534: Dr. Will Cole - Healing The Shame Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel (Gut Feelings)

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Dr. Will Cole argues functional medicine should complement, not replace, conventional care by focusing on root causes, optimal lab ranges, and individualized treatment. He links gut health, inflammation, trauma, movement, and nutrition to both physical and mental well-being, and offers practical steps like lab testing, dietary changes, exercise, and mind-body practices to improve energy, mood, and longevity.

Main Topics: Functional medicine vs. conventional medicine: Cole defines functional medicine as a root-cause, data-driven, individualized approach that uses tighter lab ranges, more comprehensive testing, and a broader toolbox including food, supplements, lifestyle, and medications when needed. Gut-brain connection and mental health: He explains that mental health and physical health are inseparable, emphasizing the gut-brain axis, vagus nerve, neurotransmitter production in the gut, and the role of inflammation in mood and cognition. Exercise as medicine: Cole and Hawk discuss daily movement, walking, resistance training, and nature exposure as powerful interventions for mood, resilience, mitochondrial health, neuroplasticity, and inflammation reduction. Nutrition and inflammatory foods: Cole recommends reducing or eliminating gluten-containing grains, industrial seed oils, added sugar, conventional dairy, and often alcohol, while prioritizing vegetables, fruit, clean protein, soups, and stews. Practical health testing and biomarkers: He outlines a starter lab panel for a stressed, midlife high performer, including metabolic, inflammation, and cardiovascular markers, to identify hidden dysfunction before symptoms worsen. Hormones and testosterone replacement: Cole frames TRT as a possible tool, but only after addressing underlying issues like insulin resistance, lifestyle, and stress, arguing endogenous hormone production should come first. Trauma, stress, and mind-body healing: He highlights ACEs, somatic practices, breathwork, EMDR, and meditation as essential for people whose stress history is affecting health behaviors, inflammation, and recovery.

Key Arguments: Functional medicine is a both-and model: it can work alongside conventional medicine, but it seeks root causes rather than symptom suppression alone. Standard lab reference ranges often reflect averages from unhealthy populations; functional medicine aims for optimal ranges tied to vibrant health. Mental health is not separate from physical health; inflammation, gut function, and the vagus nerve strongly influence mood, anxiety, fatigue, and cognition. Exercise is one of the most effective interventions for mental health, resilience, and longevity, especially walking, resistance training, and time outdoors. Many psychiatric and metabolic medications are overused as first-line solutions; informed consent should include alternatives and side effects. For many people, inflammation—not a simple neurotransmitter deficiency—plays a major role in depression, anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog. Dietary change can meaningfully improve symptoms, especially by removing ultra-inflammatory foods and emphasizing whole, nutrient-dense meals. TRT should be considered a targeted therapy after lifestyle factors are addressed, not a shortcut for people whose low testosterone is driven by insulin resistance and inflammation. Stress and trauma can be stored in the body and affect hormones, inflammation, behavior, and disease risk; healing must include the nervous system and emotional health. Sustainable wellness should feel like self-respect rather than punishment, obsession, or shame.

Data Points: Functional medicine telehealth clinic tenure: 13+ years - Cole said his clinic has operated as one of the first functional medicine telehealth centers for over 13 years. Typical workday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. - He described spending most workdays running the telehealth clinic. Serotonin made in gut: 95% - Cole used this figure to explain why gut health affects mood and mental health. Dopamine made in gut: 50% - He cited gut production of dopamine as part of the gut-brain connection. Immune system located in gut: 75% - He noted that most of the immune system resides in the gut, linking gut health to inflammation. Suggested fasting window: ~16 hours - Cole said he often practices a roughly 16-hour intermittent fast, though he varies it. Fasting glucose target: Below 90 - He said this is the level he wants for a fasting glucose reading. Hemoglobin A1C target: Under 5.5 - He gave this as a desirable blood sugar marker for the 43-year-old high performer avatar. HS-CRP target: Under 1 - He said high-sensitivity C-reactive protein should ideally be under 1 as an inflammation marker. Number of core inflammatory foods: 4 (+1) - He named gluten-containing grains, industrial seed oils, added sugar, conventional dairy, and added alcohol as a fifth concern. Exercise frequency: 7 days a week - Ryan Hawk described his own daily exercise habit as part of the discussion on movement and mental health.

Pivotal Quotes: "You can't heal a body you hate." — Dr. Will Cole: Cole used this line to emphasize that sustainable health must come from self-respect rather than shame or obsession. "We want to look at optimal, not average." — Dr. Will Cole: He explained how functional medicine uses tighter lab ranges than conventional medicine to identify true dysfunction. "The healthiest amount of alcohol is none." — Dr. Will Cole: He offered a blunt caution about alcohol’s effects on the gut, brain, and aging.

Implications: Listeners are encouraged to treat health as a leadership priority: measure more than symptoms, move daily, reduce inflammatory inputs, and address stress/trauma early. The episode also signals growing demand for data-driven, personalized, preventive care.