Ancient Health Podcast

Went to your doctor in your early 40s with sudden anxiety, insomnia, brain fog or unexplained weight gain — and walked out with an antidepressant? Author and nurse practitioner Dani Williamson joins Dr. Chris Motley to explain why SSRIs are not the answer to perimenopause, what's actually happening in your body as estrogen drops, and how healing your gut can bring your thyroid and hormones back into balance. 

Key Takeaways from this Conversation:

Women are being prescribed SSRIs for anxiety when the real cause is perimenopause. There’s no SSRI for that. 

Estrogen-loss comes with mood symptoms, weight gain and health concerns like Hashimoto's Thyroiditis as your thyroid begins to slow down. 

Fix your gut and your thyroid and hormones will (usually!) fall into place. 

Dani Williamson’s Top 7 Most Inflammatory Food:

Gluten

Dairy

Soy

Corn 

Sugar

Eggs 

Peanuts

If your doctor’s reaction to a health concern brought on by estrogen-loss is “let’s just watch this for 6 months,” it’s time to find a new doctor. 

A tiny low-dose estrogen patch can change your perimenopause game. 

Healing trauma and abuse is key (especially when it comes to thyroid health): Unaddressed childhood trauma can collide with the body-chaos of perimenopause. EMDR and talk therapy can help with this journey.  

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Follow Doctor Motley!

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

Website

Connect with Dani Williamson (she’s taking new Hashimoto's patients)

https://www.instagram.com/daniwilliamsonwellness/

https://daniwilliamson.com/

Buy Dani's book: https://shorturl.at/28pv3

Dani and Dr. Motley’s Sunday Night Service: Your health questions answered: Dani Williamson and Dr. Motley

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* You can get cell support in gummy form: Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/DRMOTLEY.

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/

*Do you have a ton more in-depth questions for Doctor Motley? Check out his course on emotions and the body in his membership. You’ll find other courses full of his expertise and clinical wisdom, plus bring all your questions to his weekly lives! To try risk-free for 15 days click here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15

After a serious heart attack with no conventional warning signs, Dr. John Kim went searching for answers. He was shocked to find what conventional testing never unearthed: he was unknowingly fighting a Bartonella infection, a heavy mycotoxin load and parasites. This was when the pharmacist turned functional medicine practitioner learned the role cellular energy plays in health breakdowns, and, vitally, in healing. 

In this episode, you’ll learn about cell-danger response and the connection between biotoxins and mitochondrial dysfunction (did you know if your cells are healthy they repel parasites?!). Dr. Kim shares his best tips for cellular healing (butyrate, phospholipids and sunlight) and walks us through the steps he takes his own clients through: taking stock of your individual environment, healing your nervous system, detox pathways, strengthening the microbiome, and building resilience so you can live your life.

Chapters

2:54 Dr. John Kim’s Heart Attack Story

4:11 His Struggle with Biotoxins

9:11 Cell Danger Response

11:00 The Impact of Mitochondrial Dysfunction

14:01 Mold Toxicity and Its Effects

19:49 Detoxification Strategies and Methodologies

24:00 The Encore Method for Healing

29:02 The Importance of Circadian Rhythms

32:15 Harnessing Sunlight for Cellular Health

36:09 Optimizing Cellular Function and Detoxification

45:30 Creating Cellular Resiliency

47:03 The Role of Emotional Health in Detoxification

49:22 A Simple Exercise to Increase HRV

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Follow Doctor Motley!

Instagram

TikTok

Facebook

Website

Connect with Dr. John Kim:

https://www.drjohnkim.com/

https://www.instagram.com/john.pharmd/

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* Are you looking for simple, non-invasive sound therapy tools for treating anxiety, or providing balance? You can get $100 off a WAVwatch with the code DRMOTLEY: https://wavwatch.com/pages/doctor-motley

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/

*Do you have a ton more in-depth questions for Doctor Motley? Check out his course on emotions and the body in his membership. You’ll find other courses full of his expertise and clinical wisdom, plus bring all your questions to his weekly lives! To try risk-free for 15 days click here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15

Your horrible reaction to beef could be from a tick-bite. In this episode, you’ll learn about Alpha-gal Syndrome, which could be the reason you can’t stomach red meat, and why it’s all to do with tick saliva. If you have Lyme disease, you may already understand how ticks can wreak havoc with your immune system. Here, Dr. Motley shares his thoughts on why allergic reactions to beef may be on the rise, and the treatments he’s seen manage symptoms most effectively, including herbs, homeopathy and ear acupuncture (and the SAAT technique that shows proven, long-lasting results). 

If you have a tick-borne illness or an unexplained allergic reaction to beef, this episode offers a hopeful path forward.   

Chapters

00:00 - What is Alpha-gal syndrome

11:11 - Why older generations eat meat more easily

12:07 - Why Alpha-gal may be so common

16:01 - Treatments, Auricular therapy

17:48 - Patient case studies

20:48 - Homeopathy treatments

21:33 - Other treatments

22:12 - Herbal remedies

24:54 - Recap and closing thoughts

Dr. Motley’s recommendations:

Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment

Arsenicum Album

Natrum Carbonicum

Carbo Vegetabilis

Nux Vomica

Stinging Nettle

Quercetin

D-Hist: https://shorturl.at/6UQBa

Japanese Knotweed: https://tinyurl.com/56r8fukp

Cat’s Claw: https://shorturl.at/eT7Zm

Houttuynia Supreme: https://shorturl.at/gJifj

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Want more of The Ancient Health Podcast? Subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Follow Dr. Motley!

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Tik-Tok

Website

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* Liposomal supplementation has been proven deeply effective and LivOn Labs got there first. Get 10% off LivOn Labs entire store of liposomal supplements with code MOTLEY at https://www.livonlabs.com/

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/*If you want to hear more of Dr. Motley’s education on Lyme,, check out his membership, complete with courses, a whole library of video-based resources and the chance to pick his brain on weekly live Q+A’s. You can try it free for 15 days here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15

Dr. Anis Khalaf’s life was saved by TCM and he doesn’t want this to be a rare experience. That’s why Dr. Khalaf, a practitioner with a background in both Western Medicine and Chinese Medicine, is on a mission to share as many different holistic health options as he can with families in his local community. So the Williamson County WellFest was born! 

Come see the Ancient Health Podcast LIVE, for a day’s worth of interviews about physical, mental and spiritual health, this Saturday May 16, 2026 at Will Co WellFest in Franklin, TN. Get your tickets here: https://shorturl.at/dAHaA

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Want more of The Ancient Health Podcast? Subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Follow Dr. Motley!

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Tik-Tok

Website

Follow Dr. Anis!

https://www.tiktok.com/@acupuncturefit

https://www.youtube.com/@AcupunctureFit

See the Podcast (and Dr. Motley) LIVE: https://shorturl.at/dAHaA

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* You can get cell support in gummy form: Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/DRMOTLEY.

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/

*If you want to hear more on how Chinese Medicine connects the physical and emotional, check out Doctor Motley’s membership, complete with courses, a whole library of video-based resources and the chance to pick his brain on weekly live Q+A’s. You can try it free for 15 days here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15

Menopause, with its period of incredible hormonal imbalance, can intensify thyroid issues and conventional medicine only offers limited help. Dr. Amie Hormanan, aka the Thyroid Fixer, is back to break down the complexities of hypothyroidism for you, giving you straight answers about what to do next while sharing her own personal thyroid journey.  

 Topics discussed:

How to get tested thoroughly

Thyroid medication

How do GLP1s work with the thyroid

Thyropause

Natural desiccated thyroid and T4 T3 medication

Autoimmune conditions + Epstein

Chapters

00:00 The Journey to Understanding Thyroid Health

07:09 The Importance of Comprehensive Testing

11:14 Recognizing Thyroid Symptoms

17:40 Navigating Thyroid Medications

21:44 The Interplay of Hormones and Thyroid Function

23:07 Understanding Thyroid Health and Diet

24:24 The Role of Viruses in Thyroid Issues

26:37 Hormonal Influences on Thyroid Function

29:25 The Impact of GLP Medications on Thyroid Health

32:07 The Need for Comprehensive Thyroid Education

37:02 Empowering Patients to Read Their Labs

39:15 Engaging with the Community and Future Plans

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Want more of The Ancient Health Podcast? Subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Follow Dr. Motley!

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Tik-Tok

Website

Follow Dr. Amie!

https://www.instagram.com/dramiehornaman/

www.dramie.com

Buy her book: www.thyroidfixbook.com

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* You can get cell support in gummy form: Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/DRMOTLEY.

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/

*If you want to hear more on how Chinese Medicine connects the physical and emotional, check out Doctor Motley’s membership, complete with courses, a whole library of video-based resources and the chance to pick his brain on weekly live Q+A’s. You can try it free for 15 days here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15