Ep. 206 Pt 1: A Deep Dive into Perimenopause- Hormonal Imbalances and Birth Control with Dr. Tabatha Barber

Today, I feel honored to share the first of two episodes with one of my favorite women in the health and wellness space!

Dr. Tabatha Barber is a triple board-certified OB-Gyn specializing in perimenopause, menopause, and functional medicine. She is often affectionately referred to as the Gutsy Gynecologist, and she has a wonderful podcast called The Gutsy Gynecologist Show.

Dr. Barber is speaking out on behalf of middle-aged women! She does not focus on any specific age group because she prefers to think about women on a continuum. 

In this episode, she talks with me about perimenopause, lifestyle management, and navigating the transition to middle age. We discuss the impact of oral contraceptives, their effect on the gut microbiome, and informed consent. We talk about vitamin and mineral depletion and therapies typically used in middle age- including IUDs, ablations, and hysterectomies. We dive into how to navigate cycle mapping and successfully integrate intermittent fasting during perimenopause. We also briefly touch on how to manage vasomotor symptoms. 
I hope you will gain a lot from this invaluable podcast! We will be sharing the second part of this show later this summer.

Stay tuned for more!

Ep. 205 – Fructose – The Driver Behind Metabolic Disease with Dr. Rick Johnson

I am delighted to have the opportunity to connect with Dr. Rick Johnson today! Dr. Johnson is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado and is a clinician and researcher. He is an international expert on sugar and fructose and has made many discoveries on how sugar and fructose play a role in obesity and diabetes.

Dr. Johnson is a gracious, humble, and brilliant man! He is also extremely curious and loves diving into things! As well as running a clinical practice, he has been doing medical research throughout his career.

In this episode, we talk about his new book, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat. We get into how his curiosity has fueled his entire medical career, and talk about the intricate connection between fructose, weight gain, and re-gaining weight. We discuss the impact of obesity and hormonal regulation and how fructose lowers the ATP and impacts the mitochondria. We talk about artificial sweeteners, the polyol pathway, and uric acid. We dive into dehydration and explain how it can create fructose in the body. We also talk about the impact of alcohol and the Switch Diet.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I did while recording it! Stay tuned to find out all you need to know about the biological switch that drives obesity!

Ep. 204 – An Immune Centric Approach to Optimizing Health and Aging with Joel Greene

I am delighted to have Joel Greene, one of my favorite biohackers, joining me today! Joel is very well-known in the health and fitness community! He is knowledgeable and passionate about science, and he has some fresh and distinctive notions about the gut microbiome and weight loss.
Joel is the author of The Immunity Code. He has figured out different ways for us to focus on our gut microbiome and immune function while targeting specific pathways in the body that could amplify our results for body composition and various other things.

Ep. 203 – Understanding and Healing Your Traumas with Gabby Bernstein

I have the honor of connecting with Gabby Bernstein today! Gabby is a spiritual teacher, motivational speaker, and catalyst for profound inner change. She recently launched her latest book, the New York Times bestseller, Happy Days. 

Gabby has been transforming lives- including her own for more than sixteen years. She is a number 1 New York Times best-selling author. She has written nine books, including The Universe Has Your Back, Super Attractor, and her latest, Happy Days. In her weekly podcast, Dear Gabby, she offers real-time coaching, straight talk, and conversations about personal growth and spirituality with unique and inspiring guests.

In this episode, Gabby and I dive into undoing the patterns that made us feel unworthy of love. We discuss the impact that big and little T traumas have on the brain, how our coping mechanisms could reflect the traumas we experienced, and the value of supporting the autonomic nervous system- specifically the sympathetic overdrive, which is a chronic state of hyper-arousal. We also discuss the effects of shame and how it clouds our perspective on the experiences we have had, and talk about using compassion as the antidote.  

I hope you enjoy today’s conversation with Gabby Bernstein! Stay tuned for more!

Ep. 202 – Healing Your Hormones and Becoming Empowered with The Girlfriend Doctor

I feel honored and privileged to re-interview Dr. Anna Cabeca today! She was with me once before in Episode 94. Dr. Anna is triple-board certified. She is also a fellow of gynecology and obstetrics, integrative medicine, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She has special certifications in functional medicine, sexual health, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Over the past 20 years, she has served more than 10,000 women in her private practice and millions more through her books, online videos, and articles. 
Dr. Anna has a new book out, called MenuPause. When reviewing her book, I was surprised to discover that only 20% of those going into obstetrics and gynecology trained in menopause medicine. It almost seems that once women move beyond their child-bearing years, they become irrelevant and invisible. Fortunately, Dr. Anna is helping to change that narrative! 
In this episode, Dr. Anna and I dive into her new book. In addition, we talk about the need for female empowerment, the stigma of middle age, perimenopause, and menopause. We discuss intimacy as the key to connection and the importance of understanding the changes in a woman’s body as she moves through that phase of life. (Dr. Anna refers to that as pausing.) We talk about understanding the role of the connection hormone oxytocin and the importance of women being solution-based when approaching that key phase of their lives. We get into statistics and the microbiome of the gut and the vagina, talk about Dr. Anna’s various six-day eating plans, and explain how those changes can improve our physiology and stabilize symptoms. We also look into stubborn weight-gain issues, the health needs of middle-aged women, and how different cultures view middle age.  
I am thrilled to be bringing you today’s exciting conversation! I hope you gain a lot from listening to it!

Ep. 201-The Connection Between Genes, Detoxification, Hormones, and Immune Function

I am delighted to reconnect with Teri Cochrane today! Teri is the founder of the Global Sustainable Health Institute® and an international thought leader in longevity. Through her decades of clinical work, Teri has developed The Cochrane Method®, a future-facing, multisystem health and longevity model that examines the intersection of gene expression due to pathogenic and environmental causes, energy, and her clients’ unique personal blueprint. Teri specializes in solutions to complex health conditions and serves world-class athletes. She is the author of the Amazon best-selling new release book, The Wildatarian Diet: Living As Nature Intended.
Teri’s perspective on health and longevity is fresh and unique, and she has her own quirky way of describing certain potentially intangible concepts. She understands that we are all different, so every individual requires a particular and very granular approach to their diet and lifestyle to achieve optimal health.
In this episode, we take a deep dive into the role of bio-individuality and focus on women’s hormones and the endocrine system. We talk about applied kinesiology. We discuss the role of oxalates and the impact of genetics, SMPs, mycotoxins (mold), candida, and strep on our health. We get into methylation, gut health, estrogen detoxification, liver detox, and ways to support our bodies. We talk about why women tend to feel fluffy, the impact of cortisol, how sleep and stress affect our health, the importance of micronutrients- especially for thyroid function, and the role of neurotransmitters. We also discuss the quality of animal-based protein and explain why chicken is a dirty bird.
I hope you love listening to this valuable conversation and learn a lot from it! Stay tuned for more!

Ep. 200 – Digging into The Root Causes of Low Libido with Renee Wellenstein

I am delighted to have Dr. Renee Wellenstein joining me today! Dr. Renee is a double board-certified doctor who has been working with women for over 20 years. Due to her own health challenges, she stepped outside the box of conventional medicine to take a radically different approach to heal herself from the deep depths of burnout. She has had her fair share of obstacles throughout her journey, and she has mastered the art of leaping into transitions with each pivot! Now Dr. Renee empowers women to take control of their health, jump-start their energy, improve their confidence, and reignite their libido!

Ep. 199 – The Power of Sleep- Chronotypes, Sleep Schedules and Hacks with Dr. Michael Breus  

I have the honor of talking to Dr. Michael Breus today! Dr. Breus is the author of The Power of When, and his latest book is called Energize. He is a double board-certified Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Sleep Specialist. He is one of only 168 psychologists in the world to have taken and passed the Sleep Medicine Boards without going to Medical School.
After completing his undergraduate studies in psychology, Dr. Breus did all of his pre-meds in one year. Then he went to the University of Georgia to do a P.h.D. in Clinical Psychology. He wanted to do a sports internship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center after getting his P.h.D., but he could not get into the program. They were offering graduate students a sleep track, so he decided to do that initially and then get into the sports internship program through the back door. However, things did not end up working out quite how they thought they would!

Ep. 198 – Dispelling Myths About Hormone Replacement Therapy

I am delighted to have two respected researchers, Dr. Avrum Bluming and Dr. Carol Tavris, joining me today! They are the co-authors of the book, Estrogen Matters.

Avrum Bluming received his MD from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. He spent four years as a senior investigator for the National Cancer Institute. For two of those years, he was director of the Lymphoma Treatment Center in Kampala, Uganda. For more than three decades, he has been studying the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy administered to women with a history of breast cancer.

Carol Tavris received her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan. Her books include Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me), with Elliot Aronson; Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion, and The Mismeasure of Woman.

Ep. 197 – Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know About Environmental Toxins in Our Water

I am delighted to have Lara Adler with me again today! Lara is a self-proclaimed environmental toxins nerd. She was on the show last year, in episode 159, where we spoke about the link between chemical exposure, weight gain, and other hormonal imbalances. I asked her to join me again today, to highlight the impact of the quality of our water on our health.

Lara Adler is an Environmental Toxins Expert & Educator and a Certified Holistic Health Coach who teaches health coaches, nutritionists, and other health professionals how to eliminate the number one thing holding their clients back from the results they are seeking – the unaddressed link between chemicals and chronic health problems. She trains practitioners to become experts in everyday toxic exposures so they can improve client outcomes without spending hundreds of hours researching on their own.