Integrative Medicine with Dr. Leland Stillman

Leland Stillman, MD

On this podcast, we explore what it means to be healthy and empower people with information to achieve optimal wellness. Join Dr. Stillman each week for a new episode where he reviews critical books and interviews experts on a wide range of topics that are vital to health and well-being. drstillmanuncensored.com

  1. Normal Thyroid Labs, Exhausted Life: What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You

    13h ago

    Normal Thyroid Labs, Exhausted Life: What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You

    In this episode of Integrative Medicine with Dr. Leland Stillman, Dr. Stillman welcomes Dr. Amie Hornaman to talk about what happens when lab reports and lived experience do not match. Dr. Hornaman shares how years of “normal” thyroid labs, dramatic weight gain, crushing fatigue, and dismissal from providers pushed her into thyroid specialization. From there, she and Dr. Stillman outline how thyroid hormones affect metabolism, energy, weight, mood, and brain function, and why a single TSH value rarely captures the full story. They walk through what a more complete thyroid evaluation can include, how to interpret labs in the context of symptoms, and why two patients with the same numbers may need very different plans. You will hear practical discussion about medication options, dosing decisions, and why some people remain symptomatic even on treatment. They also zoom out to cover the impact of nutrition, stress, sleep, environmental toxins, and lifestyle patterns on thyroid and metabolic health. With a holistic yet medically grounded approach, this episode challenges checkbox thyroid care and illustrates what patient‑centered, integrative thyroid treatment can look like in real life. If you have ever been told “everything looks good” while your body clearly says otherwise, this conversation offers language, concepts, and next steps to help you pursue better answers. You can find Dr. Amie Hornaman at dramie.com and her new book at thyroidfixbook.com For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    55 min
  2. The Diagnosis She Never Expected

    Jun 10

    The Diagnosis She Never Expected

    In this Stories of Hope Stories of Healing episode, Dr. Leland Stillman welcomes Jaydee Azavari, a former home birth midwife, educator, and patient of the practice, for a conversation that traces her health journey from the toxic waterways of Flint, Michigan to a melanoma diagnosis that cracked everything open. Catching into Jaydee’s story of perfectionism-driven health pursuits across two decades, the episode explores how vegan and raw food diets, adrenal burnout, relentless self-reliance, and environmental exposures including mercury amalgams and dioxin contamination quietly depleted the very system she was working so hard to optimize. Together, Dr. Stillman and Jaydee unpack how SIBO, hypothyroidism, early menopause, and ultimately a melanoma diagnosis at what felt like her healthiest point in years revealed just how far beneath the surface the real physiological damage had traveled. Hooking listeners into a broader conversation about what genuine healing actually requires, Dr. Stillman and Jaydee explore the mineral balancing, circadian health practices, bioidentical hormone therapy, and hair tissue mineral analysis that brought Jaydee to what she describes as an eight or nine out of ten in her overall health, including the complete resolution of lifelong allergy symptoms she had never been able to fully control. The episode moves through Jaydee's decision to decline conventional melanoma surveillance, her root canal removal in Tijuana, her immersion into quantum and circadian biology, and the unexpected faith conversion that she credits as the connective thread running through all of it. With a holistic and medically grounded perspective, this episode challenges listeners to consider what becomes possible when the foundational mineral and hormonal systems of the body are finally treated with the depth and precision they deserve. The conversation explores why patients who appear to be doing everything right can still find themselves facing serious illness, and how decades of cumulative depletion from environmental toxin exposure, dietary choices, chronic stress, and perfectionism-driven overextension can create a clinical picture that standard testing consistently fails to catch. Dr. Stillman and Jaydee examine the role of hair tissue mineral analysis in revealing what blood work misses, why circadian alignment and mineral replenishment may form the true foundation beneath every other therapeutic intervention, and how Jaydee's transition from self-reliant new age practice into Christian faith gave her the first genuine sense of rest and surrender she had ever known. With remarkable honesty and depth, this Stories of Hope Stories of Healing episode reminds listeners that healing is rarely linear, that the body is always trying to do the right thing, and that finding the right practitioner and the right framework can change everything. You can find Jaydee: On IG @rising_sovereign_podcast The Rising Sovereign Podcast : https://www.rising-sovereign.com/ Buy Patches here. Or visit her website https://www.jaydeeazavari.org/ For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    58 min
  3. What Happens When a Doctor Refuses to Stay Silent

    Jun 3

    What Happens When a Doctor Refuses to Stay Silent

    On today's episode, Dr. Leland Stillman sits down with Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a board-certified otolaryngologist, founder of Breathe MD, and one of the most controversial figures to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Bowden traces her path from a hardware store in Atlanta to the halls of Stanford, where she completed her ENT residency, before ultimately building a cash-only direct specialty care practice in Houston that would put her at the center of a national firestorm. Her story begins not with rebellion but with curiosity, a lifelong sensitivity to inauthenticity, and a growing unease with a medical system she watched drift further from its patients and deeper into bureaucratic compliance. When the pandemic arrived just six months after Dr. Bowden opened her independent practice, her freedom from hospital contracts and insurance obligations gave her something most physicians lacked entirely: the autonomy to act on clinical judgment. She treated more than 6,000 COVID-19 patients using a range of evidence-informed interventions including monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, corticosteroids, and nutritional support, iterating her protocols in real time as she observed outcomes firsthand. When she began publicly raising concerns about breakthrough infections and vaccine mandates, Houston Methodist Hospital suspended her privileges and labeled her a spreader of dangerous misinformation. Rather than retreat, she resigned, retained legal counsel, held a press conference, and sued one of the most powerful nonprofit hospital systems in the state of Texas. Dr. Bowden and Dr. Stillman explore what the COVID era revealed about the deeper fractures inside American medicine, from the consolidation of physician practices into corporate health systems to the suppression of clinical dissent and the quiet erosion of the patient-physician relationship. Dr. Bowden shares what she believes are the most promising paths forward, including her organization Americans for Health Freedom, grassroots legislative advocacy, and the growing movement of physicians choosing independent practice over institutional employment. This episode is a must-listen for patients, practitioners, and anyone who has ever wondered what medicine could look like when a doctor's only obligation is to the person sitting across from them. Learn More: To learn more about Dr. Bowden’s work visit: www.breathemd.org Purchase her NEW book “Dangerous Misinformation: The Virus, The treatments, and The Lies” by: Dr. Mary Talley Bowden Follow Dr. Bowden on IG @MaryBowdenMD Additional Resources: For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    54 min
  4. The Hidden Cost Of Burnout

    May 27

    The Hidden Cost Of Burnout

    In this Stories of Hope Stories of Healing episode, Dr. Leland Stillman welcomes Lisa Pitel-Killah for a compelling conversation on minerals, burnout, entrepreneurship, and the overlooked foundations of human health. Catching into Lisa’s journey from finance and restaurant ownership into the health and wellness space, the episode explores how chronic stress, demanding careers, and modern lifestyles can gradually erode resilience, energy, and recovery capacity. Together, they discuss why lasting improvement often depends on more than a single supplement, lab marker, or treatment strategy. Hooking listeners into a more nuanced model of integrative medicine, Dr. Stillman and Lisa unpack the role of mineral balance, nutrition, lifestyle habits, environmental context, and individualized care in supporting patient outcomes. The conversation examines why patients frequently improve through layered interventions that combine behavior change, targeted nutritional support, and sustainable health practices rather than isolated solutions. They also explore how burnout, over performance, and the constant drive to push harder can create health consequences that many people fail to recognize until their bodies force them to slow down. With a holistic yet medically grounded perspective, this Stories of Hope Stories of Healing installment challenges listeners to rethink what successful healing actually requires. From self care and restorative practices to personalized wellness goals and practical therapeutic strategies, Lisa and Dr. Stillman offer an insightful discussion on building health in a way that aligns with real life, long term function, and sustainable wellbeing. You can find Lisa Pitel-Killah at: - lisapitelkillah.com and vykoncustoms.com - IG @lisapitelkillah - If you are a healthcare practitioner interested in applying for a Vykon account, please mention Integrative Medicine with Dr. Leland Stillman when submitting your application. https://vykoncustoms.com/stillmamd Additional Resources: For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    48 min
  5. The Missing Piece Behind Chronic Illness Recovery

    May 20

    The Missing Piece Behind Chronic Illness Recovery

    In this Stories of Hope Stories of Healing episode, Dr. Leland Stillman continues his conversation with Jim Laird to explore a deeper question behind chronic illness recovery. Catching into the hidden influence of sleep, light exposure, environment, hormones, and modern lifestyle demands, the episode examines why some patients continue to struggle with fatigue, immune dysfunction, infections, digestive issues, and declining resilience despite doing many things “right.” Through Jim’s personal experiences and Dr. Stillman’s clinical perspective, listeners are introduced to a more nuanced view of healing that goes beyond symptom management and quick fixes. Hooking into the complexity of real world health challenges, the conversation explores recurring infections, immune stress, severe fevers, antibiotic decisions, chronic inflammation, head trauma history, hormonal decline, and the cumulative burden of modern living. Dr. Stillman discusses why integrative and functional medicine approaches often require meeting patients where they are, combining foundational lifestyle changes with individualized physician guided care when clinically appropriate. The episode also highlights how sleep deprivation, circadian disruption, toxic exposures, and long term physiological stress may influence recovery, energy production, hormone regulation, and overall quality of life. With a holistic yet medically grounded lens, this Stories of Hope Stories of Healing installment challenges simplistic ideas about natural health, performance optimization, and aging. Jim and Dr. Stillman discuss why sustainable healing may depend on understanding tradeoffs, respecting biological limits, and building resilient health practices over time rather than relying on isolated interventions. From environmental modification and recovery habits to personalized support strategies, the episode offers a thought provoking discussion for anyone navigating chronic illness, autoimmune concerns, low energy, recovery plateaus, or the search for a more complete framework for healing. You can listen to Part I of Jim's Story here To learn more about Jim Laird visit his website here Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    49 min
  6. Bob Benson’s Long‑Haul Recovery Journey: Minerals, Repurposed Drugs, and Double Plasma Filtration

    May 13

    Bob Benson’s Long‑Haul Recovery Journey: Minerals, Repurposed Drugs, and Double Plasma Filtration

    What I Discuss with Bob: How a healthy outdoorsman and fishing guide went from running half marathons and hiking across Hawaii to becoming nearly bedridden after a COVID-19 booster shot changed the course of his life forever…02:03 Why Bob’s worsening neurological symptoms including severe fatigue, vertigo, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and brain fog left him unable to work, fish, or participate in everyday life…06:38 How repeated medical visits left him feeling dismissed, misdiagnosed, and prescribed medications that failed to address the root cause of his symptoms…12:26 Why many patients experiencing chronic inflammatory and autoimmune-like symptoms continue searching for answers outside conventional medical systems when standard testing fails to explain their condition…13:54 How integrative and functional medicine approaches may help uncover underlying contributors to chronic illness through advanced lab testing, nutritional evaluation, and personalized care plans…15:08 Why severe nervous system dysregulation, sleep disruption, and unrelenting anxiety have become increasingly reported concerns among patients struggling with post-viral and post-vaccine syndromes…16:01 How elevated ferritin, blood pressure instability, nutrient deficiencies, and digestive dysfunction may reflect broader patterns of inflammation and immune dysregulation…21:59 Why Dr. Stillman emphasizes individualized treatment strategies including lifestyle modification, nutritional optimization, targeted supplementation, and physician-guided therapies tailored to each patient’s unique presentation…24:10 How ivermectin, zinc repletion, dietary changes, and other integrative interventions became part of Bob’s personalized recovery approach under close medical supervision…29:14 Why some patients report meaningful improvements through intensive therapies after conventional and supportive treatments fail to fully restore function and quality of life…26:26 How Bob ultimately pursued advanced plasma filtration and regenerative therapies in Japan after years of debilitating symptoms and limited progress with standard medical care…02:36 Why this Stories of Hope Stories of Healing episode explores not only physical recovery, but also the emotional toll chronic illness places on patients, spouses, families, and relationships…11:45 What happens when a thriving, active life suddenly disappears overnight and no one seems willing to believe what caused it? In this powerful Stories of Hope Stories of Healing episode, Dr. Leland Stillman sits down with Bob Benson to explore a deeply personal recovery journey following a prolonged and debilitating illness that began after a COVID-19 booster shot. Together, they discuss the neurological, cardiovascular, digestive, and autoimmune-like symptoms that disrupted every aspect of Bob’s life, along with the frustration many patients experience when searching for answers within conventional healthcare systems. The conversation also examines how integrative medicine approaches may help identify overlooked contributors to chronic illness through advanced testing, nutritional support, and individualized treatment strategies. Listeners will hear an honest discussion about severe insomnia, anxiety, brain fog, blood pressure instability, chronic fatigue, and the emotional impact of losing the ability to work, exercise, travel, and enjoy meaningful relationships. The episode also explores physician-guided therapies including ivermectin, zinc optimization, dietary and lifestyle interventions, blood donation, and advanced plasma filtration procedures pursued abroad. Throughout the conversation, Dr. Stillman emphasizes medically responsible, personalized care while highlighting the importance of restoring function, hope, and quality of life for patients navigating complex chronic illness. For Dr. Stillman’s most recent article visit HERE Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    1h 11m
  7. The Hidden Trigger Behind Her Sudden Collapse

    May 6

    The Hidden Trigger Behind Her Sudden Collapse

    In this episode of Integrative Medicine with Dr. Leland Stillman, Dr. Stillman sits down with Kenna Cooley to unpack a striking and complex recovery story that begins with a sudden and severe health collapse. A previously healthy 19 year old newly married college student, Kenna went from full function to debilitating symptoms in less than two weeks after moving into a new apartment. She experienced intense joint pain, neurological symptoms, dizziness, and profound fatigue that left her unable to stand or walk independently. After months of unanswered questions and worsening quality of life, a key environmental clue shifted the entire clinical picture and set her on a path toward recovery. Dr. Stillman explores how environmental exposures, particularly suspected mold related illness, can contribute to rapid health decline in otherwise healthy individuals. The conversation highlights a personalized and data driven approach to care using advanced lab testing, including mineral analysis and targeted nutritional protocols. Kenna shares her experience navigating significant detoxification responses, the importance of dose adjustments, and the gradual but meaningful return of function over several months. The episode also addresses common misconceptions around iron metabolism, supplement use, and the importance of biochemical balance rather than isolated treatment of lab abnormalities. This episode offers a detailed look at complex chronic illness recovery through an integrative, medically informed lens, emphasizing individualized care, patient engagement, and the role of environmental and lifestyle factors. Kenna’s case highlights how targeted, data-driven interventions can support gradual improvements in function over time. For a deeper understanding of the clinical framework used in cases like this and how Dr. Stillman approaches autoimmune conditions in practice, his new book The End of Autoimmunity is available now for pre-order at a limited-time discounted price before it increases at launch this summer. Pre-order limited time Pre-order your copy of The End of Autoimmunity today at a limited-time discounted price: https://stillmanwellness.com/preordernow For Dr. Stillman’s most recent article visit: https://drstillmanuncensored.com/p/when-your-body-is-collapsing-and?r=22fgob If you want the full framework behind what we did with Kenna, my book The End of Autoimmunity releases this summer at stillmanmd.com. For Dr. Stillman’s most recent article visit: HERE Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Read this weeks Substack Post related to this: Click HERE Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    33 min
  8. What Was Silently Draining Him for Years: Roudy Nassif, VivaRays

    Apr 29

    What Was Silently Draining Him for Years: Roudy Nassif, VivaRays

    In this episode of Integrative Medicine with Dr. Leland Stillman, Dr. Stillman sits down with Roudy Nassif, founder of VivaRays, whose path from a chaotic childhood in Lebanon to debilitating depression and chronic fatigue as a young engineer in Canada reads like a medical mystery hiding in plain sight. Expelled from seven schools before the age of 17, diagnosed with ADHD, and driven by an internal restlessness that conventional environments could never contain, Roudy spent his early adult years outwardly thriving while quietly unraveling. Despite competing in MMA, experimenting with veganism, carnivore, and ketogenic diets, incorporating adaptogens and supplementation, and even training with Wim Hof in freezing temperatures, nothing resolved the relentless brain fog, exhaustion, and suicidal ideation that shadowed him daily. The missing variable, it turned out, was something almost no clinician was talking about. At 1 AM in a dark basement in Montreal in 2017, scrolling through his phone with burning eyes and a wired yet utterly depleted nervous system, Roudy stumbled upon a concept that would redirect the next seven years of his life. The phrase that stopped him cold was this: “You cannot get healthy in the same light environment that made you sick.” What followed was an obsessive investigation into photobiology, circadian neuroscience, and mitochondrial function that Dr. Stillman unpacks alongside Roudy with clinical precision. Together they explore how artificial light exposure disrupts the electron transport chain within mitochondrial membranes, how groundbreaking research by Dr. Douglas Wallace links up to 90 percent of modern chronic disease to mitochondrial dysfunction rather than nuclear genomic origins, and how the full spectrum frequencies of natural sunlight activate enzymatic processes at rates up to 500 percent more efficiently than artificial alternatives. The conversation bridges biophysics and ancestral health in a way that is both scientifically grounded and immediately actionable, illuminating why a camping trip off the grid may be one of the most diagnostically informative and therapeutically powerful interventions a clinician can recommend. Roudy’s transformation came not from a pharmaceutical protocol or an exotic supplement stack but from radically restructuring his light environment, restoring circadian alignment, and rebuilding his relationship with natural darkness after sunset. He went on to found VivaRays with the mission of bridging that gap for people still trapped in artificial light environments, creating tools that make these changes practical and sustainable in a modern world. Dr. Stillman connects Roudy’s lived experience to the clinical patterns he observes in his own practice, emphasizing that unresolved chronic illness often points to an energetic environment that has never been addressed, and that consistency in environmental modification compounds over time much like interest on a health asset. Whether listeners are navigating treatment-resistant fatigue, mood dysregulation, cognitive impairment, or autoimmune conditions, this episode reframes the root cause conversation and offers a profound reminder that the body’s capacity for restoration is not lost, it has simply been starved of the inputs it was designed to receive. For those looking to begin applying these principles in a modern environment, we’ve included a practical resource below. To learn more or connect with VivaRays visit: Instagram:@VivaRays Website: vivarays.com Special Offer: Dr. Stillman recommends VivaRays for anyone looking to improve their light environment and support circadian health. Unlike typical blue light glasses, VivaRays uses a three-lens system (day, evening, and night) designed to work with your biology - harmonizing artificial light instead of just blocking it. Podcast listeners get 15% off all VivaRays glasses with code STILLMANMD at vivarays.com, plus buy-one-get-one 50% off kids’ lenses with code KIDSMAGIC. These are affiliate links, which means your purchase helps support more educational content like this. Offer for limited time only. Additional Resources: “The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs: Respecting and Caring for All God’s Creation” By: Joel Salatin, linked here. For Dr. Stillman’s most recent article visit: Dr. Stillman Uncensored Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health: Shop supplements recommended in Dr. Stillman’s store. Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs. Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life. Read this weeks Substack Post related to this: Click HERE Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drstillmanuncensored.com/subscribe

    49 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

On this podcast, we explore what it means to be healthy and empower people with information to achieve optimal wellness. Join Dr. Stillman each week for a new episode where he reviews critical books and interviews experts on a wide range of topics that are vital to health and well-being. drstillmanuncensored.com

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