In The Field with Dr. Alison Monette

Food is central to the conversation around health in the modern world.  Within that conversation, food is understood exclusively through the narrow lens of energy, nutrients and biochemistry. A paradigm given to us by many decades of biochemical-based, centralized science. To most, this framework may not seem obvious. But consider the language we use to describe food–terms like calories, macronutr...

Many years and untold sums of money have been spent training people to believe that the following is consensus science: food is the ultimate source of energy and that humans “burn” calories to “fuel” the living state.  We’ve been taught there is a caloric equilibrium–a perfect balance between what is required and what is consumed; taught that there is a universal caloric requirement that never cha...

There’s a lot of talk about healing in the world of health and wellness–heal your nervous system, heal your gut, heal your mind, heal your life.  Healing has become formulaic, reduced to the level of cause and effect. Countless books, programs and protocols are built on the premise that if you can do “x”, replace “y” or implement “z,” healing–and, thus, health–is sure to follow. Not only is this w...

Perimenopause is a major conversation we are having in the field on a daily basis–not because the transition is happening seamlessly. But, because women are struggling; experiencing irregular periods/menstrual cycles, hormonal imbalances, poor energy, difficulty sleeping, inability to lose weight and infertility. This trend on its own is cause for alarm, but is made even more concerning by the fac...

Sunlight is a point of major confusion, contention and fear in today’s world. We’ve been taught that UV light is deleterious to humans and that a single sunburn spells disaster for your future health. In response, people have altered their behavior drastically–lathering themselves with SPF sunscreens and makeup, wearing polyester clothing, covering their eyes with polarized sunglasses or simply ch...

The wellness space is flooded with information, protocols and experiences/retreats focused on the nervous system. We are told repeatedly that our nervous systems are dysfunctional, dysregulated, hypersensitive or burned out. We are told that all you need is a reset, rewire or reprogram your nervous system, you will finally find your health. This trend has exploded since 2020, but it’s hardly new....

The wellness industry has built a massive business on a single idea: you are toxic, and you need to detox. From functional medicine doctors to health influencers, the message is the same — your health struggles trace back to a single point of failure: a detoxification system that can't keep up. Meanwhile, we are living through an unprecedented collapse in human health. Fatigue, disrupted sleep...

Cholesterol is one of the most misunderstood — and feared — molecules in the human body. For decades, mainstream medicine has painted it as the villain in the story of your health. Instead of looking at the changing environment, we used the surface-level framework of biochemistry to create a cultural belief that the human being is broken and nature is fundamentally flawed. This created a gigantic...

Autoimmunity is on the rise—and the population in which this is happening is getting younger and younger. This is a troubling trend if you understand what this means about the state of human health, the environment we’ve created for ourselves and the long-term, species-level implications.  Yet, even in a time of near-universal health-focus (some would call it obsession), the autoimmunity increase...

There are two languages in the world of health—biochemistry and biophysics.  Biochemistry encompasses the territory occupied by hormones, neurotransmitters, proteins, ATP, etc. Biophysics encompasses the territory occupied by electrons and protons, electricity and electromagnetism, dissipative structures, coherent systems, liquid crystalline structures, etc.  Though you may not even realize it, th...

In our first topic-specific episode we tackle one of the most (if not THE most) common topics we are asked about by patients and members: Cholesterol.   The modern medical paradigm has fostered a universal, deeply ingrained fear of cholesterol. We are told repeatedly by doctors, influencers and academics that elevated cholesterol levels are a ticking time bomb; statins, diet and exercise are the o...

What is Fieldlab and who is it for? Join Dr. Alison as she recounts Fieldlab's origin story. Where it started, who it was originally created for and the ways in which early challenges—including the struggle to define a clear path and an unexpected worldwide shutdown—ultimately created an opportunity for Fieldlab to become exactly what it was always supposed to be: a community-based, educational pl...