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

Breast cancer screening is often treated as a given. Mammograms are framed as routine, early detection as unquestionably life-saving, and following guidelines as the responsible choice. But what if the full picture is more complicated?

In this episode of hol+, Dr. Taz sits down with integrative oncologist and breast surgeon Dr. Jenn Simmons, author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, to explore what breast cancer screening data actually shows, where common narratives may oversimplify reality, and how statistics can sometimes be misunderstood by both patients and providers.

Together, they discuss the difference between screening and diagnostic imaging, why detecting more cancers does not always mean fewer deaths, and how concepts like overdiagnosis and lead-time bias shape our interpretation of outcomes. Dr. Jenn also explains how breast cancer behaves differently from many other cancers, why progression is not always linear, and what tumor markers like ER, PR, HER2, and triple-negative really indicate.
The conversation expands beyond imaging into a whole-body view of breast health, touching on inflammation, immune function, metabolic health, toxic burden, stress, and lifestyle as factors that shape cancer risk and recovery. Rather than promoting fear or urgency, this episode focuses on helping listeners understand their bodies, ask better questions, and make informed decisions with clarity.
This episode is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of breast cancer screening, feels overwhelmed by conflicting guidance, or wants to approach breast health with more nuance and less panic.
About Dr. Jenn Simmons
Dr. Jenn Simmons is an integrative oncologist, breast surgeon, and founder of Real Health MD. She was Philadelphia’s first fellowship-trained breast surgeon and spent nearly two decades leading one of the region’s top breast programs before transitioning into integrative oncology.
Drawing from her experience in conventional cancer care and her own health journey, Dr. Simmons now focuses on whole-body approaches to breast health, cancer prevention, and recovery, including metabolic health, inflammation, immune function, lifestyle medicine, and root-cause healing. She is the author of The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, a patient-centered resource designed to help women better understand their diagnosis, ask informed questions, and navigate treatment decisions with clarity rather than fear.

Order the Book
The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer 

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons
Website: https://www.jennsimmonsmd.com/

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Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause
Host & Production Team
Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)
00:00 Swedish trial claim and overdiagnosis framing
00:52 Why this became a part two conversation
03:25 Reframing screening narratives and medical training gaps
04:39 Why Dr. Simmons questions mammograms as a screening tool
06:06 Origins of screening programs and “invitation to screen” bias
07:12 Relative risk vs absolute numbers example (4 vs 5 per 1,000)
08:49 Overdiagnosis explained with a vivid analogy
09:50 Autopsy-study claim and the “microscopic cancer” idea
12:11 Swedish trial claim revisited: more diagnoses, same deaths
13:38 Downstream harms: callbacks, biopsies, overtreatment
15:04 Lead-time bias and survival statistics explained
16:44 Dr. Simmons’ view on the founder’s regret narrative
18:16 Switzerland headline clarified and what actually changed
20:10 Cautionary stories and aggressive cancers discussion
22:07 Why breast cancer does not always progress linearly
24:21 Buckets: DCIS, invasive, inflammatory, receptor types
26:15 Clinical vs subclinical disease approach
28:25 Long-term tradeoffs and “forgotten woman” after treatment
32:15 What ER PR HER2 mean biologically and system incentives
35:33 Testosterone discussion and prevention claim presented
42:15 Hormones after breast cancer and the 4-year “reintroduction” idea
44:29 Triple negative: environment, toxicity, immune system focus
49:19 What to do next: pause, exceptions, whole-body workup
52:32 Prevention and breast health approach begins
53:24 At-home tears test explanation (as discussed)
56:24 Detox basics and why sweating is emphasized
59:34 Imaging preferences for screening and what to do if limited access

OCD is often misunderstood as being about cleanliness, checking, or perfectionism. In this episode, Dr. Taz sits down with therapist and author Melissa Mose, LMFT, to unpack why OCD is frequently misdiagnosed for over a decade and what’s really happening beneath the surface of obsessions and compulsions. Melissa’s book Internal Family Systems Therapy for OCD bridges compassionate parts-based work with proven science to offer a richer path to lasting change.
Using clear science and compassionate explanations, this conversation explores how OCD hijacks the brain through a cycle of alarm and relief, why reassurance and family accommodation can quietly reinforce symptoms, and what actually works in treatment. Melissa breaks down why talk therapy alone often fails OCD, how Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) retrains the nervous system, and how Internal Family Systems (IFS) adds depth, self-compassion, and relational healing to recovery.

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with therapist, educator, and author Melissa Mose, LMFT, to unpack what OCD really is and why it often goes undiagnosed for over a decade. Melissa shares why OCD disguises itself as “just anxiety,” how well-meaning reassurance can quietly reinforce the disorder, and why many people spend years in talk therapy without real relief.
Using clear science and compassionate language, this episode explores how OCD operates through a cycle of alarm and relief, why the brain learns to depend on compulsions, and how Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) helps retrain the nervous system. Melissa also explains how Internal Family Systems (IFS) adds a relational, self-compassionate layer to treatment, helping people work with their inner world instead of battling it.
This conversation also looks at the bigger picture. OCD does not exist in isolation. Dr. Taz and Melissa explore how neuroinflammation, PANS and PANDAS, hormonal shifts, trauma, ADHD, eating disorders, and chronic stress can overlap with or intensify OCD symptoms. They discuss why intrusive thoughts can be disturbing and taboo, why intolerance of uncertainty sits at the core of OCD, and how relationships and intimacy are often quietly impacted.
From shame and self-blame to clarity and support, this episode offers a grounded reframe of OCD as a treatable condition rooted in brain-body patterns, not personal failure. Whether you are seeking help for yourself, supporting someone you love, or trying to understand OCD beyond the stereotypes, this conversation replaces fear with understanding and helplessness with practical pathways forward.
Dr. Taz and Melissa Mose, LMFT discuss:
 Why OCD often goes undiagnosed for 11 to 17 years
 How reassurance and family accommodation make OCD worse
 The obsession-compulsion cycle and why it gets reinforced
 Why talk therapy alone often fails OCD
 What ERP actually does to retrain the brain
 How Internal Family Systems supports compassion and healing
 The role of uncertainty intolerance in OCD
 How OCD affects families, partners, and intimacy
 Neuroinflammation, PANS, PANDAS, hormones, and symptom flares
 Why intrusive thoughts do not define who you are
About Melissa Mose, LMFT
Melissa Mose is a licensed marriage and family therapist, educator, and specialist in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. With over 30 years of clinical experience, she works with individuals and families navigating OCD and anxiety, and trains clinicians in evidence-based treatment approaches. Melissa integrates Exposure and Response Prevention with Internal Family Systems to support deep, sustainable change that goes beyond symptom management. Melissa is the author of Internal Family Systems Therapy for OCD: A Clinician’s Guide, a resource designed to help therapists bring compassion, parts-based awareness, and relational healing into gold-standard OCD treatment.
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Follow Melissa Mose, LMFT
Learn more about Melissa’s work: https://melissamosemft.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissamosemft
Follow Dr. Taz on Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

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Subscribe to the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@DrTazMD/podcasts

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause
Host & Production Team
Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many women reach their 30s and suddenly feel an invisible pressure set in. The clock gets louder. The messaging gets scarier. And fertility, something that once felt distant or optional, becomes charged with fear, urgency, and self-blame.
This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered if they waited too long, if their body is betraying them, or if turning 35 means everything has suddenly changed.
This is not a failure of timing.
This is not a lack of effort.
And it is not a fertility cliff.
In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist Dr. Lucky Sekhon to dismantle one of the most anxiety-producing myths in women’s health: that fertility suddenly collapses at 35.
Dr. Lucky explains why fertility is a continuum, not a deadline, and why the panic surrounding age often does more harm than the biology itself. Using clear science and compassionate language, she breaks down the difference between egg quantity and egg quality, why egg quality cannot be directly tested, and what actually changes as women age.
This episode explores why fertility struggles are increasing worldwide, even among young women, and how factors like insulin resistance, PCOS, endometriosis, inflammation, environmental toxins, and chronic stress quietly shape reproductive health long before pregnancy becomes a goal.
Dr. Taz and Dr. Lucky also reframe painful and irregular periods as vital signs that should never be ignored, explain why many fertility diagnoses remain unclear, and clarify how treatments like IUI and IVF work not because the body is broken, but because human reproduction is naturally inefficient.
From fear-based fertility messaging to evidence-based clarity, this conversation offers a grounding reset. If you are trying to get pregnant, thinking about egg freezing, navigating fertility anxiety, or simply want to understand your body better, this episode replaces panic with perspective and urgency with informed choice.
Dr. Taz and Dr. Lucky Sekhon discuss:
• Why fertility does not suddenly end at 35
• The difference between egg count and egg quality
• Why egg quality cannot be directly tested
• The real drivers behind declining fertility rates
• PCOS, endometriosis, and insulin resistance as fertility blockers
• Why painful or irregular periods are red flags
• What fertility treatments actually improve and what they cannot
• How to approach pregnancy with clarity instead of fear
About Dr. Lucky Sekhon
Dr. Lucky Sekhon is a double board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, infertility specialist, and OB/GYN based in New York City. She is widely recognized for her compassionate, evidence-based approach to fertility care and her ability to translate complex reproductive science into language women can actually understand.
Dr. Lucky is the author of The Lucky Egg: Understanding Your Fertility and How to Get Pregnant Now, a practical and empowering guide designed to help individuals and couples navigate fertility decisions with confidence, clarity, and realism. Her work focuses on demystifying fertility testing, treatment options, and the emotional toll of trying to conceive.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Lucky is a trusted educator across social media and digital platforms, where she helps women move beyond fear-based fertility narratives and make informed choices aligned with their life goals.
Order the Book
The Lucky Egg: Understanding Your Fertility and How to Get Pregnant Now
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Follow Dr. Lucky Sekhon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucky.sekhon
Website: https://theluckyegg.com/

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Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause
Host & Production Team
Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Many women hit midlife and feel something they cannot name. They are still doing the right things, eating well, exercising consistently, showing up for everyone, yet life suddenly feels harder and less familiar. Age Like a Girl gives language to this experience and explains why it is not a failure, but a shift happening beneath the surface.
This is not a motivation problem.
This is not a discipline issue.
And it is not “all in your head."

In this hol+ conversation, Dr. Taz sits down with New York Times bestselling author and leading voice in women’s health Dr. Mindy Pelz, host of the hit podcast The Resetter Podcast, to explore the core message behind Age Like a Girl: menopause is not a decline, it is a biologically wired reinvention.
Instead of treating perimenopause and menopause as a crisis to manage, Dr. Mindy reframes the transition as a neurochemical and cognitive remodel designed to make women more focused, emotionally resilient, and aligned with who they truly are. She breaks down why modern life often clashes with this primal design, and why brain fog, mood shifts, and emotional intensity are not random symptoms, but signals that the brain is asking for a new way of living.
This episode explores why women can feel anxious, disconnected, or unlike themselves even when they are “doing everything right,” and how metabolism, stress chemistry, and neurotransmitters shape mood, clarity, and identity. Dr. Taz and Dr. Mindy discuss why many women initiate big life and relationship changes after 40, why community and connection become essential, and why reinvention is not a midlife crisis, but biology.
From perimenopause into postmenopause, this conversation reframes aging as an awakening. Not the end of youth, but the return of clarity, boundaries, and self-trust. If you have ever felt dismissed, confused, or afraid that something is wrong with you, this episode offers a validating and hopeful roadmap forward.
Dr. Taz and Dr. Mindy Pelz discuss:
 • The core message of Age Like a Girl and why it reframes menopause
 • Why the female brain is biologically wired for reinvention after 40
 • Brain fog and mood shifts as signals of a cognitive remodel
 • How modern life clashes with primal biology
 • Why women often make major life decisions in midlife
 • The role of neurotransmitters in clarity, calm, and confidence
 • Why community and deep connection matter more than ever
 • How to reclaim vitality without another exhausting checklist
About Dr. Mindy Pelz
Dr. Mindy Pelz is a New York Times bestselling author, visionary educator, and trailblazer in the field of women’s health and hormone science. With over two decades of experience, she’s built a global movement to help women understand the power of their bodies at every stage of life. Her bestselling books, including Fast Like a Girl, The Menopause Reset, and Eat Like a Girl, have helped millions of women use fasting, nutrition, and lifestyle shifts to balance hormones, boost energy, and take back control of their health. Her newest release book, Age Like a Girl, redefines what it means to grow older as a woman.Rooted in the latest science and rich in personal story, the book challenges outdated narratives about menopause and aging offering instead a roadmap for awakening. Dr. Mindy shows women how to use the neurochemical shifts of midlife as a launchpad for purpose, leadership, and bold reinvention. 
Dr. Mindy’s Resetter Podcast consistently ranks among Apple’s top U.S. science shows, with guests ranging from LeAnn Rimes and Rachel Hollis to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. Her YouTube channel has surpassed 110 million views, and her teachings have reached hundreds of thousands through workshops, online programs, and live events.
Order the book: Age Like a Girl 

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Follow Dr. Mindy Pelz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mindypelz/
Website: https://drmindypelz.com/
Podcast: The Resetter Podcast

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https://www.instagram.com/drtazmd/
https://www.instagram.com/liveholplus/

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Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause
Host & Production Team
Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

What if the real question isn’t just how to live longer, but why so many people are living longer and healthier lives on paper, yet feel depleted, inflamed, disconnected, or cognitively foggy in daily life?
In this solo episode, Dr. Taz reframes what longevity really means and why healthy aging has far less to do with chasing more years and far more to do with protecting cellular health, vitality, and resilience across decades. She explains why humans are living longer than ever before, yet not necessarily living better, and how focusing only on disease management or biohacking trends misses the real drivers of aging.
You’ll learn why longevity is not defined by a number, but by biological age, health span, and cellular aging, and how inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, gut imbalance, nervous system stress, emotional disconnection, and loss of community quietly accelerate aging long before symptoms become diagnoses.
This episode reframes longevity as a full body system, not a supplement stack or a protocol. One that integrates physical health, brain function, emotional regulation, spirituality, and community. When these systems fall out of sync, aging speeds up. When they are supported together, living longer becomes living with clarity, strength, and purpose.
Dr. Taz shares:
• What longevity actually means and why lifespan and health span are not the same
• Why humans are living longer but not necessarily healthier
• How cellular aging, inflammation, and metabolic stress drive chronic disease
• Why diet quality, gut health, liver function, movement, sleep, and nervous system balance matter more than biohacking
• How cognitive reserve, dopamine regulation, and emotional health protect the aging brain
• Why community and spirituality are overlooked but essential pillars of healthy aging
• Where peptides, hormones, and modern longevity tools fit and where they don’t
• How to build a longevity plan that is realistic, accessible, and sustainable

Whether you’re thinking about how to live longer, worried about aging faster than you should, or simply want to protect your health span as you move through midlife and beyond, this episode offers a grounded, integrative roadmap.
Longevity is not about optimizing harder. It’s about supporting the systems that keep you well, year after year.
Stay Connected:
Connect further to Hol+ at https://holplus.co/- Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes of hol+.

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

Get your copy of The Hormone Shift: Balance Your Body and Thrive Through Midlife and Menopause

Host & Production Team
Host: Dr. Taz; Produced by ClipGrowth.com (Producer: Pat Gostek)

Chapters
00:00 Longevity is not about more years
00:50 Are humans really living longer
01:49 The global aging reality
03:31 Why aging became something to fear
05:17 Aging on a spectrum, not a number
06:07 The hidden disease burden of aging
08:31 Cellular aging explained
09:45 Why biohacking misses the foundation
11:10 The five-body approach to longevity
13:10 Community, emotion, and aging
14:05 Diet, inflammation, and cellular health
16:19 Medications, gut health, and aging
16:49 Fasting, calories, and longevity
18:52 What eating for longevity actually means
19:39 Movement and aging well
21:35 Sleep, repair, and brain health
22:50 Dementia, cognitive reserve, and prevention
24:20 Dopamine, emotion, and brain aging
26:49 Spirituality, community, and vitality
30:05 Peptides, hormones, and future medicine
31:58 A new vision for positive aging
32:48 Longevity is built day by day

(00:00) - Longevity is not about more years

(00:50) - Are humans really living longer

(01:49) - The global aging reality

(03:31) - Why aging became something to fear

(05:17) - Aging on a spectrum, not a number

(06:07) - The hidden disease burden of aging

(08:31) - Cellular aging explained

(09:45) - Why biohacking misses the foundation

(11:10) - The five-body approach to longevity

(13:10) - Community, emotion, and aging

(14:05) - Diet, inflammation, and cellular health

(16:19) - Medications, gut health, and aging

(16:49) - Fasting, calories, and longevity

(18:52) - What eating for longevity actually means

(19:39) - Movement and aging well

(21:35) - Sleep, repair, and brain health

(22:50) - Dementia, cognitive reserve, and prevention

(24:20) - Dopamine, emotion, and brain aging

(26:49) - Spirituality, community, and vitality

(30:05) - Peptides, hormones, and future medicine

(31:58) - A new vision for positive aging

(32:48) - Longevity is built day by day