Episode Twelve: So many diets! Eating smart for hormone health
In this third part of our wide-ranging discussion with functional nutritionist, Tracy Siegel, we get into the ground rules of good nutrition, what healthy eating is – and is not – and how different diet trends from keto to intermittent fasting stack up in terms of tangible health benefits.
When we recorded these episodes on the essentials of good nutrition for balancing our health and hormones, reducing obesity and preventing disease, little did we know how crucial this information would become in light of COVID-19…Emerging data during the pandemic tells us that the disease is much more lethal for those with obesity and/or diabetes, who are not only at greater risk of contracting the virus but of succumbing to it. News like this should serve as a powerful reminder that eating right and maintaining a healthy weight not only protects us but can save our lives!
Join us for a fast-moving conversation that we hope will answer your ‘weighty’ questions and cheer you up with the certainty in these uncertain times that good food is good medicine!
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Episode Eleven: The hormone questions young women aren’t afraid to ask
A socially distanced conversation with Julia McAvoy, Kyle’s daughter Kyle and Candace are welcoming Julia McAvoy for a great conversation. We’re zeroing in on younger women and their hormones, and are calling it YW-WTF for short!
Julia is Kyle’s daughter and is as lovely as her namesake Julia, of Brideshead Revisited. She is also funny as hell and way smarter than we are. She arrived at our recording session brimming over with the kinds of questions women her age (20s-30s) are asking: hormones and birth control, hormones and weight gain, hormones and horrible periods, hormones and yeast infections, hormones and breaking up with your boyfriend every single cycle…WTF?!
As you can guess, this is a great conversation that we think you might want to tell your youngers about…daughters, sisters and friends who may be dealing with their own hormonal WTFs and asking the same questions. Big thanks to Julia for allowing us to shine a light into the millennial mind on all things hormonal.
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Episode Nine: Taking a break from the news, a pivot from the Pandemic
In this episode Candace and Kyle get together (six feet apart, of course) to record in their newly-created makeshift studio composed of the bedroom drapes and blankets (feels just like the cozy hidey-holes we made out of “blankies” and sheets when our kids were toddlers) to pivot from the pandemic on this day before Mothers Day to celebrate moms (those you have known, perhaps yourself, and yes, mothers of pets and other living creatures does count) and to talk about things that:
- inspire us
- make us laugh
- motivate us
- connect us
- observations we have made
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Episode Eight: Intermittent fasting – What’s it all about?
We’ve invited Tracy Siegel, functional nutritionist ‘extraordinaire’, back into the studio to discuss one of the most talked about diet trends out there these days – intermittent fasting. Tracy helps us understand why this way of eating has become all the rage: what it is, how it works and if it works! She also shows us the way, with a roadmap for setting up our own intermittent fasting routine for safe and effective weight loss. If you’ve been intrigued by all you’ve heard about intermittent fasting yet are unsure about its risks and benefits, much less how to try it out for yourself, you’ll want to tune in!
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Episode Seven: A weighty one
Before COVID 19 turned our worlds upside down, we went into the studio to record episodes on the major health issues of weight, diet, and lifestyle choices. Today we release the first of these. Now more than ever it is so important to prevent or reverse obesity (a huge risk factor for those with COVID 19). Optimal weight should be the goal of all of us in order to optimize our health span. Our guest is Tracy Siegel, functional nutritionist. And as always, we will link back to the importance of hormone balance. Join us for a lively and informative episode.
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Episode Six: Can’t fall asleep, or wide awake at 3 am? WTF?
Candace and Kyle dive deep into the myths and mysteries of slumber and the biological clock. They explore the diurnal rhythms of the sleep-wake cycle and the hormones that orchestrate it, dissecting our “sleep architecture”. They explain why sleep is so vital to health, and why, when we can’t get enough of it, our lives start to unravel into fatigue, anxiety, depression and chronic illness.
Note: This episode was recorded in the early days of the Coronavirus, before it was declared a global pandemic but is particularly relevant right now since a good night’s sleep is crucial to a healthy, functioning immune system. We hope that what you take away from our discussion will help you to start sleeping better tonight and stay well throughout the present health crisis!
We talk about the connection between hormone imbalances and sleepless nights and why it’s no coincidence that adults in their 40s and early 50s get the least amount of sleep. We also delve into:
- the major causes of disrupted sleep
- what to do when you can’t fall asleep or get back to sleep
- Best practices for sound sleep
- The trouble with long-term use of prescribed sleeping aids
- Natural sleep remedies that can work!
- Sleep myths i.e. you snooze you lose, etc.
- Great quotes on sleep
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Click here to hear this episode on Apple Podcasts.
Show notes for Episode Six
Special Episode: COVID-19: what you need to know, what YOU can do
After a few weeks off, Women Talking Frankly is back. In these exceptional times, we have decided to digress from our regular podcasts and discuss the most important topic of our times, COVID-19. But this is NOT like everything you are hearing every day. Our episode is meant to not only inform you about the virus, but to also help you find ways to keep you and your family healthy, and to stay positive and connected. We are in this together after all.
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You may also listen to this special episode on Apple Podcasts here.
Special Episode show notes here.
Candace put together a list of things that are helping to get her through Covid-Time.
Episode Five: Menopause–not just in your head
Kyle and Candace tear into the major WTFs around MENOPAUSE: why it can be a real challenge to find the help you need during this major life transition, what to expect when you’re expecting menopause, how to ask the right questions to get the right answers. Join us in a chorus of women who want to know why their doctors tell them their symptoms of menopause are all in their heads then hand them a prescription for antidepressants.
There is a lot to talk about in this episode:
- How to know when you’re in menopause or perimenopause.
- Which symptoms and imbalances to look out for.
- Safe solutions (herbs, vitamins and bioidentical hormones) available to every woman for rebalancing hormones naturally.
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Episode Four: Why compounding pharmacists are a menopausal woman’s best friend!
In Episode 4 Kyle and Candace talk with Compounding Pharmacist extraordinaire, Natalie Gustafson, about how she fell in love with compounding and became determined to raise the bar on prescribed hormone therapies for women. Natalie explains how compounding pharmacists differ from those that fill our prescriptions at the local Walgreens, and why bioidentical hormones tailored to individual need are a better option than one-size-fits-all prescribing for women seeking relief from life disrupting symptoms during perimenopause, menopause and post hysterectomy. We learn more about the history, art and science behind compounding practices and dispel common myths. We also get to hear more about the good fight compounding pharmacists like Natalie and others have been waging on Capitol Hill for years to protect safe access to natural hormones, and we answer the all-important question: Can women rest assured that bioidentical alternatives to HRT are here to stay?
Some additional issues and answers we delve into in this episode:
- How bioidentical hormones differ from synthetic versions (e.g. Premarin), which natural plant substances they are made from, the different forms they can be made into (creams, gels, patches, lozenges) to ensure efficient delivery and absorption, etc.
- How compounders are training providers to use hormone test results as a guide to safe dosing.
- Why a compounding pharmacist is an invaluable resource for women and how to find one in your area.
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Episode Three: Hormone imbalances and the mother of all: estrogen dominance
The plot thickens in Episode 3 as we tackle the all-important question: Are these symptoms all in my head? My doctor says so… Kyle and Candace are here to tell you that your symptoms are most definitely not in your head – but in your hormones! In this episode we dig deep into the mother of all hormone imbalances – estrogen dominance – what causes it, how to test for it, and the best natural approaches to rebalancing and relieving symptoms. Kyle shares a case study of estrogen dominance in her practice and from there we get into a lively and wide-ranging discussion of everything from periods, ovulation and birth control to PMS, perimenopause, menopause, HRT and bioidenticals. And once and for all, we share the answer to the vexatious question “How do I know I’m in menopause?” You won’t want to miss this episode!
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