Fixing Constipation, Flipping The Food Pyramid, Deep Detox & Cortisol Calming | Ask Me Anything

WATCH THE FULL-LENGTH EPISODE HERE ON YOUTUBE! 

In this Ask Me Anything episode of The Art of Being Well, I’m joined by my clinical team members Andrea and Emily as we answer thoughtful, real-world questions from listeners navigating stress, gut health, food additives, environmental toxins, and metabolic challenges.

We talk about how chronic stress shapes hormone balance and digestive health, what to do when nervous system overload feels unavoidable, and why resilience - not perfection - is often the missing piece in healing. We also cover practical questions around carrageenan and food additives, travel-related constipation, foundational gut support, and how to reduce toxic burden when you’re living in a highly polluted environment.

I also break down what’s notable in the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and why conversations around protein quality, real food, and metabolic health are finally becoming more nuanced. This episode is about meeting your body where it is, using both clinical insight and compassion to support healing in the context of modern life.

A few of my favorite things we cover in this episode: 

• The “change it, leave it, or accept it” framework for chronic stress and cortisol dysregulation
• Why the body doesn’t distinguish between psychological and physiological stress
• Building nervous system resilience when you cannot change your circumstances
• Vagus nerve support through breathwork, meditation, grounding, and stimulation devices
• Adaptogens, magnesium, GABAergic support, and sleep hygiene for stress regulation
• When high cortisol may be worsened by hidden physical stressors (toxins, infections, nutrient deficiencies)
• Carrageenan explained: food-grade vs degraded forms and when it may matter clinically
• Constipation while traveling: nervous system, microbiome, and practical short-term tools
• Prunes, aloe vera, DGL, psyllium husk, probiotics, and butyrate for gut motility
• Living in polluted environments: sweating, sauna, binders, air and water filtration
• Environmental toxin testing and when it’s appropriate
• Broccoli sprouts, sulforaphane, and detox pathways (with reference to the Doug Evans episode)
• New Dietary Guidelines for Americans: protein, grains, sugar, metabolic health, and real food
• How public nutrition guidelines influence school lunches, hospitals, SNAP, and food access
• Responding to criticism of supplements and functional medicine with transparency and context

Products & Resources Mentioned:  

• Longevity RX supplement protocols (general references)
• Magnesium
• Ashwagandha
• Liposomal glutathione
• Air purifiers (Air Doctor, Jasper)
• Water filtration systems (Clearly Filtered - use code WELCOME10, AquaTru)
• Related Episode: Lyme Disease, Neuroinflammation & Root-Cause Psychiatry | Dr. Eboni Cornish
• Gut Health Protocol

Episode Sponsors:

• Go to Quince.com/willcole for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five-day returns. Now available in Canada!
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• Grab 30% off your first month of Mitopure Gummies at Timeline.com/WILLCOLE30.
• You can get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/WILLCOLE and using code WILLCOLE at checkout.
• Use code WILLCOLE at puori.com/WILLCOLEto get 32% off Puori Grass-fed Whey Protein when you start a subscription. In addition, you get a free shaker worth $25 on your first subscription order, which brings total savings to $49.

Happy listening and we hope you learned a little bit more on the art of being well!

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In Health,

Dr. Will Cole