Modern Thyroid and Wellness

What if menopause wasn’t something to fear or simply endure, but a transition you could actively prepare for?
In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson sits down with Lisa Jedan, creator and host of MenoPositive, to challenge the long-standing narrative that menopause automatically means decline. After a successful career in PR and marketing, where she helped build brands and shape stories, Lisa turned those same skills toward changing the conversation around women’s health and aging.
Lisa shares what she has learned from interviewing experts across conventional medicine, Chinese medicine, longevity, breathwork, nutrition, and women’s health. The message she hears repeatedly is clear: hormones do not operate in isolation, and the earlier women invest in their health, the more options they may have as they age.
Together, McCall and Lisa explore strength training, nutrition, metabolism, thyroid health, Hashimoto’s, mindset, digestion, protein, fiber, sustainable lifestyle changes, and why midlife may become one of the healthiest and most fulfilling chapters of a woman’s life.
Key Topics Covered
Why Lisa created MenoPositive
Changing the narrative around menopause and aging
Why menopause preparation should begin before symptoms become overwhelming
How thyroid health and reproductive hormones overlap
Lisa’s personal experience with Hashimoto’s
Why women often put themselves last
Moving from perfection toward small, sustainable health changes
Why strength training becomes increasingly important during midlife
Building and preserving muscle for healthy aging
Protein, fiber, metabolism, and digestive health
Why regular bowel movements matter
Simple ways Lisa adds flaxseed and sprouts to her diet
How mindset may influence the menopause experience
Building trust with yourself through consistent habits
Moving beyond biohacking toward “bioharmony”
Why wellness optimization can become exhausting
The importance of sleep, movement, and nutrition before advanced optimization
Why your best years do not have to be behind you

Changing the Menopause Narrative
Lisa began her career as a dancer and performer before moving into PR and marketing, where she built a career around storytelling and changing narratives.
When she entered perimenopause and menopause herself, she noticed that the cultural story surrounding this stage of life did not match her experience.
So much of the messaging centered on loss, decline, and everything women should expect to go wrong.
Lisa wanted a different conversation.
That desire became MenoPositive, a platform and philosophy built around educating women about hormone changes while showing them what they can actively do to support their health.
After interviewing experts from a wide range of disciplines, Lisa says one message consistently emerges: menopause does not have to equal decline.
Why We Should Prepare for Menopause
Lisa makes a compelling comparison: we prepare for pregnancy, retirement, and marathons, so why do so many women arrive at one of the biggest biological transitions of their lives without preparation?
Historically, women have often been taught to wait until symptoms appear and then figure out how to manage them.
Lisa wants to reverse that approach.
Instead of asking, “How can I manage these symptoms?” she encourages women to ask how they can prepare their bodies for a more positive menopause experience.
For Lisa, this is not about perfection. It is about preparation and beginning wherever you are.
Thyroid Health and Menopause Symptoms Can Overlap
Lisa also lives with Hashimoto’s, giving her firsthand experience with how difficult it can be to distinguish thyroid symptoms from hormonal changes during midlife.
Mood changes, libido concerns, fatigue, brain fog, and changes in how the body feels can appear across both thyroid dysfunction and perimenopause.
One of the biggest lessons Hashimoto’s taught Lisa was to become curious about what her body was communicating rather than automatically accepting symptoms as her new normal.
McCall emphasizes that thyroid hormones and reproductive hormones do not exist in isolation. Understanding both can be especially important as women move through their 30s, 40s, and beyond.
Why Women Need to Put Themselves Back on the List
Whether a woman is the CEO of a company or the CEO of her household, Lisa observes that women often place themselves third, fourth, or fifth on their own priority lists.
Midlife can offer an opportunity to change that.
Lisa encourages women to believe they deserve to be healthy and to recognize that investing in themselves does not require changing everything overnight.
Cooking one additional vegetable, adding a little movement, or making one sustainable change can begin shifting the trajectory.
McCall connects this idea to the power of small habits. Tiny actions may seem insignificant in isolation, but when repeated consistently, they compound.
Strength Training as a Midlife “Secret Weapon”
For Lisa, two changes significantly influenced her menopause experience: strength training and nutrition.
She had always been active because of her background as a dancer, but midlife encouraged her to change the way she exercised.
Strength training became a priority.
Lisa noticed changes not only in her body, but also in her mood, sleep, confidence, and mindset.
McCall emphasizes that building muscle becomes increasingly challenging as women move through perimenopause and menopause, making it valuable to establish that foundation earlier.
Lisa compares strength training to putting money in the bank. Building strength now creates reserves that may become increasingly valuable later in life.
Keep the Schedule, Change the Scope
One of Lisa’s favorite ideas comes from Atomic Habits by James Clear: “Keep the schedule, change the scope.”
If you planned to exercise but suddenly only have ten minutes, doing those ten minutes still allows you to keep the promise you made to yourself.
Lisa and McCall discuss how this consistency builds something even bigger than fitness: self-trust.
Every time you follow through, especially when you do not feel like it, you reinforce the belief that you can rely on yourself.
That mindset can make sustainable health changes much more achievable than an all-or-nothing approach.
From Biohacking to Bioharmony
Women today are surrounded by wellness advice.
Eat more protein. Take supplements. Strength train. Optimize your hormones. Track your sleep. Improve your metabolism.
Eventually, optimization itself can become exhausting.
Lisa believes the conversation is beginning to shift away from constant “biohacking” toward what she calls bioharmony, a more sustainable approach to working with the body rather than endlessly trying to optimize every variable.
The foundation remains surprisingly simple:
Eat well. Move your body. Sleep.
These habits are not always easy, but Lisa believes establishing them first creates a stronger foundation before adding more advanced interventions.
Protein, Fiber, and Digestion in Midlife
Nutrition is another major part of the conversation.
Across Lisa’s interviews with experts, protein repeatedly emerges as an important topic, particularly alongside strength training and maintaining muscle.
But protein is not the whole story.
Lisa also emphasizes fiber and digestive regularity.
She shares that many women assume having a bowel movement every two or three days is normal. Her own experience taught her how stress and rushed mornings could affect digestion.
Two simple foods she regularly incorporates are flaxseed and sprouts. She prepares flaxseed ahead of time and adds it to yogurt, while sprouts can easily be added to eggs, salads, or meals.
These small, affordable habits reflect Lisa’s larger philosophy: health does not always require expensive or complicated interventions.
You Have More Influence Than You Think
When McCall asks Lisa what mindset shift she wishes every woman could make, her answer is simple:
You have a choice.
Lisa believes women have more influence over how they approach and experience menopause than many have been led to believe.
That does not mean every symptom can be prevented or that every woman will have the same experience. It means women can become informed, seek appropriate care, strengthen their health foundations, and make choices that support the decades ahead.
Your Best Years Are Not Behind You
Perhaps the biggest myth Lisa wants to challenge is the idea that a woman’s best years are over once she reaches midlife.
She sees the opposite.
Women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are starting businesses, stepping into leadership, pursuing new goals, and redefining what aging looks like.
Instead of treating menopause as an ending, Lisa sees it as an opportunity to enter the second half of life with greater wisdom, perspective, confidence, and purpose.
For her, menopause can be a powerful new beginning.
Final Takeaway
Preparing for menopause does not mean pursuing perfection.
It means starting where you...

What if you've optimized your thyroid hormones, improved your nutrition, reduced inflammation, and addressed the underlying biochemistry, but you still don't feel fully well?
In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson welcomes chronic illness recovery educator Faith Ashenden for a fascinating conversation about the neuroscience of healing and how the brain may continue reinforcing chronic symptoms long after the body has begun to recover. After overcoming Graves' disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, IBS, panic attacks, and years of debilitating illness, Faith now teaches women how to retrain subconscious patterns, regulate the nervous system, and rebuild confidence in their health.
Together, McCall and Faith explore why healing is about more than lab work alone, how chronic illness can shape identity, and why combining functional medicine with nervous system work may help people move from simply managing symptoms to truly thriving.
Key Topics Covered
Faith's journey with Graves' disease and chronic illness
The challenges of delayed diagnosis and years of debilitating symptoms
Graves' disease versus Hashimoto's disease
Why treating thyroid disease doesn't always resolve every symptom
The role of functional medicine in Faith's recovery
What neuroplasticity is and how the brain adapts to chronic illness
How chronic symptoms can become learned neurological patterns
The difference between biochemical healing and nervous system healing
Chronic illness identity and fear of relapse
Why trauma from chronic illness itself matters
Common limiting beliefs that keep people feeling stuck
Practical ways to begin retraining the brain
Why healing is rarely linear
Building resilience through new beliefs and daily habits
Combining functional medicine with mindset and nervous system work

Faith's Story of Chronic Illness
Faith developed Graves' disease while attending college after experiencing severe anxiety, rapid weight loss, heart palpitations, overwhelming fatigue, and multiple unexplained symptoms. After months of searching for answers, she was finally diagnosed when an endocrinologist recognized the signs almost immediately.
Although treatment addressed her hyperthyroidism, Faith continued struggling for years with chronic fatigue, digestive issues, anxiety, and other persistent health challenges. Her experience eventually led her into functional medicine, where she began addressing the underlying physiological contributors to her symptoms before discovering the important role that neuroplasticity and the nervous system would play in her long-term recovery.
Why the Brain Matters in Chronic Illness
Faith explains that when symptoms persist for months or years, the brain naturally adapts.
Through neuroplasticity, the brain learns patterns that associate certain situations, environments, or activities with symptom responses. Even after many underlying physical issues have improved, these learned pathways may continue reinforcing chronic symptoms.
Rather than suggesting illness is "all in your head," Faith emphasizes that biochemical healing and nervous system healing often work together.
Healing Beyond the Lab Results
McCall shares that many patients improve dramatically after optimizing thyroid hormones, inflammation, nutrition, and metabolic health, yet some continue feeling as though they cannot fully regain their confidence or resilience.
Faith believes this is where subconscious beliefs, fear of relapse, and nervous system regulation become important.
Together, they discuss how healing often involves addressing both physiology and psychology instead of viewing them as competing explanations.
The Identity of Being Chronically Ill
One of the most powerful themes throughout the episode is identity.
After years of illness, many people begin organizing their lives around avoiding symptoms rather than building confidence in recovery.
Faith encourages listeners to recognize when the identity of being chronically ill has become part of their daily thinking and to intentionally begin creating a new vision of themselves beyond illness.
Trauma Doesn't End With the Diagnosis
The conversation also highlights an often-overlooked form of trauma: the experience of living with chronic illness itself.
Repeated medical appointments, unanswered questions, fear of relapse, canceled plans, and years of uncertainty can all shape subconscious beliefs about safety and health.
Faith explains that recognizing and working through those experiences may become an important part of long-term recovery.
Practical Steps to Retrain the Brain
Faith encourages listeners to become more intentional about where they place their attention.
Rather than constantly searching for evidence that reinforces illness, she recommends looking for evidence of healing, celebrating small improvements, and creating daily habits that reinforce resilience instead of fear.
She also discusses limiting exposure to online communities or content that continually reinforces hopelessness while seeking stories of recovery, possibility, and growth.
Healing Is a Journey
Both McCall and Faith agree that healing rarely happens in a perfectly straight line.
Setbacks and symptom flares do not necessarily erase progress. Instead, they can become opportunities to strengthen new patterns, build confidence, and continue developing trust in the body's ability to heal.
The goal is not perfection but creating a healthier relationship with both the body and the mind.
Final Takeaway
Faith Ashenden reminds us that healing is about more than simply eliminating symptoms.
Once the body's underlying physiology has been addressed, rebuilding confidence, changing limiting beliefs, regulating the nervous system, and creating new patterns of resilience may become the next layer of recovery.
By combining functional medicine with neuroscience and mindset work, many people may discover possibilities for healing they never thought were available.
About Faith Ashenden
Faith Ashenden is a chronic illness recovery educator, founder of That Healing Feeling, and host of the That Healing Feeling Podcast. After fully recovering from Graves' disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, IBS, panic attacks, and multiple chronic health conditions, she now helps women understand the neuroscience of healing, nervous system regulation, and subconscious pattern change through her educational programs and coaching.
Resources & Links
🌐 Faith Ashenden
https://faithashenden.com/
📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thathealingfeeling/
🎙️ That Healing Feeling Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/5bOaTuON429YbnFesShdxt
🎓 Free Masterclass
Available through Faith's website and Instagram.
📲 Follow McCall McPherson & Modern Thyroid and Wellness
💻 Website: modernthyroidclinic.com
🐦 X / Twitter: @thyroidexpert
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📘 Facebook: McCall McPherson PAC
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What if the key to better thyroid health, metabolism, and longevity starts at the cellular level?
In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson is joined by David Roberts and Dr. John Gildea, the founders of Mara Labs, to explore the science behind chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, detoxification, and why bioavailability is one of the most overlooked factors in nutritional supplementation.
David shares the deeply personal story that inspired Mara Labs after his wife Mara's battle with breast cancer, while Dr. Gildea explains how his own scientific research led him to develop innovative ways to improve the absorption of powerful natural compounds like sulforaphane and curcumin. Together, they discuss how environmental toxins, poor nutrition, gut barrier dysfunction, and chronic inflammation may contribute to many of today's chronic health conditions—and why supporting the body's natural detoxification pathways is more important than ever.
Key Topics Covered
The personal story behind the founding of Mara Labs
Why bioavailability matters more than simply taking supplements
What sulforaphane is and why it has become one of the most researched plant compounds
The role of chronic inflammation in long-term health
Oxidative stress and its relationship to chronic disease
Understanding NRF2 and the body's natural antioxidant defenses
Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III detoxification
How gut barrier function influences toxin exposure
Environmental toxins, microplastics, and endocrine disruption
Practical ways to reduce your toxic burden
The connection between inflammation and thyroid hormone function
How sulforaphane and curcumin may support healthy cellular function
Why personalized medicine matters
The science behind GLPerfect™, BrocElite®, CurcuElite®, BerbElite®, and Microplast-X™

From Personal Tragedy to Purpose
Mara Labs was born from an incredibly personal journey.
After David Roberts' wife Mara was diagnosed with breast cancer, he partnered with scientist Dr. John Gildea to better understand natural compounds that could support cellular health. Their research led them to sulforaphane, a compound naturally found in broccoli sprouts, but they quickly discovered that creating a stable, bioavailable form was one of the biggest scientific challenges.
Following Mara's passing, David and John committed themselves to bringing scientifically formulated, highly bioavailable nutritional supplements to market in her honor.
Why Bioavailability Matters
One of the biggest themes throughout the conversation is that the quality of a supplement depends on much more than the ingredient listed on the label.
Many natural compounds show remarkable results in laboratory studies but are poorly absorbed by the human body.
David and Dr. Gildea explain how Mara Labs focuses on improving bioavailability so these compounds can actually reach the cells where they are intended to work.
Rather than simply increasing dosage, their research has centered on improving delivery.
Chronic Inflammation Starts Long Before Disease
The conversation explores how chronic disease often develops years before a formal diagnosis.
Dr. Gildea explains that declining nutrient density, increasing environmental toxin exposure, oxidative stress, and chronic low-grade inflammation gradually affect cellular function over time.
Whether those changes eventually appear as thyroid disease, metabolic dysfunction, autoimmune conditions, or another chronic illness often depends on an individual's genetics, lifestyle, and overall resilience.
Detoxification Is More Than a Trend
Detoxification is often misunderstood.
The guests explain that true detoxification involves multiple phases that occur throughout the body—not just in the liver—and depends on properly transforming, processing, and eliminating toxins.
They also emphasize that reducing exposure remains just as important as supporting the body's detoxification pathways.
Simple strategies discussed include improving indoor air quality with HEPA filtration, drinking filtered water, choosing less processed foods, and purchasing food from trusted local sources whenever possible.
NRF2: The Master Switch for Cellular Protection
A major focus of the episode is NRF2, one of the body's primary cellular defense pathways.
The guests explain how sulforaphane activates NRF2, supporting antioxidant production, Phase II detoxification, cellular resilience, and healthy inflammatory responses.
Curcumin is also discussed as another compound that complements these pathways while supporting a balanced inflammatory response.
Together, these compounds may help support overall cellular health through multiple biological mechanisms.
Environmental Toxins and Microplastics
David and Dr. Gildea discuss the growing concern surrounding microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
They explain how microplastics may carry additional toxins into the body while potentially interfering with normal hormonal signaling.
The conversation also introduces Microplast-X™, a newer Mara Labs product designed to support the body's natural ability to remove accumulated microplastics.
Supporting Metabolic Health
The discussion also explores GLPerfect™, a supplement developed to support healthy metabolism using highly bioavailable natural compounds.
Rather than replacing prescription GLP-1 medications, the product was designed as a nutritional approach that supports several pathways involved in appetite regulation, blood sugar balance, fat metabolism, and muscle preservation.
The conversation highlights the importance of viewing metabolism through a broader lens than weight loss alone.
Thyroid Health and Cellular Function
McCall connects many of the concepts discussed back to thyroid health.
She explains that many patients produce adequate thyroid hormone but struggle with activation, conversion, or cellular utilization.
Reducing inflammation, supporting antioxidant defenses, and improving overall cellular health may help create a healthier environment for thyroid hormone function.
The discussion also explores the relationship between inflammation and Hashimoto's thyroiditis and why supporting the body's underlying physiology may benefit overall wellness.
Final Takeaway
David Roberts and Dr. John Gildea remind us that long-term health begins long before disease is diagnosed.
Supporting healthy cellular function, reducing chronic inflammation, minimizing toxic exposures, and improving nutrient bioavailability all contribute to building a stronger foundation for lifelong health.
Rather than searching for a single miracle solution, lasting wellness often comes from consistently supporting the body's natural systems and choosing interventions backed by thoughtful science.
About the Guests
David Roberts is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Mara Labs. Inspired by his wife Mara's battle with breast cancer, he helped establish the company to develop highly bioavailable nutritional supplements focused on supporting cellular health, detoxification, and longevity.
Dr. John Gildea is the co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Mara Labs. A molecular biologist and researcher, his work focuses on cellular biology, oxidative stress, nutrient bioavailability, inflammation, and the development of innovative nutritional compounds that support healthy aging.
Resources & Links
🌐 Mara Labs
📸 Mara Labs Instagram
🎙️ Mara Labs Podcast

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What if PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, chronic inflammation, fertility concerns, and post-viral illness aren’t completely separate health problems, but connected chapters of a much bigger story?
In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson sits down with Nicole Peterson Doran, co-founder of PUR-FORM and host of The Healthspan Collective podcast. Nicole shares her personal journey from being diagnosed with PCOS at just 16 and later hypothyroidism to discovering functional and integrative medicine, preparing for pregnancy, navigating long COVID and mast cell activation syndrome, and ultimately helping build businesses focused on personalized health optimization and regenerative medicine.
Together, McCall and Nicole explore why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing, how foundational habits and personalized care can work together, and how emerging tools such as GLP-1 medications, peptides, EBO2, and regenerative therapies are becoming part of a broader conversation around complex health challenges.
🔑 Key Topics Covered
Nicole’s PCOS diagnosis at age 16
Developing hypothyroidism after her PCOS diagnosis
Weight gain, inflammation, fatigue, brain fog, and hormonal symptoms
Why birth control and metformin did not address everything she was experiencing
How functional and integrative medicine changed her health journey
Moving beyond calorie counting toward whole-food nutrition
Why bio-individuality matters in nutrition and treatment
The importance of sleep, blood sugar balance, nutrition, and stress management
Nicole’s fertility fears after being diagnosed with PCOS
How she prepared her body before trying to conceive
Her experience becoming pregnant after years of worrying about fertility
How severe stress and COVID triggered another health crisis
Long COVID and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)
The relationship between gut health, immune regulation, stress, and inflammation
Nicole’s personal experience with microdosed GLP-1 therapy
Thymosin alpha-1 and larazotide discussed during her recovery
EBO2 and its role in Nicole and McCall’s personal health journeys
Regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies at PUR-FORM
PUR-FORM’s newly launched MUSE cell offering
Therapeutic plasma exchange and health optimization
Why finding one practitioner who truly listens can change your health journey

Nicole’s Health Journey Started at 16
Nicole had been a healthy athlete when her health suddenly changed during her teenage years.
Within months, she gained approximately 30 pounds, developed facial hair and irregular periods, struggled with severe fatigue, and experienced significant brain fog.
After seeing multiple specialists, her mother took her to a trusted OB/GYN who decided to investigate her hormones and thyroid more deeply. Nicole was diagnosed with PCOS and, a year or two later, hypothyroidism.
She was prescribed birth control and metformin. While these treatments addressed certain aspects of her condition, Nicole still struggled with her weight, inflammation, and energy.
She knew she needed to look deeper.
Discovering a Different Approach to Health
A major turning point came after college when Nicole began working with a health coach.
Instead of obsessively tracking calories and macros, she shifted her attention toward whole foods and began exploring how nutrition, stress, mindfulness, and emotional wellbeing influenced her health.
She noticed her inflammation gradually improving.
The experience ultimately inspired Nicole to study at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she was introduced to a concept that became central to her approach to health: bio-individuality.
What works for one person may not work for another.
Nicole personally thrives living gluten-free, but she emphasizes that this does not mean everyone needs to eliminate gluten. Intermittent fasting may transform one person’s health while being completely wrong for someone else.
McCall sees the same principle in thyroid care. There is no universally “best” thyroid medication or diet because each person’s physiology and needs are different.
However, certain foundations remain important for almost everyone: whole-food nutrition, balanced blood sugar, quality sleep, movement, and stress management.
PCOS, Fertility, and Preparing for Pregnancy
When Nicole was diagnosed with PCOS as a teenager, she was told becoming pregnant might be difficult.
The message stayed with her because she had always wanted to become a mother.
Years later, when pregnancy became a priority, Nicole intentionally focused on creating the healthiest foundation she could.
Working with her practitioners, she focused on lowering inflammation and supporting her overall health through personalized nutrition and supplementation. She discusses CoQ10 and fish oil, reducing sugar, eliminating alcohol, continuing her gluten-free lifestyle, temporarily removing dairy, and significantly reducing travel and stress.
Perhaps most importantly, she gave herself permission to slow down.
Nicole became pregnant after approximately three months of trying.
She acknowledges that fertility is complex and that no lifestyle strategy can guarantee pregnancy. Still, her experience offers an encouraging perspective for women who fear that a PCOS diagnosis automatically means they will be unable to conceive.
When Long COVID Triggered a New Health Crisis
By 2023, Nicole felt healthier than she had in years.
Then she contracted COVID during an intensely stressful period surrounding the launch of her business and her wedding.
She became severely ill just days before getting married. After the acute infection passed, unusual symptoms remained.
Nicole began experiencing significant histamine reactions, inflammation, weight changes, brain fog, fatigue, and irritability.
Eventually, a practitioner recognized symptoms consistent with mast cell activation syndrome in the context of her post-viral health challenges.
This became another turning point in how Nicole understood her body.
Her immune system, gut health, inflammation, stress, and metabolic health were not operating independently. They were deeply interconnected.
GLP-1s, Peptides, and Personalized Medicine
Nicole worked with practitioners to explore different strategies during her recovery.
She shares her personal experience with microdosed tirzepatide, a GLP-1-based medication, which she describes as an important tool for her own inflammation and metabolic health.
She also discusses peptides, including thymosin alpha-1 in the context of immune support and larazotide in relation to gut barrier health.
Gut health has been a recurring theme throughout Nicole’s health journey. She describes how periods of intense stress seemed to coincide with worsening inflammation and digestive health, reinforcing her belief that the body must be viewed as an interconnected system.
The larger message is not that everyone needs the same medication, peptide, diet, or intervention.
Personalized medicine means selecting tools according to the individual.
What Is EBO2?
McCall and Nicole also discuss EBO2, short for extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation.
Nicole explains that PUR-FORM offers EBO2 and trains other clinics in the protocol. The procedure involves circulating blood outside the body through a system involving filtration, oxygen, and ozone before returning it to the patient.
Nicole shares that EBO2 has been part of her own health strategy outside of pregnancy.
The topic is also deeply personal for McCall, who shares that she underwent EBO2 while struggling significantly with long COVID and credits the treatment as an important turning point in her own recovery.
Their experiences lead to a broader conversation about the evolving field of regenerative medicine and the need to evaluate advanced therapies based on each patient’s individual circumstances.
From Patient to Entrepreneur
Nicole’s difficult health experiences eventually became part of her professional mission.
She remembers working incredibly hard on her health while feeling as though her body simply would not respond.
Years of inflammation, fatigue, weight struggles, and frustration also contributed to an unhealthy relationship with food at different points in her journey.
Today, Nicole is running multiple businesses while preparing to become a mother.
Her transformation inspired a commitment: if she could better understand her own health, she wanted to help other people avoid some of the confusion and frustration she experienced.
That mission became part of the work behind PUR-FORM.
Regenerative Medicine at PUR-FORM
PUR-FORM is a comprehensive health optimization clinic based in Boca Raton, Florida.
Nicole discusses working with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Purita and her family to expand access to integrative and regenerative therapies.
Services discussed during the episode include:
Stem cell and regenerative therapies
EBO2
Therapeutic plasma exchange
IV therapies
Red light therapy
Infrared sauna
Cold plunge
Cryotherapy

Nicole also shares an important new development: PUR-FORM recently launched a MUSE cell offering as part of its regenerative medicine services.
She

What if one of the most overlooked causes of fatigue, joint pain, thyroid dysfunction, and even heart disease wasn't iron deficiency, but iron overload?
In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson welcomes Christy Sutton, chiropractor, functional medicine clinician, educator, and author of The Iron Curse. Inspired by her husband's diagnosis with hereditary hemochromatosis, Dr. Sutton has dedicated her work to helping patients recognize and address iron overload before it leads to serious long-term health complications.
Together, McCall and Dr. Sutton explore why hereditary hemochromatosis is far more common than many people realize, why millions of people may unknowingly carry high-risk genes, and how excess iron can silently damage the liver, heart, pancreas, brain, thyroid, and other organs. McCall also shares her own personal experience with iron overload, walking through her lab work live during the episode while Dr. Sutton explains what the results reveal and why early detection can make all the difference.
Whether you're experiencing unexplained fatigue, elevated ferritin, thyroid issues, or have a family history of iron overload, this episode offers practical guidance on testing, treatment, and understanding one of the most underdiagnosed conditions in modern medicine.

🔑 Key Topics Covered
What hereditary hemochromatosis is and why it's commonly missed
Why iron overload can be just as dangerous as iron deficiency
The three HFE gene variants associated with hereditary hemochromatosis
Why being told you're "just a carrier" may not tell the full story
How excess iron creates oxidative stress throughout the body
The connection between iron overload and liver disease
How excess iron may contribute to cardiovascular disease and plaque formation
Iron overload and its relationship with thyroid dysfunction
Why iron can accumulate in the brain, pancreas, pituitary gland, and joints
The impact of iron overload on hormone production and fertility
Why women often develop iron overload after menopause or uterine ablation
McCall's personal lab review and genetic results
Understanding ferritin, transferrin saturation, and inflammatory markers
Why ferritin should always be interpreted alongside CRP
The role of therapeutic blood removal in treatment
Blood donation versus therapeutic phlebotomy
Dietary strategies to help manage iron overload
Why vitamin C supplementation may increase iron absorption
Foods and beverages that influence iron absorption
Supplements that may support healthy iron regulation
The relationship between celiac disease genes and iron metabolism
Why family history plays an important role in early detection


🩸 Iron Overload Is More Common Than Most People Think
When most people think about iron, they think about deficiency.
But according to Dr. Sutton, hereditary hemochromatosis affects far more people than many realize, with a significant portion of the population carrying one or more HFE gene variants that can increase iron absorption.
Because the body has very limited ways to eliminate excess iron, levels can gradually increase over decades, especially after menstruation ends or blood loss decreases.

🧬 Why Excess Iron Can Damage the Entire Body
Iron is essential for life, but too much can become harmful.
Dr. Sutton explains that excess iron contributes to oxidative stress, allowing iron to accumulate within tissues where it may damage organs over time.
Areas commonly affected include:
Liver
Heart
Pancreas
Brain
Thyroid
Pituitary gland
Joints

Because this process develops slowly, many people don't recognize the problem until significant health issues appear.

👩 Why Women Often Don't Develop Symptoms Until Midlife
Premenopausal women naturally lose iron through monthly menstrual cycles.
As a result, many women remain protected from iron accumulation for years.
However, after menopause, hysterectomy, uterine ablation, or other situations that reduce menstrual blood loss, iron levels may begin rising much more rapidly.
McCall shares her own experience of seeing her iron markers increase after uterine ablation, creating an opportunity to discuss how these laboratory changes may appear before significant symptoms develop.

🩺 Looking Beyond a Single Lab Value
One of the most educational moments of the episode comes when Dr. Sutton reviews McCall's laboratory results in real time.
She explains why evaluating multiple markers together provides a more complete picture, including:
Ferritin
Transferrin saturation
Complete blood count
Red blood cell markers
C-reactive protein (CRP)

Because ferritin can rise with both inflammation and excess iron, understanding the broader laboratory context becomes essential when determining the underlying cause.

❤️ Iron Overload and Heart Health
The discussion also explores the relationship between excess iron and cardiovascular health.
According to Dr. Sutton, elevated iron may contribute to oxidative stress that damages blood vessels and promotes inflammation.
Over time, this process may play a role in plaque formation and increase cardiovascular risk in susceptible individuals.
McCall also shares the personal story of losing her brother unexpectedly to a heart attack, highlighting why this topic carries such deep personal significance for her family.

💉 Treatment Starts by Reducing Iron
The primary treatment for hereditary hemochromatosis involves removing excess iron through therapeutic phlebotomy or blood donation when medically appropriate.
By removing blood, the body uses stored iron to produce new red blood cells, gradually lowering overall iron stores.
Dr. Sutton explains that treatment plans should always be individualized and that blood removal is not appropriate for everyone.

🥩 Everyday Habits That Influence Iron Levels
In addition to therapeutic blood removal, lifestyle choices can influence iron absorption.
Dr. Sutton discusses strategies such as:
Moderating red meat intake when iron levels are elevated
Pairing iron-rich meals with tea or coffee, which may reduce iron absorption
Avoiding unnecessary vitamin C supplements with iron-rich meals
Supporting overall health through individualized nutrition and supplementation

She also discusses compounds such as curcumin, green tea extract, quercetin, and alpha-lipoic acid that are being studied for their role in supporting healthy iron regulation.

🌟 Final Takeaway
Iron deficiency deserves attention, but so does iron overload.
Because hereditary hemochromatosis often develops silently over many years, understanding your genetics, reviewing your laboratory markers, and paying attention to family history may help identify problems before long-term complications develop.
As Dr. Sutton explains throughout this conversation, awareness is one of the most powerful tools we have.
Early testing, thoughtful interpretation of laboratory results, and individualized treatment can help protect long-term health while preventing unnecessary organ damage.

👤 About the Guest
Christy Sutton is a chiropractor, functional medicine clinician, educator, and author specializing in genetics, iron metabolism, and chronic disease prevention. Inspired by her husband's diagnosis with hereditary hemochromatosis, she developed educational resources to help patients and practitioners better understand iron overload, genetic risk factors, and root-cause approaches to long-term health.

🔗 Resources & Links
📖 The Iron Curse by Dr. Christy Sutton
The Iron Curse Book
🎓 The Iron Curse Educational Workshop
The Iron Curse Workshop
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