How Menopause Affects The Microbiome And Inflammation

Introduction to menopause symptoms 0:00

Well, Dr. Michelle Sands, thanks so much for joining us today. Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. Absolutely. Well, I know you're a hormone female hormone expert, and, you work with a lot of women that are going through perimenopause and menopause. So let's talk about some of the major symptoms that women experience as they're going through this transition in life. Yeah. So there are there are tons of symptoms. The ones that we talk about the most are going to be hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, vaginal dryness and mood swings.

That's really the ones that everybody attributes to menopause. But there's actually 99 symptoms of menopause. Everything ranging to ringing in the ears to sore joints to high cholesterol. And of course, you've got health issues ranging from bloating, gas to, constipation, diarrhea, leaky gut. It goes on and on. And the hormones are so much our chemical messengers of our body. So they're involved in pretty much every aspect of our life and then every aspect of our life, from everything we eat, everything we think about, how we sleep, the environment we interact with, that all interacts with our hormones.

So they're very sensitive. It seems like they may be scary to balance hormones that everything you do to have a healthier heart, everything you do to have healthier bones, everything you do to have a healthier gut also helps your hormones too. So yeah, for sure, hormones are such a key player in, our overall physiological processes. And so what's actually happening to a woman's hormones as she goes into perimenopause and then into menopause? Yeah. So, you know, women's hormones cycle throughout their reproductive years.

So starting at puberty, we start having fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone. Our testosterone increases. And then as we reach our end of our reproductive life, which is our perimenopause stage, where we're kind of winding down our ovarian production of our estrogen and progesterone is starting to slow. We're not releasing eggs every month, and we're not getting that bump of progesterone or estrogen each month. So we start to notice symptoms as in, the first symptoms that usually happen are associated with progesterone decline.

That's usually the first hormone to drop because when, we don't release an egg, there is no need for progesterone to increase.

Hormone changes in perimenopause 2:37

And so symptoms like anxiety symptoms like insomnia, constipation is another big one with low progesterone muscle. And don't put two and two together. But progesterone really helps that gut motility. And so even women before perimenopause, women who are cycling may notice that right before their period, they start to get a little constipated. And then when they get their period, they might get what's referred to as the period poops, where you have a little bit of diarrhea. And the women will notice this all throughout their reproductive years.

But a lot of women don't put two and two together to know that it's actually the hormones that are fluctuating and not necessarily something they egg and so that's really interesting. So progesterone is the first one to fall. then we have estrogen. And when estrogen falls ushered in it's so important for the female health for our brain. So brain fog kicks in and we start to get loss of collagen. So starting at age, whatever age you enter menopause, the average age is 51. But most women will enter perimenopause 5 to 7 years before that.

So it's can be as early as a 30s for some women. Average is in the 40s, but your collagen will start to drop, so you'll start to notice more lax in your skin, wrinkles and fine lines and things like that. Often joint pain because estrogen as a lubricate or so it's really important for lubricating our joints. And you may notice you start to have joint pain stiffness. estrogen is also very important for not only brain health but bone health and heart health. And then of course, there's the vaginal dryness, painful sex, all the issues around the vaginal microbiome, including urinary tract infections.

Because estrogen is so important for supporting our lactobacillus, which is important for our gut half the also our vaginal microbiome as well. So those are some of the big ones. Like I said, there's everything from tinnitus to high cholesterol to hair loss. it's there is so many symptoms of menopause, but specifically for gut health, our hormones are so important. And a lot of women notice as they reach their 40s, they start to notice they can't eat as many foods as they used to eat. They start to cramping or bloating or digestive issues.

Once they have their meal. And a lot of women will partially cut out whole food groups because they're afraid of what's going to happen to their digestion. And also, a lot of my clients will say they actually avoid some social situations because they start to have a lot of uncontrollable gas. And it's really a quality of life thing that, making sure we have that balance is so important, and there's a lot that we can do. yeah. For sure. So you mentioned three hormones estrogen, testosterone and progesterone.

And so as women are going through this transition, you mentioned progesterone is dropping, estrogen is dropping. And oftentimes even though it's kind of normal natural for these hormones to drop, oftentimes progesterone drops more. Right. Like a kind of a greater. It drops first. Yeah. So it's like a larger gap in the estrogen and progesterone. And that can be a player in some of these symptoms as well. Right. Absolutely. Hormones are all about balance. And so when our estrogen and progesterone is balanced with our testosterone as well for women we don't talk about testosterone a lot.

But women have a good deal of testosterone in relation to the rest of their hormones. So we just don't make quite as much as men. That's so important for our bodies. And there is there's things that are, associate with low testosterone. One of the major things associate low testosterone is going to be, loss of energy, loss of sex drive. But also testosterone is really important for reducing inflammation, specifically in our gut. And so low progesterone or testosterone, I mean, can actually lead to leaky gut increase intestinal permeability, which then down the line can lead to increased risk of autoimmune conditions and, much bigger issues down the road.

So having healthy testosterone levels, so very important for women. But in addition, like even if your testosterone levels stay strong, if those are high in relation to your estrogen and progesterone, because they've now dropped, now you can have issues like acne, hair loss, belly fat, things that you don't want as well. So we don't want to have high testosterone in relation to our estrogen and progesterone. We want everything to be balanced. Same thing with estrogen. We don't want estrogen dominance.

We want a balance of our estrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormones need. It's like Goldilocks and the three bears. They need to be not too much, not too little, but just right. Yeah, that makes sense. And also when when women are younger high testosterone is associated with PCOS polycystic ovarian syndrome as well. That's not what a woman's going to experience as she goes into menopause. But but it could be a similar scenario because with PCOS, women generally are having an off military cycle, meaning that they're not ovulating and that's causing them to have significantly decreased progesterone.

Estrogen, gut health, and bile production 7:49

And progesterone opposes testosterone, kind of keeps it in line and so these women are kind of experiencing in on a smaller scale, like actually on a larger scale for them, but on a smaller scale in perimenopause. It's a similar scenario for a lot of women as our progesterone drops, but their androgens stay, level. So it's different. It's really unique for a lot of women because you can have a woman who is 40 years old and she can have very, very low testosterone and her progesterone estrogen haven't dropped yet.

But conversely, you have a woman who has very perfect testosterone for her estrogen. Progesterone have dropped so low that now she has those PCOS like symptoms. Yeah. Now you touched on the way that some of these hormones impact the gut, the microbiome and just the gut junction itself. You mentioned with estrogen I heard you mention how that has a beneficial effect on lactobacillus which a lot of the different species of lactobacillus are healthy, bacteria that are in our intestinal track as well as in our you mentioned, in our urinary, our urinary tract.

Right. So they play. Exactly. Yeah. The urinary and vaginal microbiome. So important to keep that in check. And it is very much related to our gut microbiome. So usually if you're you have an issue in one you're going to have an issue in another, especially if it's due to a lack of estrogen. So it's not just the lactobacilli though. It's also the bifidobacteria as well. So those are two big, huge species of bacteria that not only do we need those in in order to have good neurotransmitter synthesis and good absorption and digestion of our food, but also those to bacteria species, they also have to keep the balance of your bad bacteria tamped down.

So a decrease in estrogen can harm the levels of your good lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. But also it can cause an increase in the more harmful or less, less preferential bacteria that haven't got, you know, are we need all of the bugs in our gut to have the environmental, diversity. But you want them in certain levels. So the more harmful bacteria, when they get higher and you have less lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, then you're going to have digestive issues. You might have cramping and bloating, constipation, diarrhea, difficult digesting foods.

And so you really do want that optimal balance. And there's things that you can do besides replacing estrogen. And of course, you know, eating healthy diet, having fiber in your diet, taking a probiotic, eating fermented foods, having prebiotic rich foods. And so it's not just about replacing hormones. we do do that in our practice. And a lot of women will want to do that for all the other symptoms of menopause as well. But it's really important to know, like why these things are happening to you.

It's not it's not that you did something wrong. It's just the human body. The female body wasn't really designed to live past 50 something years old. so we, we, our systems kind of shut down. And if we now we have the technology and we have the sanitation, and we have the lifestyle where we can live to 100 years old. And so that's why for a lot of women, replacing hormones is an option, because now they can live vibrantly until that 100th year. Yeah for sure. And let's come back to, replacing hormones.

But first let's talk about, you know, you mentioned estrogen, how that impacts the gut. How about progesterone. What's its impact. Before we move on to progesterone? I also just wanted to add in with estrogen. It has a huge impact on our bile production in our digestive patterns. So our gallbladder stores bile. And that is basically, it's produced by the liver as a digestive fluid that helps to break down fats. And when estrogen levels drop, we actually make less of this bile. And so now, it's kind of more concentrated when empties into the digestive system.

And so that can make digesting fats extremely difficult for women. And now by, by more concentrated, you mean like more sluggish. More sludgy. Yeah. It's not as like free flowing. It becomes more kind of like sticky, which. Yeah, exactly is. Made up of bilirubin, which is a very product of red blood cells, cholesterol and salts, specific salts. And so it's going to have a higher concentration of cholesterol to salt, which makes it more sluggish there. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So I guess is a perfect word.

And when that happens you're going to have a harder time digesting your fats. But also you can put your at risk of developing like gallstones and gallbladder problems as well. So that also has a direct relation to estrogen. And so I and that's so key too because bile not only is it key for digestion, but it actually helps to sterilize the small intestine. Yes, the. Bacterial levels under control. And a lot of people are dealing with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. And that can be related to poor bile production.

Yeah. And we do see an increase in Sibo in women as they enter perimenopause and menopause. So and it's higher in women than in men all over. So that that's a huge it's a huge distinction that we often don't think of. Like a lot of people aren't pointing to estrogen and progesterone when it comes to got issues that I think is a really important to take note of that. Yeah. For sure. And then there's also a marker beta glucan a days that I know that you look at, my health coaches look at when we're looking at people, stool analysis and looking at hormone balance.

What is the role that plays with estrogen metabolism? Yeah. So up until now you've been talking about the effect Ashton has on the microbiome. But the microbiome also has a huge effect on our allergen circulation in our body. So there's a whole there's a part of the microbiome that we call the Astra Bolam. And part of what that does is that reduces an enzyme called beta glucan properties. And this enzyme, what it can do is it can take action that you've had circulating through your body. And then you have catalyzed it, and now you're getting ready to excrete it out.

They used estrogen. It can actually reactivate that estrogen and send it back through the circulation. And this can create estrogen dominance issues for women. even women with menopause symptoms. You don't really want that recirculating estrogen going back through the body. So you have to have the right amount of serenity so you can actually excrete. They use estrogens. Yeah. And I see a lot of people that have elevated beta beta glucan a days. And so. Yeah. So nice. Beginnings. Yeah. As we get into solutions, we definitely want to touch on that.

What they can do to help bring that down. Absolutely. Now again going back to because we talked a lot about estrogen and its impact on the gut and how the gut impacts estrogen levels. How about progesterone? What is its impact on the gut. So progesterone is a major impact on the gut has to do with gut motility. So estrogen is really important for helping moving your food through the digestive tract when progesterone levels decline. This can actually slow gut motility. And this can contribute to gas in kind of, putrefying foods releasing harmful gas and discomfort, bloating, distention, constipation.

and then you can also kind of detoxify your body because when you're when you're excreting stool and urine, you're actually getting rid of toxins. And so when you have when you're constipated, you can actually send those toxins back out through your body. Just like with the estrogens recirculating, you can have toxins recirculating as well. And a lot of people can feel kind of sticky, sluggish, uncomfortable, tired, fatigued. And this is a direct relating to progesterone. Yeah. I always say you gotta pee and poop your way to good health.

And that's the elegant way to put it. Yeah exactly. Yeah. For sure. And so so we've talked a lot about these hormones, how they're impacting gut function. And that was that was really interesting. I didn't know that that progesterone had that impact on motility. So so critical. So estrogen playing a really big role again with bile production. So that way we're able to, sterilize the small intestine, digest and absorb fats and fat soluble nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, all these key nutrients, mega three fatty acids, all these really key players in overall physiology and immune health, hormone health, all that stuff.

and then you mentioned testosterone playing a big role in keeping inflammation under control. So you guys can kind of see how all three of these hormones in balance really work to keep that gut working. Just right, keeping that microbiome in balance, obviously, as a woman goes through perimenopause, menopause, there's going to be kind of a teeter totter where it's like there's going to be times based on her stress levels or sleep, things like that, where things are out of balance and ideally, you know, if you're out there and you're listening, you know what you need to do to get back in balance, right?

But you may not. And that's where Doctor Michelle is here for. So let's talk about that. Things that we can do to create balance with these hormones. Yeah. So balance that's the perfect word I mean balance for your hormones but also balance for a lifestyle. Right. We live in a very hard charging do it all kind of lifestyle.

Progesterone, motility, and detox 17:18

And that attitude of just trying to get things done all the time and not taking time for rest. That's one of the main contributors to one hormone imbalance, but to the gut issues associated with hormone imbalance. Because one thing we didn't talk about was when you're you're and progesterone decline, your cortisol can increase because of stress. So we just have a less, lower ability to deal with stress when we have a decline in our estrogen and progesterone, partly because there's more inflammation, but we're more sensitive because of the neurotransmitters that are affected.

And so when cortisol up, it just makes you more heightened stress response, which takes you out of the rest and digest response rate. Its opposite. The relaxation response helps with digestion and repair, where the stress response is going to be more of the fight or flight. you're not going to take the time to digest as much. You don't release as much digestive enzymes into your system, you don't release as much hydrochloric acid. And so that's that's really key is taking the time out to have a practice, whether that be breathing yoga, meditation and walking outside in nature, reading a but painting, doing something that you actually enjoy that may not be productive but does something for you.

Taking time out. That's like number one for me. Over supplements, over, you know, hormone replacement over anything else you can do. That's definitely number one is stress reduction practices every day non-negotiable. for sure. That's going to help your digestion. also speaking of that, when we take when we sit down to eat a meal, not eating on the go, like taking our time to, to our food and choose our food really well, because chewing actually is like the beginning of your digestion and mixes with your saliva, and it helps your body to have that pre broken down food going into your digestive system.

And that's going to be huge. Also, it's mindfulness with their food. You're going to feel fuller faster. You're going to be more satisfied. So chewing your food taking the time to eat and then of course for for food diet. I'm eating a diet that's rich in fiber but also diverse in fruits and vegetables that also, animal products if you eat those, because the more diverse your diet, the more diverse your microbiome, and you're going to have the ability to feed all of your microbes in your body, and fiber is going to help with the motility.

It's going to help move things through. so that's very important. A lot of people don't get enough fiber. you know, in the United States, we don't eat enough fiber. So just trying to make sure that you're getting fiber, including fermented foods, things like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, those are all going to help promote the growth of your good bacteria. If you can't eat fermented foods, you don't like them, consider taking a probiotic supplement. I like sports supplements, but you know, you can find one that you like and works for you.

If you've never taken a probiotic before, you may have to work your way into it slowly with a quarter dose or a half dose. just because it can, cause a little digestive issues at first. If you don't have the what you need to accommodate it, but it will help, staying hydrated, really important hydration is going to help your digestion. It's going to help with your elimination. So drinking your water super important. also, eating foods that help to support your, your bile production is going to be great.

And things like artichokes are going to be super important because those help with, just supporting bile production as well. let's see what else I said. Fiber. getting sleep. Sleep is so important for our digestion. So making sure that you, take the time and get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep a night when we're sleeping, this is when our body repairs itself. This is when your liver actually helps to clear out. And that's going to be important for your hormone balance. And so sleep very important.

And then like just for some remedies if you are having digestive distress or bloating or gas and ginger tea and peppermint tea are great to have on hand to just sip on really helps with gas and bloating and gut motility. so I think that those are great, great options as well. Yeah, it's a lot of really good strategies right there. Kind of a good foundation to start with. Now, when you're seeing a woman, let's say a woman's doing all those things. But you look at labs and she's got high beta glucan a day.

So going back to that compound that the gut microbiome produces, yeah, causes the estrogen levels to recirculate. Right. Particularly, you know, estrogens. We should be breaking down and metabolizing and excreting.

Lifestyle strategies for hormone balance 22:08

Now they're elevated up in the bloodstream. and oftentimes, you know, very, very toxic estrogen compounds being elevated. what what should a woman do if, if they see something like that on a stool test or. Yeah. Well, typically I recommend supplementing with something like calcium. Great. Which helps with that. And then also dim which helps your body detox often. and then of course exercise, healthy diet, sauna and other things that help with detox like red light therapy. These are all can be helpful in, getting the harmful estrogens out.

But also, going back and healing that gut. because it's not we don't want to just treat the better coronaries because it's part of the whole environment. So looking to see like, do you have a good balance of good bacteria? If you're looking out loud, you're going to be able to see this. Do you have a possible parasite mold, yeast, anything like that. And really, gut health, as you know, because you're the expert here, it's so important for every system in your body. So if you are noticing any issue with your gut chances are there's another issue that often you see worked on.

But beta glucan is is a great supplemental, thing that you can take to help with that beta glucan. It is, calcium D great, helpful with beta you could get it to. It's kind of balanced, but looking to find out why that's happening is probably even more important. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. calcium d glucan is probably the most well studied compound for getting that beta on. It is under control. But I found also that adding in more of the bitters. Right where there. It's. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. So I. Mentioned artichoke. Yeah.

Things like that can be helpful. Milk thistle actually can be really helpful. Yes. Oftentimes there's issues going on with the liver. related. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. So that can be really, really helpful supporting that. as a whole. Now. Yeah. What are some other things that you're seeing perhaps on labs maybe what first off, what are the key labs? Do you do a Dutch test? What are some of the key labs you like to look at? So we only tell you the Dutch test is that's going to give us not only levels of hormones, but also we can see how those hormones are breaking down.

Which pathway for testosterone. That's super important, especially for women. Because we can see is your testosterone breaking down the more androgenic pathway where if we added testosterone, you might suffer from a hair loss facial hair, belly fat, things like that. So that's really important to look at. But for your genes it's really important to see is your estrogen breaking down the pathway that can cause DNA damage, or of a healthy pathway or a great kind of split of all three pathways, which is nice.

And then the Dutch also is nice because it's going to give you cortisol for points during the day. So you can see what your cortisol rhythm is like. You can see your metabolize cortisol, which can give us some insight into thyroid. And then we can also see some other markers like melatonin and oxidative stress markers as well. So it's it's really a nice tax. It's a little expensive. So we do have an alternative. We also do saliva and blood spot testing. If someone just wants to see if their antigen tests and testosterone are not where they need to be, that's a great way to kind of start checking.

Those are that's like a quarter of the price of a test. So it depends on what you're looking for and how much information you want. And in a perfect world where testing has any money, like I definitely would recommend the Dutch test, but we also offer other testing as well. Yeah, the Dutch stands for dried urine testing for Comprehensive hormones. And like you mentioned, it's got a lot of biomarkers. So you can really help customize a plan. Doesn't necessarily mean you need to get that to start, however, especially if you're hitting plateaus and you're doing a lot of things Doctor Michelle's been talking about.

And that would be a really good, good strategy to look at because that can help. Fine, fine tune things. A lot of times for wet for women, they'll just take something like them, say here all the press, you know, about how methane is so good for estrogen levels. But, you know, sometimes they that's not their issue. Right. That's not going to impact. Yeah. Pathway that they need help with. Exactly. Now for a lot of women in my demographic they not only have the fat problems, but they also have the hot flashes and the vaginal dryness and all the other things.

So they are looking for hormone replacement. In that case, we actually don't use the Dutch test because the Dutch doesn't give you an absolute level of progesterone. It gives you a inference based on the metabolite. So we do like to use that saliva to drive blood testing when we're looking at replacing those hormones. And we're just looking at absolute levels. So but yeah, it's definitely an option. So you have so many options. You can start with lifestyle with diet, exercise, stress reduction, sleep supplementation.

But if that doesn't do it or you also still have other symptoms besides the fat issues and, you know, hormone replacement therapy is available. It's bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. It's absolutely safe, especially when it's topical. There's really zero side effects. And they're only side effects for like living longer. Right. So it's not it's not a taboo thing like it used to be. And in menopause itself is no longer taboo to talk about either. Oh for talking about it. All of the celebrities are talking about it now.

So it used to be that women were embarrassed about menopause or embarrassed about digestive issues. But now we're we're all talking about it, right? And so you don't need to be embarrassed. It's happens to everybody. And, there's no need. There's no reason not to get help. Yeah. And what is what's the difference between between bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and conventional hormone replacement therapy. So conventional or synthetic hormone replacement therapy. The difference is it's the the substances that you're putting in your body are similar to the chemical structure of the hormones that your body makes.

But not the same. So they might have a little extra hydrogen or carbon or a little extra thing on there. But the bioidentical hormones are absolutely identical to the hormone chemically structure to the hormones that your body makes. Your body can't tell the difference. we do that. Some of the synthetic hormones are still considered safe. However, orally oral hormones for estrogen, particularly oral estrogen, whether it's bio identical or synthetic, actually can cause some problems with clotting and some other issues.

Testing, hormone therapy, and dosing 28:38

So I never recommend oral estrogen, whether it be bioidentical or synthetic. And I'm a national Catholic physician, so I'm always going to try to do everything as close to nature as possible. And we're always going to opt for if it's available. Why not up for the hormones that are identical to what your body is expecting? Yeah for sure. And you mentioned so bioidentical obviously is is that identical structure of the hormones that our body's naturally producing. And then you mentioned a topical approach.

Right. And it can cross into the bloodstream transdermal through the skin. Why is that a more effective strategy than oral. Because orally you have to it has to go through your digestive tract into your liver for you metabolize and then go into the bloodstream. Whereas topical that hormone is going into the bloodstream in the first pass. So it doesn't have to be metabolized by the liver first. And when it's metabolized by the liver, it's changed little that you also lose a lot of hormones when it has to go through your digestive tract.

So you have to use a much higher dose to get the same effect. When you're doing oral versus topically. Yeah. Yep. And so based on specific testing you could see if a woman might need a little bit more progesterone, a little bit more estrogen, a little more testosterone. Or do you, you know sometimes women need a little bit of all three. Is it. Yeah. Yeah. Everyone different. So you look at test results but and there's a range testing. It's not a perfect number. There's from this level of this level, it's considered normal.

So we also look at symptoms because every woman's going to be different. Some women like to be at the top of the range for testosterone. Other women feel better in the middle or the lower end of the range. And so we're always going to look at symptoms. We look at like 100 different symptoms self evaluated by the woman combined with their test results to see are you in the range. Are you below the range. Are you right where you need to be? Do you need a little bump to feel a little better? And so we'll do that.

And it's not a perfect science right. So we retest every four months. We reevaluate symptoms and we dial it in. And everyone is going to be a little bit different. And then also depending on the stage of her life, if she's in perimenopause it's going to fluctuate a little bit. So she's still making hormones sometimes. And if she has a stressful environment, if she gets sick then things can fluctuate as well. So it's always the you always have to be rechecking and reevaluating. Yeah, it's really good to know.

And I know just just clinically I've seen a lot of women do amazing. When they get the right amount of hormones. It's like life changing for them. And I'm sure you're seeing this on a. Yeah, it is life changing. Unfortunately, some doctors will give you mega doses of hormones, which we never recommend. We only recommend physiological doses. What the body would expect. But there are some clinics, anti-aging clinics out there that they want you to get like a vague result right away. So they get negative is which feels really good at first for a lot of women and men.

But then what happens is you start getting symptoms and it starts not working as much because your body is just like rejecting a negative. You get like a receptor downregulation. Is that what happens? Almost like if you take a high amount of insulin, you create more insulin resistance. It's not quite the same. the mechanism is kind of uncertain because it's not you don't get so much receptor downregulation as you get the symptoms of too high hormones. Like I said, it's Goldilocks, right? So it takes a while to reverse those symptoms.

And some of them especially for women are it can take a long time to reverse. Their voice can change like too much testosterone. Clitoris can get larger. and these things can take a long time and maybe never change back. So it's really important to be work with someone who, you know, is like looking out for your best interest, that, understands the whole body holistically and not just they're not just hammer out hormones in a clinic because that there are some people that do that and it might work for some people, but it's it's not a good idea in the long term.

We always want to look towards long term health and what's going to help you now, but what's going to make you feel better in ten years, 20 years, 30 years as well? Yeah, for sure. And and I know that you guys, you have a free hormone restoration masterclass as well that, women or men or anybody can go to, to really discover more about what's happening with their hormones if they're dealing with any of these perimenopause menopause symptoms for men. you know, low testosterone issues and they can learn more about it, how to how do people access that?

Yeah, you can go to fixhormones.com. And you just put your information in and you can choose when you want to watch the class. If you don't find a time that works, you can just click any time and we will send you the replay right afterwards. And it's great because it's going to dispel all the myths and misconceptions. And there's a lot of confusion around the hormones hormone replacement, who it's for, who it's not for what help you will hurt you. And I explain it all in really simple, easy to understand terms.

And then you can also ask questions as well. Yeah that's wonderful. That's going to be a really great solution for for a lot of women out there. And let's talk let's go back to testosterone. What are some key strategies beyond what you mentioned earlier for testosterone? You know, when I think about it, I think weight training I think resistance training. And most women, you know, a lot of women not and I shouldn't say most, but a lot of women are concerned about weight training. They think, you know, they're going to get bulky.

Yeah. But really that's coming around the corner. And I know that is changing. Like now, I think when I was growing up, women were supposed to be skinny, but now, like, everyone wants to have a booty. Like, it's like bigger is strong. Is the new skinny, right? Yeah, exactly. So I'm really excited to see that. Yes. there is actually a study showing, like, the most testosterone boosting activity that they've ever found was, chopping wood with an ax. right. You can simulate that with, like, kettlebells or those, they have those kind of, I don't know, sledgehammer things and cost them, but lifting heavy weights.

Yeah. So for heavy weights for one person is going to be different from heavy weights for another person. For some people that might be a bodyweight squat. If they've never done swaps before. But it's where it's hard for you after 8 to 10 reps, and then you rest and you go again. That's great. Sleep. Lack of sleep is one of my primary reasons for low testosterone, believe it or not, huge importance. and then also like nutrient deficiency, like not getting enough. Zinc. Yeah. Not getting minerals and then also not getting enough protein is really important.

So one day I didn't mention that magnesium is actually a really good mineral for people who have constipation, bloating, sluggishness. magnesium can help with relieving gas, relieving constipation. And so that's something very easy that women can take. you can take too much, especially magnesium citrate. You might get diarrhea. So just be careful with it. But also eating magnesium rich foods can be helpful as well.

Resources and closing encouragement 35:48

Spinach, beet greens, sweet potatoes, things like that are going to be great. Dark chocolate. Right? We all love that. And then Epsom salt baths can be also awesome because you can absorb it through your skin. Yeah, that's so good. And magnesium is also good for helping calm high cortisol as well as exacerbate. Yeah, it's like a stress management act. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly exactly. Yeah. Super key. Well, you know, this has been a great interview. We've covered a lot a lot of great information here.

I know that the listeners are going to really enjoy this. again that that site was at fix hormones.com that people can go to. Absolutely. That's where you can watch the masterclass. And then you know, I'm always answering questions. My team I have a team of hormone specialists, doctors and nurses. And we love answering your questions. So don't don't be shy. Wonderful. And your normal website also is GlowNaturalwellness.com as well. That's correct. glownaturalwellness.com and fixhormones.com You can find the masterclass. Awesome.

Well thanks so much Dr. Michelle. This has been a wonderful interview. I know listeners have learned a lot. Any last words of inspiration here for our audience? Yeah. So since we're talking about menopause and perimenopause, I just want to let women know that your final period is not the end of your story. There's a whole another chapter. There's much more to go. Never let anyone write your prescription for the rest of your life. It's not. You write that prescription and the the things that you're learning in the series from Dr. Jockers and the other experts.

These are the things that are going to help you thrive. So just know it's not the end. It's the beginning. Awesome. Thank you so much Dr. Michelle. Go check out Fixhormones.com guys and we'll see you in a future interview. Be blessed everybody.