hol+ with Dr. Taz MD | The Future of Medicine is Holistic

Join The Circle and use code "PODCAST": https://holplus.co/circle/
Tamsen Fadal was an experienced news anchor when heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, and severe brain fog left her on the bathroom floor of her newsroom. Despite spending decades in the media, she had no idea she was experiencing menopause.

In this episode of hol+ with Dr. Taz MD, Tamsen shares how that frightening experience led her to investigate why so many women remain unprepared for perimenopause and menopause.
Tamsen reflects on losing her mother to breast cancer and later realizing that her mother had experienced medical menopause following chemotherapy and a double mastectomy. Nearly 28 years separated their experiences, yet both women suffered without the information or support they needed.
That realization inspired Tamsen to step away from a three-decade career in television journalism and devote her work to menopause education and advocacy. She explains how social media revealed the scale of the problem and gave women a place to share symptoms and experiences that had been ignored or dismissed.
Dr. Taz and Tamsen also discuss the confusion surrounding hormone replacement therapy, the importance of personalized care, barriers to finding informed doctors, and the role telehealth may play in improving access. They explore how brain fog, anxiety, sleep disruption, and other symptoms can affect women’s confidence, careers, relationships, and sense of identity.
Tamsen also shares the story behind The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause. After being told there was no audience for a menopause documentary, Tamsen and her partners self-funded the project, brought together leading experts and women’s personal stories, and ultimately secured national distribution through PBS.
The conversation turns toward reclaiming menopause as a powerful stage of life rather than a period of invisibility or decline. Tamsen discusses her book, How to Menopause, and the practical lifestyle changes that have helped her take better care of herself at 54.
In this episode:
Tamsen’s frightening menopause experience in the newsroom
Heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, and severe brain fog
Why she did not recognize her symptoms as menopause
Her mother’s experience with medically induced menopause
Why menopause care has changed so little across generations
Leaving a three-decade journalism career for women’s advocacy
The fear and financial uncertainty of making a major midlife change
How social media helped women begin sharing their experiences
Creating The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause
Being told there was no audience for a menopause documentary
Why hormone replacement therapy remains confusing
The need for personalized menopause treatment
What to do when a doctor dismisses or minimizes your symptoms
Improving menopause research, education, and access to care
How menopause symptoms affect women in the workplace
Reframing menopause as a powerful new stage of life
The sleep, exercise, protein, stress, and alcohol changes helping Tamsen at 54
About Tamsen Fadal:
Tamsen Fadal is a 13-time Emmy-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, documentary filmmaker, podcaster, and menopause advocate.

After more than three decades as a television journalist and news anchor, she shifted her work toward helping women understand perimenopause, menopause, and life beyond midlife.
Tamsen is the author of How to Menopause: Take Charge of Your Health, Reclaim Your Life, and Feel Even Better Than Before. She is also a co-producer and executive producer of The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause, a documentary exploring the medical, emotional, social, and workplace effects of menopause.
Connect with Tamsen Fadal:
https://www.tamsenfadal.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tamsenfadal/
Get How to Menopause:
https://www.howtomenopause.com/
Watch The M Factor:
https://themfactorfilm.com/

About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician, bestselling author, and founder of hol+, a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about
Stay Connected:
Connect further with hol+ at https://holplus.co/ and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation:
https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/
Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Subscribe to the audio podcast:
https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Join The Circle and use code "PODCAST": https://holplus.co/circle/ What if the fasting, workouts, and eating patterns that are supposed to improve your metabolism are actually working against your hormones? In this episode of hol+ with Dr. Taz MD, women’s hormone expert Alisa Vitti explains why women in their reproductive years have a second biological clock that most health and fitness advice completely ignores. Known as the infradian rhythm, this approximately month-long cycle affects metabolism, cortisol, immune function, brain activity, energy, appetite, and exercise performance.
Alisa breaks down the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases and explains how nutritional needs, metabolism, and stress tolerance change throughout the cycle. She shares how the Cycle Syncing Method can help women adjust their food, exercise, recovery, and daily routines to better support these biological changes.
Dr. Taz and Alisa also challenge some of the most popular advice given to women about intermittent fasting and fasted exercise. Alisa explains why she believes women should fuel before working out, why glucose is needed to build lean muscle, and how combining carbohydrates with protein and fat may support blood sugar stability and workout performance.
Alisa shares her personal experience with PCOS, maintaining a significant weight loss, losing additional body fat by eating more, and intentionally building muscle as she approaches 48. She explains why blood sugar regulation is the first step she recommends for women experiencing PMS, PCOS, infertility, fibroids, perimenopause, or other hormonal concerns.
The conversation also explores progesterone, estrogen dominance, cortisol, HRT, ovarian aging, hot flashes, strength training, environmental exposures, and the habits that may help women protect their hormonal health throughout every stage of life.
In this episode:
Why women have both circadian and infradian biological rhythms
How the menstrual cycle affects metabolism, cortisol, immunity, and the brain
What happens during the follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases
Why women may need more calories during the luteal phase
How blood sugar instability may affect cortisol and progesterone
Why Alisa says women should never work out in a fasted state
What to eat before strength training to support lean muscle
How Alisa structures protein, carbohydrates, and meal timing throughout her day
Why strength training is important during every phase of the cycle
How to modify cardio and recovery throughout the menstrual cycle
Why eating more helped Alisa lose additional body fat and build muscle
The relationship between blood sugar, PCOS, PMS, and perimenopause
How fasting recommendations may change after menopause
Where HRT fits into a broader hormone-support strategy
Simple habits that may support healthier hormonal aging
Whether ovarian aging can be slowed or partially reversed
About Alisa Vitti:
Alisa Vitti is a women’s hormone and functional nutrition expert, bestselling author, and creator of the Cycle Syncing Method. She is the founder of FLO Living and creator of the MyFLO app, which helps women adjust their nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle practices to the different phases of their menstrual cycle. After experiencing PCOS, weight challenges, acne, and an absent menstrual cycle in her teens and early twenties, Alisa began studying nutrition, functional endocrinology, and women’s hormonal health. Her experience became the foundation for FLO Living and her bestselling books, WomanCode and In the FLO.
Connect with Alisa Vitti:
https://floliving.com/
https://www.instagram.com/alisa.vitti/

About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician, bestselling author, and founder of hol+, a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about
Stay Connected:
Connect further with hol+ at https://holplus.co/ and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation:
https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/
Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Subscribe to the audio podcast:
https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Join The Circle and use code "PODCAST": https://holplus.co/circle/ What if chronic disease, declining energy, cognitive issues, and fertility challenges are not isolated problems, but signs of a deeper disconnection from the natural world?
In this episode of hol+ with Dr. Taz MD, Dr. Zach Bush explores the relationship between human health and the health of our environment. Drawing from his background in internal medicine, endocrinology, cancer research, and hospice care, he explains how his search for the root causes of disease led him from the hospital and laboratory to the microbiome, soil science, and regenerative agriculture.
Dr. Bush describes mitochondria as essential generators of cellular energy and explains how the microbes living within and around us help support metabolism, immunity, neurological function, and communication throughout the body. He shares his perspective on how chemical agriculture, declining biodiversity, and changes in our food systems may be affecting these biological relationships.
Dr. Taz and Dr. Bush also discuss the rise of obesity, insulin resistance, autoimmune disease, cognitive decline, chronic fatigue, and infertility. Dr. Bush presents his theory that these conditions may be connected through a broader decline in metabolic energy and our increasing separation from nature.
The conversation ultimately turns toward hope and practical action. Dr. Bush explains why restoring soil, supporting regenerative farmers, growing food, strengthening local communities, and spending more time in direct contact with nature may help rebuild both human and planetary health. He also shares how something as simple as growing a mint plant can begin restoring a family’s relationship with living food.
In this episode:
Dr. Bush’s journey from conventional medicine to microbiome and soil research
What mitochondria do and why they are essential for cellular energy
How the microbiome influences metabolism, immunity, and brain function
The relationship between soil health, food quality, and human health
How chemical agriculture may disrupt biological communication
Why Dr. Bush describes modern illness as nature deficit disorder
His theory connecting metabolic decline with chronic disease and fertility
Why supplements cannot fully replace a healthy food system
How regenerative agriculture can support human and planetary health
Simple ways to reconnect your family with food, soil, and nature
Why community and human connection may be essential parts of healing
About Dr. Zach Bush:
Dr. Zach Bush is a triple board-certified physician specializing in internal medicine, endocrinology and metabolism, and hospice and palliative care. His work has focused on the relationships between the microbiome, human health, environmental health, food systems, and regenerative agriculture. 
After years of working in conventional medicine and biomedical research, Dr. Bush began exploring how soil health, biodiversity, and chemical exposure may influence human metabolism and chronic disease. His work helped give rise to Project Biome and Farmer’s Footprint, initiatives focused on regenerative food systems and restoring the relationship between human and planetary health.

Connect with Dr. Zach Bush:
https://zachbushmd.com/
https://www.instagram.com/zachbushmd/
https://farmersfootprint.us/
About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician, bestselling author, and founder of hol+, a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about
Stay Connected:
Connect further with hol+ at https://holplus.co/ and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation:
https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/
Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Subscribe to the audio podcast:
https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Join The Circle and use code "PODCAST": https://holplus.co/circle/
Kris Carr was 31 when she was diagnosed with a rare, incurable stage four sarcoma. More than 20 years later, her tumors remain stable and her work has helped people around the world take a more active, compassionate role in their health.
In this episode of hol+ with Dr. Taz MD, Kris shares how she moved from fear and uncertainty toward self-trust, acceptance, and a whole-person definition of healing. She explains what it meant to become the CEO of her health, find doctors she trusted, explore integrative care, and change her relationship with food and her body.
But Kris’s biggest turning point came about 10 years into her journey. Despite good scans and a thriving career, she realized she still felt like a failure because she had not made cancer disappear. That moment led her to distinguish between curing and healing, and to begin caring for her mind and emotional life as intentionally as she cared for her physical body.
Kris and Dr. Taz discuss grief, fear, anger, trauma, perimenopause, gut health, stress, supplement overwhelm, and the five foundational wellness pillars that can make healthy living feel more practical and accessible.
In this episode:
Receiving a rare stage four cancer diagnosis at 31
Becoming the CEO of your health without rejecting medical care
Finding supportive food and lifestyle practices through trial and error
Making peace with food after years of deprivation and body pressure
Moving from what you are eating to what is eating you
Understanding the difference between curing and healing
Building emotional literacy around grief, anger, fear, and shame
Simplifying wellness through five foundational pillars
Starting with stress support and gut health when everything feels overwhelming
About Kris Carr:
Kris Carr is a New York Times bestselling author, wellness leader, and cancer thriver. Her wellness journey began in 2003, when she was diagnosed with a rare stage four cancer. Since then, she has dedicated her work to helping people take an active, compassionate role in their health and care for the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.
Kris is the author of seven books covering cancer support, plant-forward nutrition, wellness, and emotional health. Her latest book, I’m Not a Mourning Person, explores grief, loss, and the difficult emotions that emerge when life changes unexpectedly. She is also the host of the Made to Thrive podcast and the founder of a wellness community offering education, coaching, and practical resources.

Connect with Kris Carr:
https://kriscarr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/crazysexykris/

About Dr. Taz:
Dr. Tasneem Bhatia (Dr. Taz) is a triple board-certified integrative medicine physician, bestselling author, and founder of hol+, a multi-location integrative medicine practice.
Learn more: https://doctortaz.com/about
Stay Connected:
Connect further with hol+ at https://holplus.co/ and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.
Book a Hol+ Consultation:
https://holplus.co/locations/virtual/
Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Subscribe to the audio podcast:
https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts
Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Join The Circle (use code PODCAST): ➡️ https://holplus.co/circle/
Are you tired throughout the day but unable to switch off at night? Are you experiencing anxiety, brain fog, disrupted sleep, blood sugar swings, or stubborn belly fat?
In this episode of Hol+, Dr. Taz examines what she calls the modern cortisol crisis and explains how chronic stress can affect the body far beyond your emotional health.
You’ll learn how cortisol is supposed to rise and fall throughout the day, what can happen when that rhythm becomes disrupted, and why screens, artificial light, processed foods, caffeine, overscheduling, isolation, and poor sleep may keep the body in a prolonged stress response.
Dr. Taz also walks through four commonly described stages of cortisol dysregulation, from elevated daytime cortisol to feeling wired at night and eventually completely depleted. She explains how cortisol may interact with blood sugar, weight, inflammation, reproductive hormones, thyroid function, mood, and cognitive health.
The episode concludes with practical ways to support a healthier stress response through consistent sleep, morning light, balanced meals, nutrient support, time in nature, intentional recovery, and stronger family connection.
In this episode:
 How cortisol functions as part of the stress response
• Why high cortisol may contribute to palpitations, blood sugar instability, and belly fat
• What it means to feel tired during the day but wired at night
• Four commonly described stages of cortisol dysregulation
• How chronic stress can affect hormones, mood, and inflammation
• How cortisol patterns may be evaluated
• Why sleep and light exposure are foundational
• How nutrition and meal timing may support recovery
• Why stress regulation should involve the entire family
The symptoms discussed in this episode can have many possible causes. “Adrenal fatigue” is not recognized as a formal diagnosis by major conventional medical organizations. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional before changing your treatment, diet, supplements, or hormones.

Learn more about cortisol testing and stress-related symptoms:
https://holplus.co/services/cortisol-stress/

Learn more about hol+ and schedule an appointment:
https://holplus.co/

Listen to more episodes of the hol+ podcast:
https://holplus.co/podcast/

Stay Connected:
Dr. Taz: https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
Hol+: https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/
Hol+ Show: https://www.instagram.com/holplushow/
Subscribe to the audio podcast: https://holplus.transistor.fm/subscribe
Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@HolPlusShow/podcasts
Get your copy of ➡️ The Hormone Shift
Chapters
00:00 Why We’re Living Through a Cortisol Crisis
 00:58 Signs of Chronic Stress in Adults and Children
 03:10 What Cortisol Does in the Body
 04:42 High Cortisol, Blood Sugar, and Belly Fat
 06:26 How Cortisol Affects the Brain, Mood, and Inflammation
 09:30 Why Modern Life Keeps Cortisol Elevated
 12:58 How Technology and Poor Sleep Affect Children
 13:43 How Food, Sugar, Alcohol, and Caffeine Affect Cortisol
 15:17 Nature, Isolation, and Family Stress
 17:47 Why Conventional Medicine May Miss Cortisol Dysfunction
 18:41 The Four Stages of Cortisol Dysregulation
 21:33 How to Reset Your Sleep and Cortisol Rhythm
 23:19 What to Eat When Your Cortisol Is Disrupted
 24:29 Nutrient Deficiencies and Hormone Imbalances
 25:52 Building Recovery Time Into a Stressful Life
 27:29 How to Test Your Cortisol Levels
 28:55 Creating a Holistic Cortisol Recovery Plan
 30:09 How to Lower Cortisol Across the Entire Family

Produced by https://ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)