Uncovering the Hidden Causes of Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue: What Most Protocols Miss

Most people think of long COVID as something new, but for many, it’s simply a different name for an old, complex pattern: chronic fatigue. In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, Dr. Ritamarie sits down with Dr. Evan Hirsch (The EnergyMD) to discuss the clinical connections between long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and the deeper biochemical imbalances practitioners must understand to reverse them.This is not a surface-level conversation. Dr. Hirsch breaks down the toxic five, his four-step recovery system, and why most testing methods fail to reveal the real root causes. You’ll learn what to look for in clients presenting with post-COVID fatigue, why overtraining can backfire, and how to help clients finally move the needle.What’s Inside This Episode? Why long COVID and chronic fatigue are more alike than most realizeHow spike protein becomes the "final straw" for an already stressed systemThe difference between whispers and shouts in client symptom historyWhy standard immune testing often gives false negativesThe five hidden drivers behind long COVID and chronic fatigueDr. Hirsch’s four-step framework for long-term recoveryWhy testing might be unnecessary and what to do insteadHow to build resilience with herbal, nutritional, and nervous system supportWhy proper sequencing is key to sustainable detox and repairA look inside Dr. Hirsch’s hybrid coaching model and success rateResources and Links:Download our FREE Guide to Unlock the Power of Optimal EnergyJoin the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportVisit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes hereGuest Resources and LinksJoin Dr Evan Hirsch’s FREE Facebook GroupConnect with Dr Evan  on:FacebookLinkedInTwitterInstagramTikTokYouTubeGrab his free Gift: Free MasterclassGuest Bio:Evan H. Hirsch, MD, (also known as the EnergyMD) is a world-renowned fatigue expert, best-selling author, and professional speaker. He is the creator of the EnergyMD Method, the science-backed and clinically proven 4-step process to resolving Long Covid and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) naturally. Through his best-selling book, podcast, and international online program, he has helped thousands of people around

Most people think neuropathy shows up after a diabetes diagnosis. But in reality, tingling, numbness, or burning in the hands or feet often shows up years earlier.  In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, I explore the deeper drivers of neuropathy, beyond what conventional medicine typically considers, and share how to identify and address them before lasting damage occurs.. You’ll learn how to spot the red flags and how to apply targeted strategies to halt or reverse nerve damage.If your patients are complaining of unexplained nerve symptoms, or you’re experiencing them yourself, don’t wait. These are clues. And when you know how to read them, you can intervene early and change the trajectory of metabolic decline.What’s Inside This Episode?The metabolic mechanisms linking insulin resistance to nerve damageThe three types of neuropathies every practitioner should recognizeFunctional labs that detect root causesThe hidden role of vitamin deficiencies and genetics in nerve symptomsClinical clues that distinguish neuropathy from carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, or toxicityFunctional interventions: diet, exercise, supplements, and antioxidant therapies that restore nerve healthNutrients that accelerate repairLifestyle and stress‑management strategies that promote regeneration and protect mitochondriaResources and Links:Download our FREE Metabolic Health Guide here.  Download our FREE Guide to for Lab Test RecommendationsJoin the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportReserve your spot for our Reinvent Healthcare Online Event Nov 7-9! It’s the event of the year for practitioners serious about root-cause healing. Visit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes here

Peptides are everywhere right now, in social media, practitioner circles,  and supplement protocols. But are they really the solution for autoimmune and gut healing… or just another overhyped tool?In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo is joined by functional health experts Steph Jackson and Jennifer Whitmire to explore how peptides may support gut repair, reduce immune reactivity, and help stabilize autoimmune clients.They don’t hold back. This is a grounded, real-world conversation about how peptides actually work, when to use them, how to layer them into gut programs, and when not to waste your money.What’s Inside This Episode?What peptides really are and which ones actually support gut and immune healingWhen peptides might help restore tight junction integrity and reduce leaky gutThe real risks: growth promotion, poor absorption, and overrelianceWhy “jumping on the peptide bandwagon” can backfire if root causes aren’t addressedHow to time peptides with food, supplements, and protein intakeOral vs. subcutaneous vs. intranasal delivery—what the research actually saysItems like dosage, pulsing, retesting, and client readinessWhy peptides should support and not replace your root-cause solutionsThe power of true gut and autoimmune repairResources and Links:Download our FREE Metabolic Health Guide here.  Join the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportReserve your spot for our Reinvent Healthcare Online Event Nov 7-9! It’s the event of the year for practitioners serious about root-cause healing. Visit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes hereGuest Resources and LinksSteph JacksonJoin the Friendly Flora Collective – Microbiome MembershipJennifer WhitmireJoin the Culinary Healing CircleSteph JacksonIf you are ready to go deep with your digestive health and you need more than slippery elm, you will enjoy working with Nutritional Endocrinology coach, Steph Jackson. Steph loves customizing balancing programs for the micro biome, working with fermented foods, and looking at how the body systems work together. After finding and clearing the root cause of her severe physical pain and exhaustion, Steph has gone on to help others to do the same. She is also the proud founder of Crave Conscious, a non-dairy yogurt company based in Vancouver, British Columbia.Jennifer Whitmire On a mission to save body parts, Jennifer Whitmire is a culinary coach, health educator, and master herbalist specializing in autoimmune and thyroid health. Since 2017, she’s taught women how to heal with food by restoring energy, balancing hormones, and repairing the gut through science-backed, whole food plant-based cooking and...

What if your patient’s blood sugar looks “okay,” but their kidneys are already under attack?In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, Dr. Ritamarie uncovers the common progression of kidney damage fueled by insulin resistance and elevated glucose. Most practitioners miss the early clues. And most patients never feel symptoms… until it’s too late.Discover the early biochemical markers, the overlooked tests, and the clinical action steps you can take now to prevent progression to fibrosis, dialysis, and even renal failure.What’s Inside This Episode?The silent mechanisms linking insulin resistance to kidney scarring and declineWhy normal creatinine and BUN may be misleading and what to test insteadWhich labs signal decline before patients show symptomsThe food patterns and protein levels that support vs. stress the kidneysTargeted botanicals, nutrients, and fasting strategies for protecting kidney functionHow to approach intermittent fasting, inflammation, and oxalates with nuanceWhen medications like SGLT2 inhibitors or ACE inhibitors may be protectiveThe practitioner’s role in prevention, education, and root-cause reversalResources and Links:Download our FREE Health Detective Checklist.Download our FREE Guide to for Lab Test RecommendationsJoin the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportReserve your spot for our Reinvent Healthcare Online Event Nov 7-9! It’s the event of the year for practitioners serious about root-cause healing. Visit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes here  

One in three adults now has fatty liver disease, and most don’t even know it. It’s become the most common form of liver dysfunction worldwide—even outpacing alcohol-related liver damage. And the real danger? It often progresses in silence, from fat to inflammation to fibrosis, with no symptoms until it's too late.In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, Dr. Ritamarie exposes a quiet transformation that's becoming alarmingly common: the metabolic cascade behind fatty liver. It doesn’t start with pain or obvious signs. It starts with subtle shifts in biochemistry that most protocols completely miss.Before the liver scars, there are clues. And if you know where to look, you can help reverse the damage long before it becomes permanent.What’s Inside This Episode? Why liver damage is now driven more by food than by alcoholThe signals that mark the shift from fat accumulation to fibrosisWhat “normal” AST and ALT might be hiding, and how to interpret themA critical lab ratio that reveals what single values can’tEarly metabolic signs that point to liver inflammation before imaging shows a thingTherapeutic strategies to restore liver function, starting with the kitchenHow trauma and oxytocin tie into liver recoveryThe botanical allies that protect and regenerate hepatic tissueResources and Links:Download our FREE Metabolic Health Guide here.  Check out the FREE From Fat to Fibrosis Practitioner Quick GuideHere is a FIB-4 Calculator Tool FIB-4 = (Age × AST) / (Platelets × √ALT)NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) = -1.675 + (0.037 × age) + (0.094 × BMI) + (1.13 × hyperglycemia) + (0.99 × AST/ALT ratio) - (0.013 × platelet count) - (0.66 × albumin)Join the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportVisit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes here

Inflammation is the biological fire underlying most chronic disease. In this episode, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo returns with NEPT graduates Steph Jackson and Jennifer Whitmire to uncover how food fuels or fights inflammation.From autoimmune flares and brain fog to hidden cardiovascular risks, the trio explores how everyday foods, even so-called “healthy” ones, can lead to inflammation, and what to do about it. This episode will shift how you look at food, labs, and healing.What’s Inside This Episode?How inflammation silently hides in autoimmune conditions, heart disease, and brain fogThe tests most practitioners miss when screening for inflammationWhy food “sensitivities” go far beyond IgA or IgG testingThe hidden downside of health foodsWhy ginger may be as powerful as turmeric and how both interact with the microbiomeHow oxytocin, hydration, and color diversity can be more anti-inflammatory than supplementsResources and Links:Download our FREE Functional Food GuideJoin the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportReserve your spot for ReInvent 2025 here for a deep dive into the impact of the microbiome on brain health including lab testing and geneticsVisit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing resultsCheck out other podcast episodes hereGuest Resources and LinksSteph JacksonJoin the Friendly Flora Collective – Microbiome MembershipJennifer WhitmireJoin the Culinary Healing CircleGuest BioSteph JacksonIf you are ready to go deep with your digestive health and you need more than slippery elm, you will enjoy working with Nutritional Endocrinology coach, Steph Jackson. Steph loves customizing balancing programs for the micro biome, working with fermented foods, and looking at how the body systems work together. After finding and clearing the root cause of her severe physical pain and exhaustion, Steph has gone on to help others to do the same. She is also the proud founder of Crave Conscious, a non-dairy yogurt company based in Vancouver, British Columbia.Jennifer Whitmire On a mission to save body parts, Jennifer Whitmire is a culinary coach, health educator, and master herbalist specializing in autoimmune and thyroid health. Since 2017, she’s taught women how to heal with food by restoring energy, balancing hormones, and repairing the gut through science-backed, whole food plant-based cooking and kitchen-based strategies.

What if the biggest block to your client’s healing isn’t the protocol but their fear of change? In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, Dr. Ritamarie sits down with mindset and motivation expert Toni St. Clair to uncover what really stops clients from moving forward, and how you can become the kind of practitioner who inspires lasting transformation.You’ll discover Toni’s 3-part framework for turning fear into focus, overwhelm into action, and resistance into results. This conversation will equip you with the tools to create change that sticks.What’s Inside This Episode?The surprising mindset trap that paralyzes even the most motivated clientsHow to uncover the hidden fears that sabotage follow-throughThe art of anchoring habit change to meaningful, personal goalsWhat to say when a client “fails” and how to turn setbacks into momentumHow to manage expectations (yours and theirs) for sustainable successWhy small wins matter more than perfect plans and how to build on themThe one thing you must create before any clinical strategy can workResources and Links:Download our FREE Metabolic Health Guide here.  Join the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportTickets are available for our 2025 ReInvent Healthcare Online Intensive. Grab your spot now and get the resources and support you need to thrive. Click Here to RegisterVisit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes hereGuest Resources and LinksCheck out Toni St Clair’s website at True Self Total HealthFind Toni on LinkedIn at Toni St. Clair on LinkedInDownload Toni’s Free Gift: Kick Start Kit for Prompts and tools for applying Toni’s 3 C’s frameworkGuest BioToni is a passionate and results-driven National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach specializing in functional medicine, integrative health, and behavior change. As the founder and CEO of TrueSelf TotalHealth, she helps high-functioning, purpose-driven professionals and leaders reclaim their energy, balance, and joy through personalized lifestyle strategies rooted in functional medicine and mindfulness.With over a decade of experience, Toni has supported individuals and groups through one-on-one coaching, group programs, and collaborative care in integrative and functional medicine practice settings.She holds additional certifications from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy in...

What if your patient’s “normal labs” were hiding a serious disease? What if protocols were making them worse, and you didn’t know?In this episode, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo sits down with functional nutrition experts and NEPT grads Steph Jackson and Jennifer Whitmire to challenge the shallow training and one-size-fits-all approaches flooding the health coaching industry.You’ll hear raw stories of autoimmune recovery, near-missed diagnoses, and the tools practitioners need to truly help the clients that conventional medicine and standard health coaching fails.This episode will change how you approach your role as a practitioner.What’s Inside This Episode?Why most health coaching certifications miss the mark (and what real clinical depth looks like)The role of deep health histories, not just symptom listsThe dangers of relying on single tests alone and the overlooked signs of diseaseHow one practitioner uncovered colon cancer by refusing to accept “normal” labsWhy gut health is the center of many illnesses and why personalization is everythingResources and Links:Download our FREE Guide to Supporting a Healthy and Balanced Immune SystemJoin the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportJoin the 3 Day 2025 Reinvent HealthCare Online Intensive [RHOI]Visit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes here

What if the first signs of insulin resistance have nothing to do with glucose?In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, Dr. Ritamarie uncovers the hidden metabolic dialogue between the liver and pancreas. It’s a connection that begins to break down long before glucose or A1C raise red flags. Beneath the surface of “normal labs” lies a growing storm: insulin buildup, glucagon misfires, and early beta-cell stress that quietly unravel metabolic balance.If you're only testing blood sugar, you're missing the real story.Discover the overlooked markers that reveal the dysfunction most practitioners miss. This episode will change the way you view insulin resistance and give you the tools to catch it before the spiral begins.What’s Inside This Episode?What most practitioners miss by focusing only on glucose, A1C, or symptomsHow to spot early-stage metabolic collapse while there’s still time to reverse itWhy blood sugar may be the last thing to change and what starts breaking down long beforeThe overlooked conversation between two metabolic powerhouses and what happens when it goes quietHow hidden hormone signals spark a chain reaction of dysfunction no one’s talking aboutThe surprising reason some clients wake up with high glucose even on a “perfect” dietClues your clients are missing the mark, not because of willpower, but because of broken feedback loopsResources and Links:Download our FREE Glucagon, Insulin, and Blood Sugar chart.  Download our FREE Proinsulin, Insulin, and C-Peptide ChartJoin the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportReserve your spot for The REINVENT HEALTHCARE Intensive Learn Proven,​​ Leading-Edge Frameworks to Enhance Clinical Skills, Improve Visit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results. Check out other podcast episodes hereWhat’s Inside This Episode?A conversation your client’s blood sugar is already having—between liver, pancreas, insulin, and glucoseWhy fatty liver disrupts insulin clearance and leads to silent hyperinsulinemiaThe glucagon paradox: how this “forgotten hormone” can drive glucose production even in the fed stateBeta-cell stress decoded: how proinsulin and C-peptide ratios uncover hidden dysfunctionThe truth about "normal" A1C—and why it may just mean the pancreas is compensatingWhat poor insulin clearance looks like—and how to spot liver stress using routine labsHow and when to use labs like proinsulin, fasting glucagon, and FIB-4Natural strategies to restore liver-pancreas harmony with fasting, circadian alignment, and targeted nutrients

Hot flashes, mood swings, and brain fog. Too often, these symptoms are brushed off as inevitable signs of aging. What if these are your client’s early warning system of deeper hormonal chaos already underway?In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, Dr. Ritamarie sits down with hormone specialist and bestselling author Dr. Mariza Snyder to discuss the critical phase of perimenopause. Long before menopause sets in, subtle shifts in hormone function can disrupt mood, metabolism, sleep, and more.If you’re only testing estrogen and progesterone, you’re missing the bigger picture. This conversation challenges outdated assumptions and exposes the hidden patterns that masquerade as anxiety, depression, and burnout, so you can catch the real root cause before it’s too late.What You’ll Discover Inside:The Silent Phase That Sets the StageWhy the most critical hormonal changes start years before menopause and go unnoticed by most providers.The Missing Piece in Hormone TestingA key hormone marker that can reveal perimenopausal shifts early but is rarely measured.When Stress Becomes the Master HormoneHow modern life drives the adrenal-hormone feedback loop and what to watch for in burned-out clients.The Blood Sugar–Estrogen LinkWhy metabolic balance is non-negotiable for hormonal balance and how to spot trouble before it spirals.What Most Practitioners Miss About HRT TimingThe real risks of waiting too long and why “not yet” can be just as dangerous as “not at all.”Resources and Links:Download the transcript hereDownload our FREE guides:Metabolic Health Guide here.&nbsp;&nbsp;Protein ChartsJoin the Next-Level Health Practitioner Facebook group here for free resources and community supportVisit INEMethod.com for advanced health practitioner training and tools to elevate your clinical skills and grow your practice by getting life-changing results.&nbsp;Check out other podcast episodes hereDr. Mariza Snyder’s Resources and Links:Visit Dr Mariza’s website: www.drmariza.comCheck out her books hereGrab her Free Hormone Quiz + Gifts: https://www.drmariza.com/hormone-quizListen to her podcast: Essentially You with Dr. Mariza SnyderFind her on social media platforms:&nbsp;Follow her on Instagram: @drmarizaFacebook: @drmarizasnyder&nbsp;Insta: @drmariza&nbsp;YouTubeTwitter: @drmariza<a...