Informed Life Radio

Ep. 391: Michael Collins, known as “The Original SugarFreeMan,” joins us to discuss why quitting sugar can be so difficult, how cravings affect our brains and emotions, and what it takes to change a lifelong relationship with sugar.

With more than 41 years in recovery from substance use disorder and over 37 years without sugar, Mike brings a distinctive perspective to food addiction. He shares how childhood experiences can shape our eating habits, why sugar can become a form of emotional self-soothing, and why he believes some people need an addiction-recovery approach rather than another diet.

We discuss sugar's effects on the brain's reward system, the challenges of breaking entrenched habits, raising children with less sugar, and the role of community support in achieving lasting change.

Mike is the founder of No Sugar Nation, including SugarAddiction.com, SugarDetox.com, and QuitSugarSummit.com, and author of The Last Resort Sugar Detox Guide.

Resources

Mike's book, The Last Resort Sugar Detox Guide: Learn How to Quickly and Easily Detox From Sugar and Stop Cravings Completely: https://link.amazon/B02tz8l4j

Mike’s Kindle: The Secret World of SugarDetox.com: Hundreds of Thousands of People Have Transformed Their Sugar Habit, Lost Weight and Healed Their Lives from the Inside Out Using Our Method. Your Path to Freedom.: https://link.amazon/B0iSbeSzB

No Sugar Nation / Sugar Addiction:

https://sugaraddiction.com/

Sugar Detox:

https://sugardetox.com/

30-Day Sugar Freedom Challenge:

https://joinnosugarnation.com/

Quit Sugar Summit:

https://quitsugarsummit.com/

The SugarFreeMan:

https://sugarfreeman.com/

Mike's social media

Facebook — Quit Sugar Now:

https://www.facebook.com/QuitSugarNow/

Facebook — The SugarFreeMan:

https://www.facebook.com/TheSugarFreeMan/

Facebook — Quit Sugar Summit:

https://www.facebook.com/QuitSugarSummit/

Facebook — Sugar Addiction Support Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sugardetox.sugaraddiction.supportgoup

Twitter/X:

https://x.com/SugarDetox

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/realsugarfreeman/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@sugardetox

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/sugaraddictionsupport/

YouTube — Original Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@SugarAddiction

YouTube — New Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@sugardetox_com

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mike-collins-57a5628a/

Listen and watch Informed Life Radio

https://www.informedchoicewa.org/an-informed-life-radio/

https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows/informed-life-radio/

Affiliate disclosure: The Amazon book links above are affiliate links. Your purchase through them may earn a commission for ICWA at no additional cost to you.

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Ep. 390: Kim Rogers, affectionately known as “The Worm Queen,” joins us to discuss her remarkable journey from decades of chronic illness and unsuccessful medical treatments to discovering what she identified as parasites in her own body and developing a parasite cleanse protocol.

With more than 20 years of professional experience in Western medicine, Kim found herself struggling with endometriosis, Lyme disease, mold exposure, and other debilitating health problems. After 13 surgeries, including a hysterectomy, and little lasting relief, she began exploring a more holistic approach to healing.

In 2021, Kim's personal parasite-cleansing experience went viral on social media, inspiring her to co-found RogersHood Apothecary here in Washington State and develop the herbal ParaFy Parasite Cleanse Kit. Today, her work reaches millions of people seeking to better understand their health and become their own patient advocates.

We look at what led Kim to investigate parasites, her experiences with environmental exposures and water contamination concerns in Washington, how she developed her protocol, and what she has learned about taking charge of one's own health.

Resources

• RogersHood Apothecary: https://www.rogershood.com/
• What's Eating U?! podcast (Apple): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-eating-u/id1798180273
• What's Eating U?! (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@Whatseatingupodcast
• Kim's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsrogers.hood/
• Kim's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrsrogershood
• Kim's Threads: https://www.threads.net/mrsrogers.hood
• Kim's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090298873929
• RogersHood Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rogershoodapothecary
• All Kim's links: https://linktr.ee/RogersHood

You can support the show by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission--at Amazon’s expense--at no extra cost to you.

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Ep. 389: Retired dentist Bill Osmunson, DDS, MPH, joins us to discuss his transformation from a longtime promoter of fluoride ingestion and water fluoridation to an outspoken advocate for ending these harmful and preventable exposures.

For more than 20 years, Bill has tenaciously challenged the use of fluoride in public drinking water and mercury in dentistry. Through Washington Action for Safe Water, he has submitted dozens of petitions to Washington State agencies, pressing officials to confront the scientific evidence, reconsider longstanding policies, and protect the public—particularly children—from unnecessary toxic exposures.

We discuss officials’ admissions of a dearth of evidence of a “safe dose,” fluoride sources and harms, as well as his petitions to the Washington State Board of Health, which include his request for prenatal fluoride advisories, concerns about fluoride exposure in infants fed formula prepared with tap water, and the Board's responses.

Resources:

Book: Fluoride Harm: Suppressed Science and Silenced Voices—A Collection of 21st Century Essays: https://link.amazon/B0diVtMQO

Fluoride Action Network: www.fluoridealert.org

The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology: www.iaomt.org

International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics: www.iccmo.org

Email: [email protected]

You can support the show by purchasing the above book at the link and by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission--at Amazon’s expense--at no extra cost to you.

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Ep. 388: Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank, a staunch supporter of medical autonomy and individual rights, joins us to discuss an October 2 Washington court ruling striking down provisions of SB 5974. The law sought to expand state oversight of sheriffs through new eligibility requirements and the authority of the unelected Criminal Justice Training Commission to deny or revoke certification, even potentially resulting in an elected sheriff’s removal from office.

A US Army veteran with over 33 distinguished years of law enforcement experience, including service as a Seattle Police Department captain and SWAT commander, Swank brings a firsthand perspective to the debate over government accountability, free speech, and the authority of elected sheriffs. We look at what a Thurston County judge ruled unconstitutional and what this means for voters and sheriffs.

Twitter/X: @saveoursheriff

New podcast: Sheriff Swank Uncuffed

Robinett v. Mell hearing at Washington State Supreme Court on October 22, 2026, on TVW

For additional information about the proposed Pierce County Charter Amendment 53, including the perspective of those opposing it, visit Reject53.org.

This resource is provided for informational purposes. Informed Choice Washington is not affiliated with this PAC, and no campaign funds or services were exchanged in connection with this reference.

You can support the show by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission--at Amazon’s expense--at no extra cost to you.

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Ep. 387: Medical Freedom Advocacy Into Law

Passing medical-freedom legislation takes more than having the right message—it requires showing up, legislative champions, dispassionate persistence, and an understanding of the political environment. Jackie Schlegel, founder and executive director of Texans for Medical Freedom, joins us to share how her organization built a grassroots network of 100,000 Texans and helped turn several medical-freedom priorities into law.

We look at Texas’s recent informed-consent requirements for Covid vaccination, protections against organ-transplant discrimination based on vaccination status, and expanded parental-rights protections in public schools.

 Washington advocates operate in a very different political environment, so we can’t just try to copy Texas. We ask instead which strategies can translate across state lines, which must be adapted, and how voters can identify candidates who genuinely understand informed consent and medical autonomy. Voters can also consult Stand for Health Freedom’s voter guide for documented candidate information: https://standforhealthfreedom.com/vote/

Resources:

https://texansformedicalfreedom.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/texasmedicalfreedom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texansformedicalfreedom

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/texans-for-medical-freedom/?viewAsMember=true

Twitter/X: https://x.com/TxforMedFreedom

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TexansForMedicalFreedom

Washington Voter Guide from Stand for Health Freedom: https://standforhealthfreedom.com/guides/wavotes/

You can support the show by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission--at Amazon’s expense--at no extra cost to you.

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Episode 386: Cash Pay, Cost Sharing & Independent Medicine

What if health insurance isn’t the only—or even the best—way to pay for healthcare? Charles Frohman joins us to explain medical cost sharing, cash-pay medicine, Health Savings Accounts, Direct Primary Care, and the role of healthcare concierges in helping patients shop for doctors, tests, prescriptions, and procedures. We start with the basics: what medical cost sharing actually is, how it differs from insurance, what happens when a large medical bill arrives, what expenses may not be shareable, and how families can determine whether this model is right for them.

We also look at what it means to become a price-sensitive healthcare shopper—asking what care actually costs, comparing cash prices, and directing healthcare dollars toward independent doctors, labs, imaging centers, and other practitioners. Charles explains why he believes restoring a more direct financial relationship between patients and practitioners can lower costs, expand provider choice, and help independent medical practices survive.

 We’ll also discuss how HSAs can fit into this approach, the 2026 changes affecting HSAs and certain direct-care arrangements, and practical first steps for families and small-business owners who want to explore alternatives without making a leap they don’t yet understand.

Learn more about Charles and the resources discussed in this episode:

Charles Frohman — Health Empowerment / MPB

https://joinmpb.com/health-empowerment/

Charles Frohman Substack

https://charlesdfrohman.substack.com/

National Health Federation campaigns

https://thenhf.com/current-campaigns/

NHF newsletter

https://thenhf.com/join-us/

Freedom Hub — Health & Liberty Zooms

https://yourfreedomhub.com/your-media-hub/

You can support the show by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission--at Amazon’s expense--at no extra cost to you.

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Episode 385 | Never Miss Another Sunrise: Circadian Fitness with Zaid K. Dahhaj

What if sleep, metabolism, energy, hormone signaling, and even how our bodies respond to food all have something fundamental in common: light and timing?

Circadian biology educator Zaid K. Dahhaj joins us to explain why circadian fitness is foundational to human health—and why one of his most important recommendations is simple: never miss another sunrise. We look at what happens when unfiltered sunrise light reaches the eyes and how our light environment helps synchronize clocks throughout the body.

We also tackle real life. What if you have to be at work before sunrise? What if your job keeps you awake at night? And what happens in places such as Alaska, where winter may bring only a few hours of daylight while summer brings almost none of the darkness our circadian system expects?

Zaid also shares practical ways to strengthen the signals our bodies use to distinguish day from night, including daytime light exposure, darkness at night, sleep and wake timing, and meal timing.

The 80/20 Circadian Course: https://stan.store/zaidkdahhaj/p/get-the-8020-circadian-course--$197 through November 1 with $52 discount code FALLRESET.

Website: https://www.zaidkdahhaj.com/

The Circadian Classroom: https://zaidkdahhaj.substack.com/

Course, Substack & Coaching: https://stan.store/zaidkdahhaj

X: https://x.com/zaidkdahhaj

Instagram: https://instagram.com/zaidkdahhaj

hooga Red Book Light: https://link.amazon/B0dLywV6j

Beeswax candles: https://link.amazon/B03xb4zPg

Ra Optics glasses: https://link.amazon/B0dsFSy3t

Ra Optics Lumio LEDs: https://raoptics.com/collections/light-bulbs

Midwest Red Light Therapy: https://midwestredlighttherapy.com/

Author John Ott: https://link.amazon/B05Nl6F0n

Chroma Lighting: https://getchroma.co./

In Defense of Sunlight, by Rowan Jacobsen: https://link.amazon/B0hQ8oO0V

Mitolux light devices: https://mitolux.com/

Chromalux bulbs: https://link.amazon/B0biKzJqf

My Circadian app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mycircadianapp/id6538168795

Strainless Lighting: use code ZAID: https://strainlesslighting.com/#

1,000 Bulbs: https://www.1000bulbs.com/fil/categories/incandescent-light-bulbs

You can support the show by using the forgoing Amazon links and by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission—at Amazon’s expense—at no extra cost to you.

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Episode 384 | The 5 Biological Laws: Is Your Body Working Against You?

What if symptoms we commonly view as ‘evidence’ that the body is malfunctioning are actually part of purposeful biological adaptations?

Melissa Sell, DC, joins us to discuss Germanic New Medicine and the five biological laws—a radically different framework for understanding the relationship between an unexpected event, the psyche, brain, organs, microbes, symptoms, and healing. We look at the difference between the conflict-active and healing phases, why the same experience may affect two people differently, what recurring “tracks” can tell us, and how conflicts may be resolved through practical or perceptual solutions.

We also ask where toxins, mold, injury, nutrition, and other external factors fit into this model—and what someone skeptical of Germanic New Medicine can examine for himself.

Learn more: https://www.drmelissasell.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMelissaSell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmelissasell/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/drmelissasell

You can support the show by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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Episode 383 | Smart Meters, Informed Consent, and the Right to Opt Out

Cecelia “Cece” Doucette, director of Massachusetts for Safe Technology, joins us to make the case for a meaningful right to opt out of wireless “smart” utility meters.

Cece explains how smart meters differ from older analog and digital meters, why their constant two-way radiofrequency transmissions raise health and informed-consent concerns, and what advocates are doing to secure an opt-out without punitive fees.

A regular guest on CHD.TV, Cece is also a public educator and legislative advocate who has taken the stage at the last two Children’s Health Defense national conferences. Through Massachusetts for Safe Technology, she offers no-cost monthly webinars, practical safer-tech guidance, legislative education, and resources citizens can use in their own communities.

I met Cece this spring at the National Health Federation Conference in Dallas. We look at the case for consumer choice, what an opt-out should actually look like, the political obstacles advocates face, and what Washington residents can learn from efforts underway in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

Massachusetts for Safe Technology: https://www.ma4safetech.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MA4SafeTech/

LinkedIn: Cecelia Doucette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecelia-doucette-09655155/

Events and free webinars: https://www.ma4safetech.org/events

Safer Screentime: https://www.saferscreentime.org/

Understanding EMFs: https://sites.google.com/site/understandingemfs/

Health in Buildings Roundtable Conference at NIH: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMAz9ZRXjYmp8vCf4HKxmLhdqEgbqYS65

Generation Zapped, award-winning film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p4vRB5uU0A

You can support Informed Life Radio by always starting your Amazon shopping at the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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Episode 382 | A Family Farm’s Regenerative Turn

Utah farmer Stan Jensen joins us to tell the story of transforming his multigenerational family farm after taking the reins in 2019. Inspired by regenerative agriculture, Stan began moving away from pesticides and GMOs and toward practices designed to rebuild soil, keep living roots in the ground, increase diversity, and integrate livestock.

Today, Sunnyside Up Pastures raises grass-fed and finished beef, pork, chicken and eggs while working toward becoming a fully regenerative and organic farm. We look at what convinced Stan to change course, what he learned along the way, how livestock and rotational grazing fit into rebuilding soil, and what the results have looked like on the ground—including during drought. We also discuss his work educating and advocating for farmers through Red Acre Center, the regulatory hurdles facing small producers and processors, and his efforts to challenge policies that favor large operations at the expense of local food and farm freedom.

Sunnyside Up Pastures: https://supastures.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supfarms/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SUPastures

Red Acre Center: https://www.redacrecenter.org/

You can support the show by always starting your Amazon shopping from the link on our homepage, InformedChoiceWA.org. This gives us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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