Happy 4/20! Listen along to this mini series, as we dive into a brief history of the origins of cannabis, the science behind THC and how it works with the human body, and the red tape that halted research around this and other plant medicines.

Resources and References:

Ahn BS, Kang S, Lee KH, Kim S, Park JS, Seo HS. A Literature Analysis on Medicinal Use and Research of Cannabis in the Meiji Era of Japan. J Pharmacopuncture. 2020 Sep 30;23(3):142-157. doi: 10.3831/KPI.2020.23.3.142. PMID: 33072412; PMCID: PMC7540234.

Bie B, Wu J, Foss JF, Naguib M. An overview of the cannabinoid type 2 receptor system and its therapeutic potential. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2018 Aug;31(4):407-414. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000616. PMID: 29794855; PMCID: PMC6035094.

Chayasirisobhon S. Mechanisms of Action and Pharmacokinetics of Cannabis. Perm J. 2020 Dec;25:1-3. doi: 10.7812/TPP/19.200. PMID: 33635755; PMCID: PMC8803256.

Congress.Gov. (1791, December 15). U.S. Constitution - Tenth Amendment | Resources | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress. Constitution.congress.gov. https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-10/

Crocq MA. History of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system
. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2020 Sep;22(3):223-228. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2020.22.3/mcrocq. PMID: 33162765; PMCID: PMC7605027.

Day, A. (2000). Famous Firsts in the Ancient Greek and Roman World2000372David Matz. Famous Firsts in the Ancient Greek and Roman World. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Co 2000. 154 pp, ISBN: 0 7864 0599 6 £26.25 UK distribution by Shelwing Ltd, Folkestone. Reference Reviews, 14(7), 44–45. https://doi.org/10.1108/rr.2000.14.7.44.372

DEA. (2025). Drug Scheduling. Www.dea.gov; United States Drug Enforcement Administration. https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling

Manual, B. (2014, October 17). Marijuana’s History: How One Plant Spread Through the World. Live Science; Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/48337-marijuana-history-how-cannabis-travelled-world.html

Marijuana Policy Project. (2018). State Marijuana Regulation Laws Are Not Preempted By Federal Law. MPP; MPP. https://www.mpp.org/issues/legalization/state-marijuana-regulation-laws-are-not-preempted-by-federal-law/

National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK). Alcohol-Use Disorders: Diagnosis, Assessment and Management of Harmful Drinking and Alcohol Dependence. Leicester (UK): British Psychological Society (UK); 2011. (NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 115.) 2, ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND HARMFUL ALCOHOL USE. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK65500/

Parker L. (2026, March 12). Cannabis Through the Ages. The MIT Press Reader. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/cannabis-through-the-ages/

Ren M, Tang Z, Wu X, Spengler R, Jiang H, Yang Y, Boivin N. The origins of cannabis smoking: Chemical residue evidence from the first millennium BCE in the Pamirs. Sci Adv. 2019 Jun 12;5(6):eaaw1391. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw1391. PMID: 31206023; PMCID: PMC6561734.

Wyatt, C. (2024, May 14). Cannabis in Ancient Civilizations - How Marijuana Impacted Myths & Realties - Likewise Cannabis - Dispensary Near Me. Likewise Cannabis - Dispensary near Me. https://likewisecannabis.com/cannabis-in-ancient-civilizations-how-marijuana-impacted-myths-realties/

Let's chat about spring! What nature is doing, lessons we can gain, as well as some seasonal produce and how it supports the gut brain axis.

In this episode we cover what imposter syndrome is, how it can show up in the work place and on social media, how it can impact the gut-brain axis, and talk about the impacts it has in healthcare. I share a bit of my own journey in healthcare administration and the imposter syndrome I faced during a time where I was peaking in my "professional" career. 

Pauline Rose Clance At-Home Imposter Syndrome Test:

https://paulineroseclance.com/pdf/IPTestandscoring.pdf

Positive Psychology Imposter Syndrome Aids:

https://positivepsychology.com/imposter-syndrome-tests-worksheets/

Dr. Gazelle's Guide to Overcoming Imposter Syndrome:

https://gailgazelle.com/imposter/

Online Therapy Platforms:

https://www.talkspace.com/

https://www.betterhelp.com/

https://www.7cups.com/

2025 Aflac Work Forces Report:

Home page - https://www.aflac.com/business/resources/aflac-workforces-report/default.aspx

Report - https://www.aflac.com/docs/awr/pdf/2025-overview/2025-aflac-awr-executive-summary.pdf

All other resources and references:

Abramson, A. (2021, June 1). How to overcome impostor phenomenon. Monitor on Psychology, 52(4). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/06/cover-impostor-phenomenon

Ascott, Emma. “Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism Are Killing Your Career.” Allwork.Space, 19 Nov. 2024, allwork.space/2024/11/imposter-syndrome-and-perfectionism-are-killing-your-career/.

Bernard DL, Jones SCT, Volpe VV. Impostor Phenomenon and Psychological Well-Being: The Moderating Roles of John Henryism and School Racial Composition Among Black College Students. J Black Psychol. 2020 Mar;46(2-3):195-227. doi: 10.1177/0095798420924529. Epub 2020 May 26. PMID: 32704193; PMCID: PMC7377315.

Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, Madhusudhan DK, Taylor KT, Clark DM, Nelson RS, Cokley KO, Hagg HK. Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review. J Gen Intern Med. 2020 Apr;35(4):1252-1275. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1. Epub 2019 Dec 17. PMID: 31848865; PMCID: PMC7174434.

Breit S, Kupferberg A, Rogler G, Hasler G. Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Mar 13;9:44. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044. PMID: 29593576; PMCID: PMC5859128.

Chang YM, El-Zaatari M, Kao JY. Does stress induce bowel dysfunction? Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Aug;8(6):583-5. doi: 10.1586/17474124.2014.911659. Epub 2014 May 31. PMID: 24881644; PMCID: PMC4249634.

Collins, P., & Collins, P. (2023, April 13). Imposter Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes and Ways to Cope – Oaks Integrated Care. Oaks Integrated Care. https://oaksintcare.org/imposter-syndrome/

Dinan TG, Stilling RM, Stanton C, Cryan JF. Collective unconscious: how gut microbes shape human behavior. J Psychiatr Res. 2015 Apr;63:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.02.021. Epub 2015 Mar 3. PMID: 25772005.

Escalante M.D., Alison. “How to Prevent Impostor Syndrome in Your Child.” Psychology Today, 2019, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shouldstorm/201910/how-to-prevent-impostor-syndrome-in-your-child.

Iktidar, Mohammad Azmain MBBS, MPHa,b; Ara, Rifat MBBS, MPHa,c; Roy, Simanta MBBS, MPHa,b,*; Ahmed, Mashrur MBBS, MPHa,b; Chowdhury, Sreshtha MBBS, MPHa,b; Eva, Fahima Nasrin MBBS, MPHa; Trisha, Sadia Mahmud MSC, MPHa; Sharif, Azaz Bin MSc, PhDa. Imposter phenomenon among health professionals and students: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis. Medicine 102(29):p e34364, July 21, 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034364

Lin X, Huang J, Wang S and Zhang K (2024) Bipolar disorder and the gut microbiota: a bibliometric analysis. Front. Neurosci. 18:1290826. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1290826

MacKay M, Yang BH, Dursun SM, Baker GB. The Gut-Brain Axis and the Microbiome in Anxiety Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2024;22(5):866-883. doi: 10.2174/1570159X21666230222092029. PMID: 36815632; PMCID: PMC10845093.

Mu Q, Kirby J, Reilly CM, Luo XM. Leaky Gut As a Danger Signal for Autoimmune Diseases. Front Immunol. 2017 May 23;8:598. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00598. PMID: 28588585; PMCID: PMC5440529.

Perry G, Polito V, Sankaran N, Thompson WF. How Chanting Relates to Cognitive Function, Altered States and Quality of Life. Brain Sci. 2022 Oct 27;12(11):1456. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12111456. PMID: 36358382; PMCID: PMC9688188.

Sakulku, J. (2011). The Impostor Phenomenon. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 6(1), 75–97. https://doi.org/10.14456/ijbs.2011.6

Welcome back to Nature and Nurture! Here we continue to bridge the gap between science and self awareness by exploring how tuning into nature’s wisdom can guide us to care for ourselves more mindfully in modern life. For decades, researchers have debated how much of who we are is determined by biology and how much by environment. But what if it isn’t versus at all? What if it’s both?... always both?

Our nature (the gut-brain axis, the microbiome, our genetics, and physiological wiring) shapes how we experience the world. But our nurture (our epigenetic expressions, the way we eat, rest, connect, and think) shapes how that nature is expressed. There’s no reason we shouldn’t see how both work together to support our overall health; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

In this episode, we look at how kale, persimmons, beets, and leeks all teach us something about how to care for our personal development, and how their nutritional composition supports our bodily systems.

Welcome to Nature and Nurture! Here we continue to bridge the gap between science and self awareness by exploring how tuning into nature’s wisdom can guide us to care for ourselves more mindfully in modern life. For decades, researchers have debated how much of who we are is determined by biology and how much by environment. But what if it isn’t versus at all? What if it’s both?... always both?

Our nature (the gut-brain axis, the microbiome, our genetics, and physiological wiring) shapes how we experience the world. But our nurture (our epigenetic expressions, the way we eat, rest, connect, and think) shapes how that nature is expressed. There’s no reason we shouldn’t see how both work together to support our overall health; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

In this episode, we look at how potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and garlic all teach us something about how to care for our personal development, and how their nutritional composition supports our bodily systems.

In this first episode, I explain what you can expect from this podcast series, why I started The Mindful Microbiome, and do a mini dive into what the gut-brain axis is.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheMindfulMicrobiome

Instagram: @the.mindful.microbiome

Future podcast suggestions: [email protected]