In this episode of Prescribing Lifestyle, I’m unpacking the truth about collagen.

You’ve seen it everywhere—from beauty products to protein powders—but does collagen really work? And is it worth adding to your daily routine?

In this solo episode, I’m breaking down the science, the real food sources, and what I actually recommend for skin, joint, and bone health based on evidence—not hype. This episode came from a request inside my Low Carb Pro membership, and I was surprised by what I found. So if you’ve been collagen-curious, this one’s for you.

What you'll learn in this episode:

→ What collagen is and what it actually does in your body

→ Why we lose collagen as we age—and what accelerates that loss

→ The 6 real food sources of collagen I recommend (yes, chicken skin is on the list!)

→ What studies say about collagen for skin, joints, and bone health

→ How much collagen you really need based on the research

→ Whether collagen creams work—or if you’re better off drinking it

→ My personal favourite collagen product and how I use it (hot choc collagen = yes please)

📌 Mentioned in this episode:

• [Chief Nutrition Collagen Protein – Dark Chocolate & Vanilla flavours]

  (Find a discount via www.mlcclinic.com.au)

• Low Carb Pro Membership: Fortnightly Zooms + health coaching

• 2021 systematic review of hydrolysed collagen & skin health

• Studies about collagen:

Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Specific Collagen Peptides Improve Bone Mineral Density and Bone Markers in Postmenopausal Women-A Randomized Controlled Study

💬 Let’s Chat:

Do you take collagen? What’s your experience been like?

Send me a message or DM @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp and let me know 💚

Connect with me:

Instagram → @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp

Facebook → Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP

Website → www.mlcclinic.com.au

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult your GP before making changes to your health, diet, or supplements.

💚 Small, consistent changes lead to big results over time.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend who might find this helpful!

In this episode, Dr. Avi sits down with Dr. Torkil Færø — Norwegian GP, emergency physician, photographer, and author of The Pulse Cure. They dive into the world of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and how this one powerful metric can transform the way you monitor stress, recovery, and overall health.

From wearables like Garmin and WHOOP to lifestyle shifts in sleep, food, and breathwork, Dr. Færø shares what your heart is trying to tell you — before symptoms even show up.

💡 Whether you’re curious about wearable data, want to improve your HRV, or are just starting to track your health, this episode is packed with science, stories, and strategies you’ll love.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

– What HRV really tells us about our health

– Top causes of hidden stress (hint: food & alcohol)

– Devices that track HRV — pros & cons (Garmin, WHOOP, Oura)

– How breathwork, cold exposure, fasting & sun can improve recovery

– Why lifestyle data empowers patients more than ever before

– How Dr. Færø turned personal burnout into a new mission in medicine

📘 Learn more about The Pulse Cure (available on Audible and ebook)

📱 Follow Dr. Torkil on Instagram: @doc_torkil

—

📲 Follow for more:

Instagram: @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp

Facebook: Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP

🌐 Book a consultation or download free resources via www.mlcclinic.com.au

In this episode of Prescribing Lifestyle, I celebrate one whole year since launching this podcast. It's been an incredible journey sharing 90 episodes filled with real stories, expert advice, lifestyle tips, and breathwork sessions to help you take control of your health—one small step at a time.

I share my top downloaded episodes, the ups and downs behind the mic, listener success stories (like Katherine’s park run!), and exciting things to come—including my upcoming book Prescribing Lifestyle, more events, and future video episodes.

Whether you’ve been here since Episode 1 or just joined in, thank you for being part of this growing community 💚

🎧 Tune in to hear:

– The most popular episodes so far

– My personal highlights and reflections

– How lifestyle medicine is transforming lives

– Upcoming events, books, and breathwork sessions

– What’s next for the podcast and community

🔗 Want to learn more or join the journey?

Head to my website to explore free resources, courses, and book a session:

🌐 www.mlcclinic.com.au

📩 Stay connected

Instagram: dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp Facebook: Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP

🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Libsyn – Prescribing Lifestyle

📘 Grab the Low Carb Made Easy ebook or register your interest in my new book Prescribing Lifestyle

💚 If you don’t look after yourself, you can’t look after anybody else.

Thanks for listening—and here’s to another amazing year of prescribing lifestyle.

In this episode of Prescribing Lifestyle, I sit down with Connie Paglianiti, motivational speaker, author, and founder of We Socialise. Connie shares her raw and powerful story—from running successful large-scale events to serving time in prison after a devastating mistake.

We talk about shame, addiction, the prison system, and what it means to truly start over. Connie opens up about the bullying she faced behind bars, the toll on her family, and how she rebuilt her life with purpose, grit, and a fierce drive to help others.

💚 This conversation is a reminder that healing is possible, growth is always an option—and no one is ever too far gone for a second chance.

• Connie’s Journey: From award-winning events to incarceration, and what she learned about herself along the way.
• The Power of Vulnerability: Why hiding pain can be more dangerous than facing it—and how being open transformed Connie’s life.
• What Prison Was Really Like: The truth about bullying, isolation, and the impact of COVID lockdowns in jail.
• Rebuilding After Rock Bottom: How Connie found her voice again through study, public speaking, and sharing her story with the world.
• Helping Others Through Addiction & Recovery: Her work with Gambler’s Help, and why she's passionate about breaking the stigma.

• You are never too old—or too broken—to start again.
• Vulnerability is a strength that opens the door to real transformation.
• Support, community, and purpose are vital in healing from trauma or addiction.
• One person’s story can spark change in many others.

• Speaking & Books: https://speaking.conniepaglianiti.com
• Event Services: https://wesocialise.com.au
• LinkedIn: Connie Paglianiti
• Facebook: We Socialise

📚 Coming Soon:

• From the Shadows into the Light (April 2025)
• Chainless & Fearless: The Four Ways to Transformation
• My Unforgettable Story – co-authored best-seller now available

• Website: www.mlcclinic.com.au
• Instagram: @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp
• Facebook: Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP
• YouTube: @avicharlton

💚 If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who might need to hear this.

🌐 For more support around low carb living, lifestyle medicine, and wellness, visit www.mlcclinic.com.au.

The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any changes to your lifestyle or treatment plan.

In this Episode of Prescribing Lifestyle Podcast powerful return episode, I reconnect with Julia Rudakova, naturopath and founder of Oxygen Revolution. Julia specialises in breathwork, functional health, and holistic healing. This time, we dive deep into one of her favourite topics: sunlight as medicine ☀️

From morning light to junk light, we explore how natural light affects your hormones, mood, metabolism, and even fertility. We also chat about breath training for kids and adults, and how simple tools—like natural light and nasal breathing—can transform health from the inside out.

• Reconnecting with Julia: Catching up since Episode 33 (recorded live in the MLC Clinic!)
• Why sunlight is more than vitamin D—and how it primes our biology for health.
• The link between artificial light and hormonal imbalances.
• How to get morning light—even on a cloudy day (and why it matters).
• Circadian rhythms and cortisol, melatonin, thyroid, and insulin health.
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, and the myths that keep us disconnected from nature.
• Light as a hormonal signal: how your eyes send messages to the rest of your body.
• How food, fats, and inflammation affect your sun tolerance.
• The dangers of 'junk light' indoors—and how to swap it out.
• Julia’s resources on breathwork for kids and adults.
• Real client stories: from improved fertility to reduced perimenopausal symptoms.

✔ Sunlight is free medicine—use it wisely and daily.

✔ Get outside in the morning for at least 10 minutes without sunglasses.

✔ Reduce artificial light exposure after sunset to support hormone balance.

✔ Nutrition, healthy fats, and gut health all play a role in how you absorb sunlight.

✔ You don’t need to do everything—just start small and build from there.

✔ Breathwork and light therapy are powerful tools for women’s health, emotional regulation, and nervous system support.

• Julia Rudakova – Oxygen Revolution

  🔗 www.oxygenrevolution.com.au

  📸 Instagram @oxygen_revolution

  📘 Facebook – Julia Rudakova

  🛍️ Online Shop – includes:

  • The Four Journeys (Breathing Book for Kids)
  • Your Breathing Coach
  • The Medicine of Light Webinar (rental)

• Shop Blue Light Blockers + Amber Light Bulbs

  🔗 Block Blue Light Australia (non-affiliate)

• 🎧 Listen to our first episode together –

  Episode 33: The Oxygen Revolution with Julia Rudakova

• Website: www.mlcclinic.com.au
• Instagram: @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp
• Facebook: Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP
• YouTube: @avicharlton

💬 If you found this episode helpful, please share it with your community

🧠 Want more tips on breath, low carb living, or stress support? Subscribe to the podcast and stay in the loop

🌿 Explore free resources + my Low Carb Made Easy eBook via mlcclinic.com.au

This podcast is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medication.

In This Episode of Prescribing Lifestyle Podcast, I guide you through a deeply calming 20-minute breathwork practice designed to help you wind down, relax your nervous system, and prepare for a restful night’s sleep. Whether you're new to breathwork or already using it as a tool for stress relief, this session is a beautiful way to reconnect with your body and breath.

💤 Ideal for evenings or any moment when you need to pause, reset, and return to calm.

• 🌬️ Superhero stance: How to breathe deeply into your ribs and feel your breath moving your body
• 🛏️ Body scan + grounding techniques to invite relaxation and stillness
• 🧘‍♀️ Box breathing: A method used to regulate your nervous system and calm racing thoughts
• 💚 Coherent breathing: Inhale and exhale in rhythm to bring your heart rate and emotions into balance
• 🔁 Breath ladder technique: A guided breath extension practice to deepen relaxation step by step
• 🍃 Light breath practice: Finish with whisper-light breathing to quiet the mind and body

This is more than just breathwork—it’s a moment of self-care, presence, and reconnection with yourself. You can return to this episode any time you need a reset.

✔ Breath is a powerful tool for calming the nervous system

✔ Longer exhales help shift the body into rest-and-digest mode

✔ Breath awareness can improve sleep, mood, and emotional regulation

✔ There is nothing to fix—only to feel and allow

✔ You are grounded, you are enough, you are safe

📘 Free eBook: Low Carb Made Easy – Download via www.mlcclinic.com.au

🛍️ Visit the Online Store: www.mlcclinic.com.au

• Instagram: @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp
• Facebook: Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP
• Website: www.mlcclinic.com.au
• YouTube: @avicharlton

💬 Share this episode with someone who could use a moment of calm

🧠 Join our Facebook group Melbourne Low Carb Connect

📩 Subscribe and leave a review—it helps us grow and reach more listeners

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your lifestyle or health routines.

In this inspiring episode, I chat with Melissa Bee—health coach, wellness advocate, and founder of the upcoming Carnivore Live event happening in Melbourne this April.

Melissa shares her personal transformation through lifestyle change, her introduction to the carnivore diet, and how it helped her reclaim her energy, strength, and wellbeing. We also talk about the power of community, mindset, and muscle—and why events like Carnivore Live are helping people connect and thrive.

• Meet Melissa Bee:

  From burnout and chronic symptoms to bodybuilding and coaching—how Melissa’s health journey led her to carnivore.

• The Evolution of Carnivore Live:

  Why she launched this in-person event, what makes it different, and how it’s uniting the low carb and carnivore community in Australia.

• Women, Wellness & Weight Loss:

  How women in their 40s and beyond can rediscover their vitality by putting themselves first—without guilt.

• Carnivore, Keto, or Low Carb?

  How Melissa approaches nutrition with flexibility and personalisation.

• The Role of Mindset + Movement:

  Why muscle-building, fasting, and mental health are key to long-term success.

• What to Expect at Carnivore Live:

  Sneak peek into the speaker line-up, event format, and who should attend (spoiler: it’s not just for carnivores!).

✔ You don’t need to go 100% carnivore to benefit—start with what works for you.

✔ Building muscle is essential for health, especially in midlife.

✔ Real-life connection and community matter more than ever.

✔ You are allowed to put yourself first—and it can change everything.

✔ The right support and mindset can transform not just your body, but your whole life.

🎟 Grab your tickets to Carnivore Live Melbourne:

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1350925

📲 Follow Melissa Bee: @melissabee.au

📲 Follow the event: @carnivorelive

• Instagram: @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp
• Facebook: Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP
• Website: www.mlcclinic.com.au
• Podcast Platforms: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Libsyn

💬 Share this episode with someone curious about carnivore or low carb.

🧠 Join our Melbourne Low Carb Connect Facebook group for support + inspiration.

📩 Subscribe, leave a review, and stay connected—your feedback helps us grow!

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.

In this episode, I’m joined once again by my good friend and fellow GP, Dr. Nelu Dharmapriya from Whole Food Revolution. She's a passionate advocate for metabolic health and low carb living—especially in South Asian and Asian communities like ours.

As two doctors with cultural backgrounds from Sri Lanka and China, we opened up about the unique challenges (and opportunities!) we face when it comes to food, family, and health. This one’s close to my heart 💚

💡 What We Talked About:

• Why people from Asian and South Asian backgrounds are at higher risk for metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes—even if they’re not overweight.
• Dr. Nelu’s personal experience reversing pre-diabetes and improving her health through low carb living—and how that journey mirrored my own.
• The concept of TOFI (thin on the outside, fat on the inside)—a common but hidden issue in our communities.
• The truth about rice, fried foods, sugary drinks, and constant snacking—and what small changes can actually make a difference.
• How to prioritise protein (even for vegetarians) and why it matters so much for our long-term health.
• The cultural challenges we face at social gatherings, with family expectations, and inherited habits—and how we can lovingly challenge those norms.
• The role of fasting, resistance training, and mindset work as part of true lifestyle change.

Stories + Resources

Dr. Nelu also shared:

• A powerful story of a Melbourne-based South Asian engineer who transformed his metabolic health after attending her workshop.
• A South Asian woman who found healing not just through food, but also by shifting her mindset and stress habits.
• A free online hub of resources for South Asians (and everyone!) wanting to take charge of their health.

🧠 Access Dr. Nelu’s free resources and courses: Whole Food Revolution

📺 YouTube: Whole Food Revolution

📘 My Free eBook – Low Carb Made Easy: www.mlcclinic.com.au

• Instagram: @dr_charlton_lifestyle_gp
• Website: www.mlcclinic.com.au
• Facebook: Dr Charlton Lifestyle GP

💬 Share this with someone who might need to hear it—especially if they come from our cultural background.

🧠 Join my free Facebook group Melbourne Low Carb Connect for support, recipes, and real conversations.

🎧 And if you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it helps us reach more people with this message.

This podcast is for general educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. Please consult your own doctor before making any major changes to your lifestyle.