What's The Juice

Megan Blacksmith and Dr. Alex Golden of Zesty Ginger discuss the power of subconsciousness and how brain chemistry affects daily life. They introduce the Four Phase Cycle Approach for women's health, emphasizing the mind-body connection and the need to nurture mental health. Topics include self-regulation, brain's role in hormonal balance, weight gain during the pandemic, heart rate regulation, activating the vagus nerve, and the gut-brain connection for better physical health.

Ep 69. In this week’s episode, I had the utmost honor of chatting with Dr. Heather Moday about the complexity of the immune system and how we can help it function at its highest potential. Dr. Heather Moday is an acclaimed immunologist and functional medicine practitioner who has spent the last 25 years helping people like us take control of our lives by optimizing nutrition, lowering stress, and improving vitality. Turns out there are several tangible tools that we can implement into our daily lives to find balance. As you tune into the episode, I’ve created a simple outline for you to reference along the way.  We cover: Testing for inflammation Fasting glucose levels  C-reactive protein (which is more specific for inflammation) Ferritin level (increases with inflammation)  Homocysteine levels The  four different types of immune functionality and how to find homeostasis in the body for each Gut health and the immune system Non-negotiable foods, vitamins, and minerals  for proper immune function And so much more! As always, tune into the episode to learn all of these essential nuggets of information. And be sure to share your thoughts with me on IG: @shoporganicolivia. Connect with Dr. Heather Moday:  Follow Dr. Moday on Instagram HERE Website: https://modaycenter.com/ Connect with Organic Olivia: My new Instagram HERE Shop herbal formulas HERE

Ep 68. Did you know you might be mal-illuminated? If you’re not getting enough exposure to full-spectrum UV light (aka soaking up some sun), your cells might not be working as well as they should. Here to *enlighten* us about how our bodies use UV light and how red light therapy can be beneficial is physical therapist and founder/CEO of BioLight, Dr. Mike Belkowski.  We’ll go over how red light and infrared light therapy works, some of the things it can be used for, and why we all probably need to get outside more. Let’s get juicy! PS - Thanks to Dr. Mike, I started using a travel-sized red light device from his line called the Shine. I became a believer when my digestion was off the day we filmed this podcast, and he told me to put it directly on my stomach for 10 minutes and see if I felt a difference. Not only did my stomach ache get better – my mind felt calmer too, which he explained is because red light therapy works on the gut-brain axis. I’ve truly loved this device ever since and keep it next to my bed in case I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep (a few minutes on my forehead or stomach works like a charm to calm my mind down). I’ve also used it for headaches and a mood boost in the winter months! If you feel inspired after hearing about red light and want to try the same device I use, BioLight extended code ORGANICOLIVIA (all caps) for a discount on any of their products.  Shop with code ORGANICOLIVIA: https://www.biolight.shop/?ref=oliviaamitrano Connect with Dr. Mike Belkowski: Follow @dr.mikebelkowski on IG Follow @biolight.shop on IG Visit the BioLight website Recommended Reading: The Ultimate Guide To Red Light Therapy by Ari Whitten

Ep 67. Every month on What’s The Juice Podcast, I’m doing a full episode dedicated to your personal health, wellness, and REAL LIFE questions that we receive through our hotline (929-591-6432 to leave a voicemail and be featured on our next one). This is my favorite series that we’ve done, not only because I get to connect with you guys & hear your voices, thoughts, questions, and struggles… but because it allows me to explore topics and get vulnerable about personal learning experiences that I wouldn’t normally cover but NEED to be shared. In this episode, I cover: my “holistic” view of addiction in general from a root cause, nervous system perspective (due to my personal experience) neutrality and curiosity vs. judgment how to examine your relationship with ANY substance (whether nicotine, caffeine, other stimulants, sugar, food, cannabis, etc) with an eye of compassion for the ‘body wisdom’ aka: thank you body for finding a way to cope — can we dig deeper on what purpose this substance is serving so we can find the root? nicotine and the connection to ADHD + how with most things, we’re likely self-medicating! the traditional herbalism view on smoking, the lungs, grief, and herbal substitutes that calm “wind”/tension + regulate the nervous system my personal journey with cannabis, caffeine, and food/sugar as my coping mechanisms of choice the connection to dopamine and dietI also answer another listener question about where to start when eating healthy feels complicated and overwhelming, plus tips on finding purpose and fulfillment when life feels out of control. A juicy offer from our sponsor, Pique Tea: Limited Time Special Offer: Get 5% off + a FREE blooming tea pouch (containing 20 premium tea samples) when you buy 2+ cartons of their Daily Radiance. Link: piquelife.com/organicolivia with code ORGANICOLIVIA. Note: Offer only works with the link above Connect with Organic Olivia: My new Instagram HERE Shop herbal formulas HERE

Ep 66. Welcome back to Dr. Kara MoraMarco-Kendrick: a Doctor of Acupuncture (DAOM), a board-certified California Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc), and the owner of Aculand in Los Angeles. As a new mom, Kara is ready to share all the juice when it comes to preconception nourishment, pregnancy survival tips, and postpartum wisdom. In this episode, we’re chatting about how to “prepare the palace” before conception and all the things you can do to set yourself up for a positive journey, all the way to delivery. I love Dr. Kara’s holistic perspective as a practitioner, plus all of the tips from her personal experience that she has to share. Let’s get juicy! Connect with Olivia: New Instagram HERE Herbal formulas and Teas HERE Connect with Dr. Kara: Follow @dr.kara.aculand on IG Visit the Aculand website Check out our Season 1 interview with Dr. Kara Herbal DIYs: Dr. Kara’s pregnancy tea How to make a mineral-rich herbal infusion

Ep 65. This season is all about getting in touch with, listening to, and supporting your body—and that includes your skin. Did you know your skincare routine might actually be damaging your skin or preventing it from doing its job? Here to help us pare down our routine to let our skin microbiome thrive is the lovely Nadine Artemis. Nadine is the creator of the natural beauty & lifestyle brand Living Libations and author of ​​Renegade Beauty and Holistic Dental Care: The Complete Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums. Nadine will explain: - why feeding and protecting our topical microbiome is the way to healthy skin - why we're simply "hosts to a bacterial banquet" and need to preserve those little guys for long term, inside-out beauty - why we don't just have one microbiome, we have different and unique types (oral, vgaginal, ear nose throat, gut, skin); and how the microbiome of the face is completely different from the palms or armpits - how to "let bacteria be the beautician" and stop stripping our skin so we can build back up the bugs we were meant to have - what products strip the microbiome and how to "stop, seal, and seed" to repopulate our bugs - why oil cleansing is the best thing you can do for your skin and how to do it properly - why our skin was designed to function and thrive with a healthy amount of exposure to sunlight - the difference between getting real sun and supplementing Vitamin D + why we need all the wavelengths for our Vitamin D receptors and mitochondria - how to avoid sunburn and sun damage by supporting your mitochondria with key nutrients, red light therapy, and gradual sun exposure - everything you need to know about microbiome-friendly oral care - how the lymphatic system interacts with our gums and teeth, and why brushing our gums and caring for the lymph within the mouth is key - Nadine's 7 steps to a healthier oral microbiome - how putting therapeutic oils on your floss can help deliver therapeutic ingredients to your gums + in between your teeth! Let’s get juicy! This episode is sponsored by my friends at Pique! For 5% off plus a free gift use code organicolivia HERE Connect with Olivia: New Instagram HERE Herbal formulas and Teas HERE Connect with Nadine:Shop Living Libations HERE with my code ORGANICOLIVIA for 15% off Follow @nadineartemisofficial on IG Follow @livinglibationsofficial on IG Discover the dminder app Read the book Light: Medicine of the Future by Jacob Liberman, OD, PhD

Ep 64. Autoimmune disease, including Hashimoto’s, seems to be on the rise these days. Why are autoimmune issues so common, what factors influence their development, and—most importantly—how can we best support our bodies on a root cause level?  Here to help us answer those questions is Marc Ryan, also known as “Hashimoto’s Healer,” a licensed acupuncturist & herbalist, author of two books on Hashimoto’s, and functional medicine expert.  Marc is going to break down: - the best diet for autoimmune disease (especially thyroid conditions) - the true root causes of autoimmune imbalances from a functional medicine perspective - Traditional Chinese Medicine’s (TCM) take on what organs and meridians are affected, and how to help - why each gland in the body (pineal, pituitary, thyroid) has an emotional and spiritual aspect relating to everything from feeling like we’re part of a community, to speaking our truth, to having a deep sense of purpose - why TCM's pattern of "Liver Qi Stagnation" is important to understand with all autoimmune disease (and how the sun actually supports our liver meridian) - why circadian rhythm is important for autoimmunity and the liver - how to keep a food journal to understand what foods may be triggering imbalances in your gut microbiome (and why noting emotional reactions like feeling down after certain foods or tension in  your jaw is just as important as physical reactions) - why social connection plays a major role in thyroid and all autoimmune disorders - why being a part of the cycle of your food (soil->plate->compost), instead of being disconnected from its origin, matters for your gut health just as much as what you eat I love this episode because Marc is so knowledgeable about the tangible things we can do in terms of diet, gut health, and reducing inflammation -- and yet he isn’t afraid to get a little spiritual and explore the intangible things that drain the human spirit and end up manifesting physically. Let’s get juicy!  Connect with Olivia: New Instagram HERE Herbal formulas and Teas  HERE Connect with Marc Ryan: Follow @hashimotoshealer on IG Visit his website Read his book: The Hashimoto's Healing Diet Related: The Scientific 7-Minute Workout

Guest Nikki Novo, best-selling author, spiritual teacher, and intuitive healer, shares tips on finding your soul's purpose and strengthening intuition. Topics include the therapeutic benefits of Sunwink herbal sodas, the impact of relationships on purpose, developing intuition and connecting with spirit guides, accessing moments of presence for intuitive guidance, exploring past life meditation, and understanding soul contracts. Tune in for an enlightening conversation!

Ep 62. Welcome to the very first Ask the Herbalist episode! This week, I’m answering your questions on hypothyroidism, thyroid support, and more. As someone who has experienced thyroid issues firsthand, I know how frustrating it is to experience symptoms, to get a diagnosis, and then to be left wondering how to deal with this condition for the rest of your life. On the flip side, I also know from firsthand experience just how empowering it is to be able to support your thyroid hormones and actually notice positive changes. In this ep, I’ll share what I’ve learned about nourishing your thyroid hormones through diet, lifestyle, & herbs + how to advocate for yourself in a doctor’s office and more. Let’s get juicy!  Shop ThyroPro: https://www.organicolivia.com/products/thyropro Use code THYRO10 for 10% off during the month of September. Thyroid labs: https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/thyroid-test-results/ How to check your basal body temp: HERE Recommended reading - Stop the Thyroid Madness II: https://amzn.to/3coWqyB   Read blog post (contains links to scientific studies on nutrients): HERE CALL US What’s the Juice Hotline: 929-591-6432

Ep 61. This is the episode we didn’t know we needed– EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT A PARENT! I took so much value from this convo with Dr. Siggie Cohen because although she is a renowned parenting expert… what she’s really teaching us today is how to be a compassionate, boundaried human that knows how to meet another human (big or little) exactly where they are.  Parenting is one of the most challenging tasks we can take on; partially because raising a tiny creature with really big emotions takes a LOT of patience and energy, but also because of the way our reactions to those big emotions tell us about how we’re parenting our own inner child. Dr. Siggie is a child and family therapist with over 35 years of experience. As a parenting expert who works with toddlers through teens, Dr. Siggie covers how best to connect with your kids in a way that benefits both you and them. By putting our egos aside and consistently asking “what’s underneath the surface of the conflict in front of me?,” we can experience healthier interactions with not only our children, but within all other relationships in our lives. “Your goal is not to make your child's life easy, it's to show them they can do hard things.” Dr. Siggie believes that you don’t always want your child to be happy— in fact, they MUST learn to not only recognize but sit with other emotions as well (like frustration, jealousy, boredom and disappointment) in order to function through life’s challenges. By teaching our kids to be mindful and accepting of the full spectrum of difficulty and joy, we actually protect them from dismissing, denying, or being overtaken by any one of these complex feelings. Likewise, when we’re feeling unhappy ourselves (perhaps we’ve “failed” at an important project or made a major mistake), Dr. Siggie talks us through how to both practice and model productive, solution-oriented self-reflection, using every bump in the road as a learning opportunity for ourselves and the little ones that look up to us. Whether you have kids, are thinking about having kids, or simply want to reparent yourself, these tips should help you foster healthier relationships with yourself, your kids, and others in your life. Let’s get juicy! Connect with Dr. Siggie Cohen: Follow @dr.siggie on IG Follow @parenting.with.dr.siggie on TikTok Visit her website Connect with Organic Olivia: My new Instagram HERE Shop my herbal formulas HERE Try Rosehip Relief HERE Recommended Reading: The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga