Healthy & Awake Podcast

🤝 WORK WITH MIKE
Ready to take the next step with your health? Book a $1 discovery call with Mike Vera, MS, NBC-HWC.
→ https://bit.ly/3QDnWg7
Antidepressant withdrawal raises a question that can get lost when a prescription is written: who helps you when you want to stop? Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring joins Mike Vera to explain why he argues psychiatric care needs a plan beyond prescribing, drawing on his experience in drug safety and deprescribing. They discuss informed consent, long-term treatment, the benefits patients report, and what he considers when helping someone prepare to taper.
A note before you listen: this conversation covers antidepressants, SSRIs, psychiatric medication withdrawal, and mental health. It is shared for educational purposes only and is not medical advice; it is not a recommendation to start, stop, or change any medication (make medication decisions with your prescribing clinician). If you are struggling or in crisis, support is available 24/7: in the US, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). Outside the US, contact your local emergency services or crisis line.
🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST — DR. JOSEF WITT-DOERRING
Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring is a board-certified psychiatrist, co-founder, CEO, and Medical Director of TaperClinic. A former Medical Officer in the FDA's Division of Psychiatry, he works with patients navigating psychiatric medication side effects and withdrawal. He also hosts Side Effects with Dr. Josef.
- TaperClinic: https://taperclinic.com/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@taperclinic
- Side Effects with Dr. Josef: https://taperclinic.podbean.com/
📖 FREE — THE ANTIDEPRESSANT SIDE EFFECT THEY BURIED
Read Mike's earlier conversation with Dr. David Healy on medication harms, informed consent, and withdrawal:
→ https://mikevera.substack.com/p/the-antidepressant-side-effect-they
🕒 HEALTHY & AWAKE® TIME MANAGEMENT
Mike's $47 two-course bundle for protecting what matters and applying the system to one health routine. Includes Health Routine Head Start, lifetime access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
→ https://healthyandawake.com/time-management
DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 The Missing Exit Plan
0:25 Why This Conversation Matters
2:24 Questioning the Chemical-Imbalance Explanation
6:49 Informed Consent and Long-Term Evidence
8:54 From Psychiatry to the FDA to Deprescribing
12:10 Healthy & Awake Time Management
13:27 The Pushback Against Deprescribing
16:06 Can Psychiatry Change?
19:50 Labels, Marketing, and Mental Health
23:57 What to Consider Before Coming Off Medication
28:19 Individualized Tapering and Withdrawal
31:27 Supplements, Cannabis, and Quick Fixes
34:34 Psychedelics, Therapy, and Integration
38:11 The Ketamine Clinic Question
38:42 Where to Find Josef's Work
39:11 Closing and Newsletter

Want Mike's help making sense of your health and choosing the right next step? Book a one-on-one discovery call for just $1: https://bit.ly/3QDnWg7
Chlorine dioxide is at the center of a fierce medical controversy: public warnings describe it as dangerous, while Pierre Kory argues that its history, chemistry, and therapeutic evidence tell a very different story. Kory joins Mike Vera, MS, NBC-HWC, host of the Healthy & Awake Podcast, to explain why he changed his mind after initially finding no clinical studies in PubMed, why he disputes the “bleach” framing, and how he believes oxidation can target pathogens while also discussing DMSO, ivermectin, institutional capture, medical disinformation, and whether public trust can be rebuilt.
🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST — DR. PIERRE D. KORY
Dr. Pierre D. Kory, MD, MPA, is an internal medicine, pulmonary, and critical care physician. He previously served as an associate professor and chief of the Critical Care Service at the University of Wisconsin, co-founded the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance and Leading Edge Clinic, and authored The War on Ivermectin and The War on Chlorine Dioxide.
- The War on Chlorine Dioxide: https://waronchlorinedioxide.com/
- Pierre Kory's Medical Musings: https://pierrekorymedicalmusings.com/
- Leading Edge Clinic: https://drpierrekory.com/
📖 FREE — HEALTHY & AWAKE ON SUBSTACK
Read Mike's evidence-focused health investigations, podcast conversations, and practical ideas for thinking more clearly about your health. Free to read and subscribe:
→ https://mikevera.substack.com
🕒 HEALTHY & AWAKE® TIME MANAGEMENT
Get the complete two-course bundle, including Health Routine Head Start, for $47 with lifetime access and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
→ https://healthyandawake.com/time-management
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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

Antidepressant informed consent is the question at the center of this conversation with Kim Witczak. After her husband Woody died five weeks after beginning Zoloft prescribed off-label for insomnia, Kim became an advocate for drug safety, transparency, and public accountability. She and Mike examine the patient’s role in a system shaped by pharmaceutical marketing, warning labels, social media, and FDA approval decisions.
A note before you listen: this conversation covers antidepressants, pharmaceutical marketing, drug safety, and the subject of suicide. It is shared for educational purposes only and is not medical advice; it is not a recommendation to start, stop, or change any medication (make medication decisions with your prescribing clinician). If you are struggling or in crisis, support is available 24/7: in the US, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). Outside the US, contact your local emergency services or crisis line.
🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST — KIM WITCZAK
Kim Witczak is a leading drug-safety advocate and speaker. Before becoming an advocate, she spent more than 25 years in advertising and marketing communications. She co-founded Woody Matters, testified before U.S. House and Senate panels, and spent nine years as a Consumer Representative on the FDA Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee. Her advocacy helped bring black-box suicide warnings to antidepressants for children and young adults.
- Kim Witczak: https://www.kimwitczak.com/
- Woody Matters: https://www.woodymatters.com/
- (UN)Acceptable Collateral Damage: https://acceptablecollateraldamage.substack.com/
🕒 HEALTHY & AWAKE® TIME MANAGEMENT
The $47 two-part course mentioned in this episode. Build a practical time-management system, then apply it to a health habit that matters to you. One payment includes both courses, lifetime access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
→ https://healthyandawake.com/time-management?utm_source=healthy_awake_podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=kim_witczak&utm_content=course_ad
🔗 FOLLOW & LISTEN — HEALTHY & AWAKE
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@healthyandawake
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/445erBVLF6J49TRAOtB0nk
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healthy-awake-podcast/id1668607581
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeverahealth
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfvera
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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

Therapy culture has made more people ask whether every difficult moment needs to become a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Jonathan Alpert argues that good therapy should help people become more capable, but it can keep people stuck when it becomes an endless routine rather than a path toward real change. Mike Vera, MS, NBC-HWC, host of the Healthy & Awake Podcast, talks with him about choosing a therapist, the difference between feeling better and getting better, and CBT tools for challenging your own thinking.
A note before you listen: this conversation covers mental health and substance use. It is shared for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. If you are struggling or in crisis, support is available 24/7: in the US, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). Outside the US, contact your local emergency services or crisis line.
🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST — JONATHAN ALPERT
Jonathan Alpert is a psychotherapist, executive coach, and media commentator. He is the author of Therapy Nation: How America Got Hooked on Therapy and Why It’s Left Us More Anxious and Divided.
- Website: https://www.jonathanalpert.com/
- Therapy Nation: https://www.jonathanalpert.com/the-book
- X: https://x.com/JonathanAlpert
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanalpert/
🕒 HEALTHY & AWAKE® TIME MANAGEMENT
Healthy & Awake® Time Management helps you put a simple system behind the things that matter to you. It includes 20 short lessons, five printable worksheets, and Health Routine Head Start. $47 one-time payment, lifetime access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
→ https://healthyandawake.com/time?utm_source=healthy_awake_podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=jonathan_alpert&utm_content=course_ad
🔗 FOLLOW & LISTEN — HEALTHY & AWAKE
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@healthyandawake
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/445erBVLF6J49TRAOtB0nk
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healthy-awake-podcast/id1668607581
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeverahealth
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikeverahealth
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfvera
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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

How do you leave your comfort zone when your automatic brain treats the unfamiliar like danger? Dr. Charles Glassman joins Mike Vera to explain what he calls the Automatic Brain, why he believes familiarity can keep us stuck, and how repeated exposure may help us respond more deliberately instead of letting fear choose for us.
🔎 ABOUT THE GUEST — DR. CHARLES GLASSMAN
Dr. Charles F. Glassman, MD, is a board-certified internist with more than 30 years of experience. He was among the first physicians in the United States to establish a concierge medical practice, founded CoachMD, serves as an associate medical director at The Standard, and is the author of Brain Drain and the forthcoming Fear Is a Liar.
- Fear Is a Liar and two free sample chapters: https://www.charlesglassmanmd.com/fear-is-a-liar
- Website: https://www.charlesglassmanmd.com/
- Substack: https://substack.com/@charlesfglassmanmd
🕒 HEALTHY & AWAKE TIME MANAGEMENT
Stop leaving your health goals to whatever time and energy happens to be left. Healthy & Awake® Time Management gives you a practical system for protecting what matters, planning for what throws you off, and knowing what to do when the original plan falls apart. It includes Health Routine Head Start, lifetime access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee for $47.
→ https://healthyandawake.com/time?utm_source=healthy_and_awake_podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=charles_glassman&utm_content=time_ad
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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.