The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Shoulders up by your ears. Jaw clenched. Hives that show up out of nowhere. A body that stays braced no matter how clean you eat or how many supplements you take.

If your mind is willing but your body is hesitant, Girlfriend, this episode is for you.

▶ Explore the EQ Flux Pod with IR Wand and use code DRANNA

https://eqfluxwave.com/products/eq-flux-pod%e2%84%a2-w-ir-wand

(EQ Flux Wave sponsored my Vitality Experience event. Full disclosure below.)

On this episode of The Girlfriend Doctor Show, I sit down with Kiki Cordero-Drake, COO of EQ Flux Wave and founder of PEMFPilates™. Kiki is a Master Instructor in Pilates Sports Therapy who has worked in the field since 2007, and a Manual PEMF Practitioner since 2017. Her work blends frequency and vibration therapies, breathwork, bodywork, fascial stretching, and movement to support nervous system regulation, physical recovery, and performance.

Kiki has lived this from the inside. Four shoulder surgeries before she turned 20. Then years of swelling, hives, and histamine reactions that no one could explain. She shares what she learned about feeling safe in her body again, and why healing is not one size fits all.

In this episode, you'll learn

• Why pain and stress feed each other, and how a nervous system stuck on high alert shows up in your body

• What histamine is, and why reactions can flare in midlife

• Why fascia, the "Cinderella organ," tightens with age

• The link between your jaw, your breath, and your pelvic floor, and why an old C-section still matters

• What PEMF is, in plain English, with a live demo on YouTube

• Why "if you have a body, you're an athlete"

Chapters

00:00 The mind is willing, the body is hesitant

03:10 Meet Kiki Cordero-Drake

03:40 Four shoulder surgeries before 20

08:05 When the histamine reactions started

09:05 Eating "clean" and still inflamed

13:50 Hives, swelling, and a body on high alert

18:15 Hydration, minerals, and running on empty

23:35 How PEMF came into Kiki's life

27:55 Pain creates stress, stress creates pain

31:15 Fascia, the Cinderella organ

38:45 If you have a body, you're an athlete

48:20 Your jaw, your breath, and your pelvic floor

51:55 Why old C-section scars still matter

Memorable Quotes

"The mind is willing, but the body is hesitant." Dr. Anna Cabeca

"The one thing they don't talk about is the trauma that you hold within that injury that stays with you forever." Kiki Cordero-Drake

"Pain creates stress and stress creates pain." Kiki Cordero-Drake

"The fascia is our Cinderella organ." Dr. Anna Cabeca

"If you have a body, you're an athlete." Kiki Cordero-Drake

"Healing is not one size fits all." Kiki Cordero-Drake

"The best years of your life are not behind you. They are waiting for you." Dr. Anna Cabeca

Connect with Kiki

EQ Flux Wave ▸ https://eqfluxwave.com/products/eq-flux-pod%e2%84%a2-w-ir-wand (code DRANNA)

Instagram ▸ https://www.instagram.com/eqfluxwave

TikTok ▸ https://www.tiktok.com/@eqfluxwave

Connect with Dr. Anna

Website ▸ https://dranna.com

Instagram ▸ https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube ▸ https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok ▸ https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Facebook ▸ https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

Know a girlfriend who's been told her aches are just part of getting older? Send her this episode, and leave a review so she can find the show too.

Disclosure

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please talk with your healthcare provider before starting any new therapy or device. Kiki Cordero-Drake is the COO of EQ Flux Wave. EQ Flux Wave sponsored Dr. Anna's Vitality Experience event, and Dr. Anna may earn a commission on purchases made with code DRANNA. Individual experiences vary.

You finally get the appointment. You tell your doctor you're not sleeping, the weight is climbing, and your moods feel like someone else's. You walk out with a prescription for an antidepressant, or with nothing at all.

Dr. Deborah Kwolek, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of Harvard's Women's Health and Menopause course, joins me to talk about why so many doctors were never taught menopause care and what she's doing to change it. We cover the exact questions to bring to your next appointment, your estrogen by the numbers, the labs to know, who may need to think harder about hormone therapy, and what to do when your doctor says, "I don't believe in hormones."

Key Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Meet Dr. Deborah Kwolek

• 02:48 - Why Harvard had no menopause course

• 07:00 - Why most doctors were never trained in menopause

• 08:10 - Is the fear of hormone therapy out of proportion?

• 11:23 - 3 questions to ask your doctor

• 17:35 - Your estrogen levels, by the numbers

• 25:15 - Can you stay on hormones after 65?

• 33:46 - Who should think twice about hormone therapy?

• 50:08 - What to do when your doctor says no

Memorable Quotes:

"The fear among the providers and the fear among the patients. That's really out of proportion to the data." – Dr. Deborah Kwolek

"You don't say that about anything else. I don't believe in statin drugs." – Dr. Deborah Kwolek

"Almost every cell has estrogen receptors." – Dr. Deborah Kwolek

"We don't stop someone's insulin at sixty-five. We don't stop their thyroid hormone at sixty-five. Where did that come from?" – Dr. Anna Cabeca

"It's not hard. It's just unfamiliar." – Dr. Anna Cabeca

"Your body is always speaking to you. Listen with curiosity, not criticism." – Dr. Anna Cabeca

Connect With Guest:

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dkwolekmd Harvard Women's Health and Menopause course (for clinicians): https://learn.hms.harvard.edu/programs/primary-care-medicine Mass General Brigham: https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/doctors/k/deborah-kwolek-3001790 Connect With Dr. Anna:

Website: Dranna.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider before making changes to your medications, supplements, or hormone therapy. Guest views are her own.

Your brain has its own immune cells, and the way you live each day helps decide whether they protect you or turn on you.

Two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer's are women. Living longer doesn't explain that gap, girlfriend. So what does?

I'm so happy to welcome back my dear friend Dr. David Perlmutter, board-certified neurologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Defenders. He explains microglia, the immune cells that make up about 10% of your brain. On a good day, they're like firefighters in the firehouse, quietly repairing the blood-brain barrier and helping your brain build new connections. Under pressure from high blood sugar or inflammation, they can flip into what he calls the evil twin.

Dr. Perlmutter walks me through what happens in the brain when estradiol drops in perimenopause and menopause, and how estrogen and your mitochondria, the energy makers inside your cells, keep each other going. He makes the case for caring about metabolic health in your 30s and 40s, long before memory changes show up.

He shares the labs he wants on your radar, including hemoglobin A1C, homocysteine, fasting insulin, vitamin D and the p-tau217 blood test, plus why normal isn't the same as optimal. You'll hear why carrying the APOE4 gene is a predisposition, not a destiny, and exactly where he stands on hormone therapy for women.

My favorite part was how oxytocin, my Queen Mother hormone, and time with the people you love help keep your brain's immune cells in their supportive state.

You get to be the architect of your brain's destiny. This conversation shows you where to start.

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Guest views are their own. Talk with your healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine or medications.

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 Welcome back Dr. David Perlmutter and Brain Defenders

• 05:25 How blood sugar and inflammation create the evil twin

• 10:25 Falling estradiol and the loss of brain connections

• 12:50 How mitochondria and estrogen support each other

• 14:50 Blood sugar and brain risk

• 15:55 Why brain health starts in your 30s and 40s

• 16:45 Common medications and brain health

• 18:30 The labs you can ask for

• 20:05 A1C and why normal isn't optimal

• 22:55 The p-tau217 blood test

• 23:40 APOE4 is a predisposition, not a destiny

• 31:35 Oxytocin, connection and your brain's immune cells

• 33:20 Where Dr. Perlmutter stands on hormone therapy

• 38:10 Cortisol, sleep and your daily rhythm

• 41:35 What FSH may be telling you after menopause

Memorable Quotes

1. "It's really all about agency, about each of us being the architect of our brain's destiny." — Dr. David Perlmutter

2. "Hormone imbalances and mood disorders are metabolic until proven otherwise." — Dr. Anna Cabeca

3. "It's time that we re-message what's going on with this genetic predisposition, and not a predetermination." — Dr. David Perlmutter

4. "One of the biggest threats for brain decline is isolation." — Dr. David Perlmutter

5. "Some is good. Too much is bad. The devil is in the dose." — Dr. David Perlmutter

Connect With Dr. David Perlmutter

• Instagram: @davidperlmutter

• LinkedIn: David Perlmutter, MD

• YouTube: @DavidPerlmutterMD

• X: @DavidPerlmutter

• Facebook: David Perlmutter, MD

• Podcast: The Empowering Neurologist

• Brain Defender Link: http://braindefenders.com/

Connect With Dr. Anna

• Website: Dranna.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

If you loved this conversation, share it with a girlfriend who's been worried about her memory, and leave us a review on Apple or Spotify. It helps more women find these conversations.

A divorce. A layoff. A season where you held everything together for everyone.

Your body flipped into fight or flight to protect you, exactly the way it was built to. But what happens when the stress passes and your nervous system never gets the message?

Bioenergetic medicine expert Dr. Sue Morter, author of The Energy Codes and The Anatomy of Awakening, explains the hidden stress your body can keep carrying for years. She shows how that old emergency ripples through your adrenals, your thyroid, and your hormones in midlife.

Then she walks me through her first two steps. The wise belly breath, which helps engage the calming side of your nervous system. And pratyahara, an ancient practice for calling your energy back from the people and situations that drain you.

Dr. Sue and I also get into what releasing anger means (hint, it's not dumping it on someone), how to work with a feeling without needing the whole story, and why meditation can feel impossible at first.

If you've been doing everything right and still feel wired, tired, and on edge, Gorgeous, this one is for you.

Key takeaways

• Your nervous system can stay locked in fight or flight long after a stressful event ends, because it never received the signal that the danger passed.

• That hidden stress keeps your adrenals pumping out cortisol, and Dr. Sue describes the thyroid stepping in to compensate until your whole hormonal system starts to roller-coaster.

• Your body works on a priority basis, so survival comes before repair, detox, and renewal.

• A slow belly breath, low first and then rising into the chest, is Dr. Sue's simplest first step for telling your body the coast is clear.

• Pratyahara means drawing your senses back onto yourself, so you can stay in a hard conversation without handing over your energy.

• Releasing anger means feeling and moving the energy in your body, not unloading it on someone else.

• If meditation feels impossible, build body awareness first so stillness becomes easier.

Key Timestamps

• 01:00 Growing up with a pioneer of energy medicine

• 03:05 Root cause versus symptom care

• 05:00 The hidden stress keeping you in fight or flight

• 06:15 The trap door between the thalamus and hypothalamus

• 09:25 Step one, the belly breath

• 13:15 Why your belly is wise

• 14:15 The doorway exercise

• 18:20 What if you're the one who triggers someone

• 26:15 The two systems that run your body

• 31:30 What releasing anger means

• 40:00 When meditation feels impossible

• 42:30 Take it to the body practices

Memorable quotes

• "It's doing the right thing, but it's doing it at the wrong time." Dr. Sue Morter

• "Work with the energy instead of the label, work with the energy instead of the story." Dr. Sue Morter

• "We are the CEO of our body, and the best years of our lives are not behind us. They are waiting for us." Dr. Anna Cabeca

Resources mentioned

• The Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter

• The Anatomy of Awakening by Dr. Sue Morter

• Dr. Sue's courses and classes at drsuemorter.com

• The Girlfriend Doctor on YouTube

CTA: Listen to the full conversation

Connect with Dr. Sue Morter

Website: www.drsuemorter.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/drsuemorter

Facebook: www.facebook.com/drsuemorter

Dr. Sue's Newest Book: https://www.theanatomyofawakeningbook.com/

Free Meditation Gift for listeners: https://drsmorter.com/girlfrienddr

Connect with Dr. Anna

Website: https://drannacabeca.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAnnaCabeca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Podcast: https://drannacabeca.com/blogs/podcast

Loved this one? Send it to the friend who's been running on empty, then tell me in the comments which practice you're trying first. I read every one.

When a woman sits across from Dr. Anna after a breast cancer diagnosis, she asks one question. What did your oncologist say caused it? Almost every time, the answer is a blank stare.

Dr. Nasha Winters has lived that silence from the inside. By 19, she had collected a decade of diagnoses, including PCOS, endometriosis, IBS, anxiety, and thyroid trouble. Then she landed in the ER with a grapefruit-sized tumor and was told she was too ill for treatment. In this conversation, she shares the three things she credits with changing her path. She also explains how childhood trauma can shape the immune system and why she sees the body as a garden to tend rather than a battlefield.

Dr. Nasha is a naturopathic doctor and the author of The Metabolic Approach to Cancer. She walks through the ten areas of terrain she evaluates, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio hiding in a standard CBC, and her inflammation "trifecta" of CRP, sed rate, and LDH. She explains why ringing the bell after treatment is the beginning of rebuilding. She also shares the four S's she sees as common threads in breast health.

Key takeaways

• Recurring symptoms and diagnoses can be signals worth investigating, not just labels to manage.

• Dr. Nasha looks at ten areas of terrain and now starts with mental and emotional health.

• A standard CBC can reveal your neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio. She prefers it closer to 2 to 1.

• She tracks CRP, sed rate, and LDH together as a picture of inflammation and metabolic health.

• In her view, finishing treatment is when the work of rebuilding healthy cells begins.

• Research links a balanced microbiome with a better response to immunotherapy.

• Her four S's for breast health are sugar, stress, sleep, and sex.

Timestamps

00:00 The question most women are never asked 05:45 A terminal ovarian cancer diagnosis at 19 12:15 The three "accidents" she credits 17:00 Dr. Anna on the 13-hour overnight fast 19:00 The ACE score and psychoneuroimmunology 37:45 The 10 areas of terrain 44:40 The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio 48:15 CRP, sed rate, and LDH 53:30 Why ringing the bell is the beginning 56:00 The microbiome and immunotherapy 61:30 Saliva vs. urine pH and your body's capacity 71:00 The four S's of breast health

Memorable quotes

"So I thought I was pre-med. Cancer had another story for me." Dr. Nasha Winters

"They were trying to be a guidepost of, hey, there's something wrong here that needs our attention." Dr. Nasha Winters, on her early diagnoses

"It's very simple. Test, assess, address, don't guess." Dr. Nasha Winters

"What I tell folks is that's actually just the beginning." Dr. Nasha Winters, on ringing the bell after treatment

"Your body is always speaking to you." Dr. Anna Cabeca

"The best years of your life aren't behind you. They're waiting for you." Dr. Anna Cabeca

Resources mentioned

• Dr. Nasha Winters at drnasha.com, which has her books, terrain questionnaire, podcast, Substack, and free resources on what to do after a diagnosis

• The Metabolic Approach to Cancer by Dr. Nasha Winters

• Mistletoe and the Emerging Future of Integrative Oncology by Dr. Nasha Winters

• The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire

• The 2016 JAMA Oncology study on overnight fasting and breast cancer recurrence

• The Girlfriend Doctor community [TEAM TO ADD LINK]

Connect with Dr. Nasha Winter

• Website: https://drnasha.com

• Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@drnashawinters

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drnashawinters

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnashawinters

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnashawinters

Connect with Dr. Anna

Website: Dranna.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

Share the love

If this conversation moved you, share it with a woman who needs to hear it. Women heal in community. Your ratings, reviews, and shares help keep conversations like this going.

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please talk with your healthcare provider before making changes to your care.

Tell me if you've heard this before. You're sleeping. You're eating the way you were told to eat. Your labs come back normal, and you still know something is off.

That's the woman I had in mind for this conversation.

After twenty years in hormone and longevity medicine, here's what I keep coming back to. Most of what supports your hormones comes down to the foundations, like light, darkness, and when you eat, and so many of them cost you nothing.

My guest, Sarah Kleiner, is board-certified through the Quantum Biology Institute and the creator of My Circadian App. She came to this work the hard way. In her forties, she went through two pregnancy losses and two rounds of IVF with no viable embryos. Then a single conversation with Jack Kruse pointed her toward leptin and circadian biology. When she asked her fertility doctor to test her leptin, she was told it was an insignificant hormone. Her levels came back very low. She rebuilt her rhythm with morning sunlight, dark evenings, and a shift in how and when she ate, and she later got pregnant with her son without IVF.

We get specific. Sarah explains what leptin does while you sleep and why she sees leptin resistance show up before insulin resistance. She covers the early hunger signals that something may be off and how to test leptin so the result means something. We talk through yellow versus orange and red blue light blockers, and why an incandescent bulb on your desk is worth it. We also cover why sitting in the shade still counts and why the same meal lands differently at 8 AM than at 8 PM. I also share why I built MenuPause around rotating eating patterns, especially if you've been doing carnivore, keto, or Keto-Green for a long time.

Most of the women who find Sarah's work are in perimenopause and menopause. These small, consistent shifts give your body clearer instructions to work with. And the best years of your life are waiting for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Leptin works like your body's accountant. Overnight, it reports to your brain how much stored energy you have, then passes instructions along to your thyroid, your sex hormones, and your metabolism. Blue light at night, eating close to bed, or staying up late can interrupt that nightly conversation.

• In Sarah's experience, leptin resistance shows up before insulin resistance. It's rarely tested, which is one reason "normal" labs can miss what you're feeling.

• Some early signs your leptin signaling may be off are feeling hungry again soon after you eat, never feeling satisfied, or having no appetite in the morning at all. Sarah skipped breakfast for about ten years and felt nauseous at the thought of eating in the morning.

• If you test leptin, do it fasted in the morning, 12 to 14 hours after your last meal. Eating beforehand skews the result, and so does fasting too long.

• Your morning reset is simple. Go outside soon after you wake up, before your phone and before the overhead lights. After sunset, keep your home dim and switch to orange or red light. Use yellow-tinted blue blockers during the day at screens, and orange or red ones after dark.

• When you eat matters, not only what you eat. Research we discuss shows your body handles the same meal better earlier in the day, which is why I encourage breaking your fast by 10 AM.

• You don't need to overhaul your house. An incandescent bulb on your desk, a seat by the window, and working outside when you can, even in the shade, are where Sarah tells people to start.

Time Stamps

• 00:00 Why the foundations matter more than hacks and peptides

• 04:02 Sarah's path from corporate America to circadian biology

• 07:22 Two IVF rounds and a wall with conventional care

• 10:04 What a morning circadian reset looks like

• 22:09 Yellow, orange, or red? Choosing blue light blockers

• 24:48 What leptin is and why Sarah calls it a master hormone

• 28:10 Sarah's own low leptin, and the doctor who dismissed it

• 29:42 Early signs your leptin signaling is off

• 39:31 Why "calories in, calories out" misses timing

• 42:48 The underrated habit of working in the shade

• 46:14 Where to find Sarah and how My Circadian App works

• 49:20 MenuPause and why I rotate eating patterns

Memorable Quotes

"You can't out supplement the sun and nature." (Dr. Anna Cabeca)

"I always say consistency over perfection every single day of the week." (Sarah Kleiner)

"The best years of your life are not behind you. They are waiting for you." (Dr. Anna Cabeca)

RESOURCES MENTIONED

From Sarah

• Leptin Master Plan: https://www.sarahkleinerwellness.com/a/2147833508/9omoaj6i

• 21 Day Leptin Reset: https://www.sarahkleinerwellness.com/a/2147833508/9omoaj6i

People and research referenced

• Jack Kruse, an early influence on Sarah's circadian and leptin work

• Dr. Gerald Pollack, for his research on exclusion zone water and infrared light

• Dr. Glen Jeffery, for his research on red and infrared light and mitochondrial function

From Dr. Anna

• MenuPause, my book of rotating six-day meal plans, including Carb Up, Autoimmune Paleo, Keto-Green, Carnivore, and Vegan options: https://drannacabeca.com/products/menupause

• Keto-Green 16: https://drannacabeca.com/pages/offers-keto-green-16-challenge

Connect With Sarah Kleiner:

Website - https://www.sarahkleinerwellness.com

Substack - https://substack.com/@sarahkleinerwellness

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahkleinerwellness

Podcast - https://www.sarahkleinerwellness.com/podcast

YouTube - hhttps://www.youtube.com/@SarahKleinerWellness

Free ebooks: https://www.sarahkleinerwellness.com/all-free-resources

Connect with Dr. Anna:

Website: dranna.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

YouTube: youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Facebook: facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

If someone you love keeps saying "my labs are normal, but I don't feel like me," send her this episode. And subscribe on YouTube so you catch the shorts from this conversation.

Disclaimer

This episode is education, not medical advice, so please talk with your own physician before making changes to your health routine.

Dr. Anna sits down with triple board-certified dermatologist, internist, and dermatopathologist Dr. Mamina Turegano for a deep dive into skin health from the inside out. They cover the real drivers of collagen breakdown, which anti-aging ingredients and procedures actually hold up to decades of evidence, and how to build a sunscreen routine you don't have to second-guess.

The conversation then turns to two of the toughest conditions in women's health, rosacea and vulvar lichen sclerosus, with practical, root-cause-informed guidance for both. This is the episode to bookmark if you've ever wondered what's worth your money on the skincare shelf and what's just noise.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro, today's topics 02:23 – Welcome, Dr. Mamina's path into dermatology 03:03 – Blending integrative medicine with medical derm 08:04 – Why we lose collagen, and what accelerates the breakdown 10:29 – Sun protection, the case for and against sunscreen fear 15:00 – Chemical vs. mineral sunscreens, the benzene scare explained 19:51 – Retinoids, how often to use them and why 23:36 – Vitamin C, peptides, and topical hormones for the skin 25:50 – Why topical estrogen can sometimes deepen lines 29:06 – In-office procedures, IPL for dark spots and redness 30:18 – Morpheus and RF microneedling, who it's right for 32:53 – Chemical peels for pigmentation and melasma 33:51 – Red light therapy, what to look for in an at-home mask 34:55 – Rosacea, the gut connection and genetic factors 41:44 – Vulvar lichen sclerosus, why it's so often missed 45:34 – Treatment approach, topical steroids to LDN 50:41 – Where JAK inhibitors and biologics may be headed 51:39 – Where to find Dr. Mamina online 52:22 – Rapid fire round 57:50 – Closing thoughts and where to learn more

Memorable Quotes

"Your skin is a window of what's going on internally, and when you're addressing your internal health, that can manifest so much on the skin." – Dr. Anna Cabeca

"Healthy digestion for a glowing complexion." – Dr. Anna Cabeca

"I use the phrase, the cells start to poop out, and we get brown spots." – Dr. Mamina Turegano

"Getting a good night's sleep is like aging in reverse." – Dr. Anna Cabeca

"When you have lichen sclerosus, it's like double-barreled shotguns. We're going to get rid of this, and we want you to be comfortable and at home in your body." – Dr. Mamina Turegano

"Aging beautifully is feeling comfortable in your skin, literally and metaphorically. It's confidence, and I think that can radiate out as beauty." – Dr. Mamina Turegano

Connect with Dr. Mamina Turegano

Prescription topicals - dermclick.com Consultations - https://app.futureclinic.com/clinics/drturegano/profile Instagram - instagram.com/dr.mamina TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.mamina YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@dr.mamina Co-Author, Holistic Psoriasis Management and Nutrition Guide - https://amzn.to/42tRkaQ

Connect With Dr. Anna:

Website: Dranna.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

I was sitting in my studio in Dallas with four women who had just spent five months inside my Magic Menopause Certification, and every one of them got emotional before we even started recording.

That tells you something about what this season of life actually does to a woman who thought she had it handled.

As a triple board-certified OB/GYN and the creator of the Keto-Green method and the Magic Menopause Coach Certification, I sat down with graduating coaches Chelsea, Song, Tara, and Jamie for a live, unscripted panel on everything nobody warns you about before perimenopause hits.

In this episode, you'll hear:

- Why declining progesterone and DHEA between ages 35 and 55 quietly drive insulin resistance and weight gain that shows up out of nowhere

- Why fibroids don't have to mean an automatic hysterectomy, and what a natural starting point can look like instead

- Why perimenopause symptoms get dismissed as "normal" in a standard OB/GYN visit, and why that isn't good enough

- Why this conversation belongs in mother-daughter relationships, starting as early as a daughter's first period

- How to reclaim vaginal and sexual health without shame

- What it actually means to become the CEO of your own health

This is the conversation I wish someone had handed me twenty years ago. Peace is possible on the other side of this transition. So is feeling like yourself again.

Learn more about the Magic Menopause program at magicmenopause.com, subscribe if you're watching on YouTube, and comment your one word for this season of your life. I read every one.

Key Timestamps

00:00 — Why I brought four coaches into one room

04:00 — Fibroids, hysterectomy, and the missing third option 05:25 — The 30-day cycle nobody could explain

18:30 — Why the weight shows up even when nothing else changed

22:00 — The conversation that needs to start with our daughters

47:35 — Peeling back the shame around vaginal and sexual health

52:30 — Becoming the CEO of your own health

Memorable Quotes

"I didn't realize that until I crossed the line into menopause. And I was devastated."

"You go to that doctor's appointment and you're the doctor. If your doctor won't partner with you, that's not your doctor."

-CONNECT WITH DR. ANNA-

Website: http://drannacabeca.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

* Always seek the advice of your own physician or qualified health professional before starting any treatment or plans. Information found here and results are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional and are not intended as medical advice. *

Grab your Mighty Maca and get cozy. In this episode of The Girlfriend Doctor Podcast, Dr. Anna Cabeca sits down with the very first graduates of her Magic Menopause Hormone Restoration Coaching Certification, Emily, Ann, Amy and Angela. Four women, four completely different paths into menopause, and one shared mission, making sure no woman has to go through this alone.

We're talking surgical menopause, the myths that keep women suffering in silence, the postpartum "mini menopause" nobody warns you about, and what it actually takes to feel like yourself again.

Key Timestamps

• 0:00 Welcome back and meet the first Magic Menopause coaches
• 01:51 Emily's story, from burnout to becoming every woman's advocate
• 04:41 Ann's story, a fertility journey that led her to integrative medicine
• 09:06 Amy's story, surviving sudden surgical menopause
• 13:29 Angela's story, how coaching became a matter of life and death
• 18:55 Busting the biggest menopause myths
• 21:37 Emily's postpartum "mini menopause" story
• 25:58 The truth about hormones and cancer risk
• 27:40 Girlfriend to girlfriend, words of encouragement
• 33:01 Menopause in the workplace
• 35:35 Where to find each coach
• 39:11 Closing thoughts and what's next

Ready to turn your own story into your life's work? The Magic Menopause Certified Coach program trains practitioners, health professionals and passionate advocates to guide women through perimenopause and menopause with real clinical grounding and coaching skill behind it.

Learn more here: https://magicmenopause.com/pages/magic-menopause-certified-coach

Subscribe for new episodes every week, and share this one with a friend who needs to hear it today.

• "Menopause is natural. Suffering is optional." — Angela

• "It's the difference between common and normal." — Emily

• "Hormones are not the enemy." — Amy

• "You're not broken." — Dr. Anna Cabeca

Website: Dranna.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

You leave your doctor's office with "everything looks normal" ringing in your ears, but your body is telling you something else. This week Dr. Anna talks with nurse practitioner Dr. Efrat LaMandre, aka Dr. E, about medical gaslighting, why "you're fine" often means "I ran out of tools," and how to advocate for yourself without burning every bridge with your doctor.

You'll learn:

• The difference between "normal" and "optimal," and why it matters

• What "pre-disease" is and why most providers aren't equipped for it

• How to describe your symptoms so your doctor actually listens

• Why one provider can't be your whole healthcare team

• How to trust your own intuition instead of talking yourself out of it

If you've ever been told you're fine and known you're not, this one's for you.

Connect with Dr. E:

TikTok: tiktok.com/@drefratlamandre

Instagram: instagram.com/drefratlamandre

Facebook: facebook.com/drefratlamandre

YouTube: youtube.com/@DrEfratLaMandre

Website: drefratlamandre.com

LinkedIn: efratlamandre

Podcast: drefratlamandre.com/e-podcasts

Connect with Dr. Anna:

Website: dranna.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

YouTube: youtube.com/@thegirlfrienddoctor

TikTok: tiktok.com/@drannacabeca

Facebook: facebook.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

#MedicalGaslighting #WomensHealth #Perimenopause #Menopause #PatientAdvocacy #FunctionalMedicine