Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity with Dr. Katie To

Maybe you've watched someone you love slowly disappear, still physically present but no longer recognizing your face. For Dr. Beena John, that person was her mother, a sharp, health-conscious nurse who spent decades caring for others, and whose Alzheimer's diagnosis changed everything about how Dr. Beena practices dentistry. This conversation is about grief, yes, but more than that it's about what happens when a clinician decides to stop treating teeth and start treating people.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How watching her mother's cognitive decline led Dr. Beena to discover the powerful connection between oral health and Alzheimer's disease, and why Dr. Dale Bredesen's research became her turning point.
• Why biocompatibility testing before implant placement matters more than most dentists realize, and what happens when a patient's body simply cannot tolerate either titanium or ceramic.
• What Dr. Beena observed about tissue healing with zirconia implants compared to titanium, and why she's learned to give the body more time than conventional timelines allow.
• How she transitioned her entire practice, including relocating and rebuilding from scratch, to practice 100% biological and wellness dentistry alongside her partner Dr. Troy.
• The three non-negotiable daily wellness practices Dr. Beena protects no matter what, and why none of them are purely physical.

Key Insights:

The moment Dr. Beena learned that oral health was identified as one of the contributing factors in Alzheimer's disease, she said it felt like a light bulb moment. Twenty years in dentistry, and she had never fully connected the bacteria in the mouth to what was happening in the rest of the body. That shift didn't just change how she practices. It gave her a reason to practice.

Resources Mentioned: 

The End of Alzheimer's by Dr Dale Bredesen, 

Coach Brendon Burchard Daily Growth Fire, 

Xclear nasal rinse, 

LifePro vibration plate. 

Connect With Dr. Beena: Instagram: @dr.beena 

 🌐  www.eagledentaltexas.com

Connect With Dr. Katie To:  🌐  thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto 

Subscribe and Leave a Review: If this conversation gave you something to think about or someone came to mind while you were listening, share it with them and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

Have you ever felt like something was deeply wrong in your body, gone to doctor after doctor, and been told everything looks fine? That gap between "your labs are normal" and actually feeling well is exactly what this conversation is about.

Dr. Katie sits down with her best friend and fellow clinician, Dr. Vi Ho, a biological endodontist who spent eight years fighting a mystery illness before discovering that her breast implants were the culprit. What followed was a complete transformation, not just in her own health, but in the way she shows up for her patients every single day.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Breast implant illness is real, often undiagnosed, and can cause symptoms ranging from severe insomnia and chronic bloating to skin reactions and cognitive fog that no conventional test will catch.
• Being your own health advocate is not optional. When your doctors say you're fine and you know you're not, it is your responsibility to keep looking until you find someone who will actually listen.
• Biological endodontics goes far beyond the conventional root canal debate. Dr. Vi Ho uses ozone, laser therapy, and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) to reduce bacterial load, support healing, and, in some cases, help patients avoid a root canal entirely.
• The meridian system connects each tooth to specific organs and systems in the body, meaning that a tooth issue may not just be a tooth issue, and a provider who understands that connection can offer a whole different level of care.
• You cannot pour from an empty cup. Every practitioner in this conversation prioritizes their own wellness first, and that philosophy shapes every recommendation they make for their patients.

Key Insights:

Dr. Vi's story is a powerful reminder that the things society considers "normal" can still be quietly harming you. Breast implants are so widely accepted that almost no one thinks to question them, and yet for Dr. Vi, removing them resolved eight years of insomnia, chronic bloating, and systemic inflammation almost overnight. Her story is not an anomaly. It is a call to pay attention to what your body is actually telling you, even when everyone around you says you're fine.

In her practice, Dr. Vi has moved away from the conventional root canal model wherever possible. By combining ozone disinfection, laser therapy that penetrates areas standard tools cannot reach, and PRF drawn from the patient's own blood, she is giving teeth a real chance to heal. The goal is always to preserve the tooth and support the body through the process, not just complete a procedure.

Connect With Dr. Vi Ho: 📱 @drviho  🌐  cypressendo.com

Connect With Dr. Katie To:  🌐  thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto 

Subscribe and Leave a Review: If this conversation gave you something to think about or someone came to mind while you were listening, share it with them and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

If you've ever been told you need a dental implant and felt like the decision was already made for you, this conversation is going to change how you think about that moment. The truth is, not all implants are the same, not all patients are the same, and the best dental providers know the difference. Dr. Katie sits down with biological periodontist Dr. Rosalie Gulla for a conversation that is equal parts science, story, and genuine patient advocacy.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why zirconia and titanium implants are not a one-size-fits-all decision, and what biocompatibility testing reveals about which material is right for your unique body.
• How unresolved trauma from past dental experiences shapes the way patients show up to consultations, and why slowing down to listen changes everything.
• What "N of 1" means in biological dentistry, and why every patient deserves to be treated as their own case study rather than a protocol.
• Why Dr. Rosalie sometimes talks patients out of moving forward with a procedure, and how that kind of honesty leads to better healing outcomes.
• The three daily non-negotiables Dr. Rosalie lives by, including one that has nothing to do with teeth and everything to do with how she shows up for her patients.

Key Insights:

The zirconia versus titanium conversation is not a debate with a winner. It is a diagnostic question. Dr. Rosalie makes clear that both materials have a place in dentistry, and the right answer depends entirely on the individual patient, their immune system, their biocompatibility results, and their readiness. Dismissing ceramic implants because they have a higher learning curve is not the same as saying they are not the right choice for your patient.

There is something powerful in what Dr. Rosalie describes as becoming detached from the outcome. When a patient comes in with their walls up, she does not push the treatment plan. She gets quiet and lets them tell their story. Most of the time, the resistance is not about the implant at all. It is about something that happened before, with a different provider, in a different chair. Healing that starts before the procedure ever begins.

Dr. Rosalie's approach to wellness is not compartmentalized. The same values she holds in her personal life, choosing organic ingredients, meditating every morning, taking care of her skin as a window into her health, are the same values she brings into every patient consultation. For her, biological dentistry is not a specialty. It is a way of seeing.

Connect With Dr. Rosalie Gula:

Instagram: @thebiologicalperiodontist 

Connect With Dr. Katie To:  

thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto 

Subscribe and Leave a Review:

If this conversation opened your eyes to a new way of thinking about your dental care, sharing it with someone you love might just change the trajectory of their health too.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

Most of us were taught that healing happens at the chair. Get the procedure, go home, recover. But if you've ever had a patient who did everything right and still didn't heal the way you expected, you already know there's more to the story. This conversation with Dr. Thomas Levy changed the way I think about what's actually happening beneath the surface, and why our patients need more than dentistry to truly get well.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why liposomal vitamin C can match or even outperform IV vitamin C in clinical impact, and why that matters enormously for dental patients who can't access IV therapy.
• How magnesium deficiency is at the root of nearly every chronic disease pattern we see, including atrial fibrillation, migraines, seizures, and uncontrolled oxidative stress inside the cell.
• Why not all magnesium supplements are the same, which forms to prioritize and why even the most affordable options still move the needle.
• The surprising connection between GLP-1 and intracellular vitamin C that Dr. Levy is calling one of the most significant supplemental discoveries of his career.
• How to build a simple foundational protocol around vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K that supports healing before and after dental procedures.

About Dr. Thomas Levy: Dr. Thomas Levy is a board-certified cardiologist and attorney who has spent over three decades at the intersection of nutrition science, biological medicine, and integrative health. He is the author of 14 books, including the landmark Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins: Curing the Incurable. His work with liposomal vitamin C through Live On Labs has made high-dose vitamin C therapy accessible to patients and practitioners around the world.

Resources Mentioned: Curing the Incurable by Dr. Thomas Levy, Magnesium: Reversing Disease by Dr. Thomas Levy, Live On Labs liposomal vitamin C and magnesium threonate.

Connect With Dr. Thomas Levy: TomLevyMD.com 📱@drthomaslevy

Connect With Dr. Katie To:  thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto 

Subscribe and Leave a Review: If this conversation opened something up for you, I'd love for you to subscribe and share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

🔗 Learn more at thewellnessdentist.com

There is a moment, if you are honest with yourself, when you realize that success on paper and fulfillment in your body are two completely different things. Dr. Anthony Vu knows that moment well. He built a thriving seven-figure dental practice, had every marker of achievement, and still found himself sitting in a nice restaurant feeling hollow. This episode is about what it takes to actually do something about that, and why the mouth, the body, and the way we lead are all connected to the same root.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why dentistry's traditional "fix and fill" model creates burnout not just in patients but in the providers treating them, and what a prevention-first approach actually looks and feels like in practice.
• How building a morning team huddle culture transformed one office manager's professional performance and inspired her to run the Chicago Marathon, and why Anthony says that's not a coincidence.
• What running the Tokyo Marathon with a flared sciatic nerve taught Dr. Vu about knowing when not to force it, a lesson that translates directly into how he approaches surgery and patient care.
• Why the solo hero model in dentistry is outdated, and how moving from a scarcity mindset to a collaborative, growth-oriented ecosystem changes outcomes for everyone in the room, including the patient.
• The three non-negotiable daily wellness practices Dr. Vu swears by, journaling, meditation, and movement, and why he believes investing in a coach accelerates every single one.

About Dr. Anthony Vu:

Dr. Anthony Vu is a dentist, a marathon runner, and a person who made one of the harder decisions in this profession, walking away from financial security to pursue meaning. He is based in Boston and has completed eight marathons, including several World Majors, and brings the same discipline and long-view thinking he developed on the road into how he approaches patient care and leadership. His work is grounded in the belief that healing is a calling, not a transaction.

Key Insights:

Dr. Vu's turning point came from a conversation with an ER physician friend who told him, plainly, that he felt like a bandaid. That one sentence cracked something open. Anthony looked at his own practice and recognized the same pattern, fixing damage without changing trajectory. It was the moment he decided that dentistry had to mean more, not just technically, but relationally and systemically.

What makes this conversation stand out is the thread Anthony draws between physical training and clinical philosophy. Running taught him restraint. When his sciatic nerve was flaring two weeks before the Tokyo Marathon, he didn't override his body. He respected it. And finishing that race by listening, not by forcing, changed how he thinks about treatment planning. Just because you can cut doesn't mean you should.

Connect With Dr. Anthony Vu: 📱 @dr.anthonyvu 

Connect With Dr. Katie To:  thewellnessdentist.com 📱 @drkatieto 

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

🔗 Learn more at thewellnessdentist.com

Most people don't connect a failing dental bridge to memory loss, mast cell activation, or a potassium level so low their heart nearly stopped. But that's exactly what happened to Amy Wine a patient of Dr. Katie.

In this episode of Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity, Dr. Katie sits down with Amy Wine, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor, and business coach, for a raw, honest conversation about what really happens when your dental health is silently driving systemic illness throughout your whole body.

Amy's story started with a bridge falling off mid-client-call. What looked like a routine fix turned out to be something far more serious: dental mold that had spread through her entire body. What followed was a year-and-a-half healing journey through functional medicine, sinus surgery, neurological symptoms, and eventually, a complete identity shift. 

Dr. Katie and Amy also get real about what it actually takes to heal. It's not one doctor. It's not a quick procedure. It's a team that communicates, a patient willing to do the work, and the courage to take baby steps even when the progress feels invisible.

4 Key Takeaways

• 🦷 Your mouth is upstream from everything. When there's infection, mold, or inflammation in your teeth and jaw, your gut, brain, and immune system all feel it. Treating your mouth is treating your whole body.
• 🧠 Sickness can become your identity. Amy shares how she unknowingly let illness define her, and what it took, including going back to therapy herself, to rewrite that story.
• 🔄 Healing takes a team, and that team needs to talk. Amy now has six practitioners on her care team, including Dr. Katie. Siloed care leaves patients stuck. Integrated, communicating providers get results.
• 🪜 Baby steps create real momentum. Whether in therapy, dental care, or wellness, starting with one small action in one area of life is what actually sticks. Everything else starts to lift with it.

About Amy Wine

Amy Wine is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), licensed professional counselor (LPC), and business coach who works with clients across ten life domains. Amy works with business owners, athletes, couples, and individuals who want to maintain success without losing themselves or those they love.

Free Resource from Amy: Take the Thrive Life Inventory, a free 10-minute assessment that measures where you stand across 10 life domains including physical health, emotional wellbeing, relationships, finances, and more. 🌐 ThrivelifeInventory.com

Amy's Podcast: Couch Time with Amy Wine 📲 Instagram: @AmyWineCo  

🌐 AmyWine.com

Ready to find out what your mouth might be telling the rest of your body?

👉 Visit thewellnessdentist.com 

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

🔗  Learn more at thewellnessdentist.com 

Ready to experience dentistry that sees the whole you, not just your teeth? Explore holistic dental care, learn about the oral-body connection, and take your first step toward whole-body wellness.

What if your dentist wasn't just looking at your teeth, but at your entire life?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Brandon Prior, a startup practice owner, father, and wellness-minded dentist who built his practice from the ground up, right in the middle of a pandemic, because he knew the traditional model of dentistry wasn't serving his patients, his team, or himself.

Dr. Brandon didn't find his path into wellness dentistry through a textbook. He found it through frustration. Frustration with a system that was treating the end stage of disease instead of asking why it started in the first place. And once that door opened, he couldn't close it.

We talk about everything from how he discovered the deep connection between gum disease and systemic health, to the way AI is reshaping what's possible in the dental chair. We get into fatherhood, burnout, leadership, and the kind of dentistry that actually moves the needle for your long-term health and longevity.

This is one of those conversations that reminds you: what happens in your mouth is not separate from the rest of you. It never was.

Wellness dentistry is no longer a niche concept. It's a movement, and it's changing the way patients experience oral health care from the inside out. Dr. Brandon shares his evolution from a traditional associate dentist to a purpose-driven startup owner who built his practice around holistic dental care, whole-body awareness, and the kind of patient experience that actually feels good to walk into.

Whether you've been curious about wellness dentistry for a while, or you've been looking for a dental home that actually feels aligned with how you take care of the rest of your body, this episode is for you.

Connect with Dr. Brandon Prior

Instagram: @dr.brandonprior Email: [email protected]

🌿 Your mouth is not separate from your body. And your dental care shouldn't be separate from your wellness journey.

If today's conversation opened something up for you, you don't have to settle for dentistry that only looks at the surface. There is a different way. A more connected, more thoughtful, more whole-body way.

Come explore it with us. 👉 thewellnessdentist.com

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

🔗 Learn more at thewellnessdentist.com

What if your dental appointment felt less like a procedure and more like a reset?

In this episode of Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity, Dr. Katie To sits down with Dr. Kelly J. Blodgett, a biological and holistic dentist based in Oregon whose approach to patient care is quietly changing what people believe is possible inside a dental practice. His patients fly in from across the country and around the world, and after hearing this conversation, it's easy to understand why.

4 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Feeling heard is part of the healing. Dr. Blodgett's new patients spend their first visit in a dedicated wellness wing, complete with zero-gravity chairs, PEMF therapy, and red light beds, before any dental conversation begins. The goal is simple: get to know the whole person first. When people feel genuinely understood, hope follows. And hope, he explains, is a healing state.
• Informed consent should include all your options. Most providers are only legally required to present options they consider reasonable, which often leaves patients in the dark about alternatives. Dr. Blodgett and Dr. Katie believe every patient deserves the full picture so they can make choices that are right for their body and their life.
• Your emotional state affects your healing outcomes. Operating from fear, shame, or anger keeps the nervous system in a stress response. Dr. Blodgett shares how his practice is intentionally designed to move patients out of that state and into one where real healing can happen.
• A great team is the real magic. Dr. Blodgett flew his entire team to a training retreat nine years ago, and he credits that single investment as a turning point for his practice. Culture, shared mission, and team wellness aren't extras. They're the foundation.

RESOURCES & PEOPLE MENTIONED

• Dr. Kelly J. Blodgett | Biological & Holistic Dentist 
  • 📍 Oregon
  • 📸 Instagram: @blodgettdentalcare
  • 🌐 Website: blodgettdentalcare.com
  • 🎓 Coaching & practice consulting: drkellijblodgett.com
• Book: Feel Whole Again: Your Humanistic Guide to Healthcare by Dr. Kelly J. Blodgett 
  • Available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and Audible
• Dr. Judson Wall | Biological Dentist, co-host of upcoming course: Building Your Best Biological Practice
• IABDM | International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (conference featured in this episode)
• Technologies mentioned: PEMF therapy, full-body red light and infrared therapy, photobiomodulation, InBody scan

CONNECT WITH DR. KATIE TO

🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

🔗 Learn more at thewellnessdentist.com

What if the root of your chronic symptoms has been hiding in your mouth all along?

In this episode of Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity, Dr. Katie To sits down with Dr. Daniel Pompa, one of the world's leading voices in functional medicine and cellular detoxification. His story isn't just impressive. It's personal. After years of unexplained fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, and gut issues, Dr. Pompa traced the source of his suffering back to improperly removed mercury amalgam fillings. What followed was a decades-long journey from debilitating illness to pioneering one of the most respected root-cause healing frameworks in natural health.

Dr. Katie and Dr. Pompa explore why so many people are still spinning their wheels despite doing all the "right" things, and why the mouth is so often the missing piece.

4 Key Takeaways

• "Normal" lab results don't always mean you're well. Hormones and toxins affect how cells function at a level that standard blood work often misses entirely.
• Hidden dental infections, including cavitations (pockets of chronic infection where a tooth was removed) and root canals, can quietly fuel systemic inflammation throughout the body.
• The upstream/downstream principle: no amount of supplements, hormones, or clean eating can fully heal a body that still has an active toxic source upstream, including in the mouth.
• Asking the right questions matters more than running the right tests. History, environment, and dental timeline are essential clues to finding your "perfect storm."

About This Episode

Dr. Katie and Dr. Pompa connect the dots between holistic dental care, biological dentistry, and whole-body wellness in a way that finally makes sense. If you've been told your labs are fine but you still don't feel fine, this conversation is for you. They discuss mercury toxicity, silver amalgam fillings (which contain approximately 50% mercury), cavitation surgery, the oral-systemic connection, and what to look for in a biological dentist who truly understands root-cause care.

This episode is educational and intended to inform, not to diagnose or treat.

Resources Mentioned

• Dr. Daniel Pompa: @DrPompa on all social platforms
• The Pompa Program: pompaprogram.com (includes free classes)
• Books by Dr. Pompa: Cellular Healing Diet and Beyond Fasting
• IABDM (International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine): iabdm.org

Connect with Dr. Katie To

🌐 thewellnessdentist.com 

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.

🔗 Learn more at thewellnessdentist.com

What if the most overlooked piece of your wellness journey is sitting right in your mouth?

In this episode of Wellness Dentistry: Oral Health for Longevity, Dr. Katie To sits down with Brett Harmeling, founder and CEO of Happy Life Labs, for a conversation that's equal parts honest, eye-opening, and deeply personal. Brett isn't just a wellness expert. He's also Dr. Katie's patient, and his story is one of those that reminds you why getting to the root cause actually matters.

After a serious traumatic brain injury from his years as a competitive athlete, Brett found himself navigating a path through conventional medicine that left him feeling like a stranger in his own body. He made the decision to step away from that path entirely, and what followed was a 15-year journey into functional medicine, red light therapy, structured water, and the kind of whole-body healing that most people never hear about. Today, he's reviewed over 3,000 wellness products and carefully curated only 100 into Happy Life Labs, because integrity and authenticity aren't optional for him. They're the whole point.

Dr. Katie and Brett talk about what it really means when wellness starts in the mouth. They go deep on why biological dentistry and holistic dental care look at the whole person, not just the teeth. And if you've ever wondered whether your water, your air, or even your daily breath practice could be quietly affecting your health, this episode is for you.

4 Things You'll Take Away From This Episode

• Your mouth is the gateway. Wellness is wholeness, and what's happening in your oral environment is connected to everything else in your body through fascial tissue, immune response, and more.
• Withdrawal is real, and so is the other side. Brett shares what it was actually like to come off SSRIs and Adderall, including the weight gain, brain fog, and the dark stretch before the light came back. His honesty here is rare and worth hearing.
• Simple is the starting point. Gratitude. Movement. Clean water. Clean air. Before you buy anything, Brett recommends starting by taking things out of your life, starting with your fridge.
• Test, don't guess. Whether it's a hair tissue mineral analysis or a blood panel, understanding your own data is how you stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress.

Resources, People, and Tools Mentioned

• Happy Life Labs — happylifelabs.com
• SaunaSpace — Red light therapy 
• EWG Water Quality Database — at ewg.org 
• Dave Asprey / Biohacking Conference 
• Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis — Mentioned as a foundational testing tool

Connect With Brett Harming

📧 [email protected] 📱 @BrettHarmeling 💼 LinkedIn: Brett Harmeling

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only.  Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner.  Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.  This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed.    Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests.  We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.