New Normal Big Life: Functional Medicine and Holistic Health

Wondering if herbal medicine can support your body while you manage a chronic condition with your MD and still feel burned out every day? Clinical herbalist Bonnie D'Arcangelo shares an encouraging framework for home recovery that helps you feel calmer, steadier, and more supported. This episode is for the 40 year old who feels wired but tired, the busy parent, and any listener who wants simple natural steps to try at home.

Here on New Normal Big Life, host Antoinette Berrafato brings a root cause lens to daily renewal. You will hear how Bonnie thinks about personalizing herbs...

If you are running on empty and wondering why rest never fixes it, burnout recovery may depend less on doing more and more on living with authenticity. You will hear a simple 3-step approach that helps you spot pressure patterns, reset daily, and protect energy without quitting your goals. This episode is for driven professionals, caregivers, veterans, first responders, and those just entering the workplace who want to stay strong for others without losing themselves.

Here on New Normal Big Life, host Antoinette Berrafato sits down with trauma informed coach Kurt Bush of Brimstone Coaching Group and...

Feeling foggy, inflamed and exhausted while carrying toxins and heavy metals in your brain and tissues, and wondering if zeolite detox can finally help? Founder of Zeolite Labs Jeff Hoyt shares why the body tucks toxins away for short term survival and what has to shift for you to recover and thrive later. This episode is for adults over 40, caregivers, veterans and first responders who want natural health solutions without feeling worse.

Here on New Normal Big Life, we go past symptom masking to root cause medicine, nervous system regulation and TBI recovery without medication. 

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If you're worried your child could be heading toward addiction, you may be waiting for a clear warning sign that shows up too late. In this educational episode, drug prevention expert and author Dave Kopeny walks parents through a 5 step protocol for stepping in early, long before rock bottom. This conversation is for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and anyone who loves a teen and wants to protect their mental health before a crisis starts.

Dave has spent more than three decades working with adolescents and families. He has served as a school counselor, juvenile probation officer, gang investigator...

What if addiction, depression, or repeated rehab stays are not willpower failures but signs of an undiagnosed brain injury no one screened for? Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS) Marc McNeice explains how early screening reframes behavior, reduces shame, and opens a clearer path toward healing and stability. This conversation is for veterans, caregivers, first responders, and families supporting someone cycling through addiction, trauma, or mental health systems.

Marc brings lived experience and frontline data from more than 300 screens in detox, reentry, and housing programs with a 97 percent positive history rate. He breaks down the difference between traumatic...

If you cook with canola, soy or sunflower oil and still battle fatigue, stubborn weight or brain fog, The Truth About Seed Oils reveals a hidden driver most advice misses. In this episode, Cherie Calbom The Juice Lady, shares how to spot hidden oils, what stable fats to keep and how to reset your kitchen with confidence. This conversation is for those with chronic health challenges, women over 40, veterans, caregivers and anyone focused on functional medicine and long term metabolic health who wants steady energy and less inflammation.

Way back when Ancel Keys was promoting the lipid...

If chronic symptoms and conflicting supplement advice have you searching for herbal medicine that truly supports healing, this curated mashup brings the missing context together in one place. You will hear how National Institutes of Health (NIH) backed research, medicinal teas, and everyday food choices connect to immune support and metabolic balance. This is for listeners navigating fatigue, sugar cravings, diabetes, weight loss, inflammation, high blood pressure, or gut issues who want root cause options beyond quick fixes and want to take more responsibility for their health.

As New Normal Big Life podcast host who used nature...

Nervous system regulation after trauma feels impossible, even when you have done the therapy, followed the protocols, and pushed harder than anyone knows. You are not broken, and you are not lazy. You are missing a layer.

In this episode, Antoinette Berrafato sits down with Caleb Matthews, creator of the DNA of Design framework, to reveal why medicine treats the body and therapy treats the mind, yet most healing approaches leave out the part of you that governs everything else. Caleb breaks down his Spirit, Soul, Body method, a three-part blueprint for moving out of chronic fight...

Your child just left home and now empty nest syndrome has you feeling lost, restless, and more anxious than you expected. Jay Ramsden, the Empty Nest Coach, explains why that emptiness is often not depression at all, and hands you the tools to reclaim your identity, passion, and purpose.

This episode is for the parent facing a quiet house, the retiree wondering who they are without a title, and anyone caught in the anxious space between one chapter of life and the next. If you're struggling with who will I be after leaving the military or law...

People pleaser psychology hides inside high achievement, and Dr. Jack Groppel spent decades inside the world's most elite performance environments before recognizing the pattern in himself. Co-founder of the Johnson and Johnson Human Performance Institute and 11 years of real world experience practicing in these fields, he trained Olympic athletes, coached the Chicago White Sox, and advised Fortune 50 leaders. Then he hit a wall.

Dr. Groppel calls it achievement addiction, a compulsion to succeed at all costs that came from a wound with his father and nearly cost him everything. 

In this episode, he reveals the q...

If you've ever walked out of a doctor's appointment with more questions than answers, concierge medicine may be the solution you haven't heard about. Board-certified neurologist and U.S. Navy veteran Dr. Ryan Williamson, MD, pulls back the curtain on what relationship-based care delivers when a physician manages 40 patients instead of 2,500. This episode is for anyone tired of 7-minute appointments, rushed diagnoses, and a healthcare system built around billing codes instead of health outcomes.

Dr. Williamson explains why a one-degree shift in daily habits compounds into decades of better brain function, how a single supplement changed our...

When a stage 4 cancer diagnosis leaves you searching for other options beyond the standard protocols, the choices can feel nonexistent. Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and given eighteen months to live by a conventional oncologist, Emma Victoria Johnson began her search. At Oasis of Hope Cancer Center, oncologist Dr. Francisco Contreras's integrative cancer treatment approach led to a cancer remission that defied every prognosis. This cancer survivor's journey from diagnosis to cancer remission is proof that integrative treatment, used alongside the best of conventional care, can change outcomes conventional medicine never anticipated.

Emma was handed a terminal timeline...

Dr. Kate Davis is a functional medicine doctor who spent nearly a decade battling unexplained gut issues before discovering a three-foot parasite living inside her own body. She now treats women with chronic constipation, IBS, bloating, and acid reflux. She joins Antoinette Berrafato, host of New Normal Big Life to walk through the exact healing sequence that prevents detox disaster.

Dr. Davis explains why going straight to killing parasites without preparing your drainage organs can trigger gallbladder attacks, migraines, and emergency room visits. She breaks down what leaky gut actually does to nutrient absorption, why the "expensive...

That campfire smell outside your window is fine particulate matter from over 850 wildfires burning across Canada and the Midwest. And it's doing more than irritating your throat. This episode breaks down exactly what wildfire smoke does to your brain, your heart, and your lungs, plus the protection steps that can reduce your indoor particle exposure by up to 85%. If you're watching the haze roll in and wondering what it means for you or your family's long-term health, this episode is for you.

Chapters

Your nervous system healing might have nothing to do with supplements or breathwork, and everything to do with the four walls you come home to every night. Wellness educator and Homes That Heal podcast host Jen Heller reveals how a toxic home environment keeps your limbic system locked in survival mode, and the practical, budget-friendly steps to turn any space into a sanctuary that supports deep regulation. If you're navigating chronic stress, caregiver burnout, or unexplained fatigue that no doctor has solved, this conversation was built for you.

Jen walks us through her own survival story; brain...

Explosive diarrhea. Crippling fatigue. A national cyclospora parasite outbreak hitting more than 18 states in America. Michigan's Cyclospora parasite outbreak just crossed 2,640 cases. That's over 50 times the state's typical annual count. Health officials still haven't identified the exact supplier. And most health coverage skips what it does to your nervous system through the gut-brain connection. This episode gives you the functional medicine recovery strategies that go beyond the antibiotic, so you repair your gut, reset your nervous system, and come back stronger. If you're tracking this outbreak, recovering from a gut infection, or just want to understand how parasites hijack...

Erectile dysfunction in young men has surged 31-fold over the last decade, and up to 35% of men under 40 are now affected. In this episode, Gaylen Wilson — who coached over 60,000 men and their partners through ED recovery across the two largest Facebook groups for erectile dysfunction unpacks the real drivers behind this silent epidemic, from pornography and video gaming to zinc deficiency, low testosterone, and the nervous system dysregulation that conventional medicine missed.

Gaylen breaks down his Monument Method for rebuilding intimacy, why men respond so differently to an ED diagnosis (fight or flight), and what partners need to...

Personalized medicine could be the reason you still feel off even when your labs come back "normal," and this episode shows you why. Cannabis genetics expert Len May reveals how reading your own DNA turns guesswork into a personalized plan for energy, focus, and long-term health. If you are tired of cookie-cutter healthcare and ready to understand your own body, this conversation is for you.

Len explains why only a fraction of your genes are active at birth, the three forces that switch the rest on or off, and how his EndoDNA's BIOS platform pairs your genetics...

What if everything you've been told about stem cell therapy, that it requires live cells, needles, and a clinic, turns out to be wrong? Dr. Tommy Rhee spent 20 years in regenerative medicine and three years developing a cell-free, needle-free alternative, and in this episode he breaks down the single mechanism that changes how recovery really works. If you're an athlete, a weekend warrior, or anyone living with joint pain, tendon injuries, or osteoarthritis who's wary of injections, this conversation is built for you.

Dr. Rhee served as team chiropractor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has worked...

Diagnosed with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's and told there's nothing left to try? Mark Burnett heard the same words — advanced, incurable, manage it and move on. This episode is for anyone facing a neurological diagnosis, their own or a loved one's, who won't take "there's no cure" as the final answer. His father served in the USMC. Born on the contaminated-water base at Camp Lejeune, Mark watched his body slide toward stage-four Parkinson's while the Alzheimer's gene quietly rewrote his memory until the day he forgot how to drive home on a road he'd known for 20 years.

A da...

Your nervous system reset may have been hiding inside your home the entire time. If you've tried therapy, supplements, and better sleep but still feel chronically stressed, the missing piece might not be a habit it could be your living space. This episode is for anyone ready to stop managing symptoms and start designing a home that heals.

Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist Healey Ikerd shares research-backed findings on what natural light, indoor plants, and even a simple view of nature actually does to your cortisol levels and what happens to your...

Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed by non-toxic living and confused by the "natural" claims on your product labels? Today, we are breaking down the truth about greenwashing and giving you the exact non-toxic swaps you need to start cleaning up your home, pantry, and cosmetics immediately. 

Our guest for this episode is Amy Hartshorn. She is a nontoxic living educator, certified organic farmer, podcast host, and retreat leader based in Waitsfield, Vermont. She was the founding Executive Director of the Household Toxins Institute, created with the founder of Seventh Generation, and served as technical editor of G...

Most people's longevity biomarkers never appear on a standard checkup and that gap may be shortening your health span. Bestselling author and fitness expert, Timothy J. Ward reveals the three markers that do an extraordinary job predicting how long you'll live and how well, and why training all three is possible at any age, even if you've been told it's too late. This episode is for veterans, first responders, blue-collar workers, and caregivers who are done being told their "your labs are normal" while you body tells a different story. The answers you've been looking for are here!

Functional medicine holds the answers veterans, first responders, blue-collar folks, and caregivers are searching for, but the conventional system keeps running out of time to give them. This podcast strips away the noise around nervous system regulation, TBI recovery, and caregiver burnout and replaces it with an exact road map from the world's best experts. If you've spent years serving, caregiving, or working in conditions most people can't handle and your health is now paying the price, you just found the right show.

Host Antoinette Berrafato is a TBI survivor, former Army Air Assault Medic, and The...

Nervous system regulation doesn’t start in a pharmacy — it starts on the ground beneath your feet. Modern medicine treats dysregulation with prescriptions, but foraging and food as medicine have held the answer for thousands of years, and this episode takes you back to your roots. Literally.

Host Antoinette Berrafato — Army Medic, sponsored adventure athlete, and a believer in natural health solutions takes you on a foraging walk that’s equal parts science and survival skill. You’ll learn why the act of foraging itself is one of the most powerful nervous system resets your body can experience...

That mattress you trusted for recovery could be the hidden thing sabotaging your nervous system regulation without you knowing it, and most people never connect the dots. Professional mattress tester Derek Hales cuts through the marketing noise and matches real performance data to your body, sleep style and budget, not showroom spin. This episode gives you the clarity most shoppers never get, especially if caregiver burnout or a functional medicine approach has you treating sleep as the foundation of healing.

By the time you finish this episode, you will know exactly how to match your mattress to...

Aging strong with lifestyle medicine is possible, but most people are stuck in a reactive healthcare model that waits for problems before taking action. In this episode, Dr. Darren Clair, MD, explains how to use lifestyle medicine to prevent chronic disease, reduce reliance on medications, and build long-term vitality. This conversation is for men and women who are tired of being told that fatigue, pain, and declining health are just part of getting older, and who want to take control of their health before things start to decline.

Dr. Clair also unpacks overlooked drivers of chronic illness...

Food noise can leave many women feeling stuck in a constant cycle of cravings, even when they’re not physically hungry, and it’s not something willpower alone can fix. In this episode, Dr. Laurette Willis gently walks through how to quiet food noise using brain-based tools alongside faith-based mind renewal. This conversation is for christian women who feel worn down by emotional eating, repeated dieting, and are ready for a more peaceful, sustainable way forward.

You’ll hear why deprivation often makes cravings stronger, how your inner dialogue influences your habits, and how simple practices like Script...

If you grew up in a home where the dysfunction was so normal nobody ever named it, and you are still carrying that weight while trying to hold everyone else together, mental health advocate Deborah Moffitt has a framework for what comes next.

In this episode, we discuss what family dysfunction looks like beneath the surface, why generational trauma keeps repeating until someone decides to stop it, and what it really means to forgive someone you may never speak to again. If you have been told that cutting off family makes you the problem, this conversation offers...

If anxiety, OCD, or brain fog have felt like permanent diagnoses, functional medicine practitioner Dr. Jess Armine has a different explanation, and it starts in your gut. Dr. Armine and I are talking about how your gut, immune system, and nervous system are in constant conversation, and what happens to your mental health when that communication breaks down. If you have been told your symptoms are just anxiety and handed a prescription, this episode gives you the language to ask better questions at your next appointment.

For anyone who has ever felt like the diagnosis they were...

If you wake up with headaches, feel exhausted no matter how much you sleep, and your doctor keeps telling you everything looks fine, Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist Beverly Meyer spent a decade in exactly that place before discovering she had severe sleep apnea in her 70s. But she wasn't an overweight man. She didn't fit the usual sleep apnea pattern and went undiagnosed, like so many other women.

We are talking about why sleep apnea is one of the most under diagnosed conditions in women and other people who don't fit the stereotype, what untreated apnea quietly does...

The most dangerous myth in mental health, that asking someone about suicide plants the idea, is medically false, and it is costing veteran lives. US veterans die by suicide at more than twice the rate of the general population, and licensed professional counselor and Army veteran Healy Ikerd has spent her career asking the one question most people are too afraid to say out loud.

Healy breaks down why direct conversation about suicide does not increase risk, why veterans are often more comfortable opening up to strangers than to the people closest to them, and what one...

70% of preventable patient harm isn't caused by malpractice, but by miscommunication. If you have ever left a doctor's appointment feeling dismissed, rushed, or too confused to push back, Dr. Julie Siemers has spent 47 years in nursing watching exactly that happen to patients who deserved better answers.

She hands you the exact scripts and red-flag signals that can stop a provider from brushing you off, including how to ask any doctor to explain your situation in plain language without apology, and why "could this be something else?" is one of the most powerful questions you can ask in...

Natural Lyme disease treatment options are gaining ground for a reason — standard Lyme tests miss the infection roughly half the time, and that’s only the beginning of the diagnostic nightmare. Former NASA engineer turned natural medicine practitioner Greg Lee has spent years helping people whose lab results said “negative” while their bodies told a very different story.

In this conversation, Greg breaks down why ticks carry over 80 co-infections — including Babesia and Bartonella that mimic Lyme while every conventional panel comes back clean. He also explains the one step most patients (and providers) skip before any antimicrobial protocol...

Functional medicine and regenerative approaches are changing how we treat chronic back and neck pain — offering real relief without scalpels or opioids. Dr. Christopher Lauria, D.C., walks through how spinal decompression, Class IV laser, PRP, and stem cell therapies work, why some patients feel better after a single session, and what realistic recovery looks like over the following months.

This episode keeps it practical and evidence-minded: learn how decompression creates a pressure gradient that can reduce a bulging disc, which non-surgical options are worth exploring for lasting relief, and the common pitfalls to avoid when pursuing re...

Your money mindset can sabotage your wealth and financial freedom. Randy Gage went from being incarcerated at 15 to writing 15 bestselling books on prosperity, and his core finding is that most people sabotage their own wealth before they ever open a bank account. The NY Times bestselling author and prosperity mentor argues that true prosperity is not just money but health, happiness, relationships, and purpose. The childhood beliefs quietly running your financial decisions right now may be your biggest liability. Randy shows you how to fix your mindset, build wealth and AI proof your income.

CHAPTERS:<...

Take back your health with practical natural medicine strategies most doctors never learned in school. Dr. Stella Immanuel, MD, who says she treated tens of thousands of COVID patients, joins New Normal Big Life to walk through herbal and nutritional approaches that are often absent from conventional training and opens a frank conversation about parasite exposure many Americans overlook.

This episode stays evidence-minded while remaining practical: Dr. Immanuel reviews research on medicinal herbs, explains why parasite issues may be under-recognized, and shares affordable, actionable starting points for natural healing that you can discuss with your provider. If...

Your diagnosis may be a label, not a life sentence, and the environment inside your home could be driving symptoms your doctor hasn't looked for. Guest Magic Barclay connects the science of psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (PNEI), which links mind, nerves, hormones, and immunity, to the practical steps of mold testing, lymphatic drainage, and terrain-balancing nutrition. The hidden toxins in your living space may be the missing variable in your chronic health puzzle.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
- How PNEI connects mental state, hormones, nervous system, and immune function
- How to test your home for mold...

Veteran and first responder nature therapy programs for mental health have decades of success stories and evidence-backed research that shifts you out of survival mode. Why is this important? Because having "situational awareness" is just a fancy way of saying your nervous system is stuck in go. 

Spending time in nature measurably boosts natural killer (NK) cell activity and lowers cortisol, not as a metaphor, but as documented physiology driven by terpenes and phytoncides released by trees and plants.

This solo episode makes the case that deliberate outdoor exposure is one of the most evidence-backed a...

Seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer's today, and that number is projected to nearly double to 13 million by 2050, yet most people are never told that sleep is the single most modifiable risk factor for the disease. Board-Certified Neurologist , Bestselling Author, and Navy veteran Dr. Ryan Williamson explains exactly what precision medicine panels, VO2 max training, and zone 2 cardio can do to protect your brain decades before symptoms appear. The good news is that the five most powerful protective factors are almost entirely within your control.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Introduction and Dr. Williamson's Background
7:00 The...