New Normal Big Life: Functional Medicine and Holistic Health

That campfire smell outside your window is fine particulate matter from over 850 wildfires burning across Canada and the Midwest. And it's doing more than irritating your throat. This episode breaks down exactly what wildfire smoke does to your brain, your heart, and your lungs, plus the protection steps that can reduce your indoor particle exposure by up to 85%. If you're watching the haze roll in and wondering what it means for you or your family's long-term health, this episode is for you.

Chapters

• 0:00 The Hidden Threat In Smoke
• 1:16 PM2.5 And Toxic Smoke Chemistry
• 3:14 Inflammation In Lungs And Blood
• 4:24 Brain Risks Anxiety And Dementia
• 5:48 Who Is Most Vulnerable Right Now
• 6:36 Three Steps To Protect Yourself
• 8:33 Hydration Food And Herbal Support

New Normal Big Life podcast host Antoinette Berrafato used nature therapy; archery and whitewater kayaking, to recover from physical limitations, finding passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health. She brings functional medicine and 11 years of real-world experience practicing in these fields to every conversation, stripping away the overwhelm and handing you the exact steps to protect what matters most.

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

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New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
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New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Your nervous system healing might have nothing to do with supplements or breathwork, and everything to do with the four walls you come home to every night. Wellness educator and Homes That Heal podcast host Jen Heller reveals how a toxic home environment keeps your limbic system locked in survival mode, and the practical, budget-friendly steps to turn any space into a sanctuary that supports deep regulation. If you're navigating chronic stress, caregiver burnout, or unexplained fatigue that no doctor has solved, this conversation was built for you.

Jen walks us through her own survival story; brain injury, stroke, and the environmental triggers she never saw coming. She shares the PET Framework she developed from interviewing dozens of healing-space experts. You'll hear why the woods test works, what heavy house energy signals, and the one free exercise that costs nothing and creates a measurable nervous system shift before the weekend is over.

This episode pairs perfectly with episode 102 of Homes That Heal, Toxic Homes, Chronic Stress & Healing Spaces: A Story of Survival, and episode 77 of New Normal Big Life, Can Biophilic Design Reset Your Nervous System At Home?

Chapters

• 0:00 Look Inward Before You Buy
• 1:03 Meet Jen And The Sanctuary Idea
• 2:59 Trauma, Stroke, And Environmental Triggers
• 10:52 EMFs, The Woods Test, Body Signals
• 13:14 Limbic System On High Alert
• 14:36 PET Framework And Heavy House Energy
• 19:14 Free First Step With Pen And Paper
• 22:49 Healing Design For Renters And Budgets
• 29:12 Declutter, Simplify, Or Start Fresh
• 33:21 Make The Bedroom A Sleep Sanctuary
• 36:24 Color, Mood, And Room Behavior Shifts
• 38:21 Walk Your Home Like A Guest

Connect With Jen Heller:

Podcast: https://pod.link/1746448155
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JenHellerLifestyle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenhellerlifestyle/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560317546116
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-heller-30b8a0126/

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Explosive diarrhea. Crippling fatigue. A national cyclospora parasite outbreak hitting more than 18 states in America. Michigan's Cyclospora parasite outbreak just crossed 2,640 cases. That's over 50 times the state's typical annual count. Health officials still haven't identified the exact supplier. And most health coverage skips what it does to your nervous system through the gut-brain connection. This episode gives you the functional medicine recovery strategies that go beyond the antibiotic, so you repair your gut, reset your nervous system, and come back stronger. If you're tracking this outbreak, recovering from a gut infection, or just want to understand how parasites hijack more than your digestion, this one's for you.

New Normal Big Life Podcast host Antoinette Berrafato used nature therapy — archery and kayaking — to recover from physical limitations, finding passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health. She brings this episode with a functional medicine foundation and 11 years of real world experience.

Chapters

0:00 — The Cyclospora Outbreak Headlines

1:30 — What We Know Right Now

3:00 — What the Cyclospora Parasite Is

5:00 — Symptoms to Watch For

7:00 — Your Body's Defense System

8:15 — The Gut-Brain Nervous System Connection

9:30 — Medical Treatment Options

11:00 — Functional Medicine Recovery

14:00 — Prevention and Food Safety

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Erectile dysfunction in young men has surged 31-fold over the last decade, and up to 35% of men under 40 are now affected. In this episode, Gaylen Wilson — who coached over 60,000 men and their partners through ED recovery across the two largest Facebook groups for erectile dysfunction unpacks the real drivers behind this silent epidemic, from pornography and video gaming to zinc deficiency, low testosterone, and the nervous system dysregulation that conventional medicine missed.

Gaylen breaks down his Monument Method for rebuilding intimacy, why men respond so differently to an ED diagnosis (fight or flight), and what partners need to understand when their man withdraws. This conversation is for men who feel blindsided by an ED diagnosis, and for the partners who want to understand what's really happening and how to move forward together.

Chapters

• 0:49 Meet Gaylen: Erectile Dysfunction In Young Men
• 2:36 Porn Induced ED: Conditioning And Dopamine Overload
• 6:17 Zinc Deficiency ED: What Men Never Hear
• 10:41 Nervous System Regulation: The ED Tailspin
• 14:11 ED Treatment: From Pills To Penile Implant
• 19:40 ED Medication Side Effects And Root Cause Testing
• 30:56 ED Recovery And Intimacy: What Goes Unspoken
• 36:46 Loneliness, Dopamine, And ED Recovery

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Personalized medicine could be the reason you still feel off even when your labs come back "normal," and this episode shows you why. Cannabis genetics expert Len May reveals how reading your own DNA turns guesswork into a personalized plan for energy, focus, and long-term health. If you are tired of cookie-cutter healthcare and ready to understand your own body, this conversation is for you.

Len explains why only a fraction of your genes are active at birth, the three forces that switch the rest on or off, and how his EndoDNA's BIOS platform pairs your genetics with AI to personalize what your doctor recommends. He also debunks three myths about cannabis and the endocannabinoid system that most people accept without question.

New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Educational discussion only, not medical advice. This episode covers medical cannabis, addiction, and recovery. If you are struggling, the SAMHSA national helpline is free and confidential at 1-800-662-4357.

Chapters

• 0:00 Genetics As Your Life GPS
• 0:22 Safety Note And Medical Disclaimer
• 1:21 What DNA Based Wellness Means
• 4:42 Len May’s Path Through ADHD
• 10:39 Building EndoDNA For Personal Protocols
• 14:49 Endocannabinoid System And Cannabis Dosing
• 20:50 DNA Privacy And Data Security
• 22:40 Ethical AI With Clinical Guardrails
• 29:37 Nature Break For Foraging Story
• 30:52 Stress Genes And Root Cause Medicine
• 36:31 Cannabis Myths And What Research Shows
• 40:27 Final Takeaways And Where To Connect

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

What if everything you've been told about stem cell therapy, that it requires live cells, needles, and a clinic, turns out to be wrong? Dr. Tommy Rhee spent 20 years in regenerative medicine and three years developing a cell-free, needle-free alternative, and in this episode he breaks down the single mechanism that changes how recovery really works. If you're an athlete, a weekend warrior, or anyone living with joint pain, tendon injuries, or osteoarthritis who's wary of injections, this conversation is built for you.

Dr. Rhee served as team chiropractor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has worked with Olympians and UCLA athletes. He's seen firsthand why traditional stem cell injections and PRP treatment come with risks most clinics don't talk about. He walks through the regenerative medicine evolution from prolotherapy, to PRP, to stem cells, why injectables can create a "secondary injury," and the surprising reason frozen "live" cells still seem to work even after they've died.

He also gets honest about who stem cell therapy is NOT for, the 30-day morning-and-night protocol, and how long real tissue rebuilding takes.

This is a root-cause look at regenerative medicine, natural pain relief, and what recovery could look like without the needle, but you'll have to press play to hear the one thing he says to ask your own clinician before you ever consider an injection.

Chapters:

• 0:00 Why Aging Slows Recovery
• 0:51 Show Welcome And Big Idea - Stem Cell Therapy Without the Needle
• 1:13 Meet Dr. Tommy Rhee
• 3:10 From Pro Athletes To Regeneration
• 8:14 Homeostasis And The One To One Cellular Recovery Ratio
• 9:43 Nature Break And Water Safety - Wear your Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
• 11:23 Cell Free Exosomes Explained Simply
• 14:04 How To Get And Use RheeGen
• 15:25 Who Is A Good Fit For Stem Cell Therapy
• 16:20 Pain Masking Versus Real Healing The Root Cause
• 17:51 Realistic Timelines For Stem Cell Therapy Results
• 19:39 The Live Stem Cell Myth
• 22:39 Questions To Ask Your Clinician

🎙️ Guest: Dr. Tommy Rhee — sports chiropractor, U.S. Navy aviator, and author of The Future of Regenerative Medicine: Unlocking the Potential of Topical Stem Cell Therapy 

🌐 Learn more: rheegen.com

📖 Book: The Future of Regenerative Medicine — available on Amazon

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Diagnosed with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's and told there's nothing left to try? Mark Burnett heard the same words — advanced, incurable, manage it and move on. This episode is for anyone facing a neurological diagnosis, their own or a loved one's, who won't take "there's no cure" as the final answer. His father served in the USMC. Born on the contaminated-water base at Camp Lejeune, Mark watched his body slide toward stage-four Parkinson's while the Alzheimer's gene quietly rewrote his memory until the day he forgot how to drive home on a road he'd known for 20 years.

A database developer with a warrior mindset, he refused to curl up and hand his life to the medical system. He went hunting for a mechanism the pharmaceutical companies couldn't patent, one tied to how the brain physically clears what gets "stuck" inside it. A year later, what his neurologist measured in his blood left even the doctor saying, "I've never seen anybody do this."

We're not spoiling the numbers here, but they're specific, they're documented in repeat testing which Mark publishes on his website, and they're the reason this conversation matters for anyone touched by Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, brain injury, or dementia.

Your host, Antoinette Berrafato, is the New Normal Big Life podcast host who used nature therapy — archery and kayaking — to recover from physical limitations after a traumatic brain injury, finding passion, purpose, and people as a recipe for mental health.

Chapters

• 0:00 Falls, Concussions, And Lost Balance
• 1:06 A Shock Parkinson's Diagnosis During COVID
• 5:05 Turning A “Blank Screen” Into Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and brain injury Research
• 9:44 The Ziziphus Seed And Why Source Matters
• 20:13 Clinical Parkinson’s Changes Without A Blood Test
• 25:32 Hope, Prevention, And The Glymphatic System
• 31:56 Free Book, Progress Tracking journal, And Final Thoughts

🔗 Guest & Resources
Mark Burnett, President, APDI: https://mybrainrestore.com/my-journey/

This episode shares one person's personal health experience and is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing your treatment.

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Your nervous system reset may have been hiding inside your home the entire time. If you've tried therapy, supplements, and better sleep but still feel chronically stressed, the missing piece might not be a habit it could be your living space. This episode is for anyone ready to stop managing symptoms and start designing a home that heals.

Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist Healey Ikerd shares research-backed findings on what natural light, indoor plants, and even a simple view of nature actually does to your cortisol levels and what happens to your healing when those things are missing.

New Normal Big Life host Antoinette Berrafato used nature therapy — archery and kayaking to recover from physical limitations, finding passion, purpose, and people as her recipe for mental health. In this episode, she and her husband put biophilic design to the test inside their own Northwoods cabin. Not with a renovation budget, but with intention.

The research is clear. The question is whether your home is working for you or against you.

Chapters

• 0:00 When Your Home Adds To Your Stress
• 1:26 Chronic Illness Inside Your Home
• 5:53 Searching For A Healing Place
• 8:35 Sick Home Syndrome And Toxins
• 12:23 Three Biophilic Design Principles Light Order Life
• 16:31 Biophotomodulation or Light Therapy And Natural Sunlight
• 18:27 Declutter Your Home For Peace And Focus
• 22:48 Bring Nature Indoors On Purpose
• 25:15 Get Family Buy In Early

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed by non-toxic living and confused by the "natural" claims on your product labels? Today, we are breaking down the truth about greenwashing and giving you the exact non-toxic swaps you need to start cleaning up your home, pantry, and cosmetics immediately. 

Our guest for this episode is Amy Hartshorn. She is a nontoxic living educator, certified organic farmer, podcast host, and retreat leader based in Waitsfield, Vermont. She was the founding Executive Director of the Household Toxins Institute, created with the founder of Seventh Generation, and served as technical editor of Green Living for Dummies. If you are a conscious consumer ready to protect your family's health, this episode is essential listening.

You can read how to spot 12 toxic ingredients on food labels in this NNBL.Blog article.

New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow the show so the next episode finds you automatically.

Chapters

• 0:00 Labels Greenwashing And Spotting Fake Claims
• 3:30 Amy’s Non-Toxic Origin Story
• 6:24 Fragrance Antibacterials And Daily Exposures
• 9:40 Start With Priorities Not Perfection
• 14:24 Organic Shopping That Fits Real Life
• 17:18 Helping Kids Avoid Hidden Toxins
• 23:27 Glyphosate, gluten-sensitivity, Celiac disease, Wheat And Healing Paths

Got a health challenge you can’t crack? Send us a text and we’ll find an expert to get you answers and give you a shoutout on the show.

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.

Most people's longevity biomarkers never appear on a standard checkup and that gap may be shortening your health span. Bestselling author and fitness expert, Timothy J. Ward reveals the three markers that do an extraordinary job predicting how long you'll live and how well, and why training all three is possible at any age, even if you've been told it's too late. This episode is for veterans, first responders, blue-collar workers, and caregivers who are done being told their "your labs are normal" while you body tells a different story. The answers you've been looking for are here!

Chapters

• 0:00 Three Biomarkers That Predict Longevity
• 1:29 Tim Ward on Preemptive Healthcare
• 5:43 Aging Strong In A Sick Culture
• 14:44  Toxic Food
• 17:50 The Health Metrics Doctors Miss
• 25:12 Biomarker Panels And Healthy Baselines
• 29:32 Making Advanced Testing Affordable
• 33:03 Custom Supplement Packs And Bioavailability
• 35:40 The Longevity Matrix And Fitness Quadrant
• 40:41 Training Zones For Real Life and Sports

New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Follow the show so the next episode finds you automatically.

Got a health challenge you can’t crack? Send us a text and we’ll find an expert to get you answers — and give you a shoutout on the show.

We want to solve your biggest health challenge. Send us a text

Support the show

New here? Start with our 8‑episode playlist: https://nnbl.blog/podcast/start-here/
Free listener ebooks & guides (newsletter subscribers only): https://nnbl.blog/new-normal-big-life-ebooks-and-guides/
Rebuilding Resilient Lives Uncensored Community: https://rebuilding-resilient-lives.mn.co/share/kNbNMRnkLlpKWjar?utm_source=manual
New Normal Big Life streams free in audio and video on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLAIMER: For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare professional.