Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

I am honored to connect with Dr. Chris Palmer today! He is a psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. 

Mental illness can devastate lives! Some members of Dr. Palmer’s family struggled with serious mental health issues, and his mother’s experience with the mental health system impacted him deeply. He found the system incompetent and ineffective, and many mental health clinicians were distant, aloof, and snobbish. 

In this episode, he shares his background and explains how a patient changed his career trajectory in 2016. We dive into the connection between mental disorders and metabolic disease, the traditional focus of psychiatry, the value of low-carb and ketogenic diets, the role of mitochondria, and mitochondrial dysfunction. We also get into intergenerational transmission of trauma and the importance of sleep, and Dr. Palmer discusses his new definition of mental health.

Looking at mental health through a metabolic health lens makes so much sense! I believe that Dr. Palmer’s new book will be an incredible resource for clinicians, their patients, and their patient's families. Tune in to hear what he says about the link between metabolic disorders and mental health issues. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Bio: Dr. Chris Palmer

Dr. Chris Palmer is a psychiatrist and researcher working at the interface of metabolism and mental health. He is the Director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. For over 25 years, he has held leadership roles in psychiatric education, conducted research, and worked with people who have treatment-resistant mental illnesses. He has been pioneering the use of the medical ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders - conducting research in this area, treating patients, writing, and speaking around the world on this topic. More broadly, he is interested in the roles of metabolism and metabolic interventions on brain health.

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I’m excited to connect with Dr. Bill Schindler today! He is the author of Eat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health. He is also an internationally known archaeologist, primitive technologist, chef, and co-founder of Modern Stone Age Kitchen. 

Dr. Schindler is all about helping people understand ancestral approaches to maximizing safety, nutrient density, and bioavailability. In this episode, we dive into his background and discuss what we should eat, milestones related to ancestral health perspectives, nutrient density, bioavailability, and how technology has impacted how we eat today. We also discuss plant toxins, organ meats, dairy, bug protein, and more.

I loved Dr. Schindler’s book, Eat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health, so do check it out! I hope you enjoy listening to our fascinating conversation. Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

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Connect with Dr. Bill Schindler

Eat Like a Human: Nourishing Foods and Ancient Ways of Cooking to Revolutionize Your Health is available in print, audio, or digital from any major online book supplier. Or order a signed copy from Dr. Schindler’s website.

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.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

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Connect with Dr. Felice Gersh

All of Dr. Gersh’s books are available on Amazon

Episode 221 on PCOS with Dr. Felice Gersh

Go to www.toxicology.gov to see all the ingredients in birth control pills listed as endocrine disruptors.

It was an honor to connect with the prolific Dr. Steven Gundry today! Dr. Gundry is one of the world’s top cardiothoracic surgeons and a pioneer in nutrition. He hosts the top-rated health show, The Dr. Gundry Podcast, and is the medical director at The International Heart and Lung Institute Center for Restorative Medicine.

At the height of his career as a famous heart surgeon, Dr. Gundry resigned from his position and set up a clinic to teach people how to eat to improve their health and longevity. He talks about his background and dives into how one of his patients impacted the trajectory of his second career. We discuss mitochondria, the value of MCT oil, ketones, mito-genesis, mitochondrial uncoupling, anti-nutrients, and nutrition.

I hope you enjoy listening to today’s fascinating discussion with Dr. Steven Gundry! Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Bio:

Dr. Steven Gundry is one of the world’s top cardiothoracic surgeons and a pioneer in nutrition. He is the founder of Gundry MD, a line of wellness products and supplements, hosts the top-rated health show, The Dr. Gundry Podcast, and is medical director at The International Heart and Lung Institute Center for Restorative Medicine. He has spent the last two decades studying the microbiome and now helps patients use diet and nutrition as a key form of treatment. He is the author of many New York Times bestselling books, including The Plant Paradox, The Plant Paradox Cookbook, The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age, and The Energy Paradox: What to Do When Your Get-Up-and-Go Has Got Up and Gone. He recently released USA Today's national bestseller, Unlocking the Keto Code, which offers a revolutionary take on the keto diet that debunks common myths and shows readers how to reap the rewards of keto with less restriction.

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I am delighted to connect with Chris Kresser today! Chris is the co-founder of the California Center for Functional Medicine, the founder of Kresser Institute, the host of the top-ranked health podcast Revolution Health Radio, and the New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Cure and Unconventional Medicine. 

Chris is as gracious in person as he is online! I have been following him for years and feel honored to have him joining me on the show today! He shares his background, and we dive into bio-individuality and functional medicine. We talk about changes to the nutrient density of food, why the RDA is inadequate, why synthetic nutrients are not beneficial, genetics, how mindset affects our health, and measurable ways to improve neuroplasticity. We also discuss his new supplement line, Adapt Naturals.

I hope you will enjoy listening to today’s information-packed conversation with Chris Kresser as much as I did recording it! Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Bio:

Chris Kresser M.S., L.Ac. is the co-founder of the California Center for Functional Medicine, the founder of Kresser Institute, the host of the top-ranked health podcast Revolution Health Radio, the creator of ChrisKresser.com, and the New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Cure and Unconventional Medicine. 

He is one of the most respected clinicians and educators in the fields of Functional Medicine and ancestral health and has trained over 2,000 clinicians and health coaches from >50 countries in his unique approach. Chris was named one of the 100 most influential people in health and fitness by Greatist.com and has appeared as a featured guest on Dr. Oz, Time, The Atlantic, NPR, Fox & Friends, and other national media outlets. He has recently launched Adapt Naturals, a supplement line designed to add back in what the modern world has squeezed out and help people perform and feel their best.

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I am honored to connect with Dr. Barrie Tan today! Dr. Tan has a PH.D. in biochemistry. He is a vitamin E expert focusing on lipid-soluble nutrients that impact chronic disease. 

Dr. Tan was trained as a chemist and a biochemist. His interest in keeping fat stable led to his discovery of annatto, which led to him becoming an expert in vitamin E. In this episode, we dive into vitamin E and its role in the antioxidant protection of lipids and fats. We talk about Dr. Barrie’s discovery of annatto, discuss tocotrienols, and get into their impact on cholesterol, metabolic and bone health, and cancer. We also briefly discuss GG (geranylgeraniol).

My discussion with Dr. Tan has changed my entire perspective on the metabolic and bone health needs relevant to this specific variant of vitamin E! I hope that you will love it as much as I did! Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

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To download your free copy of Dr. Tan’s book, The Truth about Vitamin E, Go to www.barrietan.com/book and use the code Everyday Wellness Podcast. 

Dr. Tan’s Massachussets-based company is called American River Nutrition. Search for buying tocotrienol to get a list of all the companies selling it.

I am excited to interview Dr. Kyle Gillett today! He is an integrative and precision medicine physician who focuses on bio-individuality. He is active in obesity medicine and hormonal methodologies. His approach is evidence-based, and it involves shared decision-making.

As a physician, Dr. Gillett wanted to treat people holistically. Hormone pathologies, menopause, and metabolic syndrome are common, so he decided to become proficient in those areas to serve his patients in the best way possible. 

Dr. Gillett and I dive into his background, his six pillars of health, the value of evidence-based medicine, how our modern-day lifestyles impact our hormonal health, nutritional dogma, and the importance of sleep. We discuss adrenopause, perimenopause, menopause, changes in body composition, and broken metabolisms. We also talk about weight loss resistance, lab work, muscle-centric medicine, and valuable supplements.

I’ve waited months to interview Dr. Kyle Gillett! I hope you enjoy listening to today’s conversation with him! Stay tuned to learn about hormones, weight-loss resistance, and more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

Bio:

Kyle Gillett MD: 

University of Kansas School of Medicine. 

Dual board Certified Obesity Medicine and Family Medicine. 

An undergraduate dual major in Critical Thinking and Biology. 

Dr. Gillett enjoys providing holistic individualized care to his patients. His practice includes preventative medicine, aesthetics, sports medicine, hormone optimization, obstetrics and infertility, integrative medicine, and precision medicine including genomics. He believes that each human is a unique creation that requires attention to their body, mind, and soul. He uses shared decision-making and an evidence-based approach. He firmly believes “food is medicine” and “exercise is medicine”. Dr. Gillett describes the “7 pillars of health”: exercise, diet, sleep, stress, social, sunlight, and spirit. These are more powerful than any medication or supplement. He enjoys spending time outdoors on the farm with his wife, two sons, and two wolfhounds.

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I am honored to connect with Max Lugavere today! Max is a top health podcaster, wellness journalist, filmmaker, and author. He wrote one of my favorite books, The New York Times bestseller Genius Foods, and earlier this year, he wrote The Wall Street Journal bestseller Genius Kitchen.

Max has been passionate about nutrition, supplementation, and fitness for as long as he can remember. In this episode, we dive into his background and how he developed an interest in brain optimization and cognition. We speak about non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors, the Food Compass nutrient profiling system, and outdated non-scientific nutritional guidelines. We discuss dogmatism in nutrition, the influence of the processed food industry, how our food has changed, and seed oils. Max shares some of his favorite Genius foods, and we also get into the value of sleep and much more.

I hope you enjoy listening to today’s interesting and informative discussion with Max Lugavere as much as I did recording it! Stay tuned for more!  

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

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Books mentioned:

The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz

I’m delighted to connect and have a discussion with James Barry today! James is a private chef who has launched an amazing product called Pluck, an organ-based seasoning I have been using for the last several years. James is also co-author of the recipes in Dr. Alejandro Junger’s book Clean 7.

James has always enjoyed working with food! Recently, he realized that cooking is his way of expressing love! In this episode, we dive into his background and passion for cooking. We discuss dogma, the illusion of health, the psychology of food, farm subsidies, orthorexia, phobias, manifestation, and alignment. We get into food privilege, the lack of transparency in the processed food industry, the health benefits of eating organ meats, and hurdles to consuming organ meats. We also talk about how Pottenger’s Cats and indigenous cultures have influenced him and how Pluck can be a gateway to organ meat consumption.

I hope you will enjoy listening to today’s discussion with James Barry as much as I did recording it! Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

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Books mentioned:

Pottenger's Cats: A Study in Nutrition by Francis Marion Pottenger Jr.

Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss

I’m delighted to have the honor of connecting with Dr. Betsy Greenleaf today! She’s a premier women’s health expert and bestselling author specializing in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. She is the first female in the United States to have become board-certified in urogynecology.

In med school, Dr. Betsy started specializing in general surgery. She soon realized that there was no emotional connection with the patients, so she changed to OB-GYN. 

In this episode, I ask her the questions that many listeners have asked me privately. Dr. Betsy talks about her background in surgery, and we dive into the vaginal and gut microbiome, urinary incontinence, risk factors, chronic urinary tract infections, interstitial cystitis, uterine prolapse, vulvovaginal conditions, and various changes that occur in perimenopause and menopause. We also discuss the impact of the Women’s Health Initiative and therapies in addressing all of these issues. 

I hope you will enjoy this conversation! Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

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