Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn

153: Hormone Therapy, Safety, and the Future of Women’s Health with Dr. Daved Rosensweet

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Dr. Daved Rosensweet for a wide-ranging, deeply informed conversation about menopause, hormone replacement therapy, breast cancer risk, and why so many women have been left without clear, trustworthy options.Dr. Rosensweet shares how the Women’s Health Initiative created lasting fear around hormones, why that fear was built on misreported data, and how the conversation around estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone has slowly begun to change. Together, they make the case that hormones are not the enemy of women’s health and in many cases, they are central to preserving it. The conversation also turns to safety, testing, individualized dosing, and the role of breast imaging. Dr. Jenn explains why QT imaging is changing the way she thinks about screening, and Dr. Rosensweet reflects on why he has long required imaging before prescribing hormones. The result is an unusually honest, technically rich, and hopeful conversation about how to care for women better at every stage of life. What You’ll Learn Why the Women’s Health Initiative misled both the public and providers What the data actually showed about estrogen and breast cancer risk Why many women were taken off hormones unnecessarily for decades How Dr. Rosensweet thinks about the safety of hormone replacement after breast cancer Why estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all matter for women’s health How hormone loss contributes to sleep problems, brain fog, libido loss, bone loss, and muscle loss Why the timing of hormone therapy matters, but it may not be “too late” How Dr. Rosensweet approaches individual dosing and hormone testing Why topical delivery matters when it comes to clotting risk and liver metabolism How QT imaging fits into a safer, more modern breast-screening strategy Chapters 00:00 Introduction and episode overview 09:50 Hormone therapy after breast cancer: what the science says 12:31 The role of estrogen and breast cancer risk 14:23 Hormones and breast cancer risk: what the latest studies show 16:22 The lag in medical progress and the 30-year delay in hormone research 17:44 Why the narrative that estrogen causes cancer persists 20:02 Recent advances and the future of hormone therapy 22:51 The importance of provider education and safe hormone protocols 25:49 Signs you should consider hormone therapy 30:44 What women can do if they missed their window for hormone therapy 33:49 Is it ever too late for hormone therapy? 36:02 Determining the right hormone levels and testing methods 37:24 How Dr. Rosensweet ensures safe hormone replacement practices 44:33 Understanding breast cancer cells and hormone receptor sites 46:03 Hormones as protectors, not causes, of breast cancer 47:08 The impact of environmental toxins on health 48:17 The need for testosterone in women and men 52:02 Addressing the lack of provider training on hormones 54:27 Empowering women to have informed conversations about hormones 55:46 Closing remarks and call to action To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

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How Hormones Can Improve Women's Health and Longevity

Dr. Jenn Simmons interviews Dr. David Rosensweet about the history, misconceptions, and latest science of hormone replacement therapy, especially in relation to women's health and breast cancer risk. In this episode, Dr. Jenn Simmons and Dr. Rosensweet explore the science and safety of hormone replacement therapy, the importance of personalized treatment, and innovative breast cancer screening methods like QT. They discuss how understanding hormone levels, testing, and new technologies can transform women's health and cancer prevention. Key Topics in This Episode History of hormone therapy and misconceptions Impact of the Women's Health Initiative study The safety and benefits of bioidentical hormones Risks of hormone therapy and how to evaluate them The importance of early intervention in hormonal decline Advances in hormone therapy research and future prospects Hormone levels and testing accuracy Safety and personalization in hormone therapy The importance of estriol and receptor sites New breast cancer screening technologies like QT The impact of environmental toxins and lifestyle on women's health Chapters 00:00 Introduction and guest background 01:56 History of hormone therapy and misconceptions 04:07 Impact of the Women's Health Initiative study 05:51 Reevaluation and retraction of initial findings 06:56 Why false narratives persist in medicine 09:59 The science behind hormone safety and breast cancer risk 15:00 Studies on hormones and breast cancer recurrence 20:12 Progress in hormone therapy acceptance and future outlook 25:11 The importance of early hormone intervention 29:51 Hormone therapy in aging and longevity 34:58 Practical signs and when to seek help 40:01 Reversibility of hormone deficiency effects 44:53 Risks, evaluation, and safety protocols 50:07 Hormone therapy protocols and cycle management 55:06 Cell biology of menstrual and menopausal changes 59:50 Closing thoughts and future directions To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

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152: Part 2 | The Mammogram Is Off the Table, Here Is What a Former Breast Surgeon Recommends Instead with Ivy Harris

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons returns for part two of her conversation with Ivy Harris, the homeschool mom and researcher behind Done with Diligence, to answer the question Part 1 left open: if not a mammogram, then what? Dr. Jenn makes her most direct case yet that screening healthy, asymptomatic women with mammography is unethical and unsupported by science, and she lays out the alternative she built her practice around. This is the episode where she stops critiquing the old model and hands women a new one. Ivy asks the question every listener is thinking after Part 1: is there ever a situation where Dr. Jenn recommends a mammogram? Her answer draws the one line that matters most in this whole conversation, the line between screening a woman who feels fine and diagnosing a woman who has a symptom. One of those saves lives. The other, she argues, has been quietly manufacturing cancer for sixty years. This is the episode you'll want to send to every woman who's ever been told she has no choice but to start at 40 and repeat every year. What You'll Learn Why Dr. Jenn recommends no screening mammogram for any asymptomatic woman. What the difference between FDA cleared and FDA approved really means, and why mammography would never pass the FDA today How QT compares to mammography and why it was built for dense breasts and implants first Why screening a 30 year old with a mammogram isn't avoided because it can't be done, but because it would reliably cause cancer Why the WISDOM trial showed more screening produces more biopsies and more diagnoses without saving a single additional life What women should actually screen for instead, the metabolic dysfunction and inflammatory markers that point to prevention The daily, no-cost practices Dr. Jenn says do more for breast health than any scan, from fasting to bone-loading movement to detoxification Why a biopsy does not spread cancer, and why stage one breast cancer is 99% survivable Why the difference between surviving breast cancer and thriving after it usually comes down to who gets a health plan, not just a treatment plan Episode Timeline: 01:29 Do mammograms save lives or save breasts 01:50 Why finding cancer early doesn't change the outcome 02:20 How QT imaging and doubling time work 05:01 The difference between screening and diagnosis 07:14 Thermography, ultrasound, and the tears test 12:32 FDA cleared versus FDA approved, explained 18:06 QT versus mammogram sensitivity, 91% versus 71% 20:47 QT for dense breasts and implants 23:51 QT insurance coverage, cost, and access 26:11 What age to start screening, and why not mammograms 28:20 Responding to Peter Attia and the WISDOM trial 34:21 Diet, fasting, movement, and prevention basics 38:53 What to do after a breast cancer diagnosis 39:44 Whether biopsies spread cancer, and the estrogen myth 43:30 Dr. Jenn's credentials and qualifications Guest: Ivy Harris Where to find her: donewithdiligence.com & @donewithdiligence To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

151: Part 1 | Early Detection Was the Promise, but Overdiagnosis and Harmful Radiation is the Reality with Ivy Harris

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Ivy Harris, a homeschool mom of four, researcher, and soon-to-be certified homeopath behind the blog Done with Diligence, for part one of a two-part conversation on the hidden risks of mammograms and breast cancer screening. Ivy is not a doctor. She's a mom who decided she wasn't going to walk into her first mammogram without doing her own homework first, and what she found is the reason this episode exists. It started with one post, Ivy broke down what she'd learned about mammograms into five parts, shared it, and watched it split her audience in half, with some women thanking her and others telling her she was going to get people killed. Dr. Jenn picks up exactly where Ivy left off and does the math no one does at check-in: 40 million screening mammograms a year, and by the numbers in the study Ivy found, the radiation alone works out to tens of thousands of cancers and over a thousand deaths a year. This is the episode you'll want to send to every woman who's ever been told a mammogram is simply safe, simply necessary, and not worth questioning. What You'll Learn The naming decision behind "mammogram" that Dr. Jenn says was never an accident Ionizing radiation is a classified carcinogen, and why radiologists won't apply that logic to their own test The cross-country flight radiation comparison doctors use to reassure you, and why it doesn't hold up How breast density and size can mean 10x more radiation for one woman than another in the same mammogram Why younger breast tissue takes more damage from radiation as screening age keeps getting pushed lower Overdiagnosis: the NIH's own number is as high as 1 in 2 women screened Why DCIS, diagnosed in 90,000 women a year, has no physical route to become life-threatening breast cancer How standard DCIS treatment can raise heart failure and fracture risk higher than the diagnosis itself False positives and the 80% benign biopsy rate hiding behind every mammogram callback What a 2026 American College of Physicians paper found on mammograms and breast cancer mortality, at every age Why decades of mammography have increased mastectomies by 20%, the opposite of what screening promised Lead time bias: how a screening test can look life-saving on paper without changing when anyone actually dies The UK surgeon forced to resign for telling women the truth about mammogram screening Episode Timeline: 00:00 Introducing Ivy Harris and Done with Diligence 02:27 Why Ivy researched mammogram safety before her first screening 03:00 Going past the rumors to the actual breast cancer research 04:13 Her viral mammogram post and the backlash that followed 05:32 Standing firm on breast cancer screening controversy 07:39 Radiation risks: why a mammogram is a breast x-ray 09:12 The studies linking mammogram radiation to breast cancer 11:14 How radiation damages younger breast tissue 13:36 The math: 40 million mammograms and radiation-induced cancer deaths 17:59 Overdiagnosis and unnecessary breast cancer treatment 26:14 The train analogy for mammogram overdiagnosis 28:12 How breast cancer actually progresses versus the screening myth 32:29 The real harm of overdiagnosis and overtreatment 34:54 Why mammograms don't reduce all-cause breast cancer mortality 50:15 Lead time bias and misleading screening survival statistics 52:04 Michael Baum, saving breasts, and a Part 2 preview Resources Mentioned: American College of Physicians, Annals of Internal Medicine, April 2026: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M22-3424 Guest: Ivy Harris Where to find her: Done with Diligence & @donewithdiligence To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

150: The Trauma You Carried for Decades Could Be the Root of Your Disease with Dr. Aimie Apigian

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Dr. Aimie Apigian, a physician with a master's in biochemistry who left surgical training to study the biology of trauma after her own health collapsed. Together they make the case that unresolved trauma, including the kind you'd never check a box for, is not a side note to breast cancer but part of the terrain it grows in. This is the conversation conventional oncology skips entirely. Dr. Aimie didn't recognize her own trauma until it nearly destroyed her health. Raised to be her adopted father's emotional stability, she carried a burden she never named as trauma, until a failed adoption after six years left her with chronic fatigue she couldn't get out of bed from one month later. She knew the research linking adversity to disease. She still didn't see it in herself. If you've ever told yourself your childhood "wasn't that bad," this episode will give language to what your body already knows. What You'll Learn Why the women most likely to carry hidden trauma are the ones who'd swear they had a happy childhood What the famous ACE study found when it looked at wealthy women, and why it shocked the medical world Why trauma isn't a feeling you can think your way out of, but a physical loop your body keeps running What a review revealed about childhood adversity and breast cancer risk Why the state you were in before your diagnosis matters more than the diagnosis itself How to tell if your body is still holding trauma, without digging into your past Why feeling safe feels terrifying to a nervous system that survived on control How healing can start with just two seconds at a time Why no retreat or single psychedelic trip will do what small daily habits can Why most people start their trauma work in the wrong place, and pay for it Guest Dr. Aimie Apigian Where to find her: biologyoftrauma.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/draimie/ To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

149: Peter Attia Got Breast Cancer Screening Wrong, and Here's the Evidence

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons responds to Peter Attia's breast cancer screening episode (#396). Attia asks the right question: why are 42,000 women still dying of breast cancer every year? But his answer, more mammograms and MRI on top, is exactly wrong. Dr. Jenn breaks down, study by study, why that 40-year approach has never moved the death toll. Forty-two thousand women a year. That number has not moved since mammography went mainstream in the 1980s. Detection rates are up, diagnoses are up, and the death toll has not changed. We have been finding more cancer, calling more women patients, and watching the same number of them die. If you have ever scheduled your annual mammogram believing it was the most protective thing you could do, this episode will reframe everything you thought you knew. What You'll Learn Why the breast cancer death toll has not moved in 40 years, and why more screening is the reason Why DCIS is not cancer, why mammography invented it, and what happens to a woman the moment it gets labeled "stage zero" Why an aggressive tumor is aggressive from the day it forms, and why finding it earlier on a mammogram does not change what it does next Why mammography catches the cancers least likely to kill you, and routinely misses the ones that will What happened when researchers followed 89,835 women for 25 years and compared annual mammography to doing nothing, and why you have never heard about it What the Cochrane review found after analyzing every randomized mammography trial ever run, and why Peter Attia addressed it in one sentence Why the WISDOM trial, the most significant recent evidence in this space and the one study Attia never mentions, is an indictment of everything he argued Why there is no standard radiation dose for a mammogram, and why the woman next to you in the waiting room may have received ten times less than you did What the FDA has formally documented about gadolinium staying in the brain and bones for years, and why the women being told to get it every six months are the last women who should Why insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and toxic burden are among the most powerful drivers of breast cancer risk, and why Attia's episode contained zero mention of any of them Resources Mentioned Peter Attia, Episode 396 on breast cancer screening: peterattiamd.com/breastcancerscreening Dr. Robin Berzin, founder of Parsley Health Miller AB, et al. Twenty five year follow-up of the Canadian National Breast Screening Study. BMJ. 2014;348:g366. Gøtzsche PC, Jørgensen KJ. Screening for breast cancer with mammography. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(6):CD001877. Zahl PH, et al. Results of the Two-County trial are not compatible with official Swedish breast cancer statistics. Danish Medical Bulletin. 2006;53(4):438–440. Nyström L, et al. Long-term effects of mammography screening: updated overview of the Swedish randomised trials. Lancet. 2002;359:909–19. Esserman LJ, et al. Risk-Based vs Annual Breast Cancer Screening: The WISDOM Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2026;335(9):763–774. FDA gadolinium-based contrast agent safety communications (2015, 2017, 2018), summarized in Fotenos A, FDA Pediatric Advisory Committee, Sept 2018. Kanda T, et al. High signal intensity in the dentate nucleus and globus pallidus and cumulative gadolinium dose. Radiology. 2014;270(3):834–841. Veenhuizen SGA, et al. Supplemental breast MRI for women with extremely dense breasts: DENSE trial. Radiology. 2021;299(2):278–286. Tabar L, et al. Reduction in mortality from breast cancer after mass screening with mammography. Lancet. 1985;325:829–32. To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

148: Overcoming Fear and Reclaiming the Life You Keep Putting Off with Erika Rothenberger

In this episode of Keeping Abreast Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with keynote speaker, author, and 2025 Dynamic Woman of the Year Erika Rothenberger for a conversation about what happens when life forces you to stop playing small. Erika had a day in 2022 that changed everything. What she did on the other side of it is what this conversation is about. Dr. Jenn and Erika get into the trauma we avoid, the life we keep deferring, and why the hardest moments tend to be the most clarifying ones. If you have ever survived something hard and wondered what you are supposed to do with it, this episode will give you your answer. In this episode, you'll learn: What Erika survived in 2022 and why she considers it the greatest turning point of her life Why playing it safe is the most dangerous thing a woman can do Why Dr. Jenn believes a breast cancer diagnosis can be an opportunity and what that actually looks like in practice The real reason most women never go after the life they want and why it has nothing to do with time, money, or circumstances Why the trauma you have been avoiding is not behind you. It is driving you. A simple daily method that takes 36 minutes and rebuilds your entire mindset from the ground up The science behind why the people you surround yourself with are either quietly lifting you or quietly costing you The gap in Pennsylvania law that leaves women unprotected and the legislation Erika is fighting to change Why the most powerful thing a woman can do for her health right now has nothing to do with her body Episode Timeline 01:07 Introducing Erika Rothenberger 03:09 Energy, seasons, and the permission to give 60% 06:56 Erika's story and the morning that changed everything 12:41 Playing small vs. playing large 16:36 Fear, inertia, and the life you keep putting off 19:45 Writing the book and going public with her story 27:32 Why healing is a choice you make every day 32:27 How to protect your time and fuel yourself first 35:35 Why no is a complete sentence 38:01 Finding the good in every setback 40:02 Why a breast cancer diagnosis can be its own kind of punch 43:00 Why your circle determines your ceiling 45:22 What Erika took away from watching Mel Robbins 50:57 The Audacious Summit, October 2025 52:45 Money, legacy, and what you are building 59:22 Finding your thing and going after it 1:05:44 Where to find Erika and closing thoughts Where to Find Find Erika Rothenberger: Website: erikarothenberger.com Instagram: @erikalearothenberger Book: Audacious Expansion To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

147: The Hidden Drivers of Alzheimer's Your Doctor Has Never Tested For with James Maskell

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with James Maskell, health economist, founder of the Evolution of Medicine, and the architect of a movement to reverse cognitive decline, to make the case that Alzheimer's is not a death sentence. It is a solvable problem that medicine has been approaching the wrong way for 40 years. James flew to South Africa when his father collapsed and was expected to die. Every doctor in the room was preparing the family for the end. James walked into his father's house and saw black mold on the wall. Days after moving his father out of that environment, he was opening his eyes. Two weeks later, the doctor declared he had no terminal illness at all. This is the episode to send to anyone who's been told a declining mind is the only end of the story. In This Episode, You'll Learn Why there is no effective drug for Alzheimer's and why 40 years of pharmaceutical research has been chasing the wrong target What the 6 root cause categories driving cognitive decline actually are and why they are the same ones driving breast cancer What the first randomized controlled trial on reversing Alzheimer's showed and why 91% of participants got better without a drug Why catching even a single point drop on a cognitive test can prevent full decline if you act on it immediately How biotoxins like mold can trigger what looks exactly like end stage Alzheimer's and how removing the cause reverses it Why loneliness and loss of purpose are not soft factors but measurable root causes of cognitive decline and breast cancer What the Blue Zones actually have in common and why it has nothing to do with supplements or technology Why community is one of the most powerful clinical interventions we have and how to start building it today Episode Timeline 00:00 Why Community Is the Most Powerful Clinical Intervention We Have 07:15 40 Years of Alzheimer's Drugs and Nothing to Show for It 12:57 Why Neurologists Are the Last Doctors to Accept This Science 18:23 The Myth That You Were Healthy Right Up Until Your Diagnosis 26:03 Catching Cognitive Decline Before It Becomes Alzheimer's 30:41 The 6 Root Cause Categories Driving Cognitive Decline and Breast Cancer 33:21 The Science Behind Why Your Social Circle Shapes Your Health Outcomes 37:41 How Retirement, Isolation, and Lost Purpose Are Fueling Chronic Disease 41:20 Trying to Change the System Is the Wrong Goal 45:51 Why the Chronic Disease Crisis Will Force the System to Collapse 53:10 How Real Health Change Starts at the Grassroots Level 59:08 Final Thoughts on Taking Your Health Back Where to Find James Maskell: Instagram: @mrjamesmaskell Website: jamesmaskell.com To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

146: Women Don't Get What They Deserve, They Get What They Ask For with Renee Marino

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Broadway star, bestselling author, and master communicator Renee Marino to make the case that self-advocacy is not a career skill, it is a health act. Renee went from five Broadway shows and a Clint Eastwood film to co-hosting Tony Robbins's global summits, and every door she walked through opened because she asked. She was the only actress in the entire Jersey Boys Broadway cast not called in to audition for the film because a middleman dropped the ball, and if she had not looked the casting director in the eye and asked for the role she was already playing eight shows a week, she would have watched herself be replaced on screen while Clint Eastwood waited for her to walk through a door she never knew was open. This is the episode for any woman who has ever left an interaction in work, the doctors office, or in their personal life feeling dismissed and said nothing. In This Episode, You'll Learn Why losing your voice shifts your body chemistry toward defeat and stress, and why Dr. Jenn calls speaking up a health tool, not just a mindset Why no agent, manager, or doctor will ever advocate for you as powerfully as you can advocate for yourself in the room What keyboard confidence is costing women in their health relationships and why a text is almost always the wrong tool for an important conversation The two questions to ask before hitting send on any message, post, or reply that actually changes how you communicate What breast cancer screening looks like when the technology is built to actually show you what is there, not flatten and irradiate you Episode Timeline: 00:00 Introduction to Renee Marino 04:10 The power of asking for what you want 06:50 Navigating Rejection 09:53 The Importance of Hard Work and Integrity 12:41 The Role of Communication in Success 15:15 The Journey to Becoming Mary Delgado 18:14 The Impact of Speaking Up 25:47 Speaking up as self-advocacy 31:39 Lessons from the kitchen table 37:37 Why she wrote Becoming a Master Communicator 40:05 The three communication homes 44:44 Balancing technology with real connection 47:47 Women, voice, and the difficult label 1:06:35 Experiencing breast screening that treats you like a person 1:12:08 Glam and Grit: an event built for real connection 1:14:45 Final thoughts and takeaways Where to Find Renee Marino: Instagram: @iamreneemarino Book: Becoming a Master Communicator To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

145: The Gut-Hormone Connection Every Woman Needs to Understand with Dr. Betsy Greenleaf

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Dr. Betsy Greenleaf, the first board-certified female urogynecologist in the world, to dismantle the lie that estrogen causes breast cancer, expose the hormone training gap hiding inside every OB/GYN office in the country, and explain why the online HRT explosion isn't liberation; it's the setup for the next Women's Health Initiative. At 41, Dr. Greenleaf was surgically menopausal, prescribed antidepressants for symptoms her doctors blamed on hormones, and living with a lupus diagnosis she'd carried since age 18. When she stopped treating the symptoms and started treating her gut microbiome, the mood swings resolved, the immune dysfunction cleared, and the lupus markers that had defined her health for decades simply disappeared. The conventional medical system had no framework for what happened to her so she went looking for one. If you've ever been handed a hormone prescription with no questions asked, or been told your labs look "normal" while you feel anything but, this episode will give language to what you've already suspected. In this episode, you'll learn: Why your gynecologist, urologist, and endocrinologist almost certainly received zero formal training in sex hormones Why only 23% of residents finishing training today feel prepared to treat midlife women How chronic stress hijacks your sex hormones and converts them straight to cortisol Why when tens of millions of women stopped HRT after the Women's Health Initiative, breast cancer rates went up, not down Why estrogen is not cancerous and why progestins are a different story entirely How 90% of your serotonin and 80% of your immune system live in your gut Why putting a 20-something on testosterone is masking the real problem The five lactobacillus strains that actually rebalance the vaginal microbiome and why most probiotics don't contain them Why no probiotic will work until the tissue itself is healthy and the full menu of options that can fix it How the brain-gut-vagina connection drives libido, and why testosterone is rarely the answer for low sex drive Episode Timeline 00:00 Introduction to Urogynecology and Dr. Betsy Greenleaf 03:48 Awakening to Functional Medicine 06:34 The Importance of Gut Health 08:14 Training Gaps in Hormonal Health 11:09 The Dangers of Hormone Mismanagement 14:00 Stress and Hormonal Balance 16:46 The Role of Lifestyle in Hormonal Health 19:21 The Fear of Hormones and Cancer 21:55 Understanding Estrogen and Cancer Risks 24:01 The Holistic Approach to Health 28:38 Integrative Medicine and Continuous Learning 31:30 The Role of Tools in Health Management 34:19 The Shift from Conventional to Holistic Medicine 37:15 Understanding Microbiomes: Gut and Vaginal Health 40:05 The Interconnection of Health Systems 43:58 Intimacy and Libido: The Psychological and Physical Connection 50:38 Navigating Midlife Symptoms and Hormonal Health 53:33 Innovations in Health Tracking and Patient Empowerment Where to find Dr. Betsy Greenleaf: Website: pauseinstitute.com Instagram: instagram.com/drbetsygreenleaf To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

144: The Overdiagnosis Epidemic Hiding Inside Every Annual Mammogram

In this solo episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons takes on one of the most accepted messages in women's health and dismantles it with decades of evidence. Routine yearly mammography screening does not hold up when you actually read the trials. Dr. Jenn walks through the WISDOM trial, the Cochrane Review, the Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Study, and the brand new 2026 American College of Physicians guidelines to make the case that one-size-fits-all screening is not just outdated, it is causing real harm. She also takes on the estrogen myth that has left millions of women suffering through hot flashes, bone loss, brain fog, and lost quality of life for decades. A 1.8 million woman study and the Women's Health Initiative say estrogen is not the villain. The real culprit may be something millions of women are still being prescribed today. If you have ever been told to just get your mammogram every year without a single conversation about the risks or what the data actually shows, this is the episode you have been waiting for. What You'll Learn What the 2026 American College of Physicians guidelines say about annual mammography and why radiology groups do not want you to hear it What the WISDOM trial found when women received fewer mammograms and why the results challenge everything we have been told What the Cochrane Review and Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Study concluded after studying hundreds of thousands of women over decades Why up to 50 percent of screen-detected cancers may have never grown, spread, or threatened a woman's life and what that means for how we treat them Why estrogen alone has never been shown to cause breast cancer and what the data actually implicates instead The difference between synthetic progestins and bioidentical progesterone and why that distinction could change every conversation about hormones and breast cancer What BRCA mutation carriers need to know about hormone replacement therapy after risk-reducing surgery What smarter, safer, individualized breast cancer screening actually looks like Episode Timeline 00:00 Introduction 01:08 This Is an Informed Consent Episode 04:00 The WISDOM Trial and the End of One-Size-Fits-All Screening 08:30 Fewer Mammograms, No More Advanced Cancers 11:41 Why Adding MRI Led to More Biopsies and Zero Benefit 15:00 The Only Endpoint That Actually Matters 17:30 What the Cochrane Review Actually Found 19:30 The Number Every Woman Deserves to Hear 23:00 The Canadian Breast Cancer Screening Study 27:00 What Overdiagnosis Really Means 31:00 The 2026 American College of Physicians Guidelines 36:03 The Estrogen Myth 41:00 The Women's Health Initiative Unpacked 49:00 Birth Control, Progestins, and Breast Cancer Risk 53:00 Progestins Are Not Progesterone 57:00 BRCA Mutation Carriers and HRT: What the 2026 JAMA Data Shows 01:03:00 The Future of Breast Cancer Screening Studies Mentioned in This Episode The WISDOM Trial — JAMA The Cochrane Mammography Review — Cochrane The Canadian National Breast Screening Study: 25 Year Follow-up — BMJ 2014 ACP Breast Cancer Screening Guidance Statement — Annals of Internal Medicine 2026 Cracks in the Estrogen Carcinogenesis of Breast Cancer — Journal of Clinical Oncology 2026 Hormonal Contraception and Breast Cancer Risk — NEJM 2017 Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Breast Cancer: Women's Health Initiative — JAMA Oncology 2020 HRT After Oophorectomy and Breast Cancer Risk in BRCA Carriers — JAMA Network Open 2026 To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

143: The 5 Thyroid Tests That Change Everything and Why Your Doctor Only Runs One with Dr. Amie Hornaman

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with thyroid and hormone specialist Dr. Amie Hornaman to dismantle the standard of care that is leaving millions of women dismissed, misdiagnosed, and under treated. They cover what the full thyroid panel actually looks like, why T4-only therapy fails the vast majority of patients, and how the thyroid is connected to every other hormone system in a woman's body. What happens when a competitive athlete starts gaining weight, losing hair, and can't get a single doctor to take her seriously? Dr. Amie found out in her 20s with 40 pounds of unexplained weight gain, six doctors, six dismissals, and one mentor who finally ran the right tests and changed the course of her life and career. If you've ever been told your thyroid is fine while your body is telling you otherwise, this is the episode you've been waiting for. What You'll Learn Why testing TSH alone is not a thyroid workup and what the five markers are that actually tell the full story What free T3, free T4, and reverse T3 mean and why reverse T3 is the most dismissed marker in the panel What thyroid antibodies TPO and TGA reveal about Hashimoto's and why your doctor's normal range is meaningless Why 95% of hypothyroid cases are Hashimoto's and why your antibodies may already be elevated even if your doctor says they are not Why your GLP-1 will stop working if your thyroid is not optimized first How estrogen dominance low progesterone high cortisol insulin resistance and low ferritin all interfere with thyroid function Why your insurance-based doctor cannot give you proper thyroid care even if they want to What the FDA's move against natural desiccated thyroid is really about and who benefits Why testosterone is protective against breast cancer and why women are being denied access to it What it actually feels like when your thyroid is optimized and how Dr. Amie gets patients there Episode Timeline: 00:00 Show Intro 01:08 How Dr. Amie Became Dr. Jenn's North Star 05:02 Pain to Purpose: 40 Pounds and Six Dismissals 08:37 Where Conventional Medicine Gets It Wrong 16:58 Why Thyroid Disease Is at Epidemic Levels 19:14 The Full Thyroid Panel You Actually Need 36:43 Why T4-Only Therapy Fails Almost Everyone 40:27 The Hormonal Web Nobody Is Addressing 45:32 What Thyroid Optimization Actually Looks Like 52:22 The FDA Threat to Natural Desiccated Thyroid 59:42 Dr. Jenn's Testosterone Gatekeeping Story 01:05:22 The Importance of Prevention in Healthcare Find Dr. Amie Hornaman Website: dramie.com | Book: thyroidfixbook.com To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

142: Mammograms Don't Save Lives And the Data Has Known It for Decades

In this solo episode, Dr. Jenn Simmons delivers a five-alarm wake-up call on breast cancer screening. The American College of Physicians just dropped new guidelines and the radiology world is furious, not because the science is wrong, but because it isn't on their side. Dr. Jenn breaks down what the data actually shows, why mammography's survival benefit has been a statistical illusion for decades, and what real preventive screening looks like. She also takes on DCIS, collagen fears, and the question every woman with a breast cancer history is afraid to ask about hormones. Every woman deserves this information before she makes a decision, not after. What You'll Learn Why DCIS is not breast cancer and what the data says about over treating it What the new ACP mammography screening guidelines say and why the radiology world responded with opinion instead of evidence How lead time bias and over diagnosis have made mammography look like a lifesaver when it isn't What the Wisdom Trial revealed about personalized breast cancer screening and why the results make annual mammogram guidelines indefensible What preventive breast cancer screening actually looks like without radiation, compression, or harm Why collagen supplementation has no association with breast cancer risk or recurrence Why bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is not off the table after a breast cancer diagnosis. Why you need to tread the root cause and treat the tumor To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

141: The Hormone They Told You to Fear Is the One That Could Change Your Life with Karen Martel

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with hormone specialist Karen Martel to talk about what's really driving the metabolic chaos of perimenopause and menopause and why the solution most women need is the one they've been told to fear. They also tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in women's health: the relationship between estrogen, metabolic health, and breast cancer. What happens when a nutrition expert who helps women lose weight suddenly can't lose weight herself? Karen found out the hard way at 42, gaining 15 pounds in six months, losing her period, battling depression, and watching her skin age before her eyes. Despite eating clean, exercising, and doing everything "right," her body had other plans. This is the episode you'll want to send to every woman in your life who's been told her labs look "fine." What You'll Learn Why you can gain weight in perimenopause without changing your diet or exercise routine The biological aging study that found perimenopausal women are aging faster on the inside and what stops it Why estrogen is the metabolic master hormone and what happens to your hunger signals, blood sugar, cholesterol, and muscle when it drops Why being asymptomatic in perimenopause does not mean nothing is happening to your heart, brain, and bones Why it is never too late to start hormone replacement therapy Why insulin and insulin-like growth factor may be driving estrogen receptor positive breast cancer more than anyone is talking about Why women with a history of breast cancer are not automatically disqualified from hormone replacement therapy and why most doctors have it wrong How GLP-1s are changing the game for menopausal women The truth about breast cancer, estrogen receptors, and why insulin may be a bigger driver than anyone is talking about Episode Timeline: 01:07 Meet Karen Martel 04:10 Karen's Personal Perimenopause Wake-Up Call 09:09 Why You Cannot Out-Diet or Out-Exercise Hormone Loss 17:21 What Estrogen Actually Does in the Body 25:12 HRT Delivery Methods and Why Form Matters 26:28 Breast Cancer, Estrogen Receptors, and the Insulin Connection 33:48 The Vaginal Estrogen Contradiction 37:08 Estrogen as the Most Powerful Anti-Aging Tool 38:56 The Pharmaceutical Incentive Behind the Anti-Hormone Narrative 44:35 Menopausal Weight Gain and Where GLP-1s Fit In 53:13 Is It Ever Too Late to Start Hormone Replacement 59:39 Women Deserve Better Standards of Care 1:02:06 The Statistics That Should End the Debate 1:05:38 Topical Estrogen and Why Ingredients Matter Find Karen Martel Website: karenmartel.com To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

140: The Metabolic Crisis Behind Breast Cancer

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn takes on one of the biggest questions in breast health: why are more women being diagnosed with breast cancer? In this solo episode, she challenges the long-standing belief that estrogen is the main driver and argues instead that metabolic dysfunction, not estrogen itself, is the deeper issue we should be paying attention to. Dr. Jenn explores how insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, obesity, and hormone depletion may shape breast cancer risk, progression, and recurrence. She also explains why she believes conventional screening is too focused on finding disease after it has developed, and why women need a more proactive approach that looks at metabolic health, prevention, and long-term support after menopause and breast cancer treatment. What you will learn Why Dr. Jenn believes the “estrogen causes breast cancer” narrative is incomplete How metabolic dysfunction, insulin resistance, and inflammation may shape breast cancer risk and outcomes What metabolic syndrome is and which markers she believes women should be tracking Why she argues conventional screening often misses the bigger picture How she thinks about hormone replacement in menopause, including for some high-risk women and survivors Why foundational health habits are presented as the basis for prevention and recovery Episode Timeline: 00:00 Introduction to Breast Cancer Concerns 03:27 Dispelling the Estrogen Myth 06:34 Understanding Hormone Deficiency and Breast Cancer 09:13 The Role of Metabolic Health 12:02 High-Risk Populations and Hormone Replacement 14:49 Foundational Health for Breast Cancer Survivors 17:55 The Metabolic Crisis and Breast Cancer 20:14 Screening for Metabolic Dysfunction 25:08 The Flaws of Mammography 27:48 Innovative Screening Approaches 30:35 Conclusion and Call to Action 52:51 Introduction to Breast Health Awareness To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

139: Vaccines, Chronic Disease & the Data No One Wants us to See with Del Bigtree

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Del Bigtree for a conversation that pushes straight into one of the most uncomfortable questions in modern medicine: what if some of the things we have been taught to never question were never fully questioned to begin with? Together, they explore vaccines, informed consent, chronic disease, media influence, hospital incentives, and why so many people are starting to feel like the system was built to protect itself, not patients. This is not a light conversation, but it is a gripping one. If you have ever felt like the story you were given about health was incomplete, this episode will give language to that feeling and challenge you to think far more deeply about who decides what counts as truth. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why so many people are losing trust in the medical system What informed consent should look like and why it matters How certain ideas in medicine become protected from scrutiny Why chronic disease is forcing bigger questions about what is making us sick How money, power, and institutional pressure shape medical decision making Why questioning the standard of care can come at a cost What is really at stake when patients are discouraged from asking questions Why this conversation matters even if you have never questioned the system before Episode Timeline: 01:04 Dr. Jenn introduces Del Bigtree 05:39 The Journey of a Contrarian: Del Bigtree's Background 08:49 Challenging the Vaccine Narrative 11:40 The Science Behind Vaccines: What We Know 14:44 The Impact of Vaccines on Health 17:37 The Role of the Pharmaceutical Industry 20:26 The Decline of Children's Health 23:41 The Debate on Vaccines and Natural Immunity 26:27 The Influence of Media and Funding 29:43 The Shift from Conventional Medicine 32:29 The Inconvenient Truth About Vaccines 35:40 The Future of Health and Safety Regulations 48:33 Dinner with Dr. Zervos: A Turning Point 57:14 The Shocking Study: Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated 01:05:59 The Medical System: A Crisis of Trust 01:15:36 Informed Consent: The Right to Choose 01:23:24 The Risks of Vaccination: A Parent's Dilemma 01:29:45 Introduction to Breast Health Awareness Guest: Del Bigtree Where to find him: www.instagram.com/delbigtree/ To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

138: The Cancer Theory That Challenges How We Think About Cancer with Mark Lintern

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with cancer researcher and author Mark Lintern for a provocative conversation that challenges one of the most deeply rooted assumptions in modern oncology: that cancer is primarily a genetic disease. Drawing from his book The Cancer Resolution?, Mark introduces his Cell Suppression Theory, a framework that argues cancer may be driven less by random mutation and more by chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, immune suppression, and a possible infectious component involving fungal pathogens. Together, Dr. Jenn and Mark explore why the current model of cancer leaves so many unanswered questions, how the metabolic theory shifted the conversation, and why terrain, mitochondria, immune health, toxins, stress, and chronic inflammation may all matter more than most patients have been told. If you are looking for a conversation that challenges conventional thinking and opens the door to a broader view of breast cancer and whole-body health, this episode is a must-listen. What You’ll Learn: Why the dominant genetic model of cancer does not fully explain the disease What the Warburg effect is and why it matters in cancer research How the metabolic theory of cancer changed the conversation around treatment How chronic inflammation, toxins, immune dysfunction, and tissue damage may create the conditions for cancer Why mitochondria play a much bigger role in cancer than most people realize How fungal pathogens fit into cancer development Why microbiome health, detoxification, and stress regulation matter in prevention and healing What makes breast tissue uniquely vulnerable in this conversation around estrogen, immunity, and inflammation Episode Timeline: 00:00 Introduction to a Different Conversation About Cancer 04:45 Mark Lintern’s Journey Into Cancer Research 07:34 Why the Somatic Mutation Theory Falls Short 10:41 The Metabolic Theory and the Warburg Effect 13:40 The Possible Role of Pathogens in Cancer 16:32 The Hallmarks That Define Cancer 19:19 Cancer Diagnosis Versus Active Disease 22:08 The Cell Suppression Theory Explained 27:06 Practical Solutions for Prevention and Healing 30:02 Foundations of a More Holistic Cancer Approach 33:49 Cortisol, Stress, and the Healing Environment 41:49 Why Antifungal Treatments Are So Challenging 43:45 Can We Identify the Pathogens Inside Tumors? 46:30 Why the System Resists New Cancer Models 51:04 Breast Cancer, Estrogen, and Tissue Vulnerability 55:21 Estrogen, Inflammation, and Fungal Overgrowth 58:55 Final Thoughts on Prevention and Whole-Body Health Learn more about Mark Lintern and get his book here: https://www.cellsuppression.com/ To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

137: Part 2 | Cancer Begins Before Anyone Finds It and Your Environment Plays a Bigger Role Than You Think with Dr. Nasha Winters

PART TWO - In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons continues her conversation with Dr. Nasha Winters, a renowned integrative oncology expert and metabolic health pioneer, for a deeper look at what cancer care is missing and what true individualized healing actually requires. Together, Dr. Jenn and Dr. Nasha challenge the protocol-driven mindset that dominates both conventional and alternative medicine, making the case that cancer treatment must begin with the foundations: metabolic health, nervous system regulation, immune resilience, and an honest understanding of why a particular body became vulnerable in the first place. They explore why so many practitioners feel unequipped to care for cancer patients, how fear and institutional limitations keep better tools out of reach, and why therapies like mistletoe continue to be dismissed in the United States despite decades of research and widespread use around the world. If you want an empowering perspective on integrative cancer care, this episode is a must-listen. What You’ll Learn: Why foundations matter more than any single “magic bullet” therapy How Dr. Nasha thinks about mistletoe as terrain support, not a standalone cure Why mistletoe is so widely used in Europe and still resisted in the United States How integrative therapies can work with conventional cancer treatment, not against it Why individual biochemistry matters when deciding whether a treatment will actually work How fear, burnout, and cognitive dissonance affect doctors as much as patients What it looks like to build a true “board of directors” for healing Why safer, more thoughtful screening and treatment options are urgently needed Episode Timeline: 02:02 What pets can teach us about healing and foundational health 05:57 Dr. Nasha on being dismissed by conventional medicine 12:01 Why doctors stay stuck in broken systems of care 16:01 How The Metabolic Approach to Cancer became a roadmap for healing 20:13 Why foundations matter more than any magic bullet 25:32 The problem with protocol culture in cancer care 27:29 Mistletoe, terrain, and the future of integrative oncology 35:54 Why effective therapies are still dismissed in mainstream medicine 40:09 Why patients need a collaborative team approach 43:56 Safer screening, better tools, and moving beyond outdated technology 48:27 Why we need to treat the person, not just the diagnosis 51:34 Where to find Dr. Nasha and what’s next Guest: Nasha Winters Where to find her: https://drnasha.com/ To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

136: Part 1 | Cancer Begins Before Anyone Finds It and Your Environment Plays a Bigger Role Than You Think with Dr. Nasha Winters

PART ONE - In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Dr. Nasha Winters, a renowned integrative oncology expert and metabolic health pioneer, for a deeply personal and eye-opening conversation about cancer, resilience, and why so many people are getting diagnosed younger than ever before. Dr. Nasha shares the story of her own terminal ovarian cancer diagnosis at age 19 and how being forced outside the conventional system led her to ask a different question, not just how to treat cancer, but why the body became vulnerable to it in the first place. What followed became the foundation of her life’s work. Together, Dr. Jenn and Dr. Nasha explore the root causes driving modern cancer risk, from mitochondrial dysfunction and immune suppression to environmental toxins, vitamin D deficiency, chronic stress, trauma, and the cumulative burden of modern life. This is part-one of a two-part conversation. If you have ever wondered why cancer is rising, why it is showing up earlier, or why true healing has to go beyond standard treatment, this episode is a must-listen. What You’ll Learn: Why cancer is becoming more common in younger people The difference between chronological age and biological age How mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to cancer and accelerated aging Why immune suppression and vitamin D deficiency matter more than most people realize The role of environmental exposures, plastics, hormones, and EMFs in modern disease How trauma, chronic stress, and nervous system dysregulation affect healing Why looking inward may be one of the most important steps after a diagnosis What it means when someone says, “I did everything right and still got cancer” Why prevention has to start long before disease appears Episode Timeline: 01:04 Meet Dr. Nasha Winters 05:15 Dr. Nasha’s cancer diagnosis at 19 and how it changed everything 11:22 Cancer, aging, and the mitochondria connection 18:22 Environmental overload and the rise of early-onset disease 23:28 Immune suppression, vitamin D, and cancer risk 26:03 The growing cancer burden and why prevention matters 30:49 Trauma, stress, and the psychoneuroimmunology of healing 34:40 Can someone heal if they are not ready to look inward? 38:26 Readiness, resistance, and the patient’s role in healing 40:36 Alcohol, lifestyle patterns, and difficult truths in cancer care 45:40 “I did everything right” — what that really means 48:47 Toxic exposures, hidden patterns, and what we normalize 49:25 Stress, uncertainty, and building the tools to adapt 51:21 Pets, pesticides, and what our environment is telling us 52:35 Why you won’t want to miss Part Two Guest: Nasha Winters https://drnasha.com/ To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

135: Your Genes Aren’t Your Destiny: Personalizing Breast Cancer Prevention & Healing

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons is joined by Jen Nolan and Sara Stratton of Remission Nutrition for a conversation that cuts through the noise around “healthy living” after a breast cancer diagnosis. Jen explains how nutrigenomics (genetic-based nutrition + lifestyle guidance) helps women understand what their body actually needs, from detox capacity to fat metabolism to exercise tolerance. Dr. Jenn shares her own example: years of high-intensity endurance workouts that she thought were helping until genetic testing revealed they were doing real harm. Sara shares her story of being diagnosed with stage 3C triple positive breast cancer at 37, and how she supported her body through chemotherapy and recovery using a metabolic approach, including fasting around treatment, strength training, mindfulness, and carefully chosen supplements. Together, they talk about how to make changes without overwhelm, avoid fear-based restriction and orthorexia, navigate resistance from conventional providers, and build a lifestyle that’s sustainable long-term - with joy included. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: What nutrigenomics can tell you about food, detox, sleep, stress, and exercise Sara’s approach to supporting her body during chemo: fasting, movement, mindfulness, and recovery What to know about supplements during chemotherapy including why antioxidants can be tricky Why people get overwhelmed after diagnosis, and how to start with small, realistic steps The “crowding out” method: what to add first so healthy habits stick Common non-negotiables that move the needle fast (Diet soda + processed snack foods) How to avoid orthorexia and stop turning food into fear How to advocate for yourself when your oncologist dismisses integrative tools Episode Timeline: 01:06 Introducing Jen Nolan + Sara Stratton 04:10 Nutrigenomics and personalized healing 10:56 Sara’s diagnosis at 37 + what life looked like before 13:55 Metabolic approach during treatment (fasting, keto, movement) 24:14 Fasting around chemo + how she trained through treatment 28:47 Supplements + what to avoid during chemotherapy 32:11 Fat metabolism genes + why keto doesn’t work the same for everyone 35:59 How to start without overwhelm (3 changes at a time) 44:44 Treatment phase vs. long-term lifestyle (graduating from strictness) 49:55 Why conventional providers resist integrative support 51:43 What to do when your oncologist dismisses fasting/nutrition 54:34 Why breast cancer is usually not an emergency (and time matters) 58:48 Joy, purpose, and living while healing To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide To purchase the auria breast cancer screening test go here https://auria.care/ and use the code DRJENN20 for 20% Off. Connect with Dr. Jenn: Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons