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Welcome back to the Healthy California Podcast! In this episode, your host Linda Brown—physical therapist and functional nutritionist—sits down with Jessica Endicott, a neuro wellness practitioner, to explore a subject that touches almost every household: brain health and mood disorders.

If you’ve ever felt like your doctor is just putting a "band-aid on a festering wound" by reaching for a prescription pad without looking for the underlying cause, this conversation is for you. Jessica specializes in helping people uncover the hidden causes behind anxiety, brain fog, and depression—often without the use of medications.

Key Highlights from the Episode:

• The Problem with "Russian Roulette": Learn why relying solely on pills to mask symptoms can lead to long-term dependency and side effects that sometimes worsen the original condition.
• Bio-Individualized Testing: Jessica discusses her primary tool, epigenetic hair analysis, which provides a "juicy" 90-day snapshot of vitamin deficiencies, mineral imbalances, and environmental exposures.
• The Gut-Brain Connection: Discover why roughly 80% of your serotonin is made in your gut and how digestive issues like IBS can sabotage your mental health.
• The Body Keeps the Score: We dive into how unprocessed childhood trauma can keep your nervous system stuck in a "sympathetic" (fight-or-flight) state, causing physical and mental disease decades later.

Actionable Steps You Can Take Today:

1. Eat Protein First: Protein builds the amino acids necessary to repair neurotransmitters.
2. Try an Elimination Diet: Remove gluten, dairy, eggs, and corn for 4–7 days to see if food sensitivities are clouding your brain.
3. Prioritize Sleep: Chronic sleeplessness is not "normal" and can be a sign of neurotransmitter depletion.

Connect with our Guest: Visit jessicaendicott.com to learn about her Rooted and Rewired course or follow her on Instagram @Jessica_Endicott.

Stay focused, stay happy, and stay healthy, California!

Thank you for listening to Healthy California.

If you have tried all my suggestions and are still having trouble with your health, and would like an appointment with me, please email me, text, or call me via the contact information below.

My contact:

Linda Brown, MPT, Doctoral Candidate Functional Nutrition

916-426-2543

linda@heal-throughfood.com

www.heal-throughfood.com

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever felt like your body is just "one wrong move" away from collapsing? In this episode of Healthy California, we’re diving deep into our posture. Joining me is Rob Kopitzke, a physical therapist with nearly 40 years of experience helping everyone from elite cyclists to those of us battling "sitting disease."

We often think of posture as just "standing up straight," but Rob explains it as a symmetrical alignment of our foundation. Like a Jenga tower, we are a stack of blocks; when one block is out of place, the entire system becomes dysfunctional. We discuss why "ideal" posture is rare but "functional" alignment is essential for longevity, breathing, and even digestive health.

Key Takeaways:

• The Wall Test: Can you stand with your heels, glutes, shoulders, and head touching the wall without effort? If not, your connective tissue may already be adapting to a "flexed" pattern.
• Sitting Disease: Learn how chronic sitting shortens our tissues, leading to a "double whammy" of tightness in the back and weakness in the front.
• Motion is Lotion: Rob shares why your body is like a cement mixer—if you stop moving, the "fascia" starts to harden.
• The Power of the Core: Discover why "core" isn't just about six-pack abs, but the foundational stability of the transverse abdominis and pelvic floor.

Actionable Steps:

1. Move Every 20–30 Minutes: Get out of your chair to keep your "cement" from hardening.
2. Seek a Baseline Assessment: Why seeing a PT once a year (at any age!) is just as vital as your annual physical or dental cleaning.
3. Find Your Team: Whether it's Pilates, yoga, or manual therapy, don't wait for the "tipping point" to start rebuilding your tower.

Resources:

• Visit Rob at Body Concepts in Folsom, CA.
• Check out Episode #46 for more on Bone Health and Osteoporosis.

“This is a journey, not an assignment, so be kind to yourself. Stay strong, stay aligned, and stay healthy, California!”

Thank you for listening to Healthy California.

If you have tried all my suggestions and are still having trouble with your health, and would like an appointment with me, please email me, text, or call me via the contact information below.

My contact:

Linda Brown, MPT, Doctoral Candidate Functional Nutrition

916-426-2543

linda@heal-throughfood.com

www.heal-throughfood.com

Send us Fan Mail

Today, we're talking about the biggest "PR rebrand" in nutrition history: Creatine.

Forget the old "gym bro" stereotypes. In 2026, research shows that creatine is just as much a longevity and brain supplement as it is a muscle builder. We're breaking down why this simple molecule is the ultimate "energy recycling program" for your body.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• The Science of ATP: How creatine helps recycle adenosine diphosphate (ADP) back into ATP—the energy currency that powers everything from your heartbeat to your heavy squats.
• Brain Health & Mood: Your brain uses 20% of your daily energy. We discuss how creatine supports memory, focus, and even helps mitigate "brain fog" during menopause.
• Metabolic Support: New clinical trials highlight creatine's role in improving GLUT4 activity, which helps stabilize blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
• Muscle Preservation: Why creatine is an "insurance policy" against sarcopenia (muscle loss), especially for the 40+ club and those on rapid weight loss protocols.

5 Actionable Steps to Start Today:

1. Keep it Simple: Opt for Creatine Monohydrate (look for the CreaPure seal).
2. The Daily Scoop: 5 grams a day in your morning coffee is all you need—no "loading phase" required.
3. Journal the Shift: Track your mental energy for 21 days to notice the subtle lift in cognitive clarity.
4. Add Tension: Pair your supplement with light resistance training to signal muscle protein synthesis.
5. Hydrate+: Increase your water intake and add a pinch of sea salt to support intracellular hydration.

Stay focused, stay hydrated, and stay healthy, California!

References:

EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org

The Fresh Factory, thefreshfactory.co

ELLE, www.elle.com

Lalezari Surgical, lalezarisurgical.com

Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org

Vitacost, www.vitacost.com

AdventHealth, www.adventhealth.com

UCLA Health, www.uclahealth.org

New Hope Network, www.newhope.com

Frontiers, www.frontiersin.org

PubMed, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ultimate Nutrition, ultimatenutrition.com

Shamsah Amersi, MD, www.dramersi.com

Baylor Scott & White Health, www.bswhealth.com

Healthfarm Nutrition, healthfarmnutrition.com

Thank you for listening to Healthy California.

If you have tried all my suggestions and are still having trouble with your health, and would like an appointment with me, please email me, text, or call me via the contact information below.

My contact:

Linda Brown, MPT, Doctoral Candidate Functional Nutrition

916-426-2543

linda@heal-throughfood.com

www.heal-throughfood.com