The Autoimmune Wellness Podcast

Episode 99: ADHD, Women’s Health, and Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Jolene Brighten
What if the brain fog, overwhelm, forgetfulness, trouble focusing, or emotional intensity you’ve been blaming on hormones or autoimmune disease has another layer to it?
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by hormone expert, nutrition scientist, and bestselling author Dr. Jolene Brighten for a conversation about ADHD through the lens of women’s hormones, brain health, and autoimmune disease.
Together, they explore why ADHD can look different in women and why so many women aren’t diagnosed until later in life. They discuss how ADHD symptoms can shift throughout the menstrual cycle and become especially challenging during perimenopause, as well as the complex relationship between hormones, inflammation, the gut, and the brain. Dr. Brighten also shares her perspective on hormone replacement therapy for women with ADHD, practical ways to support the microbiome, and simple strategies for making nutrition, movement, and daily life more ADHD-friendly.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why ADHD often looks different in women and can go undiagnosed for decades
What’s happening in the ADHD brain beyond problems with attention
How estrogen, progesterone, and the menstrual cycle can influence ADHD symptoms
Why perimenopause may reveal ADHD that was previously masked or well-compensated
What women with ADHD should know about hormone replacement therapy
What we know about the relationship between ADHD, inflammation, and autoimmune disease
How gut health and food sensitivities may interact with ADHD symptoms
Practical strategies for nutrition, movement, and reducing overwhelm with ADHD

Resources:
Book: ADHD and Women by Dr. Jolene Brighten
ADHD and Women resources and bonuses: drbrighten.com/adhdinwomen
Podcast: The Dr. Brighten Show
Follow Dr. Jolene Brighten: @drjolenebrighten

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – ADHD, hormones, and autoimmune disease
01:59 – Introducing Dr. Jolene Brighten
04:10 – How ADHD presents in women
06:48 – What is going on in an ADHD brain?
11:19 – How ADHD symptoms change throughout the menstrual cycle
16:42 – How perimenopause affects ADHD
24:57 – How HRT can affect the ADHD brain
33:44 – The relationship between autoimmune disease and ADHD
37:58 – How to “microdose your microbiome”
43:12 – Food sensitivities and ADHD
45:54 – How to tackle overwhelm with ADHD
49:40 – Wrap-up and closing

Episode 98: Food Sensitivity Testing: What Tests Can and Can’t Tell You
Food sensitivity tests promise something incredibly appealing: send in a sample, receive a personalized list of reactive foods, and skip the uncertainty of elimination and reintroduction. But can these tests actually tell you which foods are causing your symptoms?
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott takes a closer look at the science behind commercial food sensitivity testing, including IgG panels, MRT, ALCAT, and other commonly marketed approaches. She explains the important difference between a test being able to measure something in the body and that measurement actually being clinically useful.
Mickey also explores what it means for a diagnostic test to be properly validated, why major allergy organizations recommend against IgG food sensitivity testing, and why feeling better after following test results doesn’t necessarily prove that the test accurately identified your problem foods. Finally, she shares fascinating emerging research into food reactions that conventional testing may not yet capture—and explains why systematic elimination and reintroduction remain the most useful tools for building a personalized diet.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What IgG food sensitivity tests actually measure—and why a positive result doesn’t necessarily indicate a harmful reaction
How MRT, ALCAT, and other food sensitivity tests work and where the evidence falls short
The difference between analytical validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility
Why feeling better after following test results doesn’t necessarily prove the test accurately identified your problem foods
Why elimination and systematic reintroduction remain the best way to identify individual food tolerance
What emerging research may tell us about food reactions conventional testing doesn’t capture
Why unnecessary food restriction can have nutritional, financial, and quality-of-life consequences
How to think about past food sensitivity test results without dismissing your own experience

Resources:
Episode 54: A Deep Dive Into the AIP Reintroduction Process
The Autoimmune Protocol: theautoimmuneprotocol.com
Research on confocal laser endomicroscopy and food-related reactions in IBS (Study 1 and Study 2)

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Can food sensitivity tests really identify problem foods?
02:59 – IgG food sensitivity testing
07:16 – MRT, ALCAT, and other food sensitivity tests
12:31 – What does it mean for a test to be validated?
16:22 – But what if the test worked for me?
19:28 – Why elimination and reintroduction remain the gold standard
23:10 – Emerging research into food reactions we can’t yet test for
26:52 – Reframing food sensitivity testing
31:33 – Wrap-up and closing

Episode 97: Integrative Rheumatology: Bridging Medicine, Nutrition & Lifestyle with Dr. Micah Yu
For many people living with autoimmune disease, seeing a rheumatologist can bring up a lot of uncertainty—especially if you want to incorporate nutrition and lifestyle alongside conventional medical care.
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by Dr. Micah Yu, a quadruple board-certified physician specializing in rheumatology, internal medicine, integrative medicine, and functional medicine. Dr. Yu also lives with autoimmune arthritis himself, giving him a unique perspective as both physician and patient.
Together, they explore what integrative rheumatology actually looks like, why conventional medicine and lifestyle don't have to be an either/or choice, and how patients can build a healthcare team that supports the full picture of autoimmune health. They also discuss how to prepare for a rheumatology appointment, when medications may be necessary, and how nutrition and lifestyle can work alongside medical treatment.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How Dr. Yu's experience with gout and spondyloarthritis shaped his approach to medicine
What rheumatologists actually treat and why they often serve as "detectives" for complex cases
Common misconceptions about rheumatologists, nutrition, and lifestyle medicine
Why time constraints within conventional healthcare can make complex autoimmune care challenging
What integrative and functional rheumatology looks like in practice
Why medication and lifestyle interventions don't have to be mutually exclusive
How to prepare for a rheumatology appointment and make the most of limited time
Why tracking symptoms, medications, supplements, and your health history can help your physician
How patients and their prescribing providers can approach medication changes when health improves
Why building a multidisciplinary healthcare team can be valuable for autoimmune disease

Resources:
Dr. Lifestyle: https://drlifestyle.org
My Autoimmune MD: https://myautoimmunemd.com
Social Media: @MyAutoimmuneMD
Podcast: Autoimmune Alchemy

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Why rheumatology and lifestyle medicine don't have to be either/or
02:15 – Introducing Dr. Micah Yu
03:41 – Dr. Yu's personal journey with autoimmune arthritis
07:40 – Rheumatology 101: What does a rheumatologist do?
10:15 – Common misconceptions about rheumatology
16:15 – What integrative and functional rheumatology looks like
19:40 – How to get the most out of a rheumatology appointment
22:02 – Combining medication with diet and lifestyle
25:27 – Hope for people living with autoimmune disease
27:34 – Dr. Yu's advice for building a healthcare team
28:22 – Wrap-up and where to follow Dr. Yu

Episode 96: Understanding Food Reactions: Why Foods Affect People Differently
One of the central goals of the Autoimmune Protocol is figuring out which foods work for you and which ones don’t. But when a symptom appears after eating a food, what actually counts as a food reaction—and does every reaction mean the same thing?
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott explores the science of food reactions and why they can look so different from person to person. She breaks down the major categories of reactions, including food allergies, celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, digestive intolerances, and reactions to specific compounds in foods.
Mickey also explains why a reaction and its underlying mechanism aren’t necessarily the same thing, and why that distinction matters when personalizing your diet. She explores how dose, timing, preparation, digestive function, and other factors can influence food tolerance, plus why a reproducible reaction can still provide useful information even when science can’t yet explain exactly why it happens.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The many ways a food reaction can show up, including changes in autoimmune symptoms
The difference between a food reaction and its underlying biological mechanism
How food allergies, celiac disease, food sensitivities, and digestive intolerances differ
Why dose, timing, preparation, and digestive function can influence food tolerance
How compounds like histamine and sulfites can trigger symptoms in some people
Why meaningful food reactions can occur even when we don’t fully understand the mechanism
Why food reactions can be difficult to identify when symptoms fluctuate
How AIP elimination and reintroduction help identify the foods that work for you

Resources:
The Autoimmune Protocol: theautoimmuneprotocol.com
The New Autoimmune Protocol by Mickey Trescott

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Understanding what constitutes a food reaction
03:24 – What can a food reaction actually look like?
07:29 – Food allergy: When the immune system reacts to food
15:22 – Gluten reactions: Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity
21:54 – Food intolerances: When digestion and absorption are the problem
27:35 – Reactions to compounds in food: When it isn’t the food itself
35:37 – Why food reactions can be so hard to figure out
40:06 – Bringing it back to AIP: Finding the foods that work for you
42:06 – Wrap-up and closing

Episode 95: Understanding Perimenopause: A Beginner’s Guide with Dr. Mariza Snyder
Perimenopause can feel especially confusing when you’re already living with autoimmune disease. Changes in sleep, mood, energy, inflammation, cognition, and even how your body responds to familiar strategies can leave you wondering: Is this an autoimmune flare, perimenopause, or both?
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by functional medicine practitioner, bestselling author, and women’s hormone health expert Dr. Mariza Snyder for a Perimenopause 101 conversation designed to help women understand what’s actually happening during this transition.
Together, they explore when perimenopause can begin, the surprising symptoms that often appear before cycle changes, and why fluctuating estrogen and progesterone may be especially disruptive for women managing autoimmune disease. They also discuss the foundational role of nutrition, sleep, strength training, metabolic health, and stress resilience, plus where hormone replacement therapy may fit into a personalized approach.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What perimenopause is and why it can begin as early as the late 30s
Why symptoms can appear years before noticeable menstrual cycle changes
Common early symptoms, including anxiety, irritability, brain fog, sleep disruption, and mood changes
Why perimenopause and autoimmune flares can be difficult to distinguish
How estrogen and progesterone interact with immune regulation and inflammation
Why strategies that worked for years may suddenly feel less effective
How tracking symptoms alongside your menstrual cycle can reveal important patterns
Why blood sugar regulation, nutrition, sleep, strength, and stress resilience matter in perimenopause
Dr. Mariza’s “landing the plane” strategy for improving your nighttime routine
How to advocate for better perimenopause care and know when to seek additional support
Where hormone replacement therapy may fit alongside foundational lifestyle strategies
Why your needs may continue to change throughout the perimenopause transition

Resources:
Book: The Perimenopause Revolution
The Perimenopause Revolution resources: drmariza.com/book
Podcast: Energized with Dr. Mariza

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Why perimenopause can be confusing with autoimmune disease
03:16 – Introducing Dr. Mariza Snyder
04:28 – Perimenopause 101: What are we dealing with?
10:28 – Common and surprising symptoms of perimenopause
17:14 – The perimenopause-autoimmune connection
23:22 – Why old strategies can stop working in perimenopause
28:27 – A foundational approach to perimenopause
35:28 – Knowing when to dig deeper and advocate for care
40:57 – Hormone replacement therapy in perimenopause
46:09 – Hope for autoimmune women navigating perimenopause