Why do so many addiction treatment programs fail to produce lasting results? What keeps people caught in the revolving door of detox-residential-outpatient-relapse? Dr. Amy de la Garza believes she's found a critical missing piece in the recovery puzzle - and it starts with what's on your plate.
After 15 years treating addiction across the entire continuum of care, Dr. Amy noticed something troubling: even patients with substantial clean time weren't truly feeling well. Her journey into functional medicine revealed how the standard American diet - particularly in treatment settings - actively works against recovery by maintaining inflammation, disrupting sleep, and preventing the brain from healing properly. The solution? A radical wellbeing approach that treats addiction as what it truly is: a chronic disease requiring lifestyle medicine alongside traditional interventions.
Through her work at Odyssey House and now with her company Gnosis Health, Dr. Amy has witnessed remarkable transformations when incorporating nutrition, movement, and sleep optimization into addiction treatment protocols. Her 12-week intervention study showed significant improvements not just in biomarkers like hemoglobin A1C and inflammation levels, but more importantly, in how patients felt physically and mentally. The results challenge long-held assumptions about what treatment centers should provide and what recovery can feel like.
This eye-opening conversation with hosts Jared Miller and Jordan Burningham explores how our microbiome influences cravings, why sleep might be the most critical recovery factor, and how simple lifestyle modifications can dramatically improve treatment outcomes. Whether you're a treatment professional seeking better results or someone struggling to maintain recovery, this episode offers practical wisdom for breaking the treatment cycle and achieving genuine wellbeing.
Curious about your own wellness baseline? Take our 10-point assessment during the episode, then share your score on YouTube for a chance to receive a free supplement. Your path to radical wellbeing starts today.
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