Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Volume 16 Issue 11 – Magnesium

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #114: Aimie Apigian, MD – Biology of Trauma

Today's podcast guest is Dr. Aimie Apigian, a physician who has become one of the leading voices in helping us understand the biology of trauma. Dr. Aimie is double board-certified in Preventive Medicine and Addiction Medicine, with advanced training in biochemistry, public health, and functional medicine. She earned her medical degree from Loma Linda University, where her education also included behavioral health, child psychiatric therapy, play therapy, and addiction family counseling. Before medical school, she studied Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Washington, where she worked in the laboratory of renowned cancer researcher Dr. Larry Loeb. She is the national bestselling author of The Biology of Trauma, featuring a foreword by Dr. Gabor Maté. The book has appeared on the USA TODAY Best-Selling Book List and has received multiple national book awards. What makes Dr. Aimie's work unique is her ability to bridge neuroscience, functional medicine, attachment science, and trauma therapy into a practical framework that explains how our bodies store survival patterns after stress and adversity. Rather than viewing trauma as simply a psychological experience, she teaches that it is a biological state—one that can be identified, measured, and, importantly, healed. She is the creator of the Biology of Trauma® framework, which integrates somatic therapies, parts work, nervous system regulation, and targeted biological interventions into a structured sequence designed to restore the body's innate capacity for healing. She is also the founder of Trauma Healing Accelerated™ and the host of the popular Biology of Trauma® Podcast, where she has educated thousands of clinicians and individuals around the world. Today, we're going to explore what trauma actually is from a biological perspective, how it influences immune function, metabolism, chronic disease, and childhood development, and perhaps most importantly, what it truly takes to move from surviving to thriving. Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Volume 16 Issue 16 – Fake it Till You Make it

Fake It Till You Make It? One of the most misunderstood pieces of advice in our culture is the phrase "fake it until you make it." At face value, it sounds dishonest. It sounds like pretending to be something you are not. It sounds like confidence without competence. But after nearly three decades in medicine, I have come to believe there is a deeper truth hiding inside that phrase. Most success in life is not built on pretending. It is built on being willing to step into situations where you are not yet fully prepared, knowing that growth happens only when you are slightly or deeply beyond your comfort zone. If I am being honest, much of my professional life has felt this way, and the depth vacillated based on the context. When I finished my pediatric residency at the University of Virginia, I was 29 years old and knew just enough to realize how much I did not know. Medical school and residency provide an enormous foundation, but they also expose you to the staggering volume of knowledge that exists in the world. And that volume has only skyrocketed in the past 30 years. The farther I traveled in medicine, the more I realized the horizon kept moving, often unattainable. One experience from those early years remains crystal clear, almost like a scar from a wound. I had been asked to give a lecture to the pediatric residents at UVA on electrolyte solutions and exercise physiology. I spent time preparing and thought I knew the material reasonably well. I walked into the room feeling confident. Then the questions started..... and a literature review. Enjoy, Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #113: Navaz Habib, DC – Vagal Action and Health

Welcome back to Dr. M’s Women and Children First. Today, we are joined by one of the leading voices in the world of vagus nerve health, functional medicine, and autonomic nervous system regulation, Dr. Navaz Habib. Dr. Habib is a chiropractor, educator, international speaker, and author of the bestselling books *Activate Your Vagus Nerve* and *Upgrade Your Vagus Nerve*. His work has helped bring the science of the vagus nerve from the research world into practical clinical medicine, helping providers and patients better understand the powerful connection between the brain, immune system, gut, metabolism, and overall health. On today's episode, we take a pediatric lens to this fascinating topic. We explore how vagal tone influences inflammation, stress resilience, digestion, sleep, emotional regulation, and neurodevelopment. We discuss what happens when the autonomic nervous system becomes dysregulated, how chronic stress can shape a child's physiology, and why the vagus nerve may be one of the most important communication highways in the body. We'll also dive into practical strategies that families and clinicians can use to support vagal function, including breathing techniques, movement, nutrition, social connection, sleep, and other evidence-informed interventions that can help children build greater resilience in an increasingly stressful world. If you've ever wondered how the nervous system intersects with immune health, behavior, gut function, and chronic disease risk, this conversation is for you. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Navaz Habib. Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Volume 16 Issue 15 – Virus and Food

Should You Feed A Viral Illness? This Nature news article discusses emerging evidence that eating may acutely enhance immune responsiveness, particularly through effects on T cells, the learning part of the adaptive immune system. The paper centers on the old saying “feed a cold, starve a fever,” suggesting there may actually be biologic truth behind at least the “feed a cold” half of the proverb. The article reviews a new study in mice and humans showing that T cells, key adaptive immune cells responsible for recognizing and attacking pathogens, behave differently depending on recent nutritional status. Researchers found that T cells from recently fed organisms proliferated more rapidly and mounted stronger activation responses compared with those from fasting states. In essence, nutrient availability appears to act as a metabolic “permission signal” for immune activation. .... Enjoy, Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Volume 16 Issue 14 – The Adult Chair

The Adult Chair, the Adolescent Chair and the Child's Chair The Adult Chair by Michelle Chalfant is a practical framework for emotional maturity, self-awareness, and healing old patterns that unconsciously drive adult behavior. The central premise is that most people move through life reacting not from their grounded adult self, but from unresolved emotional states formed during childhood and adolescence. She organizes this idea into what she calls the “three chairs”: the Child Chair, the Adolescent Chair, and the Adult Chair. The Child Chair represents the emotional self formed in early childhood. This is the place of vulnerability, fear, shame, abandonment, loneliness, and unmet needs. When people react from this chair, they often feel helpless, emotionally flooded, overly dependent on validation, or afraid of rejection. Many adult relationship conflicts, according to Chalfant, are actually wounded children (in adult bodies) interacting with each other while wearing grown-up clothing and carrying iPhones. Same child like nervous system. Better accessories. Think of the statement: lipstick on a pig, you cannot dress up dysfunction and make it disappear. The Adolescent Chair reflects the defensive coping strategies people develop to protect the wounded child. This includes control, perfectionism, blame, avoidance, rebellion, people-pleasing, passive aggression, and emotional shutdown. The adolescent self seeks power and protection but often creates disconnection and conflict. Chalfant argues that many high-achieving adults unknowingly operate from this chair, appearing successful externally while internally driven by fear, insecurity, or the need for approval. The Adult Chair is the goal.... Enjoy, Dr. M