Doctor Turned Health Coach

I'm Dr. Ashori, a physician and health coach.  What does it mean when your blood tests are normal, but you still feel exhausted, foggy, moody, or unable to sleep well? In this episode, I explain why normal lab results do not necessarily mean that everything is functioning optimally. I share a systematic way to investigate persistent symptoms using my TREND Method: Testing, Relationships, Exercise,...

Cancer screening can help us catch cancer earlier, but it does not stop cancer from forming in the first place. In this episode, I talk about the rise of early-onset cancers, especially colorectal and breast cancer, and why we need to think more seriously about true prevention. Screening has a role, but if a tumor starts forming years before it is ever found, then prevention has to begin much earl...

Most people know they should sleep 7 to 8 hours, but that number alone does not tell you whether your sleep is actually restorative. In this episode, Dr. Ashori explains how poor sleep affects blood sugar, insulin, cortisol, appetite hormones, cravings, weight gain, visceral fat, mood, cognition, and recovery. He also explains why sleep debt after age 30 is not something you can simply fix with ca...

A few food photos and simple notes can give you a surprisingly useful nutrition snapshot. You can use AI to understand your nutrition faster than you think. In this episode, I explain a simple way to analyze your meals using food photos, short notes, and a good prompt. You can take pictures of what you eat in a day, add basic details like portion size, ingredients, or the name of the dish, and ask...

A symptom scale is not just a number. It is a way to communicate. Most people have been asked some version of this question:  "What is your pain on a scale of 1 to 10?" But this kind of scale is often too confusing. A patient may say their pain is a 12 because they feel like they can no longer function. A doctor may hear that number differently. That gap can make people feel dismissed, misundersto...

Stubborn weight is frustrating because effort does not always lead to results. Stubborn weight is one of the most frustrating health problems. You exercise harder. You try another diet. You cut calories. You fast. You change your macros. And sometimes the weight still does not move. Or worse, it comes off for a short time and then comes back higher than before. In this episode, I explain why that...

You can be in your 30s or 40s and still feel like your memory is slipping. Memory is not just an aging issue. Many people in their 60s and 70s worry when they start forgetting words, losing track of why they walked into a room, or struggling to recall details from a conversation. But I'm also seeing this in people in their 30s and 40s. They are running businesses, managing families, working demand...

Perimenopause can start years before menopause, but many women are told there's nothing wrong. Fatigue, poor sleep, mood changes, weight shifts, and brain fog are often treated like separate problems.  Hormone changes do not start overnight. For many women, the transition can begin years before menopause. You may notice sleep changes, mood swings, weight shifts, hair thinning, more hunger, brain f...

I was a doctor, and I still couldn't fix my own health. Today I'm sharing something I haven't talked about before. My own health journey. For nearly 15 years, through college, medical school, and residency, I dealt with symptoms that I couldn't explain. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Gut issues. Brain fog. Poor sleep. Low energy. I did what most people do. I saw doctors. I took medications...

One hard workout means nothing without consistency. Today I'm talking about one of the biggest mistakes people make with exercise. They focus too much on intensity. Most people think they need to push harder, train longer, and exhaust themselves to get results. But that's not how your body actually adapts. In this episode, I break down the difference between your "ceiling" and your "floor." Your c...

Most people expect their doctor to do something they simply can't. Today I'm talking about the difference between primary care and health coaching. Because a lot of people don't fully understand what each one is designed to do. Primary care is essential. It helps you screen for disease, diagnose problems, and manage medical conditions. But the reality is, most primary care doctors don't have the t...

The best health plan is the one you barely notice. Today I'm talking about the minimum effective dose for your health. And why doing less is often the better strategy. Most people assume they need a lot of time, effort, and intensity to see health results.  But what I've seen over and over again in my patients and coaching clients is the opposite. The more people overcommit, the more likely they a...

If you're waiting to feel motivated before you start, you're doing it backwards. Today I'm talking about motivation. And why most people misunderstand it. A lot of people think motivation is something you need before you start. Motivation is actually a result. It's something that shows up after you've been consistent with your habits and start seeing results. In this episode, I break down where mo...

This is one of the most common medications people get stuck on. Today I'm talking about proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs,  the most commonly used medications for acid reflux. They work very well. That's part of the problem. Because once you've been on them for a couple of weeks, it becomes very difficult to come off. In this episode, I walk through why that happens and how to safely taper off. I al...

Zone 2 vs Zone 5 sounds scientific, but for most people, it doesn't matter. Everyone is talking about Zone 2 and Zone 5 training right now. And if you listen to enough podcasts, you might think your entire health depends on staying in the "right zone." But for most people, that's not how health works. In this episode, I break down when heart rate zones actually matter, and when they don't. If you'...

Dizziness is incredibly uncomfortable, and it can also be confusing. But not all dizziness is the same, and the cause often tells us how to deal with it. In this episode, I talk about a symptom that many people experience at some point in their lives: dizziness. But dizziness can mean many different things. Some people feel lightheaded. Some people feel unsteady. And others experience the sensatio...

Health insurance isn't meant to keep you healthy. If you understand this, you'll use this product much more effectively.  Many people assume that having health insurance means their health is protected. But those are two very different things. Health insurance is a financial product. It exists to protect you from catastrophic medical expenses. It does not automatically mean you are healthy. Over t...

People constantly ask how to find motivation. But motivation is usually the result of something else entirely. In this episode, motivation is explained in a different way. Not as something you find, but as something that develops after consistent action. Motivation is often the side effect of doing something long enough to see results. When daily habits start producing real changes, better energy,...

Five practical ways to make a relationship a health asset. A lot of health conversations get stuck on labs, meds, and biometrics. Health also lives inside relationships. In the TREND method , R stands for relationships. This episode is a conversation with my wife, Niloo, a rheumatologist, about how romantic relationships shape sleep, stress, anxiety, energy, and day-to-day health. A big myth gets...

Same pollen, different day, totally different reaction. There's a good reason for it! Seasonal allergies feel unpredictable. One day things are fine, the next day symptoms are on fire. This episode breaks allergies down as a  threshold problem . Symptoms show up when allergen load + immune reactivity + baseline inflammation exceed tolerance. A practical roadmap follows that same framework: Lower a...

Some people ignore early signals from their body and tell themselves they will deal with it later. Other people panic and assume the worst. Both paths lead to bad outcomes. In this episode, I explain a method used in my health coaching called the Buffer Method. It is a practical way to respond to those early "I feel off" signals without overreacting, and without ignoring them. You will learn the s...

In this episode, I share a simple, practical plan to lower blood pressure, based on a real scenario. One of my health coaching clients asked for advice for her dad, a retired man who is 5'8", 196 pounds, eats restaurant food daily, and has blood pressure around 157 over 80 to 90. He is also dealing with a salivary gland stone, which can be linked to dehydration and mineral balance. We focus on thr...

If you have dealt with cavities, fillings, crowns, or root canals, this episode is for you. This is a practical, step-by-step guide focused on daily actions that help protect your enamel and reduce the risk of cavities getting worse. We cover: How cavities start and when they can still be reversed Why brushing too hard can damage enamel A simple brushing routine that actually protects teeth How su...

Saturated fat has become one of the most debated nutrition topics in recent years. Some people believe it has no role in heart disease. Others believe it should be avoided entirely. In this episode, I walk through what current evidence actually suggests, without absolutes or fear-based messaging. We discuss: Why medicine works on evidence, not certainty Who saturated fat may be a problem for and w...

Many adults in their 30-50s start a healthy lifestyle feeling motivated, excited, and ready to change everything at once. And then they burn out. In this episode, I explain the most common reasons health coaching clients give up on healthy habits, even when they are doing "the right things." We talk about: Why taking on too much too quickly leads to burnout How the brain is wired to resist rapid c...