What’s actually causing your gut problems?

In this episode of The Human Health Collective Podcast, Dr. Libby Schwartz sits down with Christian von Uffel for a conversation about gut health, digestion, and the deeper factors that may be contributing to symptoms so many people deal with every day.

Together, they unpack a more nuanced view of gut health and explore why issues like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, food sensitivities, and digestive discomfort are often connected to more than just the food on your plate. This conversation looks at the bigger picture of health, including stress, lifestyle, habits, environment, and how the body functions as an interconnected system.

Together, Libby and Christian explore:

• What may actually be causing common gut problems
• Why gut symptoms are often more complex than they seem
• The relationship between digestion, stress, and overall health
• How lifestyle habits can impact the gut
• Why a whole-person approach matters in healing
• The importance of looking beyond quick fixes
• How better awareness can lead to better health outcomes

If you have ever struggled with digestive issues or wondered why your gut still does not feel quite right, this episode offers a thoughtful and practical conversation that helps connect the dots.

Connect with Christian von Uffel:
Website: https://www.christianvonuffel.com/

Connect with Dr. Libby Schwartz:
Website: https://www.movementmantrapt.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movementmantra.pt/

Connect with The Human Health Collective:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanhealthcollective/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could benefit from this conversation.

Better Health. For All.
The Human Health Collective

YOUR HORMONES ARE TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING: Testosterone, TRT & Hormone Health | Justin Edwards

Feeling tired, struggling to recover, noticing changes in body composition, libido, sleep, or mental clarity? Your hormones may be part of the picture, but a lab number alone doesn't tell the whole story.

In this episode of The Human Health Collective Podcast, Dr. Libby Schwartz sits down with Justin Edwards, PA-C at Optimize U, to talk testosterone, TRT, hormone replacement therapy, peptides, GLP-1 medications, fertility, women's hormones, and the lifestyle factors that influence hormone health.

Justin explains why symptoms and bloodwork need to be considered alongside sleep, nutrition, strength training, stress, medical history, and how someone actually feels. They discuss why testosterone levels may be declining in younger men, when lifestyle changes may be enough, when testosterone replacement therapy may be appropriate, and common misconceptions about TRT.

The conversation also expands beyond men's health into estrogen, progesterone, women's testosterone, perimenopause, menopause, PCOS, GLP-1s, peptides, and longevity.

IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:

• Signs and symptoms of low testosterone
• Testosterone testing and why "normal" isn't the whole story
• TRT vs. lifestyle changes
• Why testosterone may be declining in younger men
• Strength training, sleep, nutrition, and hormone health
• TRT myths, risks, and misconceptions
• Testosterone, estrogen, and fertility in men
• Why men need estrogen too
• Testosterone and hormone replacement for women
• Perimenopause, menopause, estrogen, and progesterone
• PCOS, insulin resistance, and GLP-1 medications
• GLP-1s for weight loss and metabolic health
• Peptides including sermorelin, tesamorelin, and BPC-157
• Growth hormone pathways and potential risks
• Hormones, body composition, performance, and longevity
• Why feeling better still requires healthy habits

ABOUT JUSTIN EDWARDS

Justin Edwards is a physician assistant at Optimize U specializing in hormone replacement, weight management, and longevity. After spending much of his career in orthopedics and orthopedic trauma, Justin transitioned into hormone and preventative health with a focus on helping people improve how they feel and function.

His approach emphasizes individualized care rather than treating a lab number alone, combining bloodwork with symptoms, lifestyle, medical history, and personal goals.

CONNECT WITH JUSTIN + OPTIMIZE U

Optimize U Chattanooga, Tennessee

Website:
https://optimizeunow.com/

CONNECT WITH DR. LIBBY SCHWARTZ

Movement Mantra Physical Therapy & Coaching
https://www.movementmantrapt.com/

Instagram:
@movementmantra.pt
https://www.instagram.com/movementmantra.pt/

THE HUMAN HEALTH COLLECTIVE

Instagram:
@humanhealthcollective
https://www.instagram.com/humanhealthcollective/

ABOUT THE HUMAN HEALTH COLLECTIVE

The Human Health Collective is built around one simple idea: better health starts with better conversations.

Hosted by Dr. Libby Schwartz, each episode explores whole-person health through conversations with professionals across health, wellness, performance, and human behavior.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who would benefit from understanding their hormone health a little better.

Keep moving, keep learning, and remember: better health starts with better conversations.

When was the last time you did something creative, not because you were good at it, but simply because it felt good?

In this episode of The Human Health Collective Podcast, Dr. Libby Schwartz sits down with Cat Thomas, an arts and health specialist with more than a decade of experience using expressive arts in healthcare, community, and workplace settings.

Together, they explore an often-overlooked piece of whole-person health: creativity.

Cat shares her experience working in an arts and medicine program at a cancer center, where she used visual art, movement, sound, writing, and other creative practices with patients, caregivers, families, and healthcare professionals.

The conversation explores how creativity can support stress relief, mindfulness, emotional processing, connection, problem-solving, and overall well-being. Cat also explains why you don't have to consider yourself "artistic" to benefit from creativity and why the process of creating often matters more than the finished product.

From painting and writing to cooking, movement, music, and dance, creativity can take countless forms. This episode is an invitation to rethink what it means to be creative and why making space for creativity may deserve a bigger role in how we think about health.

IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:

• The connection between creativity, stress, and well-being
• What expressive arts and arts in health actually mean
• Using creative practices in healthcare and cancer care
• Why creativity isn't reserved for "creative people"
• Expressive arts vs. art therapy
• Creativity as mindfulness and active meditation
• Emotional processing and self-reflection through art
• Why we may need more creative output in a world of constant input
• Movement and dance as forms of creative expression
• Creativity, problem-solving, and mental flexibility
• Workplace wellness and creative stress management
• Community art, connection, and creating together

ABOUT CAT THOMAS

Cat Thomas is an arts and health specialist based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She facilitates creative wellness experiences designed to support stress relief, relaxation, connection, and team building across healthcare, community, and workplace settings.

After spending approximately eight years working within an arts and medicine program at a cancer center, Cat brought her work to Chattanooga. Her approach is grounded in a simple belief: everyone is inherently creative, and creativity can be an important part of health and well-being.

CONNECT WITH CAT THOMAS

Instagram:
@cat_thomas_creative

Cat also teaches creative workshops and Art Club experiences through The Chattery in Chattanooga.

CONNECT WITH DR. LIBBY SCHWARTZ

Movement Mantra Physical Therapy & Coaching
https://www.movementmantrapt.com/

Instagram:
@movementmantra.pt
https://www.instagram.com/movementmantra.pt/

THE HUMAN HEALTH COLLECTIVE

Instagram:
@humanhealthcollective
https://www.instagram.com/humanhealthcollective/

ABOUT THE HUMAN HEALTH COLLECTIVE

The Human Health Collective is built around one simple idea: better health starts with better conversations.

Hosted by Dr. Libby Schwartz, each episode explores the interconnected factors that influence whole-person health, from movement, nutrition, and mental health to community, creativity, relationships, and lifestyle.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little more creativity in their life.

Keep moving, keep learning, keep creating, and remember: better health starts with better conversations.