The Diary of a CEOWhy your microbiome quietly runs the show, not the organs
How a herbalist treats food and kitchen spices as upstream medicine; antibiotic overuse and the microbiome anchor much of his clinical method.
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 7:00
Opening: Overused Drugs and Emerging Health Crises
The conversation opens with Mills warning about the long-term problems associated with PPIs like omeprazole and the global threat of antibiotic overuse and resistance. Steven frames Mills as a leading herbal medicine expert, setting up a discussion on whether natural alternatives on the table can act as medicines.
- •PPIs (omeprazole) are among the most prescribed drugs in the UK/US; long-term use is now linked to cancers and dementias.
- •Patients often struggle to stop PPIs due to rebound hyperacidity, trapping them in long-term use.
- •Antibiotic resistance is rising sharply worldwide, with mortality already in the millions and projected to grow.
- •Mills asserts there are herbal options with immediate effects that can sometimes be used instead of or alongside conventional drugs.
- 7:00 – 21:30
From Folk Plants to Pills: What We Lost
Mills explains how traditional plant-based medicine fell out of favor as people moved into cities and physicians began using powerful mineral and poisonous substances that required training and control. He contrasts plant-rich cultures with the few Anglophone countries where herbs are marginalized and describes his mission to integrate old plant wisdom into scientific healthcare.
- •Historically, communities relied on local women healers who knew medicinal plants.
- •Urbanization, new infectious diseases, and cramped living conditions made gentler herbs seem inadequate, leading to the rise of stronger mineral/poison-based medicines.
- •Pharmaceuticals evolved from standardized powders into branded pills, distancing people from the hedgerow and kitchen garden.
- •Most of the world (Europe, Asia, ex‑Soviet bloc) still routinely uses herbal medicines; the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are the main outliers.
- •Mills’ mission is to empower people, making them stronger and more resilient using plants within a scientific framework.
- 21:30 – 36:00
Medicine vs Food: ‘Let Food Be Thy Medicine’ Revisited
The discussion turns to the blurred line between food and medicine. Mills argues that colored fruits and vegetables contain medicinal polyphenols, and that modern Westerners have been de‑skilled by outsourcing cooking and health to industry and clinics.
- •Many modern people mistakenly believe herbs don’t work because they grew up only with syrups and pills.
- •Mills asks patients to call him the next day because properly chosen herbs often act within hours, not months.
- •He critiques overuse of antibiotics, PPIs, and anti-inflammatories, and asks why we’re suppressing defenses like inflammation.
- •Plant colors (reds, greens, purples) signal compounds that benefit circulation, gut, and brain; ‘eat the rainbow’ is an evidence-based maxim.
- •He frames much of modern medicine as “fast food delivery” that disempowers people from understanding and managing their own health.
- 36:00 – 53:00
Case Studies: Treating the Person, Not Just the Diagnosis
Mills describes his clinical method through complex case studies: a severe skin condition and a woman with panic attacks. He illustrates how he looks upstream—lung history, gut lining, liver distress, sugar cravings, menstrual patterns—using multi-herb protocols to normalize underlying functions rather than simply targeting visible symptoms.
- •He has seen upwards of 10,000 patients, mostly with chronic, complex conditions after they’ve exhausted conventional options.
- •Erythema multiforme case: targeting old lung damage and gut lining quickly reduced severe skin itching and resolved a years-long condition.
- •Panic attack case: treating liver/metabolism (milk thistle, barberry, bupleurum, artichoke, gymnema) improved anxiety without any direct ‘anxiolytic’; later adding women’s herbs stabilized menstrual cycles.
- •Mills sees himself as tuning body performance—digestion, liver, kidney, circulation—more than treating labels like arthritis or skin disease.
- •He emphasizes that many chronic issues trace back to early infections or events that were never fully resolved.
- 53:00 – 1:06:20
Gut Intelligence, Microbiome Power, and Antibiotic Overuse
Mills dives into the gut as a 20+ foot intelligent system packed with receptors and controlled by the microbiome, which he says effectively ‘runs the show.’ He and Steven review WHO data on antibiotic resistance and discuss how overprescribing antibiotics for viral illnesses harms both public health and personal healing capacity.
- •Once food is swallowed, we have no conscious control; the gut makes continual ‘decisions’ based on chemical signals and hormones.
- •The microbiome contains more cells and 100x more genetic potential than our own cells; it underpins the function of organs like heart, kidneys, and brain.
- •Antibiotics indiscriminately kill bacteria, including beneficial gut flora; some classes cut a wide swathe through microbiome diversity.
- •WHO cites antimicrobial resistance as a top global health threat, already responsible for ~1.27M deaths directly and contributing to ~5M (2019 data).
- •Antibiotics do nothing for viruses yet are still given for colds/flu; Mills helped design public campaigns promoting plant-based, home remedies instead.
- 1:06:20 – 1:26:40
Kitchen Pharmacy: Ginger, Cinnamon, Bitters, and Simple Diagnostics
Using live demonstrations, Mills shows how to turn kitchen spices into fast-acting medicines and how old concepts like ‘warming’ and ‘cooling’ map onto modern physiology. He explains how ginger and cinnamon stimulate pain fibers to dilate blood vessels and how bitters (including unsweetened coffee) boost digestion and can reduce feverish states.
- •Ginger + cinnamon tea (a thumb of grated ginger and a teaspoon of cinnamon) rapidly warms the body, opens blood flow, loosens mucus, and can help colds, cramps, some headaches and joint pains that prefer heat.
- •Capsaicin (chili) and horseradish stimulate pain fibers without tissue damage, causing reflex vasodilation and mucus production.
- •Cardamom is a warming, sustaining digestive tonic, widely used in India, China, and the Middle East, useful after illness.
- •Cooling plants are often bitter; classic bitters like wormwood (vermouth), dandelion, and burdock increase digestive secretions and redirect blood to the gut, helping appetite, fever, and risky meals.
- •Bitters work via taste receptors in the mouth that trigger hormonal cascades in the stomach and intestines.
- 1:26:40 – 1:35:30
Garlic Intensives, Upper Respiratory Herbs, and Immune Activation
Mills outlines how raw garlic can be used as a powerful, occasional ‘intensive’ for gut and lung infections and as a prebiotic for the microbiome. He then introduces high-potency tinctures like echinacea and resins like frankincense and myrrh for mouth, throat, and sinus infections, demonstrating their dramatic sensory effects.
- •Raw garlic is a strong prebiotic and antimicrobial; a ‘garlic intensive’ involves taking chopped (not chewed) cloves every 30 minutes over an evening, potentially reaching 8 cloves, best done over a weekend due to odor and possible gut intensity.
- •Garlic’s volatile oils excrete through lungs and skin; historically, garlic breath could kill pathogens in a Petri dish.
- •Echinacea root tincture produces a strong tingling, ‘fireworks’ sensation on the tongue; Mills uses that effect to activate immune cells (the ‘Marines’) in tonsils, adenoids, and throat lymphatics.
- •Myrrh and frankincense resins, historically valued (e.g., biblical gifts), are powerful antiseptics and mucosal tonics for oral and upper airway infections.
- •These remedies are especially suited to viral upper respiratory issues where antibiotics are useless and harmful.
- 1:35:30 – 1:52:40
Reframing Inflammation and Managing Pain Naturally
The discussion reframes inflammation from ‘enemy’ to vital defense mechanism. Mills explains that conditions like arthritis reflect waste dumping into low-circulation joints, and that supporting circulation and upstream metabolism can reduce pain without bluntly suppressing the inflammatory response via NSAIDs.
- •Adding ‘-itis’ (arthritis, bronchitis, gastritis) denotes inflammation; inflammation brings extra blood and immune ‘Marines’ to do cleanup and repair.
- •Joints act like U-bends where metabolic ‘junk’ accumulates due to poor circulation; inflammatory swelling is the body’s attempt to clear the area.
- •Topical heating (mustard plasters, capsicum patches, mustard baths for arthritic fingers) brings blood into joints, easing pain and reducing the need for painful inflammatory swelling.
- •Short-term acute inflammation (e.g. sprains, cuts) generally should not be suppressed; it’s crucial for proper healing. Chronic inflammation indicates unresolved upstream issues, often in the gut and metabolism.
- •Ibuprofen and similar NSAIDs cut off the inflammatory cascade but don’t address why inflammation is required; Mills prefers to reduce the need for inflammation rather than just block it.
- 1:52:40 – 2:04:00
Diet, Microbiome, and Plant Diversity: Eating the Rainbow
Mills returns to diet as foundational therapy, emphasizing plant diversity, root vegetables, crucifers, and legumes as core prebiotic foods. He notes that humans can thrive on a wide range of diets but that modern sugar intake and processed foods are major drivers of metabolic and inflammatory disease.
- •Target ~30 different plant foods per week to foster microbiome diversity; roots, greens, whole grains, lentils, peas, and beans are powerful prebiotics.
- •Humans are highly adaptable omnivores: Inuits historically thrived on mostly animal foods, while other cultures thrive on plant-centric diets.
- •Plant pigments (polyphenols) require the microbiome to break them into absorbable, beneficial metabolites; the same is true for turmeric/curcumin.
- •Probiotics (yogurt, kefir, kimchi) add microbes; prebiotics (fibers, polyphenols) feed them; ‘postbiotics’ are microbial products—including many plant-derived metabolites—that function as medicines.
- •Eating Asian-style plant-and-spice-based meals (dals, curries, stir-fries) can be inexpensive yet extremely microbiome-friendly if cooked at home.
- 2:04:00 – 2:27:40
Ketogenic Diets, Insulin Resistance, PCOS, and Fertility
The host shares his and his girlfriend’s experience with ketogenic diets, menstrual regularity, and PCOS. Mills connects this to insulin resistance as a key disruptor of hormonal balance and fertility, and describes how keto and herbal treatment can improve metabolic health and reproductive outcomes.
- •Keto diets, by removing sugars and high-glycemic carbs, often free up energy and reduce metabolic ‘drag’; they can enhance mental sharpness for many.
- •Concerns about keto include increased load on liver and kidneys and potential micronutrient gaps; monitoring is advised for long-term use.
- •Insulin resistance is strongly linked to PCOS, menstrual irregularities, and subfertility; up to ~80% of women with PCOS have some insulin resistance.
- •Keto or low-sugar diets can normalize cycles in PCOS by reducing insulin’s disruptive effect on ovarian hormone signaling, thereby improving ovulation and potentially fertility.
- •Mills reports multiple ‘herb babies’ from combining dietary shifts (especially sugar reduction) with liver/metabolic herbs and cycle-regulating women’s herbs.
- 2:27:40 – 2:38:00
Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Health, and Liver-Supporting Herbs
Mills addresses cholesterol as both essential and, in excess, a cardiovascular risk factor. He contextualizes statins as modestly beneficial but overemphasized, stressing plant-based diets, exercise, and liver-supporting herbs like artichoke and dandelion root as key strategies to manage cholesterol more holistically.
- •Cholesterol is produced by the liver, forms the basis of many hormones, and historically supported physical vigor, but sedentary lifestyles and fatty diets turn it into a risk factor.
- •Statins lower cholesterol but have modest population impact and can cause side effects, leading to high patient pushback.
- •Artichoke leaf (widely used in France), dandelion root, and other liver herbs can help move cholesterol out via bile and support healthier lipid profiles.
- •Spices (ginger, turmeric, chili, cinnamon) and hawthorn can contribute to better vascular and cardiac function.
- •Cardiovascular disease is increasingly seen as a long-term inflammatory condition; plant-based diets and spices help modulate this inflammation, not just alter lab numbers.
- 2:38:00 – 3:07:00
Brain Health: Green Tea, Rosemary, Cacao, and Turmeric
This segment focuses on neuroprotection. Mills highlights green tea, rosemary, ginkgo, turmeric, and dark chocolate as plant allies that support the neurovascular unit and cognitive function, with both traditional backing and emerging scientific evidence.
- •Green tea’s polyphenols modulate the neurovascular unit (formerly just called the blood-brain barrier), protecting brain circulation and integrity; studies link long-term consumption with reduced cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s risk.
- •Rosemary’s aromatic oils, inhaled via the olfactory system, directly access brain regions and historically have been used “for remembrance”; preliminary trials suggest improved cognitive performance in older adults.
- •Ginkgo biloba is a European prescription medicine for certain vascular and cognitive issues; it improves microcirculation and may benefit brain function via similar mechanisms.
- •Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory, microbiome-mediated effects likely extend to brain and vascular health; pre-clinical evidence is promising but human data are key.
- •Cacao/dark chocolate (75%+ cocoa) rapidly improves blood flow and supports heart and brain health; cacao also has mild psychoactive/stimulant properties that can uplift mood and openness.
- 3:07:00 – 3:24:20
PPIs, Reflux, and the RAFT Alternative
Near the end, Mills returns to omeprazole and reflux as an underappreciated, high-impact topic. He explains why chronic PPI use is problematic and describes the RAFT approach—using mucilaginous plants or alginates to physically shield the oesophagus—as a safer, often effective alternative while the underlying issues are addressed.
- •GORD/GERD (acid reflux) is commonly defined by its response to PPIs like omeprazole, making the drug part of the diagnostic loop.
- •Stomach acid is essential for sterilizing food and denaturing proteins; shutting it down compromises defense and digestion.
- •Long-term omeprazole is associated with growing lists of downstream risks, including cancers and dementias, and causes strong rebound symptoms on withdrawal.
- •The RAFT method uses mucilage (slippery elm, aloe vera) or alginates (e.g., Gaviscon’s seaweed gum) to create a physical raft above stomach contents, preventing reflux damage without altering acid production.
- •Mills routinely uses RAFT agents as part of weaning patients off PPIs while addressing diet and gut function.
- 3:24:20
Plants, Sustainability, and Human Connection in a Frightening World
The conversation closes with reflections on plant sourcing, organic vs industrial cultivation, and the importance of personal relationships and nature in a rapidly changing world. Mills underscores that wilder or organic plants tend to be richer in protective polyphenols, and that reconnecting with nearby people and environments is a core way he ‘keeps up’ with global turbulence.
- •Industrial monoculture and pesticide use reduce the need for plants to produce their own defensive polyphenols, potentially lowering their medicinal value.
- •Organic or wild plants, forced to fight their own battles, often contain higher levels of beneficial phytochemicals.
- •Foraging and hedgerow eating were once common and can still provide nutrient- and medicine-dense foods today.
- •Mills emphasizes investing in close relationships—family, grandchildren, local community—and in nature as the best antidote to a frightening, fast-changing world.
- •He points listeners to his website, Herb Hour sessions, and the Herbal Reality resource for evidence-based plant medicine education.
