Influenced to Death

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria talk with Kelsey Keener about MAHA’s (Make America Healthy Again) impact in the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

Kelsey is a 3rd-generation farmer in Southeast Tennessee at Sequatchie Cove Farm (you can read his blog at this link or follow him on Instagram @sequatchiecovefarm).

His grandparents started the farm 25 years ago, and he learned from his parents and continues to teach his children about regenerative farming, as well as the community and other farmers.

They discuss:

* The (brief) history of MAHA

* Their personal biases around MAHA and the positive and negative details of what MAHA has promoted and achieved

* The reason why MAHA’s ideas and actions are extremely impactful

* Skepticism about climate change and what Kelsey understands about climate change as a farmer

* Changes MAHA has made in the first 100 days of the Trump administration and how it’s impacted Kelsey’s work as a small farmer

* How much food actually costs versus what we pay for it as consumers

* Kelsey shares surprising information about the egg shortage and government-funded relief payments

* How the government currently subsidizes farming and why that might not align with popularized MAHA speaking points

* How Kelsey thinks MAHA’s current policies will affect small farms in the future

* Are food dyes and fluoride the most important issues to focus on for most people?

Helpful links:

* HHS’s list of what has been accomplished in the first 100 days

* Food Policy Tracker’s first 100 days of MAHA

* $1 billion that was going to help put farm fresh food in schools and food banks was cancelled. This was an amazing program that was getting fresh vegetables and even grass-fed beef into school cafeterias. Kelsey talks more about this in the episode. More info here, here, here.

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In this episode, Hannah & Victoria explore whether dirt, germs, & worms might actually be good for us, and discuss the growing popularity of parasite cleanses.

They cover:

* The Old Friends Hypothesis, developed by Graham Rook—more from Graham here.

* Graham’s latest publication: Evolution and the critical role of the microbiota in the reduced mental and phys…

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria finish discussing the most delicious the highly controversial topic of gluten.

They cover:

* Some updates on continuous glucose monitors and colostrum—you can find those studies here and here (CGM) and here (colostrum).

* If wheat is really different in Europe. Check out resources on that here and here.

* The curious workings of the immune system and why you might react to scrambled but not hard-boiled eggs, for example. More info here and here.

* The accuracy of cross-reactive food testing (Cyrex Array 4) for people who react to gluten (YIKES). The study Victoria discusses is here.

* The connection between gluten reactivity and neurological/psychological symptoms and diseases, including the case study Hannah mentioned where the patient’s brain healed with a GF diet. You can find a great summary of studies on this topic here, and more info dating back to the mid-70s here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria welcome back Sara Russell, Ph.D., to finish our discussion on research-based blood test analysis in pregnancy and postpartum, plus an exploration of the general brilliance that is speaking with Sara.

We cover:

* General review of the blood markers that have special postpartum ranges

* 6 blood markers that can detect an early risk of preeclampsia

* The incredible medicinal qualities of plain old white button mushrooms

* Why you shouldn’t be afraid of soy

* The brand of prenatal Sara recommends (no, she’s not affiliated!) and why choline is so crucial

* The 3 layers of celiac disease and the connection to pregnancy and postpartum

* The links between postpartum thyroiditis, non-celiac gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, bipolar disorder, and postpartum psychosis and why some people should NOT take SSRIs when experiencing postpartum depression

* The paternal contribution to preeclampsia (yep, the dad)

* Why aspirin might be a great tool for you in pregnancy

You can find Sara at www.sararussellntp.com and click here for more information on her pregnancy & postpartum blood work analysis course.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria discuss the now-internationally famous story of Belle Gibson, an Australian influencer who rose to fame in the mid-2000s for her social media accounts of battling and winning against brain cancer.

But her Instagram account was hiding a massive secret that may have hurt her followers.

We cover:

* The details of the Belle Gi…

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria create a veritable charcuterie board of influence-y topics: methylene blue, colostrum, and a high-protein diet.

They briefly discuss some of the history and research on each while, as always, doing their best to be transparent about their biases.

* Why do we have wellness trends in the first place?

* Methylene blue is a synthetic dye, methylthioninium chloride, developed in the 1876 and used in the textile industry. It is known as the first synthetic drug in medical history.

* Does methylene blue actually boost your mitochondria?

* Serious contraindication of methylene blue

* The contagious popularity of colostrum

* Refer to Consumer Labs to find a good colostrum source; don’t get trapped in the popular brands that cost a fortune

* Eureka! Details on the colostrum clinical trial Victoria butchered during the podcast

* Is a high-protein diet all it’s cracked up to be?

* What the research says about collagen

* The difference between health-span and lifespan

* Cottage cheese is the new cauliflower

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria dive into one of the most contentious topics in all of wellness: delicious, delicious gluten.

They discuss:

* What, exactly, is gluten?

* Where macronutrients come from (like, originally)

* If gluten is a lectin, or not, and if you should worry about eating lectins

* The history of gluten and gluten-free diets

* If grain and gluten hurt our health

* Our opinions on whether gluten is appropriate for the general population

* Victoria and Hannah’s personal experiences with gluten

* The possible harms of a gluten-free diet

* If cross-reactive foods are a real thing for people who react to gluten

* Is celiac reversible???

For our most mature listeners, the South Park explanation of gluten.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria are back with listener-favorite Amanda Jones to finish up their detox discussion.

Be sure to listen to part 1 if you haven’t already!

They discuss:

* Why gastroenterologists don’t find toxic build-up in patients’ colons 🤔

* Is lemon water an effective detox?

* How to appropriately detoxify when you’ve had a toxic exposure

* Is fu…

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria welcome Amanda Jones back for an episode all about using supplemental hydrochloric acid.

Hydrochloric acid is a popular digestive supplement in integrative medicine.

But is it safe?

Is it effective?

Does everyone have low stomach acid?

They cover the history of hydrochloric acid supplementation, the woman who discovered endogenous hydrochloric acid (the form we make ourselves), and if supplementation is all it’s cracked up to be.

If you’ve taken hydrochloric acid or been told to take it to improve your digestion, especially to improve heartburn, be sure to listen to this episode!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com

In this episode, Hannah & Victoria have the pleasure of speaking with Sara Russell on blood chemistry changes that happen in pregnancy and postpartum.

Fair warning, we’re breaking our typical episode pattern because we’re so mind-blown by Sara’s work, its impact on pregnancy and postpartum, and the fact that it isn’t well-known in the world of functional medicine.

We discuss:

* Sara’s background and why she started researching pregnancy blood work

* Methylation specifics - folic acid, methylated folate, and prenatals

* Can people skip their prenatal and just take liver?

* The natural user bias in pregnancy

* The blood tests Sara likes to see in male and female partners before conception

* What is the “zinc spark?”

* Beta-carotene (provitamin A) vs. retinol (preformed vitamin A) in preconception

* The primary blood tests that should be interpreted differently in pregnancy

* Starting to unwind the knot of iron supplementation and metabolism in pregnancy

Learn more about Sara and her work at www.sararussellntp.com.

Click here to learn more about LabSmarts blood work interpretation software.

Click here to learn more about Sara’s pregnancy blood work interpretation course.

Click here to get a free preeclampsia guide.

Click here to get a free prenatal vitamin guide.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit influencedtodeath.substack.com