Cynthia Thurlow is a nurse practitioner, bestselling author, and leading voice in women's metabolic health. With over two decades of clinical experience, she's known for translating complex science into practical strategies—helping women navigate perimenopause, optimize fasting, and reclaim energy, resilience, and long-term wellness.

In this episode, Dr. Brian, Dr. Tro, and Cynthia talk about…

• (00:00) Intro

• (02:28) Hormonal shifts, the microbiome, and metabolic health

• (07:50) How modern developments in food production and the advent of mass-produced plastics have impacted our health

• (17:40) Fiber

• (25:43) Intermittent fasting and menopause

• (28:07) Inulin

• (31:27) Antibiotics and food sensitivities

• (33:45) The complexity of the gut microbiome

• (44:55) The insufficiency of modern testing

• (50:00) Gut health and mental health

• (53:42) Fermented foods

• (01:00:47) Good, better, best

• (01:03:16) Outro

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/

Cynthia Thurlow:

• Website: https://www.cynthiathurlow.com/

• X: https://x.com/_CynthiaThurlow

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/cynthia_thurlow_/

• Books: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2345217/cynthia-thurlow-np/

Dr. Brian Lenzkes:

• Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Dr. Tro Kalayjian:

• Website: https://toward.health

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/

Toward Health App

Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.

Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US

Learn more: https://toward.health/community/

Dr. Frank Dumont is Executive Medical Director at Virta Health, where he leads medical strategy to advance safe, scalable metabolic care. A longtime internal medicine physician at Estes Park Medical Center, he previously directed its Wellness Service Line. A Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Dumont has also served in leadership roles with the Colorado Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

In this episode, Drs. Brian and Frank talk about…

• (00:00) Intro

• (04:03) How Dr. Frank's personal health issues and professional experiences as a doctor led him to adopt a metabolic health approach to healing himself and his patients

• (10:41) Exercise, nutrition, and de-prescribing

• (14:22) Fat adaptation and fasting

• (24:09) Virta's peer-reviewed publications and long-term data

• (30:09) The positive cascading effect on holistic health of metabolic lifestyle interventions

• (36:25) Social support and mental health

• (44:41) Dr. Frank's experience leaving a standard medical practice and becoming a metabolic health practitioner

• (52:22) Moral injury and physician burnout in the standard medical care system

• (54:05) Employe wellness and metabolic health care

• (01:01:01) Outro/plugs

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/

Dr. Frank Dumont:

• Virta Health: https://www.virtahealth.com/

• X: https://x.com/FrankDumont

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-d-dumont-46aa00b7/

Dr. Brian Lenzkes:

• Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Dr. Tro Kalayjian:

• Website: https://toward.health

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/

Toward Health App

Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.

Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US

Learn more: https://toward.health/community/

Michael Prager is a journalist and writer focused on food addiction and the science of ultra-processed foods. Drawing on personal experience and deep reporting, he explores how modern food environments hijack appetite—and what it takes to reclaim health, agency, and freedom around food. He is also the chairman of the Food Addiction Institute and the author of two books: Fat Boy Thin Man and Sustainable You.

In this episode, Dr. Tro, Dr. Brian, and Michael talk about…

• (00:00) Intro

• (03:15) Michael's personal health journey dealing with food addiction and how he first became interested in researching food addiction

• (13:38) How spiritual and emotional health relate to physical health

• (28:12) Food addiction research and new developments in the mission to get food addiction officially recognized

• (39:10) Practical tips for dealing with food addiction

• (44:41) How Michael went from being a food addict to being the chairman of the Food Addiction Institute and writing books on food addiction

• (53:08) Michael's spiritual journey from being a hardcore agnostic to believing in and praying to God

• (01:00:52) Outro

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/

Michael Prager:

• Books: https://michaelprager.com/books

• Website: https://michaelprager.com/

• X: https://x.com/fatboythinman

• Food Addiction Institute: https://foodaddictioninstitute.org

Dr. Brian Lenzkes:

• Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Dr. Tro Kalayjian:

• Website: https://toward.health

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/

Toward Health App

Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.

Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US

Learn more: https://toward.health/community/

When there is no guest to interview, Dr. Brian and Dr. Tro get to talk about whatever they want! Today, that's the microbiome and metabolic health. The conversation ranges from fasting to microplastics to inulin and beyond. You are not likely to walk away without hearing something about gut health that you've never heard before.

In this episode, Drs. Tro and Brian talk about…

• (00:00) Intro

• (03:24) How the peer review process works for scientific publications

• (10:50) How the SMHP is tackling the barriers to good science caused by the standard peer review process

• (17:04) Fasting, the microbiome, and metabolic health

• (33:47) Mold, food allergies, and gut health

• (40:36) IMP issues, low carb diets, and inulin

• (43:15) Microplastics

• (46:06) Stress and physical health

• (49:20) The recent SMHP Symposium for Metabolic Health (link below for CME)

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Dr. Jessica Rose interview on the Life's Best Medicine Podcast: https://lifesbestmedicine.com/podcast/episode-282-dr-jessica-rose/

• The SMHP Symposium for Metabolic Health CME: https://thesmhp.org/accreditation-process/#providers

Dr. Brian Lenzkes:

• Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Dr. Tro Kalayjian:

• Website: https://toward.health

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/

Toward Health App

Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.

Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US

Learn more: https://toward.health/community/

Dr. Matt Bernstein is a clinical psychiatrist and leading voice in metabolic psychiatry, with 25 years of experience helping people achieve lasting mental health and functional recovery. A Columbia graduate (summa cum laude) and Penn-trained physician, he completed residency at MGH/McLean, where he served as chief resident and later held senior leadership roles. Now Chief Medical Officer at Ellenhorn, he develops innovative, community-based models for mental health care and serves on advisory boards advancing the metabolic psychiatry movement.

In this episode, Drs. Tro and Matthew talk about…

• (00:00) Intro

• (02:19) How Dr. Matthew found his way into metabolic psychiatry

• (05:53) Autoimmune encephalitis

• (09:59) Psychiatric health and the physical body

• (14:41) Infectious diseases causing psychiatric diseases

• (18:25) Psychiatric guidelines

• (23:04) How Dr. Matthew's clinic approaches the treatment of psychiatric disorders from a metabolic health perspective

• (26:31) How diet effects the brain

• (29:00) The most amazing case of disease reversal Dr. Matthew has seen recently

• (34:22) The data on the effectiveness of metabolic psychiatry and why many psychiatrists currently practicing are resistant to it

• (37:32) The great work being done to heal people at Accord Mental Health

• (43:27) Outro and plugs

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Dr. Matt Bernstein:

• Accord Mental Health: https://accordmh.com/

• Ellenhorn: https://www.ellenhorn.com/

Dr. Brian Lenzkes:

• Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Dr. Tro Kalayjian:

• Website: https://toward.health

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/

Toward Health App

Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.

Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US

Learn more: https://toward.health/community/

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans have finally arrived! When this podcast first started approximately 8 years ago, a paradigm shift of this magnitude seemed like a nice but impossible dream. In this episode we discuss the content, creation, and future impacts of our new national guidelines.

In this episode, Drs. Brian and Tro talk about…

• (00:00) Intro

• (01:25) The top people involved in bringing about the recent changes to our dietary guidelines

• (05:39) The content of the new dietary guidelines

• (09:27) How the big food companies have been reacting to these guidelines

• (12:20) The incredible success that common sense and real science have had in medicine/nutrition in recent years

• (17:01) The new food pyramid

• (18:40) Developments in HHS

• (21:22) The microbiome as it relates to mental health, structural health, and metabolic health

• (23:30) GMOs, pesticides, and the insane value of buying food from your local producers

• (29:25) The mental health benefits of eating real, whole foods

• (39:08) New recommendations for vegans

• (41:16) The new vaccine schedule for kids

• (43:27) New DPC and HSA policies

• (44:43) The Low Carb MD Podcast is FREE because we don't take money from ANYONE. Please, consider supporting us on Patreon if you believe in what we are doing (link below 👇)

• (50:41) Corruption and conflicts of interest in medicine

• (01:00:04) Outro

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• The New Guidelines: https://realfood.gov/

Dr. Brian Lenzkes:

• Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Dr. Tro Kalayjian:

• Website: https://toward.health

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/

Toward Health App

Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.

Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US

Learn more: https://toward.health/community/

The Low Carb Cruise brings together keto-curious travelers and seasoned low-carb veterans from around the world for an unforgettable blend of education, connection, and fun at sea. What began as a small gathering of friends and family has grown into a global community, united by inspiring seminars from leading voices in the keto space and a shared passion for healthier living. The cruise spans 7 days of Western Caribbean adventure, May 31–June 7, 2026, sailing to Roatán, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

In this episode, Dr. Tro talks with Low Carb Cruise organizers Debbie and Michelle about…

• (00:00) Intro

• (03:00) Last year's Low Carb Cruise

• (04:44) How the Low Carb Cruise came to be

• (06:49) How Debbie first discovered the power of Low Carb eating

• (11:25) The speaker line-up for this year's Low Carb Cruise

• (14:32) How Michelle became involved in organizing the Low Carb Cruise

• (21:12) GLP-1s, brain health, and inflammation

• (30:18) More on the speakers and docking locations on the upcoming Low Carb Cruise

For more information, please see the links below. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.lowcarbmd.com/

Debbie Hubbs and Michelle Hall:

• Low Carb Cruise: https://lowcarbcruise.com/

• Email: info@lowcarbcruise.com

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/lowcarbcruise/

• FB: https://www.facebook.com/lowcarbcruise/

Dr. Brian Lenzkes:

• Website: https://arizonametabolichealth.com/

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrianLenzkes?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Dr. Tro Kalayjian:

• Website: https://toward.health

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoctorTro

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/doctortro/

Toward Health App

Join a growing community of individuals who are improving their metabolic health; together.

Get started at your own pace with a self-guided curriculum developed by Dr. Tro and his care team, community chat, weekly meetings, courses, challenges, message boards and more.

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/doctor-tro/id1588693888

Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.disciplemedia.doctortro&hl=en_US&gl=US

Learn more: https://toward.health/community/