Dave: AlotofpeopleontheBulletproofDiet,orpeoplewhoarecontrollingtheirownbiology,bydoingthingstotakecontroloftheirhealth,arehavingtrouble,becausetheyoverpayforlifeinsurance.Lifeinsurancecompanieshaven'tcaughtupwithnewsciencestudies,thatlookathowdifferentdietsaffecthowlongyou'regonnalive.Forexample,you'reontheBulletproofDiet,youhaveyourBulletproofcoffee,andbydesign,yourHDLcholesterolmaygoup.AndHDLiscalledgoodcholesterol,becauseit'sprotective.Butlifeinsurancecompaniesbelieveallcholesterolisbad,eventhoughinflammation'stheproblem,notcholesterol.Andthatmeanstheymaychargeyoumore,ortheymaynotgiveyouadiscountonyourlifeinsurance,eventhoughwhatyou'redoingisgoingtomakeyoulivelonger,sotheircostswillgodown.

There'sacompanycalledHealthIQthatadvocatesforhealthconsciouslifestyles.Theyusethingslikescience,andbigdata,togetlowerratesforpeoplewhoarepayingattentiontotheirhealth,thingslikecyclers,runners,peoplewhoexercise,vegans,vegetarians,BulletproofDiet,doesn'treallymatter,peoplewhoarepayingattention.AndtheyhaveaproprietarymetriccalledahighhealthIQ.AndpeoplewithahighhealthIQare42%lesslikelytobefat,anda57%lowerriskofdyingearly.Mostofthetime,youdon'tknowyourhealthIQ,andyouprobablydon'tknowyoucansavesomemoneyonlifeinsurancebygettingyourhealthIQ.

Rightnow,peoplelisteningtoBulletproofRadiocangetafreelifeinsurancequote,andlearntheirhealthIQ,bygoingtoHealthIQ.com/Bulletproof.JustgotoHealthIQ.com/Bulletproof,tolearnmoreabouthowyoucangetlifeinsuranceforpeoplewhotakecareoftheirownbiology.

Announcer: BulletproofRadio,astateofhighperformance.

Dave: You'relisteningtoBulletproofRadiowithDaveAsprey.Today'scoolfactofthedayisthatbacteriamightactuallybeabletofightPTSD,orpost-traumaticstressdisorder.Thereareresearchersrightnowusingabunchofgutbacteria,toimprovestressresponsefromU.S.warveterans,whoaresufferingfromPTSD.Ifyou'velistenedtoBulletproofRadioforawhile,youknowthatI'vepersonallyhadPTSD,andit'safactorinalotofexecutives'behaviorpatterns,theydon'tevenknowabout.Inthesenewstudiesonveterans,participantsaregettingamixtureofLactobacillusreuteri.Bytheway,IhavenoideahowtosaythatinLatin,becauseIactuallydon'tspeakLatin.In,Ibelieveitwasfourthgrade,IlearnedtosaymorsadLatium,whichisbasically,"deathtoLatin."That'sallIrememberfromtheonequarterofLatinIhad.Butthatwouldbemyoppositionaldefiantdisorder.

Allright,wherewasIgoingwiththis?Anyhow,yougetthiscoolLactobacillireuteri,andthatcomesfromhumanbreastmilk,anditlowersinflammation.Theyfoundthatwhentheyusethisstuff,thatitlowersPTSDsymptoms,whichisridiculous.Itprobablyhappensbecausethegutbacteriabrainconnectioncanmodulatetheimmunesystem,whichlowersinflammationofthebrain,whichlowersthestressresponse,whichmeansthatyoucanhandlefearbetter.TheseresearchersalsofoundthatgutalteredmicehadmoreofsomethingtheycalledTPH2,whichisanenzymeinvolvedinmakingSerotonin,andthemicewhogotthisstuffjusthad,generally,lessinflammation.Sowhowould'vethought,notonlycanyourgutbacteriamakeyoufatandfoggy,becausetheyarenot

workinginyourinterest,they'reworkingintheirbestinterest.Youjustwanttomakesurethat'sallaligned,andgetridofthelittlebastardswhodon'tbelongthere,andmakesuretheoneswhoaretherebehavethemselves.Atleastthat'sjustmyadvicetoyou.Butwhoknows,theycoulddoevenmoreforyourbrain.

Allright.Let'stalkaboutacouplecoolthingsbeforewegetintotheshow.Numberone,haveyoutriedBulletproofcollagenprotein?Thisisanamazingproduct,somethingI'vebeenusinginmyBulletproofcoffeeforaverylongtime,somethingIwroteaboutinbothbooks,andsomethingthat'sprobablymissingfromyourdiet,unlessyoudressinaburlapsack,andmakebonebroth,whichtakesapproximately24hoursofboilingbones,whereyoustirthem,preferablywithyourhairinamanbun.Okay,I'mjustkidding.ButyouknowwhatI'msaying?Iactuallydomakebonebrothathome,soI'monlymakingfunofmyself,andmylackofamanbun.Butitisabigcommitment,andmostofusarejusttoobusy,andyoudon'tgetmuchcollageninbonebrothanyway.Youdogetminerals.

WhatIdoisIusetheBulletproofgrassfedcollagenprotein,togettheaminoacidsthatarepresentthere,thatarebuildingblocksforbone,andskin,andjoints.Andpeoplealwayssay,"Dave,howcomeyourskinlookssogood?"And,well,Ididtakeskincellsfrommybutt,andputthemonmyface,soI'mabutt-face.Thatcouldbepartofit,becauseIhaveniceskinonmybutt.Butontopofthat,italsocouldjustbethatItakeanenormousamountofBulletproofcollagen,andIhaveformanyyears.Ithinkthat'spartofwhythisallworks.

Theotherthingyoumightnotice,ifyou'rewatchingonYouTube.Bytheway,Ialwaysdocoolstuffonvideo.There'slike,coolbiomoderatingstuffbehindme,andwhateverelse.ButyoucangotoBulletproof.com/YouTube,togetadirectlinktotheYouTubechannel,becauseI'mwearingsomecookglasseshere.Thesearethenew,metalframe,highend,Bulletproof...Sorry,thesearen'tBulletproof.ThenewhighendBiohacked,they'recalledTrueDarkglasses.ThesearetheDaywalkers.ThisisoneofthecompaniesthatI'mbacking,andIhelpedthemtogetlaunched.Thiscompanymakesglassesthatblockhalfofthebluelightduringtheday,whichcausesyourbraintorelax,butdoesn'tcompletelyeliminatethe,soyoudon'thavetowalkaroundwiththosedarkorangeglasses,likeI'mfamousforwearinglike,tenyearsago,theblueblockers.

Butwhatabsolutelyrocksmyworldisthattheycomeinaset.Yougettheonesyouwearduringtheday.Theygiveyousomebluelight,butnottoomuch.Andthen,youputonthenightglasses.ThesearecalledtheTwilights.Andthen,youlookprettymuchlikeasuperhero.Theseareoptical,patentedfilters,thatfilterouteveryspectrumoflightthataffectswhat'scalledthemelanopsincenterinyourbrain.Yourmitochondriaaredecidingwhetherit'sdayornight.Whenyouweartheseglasses,themitochondriaintheeyesandyourbrain,areconvincedthatit'spitchblack.Sotheyactlikenoisecancelingheadphonesforyoureyes.Youliterallyjustchilloutwhenyouputthemon.AndwhenIwearthemforanhourortwobeforebed,Idoublemydeepsleep,onanaveragenight.It'scompletelytransformedmyabilitytosleep,andI'mimmunefromjetlag,evenwhenIflytoEurope,evenwhenIflyfromDubaiandbackinjustafewdays.It'scompletely,completelyamazedmethatthey'rethiseffective.

YoucangotoBiohacked.com.That'sB-I-O-H-A-C-K-E-D.com,andtheglassesarecalledTrueDark.Theyareanamazingbiohack.It'slike,justaonetimething,andyouwearthem.Moreenergyalldaylong,fromblockingsomeoftheblue,butyougetenoughofasignaltotellyourselfthatIt'sdaytime,andyoulookprettygood,ifyouseethisonvideo.Like,thesearenotcrazy[inaudible]glasses.Andthenighttimeglasseswillrockyoursleep,likeyou'veneverseen.

Allright,let'sgetintotheshowtoday.Today'sguestisDr.JoleneBrighton,andshe'sanexpertinhormonebalance,thyroid,andafunctionalmedicineleader.AndImetherthroughJJVirgin,amutualfriendofours.Andwhat'sinterestingaboutDr.Jolene,isthatshe'strainedinnaturopathicmedicine,butalsoinbiochemistry,soshegoesalittlebitdeeperthanyou'relikelytofind.Andshewroteabookcalled,healingyourbodynaturallyafterchildbirth,thenewmom'sguidetonavigatingthefourthtrimester.Andshe'snotonjusttotalkaboutthat.We'regoingtotalkaboutbirthcontrolWe'regoingtotalkaboutthepill.AndI'vebeenanoutspokenadvocateofnotusingthepillontheBulletproofblog,sincetheverybeginningofthis,andthere'sveryspecificreasons.MostlythatIlikewomen,andthepillisbadforwomen.I'mjustsayingit.

SoDr.Jolene'sgonnahelpusunderstandthat.Andontopofthat,we'regoingtotalkaboutjustgeneralhormoneproblems,differencesbetweenmenandwomen,nutritionally,andwe'llgettosomeothercoolstuffliketraumaticbraininjury.Sothisisgonnabeafascinatinginterviewtoday,andI'mhappythatyou'reheretolistentoit.Dr.JoleneBrighton,thanksforcomingonBulletproofRadio.

Jolene: Yeah.Thankssomuchforhavingme.I'm,I'vebeenabigtimefan,foralongtime,sothisisreallyexciting,togettocomeonhereandchatwithyou,andtobechattingaboutallthebiohackingstuff,thatyou'vebeenpreachingaboutforever,thattheresearchisfinallycatchingupwith,Ifeellike,andhowwecanapplythattojustmoderndaysociety,andwhatwe'reseeinginpeople'shealth.

Dave: It'skindoffunny.WhenIsurveyedtheBulletprooflistenerbase,andwe'vegotabout50milliondownloads,giveortake,onBulletproofRadionow.Therearealotofwomenthatlistentotheshow,andasurprisingnumberofpeople,atleastsurprisingifyoudon'thavekids,ispeoplewhohavekids,likeIdo.Minearearoundtenandseven.Andeveryonewhohasn'thadkids,doesn'tknowwhat'scoming,fromawoman'sperspective.You'relike,"Oh,I'mpregnant,"andlike,"Okay,maybeIthrewup.MaybeIdidn't."Andyougothroughthisstuff.Myfirstbookbeingaboutfertility,likewhenyou'reinalignment,allofthat.Butmybooksortofendedat"Here'showtomakeformulaifyou'renotmakingmilk."Andhere'stohaveagoodbirth.Goodluckwiththat.Andthenyou'relike,"Okay,here'swhat'sgoingtohappen."

So,let'sgoin,giventhatsomanyofuseitherhavekids,orarehavingkids,oraregoingtohavekids,whetheryouareamanorawoman,thisisstuffyouneedtohear.Wewon'tgotoodeeponthat.We'veonlygotanhour,andwe'vegotacoupleothertopics.Butwhathappensinawoman'sbody,afterthebabycomesout?

Jolene: Yeah.Sothisisnotsomething...Weshouldjustacknowledgethatsociety'snottalkingaboutthisalot.Onceuponatime,wemotheredintribes.Therewasawisewoman,she

guidedusthroughallofthis.Andtherewaswhatwascalledthefourthtrimester.SoIcallthefourthtrimesterthefirstthreemonthsafteryou'vehadthatbaby.Everyone'sfocusisonbaby.Sooncebaby'sdelivered,momgetsthesixweekcheckup."Hey,yourvagina'slookingokay.Nosignsofinfection.Fantastic.Gouponyourway."Andwhenyou'retired,you'reexhausted,youstarthavingsymptomscomeup,you'remetwiththediagnosisofbeingamother,orafather.Weseethishappensalottoowithmen,wheredoctorswilljustsay,"Well,you'vehadkids,soofcourseyoufeelthatway."Andinreality,whenyougothroughchildbirth...Imean,that'sprobablythemoststrenuousathleticeventawoman'sbodywillevergothrough.

Andifwereallystandbackandreframethis.Ifyouweretorunamarathon,forinstance,ordoanironman,everyonewouldholdspaceforyoutorecover,andbelike,"Oh,ofcourseyouhavetorecoverfromthat."Butforsomereason,somewherealongtheline,wegotitinourhead,thatwomenshouldbeabletopopoutababy,andthenjustgoalongtheirmerryway,andatsixweeks,everything'srecoveredandfine.Theonlythingthat'srecoveredatsixweeksisthesizeofyouruterus,sothathasshrunk.Andthat'swhatgavemedicaldoctorsthisprofoundidea,that,"Oh,okay.Ittookyoutenmonthsforyourbodytogrowthishuman,soyoushouldbeabletorecoveritinsixweeks,"whichleavesalotofwomenquestioning,"Well,what'swrongwithme?"Realityisthatittakesawholeyeartoreallyrebuildthenutrients,andrecalibrateourbody.

Dave: Now,whenLana,mywife,who'samedicaldoctor,andco-authorofthefertilitybook.Whenshe,orsowhenwehadkids,Icaughtbothofthekidsathome.SoIsay,wehadthem.And,afterwards,shedescribedthismommybrain.AndI...Actually,itpissesLanaoffwhenIsaythis,butthatmeansIcansayit.She'snotintheroom.

Jolene: Itpisseseverymomoff.Theyhatethatword.

Dave: Wellthethingis,she'sactuallysmarterthanIam,butoncewehadthekids,she'slike,"Mybraindoesn'twork."She'slike,"Ihavemommybrain.Like,what'sgoingonhere?"AndIhaveagoodfriendrightnow,who'saCEO,andshejusthadababy.Andshe'stryingtogobacktoworkatsixweeks,andshe'slike-

Jolene: Ohyes.

Dave: "Idon'tknowhowtodowhatIcoulddobefore."What'sgoingonthere?

Jolene: Yeah.Sothat'sagreatone.Okay,soyourbraindoesshrinkduringthethirdtrimester,anditdoesn'tcomebackuntilaboutsixmonthspostpartum.Thisisevolutionbeingsuper,supersmart.Andwhat'sthewholepremisebehindthis?Itgetsyouhyper-focusedonbaby.Youcannotmultitask.Youcanonlyfocusonbaby'ssurvival.However,weliveinasocietythatdemandsmulti-tasking.Ifyou'rehearingthis,andyou'refreakingout,aboutyourbrain,justknowthattheresearchshowsthatmomsactually,theirbrainscomeback,andifyoutendtothem,theyactuallycomebackstronger.Soyou'rebetteratmulti-tasking.Yourcorpuscallosum,sobothsides,bothsidesofthebrain,areactuallyconnectedandtalkingbetter.Butthere'sanotherlayertoallofthis,

andthatis,whenyoudeliveryourbaby,whatfollowsisaplacenta.Andwhenyoudelivertheplacenta,yourhormonesinstantlydroptothelevelofapostmenopausalwoman.Andweknowpost-menopausalwomenhavelotsofbrainfog.Estrogenlevelsareoff.Progesteronelevelsareoff.Andcouplethatwiththefactthatmama'snotusuallysleeping.Andso,maybeit'sonlythreemonthsofnotsleeping.Maybeit'sanentireyear.Buteverytimeyou'renotsleeping,andyou'respikingyourcortisollevelsatnight.You'renotwearingyouramberglasses.AndIactuallyhavewomenwearredheadlamps,sothatbaby'scircadianrhythmisn'tgettingdisrupted.

Dave: Ohhallelujah.Wemakethese,orthecompanyI'mbacking,Biohacks,makesthesespecialthingsthatstickoveralltheLEDs,tochangetheopticalspectrumtobemorered.

Jolene: Oh,that'sbrilliant.

Dave: Forthatexactreason.Becauseitwrecksbabies.Ilovethatyou'redoingthat.Okay.

Jolene: Yeah.Yeah.

Dave: Keepgoing.

Jolene: Well,becauseit'slike,if...So,it'salwaysaboutrootcause,right?Whyisn'tmomsleeping?Becausebaby'sliverisn'tdeveloped.Babyisrequiringnutritioneverytwotofourhours,needstobedeliveredtobaby.Sothere'samaturationperiodthathastohappen.Butwhat'sreallyinterestingisso,andwe'lltalkaboutthiswithpostbirthcontrolsyndrome,becauseIclinicallyobservethatwecan'tgetwomen'shormonesinbalance.Wecan'tdoitifthecircadianrhythmisdisrupted.Andtherewasactuallyjustaresearchstudy,thatwaspublishedinMayof2017,showingthattheliverdoesnotfunctionthewayitshould,ifthecircadianrhythmisdisrupted.

Dave: That'sright.

Jolene: Soyeah.Ofcourse,wecanapplythattowomen.Wecanapplythattomom.Butthinkaboutbaby.Baby'sliverfigureout,tryingtofigureouthowtoregulatebloodsugar.That'sone.Baby'staskedwithalotofthingsinthebeginning.Soifyou'redisruptingthecircadianrhythm,byturningonthelighteverytimeyouneedadiaperchangeorabreastfeed,thenyou'remorelikelygonnahaveababythat'suplonger.Andwhoknowswhatthelongtermimpactis,becausewehaven'tstartedstudyingthatyet.

Dave: Well,Ithinkthere'ssomegoodevidence,fromaladynamedT.S.Wiley,whowroteabookcalledLightsOut,Sugar,Sleep,andSurvival.Andshe'salsowrittenoneofthefirstbooks,justcompletelyevisceratingthebirthcontrolpill,becauseofwhatitdoes.AndIknewherpersonally,beforeshepassedaway.Shegavememyfirstcopyofherbook,inperson.Andshe'sbeensayingthecircadianproblemissuchabigthing,thatforbothofmykids,they'vealwayssleptinblackedoutrooms.Blackedoutcurtains.Nonightlights,nonothing.Andwhatthatdoestoparents,itfreesyou.Becauseyourkidsaren'tafraidofthedark,becausethat'showyousleep.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: And,theysleepthroughthenight,sothenyousleepthroughthenight.Andyourqualityoflifeistentimesbetterifyourkidsdon'twakeupeveryfiveminutes,becausetheyhaveanightlightintheirroomthat'skeepingthemup.ItjustdrivesmenutswhenIseepeoplelike,"Ohlook.It'scute.Igotanightlight."I'mlike,"Kickit.It'sbad."

Jolene: Yeah.Yeah.

Dave: Okay.

Jolene: No.We...Ievenwilltellparents,putyourbabyinthecloset.Putthecribinthecloset.Ifyoucan'tgetitdark.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: AndIactually,Ifoundthesegreat,atIkeaofallplaces,theyhavethesedarkbluecurtains,andIhavepatientsusethat.But,whatIsayisthat,whenallyourlightsgoout,inyourroom,ifyoucanstillseeanything,likeifyou'renottrippingoverstuff-

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Andrunningintothings,it'snotdarkenough.Ialwaysjoke,mybedroom'slikeacave,andwekeepitthatway.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Andmyson'saswell.Andthenwegoand...Wehavetoopenupthecurtainsinthemorning.Youknow,youliveinasimilarclimateasus.I'minPortland.

Dave: Right.

Jolene: Youopenupthosecurtainsinthemorning.Otherwiseyoucouldsleep'tilten,easily.Butyouknow,whenwecouplethedisruptedsleep.Soifwe'vegotdisruptedsleep,andspikingcortisol,inappropriately,we'regonnadestroythehippocampusofthebrain,whichismemoryconsolidation.Canyougetitback?Youcangetallofthisback.Ican'temphasizethatenough.Thebrainiscapableoftremendousthings,butyougottadothiswork.It'snotgonnacomebackjustbyyouthinkinglike,"Ohyeah.I'lljustgoaboutitlikeeveryoneelsehas."Andwealsohavetorecognizethatwe'reprettynutrientdepleted,aswomen.Imean,aspeopleasawhole,we'reprettynutrientdepleted.Soit'saprettyrevolutionarything,thatwe'reseeingthatmorewomenareenteringintopregnancyverynutrientdepleted,andIthinkthatingenerations,we'regonnaseetheimpactofthat.Andthere'sgonnabethewomenwhoreadthebook,likeyours,andgotreallynutrient,gottheirnutrientstoresup.Andthere'sgoingtobethewomenwhojustdidn'tknow,orthey'refollowingtheirdoctor'sadvice.AndIthink,indecadesfromnow,assadasitistosay,we'regoingtoseeacontrastbetweenthosetwocohorts.

Dave: We'regoingtoseethattheirchildren,andtheirchildren'schildren,havedifferentoutcomes,thewholeevogeneticsthing.

Jolene: Absolutely.

Dave: That's-

Jolene: Becauseyouarethesumofyourgreat-greatgrandmother.

Dave: Yeah.That'swhatinspiredmetodoTheBetterBabyBook,whichwasmyfirstreallybigfocusbook,had1,300references,tookfiveyears.Andit'swhatweusedtoturnLana'sfertilityon,butIwasafraidmykidswouldhaveautism,becauseAsperger'srunsinmyfamily,andbecauseIhadAsperger's,oratleastallthesymptomsofAsperger's,asachild,anddidn'treallymakeeyecontactverywell,untilmymid20s.AndI'mjustadifferenthumannow,thanIusedtobe.Andpeoplewhoknewmebackthen,knowthatIwasalittlebitdifferent.IprogressedasIwenton.Alotofthatisneurologicalinflammation.ButIknowmygeneticweaknesses,andlike,let'sgivemykids,atleast,everyadvantagepossible.AndwhatIknowissomeofmylimitationscamefrommymomandmygrandmother.Youknow,Cokeanddonutsisn'tanappropriatething.

Jolene: Whoknew?

Dave: Butwedidn'tknowthatback...Wedidn'tknowitbackthen.Itwaslike,"Hey,IlikeCoke.Ilikedonuts.Let'shaveitforbreakfast.Whynot?"

Jolene: Plus,backthen,theadvertisementswerelike,"WhenisittooyoungtostartCocaCola?Never.Giveittoyourbabyinthebottle."Imean,thisiswhyIthinkinourmodernday,alotmorepeoplearealotmoreskepticalaboutmedicine.Because,betweenthesugarandthecigarettes,alotofpeoplegotsoldabillofgoods,wheretheirdoctorwastellingthemthingsthatwasn'tintheirbestinterest,kindoflikewhatwe'veseenwiththebirthcontrolpill.Wepassthatout,butwe'reforgettingtosaythatthereareconsequencesthatcomewiththesethings.

ButIdowanttosay,Ijustwanttohonoryou,inwritingthatbook,becausethat'struepreventativemedicine.Forgettakingyourkidinforthewellnessexams.Imean,that'sgreat.Wewanttotrackthem.Butwhatreallyispreventativemedicineisthatwetookcareofthatwoman,andthatfather,beforetheyevermadeababy.So,Ijustwanttohonorthat.

Dave: Thankyou.

Jolene: Thatwasreallyimportantworkthatyouweredoingthere,andit's,thatbookisgonnaliveon.

Dave: There...Idon'tknowhowmanybabiesareasaresultofthebook,butI'vehadalotofpeoplewalkupandjust,"Heythanks.Glowingresults."Andyouneverknowwhat

would'vehappenedwithoutit,soit'salwayshardtoknow,butIknowthatforus,Lanawasinfertile,andwehavetwokids,soI'mgoodwiththat.

Jolene: Yeah.Yeah.Yougottoyourgoal.

Dave: Andalso,Iappreciatethatyouwrotethebookaboutwhatdoyoudoafterchildbirth,becauseevenLana,Ithink,wasunprepared.Andshe'samedicaldoctor.They'retrainedinthisstuff.Atleast,they'resupposedtobe.Andshewaspartlyunprepared,becausethechangesthathappen,theyaffecthowyouthinkaboutyourself,liketheverydefinitionofyou.You'relike,Ihavethiscapabilityset,thatI'vealwaysbeenabletorelyone,andit'sdifferent.So,thedecisionmakingthatyouwould'vedone,themotivation,theenergy,allofthosecanbesodramaticallydifferent,thatforanewmom,like,"Whatjusthappened?"Andthenyoufeellikemaybeyou'recrazy,andyoufeellikeyoujustdon'thavewhatittooktodoit,before.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andbywritingthebookabouthowtohealyourbody,weknow,anyonewho'slisteningtotheshow,andhasforanyofthe400plusepisodes,it'slike,tomakethemindworkwell,you'vegottamakethebodyworkwell.It'sveryhardtodopersonaldevelopment,meditationwork,ifyoucan'tregulateyourbloodsugar.It'snotimpossible.It'sjustreallyhard.

Jolene: Well,andit'slike...ThewayIframethat,topatients,islike,"Ifyoudon'tmeetthebasicsurvivalneeds,consciousnessisnice,butit'snotnecessaryforsurvival.Soyourbodyisgoingtobeverymuchprimedtosurvive,howeveritcan.It'slikeMaslow'sHierarchyofNeeds.Untilyoumeetthose,youknow,thesafety,youcanneverreallytranscendtothatnextlevel.Andweseethatalot.Youcan'tmeditateyourwayoutofbrainfog.Doesithelp?Yes.Butwe'vegottagodeeperwiththat.

Andyouknow,writingmybook,yourwifewasn'tprepared.Iwasn'tprepared.Iwentthroughmedicalschool,andIwentthroughmidwiferycertification.Now,Idecidednottocatchbabies,becauseIlikesleep,andIsawmidwives.Theywerealittlebitscattered,andthenlike,I'mahighfunctioningindividual.Ineedmysleep.Butyouknow,itwasafterthebirthofmyson,Igotthesamething.Sixweeks.You'regoodtogo.Bye.AndthenIstartedhavingallthesesymptomscomeup,whichturnedouttobeHashimoto's.

Dave: Yep.

Jolene: AndwhenIfoundout,onceIwentdowntherabbitholeofresearch,wasoneintwelvewomendevelopanautoimmunecondition,autoimmunethyroid,asaresultofgivingbirth.Andwhendoesthehypothyroidismpeak?Atthesametimepostpartumdepressionpeaks.So,whenIstandbackandIlookatthat...Andit'sreallyfunny,becauseIwrotemybook.Peoplearelike,"Oh,butyourbookissoshort."I'mlike,"Look,whenyou'vegotbrainfog.Iwrotemybooktofitinadiaperbag,andgettothepointrightaway."

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Becausemomsdon'thavetimetobelike,"Ihavemastitis.Letmereadallaboutthat."Theydon'tcare.They'relike,"HowdoIfixthis?Whenisittimetogotothedoctor?"Becauseyouareinthatbrainfogstate.

Dave: It'sfunny.I'mlaughingbecauseLanadiddevelopathyroidcondition,afterwards.And,okay,I'mnotadoctor.I'manunlicensedbiohacker.WhatdoIknow?I'vegot20yearsofrunningananti-agingnonprofitgroup,butreally,I'mnotaclinician,Ijustknowalotofstuff,andI'maneventcorrelator.SoIsaid,"Lana,youhaveathyroidproblem."Shegoes,"I'madoctor.Idon'thaveathyroidproblem."I'mlike,"No.Youhaveathyroidproblem."Andittooklikeayear,beforeshewaslike,"IguessI'llgetitchecked."Andshegotitchecked,they'relike,"Youhavenothyroidhormone.It'ssurprisingyou'rewalkingaround."I'mlike,"She'snotwalkingaround.She'slayingaround."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Solet'sreallyhopeshedidn'thearthisepisode,right?

Jolene: No.I'lltotallyoutmyself.Itwasmyhusbandwhoactually...Sohere'sthething-

Dave: Really?

Jolene: That'sreallyimportantforpeopletounderstand.Whenyou'relivinginyourbody...WhatItellpatients,it'slikereadingabookthat'srightupagainstyourface.Youneedsomeonewhocanstandback,readallthosewordsforyou.Youknoweverything.Youhavealltheinformation,butyou'rejusttooclosetothesource.AnditwaswhenIwokeup,atthebreakfasttable,afterfallingasleep,after15hoursofsleep.Islept15hours,fellasleepatthebreakfasttable.Myhusband,hewakesmeup.He'slike,"You'resleepingallthetime.Yourhair'sfallingout.Yourskinisdry.Youhavebrainfog.You'redepressed.I'veneverseenyoudepressedinmylife."Andashelisteditalltome,Iwaslike,"That'shypothyroidism."AndIhadseenseveraldoctors,naturopath,functionalmedicine,medicaldoctors,tryingtogethelp.WhydoIfeellikethis?

Peoplewererunningincompletepanels.Peoplewerebrushingmeoffasbeingamom,andthat'swhatreallylaunchedmeintothis,islike,Okay,nobodyistalkingaboutthis,yettheAmericanThyroidAssociationhasacknowledgedthesethingsfordecades,andwe'reevenseeinginthealternative,andfunctionalmedicine,andintegrativespace,thatwe'relaggingbehind,intermsofourknowledgearoundwomen'sbodiesasawhole,buthowimpactful,justthebirthofachildcanbeforawoman.Andyouknow,whenyoulookatthestatistics,who'sgonnagetautoimmunedisease,it'swomen.Thenumberonetriggeringeventformostwomen,ifhavingababy,becauseonceyoudeliverthatbaby,yourhormonesdrop,andthenyourimmunesystemflips.YourTH1comesbackonlineinfullforce.Andthenyougointopooreatinghabits,lotofstress,poorsleephabits.Isthatafaultofyou?No,no,noladies.That'snotyourfault.That'sreallyaboutsocietynotbeingsetup.

Dave: Now,it'syourhusband'sfault.Comeon,let'sputtheblame...

Jolene: See,butIdon'tactuallythinkmen,likeifyoujustlookatmen'srole,evolutionaryspeaking,andyoulookateverything,andwhendomenbondwithbabies.Youknow,it'smorewhenthey'retoddlers.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Whenit'stimetotakethemoutandshowthemintotheworld,andinthebeginning,it'smoreofmom.There'salltheserolesthatwefulfilled,which...Ijustsaythatmodernmotherhoodisanevolutionarymismatch.Theentirehumanracewould'vegoneextinct,ifwewereevermeanttodothisalone.It'sjustimpossible.

Dave: LanaandIactuallythinkthatthebrainshrinkagefornewmoms,ifevolutionary,becauseanyonewhohadtheirfullbrain,wouldA,probablynotchoosetohavekids,whentheyknewitwasgonnabelikethat.AndB,they'dbelike,I'msotiredofholdingthisscreamingthingthatkeepswakingmeup.I'mgoingtoleaveitforthecoyotes.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Now,weallloveourbabies.Noone'sreallygoingtodothat.Butathinkingperson,withtheirwholebrain-

Jolene: Butit'shard.Wecanberealwiththat.

Dave: Thereisalimit.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andwhenyourbrainissmaller,you'relike,"Okay.Icandealwiththis."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andsolikeyousaid,it'sthehyper-focus,thewakingupallthetime,evenifyoudidn'tbefore,becausenow,theslightestsound,"Oh,it'sthebaby."Andyou'relike,"Howcouldthatwakeyouup?"

Jolene: Yeah.Andtheytrainyou.It'swhatIcallthemomcurve.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Soafterayear,ifItestwomen'sadrenals,theydon'tspikecortisolinthemorning,theyspikeitatnight.Icallitthemomcurve.It'salwaysopposite.AndeverytimeIseeit,I'mlike,yourbabytrainsyoufortheirsurvival.Goodjob,baby.Now,let'sbringthatbackaround.Andyoucanrecoverthat.Youabsolutelycan.You'vegottadothework.

Dave: Allright,let'stalkabout,shouldpeoplehavenewbabies,shouldtheyco-sleep?Shouldyouputthebabyinthebedroomattachedtothebed?Shoulditbebetweentheparents?Ididn'tdothatbecauseI'mlike,200pluspoundsofsolidmuscle.Okay,maybe.NewYorkTimessaidIwasalmostmuscular.I'mstillowningthatone.

Jolene: What?No.

Dave: Ohtheytrulydid.

Jolene: Oh.

Dave: No,I'mlike"Hey,peoplewholivethelongestarealmostmuscular.Youdon'twantsarcopenia,butifyou'relikeaballoonanimal.Nooffensebodybuilders.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: I'minaweofyourskills.Thisisprobablynotananti-agingstrategy.

Jolene: Mygraduateresearchwasinsarcopenicobesity,andhowweactuallypreventthat,usingaminoacids,namelybranchedchainaminoacids,soIlovethatyoubroughtthatup.

Dave: That'ssocool.That'stotally...Iloveitthatyoustudiedthat.So,wecould...SoIdidn'twanttoputthebabyinthebed,becauseI'madeepsleeper.Iwouldrolloverandbelike,"There'ssomethingunderneathme.Oh."That'snotgood.

Jolene: No.

Dave: Sowhatdoyouthinkthough,formomsandfordads,andforbabies,doyouputthebabyintheroomrighttherenexttoyou?

Jolene: Yeah.Ithinkattheendoftheday,it'saboutwhatworksforyouandyourfamily.It'sthesamethingwithbreastfeeding.Youknow,thesethingsareveryindividualizedchoices,soifwestandbackandlookatthelensofhowdidhumansactuallydevelop,beforeourenvironmentrapidlychanged?Intermsofthat,wewerealltogether.Wewereallco-sleeping,andtherehasbeengreatstudiesintermsofhormones,anddecreasingstress.Andmomstendtogetmoresleepwhenbaby'srightthere,becauseyoujustpullthebabyover,breastfeedthem,andfallasleep.But,ifyouhaveanadultinthebedwho'sasuperdeepsleeper,orisonsleepmedications,or,heavenforbid,isadrugoralcoholabuser,thatbaby'shealthisgonnabecompromised,becausethatbabycouldberolledoveron.

Andnewbabiesaresupersmall.Peoplethink,"Oh,I'llhearthem."They'resupertiny,andnotallofthemaresupernoisy.Andso,really,I'vehadwomenthat,whenbabyisintheroom,theycan'tsleep.Theygetnosleepwhatsoever.Andinthosesituations,it'slike,we'vegottagetbabyoutsidetheroom,becausenowthey'restartingtohaveanxiety,andpanicattack.Andthey'restartingtofeelthesemoodsymptomscomeup,

whichissomethingIwanttopreventthemfromevergettingintoadoctor'sofficesaying,"Let'sgetyouonanxietymedicationorSSI,becausethat'snotreallytherootcause.

Sothat'swhyIframeifoflike,yeah,it'sgreatformomandbaby,ifyou'rebothinthesamebed,sameroom,untilitisn't.Thatissomethingthatyoureallyhavetoreflecton,fromtheindividualizedperspective,ofifit'sdisruptingyoursleep,ifit'screatinganxiety,ifthere'sanythingdisruptivetothewholefamilydynamic,wereallyhavetolookatthat,andreframewhat'smostappropriateforyourfamily.Doesthatmakesense?

Dave: Itmakesalotofsense.Soyou'rebasicallysaying,dowhatworks,butthatthere'smaybeabiasforhavingthebabythere.

Allright,sothenthere'sanotherquestion,thateverynewdadhasbeenasking,sincethedawnoftime,andthis,I'mjustgonnahavetogothere.HowsooncanIhavesexwithanewmom.

Jolene: Yeah.So,wesaywaituntilthesixweekcheckup,becauseatthesixweekcheckup,that'swhenawomanisgoingtobeexamined,andwe'regonnalookforthingslikeinfection,ifthere'sstilltrauma.Andthat'swhatcanreallyguideus,becauseifsomething'sstillgoingonwiththecervix,orwe'rehavingheavybleeding.Thethingisthatwhenwegetturnedon,aswomen,ouruterusisgoingtoshiftabit.Ourvaginaanduterusgothroughthiswholechangetoaccommodateapenis.Andifwecan'taccommodatethatpenis,itcanbecomeverypainfulanduncomfortable.

Now,priortothesixweeks,Iamallforanythingelseyouwanttodo,besidesvaginalpenetration.Andthereasonforthis,youknow,Iactuallygotsomeflak,becauseinmybook,I'mlike,"You'vegottaexploreyournewterrain,andyoumightwanttousetoys,"andallthisstuff.Andthere'salwaysthesepeoplethatarelike,"Howdareyoutellanewmomtohaveanorgasm."

Dave: Thisisamother.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: She'sasaint.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Youcan'tdothattoamother.Yeah,okay.Whatever.

Jolene: Andhere'sthething.Allofusshouldbetryingtohaveorgasms,likeonetotwoaweek,becausewewilllivelonger.OurDHEAandouroxytocinlevelsaregonnabebetter.Soifyouwantyourwifetobondwithyou,pleaseher,sothatbaby'sbumpingoxytocin.You'rebumpingoxytocin.Nowshe'sswimminginbliss.Butalsoweknow,thatwomenwhoorgasmregularly,theyhavebetterimmunesystemmodulationoverall,sotheirinflammatorymarkersarelower.Soyou'vegotanewmom,youwanttopreventsome

postpartumdepression...Now,ofcourse,there'snoresearchinthis.ButIwouldventuretoguessthatifyou'rehavinganorgasmonceaweek,you'regonnahaveabettermood,andbetteroutcomesoverall.

Dave: TherearedefinitelystudiesonEQinwomen.Womenwhohavemoreorgasmshavehigheremotionalintelligence.There'ssomecoolstuffthere.

Jolene: Yeah,butintermsofpostpartumdepression,Idon'tknowifwehavethatyet.Becauseexactlywhatyousaid,peoplearelike,"Ohnowsuddenlyyou'reamom.Wecan'ttalktoyouaboutsex."

Dave: Yeah.That'saproblem.Butokay,sohere'stheflipsideofthat.Sixweeksisthebareminimum.Buthowsoonwillitbeuntilanewmomwantstohavesex?Isitlikefiveyears?Orseven?

Jolene: Oh,sevenyears?No.

Dave: Iwasjustkidding.Therearechangesinlibidofornewmoms.

Jolene: I'mlike,that'shorrible.Ifyoudon'twanttohavesex,youneedtocomeseeme,becausehere'sthething,wearedriven.Idon'tcareifyounever...Ifyouneverwanttohaveababy,that'stotallyfinebyme.Butyoushouldalwaysbefertileandwantingtohaveababy,orwantingtohavesex,aslongasyou'reinthosefertileyears.

Dave: It'sasignthatyou'regonnalivealongtime.

Jolene: Yes.

Dave: Sickanimalsdon'twanttohavesexorreproduce,right?

Jolene: Yes.

Dave: It'sokayifyoudon'treproduce,butyoushouldatleastwanttodotheact.

Jolene: Andit'sabigthingthatgetsdismissedinwomen'smedicine.Havinganorgasmisthismythicalunicorn,andwomenaren'tthatinterestedinsex.Butwhenyoulookattheresearch,therearesomanybenefits.Evenifyouwanttohaveafertilecycle,asafemale,it'shardertogetthereifyoudon'tengageinregular,andreallyit'sbetterifyouhaveapartner,butyoucanmanuallystimulateyourselfaswell,andgetthere,andthatcanhelp,getthereintermsoforgasm,andthatcanhelpwithimmunesystemandhormonemodulationoverall.Butit'sabigproblem.

Sowhenwillmomswanttohavesex?Here'sthething.Foreplayforwomen,iswhenyougothedishes,youtakecareofthekids.Whenyou'redoingthesekindofactsofservice.

Dave: Oh,bytheway,thatcanbeoutsourced,justforguys.It'sokaytohavehelpdoingthose.Youdon'tactuallyhavetodoit,theyjusthavetobedone.Like,havinganemptysinkisforeplay.Itdoesn'thavetobethatyoudidit,unlessyourwifeismean,inwhichcase,well,youknow.

Jolene: Yeah.Yeah.Wellthat'sadifferentstory.That'sadifferentkindofdoctor.

Dave: Exactly.

Jolene: But,youknow,thedealis,Iwillseewomanwhowillsay...Ijusthasthispatient,thatshehasn'tbeeninterestedinsexforthreeyears,sincehavingherchild.We'reworkingonalotofthehormonebalancing.We'reworkingonallofthat.Everything'sgoodinherrelationship.She'slike,myhusbandactuallydoestakecareofstuff,andIreally,youknow,Idoappreciatethat.Butshehasapropensitytowardsanxiety.Sowomenareusually...ThisisthethingIgottasay,isthatinmodernmedicine,womengetbasicallyadiagnosis,forthingsthatarenormalbehavior.Thebehaviorlikemakingsureeveryoneistakencareof,iswhythetribesurvived.Butnow,becausewedon'thavethattribe,it'sseenaslikethisneurotic,badbehavior.

So,whenwomenwanttohavesexisreallygonnadepend.There'ssomanyvariablesonthat.Butifit'snotcomingbackafterthefirstthreemonths,likeanyinklingofthat,thenIwanttoknowaboutit.Thenweneedtostarttalkingaboutit,andinvestigatingwhat'sgoingon,becausewecanalsohavenervedamageandtraumatothepelvicfloor.Andifthat'shappening,Idon'twantawomanwaitingsixyearsbeforesomeoneintervenes.Let'sgetsomepelvicfloorphysicaltherapygoing,which,inFrance,andsomeoftheseothercountries,that'sjustparforthecourse.Ifyouhaveababy,you'regettingprescribedadozenpelvicfloorrehabsessions,becausetheyknow,andunderstandthatuterineprolapse,andtheseproblemsweseeinwomenintheirsixties,areactuallyaresultofwomenintheir20sand30sgivingbirth,andnotbeingcaredforappropriately.

Dave: There'sanotherthingthat'slesstalkedabout,andIwanttogetyourtakeonthis.Whenawomanhasababy,andtoacertainextent,evenafather,butittendstoaffectwomenmore.Ifthewomanexperiencedextremestress,orthemandid,atthatsameage,youcangetPTSDsymptomsthatarise,thatsomeseeminglyoutofnowhere.Soifthemomorthedadwasabandoned,abused,dropped,somethingbadhappened.Parentsgotdivorced.Evenayearlater,"Ohmykid's12monthsold,andsuddenlyIjustwentbonkers."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andthiscanactuallybenotjusthormonal,itcanactuallybepsychological.Andit'snotpsychologicallikeyoudidn'tthinkaboutit,youdidn'twantit,it'sthatyourbodyjustseesababythatage,anditrememberswhatyouwerelikeatthatage,andit'slike,"imminentdeath."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andthenyou'relike,"OhmyGod.IfeellikeI'mgonnadie,andIdon'tknowwhy."Doyouseethatalot?What'syourtakeonthat?

Jolene: Yeah.Ifyoueverwantedtoexponentiallyworkonyourself,haveababy.

Dave: True.

Jolene: Becausetheyseriouslyreflecteverythingbacktoyou,especiallyoncetheycanstartparodying.Andwhenyouhearthings,andyou'relike,"OhIdon'tlikethewaythatcameoutofthatchild'smouth.Oh,that'sbecauseit'scomingoutofmymouth.AndnowI'vegottare-examinethat."Whatwedo,alot,likethisgetontothemind,body,andevenspirituallevelwiththings,iswedosortingthebuckets,where,whenyoustarttofeelthoseemotionscomeup,youneedtoask,"Isthismine,oristhistheirs?Isthisbabystuff?IsthiswarrantedthatIfreakoutaboutthis,oristhismystuff?"Andthen,todotheunthinkablething,butactuallysitwithyourdiscomfort,tositwithyourpain,andtrytounderstandandworkthroughwherethat'scomingfrom.Ifit'ssignificantenough,that'swhen,definitely,Idon'thesitate,inthesesituations,tobringonallymentalhealthworkers.Certainlynotpeoplewhoreflexivelyprescribedrugs,butpeoplewhogetthattherearepasttraumas,therearethingsthatwecan'tevenunderstand.Maybeithappenedasachild.Maybethiswassomethinghappeninginutero.Maybethisissomethinglike,asweknow,forinstance,thatweknowfromstudieslikeHolocaustsurvivors,andtheirfamilylineage,andwhathappenswiththem.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: It'sentirelypossiblethatweactuallyhavetogoback,andhealthatfemalelineage,ofallthemomswhogavebirth.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Whichis,first,you'vegottahealyourbody.Thenyou'vegottaworkonyourmindandyourself,andthenyou'vegottagobackanddothatbiglevelwork.

Dave: Holdonasecond.You'reanaturopath.You'reascientist.Didyoujustsayhealthelineage?

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Howcouldyousaythat?Shame.Allright.Sorry.AlbertoViodohasbeenontheshow,awell-knownShaman.I'vedonehistraininginAyahuasca.Yes,andI'lleventellyou,I'vehadpeopledeepforgivenessworkat40yearsofZen,theneurofeedbackthing.

Jolene: Yeah.Yeah.

Dave: Andstrangely,theirestrangedmotherwillcallthemthatsameday.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Ican'texplainthat.Itjusthappens.Butyeah,thereisfamilylinehealing,whetherit'sjustperceivedbyyou,butitishealing.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: AndI'vejustgottaapplaud,EMDRisaverypowerfulthing,foreithermomsordads,whoarejustwiggedoutbythis,bypregnancy,andjuststuffyouwouldn'tthinkwouldhappenafterwards.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Thisisaveryfastformoftherapy,whereyoumoveyoureyes,kindof,toresetmode.Andneurofeedbackhasbeen,forLanaandme,areallybigthing.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Iwanttoshiftgearsabit,fromthepregnancysideofthings,totalkaboutwhathappensbeforepregnancy.Let'stalkbirthcontrol.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Iwroteablogpostaboutthisawhileback,andI'mlike,"Look,thepillisjustbadforyou.Ifyoucareaboutthewomaninyourlife,tellhertogetoffthepill."It'sthatstraightforward,andItookalotofflakforthat.Like,"well,youcan'ttellhertogetpregnant."I'mlike,"I'mnottellinghertogetpregnant.I'mnottellingyoutonotbecautious.I'mtellingyoutomaybeknowwhenyou'refertileandnot."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Thedownsideisjustsoextreme.Whatisyourtakeonthepill.Andgranted,Ijustmaybestackedwhatyou'regonnasayaboutit,buttellmewhatyouthink.

Jolene: Yeah.Solet'sjustacknowledgethis.Therearesomewomenwhoabsolutelycannotgetpregnant,andtheonlywaytheyknowhowtoavoidthatiswiththebirthcontrolpill.Iactuallyspentmanyyearsworkinginahomelessyouthclinic,sobasically,harmreductionwasthenameofthegamehere.

Dave: Yeah.Absolutely.

Jolene: Andthat'swhereIseeit,islike,Iwasawoman.Iwasonthepillforover10years.WishIwould'veknownwhatIknownow,butit'ssomething,whenIlookback,oflike,"Okay.I'mafirstgenerationcollegestudent,andIbecameadoctor.Iwasthefirstwomaninmyfamilynottogetpregnantbeforeage19.HallelujahIhadthepill,soIcouldbewhereI'mattoday.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: So,Ijustwanttoacknowledge.I'mnotgonnashameanybody,ifyou'relike,"I'vegottastayonthispill."Butlet'sreallydiveintowhatdoctorsarenottellingyou.Becausethere'sawholelotthatwe'veknownfordecades,thatreallynobody'stalkingabout,andwe'renotseeingwomengettingthetrueparqueo.And,whatthatis,forpeople,isbeforeyourdoctorprescribesyouanything,theyshoulddoatrueinformedconsent,whichis,"here'sallthepros.Here'sallthecons.Here'showitappliestoyou,"andreallythenitshouldgointoyourcourt."Okay,whatdoyouwanttodoaboutit?"Unfortunately,whatwe'reseeingofthe100millionwomenworldwide,whohavetakenthepill,about60%ofthemareonlytakingitforsymptoms,whichisahugeredflagtome.Ifonly40%aretakingthepilltopreventpregnancy,thenwhat'supwiththisother60%,andwhyarewenotpracticingrootcauseresolution,whichwecouldabsolutelydo,andjustgivingwomenapill.

Tome,thisisahugedisserviceinwomen'smedicine,andIreallywantthistobeclear.Becausethesecondwestarttalkingaboutthis,I'vehadpeoplecallmetheanti-MargaretSanger,andsay"You'renotafeminist.Youdon'tlookoutforwomen."AndI'mnotaboutthatatall.Attheendoftheday,Iwantyoutomakethedecisionthat'sbestforyou.Idon'twantittobeanyoneelse'sdecision.Iwantyoutobeconfidentthatyougottheinformationyouneeded.Andifyouchoosetotakethepill,I'vegotyourback.Andifyouchoosetocomeoffthepill,it'sgonnabehell.Wecantalkaboutpost-birthcontrolsyndrome.ButI'vetotallygotyourbackinthataswell.So,whatisthepilldoingatbiglevel?

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Like,let'sjusttakeabigoverview.Soit'sdefinitelycausingleakygut,sothatdailybolusofestrogen.It'sinducingleakygut.It'sskewingyourmicrobiome.It'scausingestrogendominance.Hello,yourbrain,yourheart.Nobody'sgonnabehappyaboutthat.It'sdisruptingthyroidhormoneoneverylevel,andsowhenyouthinkaboutwomenintheir30sarefivetoeighttimesmorelikelytodevelopathyroidcondition,andthenyoucompoundthepillontopofit.We'rereallyraisingriskfactorshere.Weknowthatitturnsoncertainautoimmunediseases,sotherewasactuallyastudy,severalyearsago,thatcameoutandsaid,ifawoman'sonthepill,hasafamilyhistoryofCrone'sdisease,thenafterfiveyears,shehasa300%increasedriskofturningonthatautoimmunity.Thoseresearchersthensaid,weshouldatleastbeaskingaboutfamilyhistory,ifnotgeneticallytestingwomen,beforewestartthemonthepill.

And,asweallknow...Okay,thatresearchstudywasaboutfiveyearsago.It'sgonnabe12yearsbeforeconventionalmedicineevenacknowledgesthis,andtome,asawoman,whenIthinkaboutmysister,mymother,myfriends,I'mnotabouttostandaroundfor12yearsandallowcountlessnumbersofwomentobebasicallymishandled,mistreated,andnottomentiondismissedwhentheirsymptomslikedepressionandanxietycropup,andthey'reonthepill.Wejustsawastudywithoveramillionwoman,thatwesaw,"Ohyeah.There'sanincreasedriskwithdepressiononthebirthcontrolpill,andhowquickwas...NPRwasoneofthem,soquicktodismissthat.Soquicktodismissit.

Butinthis...Youknow,it'sreallycrazytome.Sothere'sthiswellacknowledgedmedicalgenderbias,whenitcomestothebirthcontrolpill.Forinstance,inthesamequarter

thatthebirthcontroltrialformenwasstopped,becauselessthan5%ofthemwerehavingdepression,anewIUDwasreleased,thatwasnotingaboutover20%depressioninwomen.Womenwereleavingthetrialbecauseofdepression.Themalestudywasstopped,eventhoughtheFECwasgreat,andthemeninthestudywerelike,"It'snotsobad.Weevenhaveincreaseinlibido,andwe'realittlebitsad,butwehaveincreaseinlibido."Buttheystoppedthetrial,sayingthatlessthan5%wascompletelyunreasonableformen,butthenreleasedanIUDwithover20%showingdepressionrates,anddeemedthatcompletelyacceptableforwomen.Whatdoesthisreallycomedownto?Attheendoftheday,whocarriestheburdenofpregnancy,andhastobeavoidingit?It'swomen.Theyknowtheykindagotuswiththat.Nottobelikethere'sabigconspiracy,butthey'vegotuswiththat.

Dave: Oneoftheotherreallyscarythingsaboutthepill,thatI'vetalkedaboutafewtimes,isthat...Infact,inHeadstrong,inmynewbookonmitochondria,Imentionedthefactthatthere'sahundredthousandmitochondriapercellintheovaries.Men,wetapoutat15,000.Womenandmen,inourbrain,wehaveabout15,000mitochondria,theselittlepowerplants.Intherestofourbody,it's1,000,2,000orless.But,andyourhearthasalottoo.Butwhydowomenhavethatmanymitochondriathere?It'sbecausetheysensetheenvironmentaroundyouverycarefully.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andthere'sareasonthatyourmansmellssexytoyou,andit'sbecauseyourmitochondria,theseancientbacteria,arefindinganotherPetridishforthem.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: They'rebacteriathatwanttoreproduce.Whenyou'reonthepill,itmesseswithyourmitochondria.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Sotheywill,it'llchangehowyourmansmells.Andtherearepeopleoutthere,andthisisshowninstudies,wheretheyfallinlove,theygettogether,they'resexuallycompatible.Thewoman'sbeenonthepilltheentiretime,andthewaythemansmells,smellsgoodtoher.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Becauseshe'sonthepill.Shegoesoffthepill,andthenallofasudden,herphysicalattractivenesstohimgoesaway,becausehe'snotbiologicallycompatiblewithher.They'renotgonnahavehealthybabies.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andhermitochondriaknewit,evenifshedidn't.Andthisissomethingthathappens.I'mlike,beforeyougetmarried,gooffthepill.

Jolene: Absolutely.

Dave: Justtoseeifyou'restillattractedtoeachother.

Jolene: Imean,sothisiswhatblowsmymind,islike,Ireallyamquestioningthelongtermimpactofthepill,inwaysthatwe'renotevenlookingatityet.Wehaveseen,whenthepillwasintroduced,weseeourrisesinautoimmunity,andautism,allthesethings,atthesametimewewereseeingthehygienehypothesis,ourfoodwaschanging.Weknowallthesefactorsaredefinitelymulti-factorial.Butwhat'sinterestingtome,isifyoulookatthesestudies,whenyou'reonthepill,you'reattractedtowho'sgenetically,like,yourcousin.You'rebasicallyattractedtoyourcousin.It'skindagrossandweird,Iknow,whenIsaythat,butyou...Sowhenyou'reattractedtoyourcousin,whatdoesthatmeanforyourbaby?Thatmeansthatyourbaby'snotgettinggeneticdiversity,andinthat,theirMHCcomplex,whichthisisthewholemechanismonthecellofhowwegetautoimmunity,howwefightviruses,bacteria.It'snotasrobust.It'smorefragile.It'smorelikelytocreateautoimmunity.

Andso,canIsaythere'sresearchshowingthis?No,butwecanstarttothinkaboutit,andframe,whatisthisimpactthatit'shavingonthehumanrace,overall.Weknowthatthepillactuallychangesthegenes,intheliver,toforeverhaveawomancreatemoresexhormonebindingglobulin.Thatmeansherlibido'sgoingtobelower.Andokay,libido'sgoingtobelower.That'saproblem,butnotenoughtestosteroneinourbrain,andourheart,andourbones,they'regoingaswell.

Anecdotally,I'veknownmyhusbandfor...Iknewmyhusbandforadecade.Wewenttocommunitycollegetogether.Iwasonthepillthewholetime.Andthen,wemetbackupinPortland.Randomly,oneday,hewaslike...ThisisbackwhenIdrankbeer.He'slike,"Hey,Iboughtagreenarmytent.Doyouwanttocomedrinkbeerwithmeinanarmytent?"Iwaslike,"Sure.Whynot?Thatsoundsfun."Thisistotallymeinthecollegedays.Iwasoffthepill.Imeetupwithhim,andsuddenly,Iamsoattractedtothisguy.AndIwassomebodywhowaslike,"I'mneverhavingababy.Ineverwanttohaveababy.I'mokaynothavingababy."AfterImethim,andbeingwithhim,Iwaslike,"Ihavetohaveababy."Thebiologywassoprofound.Andit'slike,yeah.That'stotallyanecdotal,butI'vehadenoughpatientssaythesamethingtome.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Igotoff...AndImakethesejokes.Isthepilltoblameforyourbadboyfriend?Whyarewechoosingthementhatwe'rechoosing?Butifwethinkaboutthat,it'sjustlike,howareweactuallyimpactingthegeneticlineageofthehumanrace,inwomenwhoarefloodedwiththesepills?We'renottalkingaboutahandfullofwomen.RightnowinAmerica,it'sabout11millionwomen,whoareonthispill.That'snotatrivialnumber,byanymeans.

Dave: ThisisanimportantepisodeofBulletproofRadio,becausealotofpeopledon'ttalkaboutthat.Let'salsotalkaboutthepostbirthcontrolsyndrome.Whathappenswhenawomangoesoffofthebirthcontrolpill?

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Like,whatshouldsheexpect?

Jolene: Well,sheshouldexpectwhateversymptomsshehad,thatmadeherstopthepill.Ladies,ifyouhadacne,ifyouhadPMSsymptoms,ifyouhadheavyperiods,lotsofcramps,evenmoodsymptomsthatwerecyclical,wecanexpectthosethingstocomebackfullforce.AndthisishowIexplainit.It'snotyourbodyrebellingagainstyou.Ifyouthinkaboutifyouhadsomethingreallyimportanttosayforlikefiveyears,tenyears,howeverlongyou'reonthepill.Finally,yougettheopportunitytosayit.Yourbody'sscreaming.

Dave: Right.

Jolene: "Iwantedyoutoknowaboutthisallalong."Sothat'sonethingthatwe'llsee.We'llalsoseewhat'scalledpostpillamenorrhea.Nowhere'sabigonethatdoctorsdon'ttellwomen,andthisoneisahugedisservice.What'sthenumberonenonbirthcontrolrelatedreasontoprescribethepill?Irregularmenstrualcycle.Sothedoctortellsthestorylikethis."You'renothavingyourperiod?Wecanhelpyouhaveyourperiodnaturallybyusingthispill."No,sorrydoctor.Youarefloodingthatwoman'sbrain,andoverridingherpituitary,andthenwithdrawingthatdrug,sothatherendometriumsloughsoff.Theyjustbails,endometriumbails,thenwehaveaperiod.There'snothingnaturalaboutthis.But,withallofthatbeingsaid,withthePCOSpiece,weknowthat...Orexcuseme,theirregularperiods,weknowthatcanoftenbeduetoPCOS.AndPCOSisametabolicdisorder.Sonow,youputawomanonthepill,youmaskthehormonesymptoms,andthenwhatdoyoudo?Youlethergofor10to20years,withheartdiseaseanddiabetesdeveloping,andnobody'sputtingthattogether.Nevermindthepillisinflammatory,makinghermoreinsulinresistant,anddepletingnutrients.There'sahugeproblemhere.Butwhenadoctorprescribesapillforirregularperiods,theresearchtellsusthatabout30%ofthosewomenwillberenderedinfertilewhentheystopthatpill.

Dave: Whoa.

Jolene: Sowe'retalkingalmost40%ofwomenwillneverseetheirpillcomeback.Andwhatbreaksmyheart,isthatIgottabethedoctortotellthemthis.Andtheycomeintomypracticeandsay,"Ireallywishmydoctorwould'vejusttoldmethis.Iwas15.Iwas16.Iwas..."Youknow,someofthesegalsare12,andthey'rebeingtold...Igetpatientsintheir50s.They'vebeenonthepillsincetheywere12,andtheirdoctor'slike,"Oh,youshouldjuststayonthepill.It'sbetterthanthatbioidenticalstuffanyways."AndI'mlike,"Wow.Havetheytalkedtoyouaboutyourstrokerisk,aboutyourriskforaheartattack?"Imean,sincethe80s,womenhavebeendyingfromheartattacksathigherratesthanmen.Thispillisinflammatory.It'sinducingimmunesystemchaos.Thisisaperfectrecipeforhavingacardiovascularevent.Nottomention,canwejustdosomelongtermstudiesofwhatwe'redoingtowomen'sbrainonthis?

Dave: Allright,thatwasanawesomerant.Iwantto[crosstalk]that.

Jolene: I'msorry.Ilike...

Dave: No.No.No.Thatwasacompliment.

Jolene: Youknowthisislike,myjamrightnow.

Dave: No.Youneededtorantonthat.Icouldn'thaveputitbettermyself.Andthat'swhyI'mlike,justgetoffthepill.Right?Andit'sreallyweird.I'vebeeninrelationships...I'veknownthisforalongtime,becauseoftheanti-agingworkIdo.I'vebeeninrelationshipsbeforeIwaswithLana,andI'mlike,"Noreally.Getoffthepill."Andthey'relike,"Whatareyoutryingtodo,getmepregnant?"I'mlike,"Trustme.No.Idon'twantthat."

Jolene: It'shardertogetpregnantthanyouthink.Igetwomenallthetimethatarelike-

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Ineverwould'vetakenthepill,ifIrealizedthatIonlyhadthissixdaywindowtogetpregnanteverymonth.

Dave: Exactly.Andtherestofthetime,it'sprettysafe,especiallyifyou'reinamonogamousrelationship.You'renotgonnagetanyweirddiseasesthatway.Andit'soneofthosethingswhere,itwasalwaysalittleawkward,becausenormallyit'stheotherwayaround."Goonthepill.Goonthepill."Itdoesrequireahigherlevelofawareness.Butifyoucareaboutthewomanthatyou'rewith,andshe'snotawareofthisstuff,it'simportant.Becauseifyoucareaboutthem,youwantthemtohavefunctioningbiology.Youwantthemtolivealongtime,andhaveenoughtestosterone,enoughoftheotherhormones.Andifyou'reaguy,andthewomanyou'rewithdoesn'thaveenoughtestosterone,you'renotgonnalikeit.Becausewhenwomenhaveenoughtestosterone,theyhavegreatlibido.Andwhentheydon'thaveenoughtestosterone,theyjustdon'tcareaboutsex.

Jolene: Andtheycryallthetime,whichisnotfun.

Dave: Yeah.It'stotallynotfun.Youhavetoscheduleyourbusinesstripswhenthey'regonnabecrying.It'ssomuchwork.No,I'mtotallykidding.

Jolene: Yeah.Foryouroutsourcingtoyourpersonalassistant.It'ssomuchwork.

Dave: Allright,sonowpeoplehavetobeasking,"Okay,ifI'mnotgoingtostartthepill,orI'mgonnagooffthepill,whatisthebest,mostbiologicallycompatibleformofbirthcontrol?

Jolene: Yeah.Iamahugefanoffertilityawarenessmethod,andit'sactuallylike,everybody...Youknow,you'retaught...Iwenttonaturopathicmedicalschool.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: They'relike,"youdon'teverteachthat.That'sabigno-no."SoIhadtogodiveintotheresearch,andlookatthis,becausefertilityawarenessmethod'swhatI'vebeenusing.Inevertell-

Dave: It'scool.

Jolene: Yeah.ButItellpeople,"Don'tdowhatyourdoctordoes,oryourfrienddoes.Yougottadowhatworksforyou."IusethisreallycoolpieceoftechnologycalledDaisy,andit'sjustathermometer,thatIputinmymouth,butit'ssuperhightech.So,everymorningIwakeup,Iputthisin.Greenlight,go.Redlight,no.We'vegotallofthesecolorcodesandeverything,soittakes...Backintheday,womenwouldtrackfertilityawarenessmethodbeinglike,Mytemperature,cervicalmucus,allofthis,writeitonachart,drawagraph.Now,becauseDaisyactuallycomparesittothehundredsofthousandsofwomenthatareintheirsystem,itwasamazing.Withinmyfirstmonth,itcaughtmyperiodrightaway,anditkneweverything,eventhoughIwasn'tsogoodattempingeverysingleday,becauseIwasdevelopinganewhabit,anewskill.Butitcaughtallofthat.SothisisonethatI'mlike,ladies,ifyoujustwanttotakeabackseattoallofthis,andyou'relike,Iwanttoknowmoreaboutmybody,butIdon'twanttodoallthatcharting,andIdon'tevenownpencils.Imean,Idon't...Ican'tevenimaginedoingthatlevelofcharting.I'mlike,ifitdoesn'tliveon-

Dave: What'sapencil?That'slikeafaxmachineright?

Jolene: Somebodyactuallysaidtheotherday,"CanIsendyouafax?"AndI'mlike,"Peoplestilldothat?"Wehaveelectronicfax.Mypracticeinahundredpercentpaperlesspractice,andwe'reahightechcompany.

Dave: There'saperfectanswer.Someonesays,"CanIsendyouafax?"You'relike,"IfIcanrespondwithan8-track.Andthatusuallyendit.

Jolene: That'ssogood.

Dave: Soacompletediversionfromwhatyouweresayingtherearoundpencilsandtracking.

Jolene: Certainly.Yeah,too.Imean,youcanuse...There'sallthesetechnologies.InSwedennow,they'relike...SointheU.S.,they'relike,"No.No.No.That'snotbirthcontrol."InSweden,they'relike,"Yeah."These,likeLadyComp,whichiswhatDaisycamefrom,theselittletechnologypieces,theyareconsideredbirthcontrol,inothercountries,thatdon'thaveasmuchofapharmaceuticalinterest.I'mguessingwiththat.But,there'ssomuchdata,thatyoucanbringtoyourdoctor.Usknowingwhenyou'reovulating,usknowingwhetherornotyouovulated,whenyourperiodcomes.Ifyouareonthepill,youaremissingoutontonsofdata.I'madatadrivenlady.Mybackgroundwasin...Iwasanutritionalbiochemist,beforeIwaseveranaturopathicdoctor,workinginrecombinantDNAtechnology,sosupernerdy.I'mareallydatadrivenperson.That'swhyIlikeBiohackers.TheypracticeintheBayArea.Ilovethem,becausetheygetit.

Dave: Oh.Bytheway,sidething,butit'srelatedtothis.DoyouknowaboutViome?

Jolene: Viome?Idon'tthinkso.

Dave: V-I-O-M-E.Brandnewstartup.I'montheiradvisoryboard.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: MeandJane,who'slike,oneofthebillionaire...He'sactuallyrunningacompanythatdoes,miningofthemoonkindofguys.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Withthe[inaudible].Whatthey'redoingis,they'relookingatRNAfourtimesayear,fromyourpoop.

Jolene: Ohwow.

Dave: Sotheycantellyoufungal,bacterial,veryspeciesspecific.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Viral,evenbacteriophage,that'sgoingon,andfullmetabolicfunction.

Jolene: Wow.

Dave: Soif,andit'sallgoingthroughanAIsystem,soifyou'reintothatkindofstuff.

Jolene: Yeah.Yeah.

Dave: ThenViomeistotallyupyouralley.Theyjustlaunched.Andbytheway,ifyou'relisteningtothisstuff,youwanttobelike,tothefrontoftheline,becausethere'sawaitinglist,youcanusecodeBulletproof.AndIthink...I'mnotgonnapromisethis,becauseIdon'tknowwhenyou'regonnahearthisepisode,buthehassomecopiesofHeadstrongthathe'ssharingwithsomepeople.Ithinkifyouusethecode,youmightgetone,butI'mnotpromising.

Butanyway,youwouldlikeViome,becauseit'ssoquantitative.

Jolene: Yeah.Yeah.

Dave: Andittiesrightin.Youcouldprobablyseeabeforeandafterofthepill,whatitdoestoyourgutbacteria.

Jolene: Ohyeah.

Dave: Whenyoudidsomethinglikethat,becauseyou'regettingfourtestsayear.

Jolene: Yeah.I'msuperintothat,becausewedo,wedobeforeandafter.So,forinstance,onemarkerisfibrinogen,andwesee,ohmygosh,fibrinogeniconthepill,I'vehadwomenwhereI'mlike,"Youneedtogetoffthispillrightaway,andIwantyouovertothecardiologist."Becauseinflammatorymarkers,fibrinogenisthat.We'reseeingthingsthatarereallyunfavorable.I'mlike,wejustneedtogetanultrasound.Wetolookup,lookateverything,makesurethateverythingisworkingthewayitoughta.Butthenyoustopthepill,andyouseethelevelsjuststartcomingdown.Theyjuststartcomingdown.

Andso,youknow,backtowhatIwassayingaboutthedata,whenitcomestohormonetesting,we'vegotourwaysthatweliketotesthormones,butthey'renotallsuperaccurate,anditdependsonwhat'sgoingon.Butwhatisreallyhelpful,iswhatawomanreportsinherbody.Whataredaysonethroughthreeofyourperiodlookinglike?Areyouampedupforsexaroundday10,thewayyoushouldbe?Becauseweshouldspiketestosterone,andthenthatmakesuswanttohavesex,sothatwecapturesperm.Yesladies,youactuallycaptureandquarantinethatsperm,sowhenyoureleaseanegg,it'sthere.It'ssittingaroundforyou.Areweseeingfertilecervicalmucus?What'sgoingonaweekbeforeyourperiod,day21to28?Allofthisinformation,thatawomancanprovidetoadoctor,canreallyhelpusgethonedin,notonlyonhormones,butonouroverallhealth,andthat'sonethingthatIreallylikeaboutfertilityawarenessmethod,womennotbeingonthepill,andbeingabletotrackthesethings,isthatyoucangetsointunedwithyourbody,thatyoudon'tneedadoctortotellyouthatyourprogesteroneisprobablydropping,andyourstressishigh.

That'swhatwedoinmyclinic,iswewanttoeducateourpatientssowell,theydon'tneedtheirdoctorforthingslikecoldsandflues,andlike,"Oh,you'vegotstress."Thingsweusedtogotoourmomsandgrandmasfor.Somehowwefelloffthebeatenpath,whensuddenlyitwaslikedoctorisgatekeeperofhealth,andyoucanneverhavehealthwithoutadoctor.Ijustfullyrejectthat,becausethestuffthatkeepsyououtofmyoffice,it'snotsexyoranything.Butit'sthebasicstuffofeatright,exercise,wearyourblueblockerglasses,keepyourstressdown,allofthosethingsthatwetakeforgrantedonadaytodaybasis.Butit'sreallywhatyoudoeveryday,thathasthatprofoundeffect.AndasIliketosay,youcan'toutsupplementabadlifestyle.Youjustcan'toutsupplementoroutmedicateit.Andthat'swhypharmaceuticalsdon'tworkalotofthetime,becausewhenyoutrytostrongarmthebody,thebody'sgonnapushback,becauseallyourbodywantstodoissurvive,morethananything.

Dave: Thefertilityawarenessmethodisprettyprofoundbecause,inadditionto,ifyou'reawoman,youstarttracingthis,yourealizethattherearetimesofthemonth,notwhenyou'renecessarilyovulatingorbleedingoranythinglikethat,whereyourcognitiveandmentalperformance,andyouremotions,arenotgoingtobewheretheyare...Youknowthedayswhenyou'remostpowerful.Youknowthedayswhenyou'regoingtobemostaroused.Andjustknowingthat,like,"Wow.Iwantedtorunamarathontoday,anditwastotallythewrongtime,andmyscoresucked."Or,"Ihadareallybigboardmeetingtoday,andIknowthatI'mcompletelynotwhereI'mgonnabe,soI'mseriouslytakingsomemodafiniltoday.Otherwise,I'mnotgonnagettheventurefundingIwanted."Youcanaccountfor,andyoucancounteractperiodswhereyou'renotgonnabe...SeewhatIjustdidthere?Anyway,periods...didn'tmeantodothat.Butperiods

whereyou'regoingtobereallyatyourbest,ornotatyourbest,forwhatyouwanttobedoingthatday.Andifyouknowit'scoming,andyouknowthatit'snormal,thenyoudon'tfeellikeyou'reweakorcrazy,andyou'relike,"Okay,ormaybeI'mjustgonnahavesomeextracoffee."Whateverit'sgonnatake.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: It'sokaythattodayIshouldjustgetamassage,andchill,andI'mgonnaschedulethatifIcan.That'spreciousknowledgeabout,justcontrollingyourbiology,andlettingitdowhatitwantstodo,soIvaluethat.

Jolene: Andtogivethatpermission.

Dave: Yeah.Yeah.

Jolene: Iappreciatethatyoujustgavepermission.It'sokayifyouhaveanextracupofcoffeetoday.Ihavewomenthat,thedaybeforetheystarttheirperiod,they'relike,"Iamflatlinefatigued."Andyeah.Sure.We'reworkingonthisstuff.Canwejustacknowledgeforasecondthatnaturaltherapiestakemonthsto...SoVitexisone,forexample.Everywomanwillcomeinandsay,"ItriedVitexforacoupleweeks."Eh.It'sgonnatake-

Dave: WhatisVitex?

Jolene: Chastetreeberry.It'ssomethingthat'sused-

Dave: Okay.Yeah,right.

Jolene: ItstimulatestheLHproductioninthebrain.

Dave: Okay.

Jolene: Tohelpstimulatetheovariestomakeprogesterone.So,let'sjustframeitfrom,let'ssayyou'reanexecutive,andyou'regonnagointoastressfulmeeting,andyouknowthisishappeningdayseventhroughtenofyourcycle,andyou'renotsleepingandyou'resostressedout.Youmightactuallysuppressovulationthatcycle.Thatmighthappen.That'sokayifthathappens,becausethat'swhatnatureintends."Oh,theenvironment'sstressful.Don'tmakeababy."Fantastic.That'sveryprotective.Butthenyoumightneedalittlemoreprogesteronesupport,becauseasyougetintothatlutealphase,ifyoudidn'tovulate,thecorpusluteumispumpingout...Thecorpusluteumislike,takesitsjobofmakingprogesteroneveryseriously,andsoitpumpsitoutlikecrazy,especiallyonceyougetpregnant.

Butifthat'snotthere,we'renotgoingtoseeasmuchprogesterone.Ifyoudon'thavetheprogesterone,GABAdoesn'tstimulatethebrain,makeyoufeelchilledoutandcalm.Nowyou'reflyingoffthehandle.Iliketoaskwomen,"Doyou,A,wanttokillsomebody?B,runofftothewoodsandneverbeseen?OrC,doalloftheabove,theweekbeforeyourperiod.Andso,that'sveryreal,whenprogesteronegetslow.Ialways

tellwomen,"Yougettosayit'syourhormones.Yourhusbanddoesn'tgettosayit'syourhormones."Butlet'ssayyou'regonnahavethatreallystressfulmeetinginthatfollicularphase,inthatearlypartofyourcycle,youcanstarttotendtoyourprogesteronelevels.Howcanwedothat?VitaminC,Vitex,canbegreat.Community.Womenwhospendtimearoundtheirfriends,actuallyhavebetterprogesteronelevels.Sex.Maybeyouneedtohavemoresexaroundthatday14,tohelpgetthoseprogesterone.Andso,whenyoucanunderstandyourcycleinthisway,youcanseehowoneeventactuallyimpactedwhat'sgoingontwoweeksfromnow,andyoucanreallybiohackthesystem,andreallygetinthereandsay,"Okay,becauseofthisevent,nowI'mgonnadoX,Y,andZ,soIdon'tfeellikeI'mlosingmymindthesecondhalfofthemonth."Isthatallmakingsense?

Dave: It'smakingsense.It'sahugeamountofinfo.Andbytheway,therewillbeatranscriptforallthis.Thatwasalotofinfo.SoifyougototheBulletproofwebsite,wehaveatranscriptforalloftheseepisodes,andthere'salotthere.OneoftheotherthingsthatIthinkisworthsaying,isthatifyougetevensomeofthatlevelofunderstandingandknowledge,it'softentimes,especiallyifyou'reunder30,there'sstillsomevestigesofgrossness,fromseventhgrade,thatwe'relike,I'mnotgonnasharethiswithmypartner.Here'sthedeal,theguyinyourlifeprobablywantstoknowwhenyou'regonnabereallyhorny.Andheprobablywantstoknowwhenyou'regonnabesuperemotional,sohecangooutwiththeguys,orbeextrasupportive,whatevertheheck.Butthebottomlineis,thatjustsharing,"Hey.Thisisgoingonrightnow,"canreallyhelparelationship.Becausethenit'slike,"Oh.Thisisjustbiology.Wecanmanagethis."Andthenalso,thenIknowit'scomingtoanend.Ifit'sanemotionallowenergyperiod,justbringlotsofchocolate.It'llbefine.Butwhatever,right?

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Ifindthatopencommunicationthere,canreallytakewhatlookslikecrazybehavior,toguyswhocanhaveamonthlycycle,butit'ssosmall,itjustdoesn'treallymatterforthemostpart.Itcanlooklikecrazybehavior,andit'snot.Andso,you'relike,"Thisiswhat'sgoingonhere."Andso,yeah,I'mtakingabathtoday,andjustchill.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: It'sjusthealthyrelationshipmanagementatthatpoint.

Jolene: Andwejustgottasay,aswomen,youhavetocommunicateyourneedstomen.It'sjustabigslipperyslope,right,wherewe'relike,"Ineedthis,"butyou'renotsayingthattohim.Soladies,you'vegottatellthemen.Now,guyswhoarelistening,ifit'sgettingclosetothenewmoonorthefullmoon,andyourladyisstartingtogetcranky,oddsareherperiod'scoming.Andthisisanotherthingaboutthepill,isthatyouhavethesearbitrarycycles.Butwhenyou'reoffthepill,aswomen,wearesyncedwiththerhythmsoftheearth,andthemooncycles,theoceancycles.Andnowweknow,evenourorgansareonbiologicalclocks,andthey'vegottheirowncycles.AndsothisissomethingI'mlike...

Iwasjustreadingthisinformationabouthowcowsalllineupwiththepolarityoftheearth.Idon'tknowifyou'veheardthis.

Dave: Yes.

Jolene: Unlessthey'reunderpowerlines.Andthishasmebeinglike,ladies,getthoseEMFsout.Ifthecowsarebeingaffectedbythis,withhowtheylineuponthepolarityoftheearth,ashumans,wearejustmammalsliketherestofthem.Ifanimalsarefeelingsensitivetothis,we'resensitivetothis.Butitreallyhasmequestioning.Nobodystoodbackandsaid,"Hey,beforeweintroducealltheseEMFs,andbatheallofthesepeopleinit,maybewemightjustwanttoaskwhat'sgoingonhere."

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Sothat'sjustsomethingelse,anotherthingtothrowintoplay.

Dave: Yearsago,geesalmosttwentyyearsago,IhadcoffeeinMountainView,withtheguywhoholdsthefirstpatenton802.11Wi-Fi,theveryfirstWi-Fi.Andthisiskindofagrizzledengineer,beard,superSiliconValleyengineeringtype,andhegoes,"Youknow,Itookthemillion-dollarequipmentweuseformeasuringourWi-Fithings,andIturneditaround,andIaimeditatmyself,andohmyGod,there'sallthisdatacomingoffthebody."Andheturnshislaptoparound,andhegoes,"Look.Here'sthedatathat'scomingoffmybody,atleastwhenIwasrunningthesesignals."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: "And,there'sdiagnosticinformationinhere.Thisisamazing."Andwe'veknown,inlittlepockets,foralongtime,thatit'snotjustaboutwhetherwe'recookingourselvesofnot.Andthat'swhy,inHeadstrong,I'mlike,"Here'stheevidencethatitdestroysmitochondrialfunction."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Itdoesn'tkillyou.Itdoesn'tcookyou.Itjustmakesyouabletomakeanduselesspower,andthataffectsyourhormones,becauseyourmitochondriamakeyourhormones.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Soifyou'relisteningtothisshow,evenifyou'realittleskeptical.Here'sthedeal.You'renotsurfingthewebwhenyou'reasleep.TurnoffyourWi-Fiatnight.It'sthateasy.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andyoucangodeeperthanthat.Wehaveallthepowerphysicallydisconnectedinourbedroom,witharemotecontrolswitch.Butyoudon'thavetodothat.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: So,Ilovethatyousaidthat.

Jolene: Interestingaboutthemitochondria.Ifwejustframeback,whatisthefemalelineagethatgetspassedontobaby?

Dave: It'sallmitochondria.

Jolene: It'syourmitochondria,andyourmicrobiome.Andwhatisthepillhitting?Yourmitochondriaandyourmicrobiome.Howcanwethinkwecanbuildsuperhumans,likeasuperhumanrace,whenwe'vebeenmedicatingourwomenfordecades?Ifwewanttoensurethatthehumanraceisatthetopofthefoodchain,andsurvives,andweshouldallhaveavestedinterestinthat,Iwouldargue,thenwehavetobetakingcareofourcurrentmothersandourfuturemothers.Thesearenotonlythewomenwhoaregoingto...Momistheseed,andthesoil,soyou'regoing...

Andthisiswherereproductiveendocrinologygetsreallyshortsighted.Youdon'ttakeheirloomseedsandthrowtheminanysoil,andexpectthemtogrow.Whywouldwedothiswithhumansaswell?But,beyondgrowingthathuman,Mom'sgoingtobeprovidingthefoodforthathuman,andthenshe'sgonnabethecaretaker,theprimarycaretakerforthatbaby'slife.So,tome,whenyougomessingwiththemitochondria,it'slikeyou'rejustprayingfortheextinctionofthehumanrace.Thisisnotsomethingweshouldtakelightlyorbemessingwith.Andit'ssomethingthatlike,whenyouheartheresearchabouthowantibioticsactuallyaffectthemitochondria,andwhatyouweresayingissointeresting,about,theovariesarerichinmitochondria.Well,whyareweseeingmorewomeninfertile?Let'sjustacknowledgethat,fordecades,weknewthatpolarbearswerehavingtroublebreeding,andthatifanimals...So,inanimalscience,theyknewthatthisBPAfilledtanksatthezoowererenderinganimalsinfertile.Weknewthatbeforeweeverstartedseeingitinhumans.Butthen,compoundtheenvironmentalstuffwiththefactthat,Iknowme,kidofthe80s.HowmanyantibioticsdidIget?Yourmitochondriaareabacteriallineage.

Dave: Yes.

Jolene: They'resusceptibletotheseantibiotics.So,ladiesandgentlemen,buteitherway,ifyou'rethinkingaboutgettingpregnant,ifyoueverwanttohaveababy,you'vegottastartlovingonyourmitochondria,lovingonyourmicrobiome,andreally,you'vegottabeverycautiouswithusingtheseantibiotics.Imean,hey,there'satimeandaplace,andIlovethemwhenweneedthem.Butthemajorityofthetime,we'reusingthemwhenwedon'tneedthem.

Dave: Infact,inHeadstrong,Ipublishedalistofmedications,alotofprescriptionmedications,inparticularantibiotics-

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Causedamagetomitochondria.Andlookatme,Itookantibioticseverymonthfor15years,forsinusitisandstrepthroat,andI,mymitochondriaareprettydarnstrongnow,buttheystillhaveissuesfromthat.Andthey'restrongbecauseImanagedthecrapoutofthem.

Jolene: Yeah.Right,youdothework.That'swhatI'msaying,yougottadothework.

Dave: Yeah.Yeah.Youdo.Now,speakingofmitochondria,we'rerunningupontheendoftheshow,butIpromisedpeoplethatwe'dtalkaboutyourtraumaticbraininjury.

Jolene: Ohyeah.

Dave: Ihadonelastyearthatwasprettysubstantial,sowesharethatincommon.Sowhathappenedtoyourbrain?

Jolene: Yeah.SothishappenedontheWinterSolstice,whichismyson'sbirthday.Ifeellike,ifthingshappen...Ifyou'regoingaboutlife,andyouliterallygetyourfeetknockedoutfromyou,andyouhityourheadontheWinterSolstice,youaresupposedtowakeuptosomething,soI'mstillseeingthisasverymuchablessing.Itookmysontoasafesleddinghill,sosnowsleddingonthesegiantinnertubes,whereyougooneatatime,exceptIforgotaboutthefrontallobeofteenagers,notbeingintact,tobeabletomonitorthathill.So,teenagerwatchingthehillletssomeonegorightafterme.Istandup.I'monly,barely5'5",sothisinnertubehitsthebackofmyknees.Myhusbandseesthis.Iflyupandovertheinnertube,andIlandonmyrightocciputfirst.

Dave: Oh.

Jolene: Rolldown.I'mpassedout.Iwakeup,I'mblind,can'tseeforlike,10minutes.AllI'mscreamingis,"StabilizeCspine."Throughallofthis...So,throughallofthis-

Dave: Suchadoctor.

Jolene: It'scrazy.Ineverlost,Ineverlostthemedicine.Andit'sjust,myneurologistisfascinatedbythis.ButIactually...Sothegroupthatwe'rein,theFacebookgroup,Iwaslike,IknewJJ,herson,hadgonethroughthattraumaticbraininjury.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: AndIwaslike,shehasanentireplethoraofpeopleshe'sbroughttogetherthatknowthis.SoonthewaytothehospitaliswhenIgotonFacebook,andIwaslike,"Ineedhelpguys.Calltoactiontothetribe,"becauseIknewitwasgonnago.Iwasgonnabedark.BythetimeIgottothehospital,Ididn'tknowmylastname.Ididn'tknowanynumbers.

Dave: Wow.

Jolene: Butwhentheytriedtodoachestx-rayonme,for,theythoughtmyclaviclewasfractured,Iwaslike,"Youdidn'tdotheorthopedicexamination,andactually,Iwanta

CT,anddahdahdah."Andmyhusbandwasbustingoutlaughing,becausehe'slike,"Youdidn'tknow."TheyhadmeinthesystemfromwhenIwasababy.Iwasbornatthishospital.Ididn'tknowwhothispersonwas,thattheyweretalkingabout.ButIknewthatIneeded,whatimagingIneeded,andabettermusclerelaxerwasgonnahelpmemore,and-

Dave: Youknowwhythathappened,right?

Jolene: Becausemypoorlittlebrainwas...Well,youmeanintermsofwhyIdidn'tlosethemedicine?

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: BecauseIhadtosurvive.

Dave: Well,it'sbecauseyouhadtosurvive.It'salsobecauseyoupracticeditsomuch,thatwhen...It'sthesamethingtheydointhespecialforces.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Youpracticesomuch,thatwhenyou'reinthemodewhereyoudon'thaveyourprefrontalcortex,becauseyou'reinfightorflightmode,youcanstilldefaulttotraining.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Right.That'swhatitis.

Jolene: Wellthereitis.AndIhavetosay,toyourcredit,Iwas...Idon'tevenknowifyourememberthis.Iwasdebatingtheprogesteronetherapy,andyoucameinonline,andyouwerelike,"Dotheprogesteronetherapy."

Dave: Totally.

Jolene: AndIdid,andthiscrazything.So,foreveryonelistening,day21isaboutwhenprogesteronespikesinawoman'scycle.Weactuallytrackedthis.Iwasonhighdoseprogesteronetherapy.Totalgamechanger.Lovethatstuff.Iwas,mybrainprotocolislikegangbusters,andI'veactuallybeenusingitinsomeneurologicalLupuspatients,whoarenowwalking.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Andlike,Imean,totalgain.SoIhadtogothroughthis,totestitonmyself,tobelike,"I'mokaywith30gramsoffishoil,someonetakingthateveryday."

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: ButIdidtheprogesteronetherapy,andonday21,everytimeonmycycle,Ihadgreatergains,andIwokeupmore,andwhatwasinterestingisthat,inmymomentswhenIwasawake,Iactuallyhadtocomebacktothis.Iwaswritingpeoplemessagesaboutthis.Idon'tevenremember.Iactuallygotmyprogesteronedose,bypullingratstudies,becausethefirsthumanclinicaltrialhadfailed.AndIpulledratstudies,calculatedbasedonmybodyweight,andIwaslike,"ThisistheprescriptionIwant."

Dave: Whatwe're...Justforlisteners,whatwe'retalkingaboutwithprogesteroneis,it'sanewtreatmentthatJJVirgintalkedaboutquiteabit,inhermostrecentbook,andsomethingthatIdidaftermyTBIaswell,whichisthat,assoonasyougethitinthehead,yougoonhighdoseprogesterone,asananti-inflammatory.SoIliterally,assoonasIgothitinthehead,Iwaslike,"Lana,givemeaprogesterone.Iwaslikepoppingherprogesteronepills."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andit'stotallyagoodstrategy.Youmightwanttogowithadoctor.Ohwait.Mywifeisadoctor,sogreat.

Jolene: Yeah.What'sinterestingisifyoustarttolookatsomeofthestudiesthatareoutthere,granted,wedefinitelyneedmore.Butifyou'reawoman,andyougethitintheheadinyourfollicularphase,soyou'reonyourperiod,oryou'reinthefirsthalfofyourcycle,thenextmonth,youactuallyrecoverbetter.Youhavelessdeficits.But,ifyou'reawoman,andtheydidthisinsoccerplayer,yougetinthehead,becausethey'realwayshittingtheirheadonstuff.Butdon'tdothat,fortherecord.Thisdoctorsays,"Don'tdothat."

Dave: Yeah.Stopheading.

Jolene: Stopdoingthat.Butiftheywereintheirlutealphase,becauseofthedropinprogesterone,whichnaturallyhappenstotriggeraperiod,theyhadgreaterdeficitslater.Andsothatwasahuge"Aha"forme,oflike,wellofcourse.Becausewhatisgonnahappenifestrogenishighandunchallenged,you'regonnahavemoreinflammation,butthere'sgonnabemorefluidaswell,morewaterretention.And,foranyonewho'sgonethroughatraumaticbraininjury,mydoctorslaughed.Everytimethey'dgoin,withmyhusband,they'dbelike,"Isshescreamingatyouorhittingyou?Hasshethrownanythingyet?"Becausepeoplewithtraumaticbraininjurieshavebigmoodswings.Wecanseethatearly.Well,thenicethingaboutprogesteronetherapyisit'sgonnastimulateGABA,alittlestopbreakonyoufreakingout,andyou'regonnafeelalittlemorechill,alittlelessanxious,sothat'sanotherconsiderationforit.Butyeah.It'sfunny,becausemyneurologistthoughtitwasgonnabemanymonths,probablyagoodfourtosixmonths.Inthebeginning,Icouldn'tspeakfullsentences.Icouldn'tfigureouthowtostructureasentence,writingit.Istillhaven'ttotallyrememberedsomebasicdefinitions.I'mnotsuperworriedaboutthat.I'mlike,"Wecanlosesecondgradeforalittlebit."

Dave: Oh,Icouldprobablyhelpfixthatforyouwith[crosstalk]-

Jolene: Let'stalkaboutit.

Dave: ...facilitythatIrented40yearsofZen,upinSeattle.Wedosome...It'snotamedicalthing.It'spersonaldevelopment.Butroutinely-

Jolene: Yeah.Iwill-

Dave: Wecanseethatona24channel.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Wesee90%ofexecutiveshavetraumaticbraininjuryfromsometimeintheirchildhood,that'sstillaffectingtheirbehavior,andtheydon'tknowit.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andwe'relike,we'lljustshowthebrain,youcanroutearoundthat.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Butit'sfascinating.Ihadnoideathatit's[crosstalk]

Jolene: I'mallintoit.

Dave: Ohyeah.

Jolene: Becausesixmonthslater,andI'mstillnauseous,andthat'smyonething-

Dave: Oh.

Jolene: That'sreallyhangingon.ItfeelslikeI'minmyfirsttrimesterpregnancyeveryday.Thatone'snotsofun.We'restillworkingonthat.Butthefactthatlike,Imean,thenextthingthathappened,aftermybrainprotocol,isafteraboutfourweeks,Icouldonlydumplike4,000wordcontent.

Dave: Wow.

Jolene: Mybrainisstrongerinsomanyways.AnditwasJJ,whowaslike,youknowwhatJolene?Idon'twantyoutojusthealyourbrain.Iwantyoutobecommittedtomakingitstrongerthanitwasbeforetheinjury.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: AndIwaslike,"Ilovethis.Let'sdothis.Let'sdoallthethings."

Dave: Let'scomparenotes.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Iwantyoutotellmewhatyourecommendsomeonedothefirst24hoursaftertheygethitinthehead,andI'lltellyouwhatIdidthefirst24hoursafterIgothitinthehead.Soyougofirst.

Jolene: Okay.So,oncebrainbleedhasbeenruledout,wehittheGinkgo,wegohighdosefishoil.

Dave: It'sruledoutbyx-ray.

Jolene: Yeah.Orimaging.

Dave: MRI.Okay.MRI.

Jolene: Yeah.CTorMRI.

Dave: Okay.

Jolene: What'sinterestingisthat,theystartwithMRI,butthere'sbeensomestudiestoshowthat30%ofpeoplethatrepeatwithaCT,there'sactuallyissuesinthebrainthatweren'tcaughtthefirsttime.

Dave: Okay.

Jolene: So,tome,it'simportantthatweshouldactuallymeasurepeoplemorethanonce.So,fishoil,Iwentto30grams.Imean,Ichokeddown30gramsassoonasIcould.Ofcourse,youwanttohaveadoctorsupervisingthis.Forme,I'mlike,"Hey,ifIstartbruising,Iwentalittlebittoohigh."Butifyoulookattheresearch,it'snotverygoodintermsoftheclaimsthatfishoilwillmakeyoubleedout.There'sactually,theevidenceisn'tsogoodthatthat'llhappen.GPC,sodoingthephosphatidylcholene,phosphatidylserene,thatIdefinitelygotintoplayrightaway.Turmeric,ohmygosh.

Dave: Yep.

Jolene: AndthenIwentketo,rightaway.AndI'mlike-

Dave: Thatwassosmart.

Jolene: So,fastingisdefinitelynon-negotiable.Iwouldwanttoseea24hourfast,butIreallysay,giveyourselftwotothreedays.Ithinkthere'sawisdom,thatI'mnauseous,andabouteveryotherweek,Ican'teatfortwotothreedays.Icandrinkcoffee,soIdrinkmyBulletproofcoffee.Ohmy,yourBrainOctaneisgangbusters,bytheway.I'mjustlike-

Dave: Thankyou.

Jolene: Andifyou'refeelingfine,andyoutakethat,youdon't...You'relike,"Inoticealittlebitofdifference."Ifyou'renotfeelingfine,that'sreallytheprofoundeffect,sothatwaslike,onceIexperiencedthat,Idowhat'scalledupgradedgoldenmilk,whereI'mdoingtheBrainOctaneandthat,anddoingghee,anddoingallofthat,withturmeric.

Dave: Yep.

Jolene: ButIdefinitelyaminafam...Youknow,coffeeisactuallygoingto...So,ifyou're...So,youknow,Icamefromanutritionbackground,andwewerelike,"Neverever,everhavecoffeeonanemptystomach,andketo'sbad."

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: IlaughaboutwhatIwastaught20yearsago.So,coffeeactually...It'sinteresting,becauseIwentthrough,nowIfast,twotothreedays,everycoupleofweeks,andmybodyactuallycravescoffeefirstthinginthemorning.Iactuallyhadthe...Iwasjustlisteningto...Iwasataseminar,withDr.Perlmutter,whowassaying-

Dave: Ilovehim.Yeah.Goodfriend.

Jolene: Yeah.Ketonesgohighinthemorning.Thenyouhitthecoffee.Ketonesgoevenhigher.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Makessenseright?Mybraindidn't...Igotreallynauseousinthemorning,didn'twantmetoeat.WhatcouldItolerate?Highfat,andlike,fourcupsofcoffeepeople.So,letmejustoutmyselfwiththat.CoffeeistotallywhatI'mleveraging,tohelpmybrain.It'ssoamazing.

Dave: There'sastudy,thatsayscaffeineinthemorning,aboutasmuchasintwosmallcupofcoffee,doublesketoneproduction,whichistotallyunknown,butit'sarealstudy,andyou'relike,"Wow."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Okay,soyouhitketones,youhitfishoil,andyouhitprogesterone,foryourbraininjury.

Jolene: Progesterone.Alltheaminoacids.

Dave: AndGinkgo.

Jolene: Ginkgo,turmeric,andhighantioxidants.IalsodidHBOTtherapy,hyperbaricoxygentherapy,andthenIhadthiswholecocktailofantioxidants,andmitochondrial.Iuseamitochondrialproduct,soIwaslike,bigtimemitochondrialsupport,glutathione.

Dave: Yep.

Jolene: Imean,everythingforthat.AndthenIwoulddothataboutanhourandahalf,twohoursbeforetheHBOT,andthenIwoulddoitagainafterwards.

Dave: Sure.

Jolene: AndIdidthattwiceadayforseveralmonths.AndIalsomadethegoal,andpeoplethinkI'mcrazyforthis,butImeditatedforaboutfourhourseveryday,andIreallycommittedtothat.Andwhenyoutalkaboutthethingsthatareinthesubconscious,andthethingsthatcomeupinyourlineage,andallthat.Neverhastherebeenabiggerblessingthanformetogointomysubconscious,andliterallyuprootwhatwasplantedfrommyparents,whatwasplantedfromotherpeople,whatI'dpickedupinsociety.I'vebeenremodelingmybraininsuchaphenomenalway,andI'mlike,"Thankyoufortheheadinjury."Because,wouldIhaveinvestedtodothis?No.Butnotbeingabletowalkforseveralmonths.Icouldn'tdrive.Icouldn'tdriveforaboutthreemonths.Ijuststartednightdriving.Whenyouhavesomethinghumblinglikethatgoon,andthenyou'relike,Ihavetodosomething.Ihadtogethitinthehead.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Ihadtogethitinthehead,andnowI'mconvincedthatwhatI'mcomingoutofwiththis,andwhat...Everybody'slike,Dr.Brighten,weneedyoutodoatalkaboutpostbirthcontrolsyndrome,somethingthatI'vebeenworkingoninmyclinicforyears,andI'mconvincedthatallofthisiscomingfullcircletomymission,andtheworkthatI'mheretodoonthisplanet.SoIseemybraininjuryasablessing,ascrazyasitis,butIreallyamlearningatremendousamount.

Dave: Yeah.Theycanteachyoualot.

Jolene: Totally.

Dave: Forsure.

Jolene: Allright,soyourturn.First24hours.

Dave: Itookatitaniumkneetothehead,flyingthroughtheair.

Jolene: Wasthatatburningman?

Dave: Itwasatburningman.That'sjustwhatyoudoatburningman.

Jolene: WasthatJJ'sknee?

Dave: I'mnotreallysurewhosekneeitwas.Mymemoryisimpaired.AndsoI...Itwasabigarena.Anyway,itwasintheThunderdome,atburningman.

Jolene: Okay,soyoushouldprobablyhaveexpectedtowalkoutwithatleastamildconcussion.You'reintheThunderdome.

Dave: Wewereusingfoambats.Itwasallingoodfun.Itwasactuallyhilarious.Anditwasjustanaccidentalthing.Anditwaswithinaminuteofthis,I'mlike,"Okay,Ican'thandletheblinkybrightlightsthatareallovertheplace."

Jolene: Oh,yeah.

Dave: I'mnauseous.Ineedtolaydown.YouguysneedtotakemebacktotheRV.Andthankfullywehadtheartcar,whichisagiantstickofbutter,withacupofcoffeespinningaroundontop.So,I'mlyingonthehoodofit,andthey'reusingitasanambulance.AndIwentback,andbecauseIwascampingwithmassesofhealthpeople,Iwaslike,"Everyone,givemeallofyourfishoil."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: AndIdidn'tknowifIwasbleedingornot,butI'mlike,"Idon'treallycare.I'mjustgonnadothis."

Jolene: Youknow,whereyouwereat,ifyouhadabrainbleed...

Dave: Itwasarisk,right?AndIalso,Itook10KetoPrimes,whichisaBulletproofthing,andthisisamitochondrialsupport.Wheneveryourmitochondriahaveproblems,theyrunoutofthisrareketone.It'sdifferentthantheketonewetalkabout,soIjusttook10ofthose,andIkepttakingthem.Idon'tknowhowmanyItook,alot.BecauseIjustwantedtohavemaximumenergysufficiency,becausethefirstthingthathappensinthefirst24to72hours,isyougetthisswelling,andyougetmitochondrialdeath.

Jolene: Yep.

Dave: AndI'mlike,"Youguysdon'tneedtodie,solike,hangouthere."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: ItookalotofBrainOctane,asmuchasIcouldtake,intheformofBulletproofcoffee.IusedametalfilterwhenIbrewedthecoffee.Iusedametalfilter,whenIbrewedthecoffee.Andthereasonisthatthere'stwostudiesthatshowcoffeeoilsareanti-inflammatoryinthebrain.ThatwhyIstill,tothisday,sayuseametalfilter,notapaperfilter,ifyou'redrinkingcoffeethatdoesn'thavemoldinit.

Jolene: Snap.

Dave: Paperfiltersmightbegoodformoldycoffee.

Jolene: I'vegotaChemex.I'mlike,Igottagetthatinflammation[crosstalk01:21:56].

Dave: Oh,justgetaAbelfilter.They'reA-B,IthinkA-B-E-LorA-B-L-E.It'sametalfilterthatfitsinyourChemex.Itmakesbettertastingcoffee,anditgetsyoutheoilsfromthecoffee.Insomepeopletheyraisecholesterol,buttheyturnoffinflammationwhileraising

cholesterol.Oh,youlivelongerwithhighercholesterolthaninflammation.Iguessthat'snotaproblem.

Jolene: Oh,IswearI'mtheonlydoctorthat'stellingpeople,"Ineedyourcholesterolhigher.Youneedtomakehormones.Ineedyourcholesterolhigher.Yourbraindoesn'tlikethis."

Dave: Aslongasyourinflammation'sdown,Iwouldsupportthat.

Jolene: Exactly.Becauseattheendoftheday,who'sthe...Yeah.

Dave: Right.AndsoIdidthat,justtofinishthatforlistenerswhoarelike,"WhatdoIdo?"So,ketosisfromBrainOctaneoil,reallyimportant,becauseketones,ifyoulistentotheinterviewwithDr.Veech,onBulletproofRadio,wetalkalotaboutinflammation,andwhythat'simportant.Andthen,Istartedonprogesteronerightaway,becausefortunately,Lana'sonprogesterone.I'mjustlike,"Givemesomecream.Givemesomepills.I'mjustgonnadothis."Let'ssee,Ididn'tusetestosterone,whichInormally...Inormallyusetestosterone.I'vebeenreallyopenaboutthatforyears.I'vegoneonandoffofit,butItakeabiologicalidenticaldose,sothatIjusthavelike,medium,around50thpercentile,whichiswhereIwanttobe.AndsoIstoppeddoingthat,becausethatactuallyiscontraindicatedwithabraininjurylikethat.

AndIstillwasprettyrockedbythis,andaboutthreeweekslater,IwentandIdid...Ilookedatmybrain.AndIactually,I'llpublishthis,becauseIhavemy24channelEEGstuff,from40yearsofZen,andIhaveazenbrain.I'vedonefourmonthsofintenseneurofeedbackwithpersonaldevelopment,wheremysymmetryis...Youlookatamapofasymmetryinmybrain,there'snothingthere,becauseeverythingissymmetrical,anditrunswell.Anditlookslikespaghetti.There'salltheselineseverywhere,onarepresentationofthebrain,becauseIwasnolongersymmetrical.Iwasinasynchrony.Soittookabouttwodaysofreallyfocusedfeedbacktogetmybrainbacktowhereithadbeenbefore.AndIthink,withoutthat,itwould'vetakenmanyhoursofmeditationaday.AndI'mfortunate.Okay,thisisn'twhatwedoat40yearsofZen.Thisisapersonaldevelopmentprocess.ButIhappentohaveneuroscientistswhoIworkwithonaregularbasis,sowetooktheclinicalgradegear,andweuseditclinically.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Insteadofforpersonaldevelopment.Butwithoutthat,thereweredefinitelysomepersonalitysortofchanges.Iwasmoreangry.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Isentafewangryemailstopeople,where'sIhadperceivedthattheyhadoffendedme,orsomethinglike...Therewasoneguy,anotherhealthinfluencer,whohadkindofdonesomethingthat,atthetime,Iperceivedasunderhanded,whereit'slike,"Look.I'vehelpedyoualot.Whyareyoutryingtothrowmystuffunderthebushere?Like,that'snotcool."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: But,Iwasmuchquickertoanger,thanInormallywouldbe,andmorelikelytobelike,"Youknowwhat?Here'smymiddlefinger."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andinmynormal,I'mnotlikethat,inmynormallife.Idon'tswear,andIsworequitealotforalittlewhile.AndI'mjustlike,I'mevenandI'mkind,andIwasjustalittlebitmoreaggressive.

Jolene: Ohtotally.

Dave: Certainly,mykidsandwifenoticedthat.Andlackofsound.

Jolene: Yeah.Inflammationonthebraindoesthat.

Dave: Theotherthingthough,thatIthinkisreallyimportant,isnoisecancelingheadphones.Iusedthosealot,justthefirstcoupledays,justtoallowthenoiseinthebraintocomedown.Andthisis,Ishowedthoseglassesearlierintheinterview,theTrueDarkglasses.

Jolene: Yes.

Dave: Thenoisecancelingheadphonesforyoureyes,basically.Andthatwasridiculous.Whathappenswhenyou,insteadofusingblueblockers,youusethefullondark,blockeverythingthataffectmitochondria.Themitochondriatalktoeachotherwithlight.Whenyoublockallofthelight,allofthespectrumoflightthatinterfereswiththeirabilitytotalkvialight,Ithinkthatthere'sreallygooduseforthat.Andduringbrainrecovery,theyusedifferentcoloredlenses,soI'mlike,"Hey,I'mjustgonnatrythis."AndcertainlyIfeltcalmer,becauseIfeltlikeIwasinadarkroom,eventhoughIwasn't.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Sothatseemedtomatterforme.

Jolene: Yeah.Well,andthatwasa...Imean,Ihadtojustwalkaroundwithamberglasses,allthetime.

Dave: Okay.

Jolene: Andthen,definitelyinthedarkroomorinthedarkHBOTasoftenaspossible.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Forthosereasons.Youknow,somethingyoubroughtup.Inthefirst24hours,inflammationgoesupinthebrain.Wealsodevelopleakygut,andweactuallyseeintheanimalstudies,becausetheycan'tdissecthumans,thatwhenthereisbraintrauma,

thatnotonlyisthereintestinalhyperpermeability,butyoualsostartbreakingoffcells.Sothemicrovillistartjustsloughingoff.Soyourgutisjustgivingup.

Dave: Really?

Jolene: Yes.SoyoucannotjustL-glutamineyourwayoutofthat.Plus,L-glutaminecanbealittletooexcitatoryaroundthebrain.

Dave: Yeah.Weshouldn'ttakeL-glutaminerightafterbraininjury.

Jolene: Yeah.Notadvisable.Butit'ssomethingthatit'sreallyimportantifwesitbackandwe...AndI'mdoingalotofreframe,sincethishashappened,ofpeoplewhoarenotrecoveringtheirgut.Itreatalotofsmallintestinalbacterialovergrowth.I'malwaysdoingvagalnervestimulationwiththesepeople,becausethecruxofthisisthatwe'vegotanervoussystemdysregulation.There'sissueswithhowthegut'sactuallymoving.Thebacteriainthewrongplace,we'vegottacorralthem,putthemintherightplace,andkillsomeofthem.Butallthingsbeingsaid,there'samotilityissuethere,soit'sreallygivingmeareframe,andaskingpeople,"Haveyoubeenhitinthehead,evenmildly."Andlookingat,ifyoudon'thealyourbrain,ifyou'renotactivelyhealingyourbrainafterthat,thenwecan'texpectthatyourgutcanbehealed.

Dave: Yeah.

Jolene: Andwhat'sreallyinterestingisthatyou're...So,you'vegottaweartheglasses.You'vegottawearthenoisecanceling,definitely.Icouldn'tlistentomusicforfourmonths,becauseyoudon'tevenrealizewhat'sgoingoninthebackground.Asbabies,wearedevelopingjusthowtoputeverythingonautopilot.Youarejustprocessingsomuchstuff.Butifyoudon'tactivelyhealthatbrain,yourbrainactuallylosestheabilitytoknowwhereyourgutisinspace.Soyourbrainwon'tevenknowhowtocommunicatetoyourgutcorrectly,becauseit'snotsurewhereit'sat.Ijustwanttoaddinthatpiece,becausethisisanotherwaywhereketocanhelpsomuch,becauseyouaredeliveringthehighfatthat'sgonnahelpthebrain.It'sgonnahelpinflammation.It'swhatthebacteriainyoursmallintestinewouldprefer,insteadofhighbolusesofcarbohydrates.Butthere'salotofthingstohealthebrain,thatyouhavetodothoseifyou'regoingtohealyourgut.It'snotgoingtobejustL-glutamine,anddoanautoimmunepaleodiet,orsomethinglikethat.No.There'saneurologicalcomponenttoallofthis.

Dave: Thereis.AndyoujustremindedmeofthreeotherthingsIdid,thatareworthmentioning.

Jolene: Totally.Ilovethis.Iameatingthisalluprightnow.

Dave: Ialsopounded10UnfairAdvantagesaday.It'sanothermitochondrialstimulant,that'sanactivatedformofhighlyabsorbablePQQ,boundtoCoQ10.Ifeelthatnormally.ItakeitandI'mlike,"Whoa.Thingsareworkingagain."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: SoItookalotofthatonadailybasis.Butrightaftertheinjury,Ilike,justopeningampulesandswallowingasmanyasIhadonme.

Then,Iusedfacialicebaths,orcryotherapy,forthevagalnervething.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: AndIusedacoldlaseronmyhead,overthesiteoftheinjury,whichisincrediblypowerfultodothat.SothosearethingsI...Oh,andhyperbaric.Ialsohavemyownhyperbaricchamber,hereatBulletproofLabs,whichisconvenient.I'mlike,"Oh,I'llgethomeandhopinhyperbaric."

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Soyeah.YouandIareunusual,becauseyou'reinfunctionalmedicine,andbecauseI'mabiohacker.Butifyou'reasbadasyouwere,whereyoucan'ttalkandallthatstuff,youwantthestuffthatJJ'swrittenabout,andstuffthatyou'vewrittenabout.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Andthingslikethat.Andjust,anythingonearththatwillsupportyourmitochondria,andIthinkketosisiswellsupported.Ialsowouldsay,andthiswillannoypeople.IfusingBrainOctane,youcangetsomeketones.Itautomaticallyconvertsitsexogenousketones.Thereisanargumentforasmallamountofsugarafterthebraininjury,justbecauseyouwanttogettheenergytothemitochondria.Theyaredying,literallydyingforenergy.Idon'thaveanyproblemwithhavingketonesandsugaratthesametime,postbraininjury.I'mnotsayingdrinkaCoke.I'mjustsayingthatalittlebitofsugarcouldgoalongway,justtowardskeepingyoufromgettinghypoglycemia.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Whichisnotagoodthingatthetime.Awesome.

Jolene: Toyourpointonthecryotherapy,ithappenedtosnowinPortland.Itwaslikethecoldest,snowiestPortland.SoIactuallywouldgooutside,andIwouldjustbundleupmywholebody,andjustlaymyheadinthesnowforlike,20minutes.

Dave: That'sright.Yeah.

Jolene: AndtheneverytimeIcouldgooutsideandsit,foratleast20minutes,andjustleavemyheadexposed.Anddefinitely,thecoldlasertherapy,definitelyusethat.Infraredlights.Everythingyou'vesaid,Itotallybackthatupaswell.

Dave: Nice.Awesome.WellweareonaprettylongepisodeofBulletproofRadiohere,whichiscool,becausewe'retalkingaboutbasicallythreedifferenttopics.Whataboutmommybrain?Whataboutbirthcontrol?Andwhatabouthittingyourselfinthehead?Butwefititallin,butyouhaven'tansweredthefinalquestion.

Jolene: Oh,thefinalquestion.

Dave: ForBulletproofRadio,whichis,ifsomeonecametoyoutomorrow,andbasedoneverythingyou'velivedthrough,andbeenthrough,anddone,andallofthat,sonotjustyourmedicalstuff.Ifsomeonecameandsaid,"IwanttoperformbetterateverythingIdo,betteratbeingahumanbeing.Whatarethethreemostimportantpiecesofadviceyouhaveforme?"Whatwouldyoutellthem?

Jolene: Ohmygosh.Definitely,ifyouwanttobeabetterhumanbeing,thenyouneedtobeverypresent.Youneedtopracticemindfulness,andwhenthingsgetuncomfortable,youneedtoexplorethat.Godeepdownandunderstandwhy.Ithinkthatwouldbemyveryfirstthing.Allanimalswanttoavoidpain,butashumans,wehavepillsnow,andIthinkwe'veovermedicatedanentiresocietyfrombeingabletohavetheirwherewithalaboutthat.SoIthinkifyouwanttobeabetterperson,youfirstneedtogetareallycleanmirror,andstarttakingalookatallofthat.

Idefinitelythinkyou'vegottaloveyourmicrobiome,because,likeyouwereintroducing,ifyoudon'thavetherightgutbacteria...Imean,we'veknownforalongtime,notonlycangutbacteriainfluenceyourmood,butthere'svirusesthatcangetintoyourbrain,andtheycancontrolyourmoods.Soifyou'renottakingcareofyourmicrobiomeandyourinflammation,forgetit.

AndthethirdthingisIwouldsay,youcan'tgowrong,Imean,witheverythingwe'vetalkedabouttoday,youcan'tgowrongwithlovingyourmitochondria,right?Becauseifyou'vegottheenergytoshowup.Ifyou'vegotenergyatthecellularlevel,thenyou'vegottheenergytoshowupasawholeperson,andfullyyourself,everysingleday,andtodothatbigwork,whateveryouwereputherefor.Andwhatyou'redoingtotakecareofyourmitochondriajustsohappenstobeallofthethingsthatsendthebodythatthesignal'ssafe.Sobackfullcircletowhatweweretalkingabout,ifthebody'ssafe,nowwecandothathigherlevelwork.Nowwecanstarttotranscendintothemindbodyaspect,andeventhespiritualaspect,rightbacktoisthismine?Isthissomeoneelse's?DoIneedtohealmyfamilylineage?

Thatwouldbemythree.Thosewouldbemythreebigones.

Dave: Beautiful.Well,thanksDr.JoleneBrighten.Wherecanpeoplefindoutmoreinfoaboutyou?

Jolene: Yeah.YoucanfindmeatDrBrighten.com.That'sD-RB-R-I-G-H-T-E-N,soalittletricky,likebrightenlikethesun.Ifyou'relisteningtothis,andyou'relike,Ineedhelpwithpostbirthcontrolsyndromerightaway,sotomywebsite.Igotchathere.We'llgetyouintoadetox.Ifyoufeelbetterfromthere,youmightnotneedadoctor.Ifyoudon'tthatinformationisreallyhelpfultotaketoadoctoraswell.

Andofcourse,I'monFacebook.Youcanalwayscatchmethere.

Dave: Beautiful.Well,thanksJolene.It'salwaysapleasuretogettochat,andI'msurewe'llchatagainsoonatoneofJJ'sevents.

Jolene: Yeah.

Dave: Haveabeautifulday.

Jolene: Youtoo.Thankyouagain.

Dave: Ifyoulikedtoday'sepisode,youknowwhattodo.HeadonovertoiTunesandtellpeoplethatit'sgood,byleavingafivestarreview.Andwhileyou'reatit,sinceyou'reinthegratitudemindsetofsayingthanks,youmightaswellgotoAmazon,gototheHeadstrongpage,andifyouboughtthebookandyoureadit,andyoulikedit,leaveafivestarreview.ReviewsonAmazonareamazing.WejusthittheNewYorkTimeslistforthesecondtime,thistimeinthesciencesectionofthemonthlybestsellers.Andanythingthatyoudothere,Iwillseepersonally.Ireadallofmyreviewsthere,soIreallyappreciateifyoutakethetimetodothat.