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Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn

Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn

By: Dr. Jenn Simmons
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Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn is a podcast dedicated to empowering women and promoting breast health through a functional medicine lens. Dr. Jenn is a leading functional medicine practitioner specializing in restoring health to the breast cancer population. She explores a range of topics related to breast health, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and holistic approaches to support overall well-being.

Whether you're a breast cancer survivor, a woman seeking to improve your breast health, a caregiver supporting a loved one, or you are just looking to thrive in this complicated world, this podcast is designed to meet your needs. Discover how functional medicine approaches can complement conventional treatments, support hormone balance, enhance nutrition, manage stress, optimize lifestyle choices, and promote overall well-being. Tune into Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn to gain the knowledge, tools, and resources to take control of your breast health journey. Remember, at the end of the day, breast health is health!


Note: The Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn podcast is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for personalized guidance and treatment recommendations.

© 2026 Keeping Abreast with Dr. Jenn Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • 157 : Why Functional Medicine Went Mainstream After Being Dismissed for Years

    157 : Why Functional Medicine Went Mainstream After Being Dismissed for Years
    Sep 12 2026
    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 topicsDr. Robin Berzin's origin story, from international relations and economics to medicineHow a college thesis on hormone-treated beef helped shape her interest in public health, nutrition, and cancer riskWhy she did not initially see herself as a science person, and how she later reframed medicine as pattern recognition and synthesisThe role of her father's internal medicine background, and why she still did not assume medicine was her pathHow yoga, meditation, organic food, and personal health experiences deepened her interest in prevention and whole-person careWhat functional medicine means in practice: using the same medical tools, but focusing on root causes, personalization, and preventionWhy Robin saw a need to standardize and scale functional medicine through Parsley HealthThe tension between conventional medicine and alternative medicine, and why she rejects all-or-nothing thinkingExamples of root-cause thinking, including recurrent UTIs, migraines, autoimmune disease, infertility, and chronic fatigueThe challenge of building trust with insurers through outcomes data, cost savings, and reduced utilizationWhat it took to raise capital as a female founder with no MBA and no prior business backgroundHow leadership changed as Parsley grew from a small team to a 120-person companyThe importance of listening to patients, not just investors or skeptics, when making company decisionsHow Robin maintains her own health with sleep, supplements, meditation, food choices, exercise, and self-monitoringHer hope that evidence-based functional medicine becomes part of standard primary careTimestamps00:00 - 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...
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • 156 : The Truth About Hormones, Progestins, and the Breast Cancer Myth

    156 : The Truth About Hormones, Progestins, and the Breast Cancer Myth
    Sep 4 2026

    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
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • 155 : Autoimmune Disease, Root Causes, and Why the Conventional Model Misses So Much

    155 : Autoimmune Disease, Root Causes, and Why the Conventional Model Misses So Much
    Aug 28 2026
    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 topicsIn 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.Timestamps00:00 - 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 ...
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    1 hr and 15 mins
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