Let's Talk Wellness Now

Let's Talk Wellness Now
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Deep Health, Real Answers - hosted by Dr. Deb

  1. 2D AGO

    Episode 260 – How Trauma Passes Through Generations: Epigenetics, Trafficking and Chronic Illness

    Dr. Deb Muth February 2026, 3 million documents released, a network exposed. But here’s what no one is sayingThe trauma of trafficking doesn’t end when the victim escapes It doesn’t even end when that survivor’s lifetime. It writes itself into DNA. It alters the stress response of children not yet born. And it creates epigenetic markers that echo through 3, 4, and even 5 generations. This is not a metaphor, this is molecular biology. And if we don’t understand how deeply trauma sees itself. Biologically, genetically, and spiritually, we will never understand why autoimmune disease, addiction, and chronic illness are epidemic in families that carry this hidden history. Today, we’re going deeper than headlines. We’re going into the cells, the genes, and the soul. Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now. We’re here to uncover root causes, explore regenerative medicine, and empower you to heal from the inside out. I’m Dr. Deb, your medical detective, and today we’re confronting one of the most important and least discussed wellness topics of our time. How the exploitation and trafficking of women and children doesn’t just harm individuals, it damages bloodlines. And if you’re someone who carries an unexplained chronic illness, autoimmune disease, addiction, or trauma that seems to have no clear origin, this episode may finally connect the dots. Grab your cup of tea or coffee, settle in, and let’s go deep into this subject. Can you put an ad sponsor right here before we get started? Let’s start with what just happened. In February of 2026, the Department of Justice released over 3 million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. According to The Guardian, on February 2nd, 2026, these files contained allegations that Epstein didn’t just abuse women, he provided them to other powerful men. One accuser identified Harvey Weinstein from a photo lineup. Describing coercion and payment. Another FBI document described threats of force. Lativia launched a criminal investigation after the files linked Epstein’s network to modeling agencies overseas. But here’s what I need you to understand. As a practitioner who treats trauma survivors, Epstein’s operation was not new. It was ancient. From Mesopotamian slave codes to Roman markets to the transatlantic trade, trafficking has always been about the same thing. Power, and exploiting vulnerability for profit. The tools change. Private jets instead of ships, social media instead of market squares. But the wound, it’s identical. And that wound… It doesn’t heal when the victim is freed. It embeds itself into biology. Let me explain what happens when a human being experiences the kind of trauma that trafficking creates. The immediate biological response. When someone is trafficked, their body enters a state of chronic survival mode. The autonomic nervous system, which controls unconscious functions like heart rate, digestion, immune response, it gets locked into a fight or flight. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, floods the system. At least, at first. This is protective. But when the threat never ends, when abuse is daily, when escape is impossible, cortisol stays elevated for months and even years. And here’s what chronic cortisol does. It suppresses immune function, making the body vulnerable to infections, cancer, and autoimmune disease. It disrupts the gut microbiome, leading to leaky gut, food sensitivity, and systemic inflammation. It dysregulates hormone production, thyroid sex hormones, insulin, and it creates metabolic chaos. It damages the hippocampus, the part of the brain region responsible for memory and emotional regulation. But it goes deeper than that. Cellular memory, trauma written into our tissues. Research published in the Biological Psychiatry of 2025 and Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025 shows that trauma doesn’t just affect the brain, it reprograms cells throughout the body. Mitochondria, the energy factories inside every cell, shift from producing ATP energy to producing reactive oxygen species, stress signals. This is why trauma survivors often develop chronic fatigue syndrome. That cortisol, over time, starts to dive down, and eventually can’t be produced when it’s supposed to be during a traumatic episode, and it stays at this low level, creating what we now know as chronic fatigue syndrome. Inflammatory genes turn on and stay on, even after the threat is gone. This is why we see such high rates of autoimmune disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, inflammatory bowel disease, in trafficking survivors. The fascia, the connective tissue that wraps every muscle and organ, stores trauma physically. This is why survivors develop chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and tension that no amount of massage can release. The body literally remembers the violation at a cellular level. The ACE study, Childhood Trauma as a Disease Predictor, the CDC’s Adverse Childhood Experiences Study in 2025, showed that 64% of the U.S. adults had experienced at least one ACE abuse. neglect, or household dysfunction. And nearly 1 in 6 has experienced 4 or more. And the data is devastating. The ACE that you have maybe experienced, if you have had this, you have a higher risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease, depression, suicide, and addiction. Trafficking survivors often score 8, 9, or 10 out of a 10 on the ACE scale. Their bodies are biologically aged by trauma. And according to the VA’s National Center for PTSD, PTSD is associated with excess mortality, meaning survivors die younger, not just from suicide, but from the stress related to chronic disease. Now, here’s where it gets even more profound. What is epigenetics? Well, your DNA is like a library of instructions, but not every book is open all the time. Epigenetics is the system that decides which genes get turned on. or off, without changing the DNA sequence itself. And here’s the critical discovery. Trauma can change those epigenetic marks, and those marks can be passed to your children. The Science of Inherited Trauma. The studies on the Holocaust survivors and their descendants showed that children and grandchildren of trauma survivors had altered stress hormone regulation, even though they never experienced the original trauma themselves. Research on famine shows in the Netherlands during World War II, Found that children born to mothers who were pregnant during starvation had higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease decades later. This happens because stress during pregnancy alters the developing fetus’ stress response system, and when a pregnant woman is trafficked, abused, or living in chronic fear, her elevated cortisol levels cross the placenta, and the baby’s developing brain is bathed in stress hormones. And the child’s HPA access, the stress regulation system, Is programmed for hypervigilance. The child is born with a biological predisposition to anxiety, depression, autoimmune disease, and addiction. And it doesn’t stop there. That child grows up, and if they have children, their altered stress response can influence the next generation through epigenetic inheritance, and through the environment they create. This is why we see patterns of addiction, autoimmune disease, and mental illness running through families, even when there’s no clear genetic mutation. It’s not just genetics, it’s inherited trauma written into gene expression. There is also a spiritual dimension to this. There’s something beyond biology here, something that science is only beginning to touch. Survivors often describe feeling disconnected from their bodies, as if their spirit left during the abuse. And never fully returned. This is disassociation, a survival mechanism. But in many healing traditions, somatic therapy, internal family systems, even ancient spiritual practices, there’s recognition that trauma fragments the self. And healing isn’t just about regulating cortisol or repairing the gut, it’s about reuniting the spirit with the body. It’s about teaching the nervous system that it’s finally safe to be fully present once again. And when that happens, when one person heals that fracture, it changes the trajectory for everyone else who comes after them. So what do we do with this knowledge? Well, first. Trauma-informed root cause medicine. Healing trafficking survivors and their descendants requires more than talk therapy. It requires nervous system regulation, vagal nerve stimulation, somatic experience, breathwork. Gut healing, repairing the microbiome, addressing that leaky gut, and reducing the inflammation. Hormone balancing, supporting adrenal function, thyroid, and sex hormones, detoxification, clearing accumulated toxins that the stressed body couldn’t process, both physically and emotionally. Nutritional restoration. Replenishing the nutrients depleted by chronic stress. This is functional medicine. This is what I do every day with my team. Second, we need epigenetic reversal, and that is actually possible. Here’s the hope. Epigenetic marks can be changed. Studies show that meditation therapy, safe relationships, and even nutrition can reverse some of the epigenetic damage caused by trauma. Every time a survivor learns to regulate their nervous system, they’re not just healing themselves, they’re changing what gets passed to the next generation. Third, we have to speak the truth. Silence protects the perpetrators. Truth-telling breaks generational curses. And every time we name trafficking for what it is, a crime that damages biology, genetics, and spirit, we create the space for healing. Thank you for going deep with me today on Let’s Talk Wellness Now. If this episode moved you, share it, because healing begins when we stop pretending trauma is only psychological, and we start treating it as a biological, g

    14 min

  2. MAR 31

    Episode 259 – The Desiccated Thyroid Crisis: FDA’s Unseen Impact & Corporate Manipulation

    Deb (00:03.606)Within the next seven months, up to 1.5 million Americans could lose access to a medication that they’ve relied on for decades. Not because it’s dangerous, but because a pharmaceutical giant may have lobbied the FDA to eliminate their competition. And if you’re one of them, your doctor may already have told you about this issue and stopped prescribing it.This isn’t a conspiracy theory. This is documented in federal court filings. This is happening right now. And the company that stands to profit, well, they’re the same ones manufacturing the only product that might survive.Today on Let’s Talk Wellness Now, we’re exposing the desiccated thyroid extract crisis, the corporate manipulation behind it, and what you need to do right now to protect your health. Stay with me because I’m about to share what could save your access to the medication keeping you alive.Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now, the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, expose regulatory capture in healthcare, and empower you with the tools to advocate for yourself. I’m Dr. Deb, naturopathic doctor, your medical detective, and today we’re diving into one of the most consequential and corrupt healthcare decisions affecting patients right now. If you or someone you love takes Armour thyroid, NP thyroid, or any desiccated thyroid extract,for hypothyroidism or if you’ve struggled to find a thyroid medication that actually works for your body, this episode is absolutely critical. And if you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or corn allergies, what I’m about to reveal will make your blood boil. Now grab your cup of coffee, don’t forget your notebook and settle in because what’s happening to this medication right now is a masterclass in how pharmaceutical companies use regular Deb (02:06.544)agencies to eliminate competition, control markets, and price gouge patients. And I have all the receipts. Deb (02:20.982)Let me start with what might surprise you. Desiccated thyroid extract, or DTE as we call it, is actually one of the most oldest thyroid medications in the world. And I mean old. From the 1890s through 1970, this was the standard treatment for hypothyroidism.Now let’s really dive into that. From the 1890s to the 1970s, this was standard hypothyroidism treatment.In 1965 alone, and this is documented in peer-reviewed literature published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, approximately four out of every five prescriptions for thyroid hormone in the United States were of natural desiccated thyroid preparations.The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism is a very high-end journal. Now think about that. This wasn’t some fringe therapy. This was mainstream medicine. Armour Thyroid, the most recognizable brand name, has been manufactured since the early 1900s, well over a century ago.and this is cited again in NIH bookshelf. When the FDA was officially established in 1938, Arbor thyroid was already on the market. And this is important and I want you to understand why. Under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, any drug that was already being marketed before 1938 was automatically grandfathered into the system. That means it didn’t have to Deb (04:08.112)go through the formal FDA approval process. And this again is cited under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, grandfathered drugs and exemptions. And this is crucial to understanding what happens next. By the 1970s, synthetic levothyroxine, brand name Synthroid and generics became the preferred treatment. Hmm, wonder why?It was easier to standardize, came into consistent doses, and worked well for most patients, and could be mass manufactured. By the 1980s, levothyroxine had largely replaced desiccated thyroid in clinical practice, according to the American Thyroid Association 2014 guidelines for the treatment of hypothyroidism. But here’s what matters. Some patients…a very significant minority of them, never felt right on levothyroxine alone. Despite their lab work looking normal, they still had fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, cold intolerance, and depression.These patients often found relief when they switched back to their desiccated thyroid, which contains both T4 and T3 hormones, the way human thyroid naturally produces them. And this is not anecdotal. This is documented in randomized double-blind crossover studies published in Endocrine Practice.For decades, that was fine. Their doctors prescribed it, insurance sometimes covered it, patients were getting better, and the system worked really well. Until August 6th of 2025, just a short time ago, everything changed. On that date, the FDA sent letters to manufacturers, importers, and distributors of desiccated thyroid extract products stating that these medications would need an approval. Deb (06:04.654)a biologics licensed application, a BLA, to remain legally on the market. And this is cited in the FDA’s official statement, FDA’s actions to address unapproved thyroid medications. understand it says unapproved thyroid medications. However, desiccated thyroid, specifically Armour, has been approved since 1938. And this was dated August 6th through 7th, 2025.This wasn’t a guideline. This wasn’t a suggestion. It was an endorsement of action. And the timeline they gave them? Well, just 12 months to transition patients to another medication before enforcement action could begin.This was also cited by an FDA notice to the industry, animal derived thyroid products notice to industry, August 6th, 2025. Now do the math, that means August 2026, seven months from now, 1.5 million Americans currently taking this medication. And this number comes from the FDA official statement, citing that it’s an estimation of 1.5 million patients receiving prescriptions for these medications.could potentially lose their thyroid access. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The FDA didn’t wake up in August of 2025 and decide to regulate desiccated thyroid after a century. This decision has a much longer backstory. And understanding that backstory is critical to understanding what’s really happening in this industry.The shift started in 2022. Back in September of 2022, over three years ago, an FDA branch chief sent a letter to the National Associations of Boards of Pharmacy noting that the agency had decided to designate DTE as a biological product, which would affect its eligibility for compounding. Deb (08:13.972)This also is cited in an FDA letter to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy September 2022.Then two months later, in November of 2022, the FDA’s Office of Compounding Quality and Compliance sent a softer letter acknowledging that many Americans take medication to treat hypothyroidism and some choose to take DTE products. The letter stated that the FDA would focus enforcement on cases that pose the greatest public health risks, such as serious adverse offense or serious product quality or adulteration.also is cited by an FDA letter from Francis G. Bromel, the director, Office of Compounding Quality and Compliance, November of 2022. Now, let me just think about this for a second. If this drug has been on the market since the 1800s, been FDA approved since 1938, would we not have seen a health crisis long before 2022?I honestly don’t know of any other drug that’s been around this long that’s used by this many people. Now granted, I haven’t done the research on it either, which I can do for you guys, but I’m just thinking if a drug is on the market today and it causes harm, it doesn’t make it three years, five years before you see lawsuits everywhere. Why are there no lawsuits on this drug? Why are there no major reactions that people are seen having?Hmm, just thought. But here’s the pattern. The FDA was already laying the groundwork back in 2022, testing the waters, signaling where this was headed. The August 2025 action. Then this came down. Deb (10:09.806)August 6, 2025, the FDA announced its position publicly and sent formal letters to all DTE manufacturers, importers, and distributors. This was cited by the FDA Enforcement Action August 6, 2025, letters to manufacturers, importers, distributions of DTE products. The agency stated several concerns. First, DTE products have experienced quality and dosing issues.The FDA cited, and I’m quoting directly from their statement, over 500 adverse events reported associated with DTE products from 1968 to 2025. From 1968 to 2025, we had 500 adverse reactions? What is that math equate to?A couple a year? Come on guys, this is insane! With a substantial increase, you, between 2019 and 2020 that the agency suggested was related to voluntary recalls of sub-potent or super-potent products.This was cited in the FDA statement, over 500 adverse events reported associated with ADT products from 1968 through 2025.Second, the agency expressed concern about batch inconsistency. According to the FDA’s official statements, tablets made from the same manufacturing batches may not always provide the same thyroid hormone levels. Okay, this was cited in the FDA statement, tablets made from the same manufacturing batches may not always provide the same thyroid hormone levels. Thirdly, and I want to actually let’s back up. I want you to remember I said that Deb (12:11.216)because further down in this podcast, we’re going to talk about this. This is an important point to remember. Thirdly, the agency raised concerns about potential impurities from animal source material, including potential for viral contamination due to the animal source and supraphysiological levels of T3.the FDA statement on impurities, viral contamination and super physiological T3 levels. Now I will tell you, I’ve been prescribing armarithograde for 20 years. I’ve rarely seen a super physiological dose given of T3 in lab results, unless the patient takes their medicatio

    49 min

  3. MAR 17

    Episode 258 – Investigational Peptides: What’s Promising, What’s Hype & What You Must Know

    Dr Deb Muth 00:03Well, welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now. I am your host, Dr. Deb. And what is the most talked-about peptides in functional medicine? aren’t actually FDA approved. Not because they don’t work, but because no one’s funded the research to prove it yet. The truth is, some of the compounds that dominate wellness forums, BPC-157, TB-500, thymosin beta-4, epitalin, occupy a fascinating space between breakthrough science and unregulated experimentation. In today’s episode, we’re stepping into that grey zone, the world of investigational peptides, to separate mechanism from marketing. I’m going to walk you through the science that actually shows and where it stops, how to evaluate claims when human data don’t yet exist, and the quality, purity, and safety red flags that you need to recognise. Dr Deb Muth 01:06I created it in a previous episode, so go check that one out. And why honesty is the most important prescription in peptide medicine. If you’ve ever wondered whether these research-only peptides are the frontier of healing or the next functional medicine fad, this episode is for you. So grab your cup of tea or coffee, get comfortable, and let’s talk about what it really means to use peptides that are promising but still under investigation. So we’re going to break just for a second here and have a word from our sponsor. It is because of them that we stay on the air. So thank you for this. And we will be right back. Did you know sweating can literally heal your cells? Infrared saunas don’t just relax you. They detox your body, balance hormones, and boost mitochondrial energy. I’m obsessed with my Health Tech sauna. And right now, you can save $500 with my code at healthtechhealth.com slash dr-muth-req-25. Dr. Deb Muth 02:15All right, guys, welcome back. Let’s dive into investigational peptides, the evidence gap. So the following peptides we’re about ready to discuss are extensively in integrative, functional, and regenerative medicine circles. They may have intriguing mechanisms and promising preclinical data. However, they lack FDA approval, and the evidence quality varies dramatically. from interesting preliminary research to essentially no human data at all. And this distinction is really critical for maintaining scientific integrity. So let’s talk about immune-modulating peptides. There’s thymus and alpha-1, and this is an international story on the thymic peptides. Thymusin alpha-1, known as TA1, is marketed internationally as zidaxin. Dr. Deb Muth 03:16It’s a 28-amino acid polypeptide originally isolated from thymusin fraction 5, which was extracted from bovine thymus tissue. Modern production uses synthetic peptide synthesis. The thymus gland is located behind the sternum and is the primary site for T cell maturation, and thymic peptides like TA1 play roles in human system development and regulation. Now, I love thymus peptides. I love thymus glandular products. I’ve used thymus glandular products for decades. Ground-up animal thymus gland is basically what it is. There are a couple of different supplement companies that I’ve used over the years that are amazing with this. And they do a fantastic job, and they really do help to support the immune system. So when thymus peptides came out, it was really exciting because it took the whole idea of thymus support to a new level. Dr. Deb Muth 04:17The mechanism actually behind the thymus in alpha-1 is complex and involves multiple aspects of immune function. At the cellular level, TA1 enhances T cell maturation and differentiation, particularly the development of helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells. It modulates T cell receptor expression and can influence the balance between Th1 cell-mediated immunity and Th2 humoral immunity responses. And it also enhances the natural killer cell activity and modulates dendritic cell function, which are critical for antigen presentation. and initiation of adaptive immune responses. And on the cytokine level, TA1 influences production of interleukin-2, IL-2, interferon gamma, IFN-γ, and interleukin-10, IL-10. Dr. Deb Muth 05:19These create immune modulatory rather than simple immune stimulatory effects. This is a very important distinction because TA1 appears to help balance the immune system rather than simply ramping this up, which theoretically makes it safer in conditions where immune overstimulation would be a problem, such as an autoimmune disease. Hashimoto’s, autoimmune, lupus, Sjogren’s, any of those autoimmune diseases, we don’t want to overstimulate their immune system. So you want to use a product like this that’s non-stimulating. Now, the regulatory status on TA1 is geographically variable and represents one of the challenges in discussing this peptide with patients. It is not FDA-approved in the United States. However, it is approved in several other countries for specific conditions. Dr. Deb Muth 06:19In Italy, it’s approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In China, it’s approved for chronic hepatitis B and adjunct immune compromised patients receiving vaccinations or suffering from certain infections. It has an orphan drug designation in the United States for certain cancer indications, but its designation does not constitute approval. It simply provides regulatory incentives for further development. So the evidence base for thymosin alpha-1 is substantial in some areas but comes primarily from non-US populations and research groups, which creates challenges in evaluating quality and generalizable information. So in hepatitis B and C, multiple clinical trials, many conducted in China and Italy, have examined TA1 as an adjunct to antiviral therapy. Dr. Deb Muth 07:21A meta-analysis by Wu and colleagues published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis in 2013 examined 23 randomized controlled trials, including over 2,000 patients with chronic hepatitis B. The analysis found that combining TA1 with nucleoside analogs like LAMVDUDE or an and TCAVAR improved the hepatitis antigen seroconversion rates by HBV DNA clearance compared to its nucleoside analogs alone. And the effect sizes were modest but statistically significant, with the HBE-AG seroconversion rates improving from about 24% with antivirals alone to 38% in combined therapy. Now in hepatitis C, early trials before the development of direct-acting antivirals showed that TA1 combined with interferon alpha improved sustained virological responses, and compared to interferon alpha, Dr. Deb Muth 08:30Furon alone, particularly in difficult-to-treat populations like those with a genotype one or a high viral load. However, the advent of highly effective direct acting antivirals that achieve SRV rates, sorry, SVR rates exceeding 95%, the role of TA1 in hepatitis C has become less clear. Now in sepsis and critical illness, more recent interest has focused on TA1 in severe cases of sepsis and septic shock. Ren and colleagues published a systematic review and meta-analysis in the Frontiers of Immunology in 2022, analyzing 18 randomized controlled trials, including 1787 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock the pooled analysis showed that ta1 administration was associated with reduced 28-day mortality relative risk at 0.70 meaning a 30 reduction in mortality compared to the standard care alone and the effect appeared Dr. Deb Muth 09:39most pronounced in patients with sepsis-induced immunosuppression measured by HLA-DR expression in monocytes. Now, this is amazing because going forward, we’re going to talk about something that’s commonly known as cytokine storm. Now, cytokine storm really became apparent since 2020 with the viral infection that we’re dealing with in the world today. But they were already looking at this kind of cytokine storm produced by sepsis or sepsis-induced immunosuppression. And it triggered this hyperinflammatory response called the cytokine storm. And many patients who survived the initial phase of the immune suppressed stata, characterized by a T cell exhaustion, reduced antigen presentation, and increased susceptibility to secondary infections. Thymusin alpha-1, TA1, may help restore this immune competence in this phase. However, it’s important to note that patient selection and timing are critical. Dr. Deb Muth 10:43Giving this immune stimulant during a hyperinflammatory phase could theoretically worsen outcomes. So you don’t want to give it to them while they’re in the flare up or the sepsis or the infection, but given to them during the immunosuppression phase afterwards might be beneficial. Now there is also some cancer immunotherapy that we see with TA1 and has been studied as an adjunct in cancer treatment with the hypothesis that it could enhance immune surveillance and response to tumors. And a comprehensive review of Garci and colleagues published in Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy in 2007 examined multiple trials in melanoma, lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and other malignancies. And the results were mixed. Some trials showed improvement in the immune parameters, increased CD4 in T-cells. improved lymphocyte proliferation responses and some actually showed trends toward improved progression free survival but overall survival benefits were inconsistent and the heterogeneity of the cancer types treatment protocols and outcome measures makes a definitive conclusion difficult as a vaccine adjunct several studies particularly from china have examined ta1 as an adjunct to enhance vaccine responses Dr. Deb Muth 12:11in immune-compromised populations, including the elderly, dialysis patients, and transplant recipients. The rationale is sound. These populations often mount suboptimal antibody responses to vaccines, and TA1’s immune-enhancing effects might improve protection. There are small trials. They have shown improvement in seroconversion r

    58 min

  4. MAR 3

    Episode 257 – Peptides for Sexual Wellness & Hormonal Health: PT-141, Growth Hormones, Bone Health & More!

    Dr. Deb Muth 0:00 Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now. I’m your host, Dr. Zab, and we are continuing our discussion this week on 0:08 peptides. And so, if you haven’t heard our first conversation about peptides, 0:13 please go back and look at that episode. We talk all about the manufacturing, the safety, the quality of peptides, and we 0:20 dove into GLP1s. And today we’re going to dive into peptides for sexual 0:26 wellness, immune function, growth hormone, and all the amazing fun things 0:32 we can do with peptides. So, as usual, grab your cup of coffee or tea, settle 0:37 in, and let’s talk wellness now. And we’re going to take a short pause from our sponsor. I know we’ve got to do 0:44 that, you guys. They’re who keep us on the air. So, I’m going to pause for just a minute and be right back after this 0:50 message from our sponsor. Ladies, it’s time to reignite your vitality. Primal 0:56 Queen supplements are clean, powerful formulas made for women like you who want balance, strength, and energy that 1:03 lasts. Get 25% off at primal queen.com. Serenity Health. That’s primalqueen.com. 1:10 Serenity Health. Because every queen deserves to feel in her prime. All 1:15 right, everybody. We are back. And are you ready? We are talking all things peptide and I am opening the show today 1:23 with sexual wellness. Yes, I’m going there, you guys. I am going there. You 1:29 know, this has really become a big issue for people um of all ages. It’s not just 1:3 4us older people. It’s younger people, too. And there’s a whole variety of reasons why we have sexual dysfunction. 1:42 And when we’re talking about sexual dysfunction, we’re not just talking about it doesn’t work, right? Or I can’t 1:48 reach orgasm. A lot of it is around desire and um the thought of it and 1:54 wanting to connect, wanting to be kinder to one another, wanting to be touching 2:00 one another. A lot of it resolves or revolves around that. And so there are some peptides that can help us and I’m 2:08 really excited to be able to talk about those today. So the first one is called PT-141. 2:14 This targets the brain not the periphery. Right? So for many women I 2:20 will always tell you sex starts between here. It is a brain thing for us. It is 2:26 not necessarily a physical thing. For guys that’s a little different. It’s very physical. For women it’s all in our 2:32 brain. So tip for you men that are listening. You have to prime your woman’s brain first if you want her to 2:38 have sex with you that night. You have to be nice to her. You have to bring her flowers. Do the dishes for her. Do 2:45 something kind. Bring her a cup of coffee or tea or a glass of wine. Take her to dinner. You have to woo her. And 2:51 I don’t care how long you’ve been married. That has to happen. And tip number two, don’t say anything stupid 2:57 that day. I’m just being honest. When you guys say things that make us upset, 3:03 that lingers with us for the rest of the day. And it’s it’s a turnoff for us. And 3:08 for a lot of women, we can’t get past that when it comes time to snuggle at night. And sex doesn’t always have to be 3:14 at night either. So, you can tell I really love talking about this conversation, but we’re going to get into the peptide part of it because this 3:21 is going to help people. So, um, PT-141 is marketed as I’m going to slaughter 3:28 this name, Vali, and it represents a fundamentally different approach to 3:34 sexual dysfunction than the PDE5s inhibitors like Slenden, Viagra, 3:40 Tedataphil, which is Seialis. And while the PDE5 inhibitors work specifically by 3:47 enhancing blood flow to the genital tissues, PT-141 works centrally in the brain by 3:54 modulating neural s neural circuits involved in the sexual desire and 4:00 arousal. Now PT-41 is a cyclic hpatipeptide. It’s seven amino acid 4:07 peptide arranged in a cyclic structure that acts as a melanoortin receptor 4:13 agonist and with particularly the infinity for MC3R and MC4R subtypes. 4:20 It’s actually a metabolite of the melanotan 2, a peptide originally 4:26 developed for tanning that was also found to enhance sexual desire in early 4:31 studies. Now the melanoortin system in the brain is involved in multiple functions including energy homeostasis 4:39 but it also is involved in sexual motivation and arousal behaviors. The FDA approved PT-141 in 2019 specifically 4:48 for the treatment of acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire 4:54 HSDD in permenopausal women. So for the first time we have a medication that was 5:01 approved by the FDA to use for women for sexual dysfunction. We have had all of 5:07 these seialis tedataphil viagros for men but we had nothing for women. And so 5:12 this is amazing that this is available for women and approved by the FDA. It’s a big deal. This represents the first 5:19 and only FDA approved medication specifically targeting these circuits of sexual desire rather than the peripheral 5:27 arousal mechanisms. And this indication is quite specific, meaning it was developed at some point, not lifelong. 5:35 So I if you’ve had sexual dysfunction your entire life, this medication was 5:40 not approved for you. But if it’s something that you developed over time, like when you went through pmenopause or 5:46 menopause or some women have this experience happen after childirth, that’s what we’re talking about here. 5:53 Now, it’s also not just um supposed to be used if you dislike your partner, 5:59 right? If your relationship is bad and you dislike your partner, this probably isn’t going to fix a ton. It might help 6:05 a little bit, but that’s not what it’s meant for. So, you really have to know what you’re using it for and why. And 6:11 the other thing that I would say is this is something that we don’t go to if your hormones are not balanced properly. You 6:17 have to balance your hormones properly before using something like this because it still may not work. Now, the only 6:24 caveat to that is if you’re a woman that has a risk of breast cancer and can’t use hormones, then that’s a different 6:31 story and we would have that conversation about whether or not this medication would be appropriate for you. Now, the FDA label specifies PTA1 uh 6:39 PT-141 as it not being indicated for HSDD in causes where low sexual desire 6:46 is due to coexisting medical or psychiatric conditions, problems with relationships, like we had talked about, 6:53 side effects to medications or other substance use. This specifically reflects the importance of differential 6:59 diagnosis. Low sexual desire can have many root causes and PT-41 is only 7:05 appropriate when those causes have been ruled out. Now, I have I used PT41 in 7:10 people who have sexual dysfunction issues as a result of using 7:16 anti-depressants. Yes, I have. I’ve used Flynn in that effect as well. And it 7:21 does work sometimes, but it doesn’t work completely. But you need to know that that is not what the approval is for the 7:27 FDA. So that is done in something that we call off label use. So very important 7:33 to know. Now in these clinical trials leading to FDA approval, this was published by Kinsburg and colleagues in 7:40 obstetrics and gyne gynecology in 2019. PT-141 demonstrated statistically 7:46 significant improvements in sexual desire and decreases in distress related 7:51 to low desire compared to placebo. The effects manifest over 45 minutes to 7:56 several hours after the injection and the mechanisms involved modulation of dopamine and melanoorton pathways in the 8:04 hypothalamus and the brain regions that involved sexual motivation. Now cardiovascular effects of PT 141 require 8:12 careful attention. This drug causes transient increases in blood pressure about 3 to four points and transient 8:20 decreases in heart rate. And because of this, it is contraindicated in patients 8:25 with uncontrolled hypertension or known cardiovascular disease. And it has been studied in patients who’ve had recent 8:32 cardiovascular events or sorry hasn’t been studied hasn’t been studied in patients who’ve had recent 8:39 cardiovascular events. So patients need to have their blood pressures checked before starting therapy. Nausea is 8:45 extremely common. It is one of the biggest things I often will tell people to take an anti-nausea medicine if 8:52 they’re going to do this because the last thing you want to do is inject this medication and think it’s going to give 8:57 you this great time with your partner and you’re so nauseated that you can’t even perform, don’t want to kiss, don’t 9:05 want to do anything. It it can be pretty profound for some people. um it does affect about 40% of the patients in 9:12 clinical trials which is why many clinicians require or recommend an 9:17 anti-nausea medication like I had just said other common adverse effects include flushing injection site 9:24 reactions headache in about 13% of the population which I have seen worse if 9:30 people are prone to headaches and the headaches are pretty intense so I will also have them premedicate if they have 9:36 that um sensitivity ity with a Tylenol or Advil, Alie, whatever it is they 9:42 typically use for their headaches to help prevent that from occurring. Now, some patients also experience a 9:50 generalized hyperpigmentation of their skin, particularly in areas with chronic friction, and this may not be reversible 9:57 after disc

    37 min

  5. FEB 27

    Episode 256 – How Peptides Work, Benefits, and FDA-Approved vs Off-Label Use Explained

    Dr. Deb Muth What if the reason you’re not healing isn’t that you need another diagnosis? 0:08 It’s that your cells aren’t receiving the right signals. Because the body doesn’t run on diagnosis, it runs on 0:16 communication. And peptides are one of the most powerful, most misunderstood 0:21 tools we have for cellular signaling, immune balance, tissue repair, gut 0:27 lining support, metabolic control, brain signaling, sleep cycles, and even sexual 0:35 wellness. Today, I’m going to do what most people won’t. Define peptides in 0:41 plain English for you. break them into categories by what they’re best at and 0:47 tell you which ones are FDA approved on the list and which ones are commonly 0:53 used off label or investigational with the evidence that actually says these 1:00 work. This is going to be a powerful episode and if you’ve ever felt like you’re hearing hype without clarity, 1:07 this one’s for you. So, as usual, grab your cup of coffee or tea and settle in 1:13 as we talk about peptides that can fit into your healing journey. We’re going 1:19 to have a short word from our sponsor. You know, we got to do that. That’s how we stay on the air here. So, we will be 1:26 right back after this. Did you know sweating can literally heal your cells? 1:32I nfrared saunas don’t just relax you. They detox your body, balance hormones, 1:37 and boost mitochondrial energy. I’m obsessed with my health tech sauna. And 1:42 right now, you can save $500 with my code at healthtechalth.com/drmuthqen25. 1:54 All right, here we go, guys. I am excited to dive into peptides with you. 2:00 So understanding peptides is foundational, right? And I’ve been 2:06 studying peptides now for about nine years. Um, and I find that they are 2:13 incredible. Um, so I want to break down for you what peptides actually are, what 2:19 they do, and some of the top peptides that are available today, and how they 2:25 can be utilized. Because I think it’s really important. And I think it’s it’s there’s a lot of confusion out there about what these things actually are and 2:32 are they safe? Are they not? When do we use them? What’s the science behind them? So, we’re going to dive in and 2:38 we’re going to talk about all things peptides. So, let’s get ready here. Here we go. So, peptides are short chains of 2:45 amino acids and they typically range anywhere from 2 to 50 amino acids and 2:51 they’re linked by peptide bonds. So think of them as the superglue that holds the amino acids together. They sit 2:58 between the amino acids and they are full proteins in terms of their size and 3:04 their complex structure. And what makes peptides particularly interesting in 3:10 medicine is their role as signaling molecules. They’re essentially the 3:15 body’s text messages carrying specific instructions to cells and tissues. And 3:21 unlike our proteins which often serve as structural roles or act as enzymes, 3:28 peptides typically function as hormones, neurotransmitters and growth factors and 3:33 they bind to specific receptors on the cell’s surfaces or within the cells and 3:39 they trigger this effect. It’s like a cascade effect of a biochemical reaction 3:45 that ultimately changes the cellular behavior. So basically, it’s changing 3:50 the way the body’s cell structure acts. And this is why peptides can be so 3:56 incredibly powerful and therapeutic when you introduce the right peptide signal. 4:02 Now, you could theoretically redirect cellular processes toward healing, 4:07 towards metabolism, immune balance, tissue repair. Any of those things can 4:14 be manipulated to do a certain thing once we add the peptide. The challenge 4:19 in peptide medicine though lies in distinguishing between those peptides that have been rigorously studied, 4:26 proven safe and effective and approved by regulatory bodies like the FDA versus 4:31 those that exist in what we call the gray zone of a promising clinical data. 4:36 But they really lack human validation so far. And this distinction is critical because the presence of a plausible 4:43 mechanism does not guarantee safety or efficacy in living humans. So, this is 4:50 really important and we’re going to dive in and look at some of the research on all of these different peptides that are 4:56 available and I’m excited to say there’s some amazing peptides being studied right now that unfortunately are not 5:01 available. But I can’t wait to see them hit the market for us because it is going to be a gamecher as far as health 5:09 and longevity. So there is a quality control issue and there is a hidden 5:14 variable in peptide medicine with this and it’s one of the most underappreciated aspects of peptide 5:21 therapy particularly for non-FDA approved peptides. It’s quality control. 5:26 When we discuss pharmaceutical medicines, we take for granted that the pill contains what the label says. Not 5:32 always true depending on where it comes from. You guys, if you’ve heard my episodes before talk about how many of our medications are made in China and 5:41 have been contaminated with other things, you will realize that that is not always true. So, just because it has 5:48 the FDA stamp of approval on the medication, it still does not necessarily mean it’s safe and we still 5:54 need to do our homework on it. So, sorry for digressing on you guys, but you know, when we get a medication, we we 6:00 think that what the amount says is what is there, doesn’t have contaminants, it’s manufactured with good 6:06 manufacturing practices. You’ll see that listed as GMP on the bottle, and it’s been stored properly, it’s been 6:12 maintained stable, and with research peptides and compounded formulations, 6:17 none of this can be assumed. So, I will share a story with you. There was a gentleman that was purchasing these 6:24 peptides online from a research facility and um did not know that they were 6:30 coming from China and he was ordering a particular growth hormone peptide and 6:35 after a little while he had he had done fine for the few first few bottles. After a little while he started having 6:42 some complications. He started getting really irritable and angry and ragy and 6:47 he didn’t quite know what was going on. And so he decided to go get some testing done. He had some blood testing done and 6:53 his testosterone level was over 5,000. So for those of you who know what testosterone level should be for a guy, 7:00 they really shouldn’t be any higher than about 1,00200 would be absolute max that we’d want to see. Now he was taking 7:06 testosterone but not to that degree. And prior to adding this peptide, his 7:12 testosterone was very stable. What they ended up finding out was the peptide that he was getting, whoever was 7:18 manufacturing it added testosterone to the peptide. They felt like if if it had growth hormone, that was great, but if 7:25 it had growth hormone and tes testosterone, all the better. And he didn’t know that. And this is the 7:31 problem that we can have with peptides if you don’t source them properly. if you’re not working with somebody that 7:37 knows how to source them and can prove that they are what they say they are. Um, I’m sure there’s a whole bunch of 7:42 studies out there too of people getting these peptides and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for them over their 7:48 lifetime and finding out they were nothing more than just sterile water. So, you really do need to be careful 7:53 with your quality control. Now, this kind of leads us right into the next topic that we’re going to talk about and that’s the manufacturing question, 8:00 right? The FDA approved peptides are manufactured in facilities subject to 8:05 the FDA inspection rules following our GMP regulations and these facilities 8:11 must validate their manufacturing process, demonstrate consistency batch to batch, test for purity and potency. 8:18 They need to test for bacterial endotoxins and sterility and they need to maintain detailed records. So, when a 8:25 pharmaceutical company submits a drug application, the FDA inspects the manufacturing facility as part of the 8:32 approval process. If you’re getting peptides from a different country, none of that is happening. And there are some 8:38 ways for us to determine if that is what you’re getting. Typically, the rule of thumb is if your peptides are coming 8:44 with a different colored top, every one of them has a different colored top. Those are typically being sourced out of 8:49 China. I wouldn’t say that’s 100% but that’s kind of the rule of thumb that people follow. So compoundingies these 8:56 are thearmacies that make our bio identical hormones. They can make medications in any dose or strength or 9:02 route. There are thousands of them in every not that not in every state but 9:08 there are thousands of them around the country right now. So these compoundingies are registered as 503A 9:15 facilities. They do traditional compounding for individual prescriptions, right? Like they can make 9:20 thyroid, they can make LDN, they can make estrogen. You can also have a 503b 9:27 facility, which is an outsourcing facility. And these companies produce larger batches of products. They’re they 9:34 have some oversight, but they’re less stringent than for FDA approved 9:40 manufacturers. And state boards of pharmacy regulate a 503A pharmacy. And 9:45 the FDA can inspect the 503b facility, but doesn’t preapprove any of their 9:52 compounding products. So, they can inspect

    42 min

  6. FEB 2

    Episode 255 – Advancements in naturopathic medicine and whole-body healing

    Dr. Deb Muth 0:03Welcome back to let’s Talk Wellness. Now, I’m your host, Dr. Deb. If you’re a woman who’s doing everything right, eating clean, exercising, taking supplements, yet you still feel exhausted, inflamed, or like your body suddenly stopped cooperating, this episode is for you. Today’s conversation challenges one of the biggest myths in women’s health. That midlife struggles are just about hormones or worse, just part of aging. My guest today is Dr. Deb Heald, a naturopathic physician with one of the most fascinating backgrounds I’ve ever encountered. Yeah, she’s got a really diverse background, which is kind of exciting. She’s been an ER nurse, a stockbroker, a Silicon Valley data analysis, teaching machines to learn from microbiome research. And yes, she holds an mba, too. But it was her own menopause crash that changed everything. When the protocols she had been teaching stopped working for her, her, she didn’t double down on templates or trends. She did what she was trained to do. She followed the data and what she discovered reframed menopause, metabolism and women’s longevity in a completely different way. This isn’t about willpower. It’s not about another diet, and it’s definitely not about copying what worked for someone else. It’s about learning to listen to your body and finally understanding what it’s been trying to tell you and all along. So grab your cup of coffee or tea, settle in, and let’s dive into this amazing conversation about women’s health and menopause. And right after our guest is arriving with us, we’re going to get a word from our sponsor quick here. And then we are going to come right back to having this conversation with Dr. Deb Heald. Ladies, it’s time to reignite your vitality. Primal Queen supplements are clean, powerful formulas made for women like you who want balance, strength, and energy that lasts. Get 25% off@primal queen.com Serenity Health. Because every queen deserves to feel in her prime. But okay. All right. Welcome back, everybody. I am here with my new friend, Dr. Deb Heald. And she has such an amazing background, like I shared with you a few minutes ago. But I would love for her to give us her insight in how she got where she did, because it’s rare that you find somebody with a data background and a medical background. So, Dr. Dove, welcome. Dr Deb Heald 2:30Thank you. I am so glad to be here, and it’s a real privilege to meet you. Dr. Deb Muth 2:34I feel the same way. Dr Deb Heald 2:35Yeah, it’s. I think that the more of us that start to think and practice this way, the easier it’s going to be for women going forward. Because it’s not easy. Dr. Deb Muth 2:44It is not easy. I mean, I’ve been in this industry a long time, over 25 years. And every time I think it’s getting easy, it’s getting harder for a variety of reasons. It’s the medical system, it’s the. The clients we work with are sicker. It’s taking longer to get them to a place where they feel good. There’s just so many variables these days. So tell me a little bit about what got you here. Dr Deb Heald 3:06Well, I made the decision when I was graduating from high school to be a nurse instead of a teacher, because those were really still the two options that were common for women. I thought about medicine at that point, but my sister convinced me that if I would spend all that time learning and practicing medicine, I might not be as good of a mom. So I took the path of nurse, because nurse works around kids schedules and that sort of thing. I’d only been practicing about six months before I thought, oh my gosh, there has to be more to it than this, and toyed with the idea of starting med school at that point, but then married and started having children, and I just sort of fell into that pattern. But I typically work emergency room. There was a short stent in the post anesthesia recovery room as well. And emergency room was a place where western medicine actually shone. Right. People come in, they are no longer capable of functioning, they’re having a heart attack, they lost limb. Whatever else, they do need the, the bells and the whistles of western medicine. But when you think about it, western medicine was derived out of the Civil War where you didn’t have to say what’s the cause of the problem. It was a bullet or a bayonet, and it was, it was about patching up the soldiers and getting them back on the front line so they could continue to fight. And naturopathic medicine, which had been a lot around for an awful lot longer than that, just didn’t work in the battlefield then. The assessment was done in the early 1900s as to which style of medicine got people back to work faster. The Flexner report was all about how corporations could maximize the value of employees. And naturopathic medicine didn’t win because nutritional fixes take a long time. Taking away somebody’s stress so that they can just function more capably is. It’s a, It’s a big ask, right? So the funding of naturopathic medicine went away and western medicine became all that we knew. So in context to the emergency room, it worked. But when I saw the same person coming in, having their third heart attack, I just thought, how is this happening? Has no one told this person what, what’s going on in their lifestyle that’s creating this environment for them to continue to have heart attacks? And so that’s when I made the switch. And that was after 17 years in practice as a nurse to head on over to the naturopathic side. There was a little bit of a, a segue there, but we’d need a much longer interview to get into the details of that. I was a stock broker for six years. Anyway, when I jumped into the idea of med school, it didn’t make sense to be practicing the same thing that was already being practiced because I saw where it worked and I saw where it was failing. So hopped into the naturopathic tract. I also had one child that had a lot of physical and emotional ailments that western medicine couldn’t solve. Their answer to everything was putting her on amoxicillin. And I, I just absolutely could not convince the medical system that she didn’t have a deficiency of antibiotics, but that was their only solution. And so while she was on the antibiotics, her sinuses were clear, her sleep apnea was not an issue, and she appeared better, but her microbiome got decimated. She was on antibiotics for seven years. So, yeah, so my pursuit down the naturopathic pathway was in large part to try and figure out what else could be done for my daughter. And I did take her to a naturopath or I embarked on the field myself. And her GP threatened to call social services. Oh my gosh, yes. Dr. Deb Muth 6:22You hear these stories, I’ve heard these stories from clients before over really dumb things that they’re going to call CPS for. And it always blows my mind that we think it’s appropriate to call CPS on somebody who’s truly not injuring their child. Dr Deb Heald 6:38So anyway, that started my 17 year path in the naturopathic realm. And after, after I’ve been in practice about 10 years, an opportunity came up to move to Silicon Valley and research the microbiome and then take what we were learning from the microbiome and program it into AI. So I did that for a few years and it was amazing. There was a huge disconnect between the funding model and what its expectations were and what the research was able to do. There was a time gap, there was a funding gap. And so I thought, medicine doesn’t understand what’s important to business. And Business isn’t understanding what’s critical to research. So I went and did my MBA and wanted to be able to be the translator between those two worlds. And then the pandemic hit and then. Dr. Deb Muth 7:24Everyone’S life got turned upside down, right? Dr Deb Heald 7:26Yeah. Yeah. So I’m back in private practice. My, my practice always tended to be more autoimmune focused, which is predominantly women and predominantly middle aged women. But through my own experience of menopause and looking at how I assisted people that were in menopause before I was, you know, that the success rate wasn’t as high as it needed to be. And I started to really drill down into the biochemistry behind what was going on and then also realized that my menopause was very different than even my sister’s menopause. There we were, the same genetic template, the same lived environment, though very different lived experiences in that environment. And realized that we have to find ways to make it relevant to the person in front of us. And it’s not so much which herbs will or won’t work historically, it’s how is this person’s body responding in the immediate term to the diet we’ve put them on, to the nutritional plan we’ve suggested to the supplements, and because we’ve come so far in the data world, our whoop straps or aura rings or whatever else, there’s so many devices that are actually able to let us know whether somebody’s burning carbs or fat in this moment or ketones. We can see how an individual’s body is responding and course correct right now. And it isn’t that a ketogenic diet may not be helpful down the road. It’s right now it’s actually putting more stress on your body than it’s already under, which puts you into fight flight, which stops you from burning fat. So, and it’s not just the burning fat, it’s the inflammation. Right. So our food is completely void of nutrients. And we used to have 24 inches of topsoil, now we’ve got, so who’s eating four times the number of vegetables that we, we used to eat to get the same number of nutrients? We’re just not. And our environment is so full of plastic and chlorine molecules and just toxins that our liver says, I have no idea what that is, I have no idea how to detoxify it. And we can’t, we can’t clean the

    50 min

  7. JAN 29

    Episode 254 – Beyond the Diagnosis: Healing in a Post-Diagnosis Era

    Dr. Deb Muth 0:03There’s a quiet shift happening in healthcare right now, and most doctors aren’t talking about it yet. People aren’t chasing diagnoses anymore. They’re exhausted by them. I see it every single day in my clinic. People who come in with stacks of paperwork, portals full of results, and a list of diagnoses longer than their grocery receipt, yet they’re still not living their lives. And they’ll say to me, Dr. Deb, I don’t want another label. Dr. Deb Muth 0:32 I just want my life back. If you’ve ever been told this is just how your body is, if you’ve been diagnosed, rediagnosed, and then dismissed, if you’ve been handed labels but never handed a roadmap, today’s episode is for you. Because we are officially entering what I call the post diagnosis era and it’s changing everything about how healing actually happens. So grab your cup of coffee or tea and let’s settle in to let’s talk wellness. Now, before we dive in, we need to take a quick pause to thank today’s sponsor. And when we come back, we’re going to talk about why diagnoses are no longer the most important thing about you. Dr. Deb Muth 1:17Did you know sweating can literally heal your cells? And infrared saunas don’t just relax you, they detox your body, balance hormones, and boost mitochondrial energy. I’m obsessed with my health tech sauna, and right now you can save $500 with my code at healthtechhealth.com Dr. Muth req 25 so here’s some truth for me. Dr. Deb Muth 0:47It was three years ago Christmas that I received my Ms. Diagnosis. And I remember it very clearly. It was the day before, two days before Christmas Eve, that I got the call and I heard the words, you have white matter brain disease. That’s consistent with Ms. And I immediately stopped in my tracks and thought, okay, well, this is just the way it is. We’re gonna fight this. We’re gonna figure this out. And it led me down a deeper path of healing and spirituality and emotional growth. And there were some really difficult days ahead for me because I remember thinking, what am I gonna do? How am I gonna practice what’s going to happen in my life? And every year at this time, I reflect back to that day that I got the call that really changed my life. And not for the worse, but for the better. It changed the way I was thinking about life. Dr. Deb Muth 3:01It changed the way I was complaining about things being ungrateful for all the amazing things that I have in my life. Not intentionally, but just living the American life. Right. Dr. Deb Muth 3:14And striving for more and wanting more and chasing more and doing more, and never really having the opportunity to just be present and just really think about life and enjoy what the Lord has given us and enjoy what’s around me, the people in my life, the family that I have, the amazing practice that I have, and the amazing people I get to work with and change lives with. And it really changed me for the better. And I’ve watched diagnoses like this change people for the worse and for them to sink deep into a depression and give up and. And live to their label instead of living to their potential. And that’s why I think this episode is so important for us, because we all have a choice in life. When we get dealt something kind of difficult, we can let it consume us and let it take every ounce of life from us, or we can allow it to become the fuel that makes us better, makes us contribute to life maybe differently, but in a better way. So, you know, I know that this idea of letting diagnoses lose their power can be really uncomfortable for some people, because there’s people that are waiting for that diagnosis. I’m in some. Some social media groups, and I’m listening and reading to people who are saying, I’m so angry I didn’t get the Ms. Diagnosis today. I’m so angry I didn’t get the Lyme diagnosis today. I’m so upset that they can’t find anything wrong with me. And I understand. Dr. Deb Muth 5:20I know the feeling of wanting to put a name to what you’re feeling so that you have validation and you have power around this diagnosis, and you can prove to people that what you’re feeling is not in your head. I get all of that. But for many people, the original diagnosis is meant to help guide treatment in the conventional sense. It’s a created, shared language that we have, and it brings clarity. But for many people, you give that label and that name so much power and so much control over your life and who you are and what you’re being. And that’s not what the label is meant for. Somewhere along the line, medicine started confusing naming with healing. And today, we have more diagnoses than ever. We have more testing than ever. We have so many thousands of specialists, and yet people are sicker. They’re more inflamed, they’re more exhausted, they’re more confused than ever. And that’s not just a coincidence. That is how the system is meant to work. It’s meant to confuse you. Dr. Deb Muth 6:44It’s meant to keep you dependent on it. It’s meant to. Meant to keep you on medical management for the rest of your life. And by doing that, we enrich the pharmaceutical companies to the point where their whole role is to continue to create drugs that you need to be on for the rest of your life. And the hard truth about all of this that I’ve seen in my practice is for many patients, the diagnosis really becomes their identity. They own it, they gravitate to it. It’s who they are. It also becomes their prison because they only live confined inside the diagnosis. I can’t do this because I can’t do that, because if I do this, this will happen, because I have. They’ve capped their ceiling of life based on a couple of words that somebody gave them at a point in their life when they were so low and potentially so desperate that they needed that name to identify themselves and what was going on. And instead of asking, why is this happening? Dr. Deb Muth 8:05Why are these symptoms happening? What’s causing these symptoms? They’re told, this is what you have, and this is what you’re going to have to live with. And instead of restoring function, these people become managed. Like I said, they’re managed with drugs. They’re managed inside the system. And instead of healing, they’re monitored with this blood test and that blood test and this MRI and that mri. Instead of providing hope, they’re handed a lifelong prescription with expectations that do nothing but decline. So you walk out of that room with this expectation that your life is never going to be the same, that your function is going to decline, your neurological disease is going to take over eventually, you’re going to be put in a home, you’re going to lose everything you have because you’re not going to be able to afford the care that you need. And that’s the expectations of our healthcare system today. When you’re labeled with a chronic illness diagnosis, and for a woman, especially women, this is magnified because their symptoms are told to them as. It’s stress, it’s hormones, it’s anxiety, it’s aging, it’s motherhood, and then, of course, it’s perimenopause. Like that is some major traumatic thing that should disrupt your entire life. Yet it shouldn’t, and it does, and it doesn’t have to. And of course, my favorite is always, but your labs are normal. We don’t know what’s wrong with you. It must just be in your head. Dr. Deb Muth 9:53And this is why women are done being dismissed, why this shift is happening now that we are empowering women to take back Their lives, take back who they are and take back how they’re being treated in the healthcare system. And it is one of the most important things that we can do right now is to give women their power back so that they can stand strong in who they are and in their intuition and fight and say, no, this is not happening to me right now. I am not accepting this label. I’m not accepting this diagnosis. I will fight, I will find answers, and I will do what I need to do to be the woman that I want to be. So why is this conversation exploding right now? Well, there’s actually three big reasons, and first and foremost, it’s over. Diagnosis, burnout. People are collecting diagnoses without solutions. Autoimmune labels, syndromes, vague neurological names, but no one’s connecting the dots. Dr. Deb Muth 11:02You see, when you start to stack these labels on top of each other, one after the next after the next, you know, it’s celiac disease, it’s Hashimoto’s, it’s fibromyalgia, it’s autoimmune. You know, rheumatoid arthritis. It’s. Whatever it is, it’s long haul Covid. These days, no one is putting these connections together to say, why are you developing so many diseases that are so similar in nature, ones that just kind of domino after each other? Nobody’s looking at your immune system. Nobody’s measuring it, Nobody’s telling you how well it’s working. No one’s supporting it. They’re just throwing these biological drugs at you. And if there’s an autoimmune disease and sending you on your way and saying, this is what you have to look forward to for the rest of your life. But don’t worry, these side effects are rare, including cancer. It does not make sense to me that we are not looking at the root cause for all of these crazy diagnoses that we are labeling people with today. And I am guilty of it myself, because within the system that we work, we have to label something in order for you to receive the care that you need, for your insurance, to pay for the treatment, for the tests, for the visits. There has to be a label. And that’s what we call an ICD10 code. And if we don’t have the appropriate label, none of what we’re recommending gets covered for you. And that’s the label game began. The second thing is long haul Covid. And post vi

    30 min

  8. JAN 22

    Episode 253 – Environmental exposures, Lyme disease & multiple chemical sensitivities: integrative approaches to healing

    Dr. Deb Muth 0:03Today’s guest is someone I’m honored to call both a friend and a mentor, and one of the most trusted voices in medicine for patients with complex chronic illness. Dr. Neal Nathan is a board certified family physician who has spent decades caring for patients who don’t fit neatly into diagnostic boxes. Patients with mold related illnesses, Lyme disease, mast cell activation, and profound nervous system dysregulation. These are the patients who are often told their labs are normal and their symptoms are anxiety or that nothing more can be done. Instead of dismissing them, Dr. Nathan listened and he asked better questions. His work, including his landmark book, Toxic, has helped thousands of people finally feel seen, believed, and understood, and more importantly, has given them a path forward when medicine failed them. This conversation is for anyone who reacts to supplements or medications, for anyone who has gotten worse instead of better with treatment, and for anyone who knows their body that something deeper is going on, even if they’ve been told otherwise. Dr. Nathan, I’m deeply grateful for your mentorship, your integrity, and the way you continue to advocate for the most vulnerable patients. I’m so glad to have you here today. And before we begin, grab a cup of coffee, tea, or whatever grounds you, because this is the conversation you’ll want to settle into. Now, before we go onto this conversation, we need to hear from our sponsors. So give us just a quick moment and then Dr. Nathan and I are going to dive in to his story and how this all started for him and leave you with some nuggets of wisdom that you can help yourself with. Ladies, it’s time to reignite your vitality. Primal Queen supplements are clean, powerful formulas made for women like you who want balance, strength, and energy that lasts. Get 25% off@primalqueen.com Serenity Health that’s PrimalQueen.com Serenity Health because every queen deserves to feel in her prime the right places and then we can get started. All right? So, Dr. Nathan, like I said, I’m so excited to have you here today. Tell us a little bit about how did you start your career? Because you didn’t intend to work with the most complex and sensitive patients, I’m sure when you started out. But what did you notice early on that made you realize medicine was missing something? Neil Nathan MD3:03You know, Deb, actually, I did start out wanting to work with the most complicated cases. My delusional fantasy when I started was I wanted to help every single person who walked into my office. And so when I left medical school, I realized pretty quickly that the tools that I learned there were not adequate to do That I needed to learn more. So I started on a passionate journey of discovery, if you will, in which I started studying with anyone who had anything interesting about healing to talk about. And I want to emphasize that I was interested in healing, not in what I’ll call medical technology. So medical school taught me to be a good medical technologist, but it didn’t teach me about healing. I graduated a long time ago. I graduated from Medical School in 1971. And the word holistic wasn’t even a word back in those days, but that’s what I was looking for over many, many years. I studied osteopathic manipulation, homeopathy, therapeutic touch, emotional release techniques, hypnosis. If it’s weird, I probably have studied it at some point. I wasted some weekends studying things that I don’t think were particularly valuable. And I’ve had some remarkable experiences with true healers that taught me how to expand my understanding of what healing really meant. So early on, when I first started practice, I would invite my colleagues to send me their most complicated patients because that was my learning. That makes me weird. I know that. I love some problem solving. You know, I’m the kind of person who I get up in the morning and I do all of the New York Times kinds of puzzles. That’s. That’s my brain wake up call. So actually I did invite my colleagues to send me their complicated patients, and they did. So, I mean, they were thrilled to have me in the community because these were people they didn’t know what to do with. And I was happy as a clam with all these complicated things that I had no idea what to do with. But it pushed me to keep learning more, to keep searching for this person’s answer. And this person’s answer, that constant question is, what am I missing? What is it that I don’t know or understand? What questions am I not asking this person that would help me to figure it out? So sorry for the long winded digression. Dr. Deb Muth 6:14No, I’m glad you shared that. I’m very similar to you. I didn’t seek out working with the most complex, but as I started that, I was always very curious as well. So I was the same as you. Every weekend I would learn something and hypnosis and naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, and all these quote unquote weird things, right? And there’s always a pearl that you learn from something. You never not learn anything, but some of it, you kind of take or leave or integrate or not. And, and I think it, it makes you a better Practitioner, because you have all these tools in your toolbox for helping people that nobody else has been able to help. And. And it’s just kind of fun learning. I mean, I’m kind of a geek that way too. I like to learn all those things. Neil Nathan MD7:00Learning is my passion. One of my greatest joys in life is going to a medical meeting and getting a pearl. Literally. I’m not one of these people at medical meetings that have a computer in front of me listening. And I have a pad of paper and I’m writing down ideas next to people that I’m working with. So that, oh, let’s bring this up for these people. Let’s bring this up for these people. So it’s like, oh, great. Can’t get right back to the office on Monday so I can start, have some new ideas about what I’m missing. Dr. Deb Muth 7:38Yeah, I do the same thing. I have my pad of paper and I do the same thing. And as I hear something, I’m thinking about a person that’s in my office that I haven’t been able to help, or we’ve been stuck on something, and I’m like, oh, there’s a new thing we can try. And it’s so exciting. I love that. Let me ask you this. Was there a time when you finally thought, like, if I don’t listen to these patients differently, they might not ever get better? Neil Nathan MD8:04That’s a very complicated question. The people that I was treating that weren’t getting better were the ones that got my greatest attention. And one of the questions that constantly troubled me still does is, is this person not getting better because of some feature of themselves, or is it because of something that I don’t know? So I’ve wrestled with that for a very long time. My answer to it now is, For a long time, I’ve been able to see what I will call the light in a person. Call it a healing spark and energy. It isn’t truly light. There’s just something about that person when I work with them where I know this person will get well if I stick with them long enough. And then when I don’t get that, I don’t think I’ve helped any of those people over the years. Yeah, so it was a very long process of really not helping people for five years daily. And I would. I would ask those patients, I would say, you know, I haven’t helped you. We’ve been doing this for a very long time. Why are you still here? And they would say, because you care. And I would. Back when I was Younger, that was enough for me to go. That’s true. Okay, I’ll keep working at it. But as I’ve gotten older, caring isn’t enough. It’s. I’m not sure I’m the right person for you. And so as I’ve gotten older, when I don’t see that spark, when I don’t get that sense of someone, I’m more inclined early on in the relationship to tell them I’m not the right person for you. Yeah, you know, see if you can find someone else who can understand what you’re going through and help you. Because I, I’m not it. Dr. Deb Muth 10:16Yeah, you, you kind of know that you can help them or not. Yeah. Neil Nathan MD10:21I don’t know how to define that sense, but it’s very clear to me. I call it like seeing the inner light of another being. If it’s not there, and maybe it’s not there for me to see as opposed to someone else can see it. Dr. Deb Muth 10:41That’s interesting. So you’re known for working with patients who are highly reactive. They don’t tolerate supplements, a lot of times medications, or even some of your most gentlest protocols. Why are these patients so often misunderstood? Neil Nathan MD 10:59Because they appear to their family and to many other physicians to be so sensitive that the thought process of families and other physicians is often. Nobody’s that sensitive. This has got to be in your head. And that is what is conveyed to those patients. And they’re told it’s gotta be in your head. Go see a psychiatrist or a therapist. But I can’t help you. And unfortunately, we have learned in the last 20 years a great deal about, is making our patients so sensitive. It is a true reaction of their nervous system and immune system, and it is in response to various medical conditions they have. So again, as we’ve been talking about, those were the people that got sent to me for many years. And I, I have never believed that the majority of any. Anything that someone has experienced is in their head. Yeah, Almost everything I look at is real. I may not understand what is causing it, but for me, doubting a patient’s experience is not something I’ve ever done. And that’s what’s helped fuel what I’ve learned and what you learned over the year. That, okay, if this is real, and it is, I’m sure it is, the person in front of

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