hol+ with Dr. Taz MD | The Future of Medicine is Holistic

What if the symptoms you feel in your body are not random, but signals of something deeper happening in your energy system? In this episode, Dr. Taz sits down with Dr. Sue Morter, master of bioenergetic medicine, founder of the Morter Institute for Bioenergetics, and author of The Anatomy of Awakening, to explore how energy medicine connects to the nervous system, chronic stress, emotional patterns, and the body’s ability to heal.

In this  episode Dr. Sue explains how energetic blockages can show up as a lump in the throat, tightness in the chest, a knot in the stomach, chronic tension, anxiety, digestive issues, allergies, pain patterns, and other symptoms that often appear disconnected from the deeper root cause.

Dr. Sue shares how the flow of energy through the body acts like a master system, influencing the nervous system, endocrine system, digestive system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and the body’s self-regulating capacity. When that flow becomes blocked by unresolved emotions, survival patterns, stress, fear, or disconnection from the self, the body may move into dysregulation and lose access to its natural healing intelligence.

If you’re listening to this and thinking, “I know something is off in my body, but I don’t know where to start,” join the Circle here:  👉 https://holplus.co/circle

Healing is not just about treating symptoms. It is about understanding the deeper patterns beneath them, including stress, emotional suppression, nervous system dysregulation, breath, posture, self-compassion, and the relationship you have with your own body.

Learn more about support related to this conversation:
Mental Health: https://holplus.co/services/mental-health
Anxiety: https://holplus.co/conditions/anxiety

Dr. Taz and Dr. Sue also discuss why affirmations and manifestation practices may not work if they are coming from the protective or performing personality, why posture and breath can help shift the body into a different state, and how reconnecting with the true self can open the door to healing, creativity, safety, and wholeness.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in chronic stress, disconnected from your body, frustrated by symptoms that don’t fully resolve, or curious about the connection between energy, emotions, and physical health, this episode will help you understand what may actually be happening beneath the surface.

In this episode, we cover:

•  What energy medicine really means and why it belongs in the healing model
•  How energetic blockages can dysregulate the nervous system
•  Why symptoms like chest tightness, throat tension, stomach knots, and chronic pain may be body signals
•  How unresolved emotions and survival patterns can affect physical health
•  Why the body can get stuck in fight-or-flight, even when the original threat is gone
•  How breathwork, posture, and internal awareness help energy move through the body
•  Why affirmations may not work when they come from a place of lack or fear
•  How self-compassion helps shift the relationship between the protective personality and the true self
•  What Dr. Sue means by “the anatomy of awakening” and the five hidden codes
•  How small daily practices can begin to restore a sense of safety, wholeness, and self-healing

This is not just about energy healing. It is about understanding the body as a connected system, learning how stress and emotion shape your physiology, and remembering that healing often begins by returning to yourself.

About The Guest:
Dr. Sue Morter is an international speaker, master of bioenergetic medicine, founder of the Morter Institute for Bioenergetics, and author of The Anatomy of Awakening. With more than 40 years of clinical experience, she is known for bridging energy medicine, neuroscience, consciousness, breathwork, and embodied healing practices to help people move from survival patterns into coherence, vitality, and wholeness.

About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician,
bestselling author, and founder of hol+ a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about

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+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation: https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/

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

Follow Dr. Sue Morter:
 https://drsuemorter.com/
https://www.instagram.com/drsuemorter/

Get your copy of The Anatomy of Awakening

Host & Production Team

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

Chapters
00:00 Energy blockages and nervous system dysregulation
00:46 Introducing Dr. Sue Morter and bioenergetic medicine
03:08 Why energy medicine belongs in the healing model
04:40 What energy healing really means
06:00 Ancient medicine, qi, and energy flow
08:15 Is energy medicine scientific?
09:45 Quantum science, consciousness, and physical reality
12:00 Emotions, mitochondria, and generational patterns
14:09 Patient stories and emotional blockages
16:00 Can every illness be connected to energy?
20:10 How to know if you have an energy blockage
21:05 Throat tension, chest tightness, stomach knots, and body signals
22:15 How energy flow affects the body’s master systems
24:20 Safety, chronic stress, and nervous system overdrive
26:30 Why self-compassion changes your energy
29:45 How your inner world reflects in your outer life
31:15 Support inside the Circle
32:05 Why some people stay stuck in repeated patterns
34:15 Manifestation, affirmations, and why they may not work
35:15 T...

What if weight loss has never been the right goal in the first place? In this episode, Dr. Taz sits down with registered dietitian Ashley Koff, RD, author of Your Best Shot, to unpack why the conversation around GLP-1 medications is much bigger than Ozempic, Wegovy, or tirzepatide alone.

This episode reframes the entire GLP-1 conversation by shifting away from weight loss as the goal and toward what Ashley Koff calls “weight health.” Instead of treating Ozempic, Wegovy, tirzepatide, and related medications as magic fixes or villains, the conversation explores the deeper hormonal ecosystem behind appetite, blood sugar, digestion, inflammation, body composition, and metabolic health.

Ashley explains that GLP-1 and GIP are part of a larger family of peptide hormones made in the gut lining, and that when this system is disrupted by poor digestion, stress, gut lining damage, nutrient insufficiency, dehydration, medications, or microbiome imbalance, the body’s weight regulation becomes suboptimal. She argues that many people are not failing at weight loss. Their body simply does not have what it needs to function optimally.

If you’re dealing with weight changes, food noise, metabolic dysfunction, or feeling like your body is not responding the way it should, and want deeper, root-cause support, join the Circle here:
 👉 https://holplus.co/circle

Weight is not just about calories in and calories out. It is deeply tied to gut health, digestion, blood sugar, inflammation, hydration, stress, hormones, and how well your body is actually functioning beneath the surface.

Learn more about support related to this conversation:
Metabolic Health & Weight Support: https://holplus.co/glp1-and-peptides
Digestive Health: https://holplus.co/conditions/digestive-health

Dr. Taz and Ashley also discuss when GLP-1 medications may be useful, why low dose use is often misunderstood as “microdosing,” the importance of preserving muscle and digestion while using these medications, and why a truly personalized, holistic plan matters far more than chasing a number on the scale. 

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by belly fat, food noise, weight regain, or confusing lab results that say everything is “fine” when you know it’s not, this episode will help you understand what may actually be going on.

In this episode, we cover:

•  Weight loss is not the same as weight health, and focusing only on the scale can be misleading 
•  GLP-1 and GIP are gut-derived peptide hormones that act like signaling switches in a broader metabolic ecosystem 
•  Poor digestion, gut lining damage, stress, dehydration, and nutrient deficiencies can all impair natural GLP-1 function 
•  Many “normal” labs miss early signs of suboptimal metabolic health 
•  GLP-1 medications can be helpful, but they need to be part of a personalized, holistic strategy 
•  Low dose GLP-1 use is often mislabeled as microdosing, even though true microdosing is something different 
•  Preserving muscle, digestion, sleep, and hormone balance matters just as much as reducing appetite 

This is not just about losing weight. It is about understanding your body, improving metabolic function, and building a healthier, more personalized foundation for long-term well-being.\

About The Guest:
Ashley Koff, RD is a registered dietitian with more than 25 years of clinical experience and the author of Your Best Shot. She is known for her work in metabolic health, nutrition, and personalized wellness, with a focus on helping people understand the deeper root causes behind weight, digestion, and hormone-related challenges.

About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician,
bestselling author, and founder of hol+ a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about

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+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation: https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/

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

Follow Ashley Koff, RD
https://www.instagram.com/ashleykoffapproved/
https://thebetternutritionprogram.com/

Get your copy of Your Best Shot

Host & Production Team

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

Chapters
00:00 Why weight loss may be the wrong goal
02:00 Introducing Ashley Koff and the idea of weight health
03:00 How Ashley got into the GLP-1 space
04:20 What the incretin effect really means
05:15 How gut hormones regulate the body
08:30 Where GLP-1 hormones are made and how they work
09:45 What happens when the signaling system breaks down
13:30 Why natural GLP-1 function becomes suboptimal
15:00 Gut lining damage, digestion, and modern life
16:40 The vagus nerve, stress, and metabolic signaling
19:00 Stress, cortisol, and early warning signs
22:00 Digestive clues your body may be struggling
25:25 Why GLP-1 medications are everywhere right now
30:00 Weight health vs. weight loss
34:35 What to track instead of total body weight
40:30 The truth about metabolic health markers
46:40 Where GLP-1 medications can help
49:00 Side effects, digestion, and appetite suppression
50:40 Low dose vs. true microdosing
53:30 Why GLP-1s need a holistic plan
55:30 Insurance, responsibility, and the broken system
59:30 Ashley’s message from Your Best Shot
01:01:00 The future of GLP-1 and new medications
01:03:10 Creating generational weight health

What if your anxiety, overwhelm, or constant sense of unease is not just a mental health issue, but a signal from a body that is overstimulated, under-rested, and out of balance? In this episode, Dr. Taz sits down with integrative psychiatrist Ellen Vora, author of The Anatomy of Anxiety, to unpack how modern life, stress, and physiology are quietly driving the rise of anxiety.

If you’re dealing with anxiety, burnout, or feeling “off” and want deeper, root-cause support, join the Circle here:
 👉 https://holplus.co/circle

Anxiety is rarely just about your thoughts. It often reflects a deeper imbalance involving sleep, blood sugar, gut health, inflammation, and how your nervous system is responding to the world around you.

Learn more about support related to this conversation: Anxiety & Stress Support: https://holplus.co/anxiety

In this episode, Dr. Ellen Vora explains the difference between true anxiety and physiological anxiety, and why many people are treating the wrong problem. She breaks down how poor sleep, overstimulation, gut imbalances, and even mouth breathing can create anxiety symptoms, and why medications don’t always address the root cause. You’ll learn why some anxiety is actually a healthy signal, how modern lifestyles are dysregulating our nervous systems, and why addressing the body first can change everything. This conversation challenges the idea that anxiety is simply a chemical imbalance and offers a more holistic, empowering path forward.

If you’ve ever felt like your anxiety doesn’t fully make sense, or that you’ve tried everything but still don’t feel better, this episode will help you understand what might actually be missing.

In this video, we cover:
What “true anxiety” vs. “false anxiety” really means
Why anxiety is not always a mental health disorder
How sleep, blood sugar, and gut health impact anxiety
The hidden role of overstimulation and modern life
Why medications don’t always solve anxiety long-term
The connection between ADHD and a “tired brain”
How breathing and sleep quality affect mental health
Why emotional sensitivity is not a weakness
Practical foundations to regulate your nervous system

This is not just about managing anxiety. It’s about understanding your body, restoring balance, and creating a foundation for mental clarity, resilience, and long-term well-being.

About The Guest:
Dr. Ellen Vora, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, acupuncturist, and yoga teacher who takes a functional, whole-person approach to mental health. She is the author of The Anatomy of Anxiety and specializes in identifying the root causes of anxiety through physiology, lifestyle, and emotional health.

About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician,
bestselling author, and founder of hol+ a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about

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+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation: https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/

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

Follow Dr. Ellen Vora
https://www.instagram.com/ellenvoramd/
https://ellenvora.com/

Host & Production Team

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

Chapters
00:00 Why anxiety may not be what you think
 02:00 True anxiety vs. physiological anxiety
 06:00 The “wide open antenna” and emotional sensitivity
 10:00 Why crying is a biological release
 13:00 The myth of the chemical imbalance
 18:00 The foundations: sleep, nourishment, movement
 22:00 Why medications don’t always work long-term
 25:00 Withdrawal and hidden medication effects
 30:00 Anxiety in kids and teens
 37:00 ADHD as a “tired brain”
 39:00 Sleep, breathing, and oxygenation
 41:00 Gut health, food, and inflammation
 46:00 Women, hormones, and emotional health
 53:00 Reclaiming intuition and nervous system balance

What if your chronic pain, stiffness, or recurring injuries are not just about aging, but signals from a nervous system that feels overwhelmed, inflamed, and under-supported? In this episode, Dr. Taz sits down with physical therapist Dr. Dan Ginader, author of The Pain-Free Body, to unpack how modern lifestyles, stress, and sedentary habits are quietly driving the rise of chronic pain.

If you’re dealing with ongoing pain, fatigue, or inflammation and want deeper, root-cause support, join the Circle here:
 👉 https://holplus.co/circle

Chronic pain is rarely just about one injury or one body part. It often reflects a deeper imbalance involving movement, mindset, inflammation, and how the brain interprets safety and threat.

Learn more about support related to this conversation:
Inflammation https://holplus.co/conditions/inflammation/
Arthritis / Chronic Joint Pain: https://holplus.co/conditions/arthritis-chronic-joint-pain/

In this episode, Dr. Dan explains why pain is not always a reliable indicator of damage, why MRIs and scans often don’t tell the full story, and how fear, stress, and inactivity can keep pain stuck in the body. He breaks down what actually drives chronic pain, why so many people feel worse as they get older, and what simple daily habits can either worsen or reverse the process.

You’ll learn why movement is essential medicine, how optimism and mindset influence recovery, and why small, consistent actions matter more than occasional intense workouts. This conversation challenges the idea that pain is inevitable with age and offers a more hopeful, practical path forward.

If you’ve been told your pain is “just part of getting older,” or feel like nothing has fully worked, this episode will help you understand what might actually be missing.

In this video, we cover:

• Why chronic pain is not just about aging
• The real impact of sedentary lifestyles on the body
• Why scans and imaging don’t always match your pain
• How fear, stress, and mindset influence recovery
• The difference between acute pain and chronic pain
• Why “weekend workouts” can increase injury risk
• Simple daily movement habits that reduce pain over time
• How to catch early warning signs before pain becomes chronic

This is not just about fixing pain. It’s about understanding your body, rebuilding resilience, and creating a lifestyle that supports long-term strength, mobility, and ease.

About The Guest:
Dr. Dan Ginader, DPT is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, author of The Pain-Free Body, and Clinic Director at Mims Method Physical Therapy in New York City. He specializes in helping patients understand the root causes of pain and build long-term resilience through movement and education.

About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician,
bestselling author, and founder of hol+ a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about

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+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation: https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/

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

Follow Dr. Dan Ginader
https://www.instagram.com/dr.dan_dpt/
https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.dan_dpt
Check out Dr. Dan's book The Pain-Free Body

Host & Production Team

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

Chapters
00:00 Optimism and the surprising link to chronic pain 

01:05 The #1 contributor to chronic pain: sedentary behavior 

03:42 What most people get wrong about pain 

04:46 Where pain actually comes from 

07:51 How fear, stress, and expectation amplify pain 

12:35 When acute pain becomes chronic pain 

18:15 How much movement you actually need 

20:55 Easy movement snacks to reduce pain 

26:20 Why MRIs and scans often don’t explain your pain 

50:45 The #1 rule for staying pain-free as you age

What if your child’s anxiety, disconnection, screen obsession, or emotional shutdown are not random at all, but signs of a deeper struggle for safety, attachment, and regulation in a world shaped by algorithms? In this episode, Dr. Taz sits down with Dr. Shafali to unpack how technology, social media, and modern stress are quietly reshaping childhood, parenting, and emotional well-being.

If you’re navigating parenting challenges, emotional overwhelm, or family disconnection and want deeper support, join the Circle here:
 👉 https://holplus.co/circle

Struggles with attention, anxiety, and emotional regulation often point to something deeper happening beneath the surface.
Learn more about support related to this conversation:
Anxiety: https://holplus.co/conditions/anxiety/
Mental Health Services: https://holplus.co/conditions-and-services/

In this episode, Dr. Shafali explains why parenting today is no longer just about discipline or communication. Parents are now competing with screens, social media, and algorithms that are designed to capture children’s attention, attachment, and identity. She breaks down what children actually need most, why boys and girls often struggle differently, and how conscious parenting can help families reconnect in a distracted, dysregulated world.

You’ll learn why children need safety, soothing, significance, and belonging, how screens can become a substitute for emotional regulation, and why real healing in families starts with presence, attunement, boundaries, and connection.

If you’ve been feeling like technology is changing your child, your family dynamic, or your ability to stay connected, this conversation may help you understand why.

In this video, we cover:

•  How social media and algorithms are reshaping childhood 
•  What children really need to feel safe and connected 
•  Why boys and girls often respond differently to stress 
•  How screens affect emotional regulation and identity 
•  The difference between conscious parenting and permissive parenting 
•  Why connection must come before boundaries 
•  Practical tools to rebuild trust, presence, and co-regulation at home 

This is not just about screen time. It’s about understanding what our children are turning toward, what they are missing, and how parents can become the anchor 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

Follow Dr. Shefali Tsabary
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctorshefali/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DrShefali
Website: https://www.drshefali.com/

Dr. Shefali's Newest Books
- Raising Conscious Daughters
- Raising Conscious Sons

Host & Production Team

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

Chapters
00:00 The algorithm is competing with parents
00:42 Introducing Dr. Shafali
01:38 What conscious parenting really means
03:02 Why parenting has changed in the digital era
05:30 How technology replaces emotional regulation
07:42 Australia banning social media for children
09:16 Dr. Taz shares her daughter’s phone battles
12:07 What parents should do instead of fighting screens
15:17 Why busy parents cannot ignore this problem
18:08 Presence, attunement, and what children really need
20:42 Stress, cortisol, and dysregulated family systems
23:20 Why parents should think deeply before having kids
25:12 The role of community, mentors, and extended family
30:16 Raising conscious sons vs. daughters
32:58 Why boys and girls are struggling differently
36:58 What boys need most from parents
42:06 What girls need most from parents
47:39 Social media, identity, and perfectionism in girls
52:26 Common parenting traps and overcorrection
57:38 Boundaries, compassion, and developmental realism
1:03:15 Parenting as a spiritual journey
1:08:24 How parents can regulate in real time
1:12:08 Mirror neurons, co-regulation, and hope
1:14:30 Final thoughts and what makes Dr. Shafali hol

What if your fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, and belly fat are actually signs of high cortisol, low cortisol, or chronic stress building up over time? In this episode, Dr. Taz explains how your cortisol levels shift and why learning how to lower cortisol levels starts with understanding the pattern your body is stuck in.

If you’re dealing with chronic stress, fatigue, or hormone imbalances and want to address the root cause, join the Circle and get support here:
👉 https://holplus.co/circle

Chronic stress often shows up as adrenal fatigue and hormone imbalances.

Learn more about conditions related to cortisol imbalance:

• Adrenal Fatigue: https://holplus.co/conditions/adrenal-fatigue/
• Hormonal Imbalance: https://holplus.co/conditions/hormone-imbalance/

In this episode, Dr. Taz breaks down what she calls the cortisol loop - a chronic stress cycle where your body goes from high cortisol to low cortisol, leaving you feeling wired, exhausted, and unable to recover. You’ll learn how this loop affects your nervous system, hormones, gut health, and long-term well-being, even when your labs appear “normal.”

If you’ve been feeling off and can’t explain why, this may be the missing piece.

In this video, we cover:

• What the cortisol loop actually is
• The difference between high cortisol and low cortisol
• How chronic stress keeps your body stuck in the cycle
• 7 key signs your body is dysregulated
• Why your symptoms aren’t random
• Where to start to begin breaking the loop

This is not just about stress. It’s about understanding the cycle your body has been stuck in.

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 High Cortisol or Low Cortisol? Understanding the Cortisol Loop
00:50 What Is the Cortisol Loop? Chronic Stress Explained
01:42 Normal Labs but Still Feeling Bad? Cortisol Levels Explained
02:55 Acute vs Chronic Stress and Cortisol Response
05:00 High Cortisol Symptoms and Effects on the Body
06:50 Low Cortisol Symptoms: Burnout and Fatigue Explained
07:42 Chronic Stress, Cortisol Imbalance, and Disease Risk
09:29 Cortisol, Brain Health, and Inflammation
11:30 Cortisol in Women vs Men (Hormones and Stress Response)
14:20 Chronic Stress in Modern Life (Why It’s Getting Worse)
15:20 7 Signs of High Cortisol and Low Cortisol
17:10 Fatigue, Brain Fog, Belly Fat (Cortisol Symptoms)
18:08 How to Test Cortisol Levels (Blood Sugar, HRV, Sleep)
20:05 Nervous System Regulation and the Cortisol Loop
21:25 How to Lower Cortisol Levels Naturally
22:12 Gut Health, Diet, and Blood Sugar Stability
23:45 Best Supplements for Cortisol (Magnesium, B Vitamins, Omega-3)
25:35 Daily Habits to Reduce Cortisol and Stress
27:10 Chronic Stress, Environment, and Relationships
28:55 How to Break the Cortisol Loop (Step-by-Step)
30:37 Final Thoughts on Chronic Stress and Cortisol Recovery

Want deeper support? Join Circle at holplus.co/circle and use code PODCAST for a one-month trial.

Optimism is often misunderstood. It gets reduced to positive thinking, good vibes, or pretending everything is fine. But real optimism is not about denying pain. It is about learning how to stay grounded in reality while still believing that healing, change, and resilience are possible.

In this episode of hol+, Dr. Taz sits down with Dr. Deepika Chopra, known as The Optimism Doctor, to explore what optimism actually means and why it matters for both mental and physical health. Together, they unpack the difference between optimism and toxic positivity, why our brains are wired to expect worst-case scenarios, and how that pattern may no longer serve us in modern life.

They also explore the science behind sensory-based visual imagery and how the brain responds to what we vividly imagine, often in ways that influence expectation, motivation, and even the body’s stress response. Dr. Deepika shares how these tools were used in psych-oncology settings, where patients practiced visualizing treatments working with the body rather than against it, and how similar techniques can support people navigating anxiety, illness, self-doubt, and major life transitions.

The conversation expands into practical tools for everyday life, including the 12-second rule, the role of awe in calming anxious or depressive states, and the importance of collecting believable evidence rather than relying on empty affirmations. They also discuss why naming emotions honestly is more healing than suppressing them, how to shift deeply rooted self-beliefs in realistic ways, and why purpose plays such an important role in long-term well-being.

Rather than asking listeners to force positivity, this episode offers a more compassionate and evidence-based framework. It is about building optimism as a skill, strengthening resilience over time, and learning to meet hard seasons with honesty, curiosity, and hope. This conversation is for anyone feeling stuck in negative thought loops, overwhelmed by stress, or ready to approach healing with more realism and self-trust.

About Dr. Deepika Chopra
Dr. Deepika Chopra is a licensed clinical health psychologist, speaker, and author known as the Optimism Doctor. With a background in cognitive behavioral therapy, psych-oncology, and integrative mental health, her work focuses on helping people build resilience through practical, science-based tools.

She is the author of The Power of Real Optimism, a book that explores how optimism can be strengthened through everyday practices rooted in psychology, neuroscience, and emotional honesty. Her approach bridges research with real life, offering accessible strategies for navigating stress, uncertainty, and personal growth.

Order the Book
The Power of Real Optimism

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. Deepika Chopra
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdeepikachopra/
Website: https://www.drdeepikachopra.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)

Want deeper support? Join Circle at holplus.co/circle and use code PODCAST for a one-month trial.

Hormone therapy is often framed in extremes. It is either dangerous and cancer-causing, or it is the miracle solution to aging. For decades, women have been told to fear estrogen, avoid progesterone, and accept midlife decline as inevitable. But what if the story around hormones was shaped more by panic and oversimplified data than by the full clinical picture?

In this episode of hol+, Dr. Taz sits down with preventive medicine pioneer Dr. Erika Schwartz to revisit the Women’s Health Initiative and the ripple effects that followed. Together, they explore how one study reshaped hormone replacement therapy guidelines, why the concept of “class effect” blurred important distinctions between different types of hormones, and how relative risk statistics can be misunderstood in ways that drive fear-based decisions.

They also discuss bioidentical hormone therapy, the difference between compounded and FDA-approved options, and how delivery methods like creams, patches, and pellets may affect long-term outcomes. The conversation expands beyond menopause into birth control, progesterone deficiency, teen hormone health, and the broader question of how women can advocate for themselves in a system that often prioritizes protocols over personalization.

Rather than promoting blind trust or blanket rejection, this episode focuses on clarity. It invites listeners to understand risk more accurately, ask better questions, and approach hormone care with nuance instead of fear. This conversation is for anyone navigating perimenopause, menopause, hormone therapy decisions, or simply wanting to better understand how women’s health became so complicated.

About Dr. Erika Schwartz
 Dr. Erika Schwartz is a board-certified internist and a leading voice in preventive and integrative medicine. After spending 15 years practicing conventional medicine and running a trauma center, she shifted her focus toward prevention, longevity, and personalized hormone therapy.

For more than three decades, Dr. Schwartz has advocated for bioidentical hormones and individualized care, teaching physicians, speaking internationally, and helping patients navigate midlife health with a whole-body approach. She founded one of the first compounding hormone pharmacies in New York and has worked extensively in physician education through organizations focused on longevity and preventive medicine.

She is the author of multiple bestselling books, including the newly revised edition of Don’t Let Your Doctor Kill You, which empowers patients to understand medical risk, advocate for themselves, and make informed decisions without fear.

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Don't Let Your Doctor Kill You

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drerikaschwartz
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrErika
Website: https://drerika.com/

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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)

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What if the real issue in women’s health isn’t that women are “doing it wrong,” but that the entire wellness system was built on research, protocols, and performance standards designed for male bodies?

In this solo episode, Dr. Taz breaks down why bro science and modern biohacking culture often backfire for women, and how pushing harder, optimizing more, and chasing protocols can quietly drive hormone chaos, burnout, inflammation, and nervous system dysregulation. She explains why so many women are told their labs are “normal” while their bodies are clearly signaling that something is off, and how medical models that isolate symptoms fail to capture how women’s systems actually work.

This episode is rooted in the same clinical patterns that led Dr. Taz to writeThe Hormone Shift. After years of watching women come into her practice exhausted, inflamed, and dismissed by conventional care, she began documenting the repeating cycles she saw across life stages, from teens to perimenopause to post-menopause. You’ll learn why women were historically excluded from research, how that gap still shapes today’s treatment models, and why intensity, calorie restriction, and rigid optimization strategies may worsen hormonal imbalance, metabolic stress, and emotional exhaustion in female bodies. This episode reframes women’s health as a whole-body system, not a protocol stack, and explores why safety, rhythm, recovery, and regulation matter more than force.

This conversation reframes healing as a process of supporting interconnected systems, not overriding them. Hormones, gut health, immune function, nervous system regulation, emotional safety, stress load, and life stage are not separate variables. When these systems fall out of sync, symptoms multiply. When they are supported together, the body can restore balance, energy, and resilience.

Dr. Taz shares:
• Why bro science and biohacking trends often backfire for women
• How “normal labs” can still mean your body is not functioning optimally
• Why women’s bodies were historically excluded from research and how that impacts care today
• How pushing harder, restricting calories, and overtraining disrupt hormones and metabolism
• Why women’s nervous systems require safety, rhythm, and recovery to heal
• How stress physiology, trauma patterns, and life stage shape women’s health outcomes
• Why hormones don’t act in isolation, but communicate with the gut, immune system, and brain
• Where modern tools like HRT, GLP-1s, peptides, and protocols fit and where they fall short
• How to build a sustainable, personalized approach to women’s health that works with the body, not against it

Whether you’re feeling dismissed by your labs, burned out from trying every new wellness trend, or frustrated by protocols that seem to work for others but not for you, this episode offers a grounded, integrative framework for understanding what women’s bodies actually need.

Women don’t heal through force. They heal through safety, rhythm, and whole-system support.

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/

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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
0:00 Women told it’s “normal” and “in your head”
 1:13 Holistic approach and the “five bodies”
 1:25 Why Dr. Taz is done with “bro science”
 4:25 “Your labs are normal” and the dismissal problem
 5:20 Why biohacking culture worsens women’s health
 6:10 HRT, IVF, peptides, GLP-1s without a holistic context
 8:18 Why AI and protocols can’t replace the whole-woman lens
 9:01 What bro science gets wrong (intensity, restriction, isolated hormones)
 10:31 Life stage, stress load, nervous system, trauma, lineage
 11:45 Bias against women and what it means in the exam room
 13:28 Why “evidence-based” fails women when studies exclude women
 14:20 What “evidence-based holistic medicine” actually means
 16:19 Stats on women’s health disparities and research gaps
 17:55 Where are you on the health spectrum: powering through vs powering up
 18:21 Identify your biggest symptom and quality-of-life limiter
 20:00 Don’t let “normal labs” end the story, track patterns over time
 21:10 Female stress response, intuition, and cortisol sensitivity
 24:15 Hormones, gut, immune system triangle and inflammation
 27:00 Stress processing differences and guardrails
 28:15 Safety as the foundation of women’s health
 30:10 Women’s rhythms: hormones, sleep, food, nervous system
 32:50 A woman’s body doesn’t respond to force
 34:25 What holistic healing for women actually looks like
 35:39 Closing: share this with a woman who needs it

• (00:00) - Women told it’s “normal” and “in your head”

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/

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

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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