Welcome to this episode of The Tonic, terrestrially broadcast on February 7 and 8, 2026 on AM740 and FM 96.7 in Toronto. Topics covered on the show track the lifestyle articles and themes published in The Tonic Newsletter and on the Tonic Website. We’ll discuss how to beat the ‘Winter Blahs’ with nutraceutical formulator Dr. Gordon Chang PhD, how peanuts improve vascular function and memory with researcher Dr. Samara Sterling PhD, the personal cost of high achievement with holistic psychotherapist Esin Pinarli and how unresolved childhood trauma drives suicide, incarceraton and addiction with author Michael Menard.

We specifically discuss:

Beat the Winter Blahs

  • Can we control our emotions?
  • Full spectrum light
  • Lifestyle choices that counter fatigue
  • Vitamin D
  • Dosage
  • The best format for vitamin D
  • St. John’s Wort
  • Ginseng for better sleep
  • Adaptogens: Ashwagandha, Reishi mushrooms, Schisandra, Tulsi (Holy Basil)
  • Magnesium
  • Omega 3’s
  • Vitamin B

 

Peanuts Improve Vascular Function in the Brain and Memory

  • Netherlands study overview
  • Blood flow to the brain as we age
  • 3.6% increase in blood flow to the brain
  • Objective data from MRI testing
  • The nutrients that support vascular health
  • Unsaturated fats
  • The heart-brain connection
  • Who benefits from including peanuts in their diet?

The Personal Cost of High Achievement

  • Why do high achievers feel unfulfilled?
  • Working on success limits bandwidth for relationships
  • What are the costs of high achievement?
  • The implied ROI in relationships
  • Valuing time over drama
  • Codependency: what does it mean?
  • …when people let you down
  • Hyper-independence is a trauma response
  • The problem with dismissing connection

Unresolved Childhood Trauma

  • What is childhood trauma?
  • How does childhood trauma manifest?
  • #1 cause of addiction, suicide and incarceration
  • Michael’s personal experience
  • Why are some more impacted than others?
  • Epigenetics and environmental factors
  • The statistical implications of childhood trauma
  • The physiological results of childhood trauma
  • How to avoid the patterns of childhood trauma

 

TO SIGN UP FOR THE TONIC NEWSLETTER GO HERE

 

To learn more about show sponsor OmegaAlpha and Dr. Gordon Chang PhD go here

To learn more about Dr. Samara Sterling PhD go here

To learn more about Esin Pinarli go here

To learn more about Michael Menard go here

Related Episodes

To top