Breast cancer screening is often treated as a given. Mammograms are framed as routine, early detection as unquestionably life-saving, and following guidelines as the responsible choice. But what if the full picture is more complicated?

In this episode of hol+, Dr. Taz sits down with integrative oncologist and breast surgeon Dr. Jenn Simmons, author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, to explore what breast cancer screening data actually shows, where common narratives may oversimplify reality, and how statistics can sometimes be misunderstood by both patients and providers.

Together, they discuss the difference between screening and diagnostic imaging, why detecting more cancers does not always mean fewer deaths, and how concepts like overdiagnosis and lead-time bias shape our interpretation of outcomes. Dr. Jenn also explains how breast cancer behaves differently from many other cancers, why progression is not always linear, and what tumor markers like ER, PR, HER2, and triple-negative really indicate.

The conversation expands beyond imaging into a whole-body view of breast health, touching on inflammation, immune function, metabolic health, toxic burden, stress, and lifestyle as factors that shape cancer risk and recovery. Rather than promoting fear or urgency, this episode focuses on helping listeners understand their bodies, ask better questions, and make informed decisions with clarity.

This episode is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of breast cancer screening, feels overwhelmed by conflicting guidance, or wants to approach breast health with more nuance and less panic.

About Dr. Jenn Simmons

Dr. Jenn Simmons is an integrative oncologist, breast surgeon, and founder of Real Health MD. She was Philadelphia’s first fellowship-trained breast surgeon and spent nearly two decades leading one of the region’s top breast programs before transitioning into integrative oncology.

Drawing from her experience in conventional cancer care and her own health journey, Dr. Simmons now focuses on whole-body approaches to breast health, cancer prevention, and recovery, including metabolic health, inflammation, immune function, lifestyle medicine, and root-cause healing. She is the author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, a patient-centered resource designed to help women better understand their diagnosis, ask informed questions, and navigate treatment decisions with clarity rather than fear.

Order the Book

The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer 

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Jenn Simmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons
Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

00:00 Swedish trial claim and overdiagnosis framing
00:52 Why this became a part two conversation
03:25 Reframing screening narratives and medical training gaps
04:39 Why Dr. Simmons questions mammograms as a screening tool
06:06 Origins of screening programs and “invitation to screen” bias
07:12 Relative risk vs absolute numbers example (4 vs 5 per 1,000)
08:49 Overdiagnosis explained with a vivid analogy
09:50 Autopsy-study claim and the “microscopic cancer” idea
12:11 Swedish trial claim revisited: more diagnoses, same deaths
13:38 Downstream harms: callbacks, biopsies, overtreatment
15:04 Lead-time bias and survival statistics explained
16:44 Dr. Simmons’ view on the founder’s regret narrative
18:16 Switzerland headline clarified and what actually changed
20:10 Cautionary stories and aggressive cancers discussion
22:07 Why breast cancer does not always progress linearly
24:21 Buckets: DCIS, invasive, inflammatory, receptor types
26:15 Clinical vs subclinical disease approach
28:25 Long-term tradeoffs and “forgotten woman” after treatment
32:15 What ER PR HER2 mean biologically and system incentives
35:33 Testosterone discussion and prevention claim presented
42:15 Hormones after breast cancer and the 4-year “reintroduction” idea
44:29 Triple negative: environment, toxicity, immune system focus
49:19 What to do next: pause, exceptions, whole-body workup
52:32 Prevention and breast health approach begins
53:24 At-home tears test explanation (as discussed)
56:24 Detox basics and why sweating is emphasized
59:34 Imaging preferences for screening and what to do if limited access

OCD is often misunderstood as being about cleanliness, checking, or perfectionism. In this episode, Dr. Taz sits down with therapist and author Melissa Mose, LMFT, to unpack why OCD is frequently misdiagnosed for over a decade and what’s really happening beneath the surface of obsessions and compulsions. Melissa’s book Internal Family Systems Therapy for OCD bridges compassionate parts-based work with proven science to offer a richer path to lasting change.

Using clear science and compassionate explanations, this conversation explores how OCD hijacks the brain through a cycle of alarm and relief, why reassurance and family accommodation can quietly reinforce symptoms, and what actually works in treatment. Melissa breaks down why talk therapy alone often fails OCD, how Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) retrains the nervous system, and how Internal Family Systems (IFS) adds depth, self-compassion, and relational healing to recovery.

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with therapist, educator, and author Melissa Mose, LMFT, to unpack what OCD really is and why it often goes undiagnosed for over a decade. Melissa shares why OCD disguises itself as “just anxiety,” how well-meaning reassurance can quietly reinforce the disorder, and why many people spend years in talk therapy without real relief.

Using clear science and compassionate language, this episode explores how OCD operates through a cycle of alarm and relief, why the brain learns to depend on compulsions, and how Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) helps retrain the nervous system. Melissa also explains how Internal Family Systems (IFS) adds a relational, self-compassionate layer to treatment, helping people work with their inner world instead of battling it.

This conversation also looks at the bigger picture. OCD does not exist in isolation. Dr. Taz and Melissa explore how neuroinflammation, PANS and PANDAS, hormonal shifts, trauma, ADHD, eating disorders, and chronic stress can overlap with or intensify OCD symptoms. They discuss why intrusive thoughts can be disturbing and taboo, why intolerance of uncertainty sits at the core of OCD, and how relationships and intimacy are often quietly impacted.

From shame and self-blame to clarity and support, this episode offers a grounded reframe of OCD as a treatable condition rooted in brain-body patterns, not personal failure. Whether you are seeking help for yourself, supporting someone you love, or trying to understand OCD beyond the stereotypes, this conversation replaces fear with understanding and helplessness with practical pathways forward.

Dr. Taz and Melissa Mose, LMFT discuss:

•  Why OCD often goes undiagnosed for 11 to 17 years
•  How reassurance and family accommodation make OCD worse
•  The obsession-compulsion cycle and why it gets reinforced
•  Why talk therapy alone often fails OCD
•  What ERP actually does to retrain the brain
•  How Internal Family Systems supports compassion and healing
•  The role of uncertainty intolerance in OCD
•  How OCD affects families, partners, and intimacy
•  Neuroinflammation, PANS, PANDAS, hormones, and symptom flares
•  Why intrusive thoughts do not define who you are

About Melissa Mose, LMFT
Melissa Mose is a licensed marriage and family therapist, educator, and specialist in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. With over 30 years of clinical experience, she works with individuals and families navigating OCD and anxiety, and trains clinicians in evidence-based treatment approaches. Melissa integrates Exposure and Response Prevention with Internal Family Systems to support deep, sustainable change that goes beyond symptom management. Melissa is the author of Internal Family Systems Therapy for OCD: A Clinician’s Guide, a resource designed to help therapists bring compassion, parts-based awareness, and relational healing into gold-standard OCD treatment.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Melissa Mose, LMFT
Learn more about Melissa’s work: https://melissamosemft.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissamosemft

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many women reach their 30s and suddenly feel an invisible pressure set in. The clock gets louder. The messaging gets scarier. And fertility, something that once felt distant or optional, becomes charged with fear, urgency, and self-blame.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered if they waited too long, if their body is betraying them, or if turning 35 means everything has suddenly changed.

This is not a failure of timing.
This is not a lack of effort.
And it is not a fertility cliff.

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist Dr. Lucky Sekhon to dismantle one of the most anxiety-producing myths in women’s health: that fertility suddenly collapses at 35.

Dr. Lucky explains why fertility is a continuum, not a deadline, and why the panic surrounding age often does more harm than the biology itself. Using clear science and compassionate language, she breaks down the difference between egg quantity and egg quality, why egg quality cannot be directly tested, and what actually changes as women age.

This episode explores why fertility struggles are increasing worldwide, even among young women, and how factors like insulin resistance, PCOS, endometriosis, inflammation, environmental toxins, and chronic stress quietly shape reproductive health long before pregnancy becomes a goal.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Lucky also reframe painful and irregular periods as vital signs that should never be ignored, explain why many fertility diagnoses remain unclear, and clarify how treatments like IUI and IVF work not because the body is broken, but because human reproduction is naturally inefficient.

From fear-based fertility messaging to evidence-based clarity, this conversation offers a grounding reset. If you are trying to get pregnant, thinking about egg freezing, navigating fertility anxiety, or simply want to understand your body better, this episode replaces panic with perspective and urgency with informed choice.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Lucky Sekhon discuss:
• Why fertility does not suddenly end at 35
• The difference between egg count and egg quality
• Why egg quality cannot be directly tested
• The real drivers behind declining fertility rates
• PCOS, endometriosis, and insulin resistance as fertility blockers
• Why painful or irregular periods are red flags
• What fertility treatments actually improve and what they cannot
• How to approach pregnancy with clarity instead of fear

About Dr. Lucky Sekhon
Dr. Lucky Sekhon is a double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and OB/GYN based in New York City. She is widely recognized for her compassionate, evidence-based approach to fertility care and her ability to translate complex reproductive science into language women can actually understand.

Dr. Lucky is the author of The Lucky Egg: Understanding Your Fertility and How to Get Pregnant Now, a practical and empowering guide designed to help individuals and couples navigate fertility decisions with confidence, clarity, and realism. Her work focuses on demystifying fertility testing, treatment options, and the emotional toll of trying to conceive.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Lucky is a trusted educator across social media and digital platforms, where she helps women move beyond fear-based fertility narratives and make informed choices aligned with their life goals.

Order the Book

The Lucky Egg: Understanding Your Fertility and How to Get Pregnant Now

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Lucky Sekhon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucky.sekhon
Website: https://theluckyegg.com/

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many women hit midlife and feel something they cannot name. They are still doing the right things, eating well, exercising consistently, showing up for everyone, yet life suddenly feels harder and less familiar. Age Like a Girl gives language to this experience and explains why it is not a failure, but a shift happening beneath the surface.

This is not a motivation problem.
This is not a discipline issue.
And it is not “all in your head."

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with New York Times bestselling author and leading voice in women’s health Dr. Mindy Pelz, host of the hit podcast The Resetter Podcast, to explore the core message behind Age Like a Girl: menopause is not a decline, it is a biologically wired reinvention.

Instead of treating perimenopause and menopause as a crisis to manage, Dr. Mindy reframes the transition as a neurochemical and cognitive remodel designed to make women more focused, emotionally resilient, and aligned with who they truly are. She breaks down why modern life often clashes with this primal design, and why brain fog, mood shifts, and emotional intensity are not random symptoms, but signals that the brain is asking for a new way of living.

This episode explores why women can feel anxious, disconnected, or unlike themselves even when they are “doing everything right,” and how metabolism, stress chemistry, and neurotransmitters shape mood, clarity, and identity. Dr. Taz and Dr. Mindy discuss why many women initiate big life and relationship changes after 40, why community and connection become essential, and why reinvention is not a midlife crisis, but biology.

From perimenopause into postmenopause, this conversation reframes aging as an awakening. Not the end of youth, but the return of clarity, boundaries, and self-trust. If you have ever felt dismissed, confused, or afraid that something is wrong with you, this episode offers a validating and hopeful roadmap forward.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Mindy Pelz discuss:
 • The core message of Age Like a Girl and why it reframes menopause
 • Why the female brain is biologically wired for reinvention after 40
 • Brain fog and mood shifts as signals of a cognitive remodel
 • How modern life clashes with primal biology
 • Why women often make major life decisions in midlife
 • The role of neurotransmitters in clarity, calm, and confidence
 • Why community and deep connection matter more than ever
 • How to reclaim vitality without another exhausting checklist

About Dr. Mindy Pelz
Dr. Mindy Pelz is a New York Times bestselling author, visionary educator, and trailblazer in the field of women’s health and hormone science. With over two decades of experience, she’s built a global movement to help women understand the power of their bodies at every stage of life. Her bestselling books, including Fast Like a Girl, The Menopause Reset, and Eat Like a Girl, have helped millions of women use fasting, nutrition, and lifestyle shifts to balance hormones, boost energy, and take back control of their health. Her newest release book, Age Like a Girl, redefines what it means to grow older as a woman.Rooted in the latest science and rich in personal story, the book challenges outdated narratives about menopause and aging offering instead a roadmap for awakening. Dr. Mindy shows women how to use the neurochemical shifts of midlife as a launchpad for purpose, leadership, and bold reinvention. 

Dr. Mindy’s Resetter Podcast consistently ranks among Apple’s top U.S. science shows, with guests ranging from LeAnn Rimes and Rachel Hollis to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. Her YouTube channel has surpassed 110 million views, and her teachings have reached hundreds of thousands through workshops, online programs, and live events.

Order the book: Age Like a Girl 

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Mindy Pelz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/
Website: https://drmindypelz.com/
Podcast: The Resetter Podcast

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

What if the real question isn’t just how to live longer, but why so many people are living longer and healthier lives on paper, yet feel depleted, inflamed, disconnected, or cognitively foggy in daily life?

In this solo episode, Dr. Taz reframes what longevity really means and why healthy aging has far less to do with chasing more years and far more to do with protecting cellular health, vitality, and resilience across decades. She explains why humans are living longer than ever before, yet not necessarily living better, and how focusing only on disease management or biohacking trends misses the real drivers of aging.

You’ll learn why longevity is not defined by a number, but by biological age, health span, and cellular aging, and how inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, gut imbalance, nervous system stress, emotional disconnection, and loss of community quietly accelerate aging long before symptoms become diagnoses.

This episode reframes longevity as a full body system, not a supplement stack or a protocol. One that integrates physical health, brain function, emotional regulation, spirituality, and community. When these systems fall out of sync, aging speeds up. When they are supported together, living longer becomes living with clarity, strength, and purpose.

Dr. Taz shares:
• What longevity actually means and why lifespan and health span are not the same
• Why humans are living longer but not necessarily healthier
• How cellular aging, inflammation, and metabolic stress drive chronic disease
• Why diet quality, gut health, liver function, movement, sleep, and nervous system balance matter more than biohacking
• How cognitive reserve, dopamine regulation, and emotional health protect the aging brain
• Why community and spirituality are overlooked but essential pillars of healthy aging
• Where peptides, hormones, and modern longevity tools fit and where they don’t
• How to build a longevity plan that is realistic, accessible, and sustainable

Whether you’re thinking about how to live longer, worried about aging faster than you should, or simply want to protect your health span as you move through midlife and beyond, this episode offers a grounded, integrative roadmap.

Longevity is not about optimizing harder. It’s about supporting the systems that keep you well, year after year.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Chapters
00:00 Longevity is not about more years
00:50 Are humans really living longer
01:49 The global aging reality
03:31 Why aging became something to fear
05:17 Aging on a spectrum, not a number
06:07 The hidden disease burden of aging
08:31 Cellular aging explained
09:45 Why biohacking misses the foundation
11:10 The five-body approach to longevity
13:10 Community, emotion, and aging
14:05 Diet, inflammation, and cellular health
16:19 Medications, gut health, and aging
16:49 Fasting, calories, and longevity
18:52 What eating for longevity actually means
19:39 Movement and aging well
21:35 Sleep, repair, and brain health
22:50 Dementia, cognitive reserve, and prevention
24:20 Dopamine, emotion, and brain aging
26:49 Spirituality, community, and vitality
30:05 Peptides, hormones, and future medicine
31:58 A new vision for positive aging
32:48 Longevity is built day by day

• (00:00) - Longevity is not about more years
• (00:50) - Are humans really living longer
• (01:49) - The global aging reality
• (03:31) - Why aging became something to fear
• (05:17) - Aging on a spectrum, not a number
• (06:07) - The hidden disease burden of aging
• (08:31) - Cellular aging explained
• (09:45) - Why biohacking misses the foundation
• (11:10) - The five-body approach to longevity
• (13:10) - Community, emotion, and aging
• (14:05) - Diet, inflammation, and cellular health
• (16:19) - Medications, gut health, and aging
• (16:49) - Fasting, calories, and longevity
• (18:52) - What eating for longevity actually means
• (19:39) - Movement and aging well
• (21:35) - Sleep, repair, and brain health
• (22:50) - Dementia, cognitive reserve, and prevention
• (24:20) - Dopamine, emotion, and brain aging
• (26:49) - Spirituality, community, and vitality
• (30:05) - Peptides, hormones, and future medicine
• (31:58) - A new vision for positive aging
• (32:48) - Longevity is built day by day

Fertility, motherhood, and grief are rarely experienced in isolation. They overlap, compound, and quietly reshape how a woman sees herself, her body, and her future.

Many women move through loss while still being expected to function. They carry grief while building families. They navigate pregnancy, postpartum, and fertility decisions while holding careers, relationships, and public identities together. From the outside, it can look composed. Inside, it often feels fragile, confusing, and deeply human.

This is not failure.
This is not weakness.
And it is not something that needs to be fixed.

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with Whitney Port for an honest, grounding conversation about motherhood without the myth, and finding peace after profound loss. Whitney shares what unfolded after The Hills, including the loss of her father, who was also her business partner, and how grief reshaped her identity, marriage, and mental health during a pivotal season of life.

Together, they explore the realities that are often softened or skipped entirely. Pregnancy that does not feel joyful. Postpartum that feels disorienting. Breastfeeding struggles that take a real toll on mental health. And the invisible pressure women carry to do motherhood and fertility “the right way.”

Whitney also opens up about her fertility journey, including recurrent miscarriage, IVF, surrogacy, and failed transfers. She speaks candidly about the emotional spiral that can happen when you are someone used to achieving goals, but suddenly face something you cannot control. Rather than centering the story on struggle alone, this conversation focuses on what helped her find steadier ground: learning to stop future-spiraling, returning to the present, and holding gratitude alongside grief.

This episode is a reminder that healing does not mean bypassing pain. It means allowing space for it, while slowly reconnecting to meaning, relationships, and self-trust. It reframes fertility and motherhood not as tests of worth or discipline, but as deeply relational, emotional, and embodied experiences.

Dr. Taz and Whitney Port discuss:
 • Life after The Hills and the identity shift that followed
 • Losing a parent and navigating grief while building a family
 • Motherhood without the myth of constant joy
 • Pregnancy, postpartum, and mental health honesty
 • Breastfeeding pressure, pumping, and maternal burnout
 • Fertility, IVF, surrogacy, and the emotional weight of uncertainty
 • Why high-achieving women struggle most with loss of control
 • How to stop future-spiraling and return to the present
 • Sharing your story publicly while protecting what is sacred

About Whitney Port
Whitney Port is a television personality, entrepreneur, podcast host, and creative consultant. Known for starring on The Hills and The City, she now uses her platform to speak openly about grief, anxiety, fertility, body image, and modern motherhood, helping women feel less alone in experiences that are often hidden.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Whitney Port:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyeveport
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@whitneyport
Website: https://whitneyport.com/
Podcast: With Whit

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

• (00:00) - Grief after dad’s diagnosis and loss
• (00:30) - Dr. Taz introduces Whitney Port
• (01:30) - Pregnancy was not “the best time”
• (02:00) - Fertility pressure, self-blame, finding the right team
• (02:30) - Dr. Taz fan-girl moment and why Whitney’s story matters
• (04:30) - Reality TV then vs now
• (06:30) - Who Whitney is beyond the show
• (08:00) - Losing control of your narrative (editing + portrayal)
• (10:15) - The gifts of the show and creative platform
• (11:30) - Dad’s illness, grief, identity shift
• (13:30) - “I Love My Baby, But…” and being vulnerable on YouTube
• (16:00) - Marriage, grief fog, and coping
• (18:00) - Breastfeeding, pumping, mastitis, mental health
• (21:00) - What we’re not telling new moms (trust + noise)
• (23:00) - Body image, female bodies, and acceptance
• (27:30) - Fertility journey begins: miscarriage cycle
• (29:30) - Surrogacy conversation and failed transfers
• (32:00) - Age, hope, and continuing the journey
• (33:30) - Shame, grief, staying sane, gratitude shift
• (37:30) - Finding the right doctor and the lab factor
• (42:30) - Preparing physically and emotionally this time
• (44:00) - Privacy boundaries in public life
• (46:00) - Advice: purpose, staying in your lane
• (50:30) - Businesses, creative consulting, entrepreneurship
• (56:30) - What makes you hol + where to follow

What if the fatigue, stubborn weight changes, brain fog, inflammation, or burnout you’re experiencing isn’t a failure of willpower, but a signal that your metabolism is under strain? 

In this solo episode, Dr. Taz unpacks what metabolic health actually means in the age of GLP-1 medications. She explains why weight loss alone is not the same as healing, and how focusing only on the scale can quietly erode muscle, gut function, hormonal balance, cellular energy, and nervous system resilience.

You’ll learn why so many people lose weight but still feel exhausted, inflamed, anxious, or disconnected from their bodies. Dr. Taz breaks down the six core metabolic engines that regulate energy, fat storage, blood sugar, hormones, stress response, and longevity, and why ignoring even one of them can stall long-term health.

This episode reframes metabolism as a full body system. One that includes the gut microbiome, hormone signaling, mitochondrial function, liver detoxification, muscle health, and the nervous system. When these systems fall out of sync, weight becomes a symptom, not the root issue.

Dr. Taz shares:
 • Why GLP-1 medications support weight loss but do not repair metabolic dysfunction
 • How up to 25% of weight lost on GLP-1s can come from muscle, impacting long-term health and longevity
 • Why the gut is the foundation of metabolic health and how digestion, bile flow, and microbiome balance shape hormones and inflammation
 • How hormone shifts, especially in midlife, can rapidly disrupt blood sugar, cholesterol, energy, and weight
 • The role of cellular and mitochondrial health in fatigue, brain fog, and metabolic slowdown
 • Why liver function is central to detoxification, fat metabolism, and insulin regulation
 • How stress and nervous system dysregulation can drive cravings, poor sleep, and metabolic instability
 • How to identify which metabolic engine needs attention first so your plan stays targeted and sustainable

Whether you’re currently on a GLP-1, considering one, struggling after coming off, or simply want to build metabolic health that lasts for decades, this episode offers a grounded, integrative roadmap. You don’t need to chase trends or stack solutions. You need to understand the system you’re living in.

You may not control every variable that shaped your metabolism, but you can change how it functions moving forward.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many women describe a pattern they are never able to explain. They eat well, exercise consistently, and follow every recommendation they are given. Yet their weight fluctuates, their mood shifts unpredictably, and their focus disappears for weeks at a time. Anxiety creeps in. Depression settles quietly. Brain fog becomes normal. And eventually, shame takes over.

This is not a motivation problem.
This is not a discipline issue.
And it is not “all in your head.”

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with reproductive psychiatrist Dr. Sarah Oreck to reveal why PCOS is not just a hormonal or reproductive condition, but a whole-body mental health story that has been overlooked for decades.

Instead of viewing PCOS through isolated symptoms like irregular cycles, acne, or fertility struggles, Dr. Oreck explains how insulin resistance, inflammation, cortisol dysregulation, and androgen shifts directly affect brain chemistry, cognition, emotional regulation, and stress tolerance. She breaks down why women with PCOS experience significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, brain fog, and eating disorders, even when routine labs appear normal.

This episode explores how blood sugar instability alters neurotransmitter production, why inflammation may be a core driver of mood disorders, and how chronic stress and cortisol overload reshape the nervous system over time. Dr. Taz and Dr. Oreck also examine the role of medical gaslighting, delayed diagnosis, and the psychological toll of being told symptoms are imagined, exaggerated, or self-inflicted.

From adolescence through fertility journeys, pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause, this conversation reframes PCOS as a condition that affects the brain, gut, metabolism, and nervous system together, not in isolation. It highlights why symptom masking often fails, why talk therapy alone is not enough during hormonal dysregulation, and why true healing requires integrated, compassionate care.

You will learn why weight swings are not about willpower, why mood changes often track with insulin and cortisol rather than character, how gut health and microbiome shifts influence cognition, and what it means to become hormone-literate early, for yourself and for your children.

Together, Dr. Taz and Dr. Oreck offer a clear, validating roadmap for anyone who has felt dismissed, confused, or trapped in a body that will not respond the way it is supposed to.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Sarah Oreck discuss:
• Why PCOS has a major mental health component that is rarely addressed
• How insulin resistance and blood sugar swings impact mood and cognition
• The link between inflammation and anxiety, depression, and brain fog
• Why cortisol and chronic stress intensify PCOS symptoms
• How medical gaslighting delays diagnosis and fuels shame
• Why fertility journeys often uncover long-missed PCOS patterns
• The connection between PCOS and eating disorders like bulimia
• How gut health and microbiome shifts affect brain function
• Why birth control can help some women and worsen symptoms for others
• The importance of hormone literacy across the lifespan
• How to advocate for yourself when symptoms are dismissed
• Why healing requires integrated care, not isolated fixes

About Dr. Sarah Oreck
Dr. Sarah Oreck is a reproductive psychiatrist and the founder of Mavida Health. She specializes in the intersection of female reproductive hormones and mental health, with a focus on conditions like PCOS, fertility-related mood disorders, pregnancy, and postpartum mental health. Through clinical care, education, and community building, she works to close the gap between psychiatry, endocrinology, and whole-person medicine.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Sarah Oreck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahoreckmd
Website: https://www.sarahoreckmd.com/ & https://mavidahealth.com/
 

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

• (00:00) - Doing everything right but nothing changes
• (00:18) - Shame and medical gaslighting
• (00:37) - PCOS as a mental health story
• (01:16) - Inflammation and brain chemistry
• (02:00) - Focus, memory, emotions, and PCOS
• (04:21) - Origin story: hormones and gaslighting
• (06:11) - Why PCOS is missed
• (07:52) - PCOS and depression/anxiety rates
• (09:22) - Why fertility journeys reveal PCOS
• (11:30) - Labs and patterns clinicians ignore
• (12:59) - Diagnosis criteria explained
• (14:57) - Blood sugar swings and mood
• (15:56) - Insulin resistance and cognition
• (18:18) - Cortisol, stress, and PCOS
• (20:51) - Pregnancy exposure and cortisol
• (27:11) - Why we need screening tools
• (30:49) - Supplements that may help
• (32:15) - Microbiome and brain fog
• (44:31) - Rehearsing your story with doctors
• (46:10) - PCOS and bulimia connection
• (49:42) - Become hormone literate early

What if the anxiety, burnout, inflammation, or exhaustion you carry didn’t begin with you?

In this solo episode, Dr. Taz explores the emerging science behind generational trauma and how stress, fear, and survival patterns can be passed down biologically through mitochondrial DNA, the nervous system, and hormonal pathways. She explains why some people struggle with symptoms that don’t resolve despite doing everything right, and how ancestral trauma may be quietly shaping inflammation, cortisol levels, emotional regulation, and energy production across generations.

You will learn how trauma can alter mitochondrial function, disrupt the HPA axis, and create inherited patterns of hypervigilance, anxiety, burnout, and chronic disease. Dr. Taz introduces her five body map framework, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and community, to help you understand where inherited trauma may be showing up and how healing becomes possible when all layers are addressed.

Dr. Taz shares:
 • How trauma can be transmitted biologically through mitochondrial DNA passed down the maternal line
 • Why chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and cortisol dysregulation often appear in families with histories of displacement, silence, or survival stress
 • The signs of inherited nervous system patterns, including hypervigilance, fear based thinking, emotional suppression, and burnout that starts early
 • How ancestral trauma affects hormones, energy production, mental health, and emotional regulation
 • Why family secrets, shame, and silence can destabilize the entire family ecosystem and show up as disease
 • The five body map approach to screening generational trauma across physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and community layers
 • Practical ways to begin healing, including nervous system regulation, storytelling, somatic release, mitochondrial support, and restoring safe connection within families

Whether you are dealing with unexplained symptoms, chronic stress, emotional patterns that seem bigger than your life experience, or simply want to understand your family’s health history more deeply, this episode offers a new lens on healing. You may inherit biology, but you can change how it is expressed and what gets passed forward.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

• (00:00) - Hi everyone, it's Dr. Taz. Before we get into today's episode, I just wanna pause and say thank you. Your messages, your shares, your stories are, the reason we make Whole Plus every conversation here is about connecting the science, the intuition, and everyday life together so you can feel more like yourself.
• (00:00) - if you haven't already hit that subscribe or follow button, it helps us reach more people who need this. All right, let's begin. What if the pain you [00:00:30] carry didn't start with you? Science now shows that trauma can be passed through generations, not just through stories or behaviors, but through biological changes in the body itself.
• (00:00) - this episode, we're exploring the connection between ancestral trauma and mitochondrial DNA and how your body might still be echoing the stress, the fear, or the survival patterns of your lineage. The gift of being in practice for over 16 years and seeing, I don't know how [00:01:00] many patients, I think collectively as, uh, a series of whole plus clinics were at 60, 70,000.
• (00:00) - the gift of seeing a patient day in and day out and following them through their journey. Allows us as providers a lot of time to think, observe, learn, and listen. And one of the things that has always confused me until recently is why some people have symptoms or have issues without any explanation.[00:01:30]
• (00:00) - done all the right things. They're following the diet, they're exercising, they are doing all the things they're supposed to do. They've got those wellness routines down, red, light, blue, light, you name it, they're doing it, but they're still not well. And while I could have a conversation with all of you about chemistry and biology and physiology, here's what maturity and time has taught me.
• (00:00) - healing and being well doesn't exist on [00:02:00] one plane. It's not just about the numbers and the data. It's actually a whole lot more, so much more that it may even be linked to your generational trauma. Now, bear with me for a second. Please don't roll your eyes and change the channel or flip the screen.
• (00:00) - is important information and we are just beginning to understand what all of this means and how it's all connected. I've had many opportunities to observe [00:02:30] this. Some of them begin right in our home. I have watched as the women in our family have a very similar look in their eye demeanor way of talking tone.
• (00:00) - name it. Some of it we could explain away. My mom was an immigrant, came here at a very young age, 17, 18, 19 years old, had an arranged marriage. She had, I thought, the insecurity of being an immigrant, of being somebody in a new [00:03:00] country without a community. And I always explained away her inability or fear.
• (00:00) - of in terms of taking action or taking next steps as a part of that story, the immigrant story, right? I, I can't imagine what so many immigrants go through to get here and then to build a life in a family of their own, leaving behind mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, huge families. So I explained her story away that way.
• (00:00) - then there [00:03:30] was me and I grew up, as I've shared sometimes in a slightly chaotic, dysfunctional childhood home, and I don't wanna get into all of those details, but I had that same glimmer of fear and insecurity that I saw in my mom. But let's fast forward to my daughter all these years later, growing up in a pampered home with a father that dotes on her.
• (00:00) - we doted on her even a bit too much, but regardless, had all the comforts and the [00:04:00] security that anybody externally could provide. But guess what? The same glimmer, that same sparkle, that same sort of tone. Something, I can't describe it, where there's fear...

Postpartum is not just a recovery phase, it is one of the biggest full body transitions a woman will ever go through. In this episode, Dr. Taz breaks down what actually happens in the fourth trimester, from the steep drop in estrogen and progesterone to fluid shifts, tissue dryness, gut slowdown, metabolic changes, and the mental and emotional load that can follow. You will learn why so many women feel unprepared after birth, why the six week bounce back expectation is unrealistic, and how older systems like Chinese medicine and Ayurveda approached postpartum as a sacred 40 to 100 day window of restoration.

Dr. Taz shares:
• Why postpartum can feel so destabilizing: the hormone crash, nervous system strain, and energy depletion most women are never taught about
• The hidden physical shifts after delivery, including swelling and fluid volume changes that can take months to fully regulate
• Why skin, hair, and vaginal dryness are common postpartum, and how this can affect libido, confidence, and self perception
• How breastfeeding changes hormones, including oxytocin’s calming effect and its relationship with cortisol and mood
• Why weight loss varies dramatically postpartum, and how insulin sensitivity, blood sugar history, PCOS, and metabolic factors change the timeline
• The gut changes no one talks about: slower motility, constipation, reflux, and why progesterone shifts play a role
• The fourth trimester frameworks from Chinese medicine and Ayurveda: rest, warming foods, nourishment, massage, acupuncture, herbs, and community care
• A modern 100 day postpartum plan that starts in the third trimester with nutrient optimization, thyroid and blood sugar support, gut health, and a real support circle

Whether you are newly postpartum, preparing for birth, or supporting someone in those early months, this episode gives you a clear, practical roadmap to protect energy, reduce depletion, and recover in a way that helps you feel like yourself again.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many people today describe a pattern they cannot explain. Life feels manageable until something unexpected happens at work or home, then the body suddenly shuts down. The mind spins, energy collapses, irritability rises, and the only thing that feels safe is withdrawing into the couch, the phone, or Netflix. This is not laziness or burnout. This is functional freeze.

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with environmental and root cause medicine expert Dr. Jessica Peatross (Dr. Jess) to reveal why so many people experience chronic fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, histamine reactions, food sensitivities and unexplained inflammation even when routine labs look normal.

Instead of chasing symptoms or isolated toxins, Dr. Jess explains how a dysregulated nervous system alters detox, hormones, digestion, immunity and gene expression. She breaks down how trauma, mold exposure, hidden infections, parasites and environmental chemicals overload the body when the vagus nerve is stuck in fight, flight or freeze. And she shows why healing is impossible when the body does not feel safe.

From childhood trauma and dorsal vagal shutdown to blocked drainage pathways, cytokine storms, reactivated viruses and misdiagnosed environmental illness, this episode reframes chronic symptoms through a lens of nervous system physiology, not personal weakness or aging.

You will learn what functional freeze looks like, why detox often makes people worse, how to identify nervous system dysregulation, and the steps Dr. Jess uses to help patients regulate, open pathways and finally begin to heal. Together, Dr. Taz and Dr. Jess outline a clear, compassionate roadmap for anyone who has ever felt dismissed, overwhelmed or stuck in a body that will not calm down.

Dr. Taz and Dr. Jess discuss:
• What functional freeze is and why it shows up in daily life
• How nervous system dysregulation drives fatigue, anxiety and chronic symptoms
• The role of mold, parasites, toxins and environmental chemicals in chronic illness
• Why detox fails when the body does not feel safe
• Vagus nerve physiology and dorsal vs ventral vagal states
• How trauma, stress and grief reshape hormones, immune function and methylation
• Medical dismissal and the reality of normal labs with real symptoms
• The drainage pathways that must open before detox
• Histamine issues, MCAS, POTS and their connection to the nervous system
• Tools that help regulate the system and support healing
• How to track progress through sleep, HRV, emotional stability and digestion
• Why healing is not linear and why support and community matter

About Dr. Jessica Peatross
Dr. Jessica Peatross  is a functional and environmental medicine expert known for her work on nervous system dysregulation, toxin-driven illness and trauma informed detox. She is the founder of WellnessPlus, an educational platform teaching step-by-step protocols for mold, parasites, drainage and nervous system healing. Her approach blends clinical training with nervous system science to uncover root causes often missed in conventional care.

Stay Connected:

Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

Follow Dr. Jess
Instagram: https://instagram.com/dr.jess.md/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@DoctorJessMD
Website: https://drjessmd.com/ 
 

Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/

https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe

Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team

Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)