Let's Talk Wellness Now

Dr. Deb Muth
  • 4.9 (29)
  • Alternative Health
  • Weekly

Let's Talk Wellness Now is a functional medicine podcast for people who are tired of being told "your labs are normal" when they know something is wrong. Host Dr. Deb Muth, ND, WHNP, is a naturopathic doctor and women's health nurse practitioner with more than 25 years in practice. Each week she digs into the root causes of chronic illness and talks with doctors, researchers, and real patients about what actually helps people heal. Topics include hormones and menopause, gut health and the microbiome, thyroid, mold and Lyme, chronic fatigue, brain health, inflammation, peptides, cancer support, and healthy aging. You'll also hear honest talk about medical gaslighting and how to speak up for your own health. Every episode is clear and easy to follow, so you can take what you learn to your own doctor and make informed choices. New episodes every Monday. This podcast is for education only and is not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified provider about your own health.

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 288- Organic Acids Test Explained: Gut Bacteria, Yeast & Brain Health with William Shaw, PhD

    [00:00] VOICEOVER (Disclaimer): Welcome to Let's Talk Wellness Now, where we bring expert insights to you. Please note that the views and information shared by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Let's Talk Wellness Now, its management, or our partners. Each affiliate, sponsor, and partner is an independent entity with its own perspectives. Today's content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered specific advice, whether financial, medical, or legal. While we strive to present accurate and useful information, we cannot guarantee its completeness or relevance to your unique circumstances. We encourage you to consult a qualified professional to address your individual needs. Your use of information from this broadcast is entirely at your own risk. By continuing to listen, you agree to indemnify and hold Let's Talk Wellness Now and its associates harmless from any claims or damages arising from the use of this content. We may update this disclaimer at any time and changes will take effect immediately upon posting or broadcast. Thank you for tuning in. We hope you find this episode both insightful and thought-provoking. Listener discretion is advised. [01:24] DEB: What if a simple urine test could reveal hidden clues about gut health, nutritional deficiencies, mitochondrial function, and even factors contributing to neurodevelopment changes. Today, we're speaking with William Shaw, PhD, a pioneering biochemist whose research has helped shape the field of functional laboratory testing. We'll explore autism research, the organic acid test, and why understanding metabolism may be one of the most important keys to personalized health care. [01:55] DEB (Book promo): What if your body wasn't betraying you? It was trying to get your attention? We've been trained to silence symptoms. Numb them, shrink them, hide them. But symptoms are not enemies. They're messengers. They're the language of your biology saying, "Look deeper." Every woman I've treated who's been told to accept normal labs but still feels unwell, she's living proof that our system doesn't define health. Your body does. Seen at Last is about learning to translate your body's signals into truth and action, not just suppression. [02:30] DEB: Welcome back to Let's Talk Wellness Now. I'm Dr. Deb and today's conversation explores the fascinating intersection of biochemistry, functional medicine, and personalized health. Our guest is William Shaw, PhD, biochemist, researcher, author, and the founder of the Great Plains Laboratory, now known as Mosaic Diagnostics. For more than three decades, Dr. Shaw has researched metabolic disorders, autism, gut microbiome imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, and environmental toxicology. His work helped popularize the organic acids test known as OAT, a laboratory assessment used by many functional and integrative medicine practitioners worldwide. So, as normal, grab your cup of tea, coffee, or whatever helps you unwind and settle in to another amazing episode. Welcome back to Let's Talk Wellness Now. I have the pleasure of having Dr. William Shaw, PhD with me today. And I'm excited for this conversation. We were just chatting before we went live and we've got some great topics for you. But I want to first start by hearing his story about what got him interested in this type of medicine. So you've been a biochemist for quite a while. Tell us your story. [03:56] WILLIAM: So the story was I was doing research at the Centers for Disease Control to try to find out about a really abnormal thing, which was: all the thyroid testing in the whole world gave falsely elevated values. And so I was given the mission of finding out why. It was bizarre. At the CDC, I was given the direction to find out this was why all the thyroid testing in the whole world gave falsely elevated values, so that nobody got the correct thyroid value, no matter where they were in the world. They were getting erroneous values. And the strange thing is if you put purified thyroid hormone and you stored it, it would go down with time, but if you put serum and then measure the thyroid, it increased with time. So there was the blood was giving high values whereas purified thyroid hormone declined. So there was something about the serum that was making the values go up. And so I found the cause was fatty acids, fatty acids that were not attached to glycerol or some other things. So in other words, free fatty acids, not fatty acids that were part of triglycerides. They were okay, but fatty acids that were separated, if you added them to serum, it made the values go up. And so I wanted to find out what the mechanism of that was. And it was that the free fatty acids denatured all the proteins in the body. And the protein that measured thyroid hormone was also being denatured. So the way it worked, that made high values occur. So that was a major thing. And of course, this was before the internet. So nobody in the world knew about this, except the people who read my scientific paper, you know? But so everybody, probably for a period, maybe of five years, everyone who did thyroid hormone tests got a falsely elevated value. And this finding put an end to that. And so shortly thereafter, a new neighbor moved in next to me and I went over to the neighbor to introduce myself, and the woman — she and her husband were mid-20s, and she said, "I've been meaning to come over, but my husband is extremely sick. He has juvenile diabetes. And he has extreme kidney failure." And the physician has told him, "If he doesn't get a transplant, he's going to die soon." And so what I thought about was the same phenomenon was going on in her husband. So her husband had juvenile diabetes so he had no insulin and his kidney function is measured by something called creatinine clearance, which is a measure of the filtration ability of the kidneys. So a normal value, a good value is about 120. His value was 0.5. So it was less than 1% of the normal. And he was already on dialysis. He was far down on the transplant list, so it was in effect a death sentence. And I said, I think I know something that might help. And I said you could take high doses of niacin. So niacin has no effect on glucose. So almost every medical practitioner in the world, if you ask them what does insulin do? They'll say it helps to control glucose. Probably less than 1% of them will know it also helps to decrease free fatty acids. But that was my focus of my research, so I knew that. And I said, if you take high doses of niacin, it won't do anything for your husband's glucose, but it'll dramatically decrease his free fatty acids which is probably the thing that's destroying his kidneys. So I told her to give him 500 milligrams three or four times a day. And so this was the first time I'd ever recommended any treatment for any patient. And then I didn't hear anything from her. So I thought either her husband had died or that was the most likely scenario, but I thought maybe she would have come over and told me about it, but she didn't. And so I got extremely agitated wanting to know what happened. And so after about three weeks, I couldn't stand the suspense anymore. And so I slowly started walking up to the front door. And I knew if I saw her crying or something, I would know that he didn't make it. But when she opened the door, she had a big smile on her face. So she said, "I was meaning to come over and tell you, but I've just been so busy, but my husband's completely recovered. So, he recovered so much, his kidney function went completely back to normal, and his kidney doctor told him he didn't, he was taking him off the kidney transplant list because the kidneys were completely functional now." So I felt like a baseball player who has never been in a game before and they put him in the World Series with three men on base and they put him up. He's never swung a bat before and he hits a home run. That was what, so I thought, "Gee, I'm pretty good at knowing how nutritional therapy can be extremely helpful for some people." And I still think that's something that almost no physicians know about, and fatty acids are at high levels are one of the most toxic things there are, that almost nobody pays attention to. And that's one of the things that niacin is very good at doing. It does nothing for, won't affect blood sugar at all, but it has a profound effect on reducing toxic fatty acids. [10:34] DEB: Wow. So you've spent some decades studying complex chronic conditions. What led you to focus specifically on autism and metabolic abnormalities. [10:45] WILLIAM: Well. So I guess partly it was that experience I had previously. And what happened was I was working at the Children's Hospital in Kansas City and a colleague of mine had a test for organic acids at the medical school that was across the border just a few miles away. He was a pediatric neurologist and he had a family come to him. It was a mother and two children, and both of the children had severe autism. But they also had other abnormalities as well. They had kidney problems and they also had muscle weakness, extreme muscle weakness that even though they were three or four years old, sometimes they would get out of bed and their legs would just collapse underneath them. And they had been tested at almost every medical center in the United States. Their medical record was about this high. There was... They'd been tested at Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic and nobody could find what was causing it. I was originally focused on the severe muscle weakness and actually I didn't find out until later that they also had the severe autism. And so Dr. [Chavez] at the KU Medical Center had a mass spectrometer, but it was an old model and he knew I had a new, fancy, up-to-date model for the time. And so he said, "...

  2. Oct 19

    Episode 287: Carnivore Diet for Weight Loss, Inflammation & Depression: Kerry Mann's 100-Pound Story

    [00:00] VOICEOVER (Disclaimer): Welcome to Let's Talk Wellness Now, where we bring expert insights to you. Please note that the views and information shared by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Let's Talk Wellness Now, its management, or our partners. Each affiliate, sponsor, and partner is an independent entity with its own perspectives. Today's content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered specific advice, whether financial, medical, or legal. While we strive to present accurate and useful information, we cannot guarantee its completeness or relevance to your unique circumstances. We encourage you to consult a qualified professional to address your individual needs. Your use of information from this broadcast is entirely at your own risk. By continuing to listen, you agree to indemnify and hold Let's Talk Wellness Now and its associates harmless from any claims or damages arising from the use of this content. We may update this disclaimer at any time and changes will take effect immediately upon posting or broadcast. Thank you for tuning in. We hope you find this episode both insightful and thought-provoking. Listener discretion is advised. [01:22] DEB: In pain, depressed, 100 pounds overweight, and in his words, nothing was working. So he did the one thing he had been told for years not to do. He built his plate around meat. Today, the guy who owns a small town movie theater doesn't touch the popcorn. But I had to ask the question every clinician is asking and thinking already. What about your heart? His answer, and exactly where the evidence stops, is coming up. [01:51] DEB: Welcome back to Let's Talk Wellness Now, the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, explore cutting-edge regenerative medicine, and give you the tools to heal. I'm Dr. Deb Muth, and today we're talking about the carnivore diet, eating mostly meat for weight loss, inflammation, and chronic illness. With a guest who says he lost a hundred [pounds — audio cuts out] doing it. And if you've been told your labs are normal, but you know something isn't right, if you're dealing with the weight that won't move, joint pain, reflux, and low mood that nothing seems to touch, this episode is going to be for you. So as usual, grab your cup of coffee or whatever helps you unwind, settle in, and let's get started. Welcome back to Let's Talk Wellness Now. I'm so excited to have my guest with me today. It's Kerry Mann. He is a co-director of Healing Humanity. This is going to be a great conversation. And as you guys know, I love hearing personal stories and he's got one that is going to blow your mind. So, Kerry, welcome to the show. [02:59] KERRY: Thank you, Dr. Deb. I really appreciate the opportunity to come on and share my story. [03:03] DEB: So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Tell us how you got started in all of this. Where did you start? [03:09] KERRY: Yeah, well, I guess if we go back about 19 years, my wife and I, well, my wife and I have been together for 32 years now. We met at age 14. My health issues started shortly after that in high school. I started gaining weight. I started experiencing mental health issues, depression, anxiety. And then 21 years ago, we had our first daughter. And then two years after that, we had triplets. And it was, yeah, it was a moment. It was unexpected. It didn't run in the family. It wasn't planned. We actually found out at the five month ultrasound, the ultrasound tech said, uh-oh. I'm like, I'm pretty sure you should be trained not to use that word when you're doing an ultrasound. But she said, there's another one in there. There's three. Oh, wait, there's four. No, there's just the three of them. So that's how we found out we had triplets. And that was 19 years ago. And I just remember at that moment in my life, that was a moment when I'm like, I need to be a provider. Things just got really serious. I need to work hard. I need, there's like so much responsibility. Amazing blessing, like the biggest blessing in the world, but also kind of a very scary time. And unfortunately I just wasn't there. My health was bad at that point. I had really bad depression, anxiety, and just this sort of general fatigue. I was kind of plopping down on the couch. I used to think I was just lazy, like this is just me, but in retrospect I realized I was just metabolically unwell and I had brain fog and I couldn't find my words. I could just kind of go along to get along. So when I needed to be a really good provider, a really good dad, a really good example to my girls and to my family, I wasn't. I was just — and I just kept getting sicker over the last 19 years. My weight continued to go higher and higher. I had IBS. I had arthritis, I had the depression and anxiety kept getting worse. I finally went in and got the help for that. I was the best patient in the world. I took all the medications that they told me to exactly as they told me to take them but my depression and anxiety never got better. And I just kept getting rotated through medications. I'm showing on the screen here, a big bucket of my medications. At one point I was on most of these. I was on 10 or 15 medications. I had stomach pain every time I would eat. So they diagnosed me with IBS and then they tested my gallbladder and they're like, it's borderline. We could leave it. We could take it. And I was just like. Take it like I'm in such pain that maybe that would give me some relief. They removed my gallbladder, didn't change anything for me. My stomach was just always heavy and hurting and every time I would eat it was just discomfort. Then I started getting arthritis and then I had two kidney stones, which was the worst pain I've ever experienced my entire life. I thought I was having a third one about six months after that. And so I kind of just. Tried to suck it up. I was at home and I'm like, I'm gonna just have to pass this kidney stone. Like what am I gonna do? Go to the emergency room? And I was wrong — it wasn't a kidney stone, it was my appendix. And eventually the pain became so agonizing, I went to the emergency room and my appendix burst on the operating room table just before they were going to do the surgery. Probably saved my life because they were able to get in there, but it turned, it went from a simple procedure to a much more complicated one because they had to then clean it all out. And so yes, I just had health issue after health issue. And then the biggest one for me came in my mid 30s. I'm 46 now. I believe I was 35 at the time. I was at home. I was on the couch. I stood up and I didn't know where I was. I was confused. I couldn't find my words. My lips started drooping. My wife started panicking. She called 911 and I took an ambulance ride to the hospital. And I spent about four days at the stroke unit in the hospital and they diagnosed me with a TIA mini stroke. And they did a whole bunch of tests because they're like 35 years old on all of that medication. Like what is going on with this guy? And they diagnosed me with congestive heart failure. They said, "Your heart can't keep up with the needs of your body." When they told me that too, Dr. Deb, I was like, "I'm dead. I need my heart." And they're saying my heart is failing. Like, it's kind of a scary diagnosis, but-- [07:09] DEB: Is that your lowest point, do you think? [07:12] KERRY: Almost. Almost. [07:13] DEB: Okay. [07:13] KERRY: Yeah, just about because they, what they explained to me that day was your heart can't keep up with the needs of your body, but then it got a little worse. Like, okay, I'm not dead right now, but they told me, congestive heart failure is chronic and it will never get better. They said at the best you could keep it at a baseline. It's never going to improve. It's only going to get worse or maybe you can keep it the same. So that was a bit devastating, but I was kind of thankful in some ways because I was so tired and fatigued and I'd stand up and I would get dizzy and all of what they were saying made sense. So at least I have an answer for some of this and now maybe they'll give me some medications or things that'll help me with the congestive heart failure. But to kind of bring this, wrap this story up, they gave me medications more added to the bin. It didn't help. Like I was still having the issues. My ejection fraction was 44 at that time. They checked, they did a heart echo. They checked all of the metrics on my heart. And then I started getting arthritis in my foot. And they said it was gout. I went to another specialist. He said, it's not gout. That guy was wrong. Trust me. It's just a bunch of inflammation in your toe. They wanted to do surgery on my toe. It was to the point where it hurt so bad. I could, I couldn't even walk on it at certain times. I was using crutches for a while. I'd go to the grocery store. I was riding around on a mobility scooter. And that was probably my lowest point because at that point, this was about [four] years ago, at that point, my depression was just overtaking everything. The depression was the worst of all of the suffering and trauma my body's been through. The unexplainable, just hopeless looking at life through this negative dark lens. Everything's negative. It was the worst thing for me because Like as a man, I'm like, well, I can suck it up and get through it. But what it did to my family was the heartbreaking part of it. And I would try to fake it. I would try to just act like everything's fine and it never worked. I'm not a good actor. And then I felt even worse because then I'm just, I'm a big phony. I'm just lying to my family and they, they, they could know within a second. Why is dad sad? Why is dad mad? Why is dad not talking to me for weeks as I'm just plopped down on the co

  3. Oct 12

    Episode 286- Why You're Always Tired: Measuring Your Mitochondria with Dr. Frank Shallenberger, MD, HMD

    [00:00] VOICEOVER (Disclaimer): Welcome to Let's Talk Wellness Now, where we bring expert insights to you. Please note that the views and information shared by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Let's Talk Wellness Now, its management, or our partners. Each affiliate, sponsor, and partner is an independent entity with its own perspectives. Today's content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered specific advice, whether financial, medical, or legal. While we strive to present accurate and useful information, we cannot guarantee its completeness or relevance to your unique circumstances. We encourage you to consult a qualified professional to address your individual needs. Your use of information from this broadcast is entirely at your own risk. By continuing to listen, you agree to indemnify and hold Let's Talk Wellness Now and its associates harmless from any claims or damages arising from the use of this content. We may update this disclaimer at any time and changes will take effect immediately upon posting or broadcast. Thank you for tuning in. We hope you find this episode both insightful and thought-provoking. Listener discretion is advised. [01:23] DEB: Every cell in your body runs on the same fuel: oxygen. So what happens when your cells stop using it? Well. Well, they get tired, they get sick, you age faster. And here's the part that should make you really angry. We've had a way to measure this since the 1970s. And almost no one in mainstream medicine has ever offered it to you. Today I'm sitting down with a man who holds the actual patent on measuring mitochondrial function in a clinic. He is known as the godfather of ozone for a reason. He's been using 130-year-old therapy to help patients regenerate joints, recover from chronic infections, and reclaim their energy, decades before anyone else was willing to say it out loud. This is Dr. Frank Shallenberger. Stick around, this one gets into the biochemistry of why you're tired and what to do about it. [02:28] DEB (Venaari ad): What if you could have a functional medicine practitioner in your back pocket 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Without the $300 to $500 an hour price tag per visit. Well, here's the reality. Functional medicine works. The protocols work. The root cause approach works. But access is the problem. Most people can't afford to see a practitioner regularly. And even when they do, the appointment ends before all their questions get answered. So you go home with a list of supplements, a lab report you don't fully understand, and more questions than you came in with. That's exactly why I built Venaari. [03:09] DEB: Welcome back to Let's Talk Wellness Now, the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, explore cutting edge regenerative medicine and empower you with the tools to heal. I'm Dr. Deb, and today we're diving into mitochondrial function, oxygen utilization,, and the decades-long story of ozone therapy in America with one of the pioneers who built this field from the ground up. If you've ever been told your labs are normal but you still don't feel like yourself. If you're dealing with fatigue, chronic pain, degenerative joints, or you've just always sensed there's a piece of conventional medicine it isn't measuring. This episode is for you. So grab your cup of tea, coffee, or whatever helps you unwind. Settle in and let's get started on the journey for deeper healing. [04:07] DEB (Book promo): I know that story because it was my story too. I spent three years being told I had MS. Three years of fear. Three years of doubt. Three years of sitting across from doctors who had given up looking. Turns out, wasn't MS. It was something completely different, something treatable, something we could actually address but nobody was asking the right questions. That experience is what gave birth to Seen at Last, my book written for every woman who has ever walked out of the doctor's office feeling more invisible than when she walked in. [04:45] DEB: My guest today is Dr. Frank Shallenberger. He's been practicing alternative and integrative medicine since 1978. Yep. I said that right. 1978. And he's a founder and past president of the American Academy of Ozone Therapy. Dr. Shallenberger holds the only patent on using respiratory gas analysis to measure mitochondrial function, a method he calls bioenergy testing. He's written two books on the subject. The Type 2 Diabetes Breakthrough and Bursting with Energy, and he's authored numerous peer reviewed papers on ozone therapy and oxygen utilization. He's also the developer of ProloZone, an injection technique used to help regenerate damaged joints, herniated discs, and degenerative soft tissue and he is the editor of the Second Opinion alternative medicine newsletter. Dr. Shallenberger, welcome to the show. [05:51] FRANK: Yeah, I was a surgical resident, an absolute neophyte to medicine. And I just happened to kind of get lucky in the sense that I found out that I happened to be in the San Francisco area at the time. And Linus Pauling was having a study group with about like 10 other people, all of whom were like, very famous people in San Francisco and I just found my way into it and I started listening to all these guys talking about things like vitamins and imbalances, and he called it orthomolecular medicine, but you know, talking about all the imbalances. And his theory was those imbalances would cause all the problems. And so therefore the way to fix the problems is not with drugs to help with the symptoms, but to actually go in and look for the imbalances and repair the imbalances. And typically the imbalances are all natural things. He was focusing mostly on vitamin C and other vitamins, but it could be anything. It could be amino acids, could be sleep, it could be lifestyle habits, whatever. And I just got lucky and it started awakening up here saying, "You know what? All they taught me in medical school was really good stuff like biochemistry and physiology and so on and so on." But they never ever ever told me anything like this before. [07:11] DEB: Isn't that something I think all of us who kind of stumbled into integrative or alternative medicine, whatever we want to call it these days, we all kind of feel the same way, right? Like we've learned all this biochem and we were like, Oh, thank God it's over. We don't have to think about it anymore. And then you get into the integrative space and you're like, Oh my gosh, that biochem meant so much. And now we know like the underlying cause of what's causing the cells to not be healthy, to that make us sick. But we didn't learn any of that part in medicine at all. We just learned the basics of it. And here's how to fix people. [07:45] FRANK: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so that's how, that's how I got into it. I remember I just so much remember 1978, I read a book called Sugar Blues. And this book basically had the radical concept of maybe people ought not to be eating all that much sugar. And oh, by the way, taking B vitamins might be a good idea. So I said, okay, you know, I don't think anybody died from sugar deficiency or died from taking too many B vitamins. So I'm going to go ahead and give them those. And then about like 20, 25% of my patients started getting better. And then it started clicking. [08:18] DEB: And did you just kind of gradually start doing more and more things as you learned then? When did you stop doing surgery? Because if you were a surgical resident, that's a big thing. [08:28] FRANK: I did that for a couple of years. And so back in the late, late seventies, you know, I made the transition. I said, you know what, this is a whole lot more interesting than doing this other stuff. Not talking to people and just cutting on them. One thing about surgeons is surgeons, their mentality is straightforward. It's pretty obvious. You got a swollen appendix? I'm going to take the appendix out. We don't have to get into a big intellectual discussion about this. Whereas with the internist, not so much, it's always this or that. We don't always know what we're doing in internal medicine, but I got that surgeon mentality. I'm just looking for what's obvious. [09:09] DEB: Right. That's why they call it all practicing medicine, right? Because that's what we're all doing. So you've said that the body is a self healing mechanism and it's really our lifestyle and our toxic load that breaks down, which then causes all these problems. Do you think you started learning that when you studied with Linus Pauling or when would you say that you started really noticing that as a big part of people's illnesses. [09:34] FRANK: Yeah, way back then those guys were on it. I mean, they were focusing to a large extent on you know, certain vitamins, niacin, I remember, was one of them. There were also, you know, Linus was an interesting guy. He came in one time in one of the groups and he said, "I want to discuss urine therapy." Yeah, okay. If anybody else said that, probably we'd throw him out of the group. You know, Linus was — so he was open-minded. He thought about lots of things and yeah, for sure they were focused on diet back then and lifestyle choices and all that kind of thing. [10:09] DEB: Awesome. So you are the godfather of ozone therapy, right? That is what you are known for. And ozone therapy has been around a lot longer than people think, over 130 years. But still today, you know, most Americans have never heard of it. They've never done it. What do you think — the reason is that it hasn't taken off to the mainstream like it has in different parts of Europe. [10:33] FRANK: In the early 80s, a very famous German physician by the name of Horst Kief made this statement, "If...

  4. Oct 5

    Episode 285- The Wake Up Call

    [0:00] DisclaimerVOICEOVER (Disclaimer): Welcome to Let's Talk Wellness Now, where we bring expert insights to you. Please note that the views and information shared by our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Let's Talk Wellness Now, its management, or our partners. Each affiliate, sponsor, and partner is an independent entity with its own perspectives. Today's content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered specific advice, whether financial, medical, or legal. While we strive to present accurate and useful information, we cannot guarantee its completeness or relevance to your unique circumstances. We encourage you to consult a qualified professional to address your individual needs. Your use of information from this broadcast is entirely at your own risk. By continuing to listen, you agree to indemnify and hold Let's Talk Wellness Now and its associates harmless from any claims or damages arising from the use of this content. We may update this disclaimer at any time, and changes will take effect immediately upon posting or broadcast. Thank you for tuning in. We hope you find this episode both insightful and thought-provoking. Listener discretion is advised. [1:22] When my body stopped listeningDEB: A few weeks ago, my body stopped listening to me. Just for a few hours, my legs wouldn't move the way I told them to. After some rest, it passed, but it was a wake-up call, and it sent me straight back to the science I've taught for 25 years: what stress and trauma actually do to the human body — and, more importantly, what we can do about it. That's today's episode. Not a confession — a toolkit. I'm going to show you exactly what happens in your nervous system and your immune system when life piles on, and then I'm going to give you real, evidence-based ways to support yourself through it. [2:03] Serenity Health Care Center AdAD: Tired of being told your labs are normal, but you still feel terrible? At Serenity Health Care Center, we don't chase symptoms. We find the root cause. Hormones, gut health, autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue, brain fog. We use cutting-edge functional and regenerative medicine to get you real answers and a real path forward. This isn't your average doctor's office. This is medicine the way it was meant to be practiced. You deserve to feel like yourself again. Visit serenityhealthcarecenter.com to book your appointment today. [2:37] Welcome to Let's Talk Wellness NowDEB: Welcome back to Let's Talk Wellness Now, the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, explore cutting-edge regenerative medicine, and empower you with the tools to heal. I'm Dr. Deb. If you've ever felt like your body was sending you a message you didn't have time to answer, this episode is for you. We're going to talk about the real physiology of stress and trauma, and I'm handing you a toolkit you can start using today. So grab your cup of coffee, tea, or whatever helps you unwind, settle in, and let's get started. [3:15] Seen at LastDEB: Before we dive in: this episode touches on a theme I explore in my book, Seen at Last — what it feels like to keep showing up for everyone else while your own needs go unspoken. It's available on Amazon, and I'm building a community around it. More on that soon, but for now, let's dive into today's episode. [3:37] What happened, in shortDEB: I'm not going to spend this episode on the details of my month. Life has stacked up hard, all at once: business pressure, personal loss, family health crises. What matters is what happened next. My body flagged something that stress physiology has understood for decades, and I want to hand you that understanding. Here's the short version: in the middle of an unusually hard stretch, my body — which has managed a quiet autoimmune condition for years — briefly stopped cooperating. A few hours later, I was fine, but it was loud enough to make me stop and ask, "What is actually happening inside my body, with something I thought I had healed?" When stress reaches that threshold, what can we do — ideally, before it gets that loud? That's what this episode is going to share with you. Let's get into the science, and then let's talk about the tools. [4:41] The HPA axis: your body's alarm systemDEB: Stress and trauma affect the body in a variety of ways. Stress is not just a feeling. It's a full-body, measurable physiological cascade, and understanding it is the first step to protecting yourself from it. We call this the HPA axis — your body's alarm system. When your brain perceives a threat, your hypothalamus signals your pituitary gland, which signals your adrenal glands to release cortisol. This is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis for short, and it's meant to work as a short-term burst followed by a return to baseline. [5:23] When the off switch breaks: cortisol resistance and inflammationDEB: A 2025 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences lays out exactly what happens when that all-clear signal doesn't come. With prolonged activation, the feedback loop that's supposed to shut the axis off starts to break down. Cells can become resistant to cortisol's regulating effects, and the whole system shifts toward a pro-inflammatory state. Newer research in Molecular Psychiatry describes the same pattern from the immune side: chronic stress hormones weakening cortisol's normal anti-inflammatory effect while raising inflammatory messengers like IL-6 and TNF-alpha. [6:09] Chronic stress and autoimmune diseaseDEB: So what does this mean for autoimmune conditions specifically? That 2025 review ties persistent HPA dysregulation to lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis (MS). I want to be precise here: this is well established as an association and a mechanistic pathway, documented in both human and animal research. Its exact reversibility and the full clinical picture are still active areas of study. Animal models of MS have shown measurable HPA axis and oxidative stress changes that track with disease activity. This isn't speculation — but it's also not a settled, one-to-one clinical prediction for any individual person. [7:03] The gut, the brain and the blood-brain barrierDEB: Now, why your gut and your brain are part of this conversation too. You've heard us talk for years about the gut-brain axis. Chronic HPA activation doesn't stay contained to the adrenal glands. Functional neurology research — including work associated with Dr. [Datis] Kharrazian's clinic — describes how sustained cortisol elevation and neuroinflammation can compromise blood-brain barrier integrity, allowing inflammatory activity to reach further into the nervous system than it otherwise would. This is an emerging, mechanism-level area of functional neurology rather than settled consensus science, and I want to be transparent about that distinction on air. [7:54] Why trauma is different from a bad week (polyvagal theory)DEB: Why is trauma different from a bad week? Acute stress is your body handling one threat and returning to baseline. Trauma — especially the kind involving betrayal, grief, or ongoing fear for someone you love — tends to keep the nervous system in a sustained state of vigilance. Here it's worth naming polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, which describes the autonomic nervous system moving through gradations: safety and social connection; fight-or-flight mobilization; and, at the extreme, a dorsal vagal shutdown response. And I want to be straightforward with you and our listeners: polyvagal theory is widely used in trauma-informed clinical practice, but it's actively debated within mainstream academic neuroscience, and some of its specific claims are considered unproven or contested by critics. I find it a very useful framework for describing what patients experience, and I'll present it that way — not as settled physiology. [9:02] The reframe: your symptoms are informationDEB: So here's the reframe I want to leave you with. Your symptoms after a hard season are not you personally failing. They're your body's honest report of what it's been going through — and that report is useful information that points directly to what you need to do next. And this is where we get into the heart of today's episode. These are specific, evidence-informed tools, not vague wellness advice. [9:29] Tool 1: Regulate your vagus nerve with paced breathingDEB: First, regulate your vagus nerve — on purpose, every day. The vagus nerve is the main highway of your parasympathetic, rest-and-digest nervous system. Research on heart rate variability and biofeedback shows that slow-paced breathing — roughly six breaths per minute — reliably increases vagal tone, and even a single five-minute session of paced abdominal breathing has been shown to significantly reduce state anxiety, particularly in older adults. So try this: inhale for a count of four, exhale for a count of eight, and do it for five minutes, twice a day. This is a legitimate, measurable physiological intervention. [10:19] Making time: breathing in the carDEB: When I first started this, I could never figure out where I'd find the time. But all of us drive, and all of us get stuck at stop signs and stoplights. So I started doing deep abdominal breathing while driving. When I was younger and busy running my practice, taking care of my kids, and everything else household life brings, I didn't have time when I got home. Between work and home, I was very stressed — thinking about everything I needed to do when I got home, and everything I still needed to finish at the clinic. Breathing in the car let me relax a little before transitioning from my career-woman role to my mother-and-wife role. I'm not as good at it today as I was then, because I don't have kids at home anymore. I can just keep working, do whatev...

  5. Sep 28

    Episode 284: The Immune System's Conductor — Thymosin Alpha 1 | The Peptide Files

    You have a gland in your chest that trains your entire immune system. And as you age, it quietly shrinks and turns to fat. In Episode 284 of The Peptide Files, Dr. Deb looks at thymosin alpha 1, the peptide that tries to send the instructor back to that training academy, including the big trial that said "not so fast." This week, The Peptide Files takes on thymosin alpha 1, or TA1, one of the most well-studied peptides in the entire series. Unlike many peptides making noise online, this one has been used in clinical medicine around the world for decades, with a safety record described in the research as excellent. Dr. Deb walks through what TA1 actually is, a copy of a signal your own thymus makes, why it works as an immune modulator rather than a simple booster, and where the genuine research strength lies, from chronic hepatitis to cancer care. And in keeping with this whole series, she does not skip the part the sales world leaves out: the largest, most rigorous trial of TA1 came back negative on its main goal. Honest science includes the word no, and that is exactly why this peptide is so interesting. In this episode, you will learn: - What the thymus gland does, and why immune function fades as it shrinks with age - Why TA1 is an immune modulator that pushes toward balance, rather than a simple immune booster - Where the research genuinely supports it, including hepatitis and cancer care as an add-on - What the large negative sepsis trial found, and why naming it matters for credibility - Where TA1 sits in the US today from a regulatory standpoint Highlighted quotes: "It does not just boost your immune system. TA1 is an immune modulator. It pushes toward balance." "The sepsis trial is the proof that honest science includes the word no." Timestamps: [00:02] Your immune system's training academy: the thymus gland explained [02:24] Where TA1 comes from: the first peptide ever isolated from the thymus [05:00] The conductor, not a soloist: why it modulates rather than just boosts [10:00] What the research actually shows: hepatitis, cancer care, and immune support [13:30] The honesty centerpiece: the large trial that came back negative [18:38] The honest scorecard: what is strong, what is uncertain, and the US status Connect with us: Website: https://www.letstalkwellness.com Instagram:   / letstalk_wellnessnow   Facebook:   / letstalkwellnessnowpodcast   LinkedIn:   / lets-talk-wellness-now   Subscribe to Let's Talk Wellness Now so you never miss an episode, and if this one opened your eyes, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

  6. Sep 21

    Episode 283: The Lump Nobody Looked At — A Real-Time Update on Kam’s Cancer Case

    Two of the most respected cancer institutions in the country ran the same tests on the same tissue from the same patient and reached opposite conclusions. In this deeply personal episode of Let’s Talk Wellness Now, Dr. Deb shares a real-time update on her family member Kamren’s cancer case and the advocacy lesson inside it that every patient and family needs to hear. Shared with Kam’s full permission as his case continues to unfold, this is a follow-up to his story. A second-opinion pathology review came back and shifted the picture in a meaningful way, reopening the question of where his cancer actually started, and underscoring why a single institution should never be the only set of eyes on a complex diagnosis. Dr. Deb walks through what changed, why second opinions are a clinical necessity rather than a betrayal of your doctor, and why a finding that goes unexamined for years can turn out to be the most important detail in the room. This is a difficult, honest episode, and it carries a lesson that could protect other families navigating a confusing diagnosis. In this episode, you will learn: Why two elite institutions can reach opposite conclusions, and why that is a reason to keep asking questions Why a second, independent pathology review matters in any complex or rare diagnosis Why “normal” on a test only means normal for exactly what was tested, and nothing more Why population-level data is not the same as your own individual biology The questions every patient and family should be ready to ask their care team Highlighted quotes:“If you do not have someone in your corner asking the right questions, the system will not ask them for you.”“A normal test is only normal for what it was tested for.” Timestamps:[00:16] Looking in the wrong place: the finding that went unexamined for years[04:18] Catching up on Kam’s case: the foundation for today’s update[07:00] When the ground shifted: a second opinion changes the picture[09:10] Why find the source: getting the diagnosis right before the treatment[31:20] Speaking directly to you: the questions every patient should ask[37:03] Why this case matters to all of us: advocacy as a necessity, not a luxury Donate – Any amount makes a differencehttps://www.freefunder.com/campaign/rare-male-breast-cancer Connect with us:Website: https://www.letstalkwellness.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/letstalk_wellnessnow/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LetsTalkWellnessNowPodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lets-talk-wellness-now/ Subscribe to Let’s Talk Wellness Now so you never miss an episode, and if this one opened your eyes, share it with someone who needs to hear it. The post Episode 283: The Lump Nobody Looked At — A Real-Time Update on Kam’s Cancer Case first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.

  7. Sep 14

    Epispode 282: Your Meds Stopped Working and You're Not Crazy: ADHD, Perimenopause, and the Estrogen-Dopamine Crash Nobody Warned You About

    What if your ADHD meds didn't stop working because you built up a tolerance, but because the estrogen that was quietly propping up your dopamine system got pulled out from under you? In this solo episode of Let's Talk Wellness Now, Dr. Deb breaks down one of the most dismissed and gaslit patterns she sees in practice: the collision of ADHD and perimenopause. She explains the real biochemical reason focus, memory, and emotional steadiness fall apart in midlife, and the root-cause framework to get your brain back. If your medication suddenly feels like it stopped working and you have been told it is just stress or aging, this episode may finally give you the explanation no one else has offered. In this episode, you will learn: - Why is estrogen a master regulator of dopamine, not just a reproductive hormone - How declining estradiol can leave a stimulant dose that worked at 38 underdosed at 46 - The role progesterone and GABA play as the brake pedal working against your meds - Why are so many women diagnosed with ADHD for the first time in their 40s - Why do SSRIs often treats the symptoms and ignores the fire A five-step, hormone-aware framework to rebuild the foundation under your medication What Dr. Deb says: "You are not losing your mind. You're not imagining it. And it is absolutely not just aging. There is a real, measurable biochemical reason your brain feels like it fell off a cliff." "Your stimulant didn't stop working because you built up a tolerance. The scaffolding your medication was standing on, estrogen, got pulled out from under you." "You cannot out-medicate a body that's running on empty. The foundation has to be addressed first." Timestamps: [00:04] You are not losing your mind: the meds-stopped-working experience [01:30] Why ADHD and perimenopause are one problem wearing two costumes [03:54] Sarah's story, and the dot three providers missed [05:00] How estrogen props up dopamine in the prefrontal cortex [08:34] Progesterone, GABA, and the gas pedal vs. brake pedal problem [09:00] Why ADHD comes roaring to the surface in midlife [11:00] The data: 43% of women diagnosed with ADHD between 41 and 50 [13:26] Why the system reaches for an antidepressant instead of asking why [16:00] The full root-cause workup to bring to your provider [18:22] Step one: hormone-aware everything, and the HRT conversation [20:44] Step two: re-evaluating your medication for your current hormones [23:07] Steps three through five: feeding dopamine, iron, and magnesium, sleep, and stress Connect with us: Website: https://www.letstalkwellness.com Instagram:   / letstalk_wellnessnow   Facebook:   / letstalkwellnessnowpodcast   LinkedIn:   / lets-talk-wellness-now   Subscribe to Let's Talk Wellness Now so you never miss an episode, and if this one opened your eyes, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

  8. Sep 7

    Episode 281: The EMF Truth: Why "Safe" Standards Haven't Changed Since 1996, and What It Means for Your Health

    What if the safety standards protecting you from everyday technology were built to measure the wrong thing entirely? In this episode of Let's Talk Wellness Now, Dr. Deb sits down with Dr. Paul Heroux, a physicist and toxicologist, associate professor at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, and vice chair of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields. Together, they examine the research showing biological effects on human cells at levels far below what regulators call safe, and why those standards have not been meaningfully updated since 1996. This is a thoughtful, science-forward conversation about the technology woven into daily life and how to think critically about it without giving up the modern world you rely on. In this episode, you will learn: - Why current safety standards are based on heat alone, and what that misses about living cells - How electromagnetic fields can generate reactive oxygen species linked to chronic disease - The connection between EMF exposure and diabetes, neurological conditions, and fertility - What "dirty electricity," smart meters, and always-on Bluetooth are actually doing in your home - Practical, low-cost ways to reduce your exposure without giving up modern life What Dr. Heroux says: "There is a difference between scientific reality and what is acknowledged as science when powerful interests are involved." "It doesn't have anything to do with heating. It has to do with the fact that you, being alive, have these active currents. The interaction is extremely deep." "I love technology. I think it's wonderful. But we should not use it to shoot ourselves in the foot." Timestamps: [00:06] The reassurance you've been given, and why it deserves scrutiny [04:17] Dr. Heroux's path from physics and engineering into health science [07:50] The lead-in-gasoline parallel: science vs. powerful interests [13:00] Why cell phone safety standards trace back to military testing [16:30] The flaw in heat-based testing, and what keeps cells alive [19:25] Biological effects at fields far below "safe" limits [23:04] EMFs, reactive oxygen species, and the diseases of civilization [29:37] What dirty electricity is and where it comes from [34:36] Smart meters, smart homes, and always-on devices [42:16] Reproductive health and falling fertility [45:20] Faraday cases, air-tube headsets, and what actually helps [49:10] Practical steps the average person can take today [57:13] What Dr. Heroux wants every parent, patient, and physician to know Visit Dr. Paul Heroux's book: https://invitroplusnet.wordpress.com/home/textbook-health-effects-of-electromagnetism/ Connect with him: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-heroux-23781128/ Connect with us: Website: https://www.letstalkwellness.com Instagram:   / letstalk_wellnessnow   Facebook:   / letstalkwellnessnowpodcast   LinkedIn:   / lets-talk-wellness-now   Subscribe to Let's Talk Wellness Now so you never miss an episode, and if this one opened your eyes, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

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4.9
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Let's Talk Wellness Now is a functional medicine podcast for people who are tired of being told "your labs are normal" when they know something is wrong. Host Dr. Deb Muth, ND, WHNP, is a naturopathic doctor and women's health nurse practitioner with more than 25 years in practice. Each week she digs into the root causes of chronic illness and talks with doctors, researchers, and real patients about what actually helps people heal. Topics include hormones and menopause, gut health and the microbiome, thyroid, mold and Lyme, chronic fatigue, brain health, inflammation, peptides, cancer support, and healthy aging. You'll also hear honest talk about medical gaslighting and how to speak up for your own health. Every episode is clear and easy to follow, so you can take what you learn to your own doctor and make informed choices. New episodes every Monday. This podcast is for education only and is not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified provider about your own health.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Deb Muth
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    258
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dr. Deb Muth
  • Show Website
    Let's Talk Wellness Now

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