• 130: Midlife Strong's Maryann Jacobsen on the intersection of menopause and everything else
    Nov 23 2024

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    Maryann Jacobsen is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has extensive experience with developmental stages, researching health topics, and writing. She’s also a forward-thinker who realizes that when it comes to aging, midlife doesn’t get nearly the attention it needs – and for the past five years, she’s been working to change that.

    Maryann has a common-sense, independent thinking approach; she dives deep into research to uncover innovative and original insights. I feel like she’s my soul sister when it comes to these things, and the way the narrative is being crafted around perimenopause and menopause, in particular.

    Her goal is for every woman to have the basic knowledge she needs to make informed health decisions. We cover a lot of ground here: including the role of hormones, the significance of micronutrients like iron and choline, nitric oxide's impact on health, and the necessity of a holistic approach to manage symptoms. The episode also sheds light on how lifestyle changes can enhance the effectiveness of hormone therapy and addresses commonly overlooked issues such as sleep-disordered breathing and its impact on health during midlife.

    Topics covered:

    • Why it’s not as simple as “eat right and exercise” in midlife
    • The risks of drinking while taking hormone therapy (that no one is talking about)
    • All the things that are more interesting than hormone therapy
    • Resistance breathing for reducing inflammation and other benefits
    • The overlooked (and vital role) of nitric oxide
    • All the ways to increase your nitric oxide
    • Hormone therapy, sure, but have you heard about beets?
    • Pycnogenol
    • Nasal breathing, headaches and sleep apnea
    • The mixed results of hormone therapy
    • Sunlight
    • The nuances of post-menopause estrogen production
    • Why we both are reticent about going estrogen
    • Why beets aren’t much help for vaginas

    Where to find Maryann and Midlife Strong:

    Substack: Midlife Strong

    Instagram: Midlife Strong


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    43 mins
  • 129: 21 questions about hormone therapy
    Nov 16 2024

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    In this solo episode, Hotflash inc podcast host and founder Ann Marie McQueen writes down all the questions she has about hormone therapy (and what we hear about hormone therapy).

    This is a long time coming: she's been researching perimenopause, menopause and women's midlife health for 5+ years now.

    Settle in. And if you have any questions of your own, use that handy text message feature and send them our way.


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    27 mins
  • 128: When infertility and perimenopause collide with Oova founder Dr Amy Divaraniya
    Nov 9 2024

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    Dr Amy Divaraniya is the CEO and Founder of Oova, a leading women’s health platform known for its physician-backed fertility and perimenopause at-home hormone monitoring. Oova empowers people to take control of their hormone health from their first period and to their last and beyond. Prior to founding Oova, Dr. Divaraniya spent 10 years as a data scientist, leading and publishing research in personal genomics and biomarker discovery.

    We talk about the pressing issues and misconceptions surrounding perimenopause and fertility, shedding light on the importance of hormone monitoring and personalized health care. Together, they highlight the generational shift in women demanding better understanding and treatment for perimenopause while emphasizing the critical aspects of hormone balance, the interplay of fertility and perimenopause, and the future of personalized medical treatments in women's health.

    Topics covered:

    02:04 Fertility and hormone monitoring

    04:47 Understanding hormonal cycles

    08:21 The role of ovulation

    10:20 Perimenopause data insights

    15:45 Testing for perimenopause

    19:45 Understanding progesterone and estrogen balance

    20:16 Navigating perimenopause and IVF

    21:15 Future of perimenopause and menopause treatments

    22:08 Clinical research and data in women's health

    23:22 Personalized medicine for perimenopause

    25:55 Fertility concerns and technological advances

    27:51 Hormone tracking and testing

    32:40 Survey insights on perimenopause

    38:15 Final thoughts and podcast disclaimer

    Check out Oova's The State of Perimenopause Report.

    Find out more about Oova on their website.

    Follow Oova on Instagram.

    Connect with Amy on LinkedIn.


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    41 mins
  • 127: SOLO episode: I want you to forgive yourself. I'll go first.
    Nov 4 2024

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    If there is anything I like people going through peri menopause to know, if there's anything I'd like you to know, it's that no matter what route you take, no matter how you feel physically, the very best thing you can do emotionally and spiritually is to begin the painful, healing, scary, but fruitful reckoning with your past so you can properly face your future.

    The transformative minefield for that, for me. And I want you to be able to experience this too. Let me get you started with my I forgive you letter to myself.


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    7 mins
  • 126: Liminal's Rebekah Brown wants a more intelligent conversation about perimenopause
    Oct 17 2024

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    In this episode, the focus is on the transformative journey of Rebekah Brown, a narrative research specialist and founder of the vibrant midlife community and supplement brand Liminal (formerly MPowder). Rebekah discusses her personal experiences with perimenopause and the physical and emotional transitions it entails. The conversation delves into the importance of addressing stress, sleep issues, and the rebranding journey from MPowder to Liminal. Topics such as hormone therapy, societal narratives surrounding menopause, the challenges of midlife, and the benefits of naturopathic practices like herbal remedies, acupuncture, and yoga are covered. Emphasis is placed on the collective wisdom and agency of women, the impact of societal constructs, and the need for a nuanced, science-based discussion around hormonal health. This episode highlights the significance of storytelling, community, and the blending of traditional and modern medical approaches to empower women navigating this stage of life.

    Highlights:

    00:31 Rebecca's menopause journey
    03:48 Launching and rebranding a company
    07:38 The importance of community and research
    11:44 Navigating health narratives
    21:56 The role of journalism in female health
    24:40 The menopause supplement market: A reality check
    25:48 Emerging trends and innovations in menopause supplements
    26:41 Navigating the noise: identifying quality products
    27:54 The complexities of botanical health claims
    29:21 The role of botanicals in menopause
    32:18 The importance of regulatory change
    34:54 Personal experiences with botanicals
    41:04 Naturopathy and menopause: a holistic approach
    44:43 Advice for women struggling with perimenopause
    50:20 What's next for Liminal

    Links:

    Website https://mpowder.store/

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

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

    LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mpowder


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    55 mins
  • 125: REPLAY: Dr Junella Chin knows all about pain (and perimenopause)
    Oct 10 2024

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    This podcast was originally posted in November 23, 2023.

    Dr June Chin knows about pain and how to treat it on the deepest levels: from her own experiences that started in her teens years and through to that of patients.

    She’s an integrative medical cannabis physician and has spent more than20 years working in holistic medicine.

    She is currently a professor at New York University and Syracuse University teaching Cannabis Health and Science, Vice Chair for the Cannabis Advisory Board for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management and Chair of the Health, Safety and Research Committee for New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management. She is the author of the book Cannabis and CBD for Health and Wellness and founded and operated seven bicoastal integrative cannabis medicine clinics in California, New York, and Connecticut.

    Her training includes studying nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, osteopathic medicine at Touro University, medical acupuncture at Harvard University, and research at Columbia University, Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Women’s Health.

    Through her work as a clinician, professor, and author, she has created medical protocols for the industry and internationally accepted methods for cannabinoid formulations, research, education, and training programs. She is also the chief medical officer for NNABI.

    Highlights:

    • The personal experience that drew her to holistic medicine, and cannabis in particular
    • The 101 on our endocannabanoid system
    • The different forms of cannabis – and how CBD is different
    • The interplay between CBD and hormone therapy
    • The intersection between perimenopause and the endocannabanoid system?
    • How specifically can cannabis and CBD help
    • Her work with the startup NNABI, which is providing a CBD solution for perimenopause
    • Her take on some of the other alternative, plant-based medicines and psychedelics being developed to treat peri/menopause
    • Her top advice for women in perimenopause

    Where to find Dr Chin:

    IG: @nnabi.life @drjunechin


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    43 mins
  • 124: REPLAY: Ob-gyn Dr Vikram Talaulikar's straight talk on hormone therapy
    Oct 3 2024

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    This podcast originally ran on October 21, 2023.

    This week we get down to basics, and basics are exactly what we need in this confusing world right now. This is THE podcast to listen to if you are confused about all things to do with taking hormone therapy.

    Dr Vikram Sinai Talaulikar is a specialist in reproductive medicine at University College London Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust and an associate professor in Women’s Health at the University College London. He graduated in medicine in India in 2003 and completed a postgraduate degree in obstetrics and gynecology in 2007. He is a certified menopause specialist by the British Menopause Society, a menopause trainer and he is constantly educating others on this transition as well, via online webinars, events and through social media.

    He is also part of the trio who established the Menopause Research Education Fund, alongside medical journalist Fiona Clarke and groundbreaking menopause campaigner Diane Danzebrink.

    Highlights of our discussion:

    • Hormone therapy (HT) 101
    • WHI: good, bad and what we can learn from it 20 years on
    • Estrogen in the pill vs estrogen in HT
    • All the kinds of estrogen and what they are used for strogen too ethinyl estradiolEstrone, Estriol, Estradiol, and Estetrol.17 beta estradiol
    • Getting to the bottom of body simila, body identical and bioidentical – and why that varies from country to country
    • Pharmaceutical company produced HT vs compounding pharmacy versions
    • the big “Catch-22” with compounding pharmacies that keeps their bioidentical hormones out of official recommendations
    • the pill, HRT and breast cancer risk
    • why problems with the pill don’t get flagged and HRT does
    • Evidence over estrogen and breast cancer risk (and randomized trials versus observational data)
    • What’s what: progesterone, progestin and progestogens (how they work and which one carries a slight risk for breast cancer)
    • how long you really need to take HRT to see if it’s working
    • why HT works for some people and not others
    • Dr Talaulikar’s favourite non-hormonal treatments

    Where to find Dr Talaulikar:

    X: @VikramSinai

    Web: Menopause Clinic London

    Menopause Research and Education Fund


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    42 mins
  • 123: You’re Not Too F***ing Old: How Jen Marples is helping women over 40 get seen, heard, paid and make an impact
    Sep 28 2024

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    FULL DISCLOSURE: Jen and I recorded this interview last year. Almost a year ago. It was and is so important to me that I am sharing it with you now, with Jen’s blessing. (It fell into the “I took a short break to build my business and then my dad died suddenly” gap. You know the one ;)

    Anyway, Jen is a very hardworking, accomplished entrepreneur and champion of midlife women. She runs the Jen Marples Agency and her goal is to help women over 40 get seen, heard, paid and to make an impact. She’s also the host of The Jen Marples Show: You’re Not too F***ing Old (soon to be called just You’re Not Too F***ing Old). We talk about it all: why you need to find supportive groups and new tribes (and what to do when yours isn’t working), ending friendships, dealing with ageism and the profound beauty and peace that comes with middle age and menopause. Jen believes you have to be a strong advocate for your own health. And she shares her own challenging journey, with endometriosis, IVF, perimenopause/massive burnout and ultimately reclaiming her vitality through rest, reinvention and getting her sleep back through the power of hormone therapy (thanks for delaying your nightly progesterone wind-down for us, Jen! The episode also touches on the essential book The Upgrade by neuroscientist Dr Louann Brizendine and offers advice on how and why you need to prioritize health care, making investments even when it’s not covered by insurance.

    01:42 The power of language

    03:00 Challenging ageism

    05:41 Embracing midlife

    10:06 Financial impacts of ageism

    12:15 Navigating negative programming

    26:15 Dealing with friendship loss

    28:46 Navigating toxic relationships

    29:44 Embracing new friendships

    32:08 Perimenopause and Burnout

    35:42 Hormone therapy journey

    39:29 Advocating for women's health

    49:59 Starting over at midlife


    Join the Hotflash Inc perimenoposse:

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    58 mins