Live Well Be Well with Sarah Ann Macklin | Health, Lifestyle, Nutrition

How porn is classified as "neither healthy nor unhealthy" by research, and why that nuance changes everything.I recently sat down with Silva Neves to dive into wether porn can be healthy.

Silva Neves in conversation with Sarah Ann

Listen to the full episode⁠⁠ here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch the full episode on YouTube here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

My book ‘Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard’: ⁠https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

***

The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-outReset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who readThe Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/

📹 Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Have you ever been told that the thing you need to get better doesn't exist on the NHS but quietly, it does?

This week I'm joined by Dr. Simon Erridge, medical doctor, UCL researcher, and one of the UK's leading voices in medical cannabis.

Simon has a way of cutting through the stigma and the noise and what he shares isn't about getting high. It's about patients who've tried everything, suffered for years, and finally found relief.

What we explore together:

• What medical cannabis actually is  and why it's nothing like what you probably picture when you hear the word cannabis

• Why the UK is one of the highest opioid-prescribing countries in the world, and what that tells us about how we treat chronic pain

• What's actually happening in the brain with PTSD and how medical cannabis can help decouple the trauma from the memory itself

• The shocking contamination rates in illicit cannabis, and why the black market route puts people at real risk

• Who shouldn't use medical cannabis, and the conditions where it's not appropriate

• The full range of conditions being treated right now: from migraines, Crohn's disease and MS to anxiety, depression, OCD and cancer-related symptoms

If you or someone you love has been living with chronic pain, PTSD, endometriosis, or any condition that feels like it has no solution this one is for you.

Love, Sarah Ann 💛

My book ‘Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard’: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

This episode is sponsored by:

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded. 

Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month. 

👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker 

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today. 

👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

More from me: 

The Great British Veg Out 

How to support your gut by eating more, not less 

https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…

 Reset Your Health

If your body feels off  after stress, travel, or burnout, this is where to start!  

 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r... 

Free 5-recipe PDF for busy weeks 

 https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahma... 

Join thousands reading 

The Compassionate Cure → https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Let's be friends! 

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

Timestamps 

02:44 — Introduction: What is medical cannabis and why this episode matters

03:48 — Simon's background: how he got into medical cannabis research at UCL

05:12 — Why the UK hasn't legalised cannabis like the US and Canada

07:46 — What's available on the NHS vs. private clinics

10:28 — The typical patient: who actually gets prescribed medical cannabis

12:40 — Opioids vs. cannabis: the UK's hidden opioid crisis

23:34 — 80+ research papers — and the most surprising result

24:04 — Illicit cannabis contamination: mould, E. coli, salmonella, lead

28:17 — Migraines: why cannabis works both preventatively and during attacks

35:44 — Endometriosis: 176 million women, chronic pain, and medical cannabis

39:09 — The opioid reduction study in endometriosis patients

44:13 — How long before PTSD patients feel the effects?

46:01 — The stigma in the therapy community around cannabis patients

52:15 — How to advocate for yourself when you've already been dismissed by a doctor

57:01 — Can medical cannabis trigger psychosis? The real risk explained

59:22 — Why the word "cannabis" itself might be the problem

63:50 — Will the UK ever legalise cannabis?

65:10 — The full range of conditions medical cannabis can treat

Love what you're hearing? 

My small ask is to please rate and review Live Well Be Well. This helps the show expand and allows me to keep producing these with the best quality guests. It means a huge amount to me, so thank you.

How does your body react to a change on environment?

and what could you do to help overcome the feeling of uncertainty.

Dr Hannah Critchlow is a British scientist and writer who breaks down her methods of dealing with the unknown!

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

***

The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-outReset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who readThe Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/

📹 Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Is one glass of red wine a day actually good for your gut? In this conversation, I dig into why the idea of “moderate drinking” being beneficial became popular, and how newer analyses suggest that earlier cardiovascular findings may have been influenced by confounding factors like diet, exercise, and affluence.

Will Bulsiewicz in conversation with Sarah Ann

Listen to the full episode⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch the full episode on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

***

The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-outReset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who readThe Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/

📹 Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Have you ever wondered why your brain feels like it's working against you when actually, it might just be waiting for you to understand it?

This week I'm joined by Dr. Hannah Critchlow, neuroscientist, Cambridge University researcher, and author of 21st Century Brain, and this conversation genuinely shifted something for me.

Hannah has a way of taking the science of your brain and making it feel like something you can actually use, today. Not in a "10 steps to fix yourself" way.

What we explore together:

• Why does your brain fear uncertainty more than pain itself, and what does that mean for how you handle stress and change?

• Did you know emotional intelligence is a bigger predictor of life satisfaction than IQ, and that it can actually be trained?

• How is your gut shaping your mood, your empathy, and even how kind you are to complete strangers?

• What are sleep, nutrition, and movement really doing for your brain, and why do amino acids matter so much at night?

• Why is walking in nature one of the most underrated tools for emotional regulation?

• What does the rise of AI relationships mean for real human connection, and what are we at risk of losing?

• Why is curiosity our greatest superpower, and how do we protect it?

Love, Sarah Ann 💛

Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard: A Simple Way to Eat, Think and Feel Well: https://amzn.eu/d/0a0d1MQr

This episode is sponsored by:

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded. 

Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month. 

👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker 

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today. 

👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

More from me: 

The Great British Veg Out 

How to support your gut by eating more, not less 

https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/t…

 Reset Your Health

If your body feels off  after stress, travel, or burnout, this is where to start!  

 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/r... 

Free 5-recipe PDF for busy weeks 

 https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahma... 

Join thousands reading 

The Compassionate Cure → https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Let's be friends! 

📷 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin

📹 Subscribe https://youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah?si=UbuuWvMjAcTkELPN

📱 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast?_r=1&_t=ZN-96iOW29jTRm

Timestamps 

00:00:00 Intro 

00:04:08 Why Our Brains Fear Uncertainty More Than Pain 

00:16:01 How to Build Habits That Protect Your Brain 

00:21:00 Hannah's Personal Story: PhD Burnout and Starting Over 

00:28:00 What Happens to Your Brain During a Breakup 

00:35:13 How to Move Forward After Loss or Grief 

00:37:46 Sleep, Nutrition and Movement: The Brain's Three Pillars 

00:43:09 Essential Amino Acids and Why You Can't Sleep at Night 

00:46:05 What Emotional Intelligence Really Is (And Why It Beats IQ) 

00:49:41 How to Train Empathy: Self-Compassion and Reading Fiction 

00:52:27 Brain Synchronicity: The Science of Human Connection 

00:56:13 Gut Feelings, the Vagus Nerve and Intuition 

00:59:25 How a Healthy Gut Makes You More Altruistic 

01:00:15 Emotional Regulation: What to Do When You Can't Switch Off 

01:05:26 Why Alcohol Makes Emotional Regulation Worse 0

1:08:58 How We All See the World Differently: The Duck, The Rabbit and The Dress 

01:15:44 Loneliness, Mitochondrial Health and the Cost of Disconnection 

01:17:01 AI, Human Connection and What We Risk Losing 

01:38:50 What the Pandemic Taught Us About Face-to-Face Connection 

01:41:24 Why Collective Intelligence Is Our Greatest Superpower 

01:42:07 What "Live Well Be Well" Means to Dr. Hannah Critchlow

Love what you're hearing? 

My small ask is to please rate and review Live Well Be Well. This helps the show expand and allows me to keep producing these with the best quality guests. It means a huge amount to me, so thank you.

Have you ever wondered if taking your shoes off could change how your whole body moves? In this clip, we talk through why foot restriction matters, how barefoot sandals and going fully barefoot can affect foot shape and movement patterns, and why toe and foot rotation can influence everything upstream, including the knees, hips, shoulders, jaw, and head.

Jason Van Blerk in conversation with Sarah Ann

Listen to the full episode⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch the full episode on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

***

The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-outReset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who readThe Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/

📹 Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Are you eating more fiber but still dealing with bloating or gut pain? That can happen when you increase fiber faster than your gut can handle, and it’s why the type of fiber and the pace you add it really matters. This clip explores why fiber is described as a key “longevity nutrient,” with evidence linked to lower risk of major diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and chronic kidney disease.This segment examines what fiber actually is, where it comes from (all plant foods, plus mushrooms as an “honorary plant”), and the practical difference between soluble and insoluble fiber. We also talk about why variety matters, how fiber feeds the gut microbiome and supports short chain fatty acid production, and why focusing on protein shouldn’t come at the expense of fiber when most people are already under-consuming it.

Will Bulsiewicz in conversation with Sarah Ann

Listen to the full episode⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch the full episode on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

***

The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-outReset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who readThe Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/

📹 Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

There's an entire industry built on the idea that if you hate yourself enough, you'll eventually change. And yet everything we know about shame tells us the opposite is true. So why do we keep going back there? And more importantly, what does it actually take to break free?

This week on Live Well Be Well, I'm sitting down with Shahroo Izadi, Behavioural Change Specialist, NHS clinical trainer, and bestselling author of The Kindness Method and The Last Diet.

Shahroo spent years working in addiction recovery, and what she found there transformed not only her professional understanding of change, but her own relationship with food, her body, and herself.

We go deep into why so many of us associate change with self-loathing, why willpower alone will always fail us, and how the tools used in addiction recovery hold the blueprint for any meaningful behaviour change. Shahroo also shares her own story with complete honesty, including binge eating, a gastric band, eight stone lost, and what finally made the difference. This is one of those conversations that reframes everything.

Here's what we dive into:

- How shame becomes the enemy of lasting habit change.

- Why the only habit worth learning is how to change habits.

- What addiction recovery gets right that mainstream wellness misses.

- How to interrupt the shame spiral after a setback.

- Why body neutrality is a more honest goal than body positivity.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

***

This episode is sponsored by:

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.

Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.

👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today

👉 15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/ 

***

The Great British Veg Out

How to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-out

Reset Your Health

If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.

Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.

https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahmacklin/p/download-your-free-5-recipes-to-relieve

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who read

The Compassionate Cure each week. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/

📹 Subscribe:http://www.youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast

💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:

Dr. Shefali's Approach to Shadow Self: From External Validation to Inner Alignment

https://youtu.be/46-BbuvGHuY

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:

Science Simplified, Health Humanised.

Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact.

https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Highlights:

00:00:00 Intro

00:07:00 Shahroo's Story: Stammers, Weight, and Self-Help at Age 10

00:10:34 Working in Addiction and Recognising Her Own Cycle

00:15:27 "Better Than Well": What Addiction Recovery Gets Right

00:23:24 Body Positivity, Body Neutrality, and the Thin Ideal

00:31:38 The Gastric Band: What Happens When You Don't Change the Behaviour

00:34:18 Social Judgment and the Ozempic Study

00:43:33 How to Stop the Swing Between Extremes

00:46:21 The Second Choice: Interrupting the Shame Spiral

00:53:23 Matt Haig on Using Your Worst Days as a Reference Bank

00:58:44 Writing Letters to Your Future Self

01:06:22 How Shahroo Sees Herself Differently Five Years On

01:18:47 Hatefulness Doesn't Create Change

01:20:07 Self-Compassion vs. Self-Love: What We're Actually Asking For

01:26:17 What "Live Well, Be Well" Means to Shahroo

Are you getting short-term relief from bodywork, only for the pain to return a few weeks later? In this clip, I talk through why hands-on treatments can feel amazing in the moment but may not create lasting change if you’re relying on someone else to “fix” you, and why movement and self-care matter so much for long-term healing.This clip explores how fascia and global body tension can influence recurring pain, why aggressive fascia release can look (and feel) intense, and how a slower, more intentional approach may support the body’s own ability to reset. We also discuss walking as a powerful daily practice, why brisk walking is linked with a lower dementia risk, and the idea of walking backwards as a way to challenge the brain and build new movement pathways. Plus, there’s a fascinating look at performance work with elite athletes, including why improving a jump can start with learning how to land, and how slow joint movements (around four centimeters per second) are used to reprogram movement patterns.

Jason Van Blerk in conversation with Sarah Ann

Listen to the full episode⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch the full episode on YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

***

This episode is sponsored by:

NOWATCH: The compassionate health tracker

Connecting body and mind with unique stress recovery insights so you can live fully today15% off with code LWBW15 at https://nowatch.com/

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

***

The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-outReset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who readThe Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Let’s be friends!

📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahannmacklin/

📹 Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/@livewellbewellsarah

🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/SarahAnnMacklin

📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@livewellbewellpodcast💌 Newsletter: https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

Do your gut symptoms ever feel so painful you worry something is seriously wrong? In this conversation, we talk about why digestive pain can feel intense, even with issues like trapped wind and constipation, and how the gut’s huge nerve supply plays a role.This clip explores the science of gut pain, including how the intestines sense discomfort differently to our fingertips, and why having around 500 million nerves in the gut can amplify pain signals. We also discuss visceral hypersensitivity, where the gut becomes over-reactive and normal sensations can start to feel painful. I’m exploring with my guest why some gastroenterologists use very low-dose antidepressants for gut symptoms, including SSRIs to influence serotonin, tricyclic antidepressants (often preferred for diarrhea-predominant issues), and SNRIs like Cymbalta for targeting pain, especially when constipation is also present. Throughout, we keep it clear that these medications are not the primary treatment for constipation, but can be part of managing discomfort.

Will Bulsiewicz in conversation with Sarah Ann

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The Great British Veg OutHow to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-outReset Your HealthIf your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.https://sarahannmacklin.com/5_free_recipes

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who readThe Compassionate Cure each week.https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

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