Podcast
Medical Disruptor™ by Dr. E
Hosted by Dr. Efrat LaMandre PhD, FNP-C · EN
The Medical Disruptor™ Podcast was made for people who want to take their health to the next level. Dr. E’s mission is to give you reliable, science-based health information through a unique lens, using functional medicine to help you get the answers you’ve been looking for. In our episodes, Dr. E explains the root cause of your symptoms so you can take control, stop suffering and start living. Dr. E wants to empower you to realize your symptoms are NOT in your head while giving you the tools to take control of your health.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Help Your Gallbladder Heal Before It Turns Into a Problem
4w ago00:16:42Tap to summarizeCan you heal your gallbladder instead of removing it? Maybe. In this episode I break down what's really behind gallstones, gallbladder sludge, and gallbladder pain, and what you can actually do before surgery. I'm Dr. E, the NP with the PhD. Most people get told "you have stones, let's take it out" and that's the whole conversation. Nobody asks why the gallstones formed, or what happens to your digestion after gallbladder removal. That's what we're fixing here. We cover: What causes gallbladder sludge and gallstones Why gallbladder attacks and biliary colic happen The root causes doctors skip: insulin resistance, thyroid, hormones, bad bile What gallbladder removal actually does to your body When you truly do need surgery Already having symptoms? Get checked by your GI first. If you're in wait-and-see mode, you deserve to ask the deeper questions. Welcome to The Medical Disruptor, where smart humans get answers they won't hear anywhere else. I help humans go from medically gaslit to medically empowered. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Still second guessing yourself in the exam room? Click here! https://freechapter.lpages.co/self-gaslighting-habits-to-watch-for/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 2:31 - Gallbladder Pain, Stones & Sludge 5:42 - The Root Cause Nobody Talks About 7:50 - Why the Gallbladder Gets Sluggish 10:04 - Life After Removal: Post-Cholecystectomy Syndrome 13:37 - How to Support Your Gallbladder Naturally Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The Hormone Myth Everyone Needs to Stop Believing ft. Dr. Cassie Smith
Jun 3000:40:15Tap to summarizeEstrogen is the hormone women are told to fear, and never told it is actually the one they need most. In this episode of The Medical Disruptor, I sit down with endocrinologist Dr. Cassie Smith to dismantle the hormone myth that's kept millions of women suffering: the belief that estrogen and hormone therapy cause cancer. Dr. Cassie trained at one of the top metabolism and endocrinology fellowships in the country, was named chief resident, ran clinical trials, and then walked away from conventional medicine because the system was failing her patients, and failing her. What she's seen treating thousands of women tells a very different story than what your doctor was taught. We get into why "normal" thyroid labs don't mean you're healthy, how your gut secretly controls whether your hormones actually work, why TSH is a terrible standalone test, and why hormones done correctly can extend longevity and lower your risk of heart disease, dementia, and disease, not raise it. If you've been hesitant about hormone therapy, this conversation will give you the context you need, so you can make a decision based on how hormones truly work, not on outdated fear. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Stop getting dismissed at the doctor's office.Get Dr. E's FREE 5 Red Flag Phrases guide here: https://freechapter.lpages.co/5-phrases-that-are-red-flags/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 4:38 - A Doctor Diagnosed, Dismissed, and Gaslit 11:10 - How Your Gut Controls Your Hormones 19:52 - Why "Normal" Labs Don't Mean You're Healthy 26:13 - What to Ask Your Doctor (and When to Leave) 34:58 - The Truth About Hormones and Cancer Guest Links: FB: https://www.facebook.com/ModernEndocrine IG: https://www.instagram.com/modernendocrine_/ YT: https://www.youtube.com/@modernendocrine Website: https://www.modern-endocrine.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Perimenopause & Menopause: Why Balancing Hormones in the Right Order Changes Everything
Jun 2500:19:06Tap to summarizeMenopause doesn't have to be miserable. Yes, we're going to age, and yes, our hormones are going to change, but we do not have to feel old, exhausted, foggy, and brushed off. In this solo episode of the Medical Disruptor, I walk you through how to actually balance your hormones through perimenopause and menopause, in the order your body actually works. Most women get handed estrogen and sent home, and I'm going to show you why that approach so often misses the real driver, and what you need to address first. I start by clearing up the difference between menopause and perimenopause so you know which stage you're really in, and then I explain why your sex hormones aren't the right place to begin. From there I walk through it in the order that actually matters: first insulin and blood sugar, which almost everyone skips, then cortisol and your stress system, which can quietly hog the raw ingredients your sex hormones need, and then your thyroid, where I explain why a single TSH number is not enough testing. Only after those foundations do I get into sex hormones and hormone therapy, including the real difference between HRT and BHRT, what you're actually being offered, and why the type, dose, and route of delivery matter so much. I also unpack the truth behind the Women's Health Initiative studies, the myth that menopause is simply estrogen deficiency, what estrogen dominance really means, and why testosterone matters for women too. You're not stuck, and you don't have to push your way through this. I'm Dr. E, the NP with the PhD, and I help humans go from medically gaslit to medically empowered. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ "Fine" isn't the same as well. Stop waiting to collapse before someone listens. Build your case: https://freechapter.lpages.co/how-to-build-a-case-for-yourself/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 1:25 - Defining Menopause, Perimenopause & Hormones 3:06 - Why Insulin Comes First 5:38 - Cortisol & Your Stress System 7:21 - Getting Your Thyroid Tested Right 9:15 - Sex Hormones, HRT & Finding Balance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why Your Brain Is Starving Even When You Eat ft. Dr. Matt Bernstein
Jun 2300:40:28Tap to summarizeWhy Your Brain Is Starving Even When You Eat ft. Dr. Matt Bernstein What if the symptoms we call "mental illness" aren't really about brain chemistry at all, but about a brain that's literally starving for energy? In this episode of The Medical Disruptor, I sit down with psychiatrist Dr. Matt Bernstein, who trained and taught at Harvard before everything he believed about mental health got turned upside down. It started with what he was seeing in his own patients, and then it became personal when his own children got sick at home. We get into the science most psychiatrists were never taught. Dr. Bernstein explains how brain insulin resistance can leave your neurons swimming in glucose but unable to use it for fuel, why mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation may be the real root causes behind conditions like bipolar disorder and severe depression, and how a ketogenic diet can give the brain a fuel source it can actually access. He also shares one of the biggest eye-openers for me personally, which is that the "relapse" so many people experience after stopping medication is often withdrawal, not the illness coming back. We also talk about why the "chemical imbalance" story is incomplete and what's actually happening in the brain, how food, exercise, sleep, and metabolic health work together to heal the mind, and the difference between a clinician questioning the model and a health influencer simply guessing. Everything you think you know about why the brain breaks down is about to be challenged. Press play and let Dr. Bernstein walk you through the science that changed his mind, and his entire practice. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ "Fine" isn't the same as well. Stop waiting to collapse before someone listens. Build your case https://freechapter.lpages.co/how-to-build-a-case-for-yourself/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 2:23 - When His Own Sons Got Sick 11:02 - The "Chemical Imbalance" Myth 18:04 - Why Your Brain Is Starving 22:20 - Switching the Brain's Fuel 29:09 - "Isn't This Just False Hope?" Guest Links: FB: https://www.facebook.com/accordmh IG: https://www.instagram.com/accordmh/ Website: https://accordmh.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why You Can't Get All Your Nutrients From Food Anymore
Jun 1800:17:21Tap to summarizeYou can eat all the "right" foods and still be starving your body of what it actually needs. Healthy and well-nourished are NOT the same thing, and that gap is wider in 2026 than ever. I'm Dr. E, the NP with the PhD, and this is The Medical Disruptor. In this solo episode I explain why getting all your nutrients from food alone has become nearly impossible, even on a clean, whole-food, plant-heavy diet. Industrial farming has left much of our soil depleted, so fruits and vegetables grow with fewer nutrients than they used to carry. That same soil affects the meat and fish in our food chain too. Then produce travels thousands of miles and sits for days or weeks, losing nutrients the whole way, so what lands on your plate is not what was picked. Listen to the full episode to see why you can be doing everything right and still feel fatigued, foggy, low, and wrung out. Your symptoms are usually the first sign your body is running low, long before any test flags a problem. Stop being dismissed. Start being informed. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Stop getting dismissed at the doctor's office. Get Dr. E's FREE 5 Red Flag Phrases guide here: https://freechapter.lpages.co/5-phrases-that-are-red-flags/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre Chapters: 0:00 - Introduction 2:43 - Why Eating Healthy Isn't Enough Anymore 5:08 - The Toxic Load Hiding in Your Food 7:57 - Sick & Dismissed: "You Don't Need That" 9:43 - The RDA Myth & America's Deficiency Epidemic 15:05 - Doing Everything & Still Running on Empty? #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →What Is Biological Dentistry? Are Mercury Fillings Toxic? ft. Drs. Ben & Shawn Javid
Jun 1600:41:06Tap to summarizeWhat if the source of your chronic symptoms has been hiding in your mouth this whole time? In this episode of the Medical Disruptor I sit down with Drs. Ben and Shawn Javid, twin brothers and practicing dentists with nearly 50 years of combined experience, who walked away from conventional dentistry to practice biological dentistry. We get into why mercury fillings are still being placed in millions of mouths, what really happens to a tooth after a root canal, and how hidden infections in the jaw can show up as symptoms everywhere else in the body. We also go over the case of a patient with 40 years of heart palpitations, and what to actually ask if you are looking for a biological dentist. This conversation gave me a whole new lens on the connection between the mouth and the body, and I think it will do the same for you. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ "Fine" isn't the same as well. Stop waiting to collapse before someone listens. Build your case https://freechapter.lpages.co/how-to-build-a-case-for-yourself/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 7:10 - Why No One Checks Your Mouth 8:48 - Mercury Fillings: The Obvious Toxin 16:06 - Your Tooth Is an Organ 28:06 - "Isn't This Just Fearmongering?" 37:22 - Doing Everything & Still Sick? Guest Links: FB: https://www.facebook.com/MySmileBody/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/mysmilebody/ YT: https://www.youtube.com/@MySmileBody Website: https://mysmilebody.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →IBS Symptoms Explained: Why Your Gut Is Bloated and Irritated
Jun 1100:18:58Tap to summarizeIf you've been diagnosed with IBS, or you have ongoing belly issues that testing keeps coming back "clear" on, this episode is for you. IBS is often given as a label once the serious causes are ruled out, but a label doesn't tell you what to do next. Your bowel isn't simply "irritable." Something is irritating it, and identifying that something is where real progress starts. I'm Dr. E, the NP with the PhD. In this episode I break down what IBS actually is, why it matters well beyond your stomach, and a practical, step-by-step way to start calming and repairing your gut. I cover the medical rule-out you shouldn't skip, how to use a food diary and elimination diet to pinpoint your triggers, why bloating and gas trace back to your microbiome, what SIBO is and how it's tested, how antibiotics and acid-blocking drugs can quietly set off IBS symptoms, and the correct order to eliminate, repair, reinoculate, and reintroduce foods so that probiotics actually help rather than make things worse. If you've already cut the obvious foods, tried the gut-friendly supplements, and you're still uncomfortable, the problem usually isn't you. Let's dig in. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Still second guessing yourself in the exam room? Click here!: https://freechapter.lpages.co/self-gaslighting-habits-to-watch-for/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: What Is IBS? 1:03 Get the Workup First & IBS Red Flags 5:01 Finding Your Triggers: Food Diary & Elimination Diet 9:07 The Microbiome, Bloating, SIBO & Medications 15:28 How to Treat IBS: The Order of Healing 17:35 The Wrap-Up: Your Action Plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Hormones or Anxiety? How to Tell What's Really Going On ft. Dr. Ellen Vora
Jun 900:42:58Tap to summarizeAnxious in your 40s for the first time ever? Before you assume it's anxiety, let’s figure out what is actually happening. In this episode of the Medical Disruptor, I sat down with Dr. Ellen Vora, a board-certified psychiatrist and the author of The Anatomy of Anxiety, and she said something I keep coming back to. A lot of what doctors call anxiety in women over 40 is actually perimenopause. Progesterone is a calming hormone, so when it starts to drop, you get the 3am wake-ups and the out-of-nowhere dread that look exactly like an anxiety disorder. This goes deeper than menopause, though. Ellen broke down how to tell the difference between what she calls false anxiety, the avoidable kind that comes from things like blood sugar crashes, bad sleep, inflammation, and hormone shifts, and true anxiety, which is more like your inner compass telling you something is genuinely out of alignment. We also got into why there isn't solid evidence that anxiety is a serotonin chemical imbalance and why your gut may be driving a lot of it. If your anxiety has never made sense to you, this is where you stop asking how to feel less anxious and start asking what it's trying to tell you. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/5-phrases-that-are-red-flags/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters Guest Links: FB: https://www.facebook.com/ellenvoramd/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/ellenvoramd/ YT: https://www.youtube.com/@ellenvoramd Website: https://ellenvora.com Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 02:13 – Breaking from the system 13:30 – Why psychiatry never asks "why" 19:41 – The gut-brain connection 23:57 – False vs. true anxiety 30:31 – The real anxiety workup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Hashimoto's: Why Your Thyroid Is the "Check Engine Light"
Jun 400:16:07Tap to summarizeWhy Your Thyroid Is the "Check Engine Light" Your thyroid is the check engine light, not the engine. With Hashimoto's, the real story is happening in your gut, your immune system, and your stress physiology, often years before your thyroid shows it. If you have Hashimoto's and you're only chasing your thyroid numbers, you're missing the bigger question: why is your immune system attacking your thyroid in the first place? In this episode of the Medical Disruptor, I break down what Hashimoto's actually is, what the standard "replace the hormone" approach misses, and why your low-functioning thyroid is often a check engine light for something deeper, including gut health, gluten, infections, chronic stress, and toxins. I'm Dr. E, the NP with the PhD, and I help humans go from medically gaslit to medically empowered. We'll cover leaky gut and the gluten-to-TPO connection, the gut microbiome's role in converting T4 to T3, infections like EBV and H. pylori, how chronic stress and cortisol affect your thyroid, endocrine-disrupting toxins, and the smartest next steps to take before you reach for supplements. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Feeling "normal but not okay"? Grab my free guide to track your symptoms, spot your patterns, and get taken seriously https://freechapter.lpages.co/normal-but-not-okay-handout/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandrehttps://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandrehttps://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 02:28 - Where Standard Treatment Falls Short 04:47 - The Gut, Gluten & Leaky Gut Connection 08:31 - Infections, Stress & Toxins 11:37 - What To Do Next: 5 Smart Steps 13:39 - Supplements That Actually Help Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The Real Reason You're Always Exhausted ft. Dr. Anil Bajnath
Jun 200:37:26Tap to summarizeWhat if the fatigue you've learned to live with is the earliest warning sign of something building inside you for years? In this episode of the Medical Disruptor I sit down with Dr. Anil Bajnath, a board-certified physician and the founder of a precision medicine institute, to talk about why so many of us feel exhausted, foggy, and off, and what's actually driving it beneath the surface. We get into what's really fueling chronic fatigue at the cellular level, why our healthcare system is built to catch disease far too late, and what you can actually do to find the root cause instead of being told to just manage your stress. Dr. B also shares how to take real agency over your own health, the one question more patients should be asking, and why the future of medicine is built around you instead of population averages. If you've ever felt unheard, or knew something was off even when you couldn't explain it, this conversation will help you understand your own body well enough to get ahead of disease instead of waiting for it. Want more practical health tips? Join my newsletter! https://freechapter.lpages.co/newsletter-opt-in/ Still second guessing yourself in the exam room? Click here! https://freechapter.lpages.co/self-gaslighting-habits-to-watch-for/ Check us out on social media: https://www.instagram.com/drefratlamandre https://www.facebook.com/drefratlamandre https://www.tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre #functionalmedicine #drefratlamandre #medicaldisruptor #NPwithaPHD #nursepractitioner #medicalgaslighting Chapters: 00:00 From Whole Foods to Precision Medicine 05:43 Why the System Diagnoses Too Late 09:17 The Language of Multiomics 19:32 The Biological Audit 27:48 Patient Agency & Medical Gaslighting 34:22 The Future of Medicine is N of One Guest Links: FB: https://www.facebook.com/doctoranilbajnath/ IG: @DrAnilBajnath YT: https://www.youtube.com/@Pursuit.of.Precision Website: https://ifho.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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