menopause Archives | Cynthia Thurlow

Ep. 297 Dr. Felice Gersh: Estrogen, Immunity & Menopause Mysteries

October 4, 2023September 16, 2023 by Cynthia Thurlow

Prepare to be enlightened by an engaging discussion with a true powerhouse in women’s health!
I have the pleasure of being joined once again by the esteemed Dr. Felice Gersh, a renowned physician with a cutting-edge career in obstetrics, gynecology, and integrative medicine.

In today’s episode, Dr. Gersh and I explore the intricate interplay between estrogen and immune function, delving into the impact of ovarian aging, menopause, bone health, mental cognition, sleep, and mood. We traverse the vast landscape of the gut microbiome and vascular system, unraveling the secrets of different estrogen types and receptors while addressing the crucial role of inflammation.

With a keen focus on hormone replacement therapy, Dr. Gersh also shares her invaluable insights on the critical window for intervention and her exceptional approach to caring for women in perimenopause and menopause.
Dr. Felice Gersh is an invaluable resource on women’s health! Tune in for an enriching discussion that will leave you eagerly anticipating more episodes with this esteemed physician!

Ep. 259 Breaking Down Perimenopause, Menopause and Women’s Health with Marcelle Pick

August 20, 2023March 11, 2023 by Cynthia Thurlow

Today I am honored to connect with a friend and fellow nurse practitioner, Marcelle Pick! Marcelle is passionate about transforming how women experience healthcare through an integrative approach. She has successfully treated thousands of women through her unique approach to wellness.
Marcelle is currently a faculty member of The Institute of Functional Medicine and has served as a Medical Advisor to Healthy Living Magazine. She has written countless articles and multiple books, including Is It Me or My Hormones?
I always think of Marcelle as a pioneer in the women’s health/nurse practitioner space. In this episode, we dive into her background and the impact of the Women’s Health Initiative. We discuss the limitations of the traditional allopathic model regarding hormones, common misconceptions about adrenal health, perimenopause, and menopause, adverse childhood events and adrenal health, how lifestyle affects our sex hormones, fibroids, endometriosis, PMS, PMDD, and contraception for perimenopause. We speak about endocrine disruptors, mold, and micro toxins. We also get into ways to think about hormone replacement therapy and ways to address intimacy and low libido.
I love connecting with other nurses and nurse practitioners! I hope you will love today’s conversation with Marcelle as much as I did!

Ep. 241 Mitochondria and the Impact of Hormone Imbalances in Perimenopause and Menopause with Dr. Carrie Jones

September 5, 2023November 26, 2022 by Cynthia Thurlow

I am happy to reconnect with Dr. Carrie Jones today! (She was with me before in Episode 106, in July of 2020.) Dr. Jones is an internationally-recognized speaker, consultant, and educator on the topic of women’s health and hormones. She has her Master’s in Public Health and was one of the first to become board certified through the American Board of Naturopathic Endocrinology and currently serves on the board.

I like to think of Dr. Jones as the Queen of Hormones! In today’s episode, we dive into common hormone imbalances that occur in perimenopause and menopause. We discuss the difference between healthy and non-healthy mitochondria, the impact of toxins on our hormones, and thyroid function. We talk about the impact of puberty, pregnancy, post-partum, and perimenopause on our immune system. We also get into non-thyroidal illnesses, the role of skeletal muscle, things that no longer serve us in middle age, and why we tend to become more weight loss-resistant with age.

I hope you enjoy listening to my conversation with Dr. Carrie Jones as much as I did recording it! Stay tuned for more!

Ep. 237 Perimenopause and Menopause: What You Didn’t Know with Dr. Felice Gersh

September 9, 2023November 5, 2022 by Cynthia Thurlow

I’m honored to reconnect with Dr. Felice Gersh today! She is a multi-award-winning physician with dual board certification in OB-GYN and Integrative Medicine. We connected once before in Episode 221, where we spoke about PCOS and metabolic health.

Today, Dr. Gersh joins me to dive into perimenopause and menopause. We discuss various issues surrounding the Women’s Health Initiative and talk about estrogen as a family of hormones, estrogen-mimicking chemicals, synthetic hormones, and oral contraceptives. We get into the importance of thyroid function, the pro-inflammatory state of a loss of estrogen in perimenopause and menopause, and the importance of nutrition and exercise for the metabolism. We also speak about the lesser-known changes that occur in menopause, including changes in body odor, constipation, sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and vocal changes.
I intend to invite Dr. Gersh back again to discuss women and mitochondrial health, and then once again to talk about her latest book, Menopause: The Fifty Things You Need to Know.

Stay tuned to find out what menopause really is, and what it does to a woman’s metabolic system.

Ep. 227 The Upgrade: A Unique Perspective on Perimenopause and Menopause with Dr. Louann Brizendine

September 20, 2023September 3, 2022 by Cynthia Thurlow

I was happy to connect with Dr. Louann Brizendine today! She is the founder of the Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic at UCSF. She completed her degree in Neurobiology at UC Berkeley, graduated from Yale School of Medicine, and did her internship and residency at Harvard Medical School. She also served on both the faculties of Harvard University and the University of California at San Francisco. Dr. Brizendine founded the Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic at UCSF. Her New York Times bestseller, The Female Brain, and its follow-up, The Male Brain, continue to be read around the world.

Today, we dive deeply into her new book, The Upgrade: How the Female Brain Gets Stronger and Better in Midlife and Beyond, which was released in April 2022.

Ep. 176 – Hormonal Imbalances, Testosterone Deficiency In Women! The Role of Testosterone in Women with Dr. Kyrin Dunston

June 18, 2023October 30, 2021 by Cynthia Thurlow

I am happy to have Dr. Kyrin Dunston back on the show today!

Dr. Kyrin was with me before in Episode 119: Master Midlife and Stop the Menopause Madness. I invited her to join me once again today to take a deeper dive into the topic of testosterone in women.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston is a leading OBGYN & Functional Medicine Expert. She has been featured on numerous podcasts and summits on NBC, Fox, Great Day Washington, Reader’s Digest, The Huffington Post, Best Self, and more. She is the host of Her Brilliant Health Revolution Podcast and Her Brilliant Health Secrets YouTube channel, which gives women the knowledge, tools, and support they need to take control of their health and not only heal but to thrive in life.

In this episode, we discuss the role of testosterone in women. Dr. Kyrin explains why there is so much ambiguity around testosterone and why it is a controlled substance. She talks about where testosterone is produced in the body, how we test for it, the signs of low testosterone, and how to treat it. She also talks about hormonal illiteracy in traditional allopathically-trained providers, explains how to advocate for your hormonal health, and shares some information about women who have had their ovaries removed in conjunction with a hysterectomy.

Testosterone is a misunderstood sex hormone that is intricately related to almost every system in the body. Tune in today to learn all you need toknow about testosterone in women and find out why it is vital for you to advocate for your health when navigating midlife.

cynthiaTHURLOW