Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn

Dr. Jenn Simmons talks with Dr. Robin Berzin about her path from an unexpected pre-med background to conventional medical training, then into functional medicine and entrepreneurship. The conversation covers the roots of Robin's interest in prevention, her early exposure to health and nutrition, and how she built Parsley Health into a national, insurance-covered practice.In this episode, they discuss why functional medicine can work alongside conventional care, how to think about root causes instead of symptom suppression alone, and what it takes to scale a health care company without losing clinical rigor. Robin also shares the realities of fundraising, leadership, and protecting her own health while building a company and raising three kids.
Key topics
Dr. Robin Berzin's origin story, from international relations and economics to medicine
How a college thesis on hormone-treated beef helped shape her interest in public health, nutrition, and cancer risk
Why she did not initially see herself as a science person, and how she later reframed medicine as pattern recognition and synthesis
The role of her father's internal medicine background, and why she still did not assume medicine was her path
How yoga, meditation, organic food, and personal health experiences deepened her interest in prevention and whole-person care
What functional medicine means in practice: using the same medical tools, but focusing on root causes, personalization, and prevention
Why Robin saw a need to standardize and scale functional medicine through Parsley Health
The tension between conventional medicine and alternative medicine, and why she rejects all-or-nothing thinking
Examples of root-cause thinking, including recurrent UTIs, migraines, autoimmune disease, infertility, and chronic fatigue
The challenge of building trust with insurers through outcomes data, cost savings, and reduced utilization
What it took to raise capital as a female founder with no MBA and no prior business background
How leadership changed as Parsley grew from a small team to a 120-person company
The importance of listening to patients, not just investors or skeptics, when making company decisions
How Robin maintains her own health with sleep, supplements, meditation, food choices, exercise, and self-monitoring
Her hope that evidence-based functional medicine becomes part of standard primary care
Timestamps
00:00 - Why Dr. Robin Berzin stands out in functional medicine
 01:22 - The unexpected path from undergrad to medicine
 02:26 - A thesis on hormone-treated beef and public health
 04:35 - Early exposure to cancer prevention and health research
 06:12 - Having a doctor father, but not seeing medicine as an obvious path
 07:01 - Why medicine is more about synthesis than equations
 09:22 - Strengths that matter in clinical practice
 10:56 - From conventional med school to a functional medicine career
 12:40 - What functional medicine actually means
 14:14 - Yoga, food, and becoming more aware of health
 16:18 - Research, ADHD trials, and early clues about her own ADHD
 18:12 - Early exposure to Mark Hyman and Dr. Oz
 20:31 - Why Parsley Health was built to fix access and consistency problems
 21:24 - Real outcomes from functional medicine care
 22:33 - Why medicine should use both conventional and functional tools
 23:47 - Root-cause care for UTIs and migraines
 25:09 - Functional medicine versus paint-by-numbers primary care
 26:04 - Making functional medicine accessible through a national platform
 27:24 - The courage required to build a company while practicing medicine
 28:29 - Trial, error, and the first steps as a founder
 31:20 - Bootstrapping the first version of Parsley
 33:28 - Building a patient base and hiring the first team
 34:32 - Raising a first round as a female founder
 36:11 - The fear and pressure of taking investor money
 37:30 - Learning fundraising with help from other women in venture
 38:26 - Why fundraising never really ends
 39:23 - How investor relationships changed as Parsley grew
 41:28 - Why medicine did not prepare her for executive leadership
 42:16 - The hardest lessons in hiring and management
 44:15 - When investor priorities pushed the company off course
 46:17 - Choosing company survival while staying true to the mission
 47:45 - Parsley's broader mission and why health care costs are unsustainable
 49:34 - Why functional medicine should become standard primary care
 50:01 - Using outcomes data to win over insurers
 52:25 - Why people assumed Parsley was only for the “worried well”
 53:29 - How the medical community has responded over time
 54:20 - The rise of longevity medicine and ongoing skepticism
 56:52 - Dark nights of the soul during fundraising and board conflict
 59:51 - How Robin protects her own mental and physical health
 62:52 - Sleep, data, and the reality of life as a busy founder
 64:03 - Travel routines, intermittent fasting, and skincare
 65:53 - What she hopes medicine will look like when her career is done
 68:17 - Why impact is fastest when you stay in your lane
 70:18 - Food dyes, public health priorities, and respecting different missions
 73:16 - Curiosity, skepticism, and keeping the lamps lit
 74:24 - What Parsley Health offers now and how to work with the team
Connect with Dr Robin Berzin & Parsley Health:
Website: https://www.parsleyhealth.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinberzinmd/
To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Dr. Jenn Simmons and Dr. Erica Schwartz on hormones, individualized care, and questioning mainstream medicineDr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Dr. Erica Schwartz for a candid conversation about women’s health, hormone replacement, and the importance of individualized care. They discuss why hormone therapy is gaining renewed attention, why many providers are not adequately trained to prescribe it, and how patients can make more informed decisions about their health.
They also explore breast screening, overdiagnosis, metabolic health, medical fear, and the value of having a trusted provider who looks at the whole person. Together, Dr. Jenn and Dr. Schwartz challenge one-size-fits-all medicine and make the case for thoughtful, relationship-based care.
What You'll Learn:
Why hormone therapy requires better provider education, not just wider access
How outdated medical training continues to affect women’s health
Why individualized care is often more important than rigid protocols
 The difference between breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, and overdiagnosis
Why metabolic health is central to breast health and long-term wellness
How watchful waiting can sometimes be safer than immediate testing or biopsy
Why progesterone and synthetic progestins should not be treated as the same thing
What women should consider before using supplements, peptides, or extreme diets
Why having a trusted healthcare provider can prevent conflicting and unnecessary treatments
How patients can question medical assumptions while taking greater responsibility for their health
 
Timestamps
00:00 - Why hormone conversations are surging and why training matters
02:10 - Dr. Schwartz’s path from conventional medicine to individualized care
04:00 - Medical paternalism, discrimination, and resistance to change
15:46 - Why mammography is diagnosis, not prevention
17:32 - Hormone replacement, oral estrogen, and breast cancer concerns
24:07 - Perimenopause labels, social media, and inadequate training
30:30 - Why relationships matter more than protocols and lab results
43:13 - Watchful waiting, breast biopsies, and the value of doing less
45:55 - Metabolic health as a foundation for breast cancer prevention
56:34 - Questioning mammography and taking responsibility for your care
60:08 - Why modern medicine needs more time for patient relationships
To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Dr. Jenn Simmons and Dr. Bradley Campbell unpack why autoimmune disease is rising, why so many patients are dismissed for years, and why symptom suppression alone often makes things worse. This conversation focuses on root causes, especially gut dysfunction, stress, and immune triggers, and explains why individualized care matters more than one-size-fits-all treatment.Dr. Campbell shares how his work evolved from injury care into complex autoimmune cases, while Dr. Simmons brings the perspective of conventional medicine, cancer care, and the limits of training that does not teach health optimization.
Key topics
In this episode, Dr. Simmons opens with a blunt critique of how poorly autoimmune disease is understood in conventional medicine, especially when labs are “normal” but patients are clearly unwell.
Dr. Campbell explains how autoimmune cases found him through patients with chronic, rare, and complex conditions that mainstream care could not resolve.
We discuss the gap between medical training and real-world health care, including the difference between knowing how to prescribe and knowing how to create health.
Dr. Simmons and Dr. Campbell agree that the system rewards sickness management, not healing, and that insurance incentives often push short visits, prescriptions, and procedures over root-cause work.
In this episode: low iron is treated as a major red flag for digestive dysfunction, malabsorption, celiac disease, low enzymes, or bile flow problems, not just a number to supplement away.
We discuss why proton pump inhibitors can create long-term digestive problems by reducing stomach acid, impairing digestion, and contributing to dysbiosis and infection risk.
Dr. Campbell outlines his autoimmune screening approach, including ANA, ENA panels, thyroid antibodies, hormone testing, food sensitivity workups, and broader root-cause diagnostics.
The autoimmune triad comes up in detail: genetics, gut dysfunction, and a trigger such as physical trauma, infection, medication, food reaction, or emotional stress.
We discuss parasites as a controversial but real variable in some autoimmune cases, especially in the context of protozoa, gut imbalance, and chronic thyroid issues.
Dr. Simmons and Dr. Campbell both push back on rigid diets and medical absolutism, arguing for individualized decisions around grains, dairy, nightshades, and autoimmune protocols.
The conversation closes with a strong emphasis on stress, nervous system overload, childhood trauma, and the need for quiet, reflection, and community without constant screen input.
Timestamps
00:00 - Why autoimmune disease is exploding and often missed for years
 03:15 - How Dr. Campbell’s path shifted from music and injuries to autoimmune care
 06:23 - Why medical training is a foundation, not a complete education in health
 08:49 - Doctors as well-intentioned players inside a broken system
 11:10 - Why screening versus symptom-based testing must be treated differently
 13:20 - Autoimmune disease is highly individualized, even when diagnoses look similar
 14:23 - Why celiac disease is often found only after a breast cancer diagnosis
 16:36 - Why 30 patients a day leaves no room for root-cause medicine
 19:34 - Insurance incentives reward sickness instead of health
 23:55 - Years of delayed diagnosis and the cost of being told labs are “normal”
 26:52 - Low iron as a clue to digestion, not just iron deficiency
 28:19 - Why stomach acid matters for digestion, immune protection, and bile signaling
 31:03 - How Heidelberg testing evaluates stomach acidity in real time
 33:39 - What Dr. Campbell looks for that many providers miss in autoimmune cases
 36:09 - The autoimmune triad: genetics, gut dysfunction, and a trigger
 37:34 - Structural, biochemical, and emotional triggers that can set off autoimmunity
 40:28 - Parasites, terrain, and why over-treatment is not always the answer
 43:44 - Vaccine-era inflammation, informed consent, and autoimmune flare concerns
 48:59 - A better model for autoimmune disease: the immune system is trying to do something
 51:02 - The autoimmune protocol diet and when a less restrictive approach is better
 53:31 - Nightshades, liver function, and why food rules should not be universal
 56:13 - Why grains and dairy are not automatically bad for everyone, but can be poor fits in active disease
 61:34 - Blood sugar, energy, mood, and why kids often need more real food
 63:41 - Why processed protein bars and powders are often worse than whole foods
 65:49 - Food transitions at home: why change is hard even when the benefits are obvious
 67:46 - Root-cause thinking applies to MS, breast cancer, dementia, osteoporosis, and diabetes
 70:03 - Dr. Campbell’s membership community, weekly teaching, and lab support
 71:30 - GLP-1 drugs: useful tools for some, but not a shortcut for lifestyle change
 74:42 - Stress, trauma, quiet time, and why emotional load drives chronic disease
 76:55 - Why unresolved trauma and a lack of safety can affect healing for years
To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

Between a Shot and a Hard Place: Vaccine Facts, Medical Freedom, and Trust in Medicine
Dr. Jenn Simmons speaks with pediatrician and integrative medicine practitioner Dr. Joel Warsh, known online as Dr. Gator, about vaccines, informed consent, and why trust in medicine has broken down. The conversation focuses on what parents are actually being told, what the research does and does not show, and how medical decisions get shaped by mandates, industry incentives, and fear.We discuss vaccine schedules, the difference between evidence and dogma, how chronic disease trends relate to broader lifestyle and systems issues, and why Dr. Warsh believes parents need more transparency and more room to choose.
Key topics
Dr. Warsh explains how he moved from conventional pediatrics into integrative medicine after seeing the value of sleep, diet, exercise, and root-cause thinking in primary care.
He describes why vaccines became a major focus in his practice: parents kept asking questions, and he realized medical training had not prepared him to answer them deeply.
The hosts discuss how COVID-era mandates intensified distrust, especially in states like California, where school and work requirements effectively removed choice for many families.
Dr. Warsh argues that medicine has become too force-driven and too dogmatic, and that doctors should educate rather than pressure patients.
The conversation turns to the idea that modern medicine is heavily shaped by pharma funding, which affects training, journals, media, and what gets studied or published.
They compare longevity to healthspan, with both speakers noting that people may be living longer but not necessarily healthier, especially in the last 10 to 15 years of life.
Chronic disease in children is a major theme, with discussion of rising rates of diabetes, obesity, autoimmune conditions, neurodevelopmental concerns, and autism.
Dr. Warsh says the most surprising part of his research for Between a Shot and a Hard Place was realizing how little true vaccinated versus unvaccinated data has been published.
He explains the vaccine schedule has expanded over time and discusses why he thinks the lack of manufacturer accountability reduces incentives to improve safety.
The episode also covers newer vaccine platforms, including mRNA, and why Dr. Warsh is especially cautious about their use in children.
Hepatitis B for newborns comes up as a particularly important example of a vaccine whose timing and risk-benefit calculus he thinks should be revisited.
The discussion ends with a broader call for medical freedom, informed consent, and the ability for parents to make decisions without being forced.
Timestamps
00:00 - Why vaccine conversations are impossible to avoid

02:10 - How integrative pediatrics changed Dr. Warsh's practice

03:31 - Why parents' vaccine questions became unavoidable

05:13 - Writing Between a Shot and a Hard Place

06:50 - Why COVID deepened mistrust in medicine

09:36 - Why school requirements don't feel like a real choice

13:22 - Medicine should educate, not coerce

17:06 - How pharma shapes training and medical thinking

20:34 - Why accountability matters for vaccine safety

23:28 - The rise of chronic disease in children

30:22 - Big Food, convenience, and multi-generational health impact

36:15 - The Henry Ford vaccinated vs. unvaccinated controversy

40:48 - Why “the science is settled” is the wrong phrase

43:43 - How the vaccine schedule expanded after 1986

48:26 - Rethinking timing, prioritization, and cumulative risk

54:14 - RFK, reform, and transparency

55:14 - What surprised Dr. Warsh most in the research

62:03 - Reassessing newborn and early childhood vaccine timing

67:30 - Why Hep B for newborns is controversial

69:58 - Traditional vaccines vs. mRNA

73:17 - Why Dr. Warsh is cautious about mRNA for kids

75:28 - Why pulled vaccines used to be removed faster

77:41 - The accountability gap

79:39 - Why medical freedom matters for the future

To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons

In this episode of Keeping Abreast, Dr. Jenn Simmons sits down with Dr. Daved Rosensweet for a wide-ranging, deeply informed conversation about menopause, hormone replacement therapy, breast cancer risk, and why so many women have been left without clear, trustworthy options.Dr. Rosensweet shares how the Women’s Health Initiative created lasting fear around hormones, why that fear was built on misreported data, and how the conversation around estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone has slowly begun to change. 
Together, they make the case that hormones are not the enemy of women’s health and in many cases, they are central to preserving it. The conversation also turns to safety, testing, individualized dosing, and the role of breast imaging. Dr. Jenn explains why QT imaging is changing the way she thinks about screening, and Dr. Rosensweet reflects on why he has long required imaging before prescribing hormones. The result is an unusually honest, technically rich, and hopeful conversation about how to care for women better at every stage of life.
What You’ll Learn
Why the Women’s Health Initiative misled both the public and providers
What the data actually showed about estrogen and breast cancer risk
Why many women were taken off hormones unnecessarily for decades
How Dr. Rosensweet thinks about the safety of hormone replacement after breast cancer
Why estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all matter for women’s health
How hormone loss contributes to sleep problems, brain fog, libido loss, bone loss, and muscle loss
Why the timing of hormone therapy matters, but it may not be “too late”
How Dr. Rosensweet approaches individual dosing and hormone testing
Why topical delivery matters when it comes to clotting risk and liver metabolism
How QT imaging fits into a safer, more modern breast-screening strategy
Chapters
00:00
Introduction and episode overview
09:50
Hormone therapy after breast cancer: what the science says
12:31
The role of estrogen and breast cancer risk
14:23
Hormones and breast cancer risk: what the latest studies show
16:22
The lag in medical progress and the 30-year delay in hormone research
17:44
Why the narrative that estrogen causes cancer persists
20:02
Recent advances and the future of hormone therapy
22:51
The importance of provider education and safe hormone protocols
25:49
Signs you should consider hormone therapy
30:44
What women can do if they missed their window for hormone therapy
33:49
Is it ever too late for hormone therapy?
36:02
Determining the right hormone levels and testing methods
37:24
How Dr. Rosensweet ensures safe hormone replacement practices
44:33
Understanding breast cancer cells and hormone receptor sites
46:03
Hormones as protectors, not causes, of breast cancer
47:08
The impact of environmental toxins on health
48:17
The need for testosterone in women and men
52:02
Addressing the lack of provider training on hormones
54:27
Empowering women to have informed conversations about hormones
55:46
Closing remarks and call to action
To talk to a member of Dr. Jenn's team and learn more about working with Dr. Jenn visit: https://calendly.com/stephanie-1031/clarity-call

To get your copy of Dr. Jenn's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Breast Cancer, visit: https://tinyurl.com/SmartWomansBreastCancerGuide

Connect with Dr. Jenn:
Website:  https://www.perfeqtionimaging.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJennSimmons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjennsimmons/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.jennsimmons