Fixing Midlife Hormonal Symptoms Using Food with Dr. Alan Christianson

What if some people diagnosed with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, anxiety, or even early Alzheimer's are actually dealing with an underlying infection that was never properly identified? Today, I'm sharing my conversation with Dr. Richard Horowitz, a board-certified internist who has treated more than 13,000 patients with Lyme and tick-borne disease over the last four decades, many of whom had already seen countless doctors and collected diagnoses like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, and early dementia before discovering Lyme may have been part of the picture. Dr. Horowitz calls Lyme "the great imitator" because its symptoms can overlap with so many other conditions, and since 2016, Dr. Horowitz has published 11 papers on treatment approaches. In one of his latest studies, he and his colleagues explored a possible connection between Lyme disease and Alzheimer's biomarkers, reporting major improvements in certain inflammatory and cognitive-related markers after treatment. We discuss his broader "MSIDS" model, which looks at chronic illness through a much wider lens. Instead of looking for one single cause, the model examines multiple overlapping factors that may contribute to illness, including infections, toxins, gut dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, sleep issues, immune imbalance, and inflammation. In this podcast, Dr. Horowitz and I discuss: Why Lyme disease is called "the great imitator" and how it can resemble chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer's disease The often-overlooked migratory pain that is one of the hallmark symptoms of chronic Lyme The Lyme symptom questionnaire, which he developed and validated on 6,400 patients How research from Johns Hopkins and other universities changed our understanding of Lyme as a persistent infection Why Dr. Horowitz began using drugs like dapsone and rifampin in Lyme treatment protocols His published research on dapsone combination therapy and the improvements he has observed in patients His recent findings on Lyme disease and Alzheimer's biomarkers, including reductions in tau217 levels Dr. Horowitz's unique MSIDS model and the many overlapping factors that may drive chronic illness Why chronic illness rates continue rising and what conventional medicine may still be missing Why Dr. Horowitz believes recovery is possible, even for patients who have been sick for years  

In this episode, I am speaking with Emily Fletcher – the founder of Ziva meditation – about why you should tab into your sexuality to manifest your goal and dreams.    In this podcast, Emily and I discuss:  ·      The secrets of sacred sexuality  ·      The link between sex and the divine ·      How to use orgasms to level up your potential ·      The power of GOYA (Get Off Your Ass)

Most people think fatigue is simple. You're tired because you didn't sleep enough. Or you're stressed. Or maybe you just need more caffeine. But what if you've addressed all those factors and are still fatigued? Today, I'm joined by Dr. Evan Hirsch, a physician who has helped thousands of people recover from chronic fatigue after experiencing it himself. And according to Dr. Hirsch, fatigue is rarely caused by one singular thing. When you look deeper, a pattern emerges. Hidden infections, environmental toxins, nutrient deficiencies, poor sleep quality, and nervous system dysfunction often show up together. Once you start connecting these dots, fatigue stops looking like a simple problem and starts looking like a signal. In this episode, Dr. Hirsch and I break down the real drivers of low energy and what it actually takes to fix them, not just manage symptoms. This episode was first released in June 2017 In this podcast, Dr. Hirsch and I discuss: Why fatigue is often driven by multiple root causes, not just lack of sleep, stress, or an isolated virus How toxins, mold, and environmental exposures can silently drain your energy, and why they need to be addressed slowly versus "hard and heavy" Why poor sleep quality, not just sleep duration, is often the real issue Why many people wake up at night (and what it really means) How hidden infections, yeast, or even parasites may contribute to fatigue and long-term brain health Why morning habits can improve sleep and energy more than nighttime routines The three supplements Dr. Hirsch leans on the most when working with chronic fatigue patients How addressing root causes can lead to lasting improvements in energy  

Most people think weight loss is simple: eat less, move more, push through the fatigue. But what if that approach is exactly why so many diets fail? Today, I'm joined by Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson, a PhD in brain and cognitive sciences who studies the neuroscience of eating behavior and long-term weight loss. According to Dr. Susan, fatigue during dieting is a short-term feeling that should ease over time…with the right approach. When you cut calories, your body doesn't just burn fat and carry on. It responds. Metabolism slows, energy drops, and hormones shift in ways that are normal but may make you feel tired. However, Dr. Susan's work challenges the idea that dieting has to mean constant hunger and fatigue. According to her data, hunger actually drops to very low levels when the right strategy is in place. Her approach is different. She believes sustainable results don't come from pushing harder. They come from working with your biology in ways that reduce fatigue, stabilize appetite, and support long-term adherence. In this episode, Dr. Susan and I break down why dieting so often leads to rebound weight gain and what to do instead. (This episode was initially released in May 2017)

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar taught the most popular course ever at Harvard and is one of the world's top happiness experts. He defines happiness not as temporary pleasure (like going to the beach or eating ice cream), but as "whole person well-being," captured in his SPIRE framework: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational, and Emotional. One of the most powerful studies Dr. Ben-Shahar shares is about janitors, nurses, and doctors working in the same hospitals doing identical work…yet some saw their work as a "job" (something they had to do for a paycheck), others as a "career" (focused on climbing the organizational hierarchy), and others as a "calling" (meaningful work that matters). The janitors who saw their work as facilitating patient healing were happier and performed better than doctors who saw their work as just a job. Surprisingly, research shows there is NO connection between IQ and happiness. But there IS a strong connection between using your intelligence (being curious, asking questions, and lifelong learning) and happiness. Curious people are not just happier and more successful, they also live longer!  

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Alan Christianson, a board-certified naturopathic endocrinologist and the founding president of the Endocrine Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the American College of Thyroidology. We'll discuss his new book, the Hormone Healing Cookbook, and specific foods for resolving pesky symptoms driven by hormonal changes in midlife.

In this episode, I'm speaking with Caroline Alan, the self-proclaimed "Mineral Geek." She shares her history of serious health problems, including gut inflammation, periodontal disease with bone loss in her teeth, recurring sinus infections, brain fog so bad she left her corporate career, and lifelong insomnia.  But her health completely transformed thanks to a chance suggestion from her business partner to try liquid minerals. Caroline is now passionate about sharing the connections she's found between mineral depletion, replenishment, and cellular function. She's also a soon-to-be published author; her book, The Mineral Reset: The Essential Guide to Replenishing Your Body and Restoring Your Health, will be available at the end of April.  

Most people think body fat is the problem. If you gain weight, the goal is simple: eat less, burn more, and try to get rid of it. But what if that way of thinking is fundamentally flawed? Today, I'm joined by Dr. William Li, a world-renowned physician and scientist who has led the development of more than 30 new medical treatments that impact care for over 70 diseases, including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. Dr. Li has spent decades studying the biology of metabolism, fat, and disease. In his view, body fat itself is not the enemy. In fact, it plays a critical role in your health. The real problem begins when fat becomes excessive, dysfunctional, and inflammatory, disrupting the systems that regulate metabolism and energy balance. This shift in perspective changes everything.  

Most people think of chronic illness as something caused by a specific trigger…an infection, a toxin, or even an autoimmune reaction. And the solution is to find and eliminate that one thing.  But what if that's not how it actually works? Today, I'm excited to have Dr. Eric Gordon back on the podcast. He's built a reputation for doing what most doctors won't, which is looking beyond the diagnosis to find what's actually driving a patient's illness and figuring out the right order to address it. His clinical work spans Lyme disease, ME/CFS, autoimmune conditions, and mitochondrial dysfunction, and many other forms of dysfunction, often all at once in the same patient. In 2016, he co-authored a landmark study with Dr. Robert Naviaux, also a former guest on this podcast and a bit of a personal hero of mine, someone who has done some of the most important work in medicine of the last century, with his work on the cell danger response.  In Dr. Gordon's view, chronic illness happens when the body's normal healing cycle gets interrupted and stuck in a persistent inflammatory state. From that perspective, the problem isn't just the original trigger. It's the state your body has shifted into. And if that's true, it changes how you approach treatment. That shift in thinking opens the door to very different kinds of interventions. These approaches focus on changing the broader biological environment rather than chasing a single cause. In this episode, Dr. Gordon and I discuss a therapy that filters and replaces part of your blood plasma and may help remove inflammatory factors circulating in the blood that keep the body stuck. In this podcast, Dr. Eric Gordon and I discuss: Why chronic illness often reflects a body stuck in the wrong healing state; compensations the body makes for stressors are designed to be short-term, not chronic What happens when the body's normal repair cycle gets interrupted Why the body's response, not the original trigger, can keep people sick The surprising role of "old information" in ongoing dysfunction Why trying to fix one problem at a time often falls short in people with overlapping conditions  Dr. Gordon explains why treating the body as a machine will never work - biological reductionism is the fundamental error How a fascinating intervention called plasmapheresis works to filter and replace blood plasma and lower inflammatory load Why plasmapheresis is gaining attention in chronic illness and longevity Dr. Gordon's belief that medicine is faulty because it's hooked on specificity, that the more we can do exactly what we want, the better…but this approach is lacking because we don't know exactly how our bodies work 

In this episode of The Energy Blueprint, I'm speaking with neuroscientist and bestselling author Mark Waldman. Mark has been on the podcast multiple times, but I find his information so interesting that I'm excited to have him back today.  Mark is now working in a new field called network neuroscience. During our conversation, he explains the framework of this field and shares some very practical but very effective steps to reduce mind-wandering and improve psychotherapy outcomes.