Metabolic Matters

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains sensitive discussions of suicide, the loss of a child, and traumatic grief. Please listen with care.

How do you begin to heal after an unimaginable loss? And how do you find purpose when life will never be the same?

In this deeply moving episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason welcomes Joel and Amy Newsom, parents of seven who lost their 13-year-old son, Joshua, to suicide eight years ago.

Joshua was a bright, curious, and loving young boy whose unexpected passing forever changed their family...

As a husband and father of triplets, Kerry Mann wanted to be present for his family, but despite years of searching for answers, he felt increasingly hopeless. Kerry struggled with depression, anxiety, obesity, chronic health issues, and the feeling that he was missing out on the life he wanted to live. He tried all sorts of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medicines, but his mental health did not improve. Instead, the medications left him feeling like a zombie and his deep dark depression remained. His daughter Emma watched it all unfold, quietly carrying her own struggles with health, teenage insecurity, and...

Sixteen years after being diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, Anna Sabatino looks back on the decisions that changed the course of her life—not just during treatment, but in the years that followed.

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Anna and her physician, Dr. Linda Isaacs, to explore a journey that began with fear, uncertainty, and a determination to become an active participant in her own care. Anna shares her experience navigating conventional cancer treatment before seeking a more comprehensive approach to her long-term health, eventually becoming a patient of th...

What do you do when you know something is wrong with your health—but the answers you’re getting don’t seem to explain what you’re experiencing?

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Cindy Kennedy and Aaron Mathewson, a husband-and-wife team whose very different health challenges sent them searching for answers. Cindy was navigating early menopause, significant memory loss, and concerns about her brain health, while Aaron was living with chronic pain, repeated injuries, and a body that never seemed to recover the way he expected before eventually being diagnose...

This episode of Metabolic Matters is especially powerful because it does not have a neatly packaged ending. Gene Woodruff is still living with cancer. 

Host Christina Mason sits down with Gene and his wife, Lynette, for an honest conversation about navigating six years of bladder cancer—including repeated recurrences, difficult treatment decisions, and paths’ forward.

Gene served as a Navy aviator for 28 years, working in demanding operational environments that included disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms, prolonged stress, time away from family, and exposure to numerous environmental contaminants. As he prepared for retirement, blood in his ur...

What happens when a mother’s intuition screams, “No,” while the experts around her recommend an untested treatment?

“All I could hear was: ‘We are going to poison her, and she may die from the treatment.’ As a mother, my soul screamed no.”

In this edge-of-your-seat episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason speaks with Phenyx Andolsek and her mother, Nicole Andolsek, about a remarkable journey of maternal instinct, advocacy, resilience, and hope.

Phenyx’s health challenges began early in life. After birth complications and years of unexplained symptoms—including double vision and...

What if your chronic symptoms weren't something you simply had to live with?

In this insightful episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Janet McCorkle and gut health coach Lindsey Parsons for a powerful conversation about persistence, personalized care, and the detective work often required to uncover the root causes of chronic illness.

For decades, Janet struggled with constipation, IBS, kidney stones, recurrent urinary tract infections, and interstitial cystitis. Although she received multiple diagnoses over the years, she often found herself managing symptoms rather than understanding why they were happening...

Could recognizing the symptoms sooner change the course of a cancer journey?

In this heartfelt episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Trish Kifer, a stage IIIC ovarian cancer survivor and author, and her husband Roger Kifer, for an inspiring conversation about hope, partnership, faith, and whole-person healing.

Trish and Roger vulnerably share Trish’s remarkable journey: from subtle symptoms, including painful intercourse, abdominal pain, incontinence, and feeling full quickly, that were initially attributed to early menopause, to a stage IIIC ovarian cancer diagnosis. Their healing journey extended far beyond con...

Does perspective impact the path through cancer? For Rochelle Forrest Hankins cancer became a crossroads—where fear and faith diverged, and her choice defined the journey.

In this powerful episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Rochelle Forrest Hankins, a registered nurse, educator, author, and four-time breast cancer survivor, and Dr. Yvonne Teverbaugh, an expert in integrative and metabolic oncology.

Rochelle shares her extraordinary journey after being diagnosed with both estrogen-positive and triple-negative breast cancer. Despite multiple recurrences and a prognosis that often leaves patients feeling powerless, Rochelle chose a di...

After 50 years of unhealthy patterns, can someone truly begin again—and heal?

In this inspiring episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Linda Riccio, OT/L, FAOTA, and Dr. Yvonne Teverbaugh, DSc., ND, PhD, MSHN, for a powerful, hope-filled conversation about resilience, intuition, and whole-person healing that goes beyond symptoms and diagnoses.

Linda shares her extraordinary journey—from weighing over 350 pounds and becoming bedridden at age 50 due to an undiagnosed chronic illness to emerging as a healthcare innovator, certified grief counselor, and advocate for lifestyle-based healing. After years of unexplained symp...

What do you do when a doctor gives you a death sentence? Do you trust it, or do you listen to a calm, defiant inner voice that insists you will not become a statistic?

In this inspirational episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Dale Weber and her son, Alex Weber, for a powerful conversation about trusting intuition, cultivating resilience, and honoring the body’s innate ability to heal. They share Dale’s remarkable journey—from an aggressive stage IV endometrial cancer diagnosis to becoming a thriving cancer coach and advocate for others.

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In this deeply emotional episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Houneida Rechrech, a doctor of veterinary medicine, a mother, a biochemistry lover, and a stage 4 breast cancer thriver. They are joined by Dr. Yvonne Teverbaugh, a doctor of natural medicine and an expert in integrative metabolic oncology. Together, they share an extremely personal story which illuminates the waves of emotion one experiences on a cancer journey: fear, surrender, empowerment, and healing that extends far beyond the physical body.

After initially receiving a stage 0 breast cancer diagnosis in 2022, Houneida’s condition rapidly progressed to...

What if chronic illness was a path towards healing on levels greater than just physical? 

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, host Christina Mason sits down with Alekha Akkappedi and her longtime best friend, Emily Sullivan, for a powerful, multi-dimensional healing journey. 

At just 22 years old, pre-med student Alekha's life changed overnight. What began as a simple infection quickly spiraled into a complex web of chronic conditions: POTS, mast cell activation, PCOS, GERD, and connective tissue disease. Left bedridden, her science trained mind begins seeking answers. As she begins to experience healing in mo...

What if a cancer diagnosis became the beginning of a more empowered way of living? 

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, Laura Lummer shares her journey as a two-time breast cancer survivor, including her 2020 diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

Laura opens up about the shock of being diagnosed despite living a health-conscious life, the difficult realities of conventional treatment, and the mindset shift that changed everything: moving from fighting cancer to supporting her body’s ability to heal.

Through an integrative approach, deeper self-trust, and a commitment to joy, healing, and adv...

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Sakiko Reuterskiöld, founder of NOMOSU, the world’s first taste-award-winning, no-sugar confectionery company. With a Master’s in Personalized Nutrition and deep training in biochemical and metabolic science, Sakiko has dedicated her career to understanding sugar’s impact on the body — and proving that healthy, delicious sweetness is possible.

Sakiko shares how her own health transformation began when she removed sugar and discovered the profound shift in energy, clarity, and well-being that followed. But giving up sugar didn’t mean giving up chocolate — instead, it i...

Cervical health is one of the most overlooked — and most stigmatized — areas of women’s health. In this powerful episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Dr. Doni Wilson, a naturopathic doctor, midwife, clinical nutritionist, best-selling author, and creator of the Stress Recovery Protocol®.

With over 25 years of experience helping women reverse abnormal pap smears, clear high-risk HPV, and prevent cervical cancer naturally, Dr. Doni brings clarity, compassion, and science to a topic too often shrouded in shame. Dr. Doni has helped thousands of women turn around abnormal pap results, clear HPV to undetectable levels...

Nitric oxide has been called the “miracle molecule”—yet most people, including many clinicians, have no idea how essential it is for cardiovascular health, immunity, metabolism, cognition, and longevity. In this episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Dr. Nathan Bryan, one of the world’s leading nitric oxide researchers and a pioneer in molecular medicine. With more than 20 years of groundbreaking work, Dr. Bryan has made many of the seminal discoveries that shaped what we now know about nitric oxide biology. His patented technologies, clinical research, and nitric oxide-based therapeutics have transformed patient care worldwide and gene...

What if one of the most powerful tools for repair, resilience, and longevity isn’t a drug or a device—but the smallest molecule in the universe? In this episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Matt (Mateo) Johnson, founder of Axiom H2, to explore the science and clinical potential of molecular hydrogen therapy.

A former competitive athlete turned hydrogen specialist, Mateo has spent over a decade advancing medical-grade hydrogen technology, working with aerospace-level European R&D engineers to create some of the most precise, stable, and effective hydrogen delivery systems in the world.

What if the tumor you’re treating is already yesterday’s news? In this riveting episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Dr. John A. Catanzaro, NMD, PhD—Co-Founder and CEO of Neo7Bioscience and one of the leading innovators in personalized peptide therapeutics and molecular surveillance. With over 25 years at the intersection of clinical medicine, molecular biology, and translational research, Dr. Catanzaro specializes in understanding the real-time biology driving cancer, autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, degenerative disease, and mRNA-related injuries. His proprietary PBIMA® and REViSS® platforms analyze genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and AHI-driven analytics to design patient-specific peptide sequence...

What if you could block your sugar cravings at the source—and retrain your metabolism to crave health instead of glucose spikes? 🍭

In this eye-opening episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Sander Brus, founder and CEO of NoSu Health, to explore how a breakthrough herbal technology may help us finally escape the grip of sugar addiction. Combining modern metabolic science with ancient Ayurvedic wisdom, Sander shares how his company’s product, Sweet Shield, uses plant compounds like Gymnema sylvestre—known as “the sugar destroyer”—to blunt sweet taste receptors, flatten glucose spikes, and rewire cravings...

In this powerful episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters and Anu Simh, NBC-HWC, unpack how the microbiome, mitochondria, and mindset shape women’s vitality. Drawing on her Organic Chemistry roots and 20 years of coaching, Anu reveals why perfect labs don’t equal perfect health—and how tuning into your gut can ignite energy, balance hormones, and restore intuition. Discover her MBHR Protocol and upcoming book Flourish from Within, a culturally adaptable plan linking food diversity, fiber, and protein to sustainable metabolic healing. If you’ve ever felt “off” despite doing everything right, this conversation will help you reb...

What if the root cause of heart disease isn’t cholesterol… but metabolic dysfunction?

In this powerful episode of Metabolic Matters, I sit down with Dr. Philip C. Ovadia — a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, metabolic health expert, and author of Stay Off My Operating Table. Once an overweight surgeon facing his own pre-diabetes, Dr. Ovadia reversed his health through a low-carb, nutrient-dense lifestyle and discovered something medicine had missed for decades: that heart disease isn’t a plumbing problem — it’s a metabolic one. Together, we explore how the medical system lost its way, why lowering cholesterol hasn’t fixed...

In this illuminating episode of Metabolic Matters, I sit down with Jane Hogan, known as The Wellness Engineer — a woman who transformed her own crippling rheumatoid arthritis into a catalyst for deep healing and purpose. After reversing her pain naturally, Jane left behind a 30-year engineering career to help thousands of others rewire their relationship with pain through science, breath, and self-compassion. Blending functional medicine, neuroscience, and ancient wisdom, Jane teaches that pain isn’t just a physical condition — it’s the body’s way of asking for safety. Together, we explore how to move beyond management into true transforma...

In this profoundly moving episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Dr. Christina Bjorndal, ND — a naturopathic doctor, best-selling author, and survivor of some of life’s deepest challenges, including bipolar disorder type 1, psychosis, multiple suicide attempts, and cancer. Through her lived experience and decades of clinical work, Dr. Chris has become a guiding light in integrative mental health, showing that true healing is possible when we embrace every part of ourselves — body, mind, and spirit.

Drawing from her book Beyond the Label and her decades of clinical practice, Dr. Chris reveals how she rebuil...

In this heartfelt episode of Metabolic Matters, I sit down with Jodi Cohen — bestselling author, functional practitioner, and founder of Vibrant Blue Oils. Jodi has helped over 100,000 people heal from anxiety, insomnia, autoimmunity, and inflammation using her unique essential oil blends. We explore how her personal journey through grief became the catalyst for pioneering oils as powerful medicine for the brain and body, and how scent can regulate stress, support the vagus nerve, and build resilience in today’s world.

Sensitive Content: This episode includes discussion of suicide, grief and child loss, which may be difficult for...

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, I’m joined by Jen Nolan, BS, MS, ONC, TAP and Dr. Kirsten West, ND, LAc, FABNO — two brilliant practitioners trained under me in the Metabolic Approach to Cancer. Together, we explore what healing looks like when built on collaboration, community, and love. Jen, owner of Remission Nutrition and graduate of our Terrain Advocate Program, blends oncology nutrition with whole-person care. Dr. West, a Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology and part of the Riordan Clinic team, bridges conventional and naturopathic medicine, offering patients compassionate, comprehensive guidance.

Connect with...

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, I sit down with Nina Teicholz, Ph.D. — investigative science journalist, bestselling author of The Big Fat Surprise, and founder of the Nutrition Coalition. Nina’s fearless work has challenged decades of nutrition dogma, exposed the shaky science propping up our national dietary guidelines, and sparked a global rethink of how we eat. Her reporting on seed oils and trans fats pulled back the curtain on how industry, politics, and media shaped what we’ve been told about food — and why so much of it was wrong. What began as a single assignment became a...

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, I sit down with my dear friend Robby Besner, PSc.D. — philanthropist, innovator, and Co-Founder of Therasage. Robby’s journey began as a father searching for answers after his daughter was diagnosed with Lyme disease. That urgency, heartbreak, and fierce love gave birth to what has now become a global movement in infrared healing technologies.Together, we explore the science and soul behind healing: how subtle energies like sunlight, frequency, and vibration are not just wellness trends but the very blueprint of health. Robby reminds us that healing is not linear — it’s a living...

In this episode of Metabolic Matters, I sit down with Mark Young — serial entrepreneur, CEO of Ryze Agency and Zona Health, and author of Radical Generosity. From starting businesses at 16 to leading purpose-driven companies today, Mark’s journey is proof that true success is measured not by what we gain, but by what we give.

Mark reminds us that leadership, health, and impact are inseparable — and that generosity, when rooted in gratitude, is the most radical path to both personal and professional transformation .

Connect with Mark Young: 

The Mark Young Website: https://themark...

In this deeply moving episode of Metabolic Matters, I sit down with my dear friend and colleague, Gail Fuller, a farmer, healer, and visionary who has redefined what it means to steward both land and life. Gail’s journey took him from running a 3,200-acre industrial corn and soybean operation to nurturing a 162-acre regenerative food farm. Along the way, he discovered that true healing—whether of soil, food, or self—begins with remembering our relationship to nature.

What unfolds in our conversation is not just about farming. It’s about trauma and truth, community and courage, soil and...

What happens when a top-tier radiation oncologist walks away from a thriving career to pursue a deeper truth in healing?

In this powerful and profoundly moving conversation, Dr. Nasha Winters is joined by Dr. Katie Deming, a board-certified radiation oncologist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Make Mary, a line of healing garments for women with cancer. Together, they dive into the intersection of science, spirit, and systems—and the life-altering experiences that led Dr. Deming to redefine what it truly means to heal.

Dr. Deming shares her transformational journey from conventional medicine into holistic healing af...

What if the prescription for better health started in the soil—not the pharmacy?

In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Neil Smith, regenerative agriculture advisor, farmer, and co-founder of the Grow blockchain project (kohima.io). With decades of hands-on experience and a mission rooted in abundance, Neil is helping farmers—and communities—redefine what it means to heal, from the land up.

From soil remediation to landscape restoration, and from decentralized systems to local food sovereignty, Neil shares how Web3 technologies are creating new opportunities for farmers to reclaim their data, their...

Is it possible to resolve chronic pain, anxiety, or trauma—not through traditional medicine, but by shifting your energy? In this compelling episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with renowned energetic healer Pearly Montagu, whose extraordinary work has impacted high-powered executives, trauma survivors, and even the skeptical minds of scientists and physicians.

From surviving a near-fatal accident to becoming a transformational healer, Pearly shares her deeply personal path and breaks down the science and soul of energetic medicine. Tune in as we explore:

In this powerful and information-rich episode, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with detox expert and RemedyLink founder Spencer Feldman to unravel the complexities of modern toxicity and detoxification. With over 20 years of experience in formulating novel detox protocols and delivery systems, Spencer shares a science-backed, deeply nuanced approach to helping the body eliminate harmful substances—ranging from heavy metals and forever chemicals to spike protein remnants and gadolinium toxicity.

What starts as a discussion about the need for detoxification in our increasingly toxic world evolves into a compelling breakdown of how detox pathways really function, why certain th...

In this thought-provoking and heartfelt episode of Metabolic Matters, host Dr. Nasha Winters welcomes Dr. Nathan Goodyear, a leading voice in integrative oncology and a passionate advocate for patient-centered cancer care. Dr. Goodyear shares his extraordinary journey from conventional OB/GYN pelvic floor surgery to becoming a pioneer in metabolic and integrative cancer therapies. Through personal experience, clinical insights, and a steadfast commitment to innovation, he explores how the landscape of oncology is transforming toward precision, empowerment, and healing.

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What if we’ve been looking at cancer all wrong?

In this riveting episode, Dr. Nasha Winters welcomes Dr. Robert Nagourney—renegade oncologist, cancer biologist, and trailblazer in functional profiling and metabolomics. For over 30 years, Dr. Nagourney has challenged the dogma of protocol-based oncology, focusing instead on what truly matters: how the patient's biology responds to treatment.

Together, they unpack why cancer isn't just a problem of too much growth, but rather too little death, and how shifting our focus to metabolic function could radically transform cancer care—from diagnosis through remission and prevention.

This...

In this compelling episode of Metabolic Matters, host Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Kris Smith to explore the powerful intersection of neurosurgery, metabolic health, and regenerative medicine. With decades of experience treating some of the most devastating brain diseases—like glioblastoma and Alzheimer’s—Dr. Smith shares how his clinical journey and personal experiences with both of his parents' neurological illnesses have shaped his pioneering integrative approach to brain care.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

In this thought-provoking episode of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with Dr. Robert Lustig, a pioneer in neuroendocrinology and metabolic research, to challenge the most deeply held assumptions about health, nutrition, and chronic disease.

Dr. Lustig shares the personal journey and clinical breakthroughs that led him to uncover how our modern food system, misinformed science, and biochemical dysfunction have hijacked not just our bodies, but our brains. From leptin resistance and childhood obesity to mitochondrial failure and insulin overload, this conversation is packed with powerful insights for anyone seeking to understand the true roots of...

In this Earth Month special of Metabolic Matters, Dr. Nasha Winters sits down with a true agricultural icon and personal hero—Joel Salatin, also known as the “Lunatic Farmer.” This deeply inspiring conversation unpacks the roots of regenerative farming, the truth behind industrial agriculture, and the deep spiritual connection between soil health and human health.

Joel shares powerful stories from his decades-long journey challenging conventional farming, the legacy of his family’s ecological practices, and why the health of our planet and bodies are inseparable. From compost to community, microbiomes to monocultures, this episode is a soul-stirring call to...

Episode Summary: In this deeply insightful episode, Dr. Nasha Winters is joined by renowned pediatric neurologist and researcher Dr. Richard Frye. With decades of experience and hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Frye shares his groundbreaking work in autism spectrum disorder, particularly its links to mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and metabolic abnormalities.

You'll learn how Dr. Frye's clinical and lab research is reshaping the narrative around autism—from a strictly genetic and behavioral model to a more hopeful, treatable biomedical framework.

They dive into: