becomes a gruesome headline — and are you already too late?You met your wife in a magical whirlwind romance, but an SSRI killed your attraction to her overnight. Now your Schizoid Personality Disorder is back, she's out of patience, and she wants kids. Do you fight for the greatest love of your life — or let her go so she can build the future she deserves?You've climbed from $60K as a nurse to $120K as a director, but the next step means constant stress and burnout. You want $220K so your husband can stay home with your daughter and you can care for aging parents. Can you rise without sacrificing your life — or do you need a completely different path?Recommendation of the Week: The StaircaseAfter Charlie Kirk's assassination, you're grieving someone you never met like you lost a close friend. Why do we hold famous people in such high esteem? And how does a fractured nation come together when our views of America's future couldn't be more different?Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps!Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:CovePure: $200 off: covepure.com/jordanBetterHelp: 10% off first month: betterhelp.com/jordanBoll & Branch: 15% off first set of sheets: bollandbranch.com, code JORDANProgressive: Free online quote: progressive.comSimpliSafe: 50% off + 1st month free: simplisafe.com/jordanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Your relative killed pets, threatened to stab his mother, displays psychopath traits, and now you're checking cold cases in his area. It's Feedback Friday!And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1224On This Week's Feedback Friday:You've learned disturbing facts about a relative who hurt animals as a child, threatened his mother with a knife, and displays blank emotions at family gatherings. You're checking unsolved murders in his area. What can you do before this becomes a gruesome headline — and are you already too late?You met your wife in a magical whirlwind romance, but an SSRI killed your attraction to her overnight. Now your Schizoid Personality Disorder is back, she's out of patience, and she wants kids. Do you fight for the greatest love of your life — or let her go so she can build the future she deserves?You've climbed from $60K as a nurse to $120K as a director, but the next step means constant stress and burnout. You want $220K so your husband can stay home with your daughter and you can care for aging parents. Can you rise without sacrificing your life — or do you need a completely different path?Recommendation of the Week: The StaircaseAfter Charlie Kirk's assassination, you're grieving someone you never met like you lost a close friend. Why do we hold famous people in such high esteem? And how does a fractured nation come together when our views of America's future couldn't be more different?Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com!Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger.Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi.And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: CovePure: $200 off: covepure.com/jordanBetterHelp: 10% off first month: betterhelp.com/jordanBoll & Branch: 15% off first set of sheets: bollandbranch.com, code JORDANProgressive: Free online quote: progressive.comSimpliSafe: 50% off + 1st month free: simplisafe.com/jordanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is the mental health crisis fueled by drugs meant to fix it? Despite a 450% surge in antidepressant use, mental health outcomes are worsening especially among young adults. Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring, a psychiatrist and expert on drug-tapering, warns SSRIs may be linked to rising violence. Dr. Witt-Doerring points to FDA corruption and psychiatry's focus on quick-fix prescriptions over root-cause care, like nutrition and trauma support. He critiques lifelong drug reliance and severe withdrawal effects, pushing for reforms including better informed consent and integrating life skills into treatment to address the spiraling crisis. Leland Vittert is host of On Balance with Leland Vittert and NewsNation's chief Washington anchor. When Leland was diagnosed with autism, his father quit his job to coach him full-time in social skills and humor. Later, Leland became a foreign correspondent and anchor at Fox News before getting his own show on NewsNation. He tells his story in the book “Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism“. Learn more at https://bornluckybook.com and https://x.com/lelandvittert Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring is a board-certified psychiatrist and former FDA medical officer. As Medical Director of TaperClinic, he specializes in safe de-prescription of psychiatric medications and recovery from psychiatric drug injury. He previously worked for Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson) and the FDA. Follow at https://x.com/drjosefWD NOTE: Suddenly stopping mental health medications may cause dangerous side effects or withdrawals. Only start or stop these medications under the direction of your physician. 「 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 」 Find out more about the brands that make this show possible and get special discounts on Dr. Drew's favorite products at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/sponsors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• FATTY15 – The future of essential fatty acids is here! Strengthen your cells against age-related breakdown with Fatty15. Get 15% off a 90-day Starter Kit Subscription at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/fatty15⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • PALEOVALLEY - "Paleovalley has a wide variety of extraordinary products that are both healthful and delicious,” says Dr. Drew. "I am a huge fan of this brand and know you'll love it too!” Get 15% off your first order at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drdrew.com/paleovalley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • VSHREDMD – Formulated by Dr. Drew: The Science of Cellular Health + World-Class Training Programs, Premium Content, and 1-1 Training with Certified V Shred Coaches! More at https://drdrew.com/vshredmd • THE WELLNESS COMPANY - Counteract harmful spike proteins with TWC's Signature Series Spike Support Formula containing nattokinase and selenium. Learn more about TWC's supplements at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twc.health/drew⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 「 MEDICAL NOTE 」 Portions of this program may examine countervailing views on important medical issues. Always consult your physician before making any decisions about your health. 「 ABOUT THE SHOW 」 Ask Dr. Drew is produced by Kaleb Nation (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kalebnation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Susan Pinsky (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/firstladyoflov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠e⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). This show is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⚠️ WARNING: This episode will challenge everything you think you know about health. “Obesity kills more people worldwide every year than car crashes, terrorism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and malnutrition combined.” In this eye-opening episode of Start Today, I bring you Dr. Saman Soleymani—a no-BS physician and entrepreneur running over a dozen practices—who exposes how Big Pharma and Big Food profit from disease while ignoring the #1 factor that could save your life: nutrition. From the obesity epidemic to GLP-1 drugs, testosterone, antidepressants, and birth control, Dr. Soleymani rips the lid off the lies that are killing people every single day. We uncover why waist size is the ultimate death predictor, how visceral fat destroys men's hormones, why SSRIs don't cure depression, the promising science of psilocybin, and the dangerous side effects of hormonal birth control that no one talks about. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just the truth you need if you want to take back control of your body, your health, and your future.

Roughly 1 in 10 Americans take antidepressants. The most common type is SSRIs, or  selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, like Prozac, Lexapro, and Zoloft. But what happens when you stop taking them? Studies don't point to a single conclusion, and there's ongoing debate among physicians and patients about the severity and significance of SSRI withdrawal symptoms. The discourse reached a fever pitch when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. compared SSRI withdrawal to heroin withdrawal in January.Host Flora Lichtman digs into the data on SSRI withdrawal with psychiatrists Awais Aftab and Mark Horowitz.Guests: Dr. Awais Aftab is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University.Dr. Mark Horowitz is a clinical research fellow in the UK's National Health Service and  scientific co-founder of Outro Health.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.  Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

⚠️ WARNING: This episode will challenge everything you think you know about health. “Obesity kills more people worldwide every year than car crashes, terrorism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and malnutrition combined.” In this eye-opening episode of Start Today, I bring you Dr. Saman Soleymani—a no-BS physician and entrepreneur running over a dozen practices—who exposes how Big Pharma and Big Food profit from disease while ignoring the #1 factor that could save your life: nutrition. From the obesity epidemic to GLP-1 drugs, testosterone, antidepressants, and birth control, Dr. Soleymani rips the lid off the lies that are killing people every single day. We uncover why waist size is the ultimate death predictor, how visceral fat destroys men's hormones, why SSRIs don't cure depression, the promising science of psilocybin, and the dangerous side effects of hormonal birth control that no one talks about. No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just the truth you need if you want to take back control of your body, your health, and your future.

(0:00) Introducing Mark Cuban, sadness over Luka Doncic (2:38) America's broken healthcare system (15:16) State of the two-party system (19:24) Introducing Tucker Carlson (20:01) The fine line between listening and pandering, is Mamdani the Trump of the Left? (24:27) How to make Americans believe in America again (34:12) AI job displacement (39:29) Lightning round with Tucker: Epstein, Putin, why the West is killing itself, the SSRI epidemic, Iryna Zarutska murder (52:54) Antisemitism and Israel Thanks to our partners for making this happen! Solana: https://solana.com/ OKX: https://www.okx.com/ Google Cloud: https://cloud.google.com/ IREN: https://iren.com/ Oracle: https://www.oracle.com/ Circle: https://www.circle.com/ BVNK: https://www.bvnk.com/ Follow Mark Cuban: https://x.com/mcuban Follow Tucker Carlson: https://x.com/TuckerCarlson Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffect

Here's your Daily dose of Human Events with @JackPosobiecThe only thing worse than getting hacked is knowing you could have stopped it and didn't take action when you could have. So go to https://www.PATRIOT-PROTECT.COM/POSO  and use promo code Poso for 15% off a yearly subscription.Support the show