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

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Are your blood tests coming back normal even though you're struggling with fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, or hormonal changes after 40?
In this solo episode of hol+, Dr. Taz MD breaks down 7 important blood tests and lab panels that may provide a more complete picture of your metabolic, hormonal, and overall health.
Learn why fasting insulin and hemoglobin A1c matter for blood sugar regulation, what ferritin reveals about iron stores, why thyroid testing sometimes deserves a closer look, and how vitamin D, inflammation markers, and sex hormones can contribute to conversations about your health.
Dr. Taz also explains why tracking lab results over time can be helpful, how symptoms provide important context, and what questions to bring to your next doctor's appointment.
In this episode:
The limitations of routine annual blood work
Fasting insulin and early insulin resistance
Hemoglobin A1c and long-term blood sugar
Ferritin, vitamin D, and thyroid testing
High-sensitivity CRP and inflammation
Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone after 40
How to track and discuss your lab results
Ready to take a closer look at your health?
Schedule a consultation with a hol+ provider to explore your symptoms, lab results, and personal health goals:
➡️ https://holplus.co/appointments
Explore holistic health resources and integrative care:
➡️ https://holplus.co/

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

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What are men missing when they focus on testosterone but overlook sleep, stress, and recovery? Shawn Stevenson shares a reported testosterone level of 1,038 without testosterone replacement therapy or peptides, and walks Dr. Taz through the everyday habits he prioritizes.
Shawn is the host of The Model Health Show and bestselling author of Eat Smarter, Sleep Smarter, and the Eat Smarter Family Cookbook. In this conversation, he discusses the research connecting daily walking with testosterone levels, his approach to strength training, and the morning routine he has practiced for more than two decades.
He also shares the story behind his health transformation: a degenerative disc disease diagnosis at 20, years of chronic pain, and the moment he began asking a different question. Together, Shawn and Dr. Taz explore the grind mentality, the role of sleep in men’s health, moving beyond rigid diets, and why asking for help and investing in relationships matter.
IN THIS EPISODE:
• Shawn’s testosterone lab results and personal health routine
• Walking, strength training, and metabolic health
• Cortisol, stress, and the pressure to keep pushing
• Morning habits, meditation, and recovery
• Chronic pain, identity, and changing your mindset
• Sleep and testosterone
• Real food and flexible approaches to nutrition
• Relationships, connection, and longevity
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Walking, testosterone & the missing pieces of men’s health
04:10 What men get wrong about health
09:51 Shawn’s testosterone results: 1,038 without TRT
16:13 Cortisol, stress & reaching a breaking point
22:02 Outdoor walks, meditation & Shawn’s morning routine
32:15 Chronic pain & the story behind Shawn’s transformation
48:20 The questions that shape your mindset
55:05 Sleep, testosterone & moving beyond strict diets
1:03:09 Longevity, relationships & permission to change
About Shawn Stevenson:
Shawn Stevenson is a bestselling author, health and fitness expert, and host of The Model Health Show, one of the world’s leading health podcasts. He is the author of Sleep Smarter, Eat Smarter, and The Eat Smarter Family Cookbook. His work translates research on sleep, nutrition, exercise, metabolism, and human performance into practical strategies people can use in everyday life.
Connect with Shawn Stevenson:
https://themodelhealthshow.com/
https://www.instagram.com/shawnmodel/
Explore Shawn Stevenson’s books:
Eat Smarter Family Cookbook: https://link.amazon/B07xO8W3P
Sleep Smarter: https://link.amazon/B01v3jeyX
Join The Circle, Dr. Taz’s private membership featuring live sessions, practical demonstrations, research discussions, real guidance, and a supportive community.
Start your one-month trial at: ➡️ https://holplus.co/circle/ (use the code PODCAST)

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

(00:00) - Walking, testosterone & the missing pieces of men’s health

(04:10) - What men get wrong about health

(09:51) - Shawn’s testosterone results: 1,038 without TRT

(16:13) - Cortisol, stress & reaching a breaking point

(22:02) - Outdoor walks, meditation & Shawn’s morning routine

(32:15) - Chronic pain & the story behind Shawn’s transformation

(48:20) - The questions that shape your mindset

(55:05) - Sleep, testosterone & moving beyond strict diets

(01:03:09) - Longevity, relationships & permission to change

What if your fatigue, achy joints, brain fog, stubborn weight, skin issues, and frequent illnesses aren't six separate problems, but different signs of the same underlying pattern? In this episode, Dr. Taz explains microinflammation, the chronic low-grade inflammatory activity that can quietly affect multiple systems throughout the body.
She breaks down six common signs to watch for and explains how blood sugar instability, gut health, cortisol and chronic stress, poor sleep, ultra-processed foods, visceral fat, environmental exposures, and other factors can contribute to persistent inflammation.
You'll also learn the foundational strategies Dr. Taz uses at hol+ to help calm inflammatory signaling, including stabilizing blood sugar, prioritizing protein, fiber and healthy fats, improving sleep and gut health, lowering chronic stress, and looking at markers such as hs-CRP, fasting insulin, and hemoglobin A1C.
Inflammation isn't necessarily a life sentence. It can be a signal that something in the system needs attention.
Learn more or schedule a consultation with a HOL+ provider at holplus.co/appointments.
Join The Circle, Dr. Taz’s private membership featuring live sessions, practical demonstrations, research discussions, real guidance, and a supportive community.
Start your one-month trial at: ➡️ https://holplus.co/circle/ (use the code PODCAST)

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

Join The Circle (use code PODCAST): ➡️ https://holplus.co/circle/
What if heart disease, metabolic dysfunction, and other chronic health problems are developing years before you ever feel a symptom?
In this episode of hol+, Dr. Taz MD sits down with Dr. Darshan Shah, longevity physician, board-certified surgeon, founder and CEO of Next Health, and host of the Extend podcast, to explain why waiting until you feel sick may mean waiting too long and which health markers can help you take a more proactive approach to your health.
Dr. Shah shares his own journey from conventional surgery into functional and longevity medicine after struggling with fatigue, poor sleep, chronic stress, autoimmune disease, and other health issues himself. He explains why improving nutrition, metabolic health, hormones, gut health, sleep, and lifestyle changed the way he thought about medicine and eventually led him to build Next Health.
Together, Dr. Taz and Dr. Shah break down the health markers people may want to understand earlier, including hemoglobin A1C, fasting insulin, ApoB, Lp(a), inflammatory markers, hormones, blood pressure, skeletal muscle mass, and coronary artery calcium scoring.
They also discuss why traditional cholesterol testing may not tell the whole story, how cardiovascular disease can present differently in women, the relationship between estrogen and heart health, and why preserving muscle and bone becomes increasingly important with age.
The conversation also explores longevity medicine, biohacking, wearables, peptides, sauna, cold exposure, red light therapy, AI in healthcare, and why advanced tools should come after the fundamentals rather than replace them.
You'll learn:
• Why cardiovascular disease can develop long before symptoms appear
• Why LDL and total cholesterol may only show part of your cardiovascular risk
• What ApoB, Lp(a), A1C, fasting insulin, and inflammatory markers can reveal
• Why Dr. Shah believes people should start tracking important health markers earlier
• How coronary calcium scoring can help identify plaque developing in the heart
• Why heart disease may present differently in women than in men
• How estrogen, skeletal muscle, and bone health can influence healthy aging
• Which health metrics Dr. Shah believes are worth tracking at home
• Where wearables, peptides, sauna, cold exposure, and red light therapy fit into longevity
• How AI may help both doctors and patients better understand increasingly complex health data
About Dr. Darshan Shah:
Dr. Darshan Shah is a longevity physician, board-certified surgeon, and the founder and CEO of Next Health. After years of practicing conventional medicine and experiencing his own health challenges, he became focused on functional medicine, preventative care, healthspan, and helping people identify health risks before disease develops.
Through Next Health, Dr. Shah works to combine lifestyle medicine, functional medicine, advanced preventative testing, and longevity-focused therapies into a more proactive model of healthcare. He is also the host of the Extend podcast.
Connect with Dr. Darshan Shah:
https://next-health.com/
Instagram:
@darshanshahmd
@extend_podcast
Podcast: Extend

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/

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

If you’ve been told your thyroid is “fine” but you’re still exhausted, gaining weight, losing hair, feeling cold, constipated, or struggling with brain fog, there may be more to the story.
In this episode, Dr. Taz explains why a single TSH result may not capture the full picture of thyroid health, and why symptoms can sometimes appear before traditional lab markers begin to shift.
She breaks down six common warning signs of thyroid dysfunction and explores the factors that may be driving them, including Hashimoto’s, chronic stress and cortisol, nutrient deficiencies, gut health, blood sugar, and environmental exposures.
You’ll also learn which thyroid markers can help provide a broader picture, including Free T3, Free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies, and why looking at patterns over time can be just as important as looking at a single number.
In this episode:
Why “normal” and “optimal” thyroid function are not always the same
Why TSH is only one part of the thyroid picture
6 common signs of thyroid dysfunction
The connection between Hashimoto’s and thyroid antibodies
How stress and cortisol can affect thyroid function
The role of iron, iodine, selenium, and zinc
How gut health and blood sugar connect to thyroid health
Which thyroid labs Dr. Taz looks at
How a root-cause approach connects symptoms, labs, and lifestyle
If you want to go deeper on thyroid health, listen to Dr. Taz’s conversation with Dr. Amie Hornaman, The Thyroid Fixer, for a deeper discussion of thyroid symptoms, testing, and root causes.
Learn more or schedule a consultation with a HOL+ provider at holplus.co/appointments.
Join The Circle, Dr. Taz’s private membership featuring live sessions, practical demonstrations, research discussions, real guidance, and a supportive community.
Start your one-month trial at: ➡️ https://holplus.co/circle/ (use the code PODCAST)

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