Get personalized root-cause care with Empower Functional Health.
Learn more at empowerfunctionalhealth.com
_____

Cheryl and I break down where to start when dealing with chronic illness, and why diet and environment come before testing and protocols. We discuss how an elimination diet helps quiet inflammation, why symptoms should guide your healing approach, and how factors like mold, detox pathways, and undereating can stall progress. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

Cheryl is a lead practitioner at Empower Functional Health, specializing in root cause healing through personalized health plans and functional nutrition. She works closely with clients to analyze complex chronic illness cases, focusing on diet, environment, and symptom patterns rather than isolated diagnoses. With years of clinical experience, Cheryl helps individuals navigate nuanced healing strategies tailored to their unique health history.

• Where to start first
• Next steps in treatment process
• When to address deeper issues
• Environment as root cause driver
• Prioritizing root causes in healing
• Why blood work comes later
• Overwhelm from excessive testing
• Looking beyond primary concerns
• Working without strict carnivore
• Nutrient deficiencies and metabolism
• How to start carnivore

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Personalized Health Plan
• Carnivore Elimination Diet Cheat Sheet
• Cheryl’s Bio
• How Much to Eat on a Carnivore Diet (for Hormones and Thyroid): Macros, Calories, Protein & Fats
• CIRS Treatment Mistakes That Keep You Sick & What to Do Instead
• Finding Root Cause Healing in Chronic Illness: Your Perfect Carnivore Diet - Interview with Cheryl
• Lessons Learned from our Carnivore Patients: Tracking, Supplements, and Perfect Carnivore
  
  

_____

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NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📫 Weekly Newsletter   

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace profession

If you want to try GI-Resolve, you can get a discount here: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/podcasts/

Get personalized root-cause care with Empower Functional Health.
Learn more at empowerfunctionalhealth.com
_____

Is eating a limited diet, such as a Carnivore diet, or avoiding certain foods because they harm you unbiblical? This episode explores what Scripture actually says about food, freedom, and caring for the body. The Bible does not treat medically necessary or health-based food avoidance as sin. Instead, it emphasizes stewardship, wisdom, self-control, and honoring God with your body. While the New Testament removes ceremonial food restrictions, it does not require people to eat everything indiscriminately. Rather than condemning dietary limits, Scripture consistently calls for honoring God with your body and recognizing that something may be permitted yet still not be beneficial to you personally.

• Introduction
• Is Plant-Based the Ideal Diet Based on Biblical Doctrine?
• Body as a Temple and You as a Steward
• Biblical Mentions of Food, Drunkards, Glutton and Sin
• Paul and the Need of Discipline, Self-Control and the Fruit of the Spirit
• Thoughts on Communion
• Romans 14, The Weak and the Strong
• Real Talk: What Really Matters with Faith

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EPISODE RESOURCES
- Is Plant-Based the Ideal Christian Diet
- My Faith Journey
- Jesus and Wellness Article
- Did Jesus Eat Meat Article 
- Stewarding the Body as God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19–20, 1 Corinthians 3:16–17) 
- Not Everything Is Beneficial (1 Corinthians 6:12, 1 Corinthians 10:23)
- What Enters the Body (Proverbs 23:20–21, Proverbs 25:16, Philippians 3:19
- Acting According to Conscience (Romans 14:14–23, Romans 14:2–3 1 Corinthians 8)
- Self-Control as a Spiritual Virtue (Galatians 5:22–23, 1 Corinthians 9:27
- Biblical Principle of Prudence (Proverbs 27:12, Ephesians 5:29)
- The Garden of Eden Diet (Genesis 1–2) 
- The Daniel Diet (Daniel 1 and 10) 
- Old Testament Dietary Laws (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14)
- Jesus and the Food Laws (Matthew 5:17; Mark 7:18–19, Matthew 15:11)

_____
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
📫 Tips and Weekly Updates: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/newsletter

FIND JUDY CHO
⛑️Work with Us: https://empowerfunctionalhealth.com/services/
🎙️ Podcast: https://nutritionwithjudy.buzzsprout.com/
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👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NutritionwJudy/

NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES
📫 Weekly Newsletter: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/newsletter
📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet: https://amzn.to/3R4VAXn
📚 Articles: https://nutritionwithjudy.com/articles/
🎁 Free Resources: https://nutritionwithjudy.com/resources/
📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners: https://amzn.to/3D5lyo5

_____
*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

Get personalized root-cause care with Empower Functional Health.
Learn more at empowerfunctionalhealth.com
_____

Is a plant-based pattern like the Garden of Eden diet or the “Daniel diet” the ideal biblical way to eat? This episode looks at what the Bible actually shows about food across different periods: from the plant foods in Eden, to the permission to eat animals after the Flood, to Israel’s dietary laws, and finally to the New Testament's focus on faith rather than food rules. It also considers whether Jesus ate meat and why early Christians were told not to divide over diet. Instead of promoting a single required “biblical diet,” the episode explores how Scripture shifts attention from specific foods to the condition of the heart and to freedom under the new covenant.

• Garden of Eden diet
• Noah’s Dietary Changes
• Daniel’s Dietary Story
• Pork, Shellfish. Clean and unclean kids
• How Ceremonial Laws Changed When Jesus Came (Examples)
• Did Jesus Eat Meat?
• Real Talk Thoughts on 613 Laws in the Old Testament

_____
EPISODE RESOURCES 

• My Faith Journey
• Jesus and Wellness Article
• Did Jesus Eat Meat Article  
• The Garden of Eden Diet (Genesis 1–2)
• The Daniel Diet (Daniel 1 and 10)
• Old Testament Dietary Laws (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14)
• 613 commandments (mitzvot)
• Passover Lamb (Matthew 26:17–30; Luke 22, Exodus 12)
• Fish Consumption (Luke 24:41–43;  John 21:9–13)
• Feeding Miracles (Matthew 14; 15)
• Jesus and the Food Laws (Matthew 5:17; Mark 7:18–19, Matthew 15:11)
• Instructions to Eat What Is Set Before You (Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 10:27, 1 Corinthians 8)
• Removal of Dietary Restrictions for Gentile Believers (Acts 10; 15; Romans 14; 1 Timothy 4:3-5; Colossians 2:16)
• Law, Faith, and the New Covenant (Ephesians 2:8–9; Galatians 2:16; Matthew 5:17)
• The Enemy (Lies, Deception, Stealing, Destruction, Disguise, Accusation, Sabotage)
  - “He is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
  - “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10)
  - “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
  - “The accuser of our brothers and sisters.” (Revelation 12:10)
  - “Stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)
  
  _____

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_____

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NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📫 Weekly Newsletter   

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

Get personalized root-cause care with Empower Functional Health.
Learn more at empowerfunctionalhealth.com
_____

Emily and I talk about my health journey: from years of plant-based eating and an eating disorder to finding stability with carnivores, and how diet can support recovery from mold illness and CIRS by lowering inflammation and strengthening the gut-immune system. We also cover practical carnivore troubleshooting (electrolytes, fat intake, meat variety, histamine sensitivity) plus the mindset and hope required to keep moving toward root-cause healing. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

Emily is part of Malachi’s Message, a nonprofit that supports families impacted by toxic mold through education, community, and resources. Alongside her work in the mold-illness space, she shares lived experience and a mission-forward perspective on what it takes to recover physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We discuss the following: 

• Judy’s health journey
• Postpartum crisis and 5150
• Keto to carnivore pivot
• Carnivore diet practice and dilemma
• Missing root cause
• Carnivore for mold recovery
• Histamine and the toxin bucket load
• Medical system misses root causes
• Gut-brain neurotransmitters link
• Carnivore troubleshooting basics
• Mindset, hope, and the reticular activating system
• Stop “mold victim” identity
• Faith, despair, and healing

_____

EPISODE RESOURCES

• All about CIRS
• CIRS Handout
• CIRS Bloodwork
• Is Your House Making You Sick? – Interview with Joshua Rachal
• Malachi’s Message Foundation Website
• Malachi's Message Instagram
• Texas Mold Inspectors

_____

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 

📫 Tips and Weekly Updates 

FIND JUDY CHO

⛑️Work with Us 

🎙️ Podcast  

📺 YouTube 

📸 Instagram 

👥 Facebook  

NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📫 Weekly Newsletter   

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

If you want to try GI-Resolve, you can get a discount here: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/podcasts/

Support your health journey with our private practice! Explore comprehensive lab testing, functional assessments, and expert guidance for your wellness journey. Find exclusive offers for podcast listeners at nutritionwithjudy.com/podcast. 
_____

Dr. Sue and I talk about what it’s like to go from treating breast cancer to becoming the patient herself, and how fear, uncertainty, and loss of control can linger long after treatment ends. We also dive into practical coping strategies like shrinking time to 24 hours, building a strong care team, and prioritizing lifestyle pillars such as sleep, nutrition, and stress reduction. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

Dr. Sue Hwang is a breast radiation oncologist based in Orlando, Florida, who was diagnosed with her own breast cancer after a routine mammogram revealed multiple tumors. During her treatment journey, she began journaling as a therapeutic outlet, which eventually led to publishing essays and writing her book, From Both Sides of the Curtain. Her experience transformed how she practices medicine, placing greater emphasis on empathy, survivorship care, emotional healing, and lifestyle medicine.

We discuss the following: 

• Who is Dr. Sue Hwang
• Biopsy and confirmed diagnosis
• Emotional toll of diagnosis
• Taking time off to process
• Therapy and self-care tools
• Lifestyle medicine after treatment
• Survivorship fears explained
• Cancer and control
• Questions to ask doctors
• Advocacy and early screening
• Changes in life after cancer

_____

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Instagram
• From Both Sides of the Curtain Book
• American Cancer Society
• Susan G. Komen Foundation
• 23andMe (genetic testing)

_____

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 

📫 Tips and Weekly Updates 

FIND JUDY CHO

⛑️Work with Us 

🎙️ Podcast  

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NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📫 Weekly Newsletter   

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

If you want to try GI-Resolve, you can get a discount here: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/podcasts/

Support your health journey with our private practice! Explore comprehensive lab testing, functional assessments, and expert guidance for your wellness journey. Find exclusive offers for podcast listeners at nutritionwithjudy.com/podcast. 
_____

**Podcast Update: It looks like I accidentally switched the terms: absolute risk reduction vs relative risk reduction. Regardless of the terminologies, the point was to see what funny games statisticians will use for marketing pharma drugs (and this happens in a lot of types of marketing...) To see a clear write-up of the absolute risk vs relative risk, you can read an article I shared about it: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/old-newsletter/why-statins-dont-stop-heart-attacks/

In this episode, I walk through why statins are prescribed (especially with LDL above 190 mg/dL or with type 2 diabetes), and I explain how statin marketing can make the benefits look bigger than they really are by using relative risk instead of absolute risk. I also cover major concerns I see with statins, including nutrient depletion (like CoQ10) and potential impacts on muscle function over time. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

• The statin numbers (the what, why)
• Lipitor ad: relative vs absolute risk reduction
• Statin efficacy studies (and risks)
• Statins reduce nutrient status (including CoQ10)
• Risks of low cholesterol
• What to test and track for heart disease
• New book cover 
  
  

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EPISODE RESOURCES 

• Join the Newsletter
• Carnivore Diet Cholesterol Labs 
• Cardiovascular Blood Test
• Statin Use Is Associated With a Decline in Muscle Function and Mass Over Time (PubMed)
• Should You Take a Statin for Your High Cholesterol? (Yale Medicine)
• Lipitor Ad Highlighting Relative Risk Reduction (36%) vs Absolute Risk (3% vs 2%) (ResearchGate Figure)
• Atorvastatin Decreases Blood Coenzyme Q10 in Patients at Risk for CVD and Stroke (JAMA/Arch Neurol)
• Lipitor: Why It Remains the Best-Selling Drug in Pharmaceutical History (Accio)
• Heart Statistics: Cardiovascular Disease Statistics for the UK (British Heart Foundation)
• WHO Mortality Database (World Health Organization)
• Robert Jarvik (Artificial Heart Developer) (Wikipedia)
• Pfizer, Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) print advertisement featuring Robert Jarvik, ca. 2006–2008.

____
FIND JUDY CHO
⛑️Work with Us: https://empowerfunctionalhealth.com/services/
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📸 In

If you want to try GI-Resolve, you can get a discount here: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/podcasts/

Support your health journey with our private practice! Explore comprehensive lab testing, functional assessments, and expert guidance for your wellness journey. Find exclusive offers for podcast listeners at nutritionwithjudy.com/podcast. 
_____

In this episode, I break down why statins are commonly prescribed with higher cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. I also challenge the long-standing belief that saturated fat causes heart disease. I explain why cholesterol is essential for hormone production, brain health, bile production, and cellular repair, and I share ideal cholesterol markers I commonly see in my carnivore and meat-based practice, including optimal ranges for total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

• Saturated fats and Time magazine
• Risks of low cholesterol
• Steroid hormones
• Cholesterol levels on a carnivore diet
• Children on statins
• Cell danger response

_____
EPISODE RESOURCES 

• Cardiovascular Blood Test
• Lipitor Relative Risk Advertisement
• Cholesterol Levels & Neurological Risk Study (JAMA Neurology)
• Lipitor: Best-Selling Drug in History
• British Heart Foundation Global Heart Statistics
• World Health Organization Mortality Database

_____

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 

📫 Tips and Weekly Updates 

FIND JUDY CHO

⛑️Work with Us 

🎙️ Podcast  

📺 YouTube 

📸 Instagram 

👥 Facebook  

NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📫 Weekly Newsletter   

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

Support your health journey with our private practice! Explore comprehensive lab testing, functional assessments, and expert guidance for your wellness journey. Find exclusive offers for podcast listeners at nutritionwithjudy.com/podcast. 
_____

Michael and I dive into how childhood trauma reshapes the nervous system, drives addiction, and contributes to chronic illness, mental health struggles, and even premature death. We break down the CDC’s ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score, including the powerful data showing that an ACE score is associated with losing years of life, and discuss why trauma may be the hidden driver behind inflammation, immune dysfunction, and chronic disease. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

Michael Menard is an inventor, entrepreneur, and author who grew up as the second oldest of 14 children in Kankakee, Illinois, later discovering that he and his siblings experienced complex childhood trauma. As Vice President of Engineering at Johnson & Johnson, his 14 patents transformed global manufacturing, and his expertise has been sought by the United Nations, NASA, Coca-Cola, and Pfizer. He is the founder of United Against Childhood Trauma (UACT) and the bestselling author of multiple books, including The Kite That Couldn't Fly and Greater Than Gravity.

We discuss the following: 

• Who is Michael Menard
• Trauma’s hidden death toll
• ACEs defined by the CDC
• ACE score shortens lifespan
• Cortisol damages brain and body
• Shame prevents trauma healing
• Building ACE 2.0 intensity
• Wholeness and EMDR healing
• The sacred first 60 days
• The Paradox of Childhood Trauma

_____

EPISODE RESOURCES

• United Against Childhood Trauma (UACT)
• Website
• Instagram
• The Kite That Couldn't Fly (Memoir)

_____

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 

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FIND JUDY CHO

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NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📫 Weekly Newsletter   

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

#childhoodtrauma #ACES #ACEscore #rootcausehealing #chronicillness #inflammation #mentalhealth #addictionrecovery #UACT #GreaterThanGravity #TheKiteThatCouldntFly #NutritionWithJudy

If you want to try GI-Resolve, you can get a discount here: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/podcasts/

Support your health journey with our private practice! Explore comprehensive lab testing, functional assessments, and expert guidance for your wellness journey. Find exclusive offers for podcast listeners at nutritionwithjudy.com/podcast. 
_____

Dr. James and I dive into the complexities of depression, its symptoms, root causes, and how functional psychiatry can support healing. We explore why traditional models fall short and highlight nutritional and biological interventions, including amino acids, B12, and low-dose lithium, as foundational tools in treating mental health. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

Dr. James Greenblatt is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist and a pioneer in the field of functional psychiatry. He has authored multiple books, including Finally Hopeful, where he outlines a biologically-rooted approach to treating depression through individualized testing and nutritional support. With over three decades of clinical experience, Dr. Greenblatt has helped reshape how mental health can be supported through integrative and evidence-based strategies.

We discuss the following:

• Dr. Greenblatt’s background
• Underlying causes of depression
• Protein and Neurotransmitter Production
• CBT and reframing thinking errors
• Nutrients Before Antidepressant Taper
• Judy's personal reflections on her healing

_____

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Website
• Finally Hopeful Book
• Low Cholesterol Causes Risk of Depression and Suicidal Ideation – Interview with Dr. James Greenblatt
• Why Antidepressants Make You Sicker, Withdrawal Effects and Stopping Depression - Interview with Dr. Mark Horowitz

_____

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 

📫 Tips and Weekly Updates 

FIND JUDY CHO

⛑️Work with Us 

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NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📫 Weekly Newsletter   

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

If you want to try GI-Resolve, you can get a discount here: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/podcasts/

Support your health journey with our private practice! Explore comprehensive lab testing, functional assessments, and expert guidance for your wellness journey. Find exclusive offers for podcast listeners at nutritionwithjudy.com/podcast. 
_____

Dr. Bradley and I talk about the energetic and emotional roots of chronic illness, and how “trapped emotions” and the heart wall can block healing long after protocols and diets have been applied. We also discuss how faith, prayer, and nervous system regulation intersect with emotional healing. Make sure to listen to the full interview to learn more.

Dr. Bradley Nelson is a holistic doctor with over 37 years of experience, and author of The Emotion Code, The Body Code, and The Heart Code, focusing on emotional energy as a root of physical and emotional disease. He combines energy medicine, muscle testing, and spirituality, emphasizing the role of prayer and divine guidance in healing. His work trains practitioners worldwide in understanding how trapped emotional energies impact health.

We discuss the following:

• All about Dr. Bradley Nelson
• How muscle testing works
• Role of prayer and divine guidance
• Connection between heart and brain
• Starting the heart wall clearing
• Removing the heart wall process
• Where to find Dr. Bradley Nelson

_____

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Website
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Discover Healing
• The Heart Code book
• The Emotion Code book
• The Body Code book

_____

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER 

📫 Tips and Weekly Updates 

FIND JUDY CHO

⛑️Work with Us 

🎙️ Podcast  

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NUTRITION WITH JUDY (NwJ) RESOURCES

📘 Carnivore Cure Book & Elimination Diet   

📚 Articles

🎁 Free Resources 

📗 Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners

_____

*DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It should not replace professional medical advice.

If you want to try GI-Resolve, you can get a discount here: https://www.nutritionwithjudy.com/podcasts/