Hormonally Speaking

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. About 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer during her life.   

In this episode, I talk to breast cancer survivor and Author of Amazon Book Bestseller, Sex, Drugs, Babies and Breast Cancer: Health Benefits of Estrogen Gene Testing TJ Hills.  

TJ and I discuss: 

✨ Her story of how she found out she had breast cancer, moved through treatment, and then learned the role of genes in her cancer  

✨Which genes impact estrogen metabolism  

✨Why Bioresponse DIM may be a better option than regular DIM  

✨The role antioxidants play in estrogen support  

✨How the chemicals we have in America are different than other parts of the world and what that means for you  

TJ explains in-depth the genes you need to know that predispose you towards breast cancer, what nutritional supports are needed depending on your genetic results, when xenoestrogens play a bigger role and when they don’t, and SO MUCH MORE!   

This is required listening if you have had breast cancer, it runs in your family, or you have a friend facing it.   

T.J. Hills is the Author of Amazon Book Bestseller,  Sex, Drugs, Babies and Breast Cancer: Health Benefits of Estrogen Gene Testing, published by the Better Estrogen Foundation.   

TJ Hills is an advocate of Estrogen Metabolism Gene Testing as an empowering health tool for all women and a breast cancer prevention tool for those at higher risk. Information about where to obtain testing is at her website, https://betterestrogen.com.  

The book was adapted from her speeches to corporate events, medical conferences and breast cancer and women’s groups. She has also spoken on National TV, radio outlets and podcasts.   

A breast cancer patient in remission since 2009, she is a Board Member of the Better Estrogen Foundation, and Former Board Member of the Estrogen Gene Test Co, and Hormonal Cancer Foundation.   

She has spent 30 plus years advising the largest Institutional Investors and Hedge Funds. Inquiries about her availability to speak at an event may be directed to [email protected].

In this new bonus episode series, I'm talking about the exact reasons protein is so important for not only your sex hormones, but your thyroid, adrenals, hair, skin & nails, neurotransmitters and more. 

I also cover how many grams of protein you should be shooting for a day. 

This is the first of weekly (or bi-weekly) short episodes we'll be doing this season to cover topics that are important to YOU. As I mention in the podcast, we'll be setting up a phone line for you to leave questions that I will cover in these shorts, so stay tuned. 

Here is the great deal with Annmarie Skin Care mentioned in the episode (only available until Aug. 30th!)

Here's my article on 10 Ways to Get 30g of Protein At Breakfast. 

If you want to check out the paper on heavy metals in collagen, go here. To get my favorite brand of collagen, Neocell, at 10% off, sign-up at my Fullscript dispensary. 

Welcome to the first episode of season 4 of Hormonally Speaking!  

We are kicking off this season with a fabulous guest, Dr. Tabatha Barber, who is triple board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, menopause, and functional medicine.  

Dr. Barber is a dynamic practitioner and she shares her own experiences of what propels her to do the work she does, including:   

-How she went from being a teenage mother to becoming a triple board-certified doctor, and how that paved the way for her to fight for women, their health, and hormonal balance.   

-Finding her way to functional medicine after re-injuring herself barely six weeks after her back surgery, and her doctor telling her "back surgeries are like Lay's potato chips - you can't have just one."  

-Explaining how birth control does *not* balance your hormones, but instead overrides your own hormones, causes leaky gut, vitamin and  mineral deficiencies, and can be a contributor to turning on autoimmune conditions.  

-Breaking down how doctors don't intervene in health conditions until they are already full-blown diseases, as there aren't medications or surgeries available until it gets to that point.  

-Why bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is safe and can be life-changing, and how they are different from HRT.  

And so much more!  

Dr. Barber is so inspirational as a forward-thinking doctor who understands how we truly heal from the ground up.  

You'll leave this interview not only more knowledgeable about how the healthcare system works, but also with hope that more doctors will make  the move to the functional side.   

Dr. Tabatha Barber has devoted her life to giving women a voice and a choice when it comes to their health and well-being. As a young girl,  she struggled with self-esteem and identity issues, dealt with  peer-pressure, and survived the ridicule and stigma of becoming a  teenage mother.  

As she shared in her first published book titled, From White Trash to White Coat: The Birth of Catherine’s Purpose, those events led Tabatha to finding her purpose in life. With perseverance and grace, she was  able to redirect her path in life and become a successful physician.  Dr. Tabatha Barber is triple board-certified in obstetrics and  gynecology, menopause, and functional medicine. 

She has the unique situation of being licensed to practice medicine in over half the country, so you now have the ability to work with a functional physician  virtually.   

She is the host of The Gutsy Gynecologist Show (formally the Functional Gynecologist Podcast); where she shares her wisdom and knowledge with  women everywhere to reclaim their health. She is also a keynote speaker, mentor, wife, mom, and grandma! 

By incorporating functional medicine  into her women’s health practice, she is able to provide women with the  tools they need to optimize their health and happiness, which, in turn,  allows those women to pursue their purpose in life. Find out more at https://drtabatha.com. 

In American culture getting older is considered capital B-A-D. 

Your looks fade, your worth diminishes (because it's so tied up in those looks...), you become cranky, everything starts to hurt...so the culture tells you. 

But the truth is, perimenopause (and the menopause beyond it) can actually be the best time of your life. 

In today's episode, perimenopause expert Rachel Hughes and I talk all about peri - the ups and downs, ways to support your body better, and how to shift that outlook. We also cover:

-Body changes - the better you take care of it, the more it will reward you (and it nudges you in that direction more and more)

-Knowing who you are, and letting the world know it

-Mindset and beliefs around peri

-Stepping into your second act, where you get to be as sexy as you wanna be

Grab a cup of tea for this lovely conversation that every woman should listen to, whether in perimenopause or headed in that direction at any point!

Rachel Hughes is a mid-life mother, wife, CNC and perimenopausal blogger. 

She has a sincere heart to create safe spaces where peri- and menopausal women can help each other navigate these particular years together with honesty, thoughtfulness and a lot of laughter. 

After finding that her own perimenopausal symptoms were disruptive to her life she sought out meaningful help and information and felt that there were not enough resources for mid-life women where they could learn from each other and express themselves with plenty of compassion and without judgement. 

She has worked with chronic pain patients for over 10 years and understand how food, nutrients and movement can be used as powerful tools to help people rebalance and heal themselves from all sorts of physical and physiological challenges, including those driven by fluctuating hormones. 

Find out more at her website. 

For so long, it seemed like there was just this time of life  women would suddenly hit – menopause – and everything went dark. There  was really nothing you could do about it.

What a  disservice to women! Not only is it not-as-simple as just hitting menopause, it’s also a lie that there’s nothing we can do to ease the transition. Plus, hitting menopause doesn’t mean your  life has to be over – you can be just as a vital post-menopause as you  are pre-menopause if you know the steps to take care of your body.

In this interview with Maria Claps, we cover it all:

If you are over 40, you don’t want to miss this episode!

Maria Claps is a certified health coach, Functional Diagnostic  Nutrition practitioner and mom to 4 grown boys. After receiving  inadequate healthcare that did nothing to address her perimenopause  problems, Maria enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition  (IIN) in order to help herself. After that, Maria pursued several  hormone-centric trainings including Dr. Sara Gottfried’s practitioner  hormone training program, the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition program  and she also has been mentored by hormone scholar and scientist Dr.  Lindsey Berkson.

Maria helps women all over the world as a  perimenopause and menopause mentor via her Thrive Over 45 program. She  is a DUTCH hormone test expert. She also teaches health coaches and  other wellness practitioners in a mentorship program called Midlife  Hormone Mastery.

When she’s not working with clients, Maria can be  found trekking through Italy, at farmer’s markets locally or in the  kitchen creating recipes.

Find Maria at her website, on Instagram, or at her FB page.

You can listen at iTunes or Spotify, or a variety of other places.   And  we SO APPRECIATE reviews, because it is the biggest way to help us  grow! If you enjoyed this episode or others, an iTunes review goes a  long way ❤️

In this episode of Hormonally Speaking, I talk with Phyllis Frempong,  otherwise known as "Fibroid Queen," about what it means to holistically  approach dealing with with fibroids.   

Phyllis has a unique view as she is both a registered nurse AND holistic  coach. She understands the best of both worlds, but teaches women how  to take care of themselves so that yes, their fibroids can actually  shrink, even from a large size.   

If you have fibroids and are debating using estrogen blocking drugs or  going the surgical route, I highly recommend listening to this episode  to learn how diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices have a major impact  on fibroids. And yes, even if they are 10cm or more in size, you have  choices!  

As most of you who know me by now understand that I wish I had given  myself time to work on shrinking my fibroids before going the surgical  route and almost losing my life.   

Phyllis Frempong, “Fibroid Queen” is a Speaker, Registered Nurse,  Fibroids Advocate, Certified Fitness & Yoga Coach. She develops  programs that focus on hormonal issues and concerns women face everyday,  using a holistic approach to Wellness, and personal growth using a  proven system that combines Yoga, Fitness and Nutrition.. Phyllis is one  of the 90% of women affected by fibroids by the age of 50. She knew her  calling was to empower and educate women suffering fibroids  holistically as a Fibroid Queen. She reserves her quarterly Womb  Wellness events in efforts spread fibroid awareness. Phyllis has gained  attention in VoyageHouston mag; inspiring stories as a Hidden Gem and a  few local radio show appearances. Phyllis was raised in Bolingbrook, IL,  and currently lives in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Governor  State University with a Bachelor in Nursing. She has a passion for  serving as a mentor and coaching others to live the life they are  destined for.   

Find her at her website, or on Instagram.

Do you have a hormone question for our upcoming "Hormone Coaches' Corner" episode? Submit it here. 

And if you have thoughts on a monthly hormone coaching program that I discussed at the beginning of this episode, please email me! 

July is Fibroid Awareness month, so I wanted to bring out this episode from my 2021 Hormone Summit. 

For any fibroid warriors out there, this interview with Chunte Bates is going to change the way you feel about your fibroids.

Yes,  we talk about diet approaches and supportive supplements for when you  are dealing with fibroids, and yes, she has naturally shrunk her largest  10cm fibroid to 6cm over time. But the biggest and most important part  of this interview is our discussion about how the way you are living  your life has to change when you have fibroids. And that it is an  opportunity to truly come into your body and yourself.

I really enjoyed this interview, and I know you will too!

Want to know how to work with fibroids naturally? Check out my Fibroids 101 course, and use code "byefibroids" for 20% off at checkout. 

Chunte Bates is a womb wellness blogger and fibroid  survivor. She uses her blog to spread awareness about uterine fibroids  and share her journey of healing from the physical and emotional impact  that women often face when dealing with this diagnosis. Chunte hopes to  educate and inspire women to reclaim their bodies. Find out more at her website.

Are you having random symptoms after having Covid?  

Not sure if they are connected?  

Today, my good friend and colleague Vashti Kanahele and I talk about the  issues we are seeing with clients post-Covid, particularly when it  comes to the thyroid and gut.   

There are several new studies pointing to how Covid can impact these systems of the body, which we share during our conversation. And we talk about what functional practitioners are seeing across the board.  

We also cover:  

-Heart health blood test markers that are being impacted by both Covid  and the vaccine 

-Our own experiences with post-C symptoms 

-Looking out for your own "weak" areas in your body, and how the virus  may impact them for the longer term -Initial approaches you should take if you are having weird symptoms  post-C 

-The importance of nervous system regulation for healing  

If you or a family member are dealing with long-Covid, this episode is worth listening to.   

Vashti Kanahele is a certified women's health coach, thyroid and hormone  specialist, and environmental toxins educator. As a functional medicine  health coach, she looks at the foundations of your health to lead you  to the root cause of your health issues and to support you in your  healing journey.  

In her practice, she supports women struggling with Hashimoto’s and Thyroid Disease, as well as women with chronic illnesses like Lyme. One  of her passions is working with moms concerned about early-onset  puberty and educating girls on body literacy so they can make informed  choices about their health.  

She holds a Master’s Degree in Health Science and is a certified  Integrative Women's Health Coach. She has earned multiple certificates,  including; IWHI Hormones 101, Functional Nutrition Lab Digestive  Intensive, a certificate in Environmental Health from Lara Adler an expert on environmental toxins and integrative health, and Nicole Jardim's Fix Your Period Apprenticeship. She is currently working  towards certification in Functional Medicine through the School of  Applied Functional Medicine. You can find her at her website or on IG at greenpapayahealth.

Think you may have a thyroid problem? Take the quiz to find out. 

Have you ever thought you might need metabolic restoration?  

Or maybe you are wondering what metabolic restoration even is?  

Well, some of us have unfortunately blown out our metabolism with the  low-calorie diets we've tried over the years. And our body needs some  TLC to bring it back into balance.   

That's where Dr. Ashley Dwyer comes in. Dr. Dwyer, a former pharmacist,  moved into holistic nutrition counseling and metabolic restoration after  her personal frustration with how the medical system handled her health  issues.   

She has learned that health is all about bio-individuality, between what  we eat, how we move our body, as well as having support from a  community.   

In today's episode we cover:  

-What undereating and overexcising can do to the body 

-Why intermittent fasting and HIIT aren't always the best options for  women 

-How to go about healing your metabolism 

-The thing that is essential for better health  

And much more!  

Hope you enjoy listening in to our lively discussion about all things  food and movement related.  

Dr. Ashley Dwyer is CEO/founder of TeamBDN Coaching and a former  pharmacist. After going through a slew of health issues due to lifestyle  factors and stress, Ashley saw firsthand just how our current medical  system was flawed. After 3 PCPs, 2 endocrinologists, and 3 functional  medicine practitioners, she finally got the help she needed. Ashley  decided to shift her life's work in this direction, focusing on holistic  health coaching instead of handing out "bandaids" behind a counter.  Ashley and her team specialize in holistic nutrition, macro tracking,  metabolic restoration, individualized fitness plans, accountability, and  community, helping women between the ages of 25-50 eat more and reach  their health goals. Find her at thebigdaynutrition.com and on IG @dr.dwyer and @teambdncoaching.

Did you know that weight training can change your life?  

On today's episode of Hormonally Speaking, you'll learn directly from Certified Personal Trainer & NPC Bodybuilding Bikini Competitor Cynthia Sims exactly how it can.   

And you don't have to be in your 20s or 30s to sculpt the body (and mind) that you want! (Though it doesn't hurt to start then, either.)  

We cover:  

-How to get into weight training if you've never lifted a single weight  before 

-Why mindset plays a HUGE role in your fitness, as well as every other  part of your health game 

-The benefits for your hormones and sexy time 

-How much protein you *really* should be eating daily (bet it's more than you think!), and carbs aren't the devil!  

We also talk about her upcoming program that can shift your body, mind,  and spirit in 6 weeks.  

Cynthia is such a good motivator and you are guaranteed to love her infectious personality!  

Cynthia Sims is a Certified Personal Trainer and Myofascial Release Practitioner. She's also a Registered Nurse, Certified Yoga Teacher and  NPC Bodybuilding Bikini Competitor.  Her mission is to EMPOWER her clients through her knowledge of the body,  fitness, lifestyle choices and nutrition to change your life for the  better in a meaningful and sustainable way. She's here to help you feel  strong and vibrant to live your best life. For her online at her website, on Facebook, and Instagram. 

Here's her special pancake recipe!

Breakfast Pancake

1/2 cup raw oats

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

2 egg whites

Choice of fruit; my favorites are pineapple, banana, apple, blueberry

Stevia or monk fruit

Cashew butter or nut butter if choice

Blend oats, cinnamon, sweetener in blender until it reaches flour consistency.

Mix eggs and egg whites.

Add flour mixture to eggs and whisk

Add fruit (save 1/2 to top pancake)

Cook on stove top

Top pancake with 1 tbp cashew butter and remaining fruit.