Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn

Latest Episodes:

Hormones, Menopause, and the Cost of Saying No Oct 11, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Jenn Simmons is joined by Dr. Louise Newson, a hormone-focused physician and menopause educator, for a wide-ranging conversation about the difference between bioidentical and synthetic hormones, why hormone fear persists in medicine, and how that fear affects women’s long-term health. They also dig into breast cancer, BRCA mutations, perimenopause, testosterone, compounding, and why shared decision-making matters more than blanket rules.

Key topics

Dr. Louise Newson shares how her medical path moved from internal medicine and pathology into general practice, medical writing, and ultimately menopause and hormone care.
She explains why the Women’s Health Initiative and other early studies created lasting confusion by mixing synthetic hormones with bioidentical hormones.
Dr. Newson breaks down the biological difference between endogenous hormones and synthetic compounds, using receptor biology and chemical structure to show why they are not interchangeable.
The conversation examines why many clinicians still fear hormone therapy, including outdated warnings, guideline dependence, pharma influence, and professional ego.
Dr. Newson argues that menopause is not just a “natural transition” but a hormone deficiency with real biological consequences, especially for bone, cardiovascular, brain, and metabolic health.
They discuss the misconception that hormones should only be used briefly, and why some women benefit from continuing treatment based on symptoms, quality of life, and future risk reduction.
The episode covers testosterone in women, including why it is underused, why it is often misunderstood as only a libido hormone, and how it can affect mood, energy, sleep, joints, and cognition.
They explore how perimenopause is best approached by assessing progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone separately rather than relying on one broad label.
Dr. Newson addresses compounding, explaining why individualized preparations can be useful and why “compounded” does not automatically mean unsafe.
The discussion moves into breast cancer and BRCA mutations, with a focus on why hormone decisions should be individualized rather than ruled out by category.
They emphasize that women need better information to make informed choices, and that refusing to offer hormone treatment can itself cause harm.

Timestamps

00:00 - Why Dr. Louise Newson is such a trusted voice on hormones
01:17 - Losing her father young and the path into medicine
03:39 - From prescribing HRT to becoming a medical writer
04:04 - The WHI study and why it changed everything
05:55 - Why antidepressants were replacing hormone care
07:32 - Synthetic hormones versus bioidentical hormones
09:33 - How receptor biology explains the difference
10:32 - Chemical examples that show how small changes matter
11:30 - Why WHO classified ethinyl estradiol as carcinogenic
13:34 - Why warnings and guidelines keep the fear alive
15:28 - The vacuum created when doctors stopped learning hormones
16:41 - Training more than 33,000 clinicians in menopause care
18:57 - Why gynecologists are not necessarily hormone experts
19:24 - Why endocrinology and psychiatry often miss the issue
20:49 - Is menopause a disease or a normal transition?
22:15 - Why early menopause raises the stakes
23:34 - Why hormone therapy should remain a choice
24:27 - What happens when the body adapts to low hormones
25:41 - Why supplements cannot replace estradiol, progesterone, or testosterone
28:55 - What older women discover when they finally try hormones
29:57 - The so-called window of opportunity after age 60
31:31 - Why hormones may still help women with heart disease
33:41 - Why there will never be a big randomized trial
35:07 - Why medicine accepts some evidence standards and ignores others
37:39 - The compounding controversy and why it makes no sense
39:36 - Why testosterone can be safer as a pump or customized preparation
40:03 - Why Dr. Newson dislikes the words menopause and perimenopause
40:59 - Treating progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone separately
42:38 - Why testosterone is so misunderstood in women
44:03 - The limits of libido-only thinking
45:28 - Testosterone data in men and why it gets ignored for women
46:11 - BRCA mutations, ovarian cancer, and hormone eligibility
48:56 - Why society guidelines are not the same as facts
49:54 - The hidden harm of withholding hormones
51:52 - The woman whose life changed after starting treatment
53:09 - Why not prescribing can create real long-term danger
54:11 - Women often know more than their providers now
55:38 - The breast cancer population and refusing tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors
56:46 - Estrogen receptor positive does not mean estrogen caused the cancer
60:06 - Risks of tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors
61:33 - Testosterone use after breast cancer
63:05 - Why cancer and recurrence happen with or without hormones
65:26 - Who Dr. Newson would refuse to treat
66:55 - A breast cancer case where hormones supported mental health
68:09 - Why old breast cancer treatments included estrogen and progesterone
70:13 - Why hormone treatment is reversible
71:56 - The goal is helping women reach a better baseline
72:23 - Where to find Dr. Louise Newson

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
Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website: https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

158 : IBS, finding and treating the root cause of irritable bowel syndrome Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Jenn Simmons speaks with pharmacist turned integrative health author Dr. Isabella Wentz about the hidden drivers of IBS, why so many people get mislabeled without answers, and how gut issues can connect to autoimmune disease, hormones, and chronic inflammation. Dr. Wentz shares her own path from conventional pharmacy into root-cause medicine, including how her personal experience with fatigue, IBS, and Hashimoto’s changed everything.We discuss the limits of standard IBS care, the most useful testing strategies, and the major causes she sees in practice, from SIBO and food sensitivities to protozoal infections and hormone disruption. This conversation is especially useful for anyone who has been told their digestive symptoms are “just IBS” and wants a more complete framework.

Key topics

Dr. Wentz shares how she entered pharmacy school wanting to invent drugs, not practice natural medicine, and how her own illness redirected her career.
Her first major gut issue began in pharmacy school with fatigue and severe IBS symptoms, which improved after removing certain soy-based meal replacements.
She explains IBS as a wastebasket diagnosis, not a true root-cause diagnosis, and says it often reflects a much bigger underlying problem.
She notes that IBS can precede autoimmune conditions by 5 to 10 years, which is why gut symptoms should be taken seriously.
She outlines red flags that should prompt further testing, including rectal bleeding, blood in stool, weight loss, fever, and new IBS symptoms after age 35 to 40.
She recommends functional testing such as SIBO breath testing and comprehensive stool analysis like GI Map or Gut Zoomer to look for dysbiosis, low enzymes, and infections.
She explains why SIBO often comes back if the true driver is not addressed, such as low thyroid function, low stomach acid, H. pylori, or protozoal infection.
She cautions against overly restrictive diets, saying many people end up with “gluten-free junk food” patterns or elimination diets so strict they create new problems.
She discusses food sensitivity testing, saying results vary widely by method, but she has seen strong practical value in IgG testing for symptom tracking.
She highlights the role of parasites and protozoa, especially microscopic organisms like Giardia and Blastocystis, and her preference for testing rather than guessing.
She and Dr. Simmons discuss hormone effects on digestion, including how progesterone decline and estrogen dominance may contribute to constipation and IBS symptoms.
Dr. Wentz emphasizes that healing should support real life, not perfection, so people can travel, eat normally sometimes, and still feel well.

Timestamps

00:00 - Why Dr. Wentz wrote her fifth book on IBS
03:29 - From pharmacy school to the first signs something was wrong
04:42 - Fatigue, IBS, and the soy lecithin discovery
06:57 - When Hashimoto’s changed the entire direction of her career
08:21 - Why root-cause medicine became impossible to ignore
10:51 - How she found answers before functional medicine was mainstream
13:54 - Why IBS is often the wrong label for the real problem
18:39 - Red flags that should never be written off as IBS
21:26 - The two tests she relies on most: SIBO and stool analysis
23:15 - Why SIBO keeps returning when the root cause remains
26:53 - Protozoa, infections, and why SIBO is often secondary
28:18 - Movement, walking, and improving gut motility
29:06 - What IBS still gets wrong today
30:17 - Why gluten and dairy are often the first foods to remove
31:33 - When elimination diets become too extreme
33:30 - Processed “healthy” foods, artificial sweeteners, and gut irritation
36:27 - Birth control, IBS risk, and hidden hormone effects
42:26 - Progesterone, estrogen dominance, and constipation cycles
45:04 - Gut connections to anxiety, TMJ, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue
47:50 - Parasites, protozoa, and how Dr. Wentz tests for them
52:28 - Full moon timing and why collection method matters
54:28 - Why food sensitivity testing depends on the test used
57:17 - Getting foods back after elimination
59:33 - Her own shift away from perfectionism
62:50 - What the IBS book covers and who should read it
65:10 - Where to find Dr. Wentz online

157 : Why Functional Medicine Went Mainstream After Being Dismissed for Years Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Jenn Simmons talks with Dr. Robin Berzin about her path from an unexpected pre-med background to conventional medical training, then into functional medicine and entrepreneurship. The conversation covers the roots of Robin's interest in prevention, her early exposure to health and nutrition, and how she built Parsley Health into a national, insurance-covered practice.In this episode, they discuss why functional medicine can work alongside conventional care, how to think about root causes instead of symptom suppression alone, and what it takes to scale a health care company without losing clinical rigor. Robin also shares the realities of fundraising, leadership, and protecting her own health while building a company and raising three kids.

Key topics

Dr. Robin Berzin's origin story, from international relations and economics to medicine
How a college thesis on hormone-treated beef helped shape her interest in public health, nutrition, and cancer risk
Why she did not initially see herself as a science person, and how she later reframed medicine as pattern recognition and synthesis
The role of her father's internal medicine background, and why she still did not assume medicine was her path
How yoga, meditation, organic food, and personal health experiences deepened her interest in prevention and whole-person care
What functional medicine means in practice: using the same medical tools, but focusing on root causes, personalization, and prevention
Why Robin saw a need to standardize and scale functional medicine through Parsley Health
The tension between conventional medicine and alternative medicine, and why she rejects all-or-nothing thinking
Examples of root-cause thinking, including recurrent UTIs, migraines, autoimmune disease, infertility, and chronic fatigue
The challenge of building trust with insurers through outcomes data, cost savings, and reduced utilization
What it took to raise capital as a female founder with no MBA and no prior business background
How leadership changed as Parsley grew from a small team to a 120-person company
The importance of listening to patients, not just investors or skeptics, when making company decisions
How Robin maintains her own health with sleep, supplements, meditation, food choices, exercise, and self-monitoring
Her hope that evidence-based functional medicine becomes part of standard primary care

Timestamps

00:00 - Why Dr. Robin Berzin stands out in functional medicine
01:22 - The unexpected path from undergrad to medicine
02:26 - A thesis on hormone-treated beef and public health
04:35 - Early exposure to cancer prevention and health research
06:12 - Having a doctor father, but not seeing medicine as an obvious path
07:01 - Why medicine is more about synthesis than equations
09:22 - Strengths that matter in clinical practice
10:56 - From conventional med school to a functional medicine career
12:40 - What functional medicine actually means
14:14 - Yoga, food, and becoming more aware of health
16:18 - Research, ADHD trials, and early clues about her own ADHD
18:12 - Early exposure to Mark Hyman and Dr. Oz
20:31 - Why Parsley Health was built to fix access and consistency problems
21:24 - Real outcomes from functional medicine care
22:33 - Why medicine should use both conventional and functional tools
23:47 - Root-cause care for UTIs and migraines
25:09 - Functional medicine versus paint-by-numbers primary care
26:04 - Making functional medicine accessible through a national platform
27:24 - The courage required to build a company while practicing medicine
28:29 - Trial, error, and the first steps as a founder
31:20 - Bootstrapping the first version of Parsley
33:28 - Building a patient base and hiring the first team
34:32 - Raising a first round as a female founder
36:11 - The fear and pressure of taking investor money
37:30 - Learning fundraising with help from other women in venture
38:26 - Why fundraising never really ends
39:23 - How investor relationships changed as Parsley grew
41:28 - Why medicine did not prepare her for executive leadership
42:16 - The hardest lessons in hiring and management
44:15 - When investor priorities pushed the company off course
46:17 - Choosing company survival while staying true to the mission
47:45 - Parsley's broader mission and why health care costs are unsustainable
49:34 - Why functional medicine should become standard primary care
50:01 - Using outcomes data to win over insurers
52:25 - Why people assumed Parsley was only for the “worried well”
53:29 - How the medical community has responded over time
54:20 - The rise of longevity medicine and ongoing skepticism
56:52 - Dark nights of the soul during fundraising and board conflict
59:51 - How Robin protects her own mental and physical health
62:52 - Sleep, data, and the reality of life as a busy founder
64:03 - Travel routines, intermittent fasting, and skincare
65:53 - What she hopes medicine will look like when her career is done
68:17 - Why impact is fastest when you stay in your lane
70:18 - Food dyes, public health priorities, and respecting different missions
73:16 - Curiosity, skepticism, and keeping the lamps lit
74:24 - What Parsley Health offers now and how to work with the team

Connect with Dr Robin Berzin & Parsley Health:
Website: https://www.parsleyhealth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinberzinmd/

156 : The Truth About Hormones, Progestins, and the Breast Cancer Myth Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Jenn Simmons and Dr. Erica Schwartz on hormones, individualized care, and questioning mainstream medicineDr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Dr. Erica Schwartz for a candid conversation about women’s health, hormone replacement, and the importance of individualized care. They discuss why hormone therapy is gaining renewed attention, why many providers are not adequately trained to prescribe it, and how patients can make more informed decisions about their health.

They also explore breast screening, overdiagnosis, metabolic health, medical fear, and the value of having a trusted provider who looks at the whole person. Together, Dr. Jenn and Dr. Schwartz challenge one-size-fits-all medicine and make the case for thoughtful, relationship-based care.

What You'll Learn:

Why hormone therapy requires better provider education, not just wider access
How outdated medical training continues to affect women’s health
Why individualized care is often more important than rigid protocols
The difference between breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, and overdiagnosis
Why metabolic health is central to breast health and long-term wellness
How watchful waiting can sometimes be safer than immediate testing or biopsy
Why progesterone and synthetic progestins should not be treated as the same thing
What women should consider before using supplements, peptides, or extreme diets
Why having a trusted healthcare provider can prevent conflicting and unnecessary treatments
How patients can question medical assumptions while taking greater responsibility for their health

Timestamps

00:00 - Why hormone conversations are surging and why training matters

02:10 - Dr. Schwartz’s path from conventional medicine to individualized care

04:00 - Medical paternalism, discrimination, and resistance to change

15:46 - Why mammography is diagnosis, not prevention

17:32 - Hormone replacement, oral estrogen, and breast cancer concerns

24:07 - Perimenopause labels, social media, and inadequate training

30:30 - Why relationships matter more than protocols and lab results

43:13 - Watchful waiting, breast biopsies, and the value of doing less

45:55 - Metabolic health as a foundation for breast cancer prevention

56:34 - Questioning mammography and taking responsibility for your care

60:08 - Why modern medicine needs more time for patient relationships

155 : Autoimmune Disease, Root Causes, and Why the Conventional Model Misses So Much Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Jenn Simmons and Dr. Bradley Campbell unpack why autoimmune disease is rising, why so many patients are dismissed for years, and why symptom suppression alone often makes things worse. This conversation focuses on root causes, especially gut dysfunction, stress, and immune triggers, and explains why individualized care matters more than one-size-fits-all treatment.Dr. Campbell shares how his work evolved from injury care into complex autoimmune cases, while Dr. Simmons brings the perspective of conventional medicine, cancer care, and the limits of training that does not teach health optimization.

Key topics

In this episode, Dr. Simmons opens with a blunt critique of how poorly autoimmune disease is understood in conventional medicine, especially when labs are “normal” but patients are clearly unwell.
Dr. Campbell explains how autoimmune cases found him through patients with chronic, rare, and complex conditions that mainstream care could not resolve.
We discuss the gap between medical training and real-world health care, including the difference between knowing how to prescribe and knowing how to create health.
Dr. Simmons and Dr. Campbell agree that the system rewards sickness management, not healing, and that insurance incentives often push short visits, prescriptions, and procedures over root-cause work.
In this episode: low iron is treated as a major red flag for digestive dysfunction, malabsorption, celiac disease, low enzymes, or bile flow problems, not just a number to supplement away.
We discuss why proton pump inhibitors can create long-term digestive problems by reducing stomach acid, impairing digestion, and contributing to dysbiosis and infection risk.
Dr. Campbell outlines his autoimmune screening approach, including ANA, ENA panels, thyroid antibodies, hormone testing, food sensitivity workups, and broader root-cause diagnostics.
The autoimmune triad comes up in detail: genetics, gut dysfunction, and a trigger such as physical trauma, infection, medication, food reaction, or emotional stress.
We discuss parasites as a controversial but real variable in some autoimmune cases, especially in the context of protozoa, gut imbalance, and chronic thyroid issues.
Dr. Simmons and Dr. Campbell both push back on rigid diets and medical absolutism, arguing for individualized decisions around grains, dairy, nightshades, and autoimmune protocols.
The conversation closes with a strong emphasis on stress, nervous system overload, childhood trauma, and the need for quiet, reflection, and community without constant screen input.

Timestamps

00:00 - Why autoimmune disease is exploding and often missed for years
03:15 - How Dr. Campbell’s path shifted from music and injuries to autoimmune care
06:23 - Why medical training is a foundation, not a complete education in health
08:49 - Doctors as well-intentioned players inside a broken system
11:10 - Why screening versus symptom-based testing must be treated differently
13:20 - Autoimmune disease is highly individualized, even when diagnoses look similar
14:23 - Why celiac disease is often found only after a breast cancer diagnosis
16:36 - Why 30 patients a day leaves no room for root-cause medicine
19:34 - Insurance incentives reward sickness instead of health
23:55 - Years of delayed diagnosis and the cost of being told labs are “normal”
26:52 - Low iron as a clue to digestion, not just iron deficiency
28:19 - Why stomach acid matters for digestion, immune protection, and bile signaling
31:03 - How Heidelberg testing evaluates stomach acidity in real time
33:39 - What Dr. Campbell looks for that many providers miss in autoimmune cases
36:09 - The autoimmune triad: genetics, gut dysfunction, and a trigger
37:34 - Structural, biochemical, and emotional triggers that can set off autoimmunity
40:28 - Parasites, terrain, and why over-treatment is not always the answer
43:44 - Vaccine-era inflammation, informed consent, and autoimmune flare concerns
48:59 - A better model for autoimmune disease: the immune system is trying to do something
51:02 - The autoimmune protocol diet and when a less restrictive approach is better
53:31 - Nightshades, liver function, and why food rules should not be universal
56:13 - Why grains and dairy are not automatically bad for everyone, but can be poor fits in active disease
61:34 - Blood sugar, energy, mood, and why kids often need more real food
63:41 - Why processed protein bars and powders are often worse than whole foods
65:49 - Food transitions at home: why change is hard even when the benefits are obvious
67:46 - Root-cause thinking applies to MS, breast cancer, dementia, osteoporosis, and diabetes
70:03 - Dr. Campbell’s membership community, weekly teaching, and lab support
71:30 - GLP-1 drugs: useful tools for some, but not a shortcut for lifestyle change
74:42 - Stress, trauma, quiet time, and why emotional load drives chronic disease
76:55 - Why unresolved trauma and a lack of safety can affect healing for years

154 : Between a Shot and a Hard Place: Vaccine Facts, Medical Freedom, and Trust in Medicine Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Between a Shot and a Hard Place: Vaccine Facts, Medical Freedom, and Trust in Medicine

Dr. Jenn Simmons speaks with pediatrician and integrative medicine practitioner Dr. Joel Warsh, known online as Dr. Gator, about vaccines, informed consent, and why trust in medicine has broken down. The conversation focuses on what parents are actually being told, what the research does and does not show, and how medical decisions get shaped by mandates, industry incentives, and fear.We discuss vaccine schedules, the difference between evidence and dogma, how chronic disease trends relate to broader lifestyle and systems issues, and why Dr. Warsh believes parents need more transparency and more room to choose.

Key topics

Dr. Warsh explains how he moved from conventional pediatrics into integrative medicine after seeing the value of sleep, diet, exercise, and root-cause thinking in primary care.
He describes why vaccines became a major focus in his practice: parents kept asking questions, and he realized medical training had not prepared him to answer them deeply.
The hosts discuss how COVID-era mandates intensified distrust, especially in states like California, where school and work requirements effectively removed choice for many families.
Dr. Warsh argues that medicine has become too force-driven and too dogmatic, and that doctors should educate rather than pressure patients.
The conversation turns to the idea that modern medicine is heavily shaped by pharma funding, which affects training, journals, media, and what gets studied or published.
They compare longevity to healthspan, with both speakers noting that people may be living longer but not necessarily healthier, especially in the last 10 to 15 years of life.
Chronic disease in children is a major theme, with discussion of rising rates of diabetes, obesity, autoimmune conditions, neurodevelopmental concerns, and autism.
Dr. Warsh says the most surprising part of his research for Between a Shot and a Hard Place was realizing how little true vaccinated versus unvaccinated data has been published.
He explains the vaccine schedule has expanded over time and discusses why he thinks the lack of manufacturer accountability reduces incentives to improve safety.
The episode also covers newer vaccine platforms, including mRNA, and why Dr. Warsh is especially cautious about their use in children.
Hepatitis B for newborns comes up as a particularly important example of a vaccine whose timing and risk-benefit calculus he thinks should be revisited.
The discussion ends with a broader call for medical freedom, informed consent, and the ability for parents to make decisions without being forced.

Timestamps

00:00 - Why vaccine conversations are impossible to avoid
02:10 - How integrative pediatrics changed Dr. Warsh's practice
03:31 - Why parents' vaccine questions became unavoidable
05:13 - Writing Between a Shot and a Hard Place
06:50 - Why COVID deepened mistrust in medicine
09:36 - Why school requirements don't feel like a real choice
13:22 - Medicine should educate, not coerce
17:06 - How pharma shapes training and medical thinking
20:34 - Why accountability matters for vaccine safety
23:28 - The rise of chronic disease in children
30:22 - Big Food, convenience, and multi-generational health impact
36:15 - The Henry Ford vaccinated vs. unvaccinated controversy
40:48 - Why “the science is settled” is the wrong phrase
43:43 - How the vaccine schedule expanded after 1986
48:26 - Rethinking timing, prioritization, and cumulative risk
54:14 - RFK, reform, and transparency
55:14 - What surprised Dr. Warsh most in the research
62:03 - Reassessing newborn and early childhood vaccine timing
67:30 - Why Hep B for newborns is controversial
69:58 - Traditional vaccines vs. mRNA
73:17 - Why Dr. Warsh is cautious about mRNA for kids
75:28 - Why pulled vaccines used to be removed faster
77:41 - The accountability gap
79:39 - Why medical freedom matters for the future

153: Hormone Therapy, Safety, and the Future of Women’s Health with Dr. Daved Rosensweet Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

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

152: Part 2 | The Mammogram Is Off the Table, Here Is What a Former Breast Surgeon Recommends Instead with Ivy Harris Jul 19, 2026

Show notes

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

151: Part 1 | Early Detection Was the Promise, but Overdiagnosis and Harmful Radiation is the Reality with Ivy Harris Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

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

150: The Trauma You Carried for Decades Could Be the Root of Your Disease with Dr. Aimie Apigian Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

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/

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