Ep. 220 A Detailed Guide to Healthy Hormones with Dr. Lara Briden

I am excited to connect with Dr. Lara Briden today! She is one of my favorite naturopathic doctors and the author of the bestselling books Period Repair Manual and Hormone Repair Manual. She has 25 years of experience in women’s health, and she currently has consulting rooms in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she treats women with PCOS, PMS, endometriosis, perimenopause, and many other hormone- and period-related health problems.

Dr. Briden is a wealth of information! She brings a fresh perspective and a positive voice to the health and wellness space, and I often recommend her book, Hormone Repair Manual, to my clients and patients.

Today, she and I dive into her background as an evolutionary biologist and discuss how she became passionate about supporting women and advocating for them throughout their lifetime. We talk about perspectives on aging, what the second puberty (perimenopause) is, and the impact of histamine, mass-cell granulation, and estrogen. We discuss fat redistribution in middle age and the loss of insulin sensitivity. We speak about how using alcohol impacts brain health, sleep, the gut microbiome, appetite, cravings, and hinders estrogen metabolism. We also touch on ways to address dysfunctional uterine bleeding in middle age and explain how to advocate for your health, how middle age impacts the nervous system, and the role of inflammatory foods, including dairy.

I hope you enjoy our discussion as much as I did! Stay tuned for more!