Christine: Dear Dr. Cabral, Thank you! As my interest in holistic health has grown, I have listened to many podcasts and yours has moved into my favorite spot. You give valuable information and I trust your intentions and integrity. Very inspiring! I did your stress and hormones test, and was able to talk to an IHP. One thing that stood out is that my cortisol levels are high and I should likely avoid intermittent fasting as it is a stress on my body. I am almost 54 years old and still in perimenopause. However, there is a lot of family history of cancer and other disease, I don’t want to miss out on the benefits of autophagy. Is it possible to fast and counteract that stress with supplements such as ashwaganda or anything else?

Christine: Dr. Cabral, this is my second question submitted today so I understand if you can’t answer it. I wondered if you’ve ever been able to help people with a phobia to swallowing pills. I am embarrassed to say that I am 54 years old and still need to have food to swallow my vitamins. Imagine my horror when I went to the oral surgeon iand before the procedure could be done, they handed me a huge pill to swallow. They all searched in their lunch.bags for crackers or something, and in the end, I just chewed the pill (yuck) and swallowed it. So many people have tried to help and love to show off when they can swallow a handful of pills at once. I just can’t get over this phobia.

Diane: My husband and I are 47 years old. We workout 7 days a week. Everyday we run 2-4 miles, then do a 15 minute rowing interval workout, then do strength training, and then go in the sauna for 20 minutes. Although at times we feel like this intense exercise may be doing more harm than good, we also don’t want to short change ourselves and not do everything possible to stay fit and in shape. Are we being less effective by doing as much as we are doing?

Simon: Hi Dr Cabral, I heard recently on a bodybuilding podcast that heavy weightlifting sessions can result in systemic inflammation throughout the body and increased intestinal permeability, and therefore anything you ingest at this time might make its way into the bloodstream. The conclusion was that anything you regularly consume during or immediately after a heavy workout might result in the body forming intolerances to that substance. Is there any validity in these claims? I’m conscious that the things I ingest around workouts (glutamine, fruit, WPI) are staple supplements and foods for me, and I don’t want to form intolerance! PS I suffer from intestinal permeability and IBS so this is a particular concern for me. Thanks!

Ryan: First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to provide our community with The Cabral Concept, it’s such a wonderful free resource on all things health. Your podcast has helped me in my personal journey as well as helped me learn and be better able to pass on my knowledge to friends and family. My questions have to do with microdosing psilocybin, brain health and neurogenesis. What is your take on it and do you have any strong objections to it, besides the legality? If you were to microdose, would you suggest taking any additional supplements to help, such as the Stamets Stack (psiloybin, lions mane and niacin) or any supplements to support any depleted nutrients? Thanks again!