Hormone optimization, often referred to as HRT or hormone replacement therapy, has the power to transform women's lives—but despite its benefits, many women remain hesitant to pursue it due to unfounded fears. In Part II of her guest appearance on Healthy Longevity, gastroenterologist and long-COVID expert Robin Rose, MD, shares real-life case studies that reveal the tangible impact of hormone optimization. Combined with insights from Dr. Comite's decades of endocrinology experience, these patient stories demonstrate how personalized treatment, regular monitoring, and education can make all the difference in a woman's health journey.

You'll Learn…

• The reasons why so many women hesitate to embrace bioidentical hormone optimization therapies yet will take synthetic hormones for birth control without thinking twice.

• The biggest misconceptions about estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—and what the science actually says.

• Real-life case studies that showcase the power of personalized hormone management.

• How long COVID (and even the COVID vaccine) can throw hormones off balance, especially in young women.

• The critical role of tracking hormone levels and making precise adjustments over time.

• How hormone optimization can reverse biological aging and protect your heart, brain, and bones.

The pandemic is not a distant memory for the 17 million US adults who the CDC says suffer from "long-haul COVID." Gastroenterologist Robin Rose, MD, an expert in treating long COVID says "the gut is ground zero" for the virus's notorious spike protein and the protein's conduit to every cell in the body. In this episode, Dr. Comite interviews this practitioner of next-generation precision healthcare about our microbiome's role in aging and the downstream effects of COVID on our health.

You'll learn…

• The COVID-19 spike protein can bind to 22 cell receptors and can impact 300 biological pathways in the body, triggering chronic disease and accelerating aging.

• How spike proteins get inside cells, transforming them into "zombie cells."

• That spike proteins from mRNA vaccines as well as the virus itself destroy bifidobacteria, one of the most beneficial bugs in our gut.

• About natural compounds that work synergistically along biological pathways to move the spike protein out of the body.

• How "leaky gut" develops and its impact on organs and the immune system.

• The critical importance of regular blood tests and "knowing your body."

• Dr. Rose's three free guaranteed health boosters: Community, gratitude, and movement.

"Weight gain is not about lack of willpower; it's biology," says obesity doctor and GLP-1 expert Alexandra Sowa, MD. In this episode, the author of the new book The Ozempic Revolution: A Doctor's Proven Plan for Success to Help You Reverse Obesity, End Yo-Yo Dieting, Protect Yourself from Disease, cuts through the confusion surrounding GLP-1 medications and tells listeners what her most successful and happiest patients do to reap the full health benefits of these game-changing peptides. Dr. Sowa is the founder of the telehealth clinic SoWell Health.

You'll learn…

• Why "try harder" is terrible medical advice.

• The differences between GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Monjuro and Zepbound.

• How GLP-1s quiet the "food noise" in your brain.

• Are GLP-1s right for you?

• How to get your prescription covered.

• How to eat and exercise to minimize symptoms and gain the best results.

• The future of GLP-1s and how they may help eliminate chronic disease.

Dr. Comite began her medical journey at Yale University School of Medicine and continued with at Yale with a residency in medicine. She completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology (multidisciplinary training incorporating pediatrics, gynecology, and andrology) at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She remained at the National Institutes of Health as a senior clinical research associate before joining the Yale faculty as an associate professor in endocrinology. During her 25-year faculty tenure, Dr. Comite founded and directed Women's Health at Yale.

In 2005, she launched her bespoke medical practice, Comite Center for Precision Medicine & Healthy Longevity, in New York City and, subsequently expanded offices to Palo Alto and Miami Beach.

Through her medical practice and decades of clinical research, Dr. Comite recognized that all humans have inherited a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism (a glucose disorder leading toward diabetes), which is accelerated by aging and the natural decline of the hormones testosterone and estrogen, which begins around age 30.

Dr. Comite's podcast delivers the truth about your health—that age-related disease begins early in life at the cellular level. By slowing and even reversing the biological aging process, we can stay active and in great health for life. She interviews renowned physicians, researchers, and thought leaders offering surprising insights and practical tips that listeners can use to improve their own health trajectory.

Looking to make 2025 your healthiest year ever? "You can take control of your health by changing the way your genes express themselves," says Florence Comite, MD. "Your genes don't have to be your destiny." In this episode, Dr. Comite switches seats with her guest, Deepti Agarwal MD, who interviews Comite about her career as a forward-thinking endocrinologist and innovator in Precision Medicine. Dr. Agarwal is an anesthesiologist, integrative medicine physician, and Director of Interventional and Integrative Pain Management at Case Integrative Health in Chicago.

You'll learn…

• How aging changes your body (beginning around age 30), specifically how the hormone testosterone declines by 1 to 3 percent per year in both men and women and what that means for your health.

• Why your doctor needs to know your health story to make a difference in your health path. You'll learn the elements necessary to write your health story.

• About the "poor man's genetic test," the most underutilized tool for longevity.

• Why the way to losing weight is moderation, not deprivation, and starting meals with protein to manage cravings for carbs.

• How to be proactive about your health to prevent the disorders of aging—heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and more.

Dr. Comite began her medical journey at Yale University School of Medicine and continued with at Yale with a residency in medicine. She completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology (multidisciplinary training incorporating pediatrics, gynecology, and andrology) at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She remained at the National Institutes of Health as a senior clinical research associate before joining the Yale faculty as an associate professor in endocrinology. During her 25-year faculty tenure, Dr. Comite founded and directed Women's Health at Yale.

In 2005, she launched her bespoke medical practice, Comite Center for Precision Medicine & Healthy Longevity, in New York City and, subsequently expanded offices to Palo Alto and Miami Beach.

Through her medical practice and decades of clinical research, Dr. Comite recognized that all humans have inherited a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism (a glucose disorder leading toward diabetes), which is accelerated by aging and the natural decline of the hormones testosterone and estrogen, which begins around age 30.

Dr. Comite's podcast delivers the truth about your health—that age-related disease begins early in life at the cellular level. By slowing and even reversing the biological aging process, we can stay active and in great health for life. She interviews renowned physicians, researchers, and thought leaders offering surprising insights and practical tips that listeners can use to improve their own health trajectory.

Peptides are becoming more and more popular, not only among biohackers, but people who just want to boost their health a notch or two. What are peptides? In short, they're chains of amino acids that can be combined to form proteins that trigger specific beneficial cellular functions, such as reducing inflammation, improving skin health, and growing muscle. In this episode of Healthy Longevity, Dr. Comite interviews Neil Paulvin, DO, a Manhattan physician specializing in anti-aging and regenerative medicine who's known as "Dr. Peptide" for his expertise in peptide therapy.

You'll learn…

• How Dr. Paulvin combines personalized functional medicine, peptide and hormone therapy, and biohacking techniques to help patients improve their healthspan and perform at their best.

• Dr. Paulvin's three favorite peptides for longevity.

• The free, in-home health hack that will dramatically improve anyone's energy, mood, and cognitive function.

• Best peptides for weight loss, brain health, inflammation, healing gut lining. and more.

• The skin rejuvenating benefits of GHK Copper

If you are a stress-aholic, you need to put more "O" in your life. The "O" in orgasm also is the "O" in oxytocin, the hormone of love and connection, says Anna Cabeca DO, an OBGYN, best-selling author, and expert in hormones and menopause known as The Girlfriend Doctor. In this episode of Healthy Longevity, Dr. Comite interviews Dr. Cabeca about how boosting oxytocin can help women counteract the stress hormone cortisol, lower risk of diabetes, supercharge sexual desire and function, and more!

You'll learn…

• How Dr. Cabeca turned her life (and health) around after the tragic death of her toddler son and breakup of her marriage, which triggered early menopause.

• Stress messes up our adaptive hormones—as cortisol goes up, oxytocin goes down.

• 5 simple ways to boost oxytocin naturally to help your body repair itself.

• How eating alkaline foods can rebalance your acidic physiology leading to weight loss, improved sleep and mood, and relief from brain fog and hot flashes.

• The morning and evening routine that resets your circadian rhythm.

• About new oxytocin-boosting treatments to combat vaginal dryness, clitoral atrophy and improve orgasm.

Lorenzo Thione is an entrepreneur, expert in Artificial Intelligence, a celebrated storyteller. and Broadway producer four-times nominated for and twice winner of Tony Awards. For someone so busy, it's remarkable he finds the time to stay as laser focused on his health as he appears. But is he really doing all he could to optimize his body? In this episode of Healthy Longevity, Dr. Comite analyzes Thione's recent blood work to see if his biomarkers reveal he's as healthy on the inside as he looks on the outside.

You'll learn…

• How Thione, a technology expert and self-quantifier, uses wearable devices and other health data point to inform his lifestyle decisions.

• How testosterone optimization therapy improved Thione's energy, libido, and more!

• Dr. Comite's recommendations for improving his low levels of magnesium, a mineral that's essential for gut and brain and plays a role in over 300 critical functions in the body.

• Insights about homocysteine and why some people need methylated forms of vitamin B12.

• Why family health history has been called a poor man's genetic test.

When feeling stressed and overwhelmed in medical school, Poonam Desai would dance. She'd take a 15-minute break to dance to hip hop or practice her classical Indian dances. "Dance is my happy place; it's my meditation," says the emergency department physician, classically trained ballet and Indian dancer and private practice longevity doctor. In this episode of Healthy Longevity with Florence Comite MD, Dr. Desai shares her prescription for avoiding a visit to her E.R. and living a healthier, happier long life.

You'll learn…

• That Dr. Desai's experience treating stroke and heart attack patients in the E.R. taught her that convention medicine must become more proactive to help patients age with vitality.

• The path to healthy longevity starts with a change of mindset.

• Why you need to be ready to change before you can establish healthier habits.

• Wearable devices like sleep and heart rate trackers are accelerating a major shift toward virtual healthcare.

• Why most peoples' definition of being healthy is wrong.

Don't try to manage menopause alone as your mother did. Actively seeking help and resources to comprehend and navigate perimenopause and menopause is the new plan for women to manage symptoms and improve their health. Join Dr. Comite in an open conversation about how to embrace this significant life phase with Jessica Shepherd, MD, a board-certified OB/GYN and author of the new book Generation M: Living Well in Perimenopause and Menopause.

You'll learn…

• How participating in open dialogues with other women and your partner will facilitate understanding of changes, alleviate symptoms, and reduce feelings of isolation or shame.

• Why prepping your body for perimenopause as you would train for a 10K race will help you master the marathon of menopause.

• How hormone therapy can ease symptoms, reduce the risk of heart disease, and reverse biological aging.

• That incorporating mindfulness through meditation, yoga, or other methods, contributes to positive health outcomes during menopause.

Heart disease, heart attack, and stroke are the nation's #1 killers of men and women. But these chronic disorders of aging are easily detected and cost effective to prevent. If you want to not only live longer, but live a healthy, active, happy life to 100 and beyond, you'll want to listen to heart surgeon David Luu, M.D. He's founder of The Heart Fund, dedicated to democratizing access to cardiovascular care in low-income countries, and the startup Hearty.com, a service designed to detect heart disease and other age-related conditions early.

You'll learn…

· Why checking your blood pressure should be as routine as brushing your teeth.

· The cholesterol blood test that everyone should undergo but few people do.

· Why you should know your CT calcium score and consider a CT angiogram.

· About the skateboarding accident that became Dr. Luu's inspiration to pursue longevity medicine.

· How loneliness can affect your heart.

· Dr. Luu's #1 tip for achieving healthy longevity

· Plus, answers to listeners' burning questions.