Podcast | Cynthia Thurlow

Ep. 215 How to Use Nutrigenomics to Optimize Health with Kristina Hess

I am delighted to have the opportunity to converse with Kristina Hess today! Kristina is a premier health coach, licensed dietician, and nutritionist with a functional and integrative approach.

Everyone should feel free to experiment with different types of nutritional dogma. However, we should always stay open-minded and lean into whatever our bodies need. I love that Kristina has married the trajectory of her life with genetics and nutrition. So I asked her to join me on the podcast to discuss nutrigenomics.

In this episode, Kristina shares her backstory and talks about growing up and living all over the world, her history of veganism, and healing her body with a nutrient-dense, whole food, primal/paleo diet. She gives some examples of genetic tendencies and low penetrants. She and I dive into gene variants, nutritional choices that include the use of ethanol or alcohol, seed oils, lifestyle choices, and testing. Kristina also provides recommendations for working with individuals trained in the unique form of genetics and study of nutrition and gene expression, known as nutrigenomics.

I hope you will gain a lot from today’s fascinating conversation with Kristina Hess! Stay tuned for more!

Special announcement: I will be an honored guest at the Keto Symposium, a one-and-a-half-day event in New York City on the 23rd and 24th of September, to speak, along with others like the amazing Ben Azadi!

Ep. 214 Breaking Down Insulin Resistance and Ketones with Dr. Latt Mansor

I am delighted to have the opportunity to connect with Dr. Latt Mansor today! Dr. Mansor is the Research Lead at HVMN. He oversees all the company’s research efforts and collaborations with universities and research institutions. He has a Master’s degree in sarcopenia and a P.h.D. from Oxford University. His background is predominantly in metabolism and physiology.

Dr. Mansor is a delightful individual who makes science and physiology accessible to everyone! In this episode, he and I discuss the role of ketones. We dive into how ketones are the fourth macronutrient, the role of energy and ATP, and using CGMs and glucometers to empower and motivate patients. We define endogenous versus exogenous ketones and explain how to utilize them in our daily lives. We also get into how ketones can improve cognition and performance, the cause of keto flu, fatty coffees, and the ongoing research that HVMN is doing.

We hope you enjoy learning from today’s fascinating conversation with Dr. Latt Mansor! Stay tuned for more!

Ep. 213 All About Electrolytes: Symptoms, Causes, and Solutions for Electrolyte Imbalance with Robb Wolf

I am excited to have the opportunity to reconnect with Robb Wolf today! Rob is a delightful and pragmatic research biochemist and two-times New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. One of his books, Wired to Eat, is my favorite, and I often recommend it!

Robb used to be a research scientist, and he also has a background in Jiu-Jitsu. In this episode, he and I dive into everything related to electrolytes. We discuss what piqued his interest in his training journey, the problems with traditional oral rehydration therapies (Gatorade), and what happens with electrolyte loss. We get into some common conditions that can make us lose more electrolytes. We talk about the role of specific electrolytes, including magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium, and explain how to determine if you are creating too much hormetic stress in the body related to overtraining and over-fasting. We also look at lifestyle balance, Zone-2 cardio, and the value of strength training.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as I did recording it! Stay tuned for more!

Ep. 212 Pt. 2: A Deep Dive into Hormonal Imbalances and Menopause with Dr. Tabatha Barber

Today I am happy to share the second of my two conversations with Dr. Tabatha Barber. Dr. Barber is a triple board-certified OB-Gyn menopause and functional medicine expert. She is also known as The Gutsy Gynecologist.
Dr. Barber is the kind of healthcare provider we are all looking for! She answers all the questions that women are often afraid to ask. In this episode, she and I dive into menopause. We talk about the myths surrounding GYN care, the issues with the Women’s Health Initiative study, how that has adversely impacted female hormonal health care over the last twenty years, and hormone replacement therapy options versus navigating natural menopause therapies. We compare the impact of hormone replacement therapy on our bone, brain, and heart health with not using it. We discuss tobacco use and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, statistics around skipped cycles, and the predictors for who will navigate the menopause transition with fewer issues. We talk about extreme stress and being underweight, how that can push women into menopause earlier, and the physical changes we can anticipate, including muscle-loss, vasomotor symptoms, and vulvar-vaginal symptoms. We also touch on bladder incontinence, overactive bladders, and prolapses.
I know this episode will be valuable for you, and there will definitely be a third episode with Dr. Barber! I hope you enjoy listening to today’s conversation! Stay tuned for more!

Ep. 211 – Addressing the Root Cause of Hormonal Imbalances with Dr. Sara Gottfried

Today, I have the privilege of connecting with Dr. Sara Gottfried! Dr. Sara is a board-certified physician who graduated from Harvard and MIT. She practices evidence-based integrative, precision, and functional medicine. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University and Director of Precision Medicine at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health. She has written four New York Times bestselling books, including her latest book called WOMEN, FOOD, AND HORMONES.
Dr. Sara is one of my favorite doctors in integrative medicine and GYN! In this episode, we dive into the infodemic, how stress impacts hormones, the impact of age-related changes on hormonal regulation, alcohol, and gender differences with ketogenic lifestyles. We discuss some of the lesser-known hormones, including growth hormone, and how to support it properly. We touch on disordered eating, how trauma influences our relationship with food, epigenetics, and the role of a lifetime relationship with food. We also look at methylation, glutathione, detox reactions, supporting physical detoxification, and our toxic diet culture.
I hope you benefit as much from this episode as I did!

Ep. 210 – Understanding the Thyroid’s Effect on Your Hormones, Weight Loss Resistance and Metabolic Function with Amie Hornaman

I am thrilled to connect with Dr. Amie Hornaman today!

Dr. Amie, a.k.a The Thyroid-Fixer, is a woman on a mission to optimize thyroid patients around the world and give them their lives back using her proprietary transformational program: The FIX Method. She is also the founder of the Institute for Thyroid and Hormone Optimization.

When she was in her twenties, Dr. Amie did competitive fitness modeling. She had to work extremely hard to get herself in shape to compete in shows. While preparing for one of the shows, she started gaining weight instead of losing, so she went to the doctor. She ended up seeing many different doctors, all of whom misdiagnosed her. She continued searching until she eventually found a functional integrative practitioner who did the right tests, saved her life, became her mentor, and changed the entire trajectory of her career!

In this episode, Dr. Amie and I dive into thyroid health, the role of specific lab testing, and why checking reverse T3 is so important. We discuss molecular mimicry, weight-loss resistance, and why women need to check testosterone. We also talk about the controversy around iodine and discuss low-dose naltrexone, and the use of berberine, chromium, and inositol.

I hope you gain as much from this episode as I did!

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