Welcome to this episode of The Tonic, terrestrially broadcast on April 5 and 6, 2025 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. This week we’ll discuss how to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) naturally with naturopath Dr. Colleen Hartwick ND, love and the stories we tell ourselves that prevent us from finding love with author Julio Vincent Gambuto, how to protect our children from online predators with ethical hacker Christopher Hadnagy and whether progesterone can help treat the symptoms of perimenopause with researcher Dr. Jerilynn Prior MD.

We specifically discuss:

How To Treat IBS Naturally

  • Why are there more diagnoses of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
  • How does stress impact IBS?
  • The gut-brain axis
  • The symptoms of IBS
  • Dietary triggers of IBS: dairy, gluten, fodmaps and artificial sweeteners
  • Other factors: sleep, hydration and hormones
  • Food journals and elimination diets
  • Magnesium and GABA
  • Digestive enzymes, glutamine and probiotics
  • Fibre? …it depends
  • Lifestyle choices to alleviate stress

 

Love and The Stories We Tell Ourselves

  • Do you believe in love?
  • Why do we struggle to find love?
  • The problem of our emphasis on immediate gratification
  • Finding connections post Covid
  • The ‘gamification’ of relationships
  • Shared values
  • Feeling good about yourself
  • How do we sabotage ourselves from finding love?

 

NOTE: The following interview contains information about the exploitation and abuse of children. I think it is interesting and important to hear. But it is disturbing and for some, it might be triggering.

Protecting Our Children From Online Predators

  • The Innocent Lives Foundation
  • Sextortion
  • AI generation of pornography
  • How do we protect our children?
  • A hard discussion
  • Controlling access to the web for younger children
  • Transparency
  • Law enforcement resources

 

Progesterone and the Symptoms of Perimenopause

  • Perimenopause and menopause
  • Vasomotor symptoms: hot flashes and night sweats
  • The causes of vasomotor symptoms
  • Menopausal hormone therapy
  • The use of progesterone during perimenopause
  • Contraindications or risks of taking progesterone during perimenopause
  • Next steps

 

TO SIGN UP FOR THE TONIC NEWSLETTER GO HERE

For more information about show sponsor New Roots Herbal go here

To learn more about Dr. Colleen Hartwick ND go here

To learn more about Julio Vicent Gambuto go here

To learn more about Christopher Hadnagy (Innocent Lives Foundation) go here

To learn more about Dr. Jerilynn Prior MD go here