Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn

Outwardly, people can seemingly be the picture of perfect health, but inside, that is not always the case. Such is the case of my guest today, whom you may know from shows like Dancing with the Stars and Entertainment Tonight, Samantha Harris. Despite feeling like she was the “healthy one” amongst her friends and family because she followed all of the “rules” when it came to eating and exercise, Samantha was working herself crazy and was a new mom, and then BAM! Breast cancer diagnosis at age 40. Eleven days after a clear mammogram, she found a lump. She could have ignored it after a clear mammogram and a quick exam by her OB/GYN saying it was nothing. But after four months, it was still there, so she went to see a breast oncologist…which still showed nothing, which is terrifying! The results from the biopsy finally showed that she had invasive breast cancer. Today, she shares her story and how you can take your health your health in your own hands to live your healthiest and best life!

You will hear more about:

• How it’s always best to follow your gut, especially when your not getting answers from your doctors  
• Why it's always important to know your own body
• The #1 thing you can do to talk to your doctor without being dismissed
• If only 5 - 10% of breast cancers are genetic, what are the other factors and how can we change those things
• The best way to look at a negative situation... like a breast cancer diagnosis!
• The easiest way you can start making changes in your life and health
• Samantha's favorite “clean” products
• And so much more!

More about Samantha:
Watched by millions as the co-host of Dancing with the Stars and Entertainment Tonight, Samantha Harris is an Emmy Award-winning TV host and journalist, bestselling author, Certified Health Coach and fitness trainer, nutrition advocate, and promoter of healthy living.

Her 2014 stage II invasive breast cancer diagnosis at age 40 inspired a quest for answers about how we can all improve our overall health, prevent chronic diseases, and understand their underlying causes. The resulting book (which debuted as a Bestseller on Amazon), Your Healthiest Healthy: 8 Easy Ways to Take Control, Help Prevent and Fight Cancer, and Live a Longer, Cleaner, Happier Life, translates comprehensive, research-backed knowledge into an easy-to-follow action plan for maximizing health, energy, and happiness for life.

Connect with Samantha:

• Samantha’s Website: https://samantha-harris.com/
• Samanrha’s Book: https://samantha-harris.com/yhh/
• Samantha’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaharristv/

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

In our current culture and climate, we tend to plan for sickness more than we plan for health. This is why we have medical insurance - for when we are sick. But most people are born to be healthy, but we encounter different things throughout life that lead to sickness, even though that is rarely our intent. Today, I have with me Dr. Thomas Lodi, integrative oncologist and clinical psychologist, who worked for many years in conventional medicine before making the realization that the cancer treatments he was studying were killing people, and he couldn’t practice like that anymore. It was then that he moved towards functional medicine and getting you back to your best health and self!

In this episode, we will discuss:

• How reframing your lifestyle and choices can impact you
• What psychoneuroimmunology is and how it applies to you and your health
• How negative thoughts can affect your immune system
• What cancer actually... it's NOT what you've been told!
• You’ve gone for treatment… now what?
• Steps you can take today to reclaim your health 
• And more!

More about Dr. Lodi:
For the first ten years of his medical career, Dr. Thomas Lodi worked in conventional settings as an internal medicine specialist, urgent care physician, and as an intensivist in ICU and CCU departments of various hospitals. Subsequently, Dr. Lodi continued his search for more effective and less toxic therapies by training around the world from Japan to Europe to Mexico and all around the US.

Although he occasionally sees patients with a variety of medical conditions, Dr. Lodi narrowed his scope of practice through specific training and extensive experience over the past 12 years to Integrative Oncology (caring for people with cancer). For the benefit of his patients and in order to remain current in all areas of oncology, Dr. Lodi maintains memberships in both conventional and alternative medical professional associations.

He is licensed as a Homeopathic Medical Doctor MD(H) in the State of Arizona and is licensed as an Allopathic Medical Doctor (MD) in the state of New York.

Dr Lodi has completed a Fellowship in Integrative Cancer Therapies and a Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative & Functional Medicine. Dr. Lodi sits on the Scientific Advisory Board for Immunogenic Research Foundation (IMREF), the Medical Advisory Board for Elka Best Foundation, and is an active-allied member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Dr. Lodi is also an instructor in Insulin Potentiation Therapy and certified in oxidative and chelation therapies.

Connect with Dr. Lodi:
Dr. Lodi’s Website: https://drlodi.com/
Dr. Lodi’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drthomaslodi/

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

As women age and close in on menopause, they start to feel off, so they go to the doctor (like we’ve been taught to do). What does the doctor tell us? “That’s totally normal for your age.” News flash - it isn’t! This week’s guest is Esther Blum - integrative dietician, author, mom, and lover of exercise (that can be done in 20 minutes or less). She tells us that she should call her practice The Gaslight-free Zone. Esther begins by talking about the frustration and theft of joy and hope women feel when they perceive that they are not being heard or are being given up on.

We also talk about:

• Listening to your body and your intuition - you know when something is off/different/wrong
• What gynecologists actually are and why they can't help you with your hormone issues
• Misinformation surrounding hormone replacement and its link to breast cancer, based on a flawed study
• The importance of bodily functions working correctly (gut health especially) and being addressed in the right order
• Alcohol's impact on your hormones
• Why you shouldn't be afraid to fire your physician
• And so much more!

More about Esther:
Esther Blum is an Integrative Dietitian and Menopause Expert. In the past 27 years, she has helped thousands of women master menopause through nutrition, hormones, and self-advocacy. 

Esther is the bestselling author of See ya later, Ovulator, Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat, Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous, Secrets of Gorgeous, and The Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous Project.

Known as Gwyneth Paltrow’s menopause mentor and by Forbes for helping women thrive through menopause, Esther was also voted Best Nutritionist by Manhattan Magazine. She has appeared on the Today Show, ABC-TV, and Good Day NY and is frequently quoted in goop, Well + Good, Forbes, Ben Greenfield Life, Time Magazine, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Times, In Style, Bazaar, Self, Fitness, Marie Claire, and Cosmo.

Esther received a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Simmons College in Boston and is a graduate of New York University, where she received her Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition. Esther is credentialed as a registered dietitian, a certified dietitian-nutritionist and a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), the certification from the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS).

Connect with Esther:
Esther’s Website: https://estherblum.com/
Happy Hormone Cocktail: https://estherblum.com/cocktail
Esther’s Books: https://estherblum.com/books/
Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorgeousesther/

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Do you just not feel like yourself anymore, even though your lab tests say everything is “normal?” Does your significant other call you after work each day to check your mood and whether they need to suit up in some armor before coming home? This is exactly what my guest today was dealing with! Dr. Deb Matthew is a conventionally trained doctor who, once learning more about hormones and how they were affecting her personally, left her pediatric practice and was retrained in functional medicine. Today she’s now known as the Happy Hormone Doctor and we are going to talk about her journey.

We will talk more about:

• How your lab work does not always tell the true story, especially when only looking at one tiny part of the potential issue
• The surprising reason doctors often downplay your health issues or symptoms
• Why people think hormones will cause breast cancer
• Hormone replacement therapy -- who's it for and how it works 
• If Tamoxifen is really the answer for breast cancer patients 
• Using a holistic approach to best produce and metabolize estrogen
• And more!

More about Dr. Deb: 
Deb Matthew MD, America’s Happy Hormones Doctor, wears many hats as a best-selling author, international speaker, private practice doctor, wife, and mom of 4 boys. She helps her patients restore their health by addressing the root cause of their symptoms (including hormone imbalances!) instead of just treating diseases with drugs.

After suffering for years with exhaustion and irritability that prevented her from being the wife and mom that she wanted to be, she refocused her medical career to help others get their hormones back in balance.
Dr. Deb combined her background in medicine with her interest in fitness and nutrition to create a complete medical wellness approach using scientifically-based treatments to help her patients restore their energy, libido, mood, and memory, as well as lose weight and discontinue many of their prescription medications.

As Past- President of the North Carolina Integrative Medicine Society, she helps support Integrative/Functional Medicine practitioners in the community and has a goal of shifting the standard of care in medicine towards creating wellness.

Connect with Dr. Deb:
Dr. Deb’s Website: https://drdeborahmatthew.com/
Signature Wellness: https://signaturewellness.org/
This is Not Normal: A busy woman’s guide to symptoms of hormone imbalance (book - download a free copy): https://signaturewellness.org/fullbookrequest

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Tired of getting sick? Want to improve your natural immunity so that you can live life to the fullest? If so, then you’re going to love today’s guest! In this episode, Dr. Patrick Flynn, founder of The Wellness Way, and I chat about the immune system, why it’s so important, and what you can do to improve yours. We also dive into why the FBI showed up at his house during the middle of COVID! 

We talk more about:

• What is the gut brain connection (and how it works)
• Things that can affect the immune system especially if you have breast cancer 
• How to know if your immune system is healthy (and the tests you should do!)
• Hormone issues vs hormone metabolism issues
• What are environmental estrogens (xenoestrogens) 
• What happens when you can’t metabolize hormones 
• The “add” diet
• Labs you can do to understand more about your immune system and overall health
• And more!

More about Dr. Flynn:

Dr. Flynn is a chiropractor, as well as the founder and CEO of The Wellness Way. As a young child, he was labeled ‘troubled’ because he had a difficult time learning, focusing, and existing within the school system. Years later, as a teenager, he went through a series of events that led him to discover he had immune issues which contributed to his neurological setbacks. This discovery inspired Dr. Flynn to begin his journey defining his purpose and initiating his pursuit of education.

He has trained thousands of doctors on a different approach to healthcare. There are currently 80 practicing clinics across the world. Dr. Flynn is also the author of an international bestselling book— I Disagree: How These Two Words Are the Secret to Thinking Differently and Taking Control of Your Health. He makes an impact by hosting seminars for the public called The Hormone Connection.

Connect with Dr. Flynn:

Website: https://drpatrickflynn.com/

https://www.thewellnessway.com/

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

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr_patrick_flynn

You can grab Dr. Flynn’s book, I Disagree, here: https://store.thewellnessway.com/i-disagree

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Most people see OBGYNs as hormone experts, but here’s the truth… they’re NOT! This is just one of many myths surrounding hormones. Today, Dr. Tabatha Barber, The Gutsy Gynecologist, joins me to talk about the truth around hormones. We chat about what hormones actually do, to when hormone replacement therapy (HRT) might be right for you, and everything in between. So if you’ve been struggling with your hormones or just want to understand hormones better than this episode is for you!

You’ll hear more about:

• The real reason why gynecologists aren’t hormone experts 
• How the Women’s Health Initiative negatively impacted women and their overall health
• What hormones actually do in the body
• Understanding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and when it’s right for you
• The truth about estrogen link to breast cancer 
• Progesterone vs. Progestins 
• And more!

More about Dr. Tabatha:
She is a triple board-certified OB/GYN physician who specializes in using functional medicine as her primary way for treating women’s health.

She  has dedicated her life to studying the intricacies of women. She's passionate about educating women on the importance of a healthy body, mind, and spirit.

Her mission is to show, by example, how you can create optimal wellness for yourself. By utilizing food, movement, mindfulness practices, herbs, supplements, and energy healing techniques as medicine, you can reverse chronic illness and create a vibrant, energizing life full of joy and longevity!

Connect with Dr. Tabatha:
Dr. Tabatha's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrTabatha
Dr. Tabatha's IG: https://www.instagram.com/thegutsygynecologist/
Dr. Tabatha's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWea1x1abLERehb5yn_nfow

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Can you imagine being told at 26 years old that you have stage IIIc colon cancer? And if that weren’t scary enough, then following your gut and deciding to forego chemotherapy? Well, that’s exactly what Chris Wark, from Chris Beat Cancer, did! Today, Dr. Jenn and Chris talk about his cancer journey, trusting his gut to not do chemo, the holistic path he took to become cancer free and how you can do the same!

They talk more about:

• 3 things that have been proven to cause cancer
• Getting over the “I can’t” mindset
• How a raw diet can improve your overall health
• One big benefit people to mention when it comes to eating a raw food diet
• Finding the right support system through your cancer journey
• Chris’s secret to happiness
• A gratitude hack you can try today 
• Why forgiveness is key to reclaiming your health
• If you can heal your cancer 
• And more!

Links mentioned:

www.healingstrong.org

Interested in Chris’s course? Go here to learn more: https://sq1.chrisbeatcancer.com/module1b

Connect with Chris:

Website: https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/chrisbeatcancer

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

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

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chris-beat-cancer-heal-with-nutrition-natural-therapies/id1031359815

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Did you know that the same amount of women die from bone fractures as they do from breast cancer every year? That’s scary! Today, The Bone Coach™, Kevin Ellis, joins me to talk about why bone health is so important for everyone, especially breast cancer patients, and what you can do to improve your bone health today!

We talk about:

• What a bone scan isn’t telling you
• Primary vs secondary osteoporosis 
• The normal medications given for osteoporosis (and why they might not be right for you!)
• Tests you need to have done before taking medications
• Factors that can impact your bone health 
• The 4 actions you need to do daily to improve your bone health 
• And more!

More about Kevin:
Kevin Ellis, better known as Bone Coach™, is a Forbes-featured certified Integrative Nutrition health coach, podcaster, youtuber, bone health advocate, and is the founder of BoneCoach.com.

After an osteoporosis diagnosis in his early 30's, he realized just how challenging it can be for the average person to make sense of what needs to be done to improve and how to move forward confidently with a stronger bones plan.

Today, not only has he transformed his own health, and made continued progress on his own journey, he's now dedicated his life to helping women with osteopenia and osteoporosis gain clarity and confidence that improving is possible.

Through a unique 3-step process and world class coaching programs, Kevin and his team of credentialed experts have helped people in over 1500+ cities around the world get confident in their stronger bones plan.

His mission is to not just help over 1+ million people around the globe build stronger bones… It's to help our children and grandchildren have the education, resources, and nourishment needed to prevent osteoporosis and other diseases in the future so they can lead long, active lives.


Connect with Kevin:
Website: https://bonecoach.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bonecoach
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bonecoach
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonecoachkevin
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bonecoach
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bone-coach-osteoporosis-bone-health-podcast/id1483975147
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonecoach

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

When I was a breast cancer surgeon one of the questions I frequently got was, “Why did I get breast cancer?” My answer was always that it was multifactorial… aka bad luck! It wasn’t until my own health diagnosis that I decided this answer was unacceptable and is what led me down the path of functional medicine. Today, I dive into what makes functional medicine different from conventional medicine!

You’ll hear more about:

• My role as a breast cancer surgeon 
• What actually causes illness
• How conventional medicine does NOT actually treat your illness
• The 2 very different things each type of medicine focuses on
• Optimal vs. normal
• Extra, more personal steps functional medicine takes to understand your health as a whole
• And more!

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Welcome to the Keeping Abreast Podcast with me, Dr. Jenn Simmons! In this very special first episode, I share my personal story of how breast cancer has always played a role in my life and how it became my life’s purpose to help others who had breast cancer. 

You’ll hear more about:

• Becoming the first breast cancer fellow in Philadelphia
• The diagnosis that changed my life and career
• Looking into alternative treatment and how it led me to functional medicine
• Why I believe I got sick to show me my life’s purpose 
• The biggest questions any of us can ask ourselves
• Who has the power to heal YOU!
• And more!

Dr. Mark Hyman Books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dr+mark+hyman&crid=2PDO3QSR1YWGV&sprefix=dr+mark+hyman%2Caps%2C208&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

The Wahls Protocol : https://www.amazon.com/Wahls-Protocol-Autoimmune-Conditions-Principles/dp/1583335544/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5OSKVCBPUL9S&keywords=dr+terry+wahls&qid=1689561368&sprefix=dr+terri+wa%2Caps%2C237&sr=8-1

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons