Hormone Prosperity Podcast with Dr. Kyrin Dunston

Bliss Magdalena | Your Womb Is A Healing Portal

Welcome back to another empowering episode of The Hormone Prosperity Podcast, hosted Dr. Kyrin Dunston! In this special episode, we are thrilled to have Bliss Magdalena, a dynamic priestess who lives in fully activated divine presence. Bliss brings over two decades of experience as a holistic practitioner, doula, and educator. She shares her profound wisdom on womb healing, divine feminine energy, and holistic therapies.

Episode Highlights

• Understanding the Womb as a Sacred Space:

Bliss dives into the concept of the womb as not just a physical organ but a sacred and powerful portal for healing and creation. Learn how to reconnect with this vital part of yourself.

 

• Lunar Womb Priestessing:

Discover the ancient practice of Lunar Womb Priestessing and how it helps women reclaim their divine feminine energy and power. Bliss explains the rituals and practices that can help you align with the lunar cycles.

 

• Holistic Therapies for Womb Health:

Tune in as Bliss shares her insights on various holistic therapies and rituals that promote womb health and overall well-being. From forest bathing to sound healing, she outlines practical steps you can take today.

 

• Navigating Midlife Transitions:

Bliss offers invaluable advice on navigating the complex transitions of midlife with grace and empowerment. Her stories and insights from two decades of practice provide a roadmap for finding balance and inner wisdom during this pivotal time.

 

• Practical Wisdom for Midlife Women:

Get actionable tips on how midlife women can tap into their inner wisdom and leverage the power of their wombs for emotional and physical healing.

Guest Bio

Bliss Magdalena is a deeply devoted, learned, and dynamic priestess who embodies fully activated divine presence. With over 20 years of experience, Bliss is a holistic practitioner, doula, and educator for birth-workers. She is also a death companion and supporter, teaching Lunar Womb Priestessing and Temple Arts Training courses that focus on holistic therapies for womb health and overall well-being. Passionate about connecting individuals with their inner wisdom and divine feminine energy, Bliss leads forest bathing, sacred site tours, and retreats, alongside sound healing concerts. Her students and clients describe her as fully authentic and fully alive.

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Loved this episode? Make sure to subscribe, rate, and review The Hormone Prosperity Podcast to help other remarkable women find us. Your feedback fuels our mission to empower women through every stage of life.

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Thank you for tuning in to this enlightening conversation with Bliss Magdalena. Remember, your womb is a portal to healing and creation. Let's honor it and ourselves every day. Until next time, stay empowered and connected.

Stay connected with us for more incredible episodes that celebrate and support your health and well-being.

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Dr.Kyrin (00:00):

Did you know the yoni and womb are portals to infinite wisdom and healing? Stay tuned as Bliss Magdalena helps you understand this and why your body is sacred and the key to self-empowerment.

Dr. Kyrin (00:16):

So the big question is how do women over 40 like us keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself again. As an O-B-G-Y-N, I had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue, now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kyrin Dunston. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Dr.Kyrin (01:10):

Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. Thank you so much for joining me today as we talk with bliss, Magdalena womb priestess about so many things that you don't know about your womb as apor, powerful portal of healing for your health and your spirit, your mind, and your body. This was something I wasn't aware of as a gynecologist. It was the hugest missing link in my education and training and working as 30 years as a board certified gynecologist. So you are sure gonna wanna know about this information. And Bliss is an absolutely beautiful soul who was I was connected with through another womb shaman. We're gonna talk a little bit about that and her path to being a womb priestess, what that means, how you can become one too. We talk about the womb being a portal to other dimensions and the power that it holds.

Dr.Kyrin (02:12):

And our body's sacredness. We talk about sacred sexuality, tantra, all kinds of things. Temple arts, she is a wealth of information. She's actually working on her PhD, which we didn't have a chance to talk about, but we had talked about that at during another private conversation that we had. She has a beautiful training coming up that I'm going to be TA participating in and you're welcome to join me. We give that information as well. I'll tell you a little bit more about her and then we'll get started. Liz is a deeply devoted, learned and dynamic priestess who is living in fully activated divine presence. She has over two decades in practice as a holistic practitioner. She's a doula, an educator for birth workers death, companion and supporter. She teaches lunar womb priestessing and temple arch training courses and holistic therapies. She enjoys leading forest bathing, sacred site tours and retreats and some healing concerts.

Dr.Kyrin (03:11):

And her students and clients describe her as fully authentic and fully alive. I would say amen to that sister. She is a beautiful soul. Please help me welcome Bliss Magdalena to the show. Thank you. I'm so excited to broach this topic on the podcast. It's not something we've talked about ever and it wasn't something that I was aware of even being in women's health for over 30 years as a gynecologist until I went to Dubai this past year. And so I kind of wanna say this for everybody listening before you dismiss it, before you say, oh, I don't wanna hear about this, you need to hear about this. You know, as a board certified gynecologist for over 30 years, I promise you you need to know about this. And this is one of the most vital and important missing pieces in your health program in what you're doing to create brilliant health in your life that you don't know about and you are not going to hear about in a lot of places, particularly in the us.

Dr.Kyrin (04:17):

So I promise you, you need to hear this. So I want you to listen. I, I literally had that thought when I started learning about this. How have I been in women's health my whole life and didn't know about this? So my experience in the US when it comes to womb health or womb steaming was there's this place in Atlanta that's a Korean bathhouse and they have all these different saunas and steam rooms and they have awo steam room there. And it's basically this little room in the corner where they have a TV and they watch Korean soap operas all day long and it's not a spiritual space in any way, shape or form or a nurturing space. And they line all the women up against the wall and put the herbs in and you're watching Korean soap operas the whole time. And I did it once 'cause I wanted to know what it was and I said, this is a waste of time.

Dr.Kyrin (05:12):

I had zero experience improvement or experience with it. And it's funny 'cause I was actually interviewed by a magazine, I forget which one about my opinion of womb steaming. And so it's in print that Karen Dunton said that it, it's not, has no medical benefit. I said that because I didn't know then what I know now. So in Dubai I said, well this is a different community. There are a lot of healers here. Let me go to a womb steaming. And it absolutely changed my life, right? It was 30 women in a, an oval in a room with a beautiful altar with a very spiritual guide. And we did the real deal and portals opened up for me and healing and visions and knowings and my wombs started clearing. And I've since been on a further journey with that and worked with a couple womb shamans and read books on the subject and realized that this really is the path that I have on as a gynecologist only I didn't know it.

Dr.Kyrin (06:17):

And the universe is like, surprise, here's your next phase of development. So I look to learn to people like you. So I'm so blessed to have you on the show today. And I just wanted to share that because I know if there's anyone listening who's even heard of wound steaming or yoni steaming or anything about wo healing and you've experienced what I had experienced before, you're probably gonna poo P it. And I want to tell you that that's not the real thing. <Laugh>, you need to really hear about the wo real thing. And if you've never heard of it, I encounter women at the time in the states who have never, they have no concept of what we're gonna talk about, then you really need to listen up. So I'm wondering if first you can share kind of how you got on this path, bliss, how did you come to this path of being a priestess and training other women and understanding what you know?

Bliss Magdalena (07:07):

I was lucky enough to be raised in an all female household. My mom is a priestess of Ishtar. So when we were together, this, I've always been initiated in these concepts of body positivity, in feminine power, in sexual power and sexual magic. And really in us holding this portal place as conscious creators in our lives, which our power and our ability to generate and magnetize and connect is actually coming from our physical health as well as our emotional and psychological health. So those things have never been outside of the sphere of my experience. So I've, I've always been meditating, I've always been connecting with the divine. I've always been working particularly with touch and the body and with natural herbs and natural oils. So for me, those are my gifts. And initially I went into practice as a holistic practitioner. So I've been all around the world.

Bliss Magdalena (08:16):

I've trained in all these different places with different teachers in traditional healing modalities from around the world. And also in naturopathy. In my twenties I was managing health food shops and I was practicing as a nutritionist and a naturopathic therapist in addition to the touch therapies that I was doing. And throughout my life, my spiritual practice has been tantra and sacred sexuality. So it would've been nine years ago now that I found my true teacher. You know, I'd done a lot of trainings in Sacred Union and sacred sexuality and tantra, but I went on a pilgrimage to creep with my teacher, Katinka Suan of the Path of Love Mystery School. And really keker is everything embodied in one package as a sacred sexual priestess. So she was practicing tantra, but she had also worked as a doula and she was integrating the traditional lineage of the lon goddess mysteries.

Bliss Magdalena (09:27):

She had combined that with her tantra practice and her healing work. And so as soon as we met, it was immediately like, oh, well there's someone else who's doing what I'm doing, you know, which was really great because for so long I'd been keeping that under the radar. So I'd been a priestess, but I was calling myself a holistic practitioner, if that makes sense. And I had all of these credentials where I was working with people in medical settings in hospices. So I was doing clinical therapy work, but I was really finding my heart and finding that space where I felt like it was truly my vocation in the sphere of sexuality, relationships, and reproductive health. So I was working with people before, during, and after pregnancy as a fertility therapist and a doula and a postpartum supporter. And so that was where I first came across yoni steaming was in the postpartum phase.

Bliss Magdalena (10:26):

And actually the research that's been done there has been one scientific study which has been published about the only steaming, which is about women in the postpartum period. So it's something that is deeply regenerative to the tissues around the vagina. And if you have torn during your labor, it's something that will stimulate that granulation and that healing process. But the thing that's most important about it is that it's non-invasive. So no one is touching you, no one is looking at you. It's something that you can do therapeutically to support your body's natural healing process without any invasive procedure is something that you can do for yourself. And I think that is the thing that's most empowering about this, you know? So yes, I mean you only steaming as a postpartum healing modality is something that it facilitates the release of here, this, you know, this kind of post birth material from inside the uterus, it boosts the circulation, which increases the healing response to the area.

Bliss Magdalena (11:34):

But because it's deeply relaxing to the connective tissue, it actually helps your uterus to reposition itself. So this is amazing, you know, particularly if you've had a traumatic birth. But the thing that's amazing about yoni steaming is it's not just a postpartum modality. And so during my priestess training, ka tinker introduced this to us as a temple art. So this was something that we were doing in a circle of women as part of a red tent where you are actually activating a portal for yourself in sacred space. And so you can yoni steam at any age, you can yoni steam, whether you have had a womb removed. So one of my friends, when I was teaching yoni steaming, we did a, a really big yoni steam online, and one of my friends had was recovering from having a hysterectomy. And so she was steaming with me.

Bliss Magdalena (12:32):

And you know, her recovery was so miraculous. It really, it makes such a difference because it's relaxing this connective tissue. So this is having a somatic restoration and rebalancing of your nervous system that's coming from this feeling of warmth and safety and not having any kind of invasion. Like no one is, no one is touching you, no one's coming inside you, no one's opening you up with a speculum. But you are naturally opening because of the warmth of these vapors and kind of settling down into a conscious loving awareness of your womb and your yoni. So yeah, I mean, I'm a huge advocate of this work. So I think it's really great that you've raised this as a topic at the beginning because I think everyone should know about it. And I feel that it's had a really bad press because people have a misunderstanding about the context of yoni steaming.

Bliss Magdalena (13:33):

So for me, I see this as a personal healing process. It is a modality that is particularly helpful if you've had past invasive medical procedures or if you've had sexual trauma because it's something where you don't actually have to undress apart from taking your knickers off, you can just wear a long dress or a long skirt, and then you're actually wrapping yourself in more blankets. You know, it's something that it can be done alone. I believe that it's safer if you have a practitioner there with you, because we can help you to hold the space. We can make sure that you're not accidentally dipping your skirt or your blankets into the bowl of water. And we can also help to regulate the temperature. So if you're using an electric heater, or traditionally, you know, women would sit over a smoke box. So I don't advocate that, like I don't think it's healthy to expose your mucus membranes to smoke.

Bliss Magdalena (14:32):

But the most ancient forms of yoni steaming were done over a small cauldron with a fire. And so women in South America, in Africa, in Indonesia, they would actually be burning and steaming herbs sitting over these quadrants, you know? And then more recently, so the modern version of this is that you have a, a bowl of what I would describe as like a loving herbal tea. And so you can use different types of herbs depending on your medical needs. So for example, if you want something which is mucus forming, you know, and it's gonna generate a lot of lubrication and a lot of softness for you, then you might go for something like calendula or rose petals, for example. If you want something that's more astringent, you know, because for example, you are recovering from an infection or you want something which is antiseptic and healing because you've had a cut or a tear, you could go for something, which is more, I would say the thing about this is that it's not actually like receiving a herbal medicine, it's more that you are inhaling almost like a homeopathic dose of these volatile organic compounds from different types of herbs.

Bliss Magdalena (15:46):

So you have a medicinal benefit that's coming from your awareness of the herbs rather than, for example, taking a dose of herbal medicine. So it's, it's working in a much more subtle way. So if you are recovering and you want to have something which is more as stringent, you could go for something like peppermint, you could go from mug warts, some people put ginger in their yoni steaming. So the best way to do this work is to work with someone who is knowledgeable as a herbalist in addition to having an awareness and an understanding of reproductive health. So this is why I think like anyone can steam with just a bowl of water, and you can literally make it as simple as just putting a bowl in your toilet system. If you wanna make it really easy on yourself, you can just get a big bowl, pop it in the loo, make sure that you are sitting high enough over it so that you are not going to come into direct contact with the hot water and you know, just pop a towel over your lap.

Bliss Magdalena (16:45):

Like it can really be as simple as that. You don't have to complicate it. And I think this is the thing with some of the more commercialized places. So if you go to like a Malaysian or a sort of Korean salon, then they'll often have like a plastic gown that you wear and sometimes you can actually be sitting over something that's like a crockpot, you know? And so that water can be very, very hot, you know, and I think this is where the media has really focused on these kind of dangerous aspects, that if you sit over a pot of boiling water, then yes, I mean that that is going to cause a health risk because you could potentially sc yourself on the steam. So I don't tend to work in that way, like with my students and with my clients I tend to use a ceramic or a bamboo bowl.

Bliss Magdalena (17:38):

We just position them in a way so that they can easily elevate. And I tend to use water that's just come off the boil and then wait for five minutes before they actually actually come to steam on it. So there's ways that you can do it safely and you know, you can actually buy these like bespoke steaming boxes now that you can sit over and they have a sort of whole, so that you can sit in a really safe way and they tend to be about 12 to 18 inches above the water. So yeah, if you prefer to do it that way, you can, but I think this is the thing about having a practitioner. So if you're working with someone that is knowledgeable about yoni steaming, then we can keep you safe, we can keep you comfortable and we can ensure that you're really having the best experience while you are undertaking what can be a very personal ceremony, you know? Yeah. We're just, we're just there with you.

Dr.Kyrin (18:31):

Yes. And it was so beautiful. So I had several experiences, one of which we had about a hundred women with a womb priestess, and we did the steaming together and it was so powerful. And what amazed me is that it's not only, okay, yes, you've got the heat, it brings blood flow. Yes, you have the physiologic response to the herbs, you are also inhaling them. But the energetic activation and what you said earlier, opening a portal for yourself, that was the most surprising thing about it, is that the spiritual aspect of in another realm. And it started bringing me these memories and visions and connections and emotions that was so powerful. And then, right. You know, I just wanna share this. Aha. So I, I read a book after, after I had this, the first experience. I said, oh my gosh, what is happening? So I had to re-read the book, womb Awakening.

Dr.Kyrin (19:32):

And you know, even though I've delivered thousands of babies and I've worked with thousands of women in my career, and I know that giving birth is bringing a new life, it never occurred to me. And I remember in womb awakening they talked about this, that the womb is actually a portal to another dimension, the dimension where souls live before they incarnate in this earth. And I never thought about it like that, and that women have this capacity to bring forth and materialize energies from another realm that men don't have. It just, it really hit me like a ton of bricks in the face while duh, and how powerful that is. And I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about that and, and what it means for our own healing and how we work with this and this understanding and foster this.

Bliss Magdalena (20:28):

Yeah, of course. I mean, when you're steaming, you are activating a very powerful acupressure point. So it's the conception vessel. So it's, it is actually literally opening a channel in your central nervous system to enable energy to move more strongly through your field. But what this means on a kind of cosmic level is that we're opening ourselves to this infinite potentiality that lives within the portal space of the womb. So I mean within the context of steaming, but this can apply with any kind of breath work practice. You can also do this work using wand or a yoni egg. And you can also do this work when you are having yoni massage or if you are in sacred union. And you know, I often do this work when I'm in the bath, you know, because it's what I'm really open. So when you are allowing these tissues to completely relax and your awareness is coming into the consciousness of your energy flow within your yoni, your actual vaginal walls, they will begin to open and expand.

Bliss Magdalena (21:43):

And you come into this state of heightened arousal, which is called ballooning and tempting, right? I love this. So it's creating space inside of you for your breath, for your spirit, and for your energy to move. And then your cervix will actually relax and open. And so the thing that's amazing about the cervix is it's actually like a living representation of this Sri Yantra portal. So it's the gateway between what is in the outer realms of our lived sensory experience and what is within us, what is the cosmic potential for what we can birth into being from within the void, from within the darkness. And so, you know, inside the womb we have this radiant darkness. You know, this is how I describe it as if you are within a space where there's no light pollution. So when you look up and you see the night sky and you see that total darkness, but you can see that you're surrounded by an infinite number of shining stars.

Bliss Magdalena (22:48):

So this is what it's like when you meditate within the womb space. So it is devoid of light, but there is something that is existing beyond the emptiness. And I think there's something about recognizing in the conception points within that space just where you've, you've gone beyond the womb and, and slightly up into the fallopian tubes. So this is really where we are calling through our dreaming. And so you have to imagine that your ovaries are like these shining star portals that are existing within you. So there's these different gateways of awakening and perception within the different points of the yoni and moving up into the womb space and then moving to that conception point. So we journey these in my training course and there there's other amazing teachers who there's many of us kind of popping up. I think it's a resurgence of this womb awareness around the planet now where we are calling in this power and we are recognizing that we've always had this.

Bliss Magdalena (23:57):

So we've never been separate from our ability to generate fantastic healing capacity from being able to directly manifest circumstances and meetings, encounters in the physical world, and also dreaming a new world into being. So your womb is much more powerful than simply bringing forth another human life. Although of course that is magical, it is transformative. But I think there's something about stepping into the space of keeping your wise blood. So that's what I would describe the menopause and the post menopause. When you are holding onto your wise blood, you actually have a greater capacity for dreaming, for manifestation, and for calling down the wisdom codes for teaching others. So this is why really like the power of the crone is so immense. And within our culture we have been kind of brainwashed to believe that you somehow lose your power when you become an older, more mature womb carrier.

Bliss Magdalena (25:03):

But actually I think people who are in their forties and their fifties and their sixties, they're actually in the prime of matriarchy. And what I mean by that is holding the center, being at the center of your family, being at the center of your community. And this is where we really see change. This is where we see women stepping into positions of leadership, where we see women building communities. I mean, for example, myself in the last two years since I've turned 40, we've opened a goddess temple in my town, you know, and I was part of that founding, initiating, and birthing of this community project, which it's taken us six years, but it was only when I hit my forties that it was like bang, bang, bang. All of these things began to fall into place and happen because the force of my will was so focused through my womb and I knew what to do with that power.

Bliss Magdalena (26:00):

I knew how to use this magic and to create a hub for other people to come connect with this learning, you know? And it's so exciting. There's nothing makes me happier than teaching my temple arts course. And actually my students are coming this weekend and we're gonna be doing sacred bathing rituals. We're gonna be doing conscious touch bodily deaming, and we're gonna be doing yoni gazing as well. So you know, this is where you are like face to face with the portal. And so many people see these visions of the goddess, you know, that appears when you are in that space of reverence. There's something about coming into sacred prostration before the yoni where you are gazing upon something and you are recognizing its power, you are recognizing its potential. I mean, this is the source of all life. And once you start seeing yonis, you start seeing them everywhere in all kinds of sacred geometry in trees, in architecture, there's so many sacred sites around the world that are based upon the shape of this portal, you know?

Bliss Magdalena (27:12):

And so if we look at the construction of these like the new Grange burial mound in Ireland, for example, that's a really good example. So this passage tomb is the shape of a vagina with labia of the standing stones on the outside. And if you travel along that passageway, which is where the sunrises on the winter solstice, that light is going into the center of the womb chamber, which is deep under the earth, you know? So there's something about this knowledge which ancient civilizations have had, and we are beginning to reclaim it. So we are beginning to recognize it within ourselves. I can't think of anything more wonderful than people in the medical profession beginning to recognize the power of the wound portal. You know, this is so profound and it's so comforting to recognize that we've got this inside of us, we've always had it, and that we can listen to the guidance of this part of ourselves.

Bliss Magdalena (28:16):

And so a lot of what I teach is about how to listen to the voice of your womb and to be able to actually put that guidance into practice in your daily life. And so I would recommend for listeners, if you can take the time, just put your hands over your womb space, listen to your womb, and then if you keep a journal, write down the messages that you get, write down the feelings that you get. Sometimes you'll be given a piece of artwork, sometimes you'll be given a poem or a song, and all of these things are, I believe they are the codes of initiation for the womb priestess. So all of us have the capacity to do this work. Sometimes it's helpful to do it in circle with other sisters, with other priestesses, but you actually hold the keys for womb awakening within yourself. It's all there, all the codes are within you. Wow.

Dr.Kyrin (29:10):

It's just so tremendous. And you know, thinking about the sacredness of the shape of the yoni and what you're talking about doing at your center, the yoni gazing and really sexuality in the US is perverted, you know, in the media and porn addiction is so high. And I think that we all thirst for a healthy sexuality and really re as women reclaiming the power of our womb. And men, it's what they crave is that authentic connection, but nobody really knows how to do it. And so it comes out sideways. So I love that you are doing this work. I'm excited to dive into your trainings and really help to share with my audience and the people whom I know this power. I love this quote you shared with me before we started recording. The yoni and womb are portals to infinite wisdom and healing, which is kind of what you're talking about. And then this other one, remembering our body's sacredness is key to self empowerment. Can you talk a little bit about what that means? Because I don't think that most people see their body as sacred. They see it kind of like their car <laugh>, that, you know, if it fails, they they get it fixed. And you know, in the US if we have a problem with our leg, we go to the doctor and they fix it. But this concept of our body being sacred and being a key to self-empowerment, what does that mean?

Bliss Magdalena (30:41):

There's this thing about this really, I blame Renee Descartes for this. This idea of this separation between our ourselves and our physical bodies and the idea of the body being almost like a machine which is kind of functioning for us. So I would never see my conscious awareness, my mind and my emotions as being separate from my physical body. So we have these incredible sensory interfaces and the body is a way for us to explore the experience of being alive, you know, and nothing is more sacred than that. It's something that is connecting us with everything else that's around us in our existence. And I think the experience of living in a body and being in a reciprocal relationship with your environment, the thing that's important about this, the idea of the body as sacred is recognizing ourselves as part of a wider network. So we are always connected to everything around us.

Bliss Magdalena (31:53):

We, we live in a dynamic ecosystem where we're in a constant process of exchange with not only the atmosphere, the air that we are breathing, the plant and animal life that's surrounding us, the microbes that are actually living on our skin. You know, we are this, we are this conglomerate of individual life forms that are making up a single living body is the most incredible thing. And you think about all these microorganisms that are living in colonies, you know, within us, inside of us, you know, in the gut biome or the skin biome. And we are also in this dynamic exchange with the cosmic bodies. So I was talking about chronobiology, you know, this idea of the ebb and flow of the tides, which is happening all the time with all the water on the planet. It's not just the ocean. This changes at different times of the month, depending on the phases of the moon.

Bliss Magdalena (32:52):

And the other thing that affects us is the tilt of the earth is affecting the amount of solar radiation that we are working with at different times of the year. So we've just come through this equinox phase. So for the next six months of the year, you know, in the northern hemisphere, this is when we're experiencing this opening, this flowering and abundance of the season of summer. And then at the autumn equinox, we are gonna go into this resting phase. So like I see summer as the time of the sympathetic nervous system, you know, you're doing a lot, you are creating a lot, you are experiencing, you're connecting. And then in the winter, you're coming into this phase of resting and nourishing yourself and really looking within and reflecting and maybe dreaming about the seeds that you want to plant for the coming year. So we are never separate from these cosmic planetary cycles.

Bliss Magdalena (33:49):

We are never separate from the reciprocal exchange that's happening with nature. And we are also connected to our ancestors. You know, it's so incredible the things that are being discovered of epigenetics and ancestral, intergenerational memories. You know, a lot of people talk about intergenerational trauma, but I really wanna talk also about intergenerational resilience, intergenerational strength, you know, and these great lessons, these great learnings and teachings and rememberings that are in all of ourselves, these things are encoded in our DNA. We are just the most miraculous beings. And you know, how can you say that that's separate from the divine? At no point would I ever feel that I was not a part of this living goddess, you know? And so I see the goddess as existing within everything. So the whole of the cosmas, all of the living things on the planet and all of these beautiful things that we would describe as being inert.

Bliss Magdalena (34:55):

But I believe those things are also imbued with a consciousness, with an essence that we are in reciprocity with. So this idea of recognizing your body as sacred is so empowering. When you recognize that you have the capacity to connect with and to transform, you are never in a space where there's not an opportunity to learn from what you are experiencing and what you're feeling. Obviously I've worked with people who are dying and I think that time when your bodily systems are beginning to shut down, the thing that's most amazing about this, they've discovered now that the consciousness of the body can live on for up to three days. I think it is after the bodily systems have shut down. So we've got this conscious awareness that is prolonged, it's beyond our understanding. There's something that is not a machine. There's something which is more than that.

Bliss Magdalena (35:59):

We have the opportunity to inhabit these physical bodies. But you know, the soul is infinite. And I really believe that we are part of this wider cosmic, I would describe it like a mycelium network of souls and consciousness. And we've got the opportunity to light up the other nodes along these strands of the mycelium. You know, we're all just like little fruiting mushrooms on this much bigger <laugh> kind of, kind of framework of existence. And all of this network is dreaming. All of this network is imagining and creating new extensions of that life force energy. So almost like, have you seen that film avatar? You know that tree? Yeah, right. For me, that was really representing cosmic consciousness, but within an embodied somatic framework because it was something that people could just literally, they were just plugging their hair into this tree. We are doing that every day. So when you walk barefoot, you are connecting yourself to the electromagnetic field of gravitation that's around this planet. So you are, you are literally grounding into the earth. Those energies are existing within your own body all of the time.

Dr.Kyrin (37:18):

Yes. How we're all connected and consciousness and science, to my observation, has really proven all of this, but it hasn't made its way to mainstream medical care. So I think, I love that everybody listening is hearing this now and can start to use these different tools and techniques that you're sharing to help themselves. And I love, you mentioned the chrono biology and how we're a part of this. Can you talk about the, the lunar cycle and how that works with our feminine energy, whether we're menstruating or menopausal? Oh, and I did wanna just add, and I think you mentioned earlier that even if you've had a hysterectomy, you still have these energy centers, so don't exclude yourself from this, but yes, can we talk a little bit about that? The chronobiology of the lunar cycle?

Bliss Magdalena (38:10):

For sure. And I just want to say the originator of that term was a scientist called Gunter Klein. So you can find his work online. He wrote a book about this. So every cell is influenced by our receptivity to different types of, of lights. We have this capacity to regulate our bio rhythm based on the amount of natural lights and natural darkness that we take in on a day-to-day basis. So the pineal gland is helping to register this light, this rhythm of light and dark. The different endocrine functions which help to regulate other bodily systems are impacted by this ebb and flow of light. And so one of the best ways that you can reregulate your system is to go camping. So if you don't have any artificial light and you are actually getting up when the sun comes up and then you're going to bed when the sun goes down, or even if you're spending time up at night, but you are under starlight, your system is reregulating itself to the natural cycle.

Bliss Magdalena (39:29):

So if you do this for a full lunar cycle, if you go camping for 29 days, then you are gonna find that your system has reset itself. So I really recommend that if you've got the opportunity to do it, go camping somewhere that's got no light pollution. Because the thing that is really disrupting our natural cycles and our ability to tune in with our innate feminine power particularly is the advent of artificial light. So electric light at night in your house, I mean, I've got a light on and it's starting to get dark outside here in England, <laugh>, you know, and the use of mobile phones because they're all emitting this kind of blue light, you know? And so it is really important if you've got any kind of issue where you feel outta sync, I would say the more that you can align yourself to the natural rhythms of light and dark and go and spend time out under the moon.

Bliss Magdalena (40:27):

So every night go out for, even if it's only 15 or 20 minutes, go and spend some time under the night sky because the different light which is being emitted at the different phases of the mood cycle is gonna impact on your energy levels, your mood, your capacity to work. So all of this stuff is influencing you on a subtle level all the time, even if you don't go outside, but you're gonna be more receptive to it if you actually spend time under the moonlight. So we've just had a a full moon. And so everyone will notice it's really common to know that you have difficulty sleeping and that you sometimes feel anxiety. You can sometimes feel jittery. A lot of women give birth at the time of the full moon because of the fact that you have so much fluid in your body. So this is the time when you'll really have the capacity for moving the most energy.

Bliss Magdalena (41:21):

This is the time when you should be celebrating. You should be coming together with your friends and your loved ones. You know, you're probably gonna be more generous in this period of time in the runup to the full moon than you are in the time when the moon is waning. So when the moon is coming to a dark moon. So for people that are menstruating, this is when you're in your loo to your phase most frequently. The thing is, all of this has been disrupted by artificial light. So nowadays people went straight at all different faces of the lunar cycle, but there it's about 50% of the population there in their lute to your face. So when the moon is waning, your energy level is often more depleted. You have to afford yourself more time for resting. And I think it's really important if the moon is coming towards its darker phase to put more time into planning and pausing and reflecting, rather than necessarily reacting straight away.

Bliss Magdalena (42:26):

Because you're gonna be less tolerant of others <laugh>, and you're gonna need more time for resting and reflection. And you know, in the scientific data, it's actually been shown that people's decision making capacity and their ability to recognize the emotions of others, this is actually limited at the time of the dark moon. And it's limited for women that are in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. So whether you menstruate or not, give yourself more time out and more time off and invest in a lunar war planner so that you know when you're gonna be coming into the dark phase of the moon so that you can create more spaces in your work schedule during that time, during the time of the new moon. And when the moon is beginning to wax. So when it's coming from dark to full during this time, this is the perfect time to start new projects.

Bliss Magdalena (43:26):

This is the perfect time to plan meetings, this is the perfect time to go shopping. This is the perfect time to get things done. Yeah, so you're gonna be more productive then, and you're probably going to want to be more engaged and more friendly. So you're gonna want to come outta your cave. And you know, I like to imagine it like a womb cave. So at the time of the dark moon, you go into your womb cave and you use that time for dreaming, for reflecting and for making changes. So if there's things that you wanna cut out, if you wanna go on a fast, you know, the dark moon is the best time to do that. And if you want to introduce a new food into your diet, or if you want to start taking a new supplement, a new herbal remedy, maybe you want to start a new yoga practice, the best time to start that if you are actually gonna stick to that habit, is in the time of the waxing moon. So when it's in the first quarter really, and moving from the first quarter into the full moon, you're much more likely to achieve things. You're much more likely to get things done with flow and ease in the first half of the lunar cycle than you are in the later half of the lunar cycle. So does that make sense?

Dr.Kyrin (44:40):

Yeah, that's my observation too. By the time it's almost full, I can't get things straight, honestly. It's the energy is usually so intense and yes, I, I agree. When it's new, it's quiet and you can think and be present and centered. And this, I love that you share that this is true for even if you're menopausal, even if you've had a hysterectomy, you still have this cycle with the moon. Some people haven't realized that, but starting to pay attention to it, you've mentioned so many things that I know everybody listening is, well, what does that mean and what does that mean? So I'm wondering if you can talk about, well, what is womb priest to sing? You mentioned tantra, you mentioned sacred sexuality. I know we probably don't have enough time to go through everything. I'll definitely have you share all the places people can connect with you online towards the end.

Dr.Kyrin (45:31):

But can you talk about, say a woman is listening and she's kind of intrigued and she's thinking, wow, just like I did, Ida wasn't aware that my womb was a portal of creation. And you know, I know in all the, the womb steaming events I went to, usually we did a lot of talking and meditation at the beginning and there was this drumming and it would be about, the womb is not a place to store pain and fear. It is a place to create and to give life, give new birth to life, something like that. And really this idea of cleansing the womb and releasing all the pain and fear that's in there. And so if you can talk about some of these different topics and what is the path for someone who wants to start awakening this power in herself and reconnecting with it, what, what would that look like?

Bliss Magdalena (46:20):

My training is called the lunar womb temple. I initiate lunar womb priestesses who have a role within their community as educators and healers and supporters. And so in the work that I do, I'm empowering people with the knowledge of the anatomy, physiology, the natural cycles and the way that these things connect with ritual, with mythology, and with ancient history. So this really at its core, mens duration and tracking of the lunar cycle. So the cycles of reproductive seasons, these are the things that are the source of human culture. And so the most ancient lunar trackers that have been found are actually 86,000 years old. So you know, there's something about connecting with this red thread of womb wisdom that has moved through so many generations of human culture. So as a lunar womb priestess, you are holding space for the sacred. You are recognizing the power which is not only within yourself, but also helping others to awaken to that power within themselves.

Bliss Magdalena (47:46):

So it's about tracking your own lunar cycles. It's about educating and empowering other people to perform these self-care and spiritual practices, which are connecting you with the sacred feminine archetypes, the lunar goddesses, as well as these things that we can do in our community, such as red tent circles, women's sharing circles, also an awareness of what is kind of lying underneath the oppression and the tyranny of patriarchal. This idea that we are not holding our own power any idea within our culture, that somehow you have to get permission from a source outside of yourself in order to be powerful or in order to heal. So we're trying to dismantle that. Mm, so I'm really about reclaiming this idea of ma focal culture. And what I mean by that is focusing on the culture of our sacred, empowered feminine ancestors and the idea of the lineage of the goddess.

Bliss Magdalena (49:02):

So that's what I teach in my course. The reason why sexuality is so important and why the techniques of tantra are tied into this is that it's a tradition where the body is a vehicle for awakening. It's a remembering of our innate life force. So the power of our sexuality is the thing that is awakening the goddess within us. So your shakti, kundalini, or your, your serpent power, this is really the key to working with these energies. And so the snake, again, is an ancient symbol of these lunar cycles, the cycles of nature, and also the sacred life force energy that's moving through us all the time. So they're never separate. And I think in the traditions of tantra, that is the closest link that we have to these really free matrilineal like empowered cultures where people with wombs were really at the center and they were revered and honored for this life-giving power and this knowledge of the ebbs and flows.

Bliss Magdalena (50:12):

Because our bodies, you know, they act as a lunar tracker. That's the thing that's so amazing about it. So we are never set, you know, I believe that her magic is always within us. So as a lunar priestess, it's something that I have always been aware of. I've always been dedicated to this and I'm just so excited to share all of this stuff. And this is why I call my work a revelatory school rather than a mystery school because I want to reveal it. I want everyone to know, and I want everyone who's learned with me to be able to share this information so that we can actually shift the paradigm and get ourselves free gynecology and obstetrics, all of this science, you know, was founded on these horrendous colonial slavery kind of breeding and ownership of women. And I think we all need to liberate one another and we all need to really work to heal the memory of the suffering of these women who were, you know, some of them gave their lives so that these men of science could, you know, dictate to us what we to do with our bodies. But we've always known these things like the yoni steaming, the womb wrapping, you know, and these tantric touch healing modalities. They've been with us for so many millennia. It's like we're connecting with an ancient thread of something that we've always known. So, so yeah, that's my, that's my, that's my talk <laugh>,

Dr.Kyrin (51:43):

You know, it's so inspiring. I wanna go yes, BLI, yes. Bli, gosh, so much that you've said. And yes, the modern practice of gynecology, oh gosh, don't get me started. I'll just say briefly. It's not nurturing at all. And you know, a lot of women are on these synthetic hormones that shut down our own natural hormones and cut us off from our cycles. And I don't know that it's certainly not holistic in any way, shape or form. And although helpful, maybe in some ways I think it's possibly harmful and that's probably a whole other discussion. But what you said about revelatory instead of mystery school, I know a lot of people call their their esoteric or teaching energetic type teachings, mystery schools, but I love that you call it revelatory. And you know, when I set out on this journey of being a nomad for a year and a half and I went to so many different countries, I kind of didn't know what, why I was going.

Dr.Kyrin (52:42):

And then I got to Africa and the ancestors started speaking to me. I had never really had meaningful dialogue with them before. And they said, what do you mean we called you here on this journey? And then also when I was in South Africa, they started speaking to me and I realized that the journey was about finding home, finding my home. You know, I am multi-ethnic background and never really felt like I had a set identity that, oh, I'm this nationality or ethnicity. And it, it just was kind of nebulous. And so I had this sense that it was about finding home and really when I found this womb work, I realized that I had found home. Yeah, you know, that that the home I had been searching for was always within me. And it hearkens back to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz that she was always home.

Dr.Kyrin (53:34):

And I kind of got that metaphor in that movie and many other movies. But what I realized is that what that I was missing was my own connection to my own sacred power of my womb. And I so thank you for being so open to talking with me about this, the coming on the podcast and sharing your wisdom with everyone, because I think that this is vital for all women to know, and this is the time that we all need to know this because our societies, our world needs us to have loving solutions that benefit everybody to the problems that we're facing. And I think that there are lots of answers to be found here. So I can't thank you enough for coming and sharing this.

Bliss Magdalena (54:26):

Yeah, it's my <inaudible> and thank you so much for giving me the space to share it because I'm so passionate about it. And I really believe that it's important that we love ourselves home. There's something about creating safe, nurturing reciprocal spaces that we can share with other women that is so healing and this is how we remember and remind one another of our own power. So I'm so grateful to you for creating this space for me this evening. And yeah, I'm really looking forward to connecting with you again in the future.

Dr.Kyrin (55:00):

Yes. And please share with everyone where they can find you and connect with you online. We're gonna have all the links in the show notes, but please share that.

Bliss Magdalena (55:08):

Yeah, of course. I'm sharing, there's a video link to a practice, which is for this season of OS Tara. So it's called the Red Eggs Practice, and there's a link to my mailing list. So if you sign up for my mailing list, then I'll send you a link to this video so you can do these somatic practices where you are actually lighting the fire, the flame of spring, the flame of Tara within your womb, and really generating the space to sow the seeds for what you want to harvest this year. So it's a really lovely offering that's a free gift for you. And you can also find out information about the Lunar Womb Temple online training. So that's a nine month training. It starts on the 14th of May of this year. So anyone is welcome on that course and you can email me for more information.

Dr.Kyrin (56:02):

Thank you so much, bliss. Bless you. Thank you. I am so looking forward to this training and if you wanna join me, I'll go to the link in the site. We'll have it lunar wo temple dot get response site, I think it is. Dot

Bliss Magdalena (56:17):

Com. Yeah, that's the one. And my main website is bliss magdalena.com, so you can

Dr.Kyrin (56:22):

Find information on there as well. Right. I will see you there. Thank you so much, bliss. Thank you. Bye. And thank you for joining me for another episode of The Hormone Prescription. I know you have loved this episode with Bliss Magdalena. I could talk to her for hours. I have so many questions for her. Hopefully some of them will be answered in our upcoming training. This is really a new field of exploration for me, but I realize that I've been on the womb healing path and helping others with this all my life, but I didn't know it, and now I know the real reason why I became a gynecologist. So stay tuned for more. I look forward to hearing your reflections and feedback on Instagram, Facebook, please meet me there at Kyrin Dunston md. Thank you so much for joining me. I look forward to seeing you next week for another episode of The Hormone Prescription. Until then, peace, love, and

Dr. Kyrin (57:17):

Hormones,

Dr.Kyrin (57:17):

Y'all.

Dr. Kyrin (57:19):

Thank you so much for listening. I know that incredible vitality occurs for women over 40 when we learn to speak hormone and balance these vital regulators to create the health and the life that we deserve. If you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you'd give me a review and subscribe. It really does help this podcast out so much. You can visit the hormone prescription.com where we have some free gifts for you, and you can sign up to have a hormone evaluation with me on the podcast to gain clarity into your personal situation. Until next time, remember, take small steps each day to balance your hormones and watch the wonderful changes in your health that begin to unfold for you. Talk to you soon.

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Dr . Tom O'Bryan | The Inflammation Equation That’s Wrecking Your Hormones At Midlife

Welcome back, fabulous listeners! In this enlightening episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast, we are thrilled to have the brilliant Dr. Tom O’Bryan join us. Dr. O’Bryan is a globally recognized speaker who has dedicated his career to unraveling the mysteries of chronic disease, food sensitivities, and environmental toxins. Often referred to as the "Sherlock Holmes" of chronic disease, Dr. O’Bryan brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for helping people overcome health challenges, particularly during midlife.

What You’ll Learn:

• The Inflammation Equation – How inflammation impacts your hormones and overall wellbeing, especially during midlife.
• Invisible Triggers – Discover the hidden food sensitivities and environmental toxins that could be sabotaging your health.
• Autoimmune Awareness – Understand the connection between chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases, and how you can take proactive steps to protect yourself.
• Practical Insights from Dr. O’Bryan – Gain actionable advice and strategies to reduce inflammation, balance your hormones, and reclaim your vitality.

Conversation Highlights:

Dr. O’Bryan takes us on a captivating journey, starting with his personal story of discovering the power of functional medicine. He shares eye-opening anecdotes and real-life detective stories of patients who transformed their health by addressing hidden inflammation. With his signature blend of expertise and compassion, Dr. O’Bryan provides a roadmap for recognizing and mitigating the factors that may be wreaking havoc on your hormones.

If you found this episode as enlightening and empowering as we did, we’d love to hear from you! Please subscribe, rate, and review The Hormone Prescription Podcast on your favorite platform. Your feedback helps us bring more valuable content to midlife women everywhere.

About Our Guest:

Dr. Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN is an internationally recognized speaker and educator specializing in food sensitivities, environmental toxins, and the development of autoimmune diseases. He holds teaching faculty positions with the Institute for Functional Medicine and the National University of Health Sciences. Dr. O’Bryan is the celebrated author of You Can Fix Your Brain and The Autoimmune Fix.

 

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Dr. Kyrin Dunston (00:00):

The real epidemic isn't a virus, it's inflammation. It's claiming way more lives for many more years than any virus ever has. Stay tuned as we dive into the inflammation equation with Dr. Tom O'Brian.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (00:17):

So the big question is, how do women over 40 like us, keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself Again. As an OB GYN, I had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue, now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kyrin Dunston. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (01:11):

Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Hormone Prescription. This is Dr. Kyrin. Thank you so much for joining me today as we dive into the inflammation equation with one of my longtime friends, Dr. Tom o O'Brien, who has produced many famous docuseries that have helped millions of people globally improved their health, reverse disease, prevent disease, and create vitality and longevity that really is their birthright that they haven't been able to find. So I'm super excited to dive into his latest project with you, the Inflammation Equation. We're really gonna focus on how inflammation affects women, and particularly women over 40. What you need to know today, things you can start doing today to reverse inflammation in your body, which contributes is the leading contributor to the top 15 or so causes of death. He talks about that. Dr. Tom is a veritable walking encyclopedia of the latest studies on functional health, and he's gonna share some recent studies with you that are really gonna blow your mind when it comes to inflammation.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (02:24):

So you're going to want to listen up. We are gonna talk really about how do you know if you have inflammation? Are we talking about you? He has an incredible way to know in one sentence that you will never forget that you're gonna wanna love. He's gonna talk with you about the Toxic Substance Control Act and why they quote unquote, they are not protecting you, even though it seems like they are. The Toxic Substance Control Act is really something you need to understand why you are not protected and why you need to take action on your own health. He's gonna give you some actionable information, a way that you can reduce dementia risk by 54% just by doing something simple daily. So Dr. Tom's a veritable walking encyclopedia and very, gives you very action oriented information, and he's gonna share with you what you're gonna find in the upcoming event, the Inflammation Equation. I'll tell you a little bit about him and then we will get started. So Dr. Tom O'Brien has many initials after his name. He's an internationally recognized speaker focused on food sensitivities, environmental toxins, and the development of autoimmune diseases. He's considered a Sherlock Holmes for chronic disease and holds teaching faculty positions with the Institute for Functional Medicine and the National University of Health Sciences. He is the author of You Can Fix Your Brain and The Autoimmune Fix. Please help me welcome Dr. Tom O'Brien to the show.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (04:02):

Thank you so much. Pleasure to be with you.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (04:04):

I'm really excited to have you back on talking about two of my favorite topics, inflammation and hormones, <laugh>. Yes. A lot of people don't realize, a lot of women don't realize that inflammation, environmental toxicity, have anything to do with their hormone difficulties at midlife and beyond. So can you help shed a little light on why they might wanna listen and pay attention to what we're gonna talk about?

Dr. Tom O'Brian (04:32):

You bet. Primarily for me, I think the hook is the quality of your senior years. And the World Health Organization tells us that the healthy lifespan for the average woman in America is somewhere around 68 to 69 years. The lifespan of women in America is somewhere around 81 years. Well, wait a minute, what's the difference? Well, the healthy lifespan means that you're able to do what you want to do, that your body's functioning and you're not with a diagnosed disease that's limiting your lifestyle. And so what that's telling us is that the last 11 to 12 years of life for the average person in America is disabled. It's not healthy. Those are the numbers. And what are you doing that's going to help ensure you are not one of the average in a wheelchair or with such severe arthritis, you can't walk up a hill or whatever it should be.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (05:35):

What are you gonna do that's different than that? And there's a key, the key that unlocks the door to all of that, the Center for Disease Control tells us that 14 of the 15 top causes of death in the US today are chronic inflammatory diseases. It's always inflammation except for unintentional injuries, accidents, everything else is the cumulative damage of chronic inflammation under the surface that's been there for years. That is a realization. It's whoa. Well that doesn't relate to me Every cause of death, the top 15 causes of death, 14 of 15 are chronic inflammatory diseases without exception. So what that, okay, so what, what do I do about that? You learn how you're creating inflammation under the surface right now that may not be immobilizing you. So you feel fine. You're really not, you can't do the things you did 10 years ago. You're limited, but might feel fine.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (06:43):

No, you're not. But this level of inflammation is allowing you to walk around to do some basic things. So you think, well I'm, I'm doing okay. I'm doing pretty good. But the inflammation is under the surface killing off tissue every single day. And when you don't know this, you don't put any time into figuring out how do I reduce the inflammation? When you know this, then you ask the question, is this inflammatory or anti-inflammatory? And it comes down to should I have the apple or the potato chips? But you now have a paradigm to hold it in so that you can make choices that are more aligned with your desire to have quality of life.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (07:28):

Yeah. Sobering statistics that you offer. But I think it's so important that we women get a kind of a cold glass of water in our face because the level of denial about our health at midlife and beyond as we age, I think is, is enormous. And what that statistic you gave, and really it's our vitality span and our lifespan. A lot of us are living in this chronic disease state for so many years lying to ourselves that we really don't have a problem. But I'm wondering if you can speak to the fact that a lot of women do go to their doctors and they say, Hey doc, I'm not sleeping like I used to. I can't lose this weight. Signs of inflammation, right? Can't sleep weight gain. I have brain fog. My mood is a little off. I'm irritable. I don't wanna be sexual. All of these things. I'm having little aches and pains and they're really not getting the memo or information that it's because of inflammation. And so can you help them understand why getting a clean bill of health from your regular $30 HMO copay doctor really is not the stamp of approval and that they need to invest time and money into educating themselves about what's really going on that's harming them?

Dr. Tom O'Brian (08:45):

Yeah, really good question. You don't go to a podiatrist if you have migraines. Who are you going to in asking the questions of? You have to go to healthcare practitioners that are trained in functional medicine, integrative medicine, holistic medicine who are working to live the life that you wanna live. You, you don't go to a podiatrist with migraines. So going to your average HMO $30 copay doctor that gives you four minutes of time is not going to be the, that may be a good doctor for some things, but not for this. You wanna go to doctors who are spending the extra time and dollars to study and learn what they never learned in medical school. That's not part of the education in medical school. And when you go in for an exam, a physical and a blood test, they don't do blood tests to see if you're healthy.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (09:47):

They do blood tests to identify do you have any diseases? And there's a big world of difference between the two, right? So you want to get information that is designed around achieving the goals of extending your healthy lifespan. For example, the general of the American Medical Association came out and said the magic number is 9,846. You walk 9,846 steps a day, you reduce your risk of dementia by 54%. Doesn't matter if you have the gene for Alzheimer's. It doesn't matter that they followed 75,000 people for over 25 years. And those that were walking at least 9,846 steps per day reduced their risk of dementia by 54%. So that's really useful information. And so you learned, okay, well, you, like your iPhone can tell you how many steps you take a day or you can wear a wearable device on your wrist and you start seeing, oh, I'm walking 400 steps a day.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (10:55):

Well, that's not gonna cut it. That creates disease by itself. That creates inflammation when you sit all day, that by itself will fuel your disease. And the way to think of this is that if I pull it a chain, the chain always breaks at the weakest link. It's at one end, the middle, the other end. It's your heart, your brain, your liver, your joints, doesn't matter. It's the pull on the chain that determines where the symptom, when the symptoms are going to happen. And it's your genetics that determine which links are the weak links. The pull on the chain is inflammation.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (11:34):

Yeah, I love that. A chain always breaks its weakest link. So we're not getting this information in our doctor's offices. So we need to invest time and money and energy in getting that information for ourselves. And you've really dedicated your life to that, which I love. And I have to share this quote with everyone that you shared with me before we started. 'cause I love it. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community. And as long as I live, it's my privilege to do for it what I can. You really are a living example of that. We'll offer and share information on Dr. Tom's latest project will give you many resources to identify and remove the inflammation in your life and in your body. Let's talk a little bit about hormones and inflammation. So when we talk about inflammation, how does someone know if they have inflammation, if their doctor's not telling them? I guess that's the first question. And then we can dive into where is it coming from and how is it affecting my hormones as a woman at woman at midlife and beyond? But how would I know

Dr. Tom O'Brian (12:42):

If your body's not working the way you want it to? You're inflamed. Every disease is a disease of inflammation. And if you're not consciously, there's no way that a person is not carrying this low grade chronic inflammation if they're not actively learning how to reduce the triggers of that. For example, every time you put nail polish on the phalates, the chemicals used to mold plastic that make nail polish hard. The phthalates are in your bloodstream in four to five minutes every time you put nail polish on. And this stuff is, they're called endocrine disruptors. They disrupt how your hormones work. And the average woman, I don't know that you, you may know the exact number, I don't remember. It's somewhere around 120 to 140 chemicals. The average woman is putting on her body every morning before she leaves the house, as if those are safe.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (13:37):

They're not. And the way they, the, the industry gets away with this, oh, the government wouldn't allow anything like this. Oh, the government was paid off. The senators were paid off to pass this legislation called the Toxic Substance Control Act. And the TSCA says, you have to prove that the chemicals you're concerned about damage humans in the amounts that they're exposed to within 24 hours. They don't, most of them don't. There's no evidence of damage from the phthalates in your nail polish or from the phthalates that leach into the food. When you put leftover food in plastic containers. There's no evidence that the amount of phalates that are in the chicken the next day when you eat the chicken because it came out of the plastic into the food, there's no evidence that amount of phthalates is toxic to humans. There is no evidence. And that's how the industry got away with that.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (14:35):

But this stuff is cumulative in your body. It builds up over time. So give me a five-year-old girl painting her 10 little fingers and 10 little toes once a week with nail polish. Now she's 25 to 30 years old and she gets pregnant, wants to start a family, hopefully has a healthy pregnancy and a healthy delivery. Chicago not 2016, 346 pregnant women in the eighth month of pregnancy. And they did urine analysis looking for five different types of phthalates, these chemicals, these endocrine disrupting chemicals. And they put the results into fourths, the women with the lowest amount the next, the third and the highest. They followed the offspring of those pregnancies for seven years. And when the children turned seven years old, the researchers reached back out and said, hi, it's time to do that test for your child now and hope all is really great for you.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (15:36):

And they did the Wexler IQ test, the official IQ test. There's not much in medicine. That's all or every, but this was every child whose mother was in the highest category of phalates in urine and pregnancy compared to the children whose mothers were in the lowest quartile of phalates in urine and pregnancy. Every child in the highest category, their IQ was seven points lower. Six points seven to 7.4 points lower every single one of them. Now, that doesn't mean anything to anyone until you understand a one point difference in IQ is noticeable. A seven point difference is a difference between a child working really hard, getting straight A's in school and a child working really hard, getting straight C's in school, really working, but that child doesn't have a chance in hell of ever excelling. Now you just go to Google and you type in phthalates and neurogenesis brain cell growth.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (16:34):

Here come the studies. The higher the phthalates, the more you inhibit brain cell growth. So these women that have been painting their nails for 20 years, drinking out of plastic water bottles, wearing contact lenses, and the contact lens is full of phthalates and the solution is full of phthalates, they put in their eyes every day. This stuff accumulates in your body over time. Their babies are born with lower IQs, excuse me. Their babies are born with poorly developed brains and they develop poorer IQs by the age of seven. Wake up people. You can't put these poisons on your body or in your body and expect that you're going to be healthy and vibrant. It's not gonna happen. So you have to find, or organic cosmetics, you have to find glass storage containers. Give the Tupperware to your husband to store nails in the garage. That's what they're good for, right? It's, I mean, it's changing the way people think. And that's what our event is all about.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (17:39):

It was very sobering. And I know everybody listening is, oh my gosh, this is horrible. And I said, don't freak out. Just take action and start replacing the co toxic cosmetics that you have one by one when you run out with something new. That's a simple action you can take as a woman. Because yes, we put on myriad products on our skin, on our hair or nails or lips, but there's this so-called kind of greenwashing of cosmetics where they wanna say it's phthalate free. But then if you really read the ingredients, there's equally toxic, toxic ingredients. But the industry has kind of gotten savvy to say that the products are free of certain toxic chemicals that consumers are becoming aware of. So you wanna check out something like environmental working group. But there's so many things that you can do to protect yourself and to, you wanna stop getting these things in your body and you wanna start getting them out. So there are things you can do to usher them out. How are women at midlife 40 and above, particularly affected by inflammation? I love your simple explanation that if something's not working properly in your body, you have inflammation. I love that. That makes it super simple. So how are women in the perimenopause and menopause particularly affected?

Dr. Tom O'Brian (18:59):

Many women who are taking hormones did not have their hormone levels tested before they started taking hormones. They're shot shotgunning and when, and they feel better. So they think everything's fine. Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>. But when you're shotgunning, when you're shotgunning, look, I grew up in Detroit. I grew up in the era of muscle cars. And all of us had muscle cars. And you don't take a 4 54 engine out of a Corvette and put it in a Volkswagen. If you drive a Volkswagen with a 4 54 engine in it really hard and really fast, things start to break down. When you take hormones to shotgun feeling better and you didn't have a deficiency of estrogen or you didn't have a deficiency of progesterone or testosterone, but you're taking the hormones and you feel better. Well, yeah, you put a 4 54 into a Volkswagen, you have to rebuild all the tissue so that it can accommodate.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (20:01):

Look, if you have a deficiency, you take the hormones of course, but at the same time, you are rebuilding your system. And every cell, your body regenerates. You have an entirely new immune system every two months. So why are you continuing to have an autoimmune disease for those that have Hashimoto's or whatever as a thyroid autoimmune disease or celiac or whatever they've got. Why are you still regenerating cells that are, 'cause your immune system is just the armed forces there to protect you. There's an army and Navy and Air Force and Marines, we call 'em IGA, IgG, I-G-E-I-G-M cytokines. They're just branches of the armed forces. So when they're elevated, the question is not, how do I shut down the immune system? How do I calm it down? No, the question is, what is my immune system trying to protect me from? And so you begin to explore what foods are you eating, what environmental toxins are you being exposed to?

Dr. Tom O'Brian (21:05):

How much crud has accumulated in your body? You just start the journey. When I interviewed Fran Drescher for this event, the nanny, she was wonderful, just wonderful. She's a 24 year survivor of uterine cancer. And she looks lovely. She truly does. And she said, when I was diagnosed, my oncologist saved my life. She's a really good friend now. And I asked her, why did I get cancer? And the oncologist said, we don't know. It just happens. And Fran didn't believe that. And so she said, I decided to focus my fame not on raising money for cancer research, but rather raising money to educate. Where does cancer come from? And it's, and she founded Cancer Schmance. And cancer comes from all of the environmental triggers that you're exposed to, whether it's in your food or in your cosmetics or in your home. Harvard did a study and they looked at, I got, I think it was, I'm sorry, I don't remember the exact number.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (22:14):

I think it was 15,000. It may have been a little bit more. 15,000 people with cancer, different types of cancers. Every single one of them had elevated markers of the immune system fighting mold, every single one of them. And it's like, what? What? So you have to check your house. Is there mold in this? My house is fine. No, you don't smell it. You don't see it. If you can smell it, it's bad. It's really bad. And so you just start learning and you just, and as Fran said, she said, Dr. O'brien, how did you get to my guest bathroom? 'cause I had just gone to the bathroom before we started filming. And I said, well, it's right over there. She said, yes, but how did you get there? And then I saw the sparkle in her eye and I knew what she was doing. I said, one step at a time. And she started that laugh of hers at Nanny. That was her message. You take one step at a time. You just, for example, you change out your toothpaste, you take a look at the toothpaste in your medicine cabinet and it says, warning, do not swallow. If swallowed, call National Poison Control Center, <laugh>.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (23:23):

That's what it says on the box. Because they have to, but nobody reads this stuff. And we think, oh, we, they'd never give me anything that would harm me. Wake up.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (23:36):

My kids used to say that all the time when I would try to explain to them why eating such and such wasn't a good idea. And they would say they wouldn't allow it if it weren't healthy <laugh>, I'd say, who is they? Who do you think is protecting you? Nobody is protecting you. They're protecting their profits or corporate profits. And medicine is not about, and government is not about protecting your health. So yeah, Fran Drescher has, is really working hard to, to educate people. Talk a little bit about the event, the inflammation equation and what people will get out of that from watching it.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (24:15):

Oh, it's just magical. It's really magical. There it is. One hour a day for nine days. It's all free. And I traveled the world for a year, seven countries, 84 interviews the world leaders in environmental exposures, in brain function, in reversing Alzheimer's, the real leaders. And when you hear them speak, and when they say, so I say, excuse me professor. And I stop them in the middle of, did you just say, well, yes. Well that's a geeky word. People won't understand that. Does that mean well, yes. So then that means this. And they say, well, yes, exactly. Oh, thank you. Please continue. So you hear what these world scientists, world class scientists are saying about where disease comes from. And it's always without exception. It's always excessive inflammation. It's basic 1 0 1. Every doctor should have been taught this their first week in their education so that everything they learned would be under the umbrella of when inflammation gets really bad. This happens to your kidneys when inflammation's going on for years. This happens to your eyes when inflammation's go. That's how they should be taught because it's our lifestyle, the environment that we live in, the foods we decide to eat that activate your immune system for the inflammation that you get. And then wherever the weak link is in your chain, that's where you're gonna get a problem. Yeah.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (25:52):

So we will have the information in the show notes where you can go to sign up and get this free Inflammation Equation event with all these top experts. I just wanna ask you a tough question because without getting too political, there is a lot of narrative around having people will not believe or understand that inflammation contributes to some of the top causes of death. Just like there's a narrative around what I call hormonal poverty doesn't contribute to this even though it's associated with seven of the top 10 causes of death. And so really you, you talked about going to a functional medicine provider, they can attend their your event. Where can people get credible information? How do they vet the information they're getting? Because there are a lot of health coaches out there. There are a lot of credentialed people who are on YouTube and various social media and giving a lot of information. But how does somebody really know what's credible and who to believe? I think consumers are really struggling with that right now.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (27:03):

You bet. And that's gonna get worse because so many people who have no education, no formal education are getting trained in marketing. And so they know how to carry a message out. Yeah. And that's a big problem. I've been impressed with what some of those programs say. 'cause They're right. Some of them are right on the money. It doesn't matter that they don't have a degree. They've really done their homework and they've learned a lot. For example, Fran Drescher, she doesn't have any formal education, but Cancer Schmance helps tens of thousands of people every few months who come and look at her programs and understand how do you detox your house? She talks about these chemicals. How do you know whether you're getting accurate information? That's a very valid question. I think events like this podcast where you bring on people that you screened so you know that they're credible is a, a good place to go for information.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (28:07):

Going to cancer Schmance is a great place to go. Reading my books, there's over 300 studies in each of my books, and I just talk pure science. I'm going to give you a study here, and it has an aspect to it that's not pure science. I always say, if there's something I say that's not just not pure science, and this is one of those times I think the most sensitive tissue in the human body is the fertilized egg. That it has no protection of its own. It's completely descent, dependent on mom and mom's environment for its survival, for its nutrition, and for its growth. This may not be to your audience, but I'm sure everyone can relate to it. And certainly for your children who may be of childbearing age. So Harvard published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association three years ago, and the editors of the journal said, this is an elegant study using sophisticated biomarkers to prove their point.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (29:13):

Now, as Dr. Karen, the editors of the Journal of the American Medical Association don't say that very often. They don't give a stamp of approval to an article like that, right? But they did for this one. And they looked at women going to assisted fertility centers and they ruled out in an elegant way the contributing factors that they know of that determine success or failure. Are they smoking? Do they drink alcohol? Are they exercising socioeconomic class race? They ruled all of that out. And they went for one topic only. How many servings of fruits and vegetables is the woman eating a day while she's going through these injections? And then the implantation process and the results were shocking. They put those women into quartiles, the lowest number of servings of fruits and vegetables per day, the next, the third and the highest number of servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (30:17):

And those women in the highest category of consumption of fruits and vegetables per day had an 18% less likelihood of successful implantation compared to the women eating the lowest amount of fruits and vegetables a day. Wait a minute, did you say the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the worse the outcome? Yes. And if they did get pregnant, they had a 26% less likelihood of alive birth. They lost the babies to still births and miscarriages. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, fruits and vegetables, the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the worse the outcome. This is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and it came from Harvard. And this is what Yeah, completely paradigm shifting. And the editors have said, this is an elegant study using sophisticated biomarker. You can't argue with the science, but there was a subgroup of women that were eating organic.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (31:17):

And in that category, the results were the exact opposite. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better and the more success. And here's the good news. Women were put in the category of organic consumption. If they ate three servings per week, not 21 servings a week, three, that's all it took to completely reverse and get successful results. Now, the edit, the authors didn't address that topic of only three a week to be in the category. If they did two a week, they didn't see the benefit. But at three a week, they saw the same benefit as people eating 15, 18, 20 servings a week. So it just took three. Why? I think, and I don't have any signs for this, but I think it's because if you're eating organic whenever you can, you've got organic shampoo in your shower and you've got organic soap at the kitchen sink and you're trying, you're doing the best that you can, you're learning more.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (32:17):

And in that case, it made the complete difference, success or failure for these couples spending tens of thousands of dollars in all the emotional stress that women go through because it's the insecticides and pesticides and fungicides, rodenticides, glyphosate and antibiotics on the fruits and vegetables that are triggering the inflammation that we get. So you think you're doing something good for yourself eating fruits and vegetables and you are, but your carrots and your cucumbers and your tomatoes and your apples are loaded with pesticides. So if you can't get organic, and this is what we teach, and you learn about all this in the inflammation equation. If you can't get organic, you get the veggie spray wash and you grab the broccoli. When you bring it home from the store and you spray it with the wash, you dip it in the, the bowl of water, swish it around like that, and you lift it, wow, it's so much greener.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (33:15):

That's because you just took the wax and the pesticides off of it and you re, you reduce 94% of the toxic chemicals on the fruit or vegetables that quickly. But if you don't know this, you don't do it. And you get the pesticides. And because I think the most sensitive tissue is that fertilized egg, it doesn't have a chance if mom has been accumulating like the nail polish, the phthalate study, if mom's been accumulating over a lifetime, not knowing that she was accumulating all these toxins, but she was. And if you don't know this, you don't do anything about it. And so you've have this low grade inflammation all the time. So you just start learning. Yeah, you get glass storage containers, you get phthalate free nail polish, you get organic whenever you can. You get the spray for your vegetables that are not organic and you just learn these things and all of a sudden your body starts functioning better. 'cause You reduce the inflammation.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (34:09):

Yeah. And you stop using the plugins and the air fresheners. That's my big pet peeve. And the perfumes

Dr. Tom O'Brian (34:15):

<Laugh>. Oh yeah.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (34:16):

That are full toxins. Oh my gosh.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (34:19):

Blue Cross Blue Shield published this paper in February of 2020 and said, we got a problem. And nobody read it because that's when the virus came out. And so nobody, it should have been on the front page of every paper in the country. They said in the previous four year period, there was a 407% increase in the diagnosis of early Alzheimer's in 30 to 44 year olds. Wow. In four years, 407% increase. This is the pandemic, is the accumulation of all the chemicals that are causing so much inflammation, killing off brain cells, killing off brain cells, killing off brain cells or kidney cells or vision cells. It doesn't matter the tissue, wherever the weak link is, that's where you're going to develop the problem.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (35:10):

This is the epidemic. It really is. It's way worse than any virus that we've had around, and it's probably claiming the lives and wellbeing and vitality of many more people. I don't know the exact numbers, but every single day and it's ongoing and getting worse. So let's talk a little bit about what people will find there. You've got several different episodes that people get access to. Nine different ones. You are gonna help them navigate what to put on their plate, what's healthy. Some of the information like you just shared, you don't have to do it perfectly, but what are the places you can make the biggest impact with your food? You're gonna talk about the environment, reducing environmental toxins with the products you use. You have something also on the biomes in your body. Do you wanna talk a little bit about that?

Dr. Tom O'Brian (36:04):

One of the episode four is all about the biomes, the microbiome in your gut and the oral microbiome you swallow. This is kind of a gross visual, but you swallow over a liter a day of saliva and the saliva, the bacteria in your mouth are inoculating your gut. And so you're gonna learn how to have a really fresh mouth and how to build a healthy microbiome. The importance of that. We are taking the major topics, hormones, we're taking the major topics and just gently introducing what the world experts say and then how do you start moving in another direction from that. So it's a big educational experience. People will wanna listen to it again and again. And the thanks and the kudos that we're getting emails are just hundreds and hundreds of emails just thanking us for this. That it, this really makes sense. Boy, I finally understand how to lead my family and their health for the rest of our lives. I've got a great picture of this. Now our job is really to change the paradigm, to change the way that people think about their health and to be more selective of what you put on your body and in your body. Yeah.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (37:25):

Well, I encourage everyone to attend. It is free. We will have the link in the show notes, but I'll spell it out for you. It's www.theinflammationequation.com/kirin, K-Y-R-I-N, and we'll have the link. So if you're driving, don't try to write that down. But Dr. Tom, thank you so much for joining us today. I love that you, your life really does belong to the community and that you are a man of service and truth and research. A man after my own heart. It's been an honor and a privilege to have you here today.

Dr. Tom O'Brian (38:02):

Thank you, Karen. A real pleasure for me also,

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (38:05):

And thank you all for joining me for another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about today's episode and what you've learned, especially at the inflammation equation. You can reach out to me on social media and share the insights that you've gained and how you are putting the information you've learned into effect in your life for positive change so that you can have a longer vitality span as well as a longer lifespan. Thanks so much for joining me. I'll see you next week.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (38:35):

Until then, peace, love, and hormones y'all. Thank you so much for listening. I know that incredible vitality occurs for women over 40 when we learn to speak hormone and balance these vital regulators to create the health and the life that we deserve. If you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you'd give me a review and subscribe. It really does help this podcast out so much. You can visit the hormone prescription.com where we have some free gifts for you, and you can sign up to have a hormone evaluation with me on the podcast to gain clarity into your personal situation. Until next time, remember, take small steps each day to balance your hormones and watch the wonderful changes in your health that begin to unfold for you. Talk to you soon.

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► The Inflammation Equation: Decoding The Steps For Optimal Wellbeing Video by Dr. Tom O'Bryan -Award Winning Dr. Tom O’Bryan Reveals Exactly How To Reverse The Root Cause Of Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease… Without Meds Or Needles: CLICK HERE to watch for FREE.

 

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We offer advanced hormone testing and treatment from Board Certified Practitioners, so you can feel confident that you're getting the best possible care. Plus, our convenient online consultation process makes it easy to get started.

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Dr. Tanya Beaubrun | Use Your Life “Blessons” To Go From Burnout To Breakthrough At Midlife

Are you feeling more burnt out than blissful as you hit midlife? If so, this episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast is your new best friend. Join us as we chat with the incredible Dr. Tanya Beaubrun who reveals how to turn life’s toughest lessons into "blessons" (blessings + lessons), helping you transform burnout into a powerful breakthrough.

Meet Our Guest

Dr. Tanya Beaubrun

Dr. Tanya Beaubrun is not just any doctor; she’s a beacon of hope and a source of profound wisdom for women navigating the tumultuous midlife years. With a medical career that spans decades and a personal history of overcoming adversity, Dr. Tanya knows firsthand what it means to rise from the ashes. Her compassionate approach combines conventional medicine with holistic practices, making her an invaluable guide for anyone looking to heal from the inside out.

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding "Blessons":

• Discover how Dr. Tanya coined the term "blessons" and why it’s crucial for your mental and emotional well-being.

2. Recognizing Burnout:

• Learn the subtle and not-so-subtle signs of burnout that many midlife women experience but often overlook.

3. Pathway to Breakthrough:

• Dr. Tanya lays out a roadmap for turning the low points in your life into stepping stones for success and happiness.

 4. Holistic Healing:

• Explore the power of combining conventional medicine with holistic healing practices to achieve balanced health.

 5. Practical Tips:

• Get actionable advice on how to implement these insights into your daily life, ensuring long-term wellness.

Why You Should Listen

This episode is not just an interview; it’s a heartfelt conversation that promises to leave you feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to tackle midlife with renewed vigor. Whether you're struggling with hormonal changes, emotional fatigue, or just need a motivational boost, Dr. Tanya’s wisdom will resonate deeply with you.

Feeling inspired? Don’t keep this newfound wisdom to yourself. Share this episode with your friends and join our community of empowered women on this beautiful midlife journey! And if you’re ready to take the next step towards holistic health, book a consultation with Dr. Tanya Beaubrun.

We’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and stories of how you’ve transformed your own "blessons" into breakthroughs. Follow us on  our social media accounts and use the hashtag #TheHormonePrescriptionPodcast to join the discussion.

Midlife doesn’t have to be a crisis; it can be a time of tremendous growth and transformation. With experts like Dr. Tanya Beaubrun guiding the way, you can turn your life's trials into triumphs. Tune in, transform, and thrive!

 

—---------------

 

Dr. Kyrin (00:00):

There are two important days in your life, the day you were born, and the day you find out why. Mark Twain, stay tuned as Dr. Tanya helps you understand how to use your life. Bless to go from burnout to breakthrough at midlife.

Dr. Kyrin (00:17):

So the big question is, how do women over 40 like us keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself Again. As an OB GYNI had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue, now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kyrin Dunston. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Dr. Kyrin (01:10):

Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. Thank you so much for joining me today as we speak with Dr. Tanya Beaubrun. She's gonna talk to you about what that means and we had a beautiful, beautiful conversation that I know you're gonna find inspirational and it's really gonna help you understand if you're experiencing burnout and you're feeling hopeless, what the path forward is. And this is from two doctors who have been there and gotten through it and now we help others. So you're gonna get a lot of inspiration as well as information and tools. We talk about so many things. The tool she shares, a tool to uncover what your dreams actually are, helps you understand that second most important day in your life. And if you're feeling like you're not where you're supposed to be in life, she helps you understand where, how to know where you're supposed to be and really helps you to start dreaming of life and color again if life has become black and white for you.

Dr. Kyrin (02:19):

I know that was true for me back when I weighed 243 pounds and my health was really tanked. Life had become black and white and now it's in color again, full color. So she's gonna really help you get unstuck 'cause she got herself unstuck. And we're gonna share that with you today. I'll tell you a little bit more about her and then we'll get started. She specializes in functional and integrative medicine. She's way more than a physician. She's a certified wellness and lifestyle empowerment coach, a motivational speaker and author. And she has a passion for nurturing wellbeing. She helps individuals rediscover their mojo for a happier, healthier life. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies. She advocates a holistic approach to wellness, blending mind, body and spirit practices. And her credentials include an honors degree in alternative medicine and certifications in functional anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She is the CEO of Rodney Bay Medical and Diagnostic Center and Spearheads, Satya Integrative Medical Services, which is the Caribbean's first functional and integrative medical clinic. And she shares more about that during our discussion about really how revolutionary what she's offering in the Caribbean is. Please help me welcome Dr. Tanya Braven to the show.

Dr. Tanya (03:36):

Thank you for having me.

Dr. Kyrin (03:38):

I'm really excited to have you on the show. After reading your book Bubbles, Buddha and Butterflies, it was so touching and really spoke to me of the inner journey that we're on when we're seeking health as women at midlife. So I'm wondering if you can just start by sharing a little bit of your journey, how you went from burnout. You were there and I was there <crosstalk> with me as being a, a physician also who went into medicine and to work with women specifically because I wanted the biggest toolbox to help women. And I thought the MD degree would get me there only to discover and become disillusioned that it doesn't actually create health and vitality. And so I was on this journey too, of seeking what are we missing? What am I missing with my own health? 'cause My own health was horrible and found that it wasn't even only about my physical health, although I thought it was, I just need to lose the weight. That was my mantra. I just need to lose the weight. And I know out there listening are with me on that, but it's so much more than that. Can you share with everyone a little bit of your story about being a physician and what you encountered?

Dr. Tanya (04:56):

It's a very interesting story now that I can look back from a space. You know, hindsight is always 2020. And I went into medicine. I've always known I was going to be a doctor. There was, you know, from the age of six or seven, I knew that was what I was going to do. I would take care of my dogs, I took care of my family, my cousins, you know, I I was just the nurturer. And we figured that's the only way to do it. So I went into medicine, conventionally trained, loved it, still do. But then I realized somewhere along the line that something was missing. And I thought that I was treating the bodies of my patient. We were well equipped in medical school to treat the minds of our patients as well as I would've liked. So I decided to become, to do a course in health coaching.

Dr. Tanya (05:46):

So I would blend health coaching with my medical practice to better treat the minds of my patient. Well, the first patient who, whose life was transformed by health coaching was my being exposed to a holistic approach with IIN bioidentical and genetics and all of that. And I thought, wow, there's so much more to medicine than I realized. And the shortly after that, I burnt out. Wasn't too long after that the first time, I didn't know what it was. I just thought that I had, I wasn't strong enough. There was a deficiency within myself that would not allow me to do what I, what I felt I needed to do as a physician, a wife, a mother of three. The second time I had then come through the IN course. I knew more about the adrenal fatigue. And by some stroke of luck, I happen to have a five point cortisol test kit.

Dr. Tanya (06:44):

I practice in the Caribbean. So you have to understand that we don't do many of the tests that you have available in the us We don't have right at our fingertips, especially the newer tests. And in functional and integrative medicine, we, we are a sort of, we are behind in certain ways. Somehow I found this test and I had to FedEx it out and lo and behold I had flatlined. Well, for me that was like the biggest aha and the biggest blessing because I realized that it wasn't in my head. You know, you go to doctors and your labs are normal and they tell you, oh, it's, it's just hormones, or you're just tired or you're just stressed and, you know, just sleep or rest more. So I had to find a way to heal myself because I realized that conventional western medicine was not going to heal me.

Dr. Tanya (07:28):

And I went on this path, found, somehow found functional medicine, founded con functional medicine, female doctor who looked at me with such compassion and understanding, like I truly felt seen and heard. I burst into tears and she held me and she told me that it's gonna take me at least two years to get back. Well, I'm the perfectionist, you know, and I'm a doctor, so it's not gonna take me two, it's impossible. It's maybe three months <laugh>. No, I gave myself the year <laugh>. But I continued working and I continued. I, it was introduced to the supplements and so, and I was feeling better. So of course as soon as you feel better, you go straight back into your old pattern, wearing the hats and listening to what the, you know, the, a small community tells you you should be doing and feeling that you are dancing tunes of so many others other than yours.

Dr. Tanya (08:23):

And then slowly but surely things started to crumble again. Of course. 'cause I didn't allow myself to heal properly. And there was one incident with a patient where I realized that it was a long time patient of ours and, and also a family friend. And he called me because he was dying. He knew he was going. When I got to his bedside, I knew that I was not gonna save his life. And it was the hardest thing for me because I'm like, okay, you've called the doctor, the doctor's supposed to save your life. And there I'm looking at him and he knows very well he's dying and I can't, and I know that I'm not going to be able to save him. Not at all. So I stayed with him and the family prayed and then I started to rub his feet. 'cause His feet were going cool.

Dr. Tanya (09:03):

And I said, oh, it must be so uncomfortable for him. So I just rub his feet. And as I looked up, he was looking down at me and I thought, he knows he's love. He knows how much I've, I have cared for him. And at the end of his life, he will know how much he is loved. And I realized then that sometimes the best prescription that we can give is a prescription for love. That totally changed everything for me. And he died later that day. And I went back and, but it just, everything changed. My whole foundation shifted because I was trained to be a doctor and I was trained to save lives. But then I realized I won't save every life, but that doesn't mean that I can't help them. Doesn't mean that I can't be the one to help them transition in a loving and compassionate way.

Dr. Tanya (09:48):

And I started to look at every single person who came and sat across my desk in a different light. How can I change their lives? How can I truly make them better? How can I heal them in whatever way, whether it's physical, emotional, or spiritual? I realized then that sometimes that's what we have to look at. It's not just the physical aspects of the patient. There's an emotional aspect, a mental aspect and a spiritual aspect. It took me on a journey where I started to look at my mental health, my physical health, my emotional health in a totally different way. I got deeper into my spirituality, worked with Gabby Stein and her spirit junkie masterclass. And it was as if I was going through these shifts and every time I went through another shift, something else would fall on my lap. And I'm like, oh wow, okay, let me do this.

Dr. Tanya (10:38):

And then a few years later I decided I'm going to study functional medicine because I do not want any patient to fall into this burnout path that I did and not be able to have someone who will be there for them and have them feel seen and heard and held in a safe space. Because that's what I realized I had needed and was not able, I, there was nobody to give it to me at the time. Found functional medicine, another layer of my world opened up and then I found integrative medicine, another layer. Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine. Naturopathy. Homeopathy. And I'm like, these predated western medicine by thousands and thousands of years. But we were never taught that in medical school. And I started to look at things in a different light and, and everything just shifted. And it was at that point that I realized I had to practice medicine my way in a more heart-based way, in a compassionate way.

Dr. Tanya (11:38):

And still prescribe love whilst writing a prescription for medication. I'm prescribing love, whether they leave without a medicine, but it's a hug. Patient today told me that I set him on a path. All I did was tell him, he said he didn't know what job to choose. He was between two jobs. And I said, well, you know, I have these stones on my desk with inspirational sayings. Choose a stone, maybe it'll help you. And he chose joy. And he says, you know, that's what I told my wife, I need more joy in my life. I said, well, clearly you want the right path 'cause you chose, you chose it. I didn't choose it for you. You chose it. Then he decided he wanted to flip a coin and asked me to flip it for him. So I said, you know, I didn't know my job in entailed flipping coins, but there I was flipping coins for him, <laugh>.

Dr. Tanya (12:19):

And every time he flipped it, he says, one more time. And I flipped it again. I'm like, I'm really not good at flipping coins. He says, but you're getting the same thing. I said, I'm not getting it. The coin's getting it. So he was able to get his answers and I, I looked at him today and I said, well sometimes my job involves rolling stones on flipping coins <laugh>. And he thought it was hilarious. And I thought, you know what? You prescribe whatever the patient needs to have them heal in whatever way they need. And that's where I am now. Yeah,

Dr. Kyrin (12:48):

It's such a beautiful story and I love in your book how you relate that part where you said, I realized I had been doing what I thought I should be doing to be I'll fill in the blank, happy, successful, a good person, a good doctor, whatever. 'cause I have that realized that same thing that the early part of my life and career was really centered around. And I think this speaks to all women we're really told that essentially we all function the same and we should want marriage kids career. You know, nevermind that it's kind of a lie that <laugh>, you can have your your cake and eat it too. Something's gonna give. And you described that beautifully in the book. I experienced that too. It's like when you're at work, you're thinking how you're screwing up at home. And when you're at home, you're thinking how you're screwing up at work and there's no peace and there's no place for us.

Dr. Kyrin (13:45):

And so everybody listening, if you're feeling like you are really a footnote in your own life and you've created, I created a life that wasn't sustainable for me because it wasn't a authentic and it's ad the health concerns are not separate from that. That was the big realization for me as I also discovered functional medicine and started healing myself, is not just the physical, it's about so much more. It's who you're being in your life, how you're living your life. Are you in alignment with your soul's purpose or not? Are you on the speaking the truth of who you came to be in this lifetime? And you described it so beautifully. Your book is just, it's beautifully written. And so for everyone listening, it's not a medical text. You're not gonna get a bunch of a medical ease jargon. It's really soul, soul, heart to heart, one woman to another at midlife. I lost my way. I know you might have too. And I wanna share my story. And so I I think you did that

Dr. Tanya (14:50):

Beautifully. Thank you. I have a little story about that book. So while I was on this journey, I started writing because I had left everything. I left my practice, I left my husband back home. So I went to Florida to study and I was with my daughter and my two boys were in university there as well. So I was what I call a single mom in a new country driving on the different, a different side of the road, learning everything new. I had never lived in the US before and I started writing as a form of release or just these things would come up and I would just settle write. And they were just there. One, one was taken up by Huffington Post, another one by another blog, you know, but they were just there. And while I was doing that, I decided, I, I figured I had to write a book because that's what everybody else was doing.

Dr. Tanya (15:41):

You know where you're on these, you know, you in my, even his coaching groups and everybody's write books I forgot to write. So I started, I started writing a book and it was what you'd think is a medical text, you know, medical, not a text, but a medical book to help people. And so, so I wrote it was, I had the cover, I had everything. About two weeks before I was finishing up my program and was leaving the us I started to get the jitters. I started to question myself, did you do the right thing? Are you going back home? Will they accept you? You know, you're in a small island. Will they even know what functional medicine is? You've given up so much of your time and your life here and, and you're going back and they may not even want you back. And it was a real dark night of the soul.

Dr. Tanya (16:23):

And I remember very vividly, I packed up the apartment and I was, we had one bed and I couldn't sleep. So I left my husband and my daughter and I went to sleep on the floor in the living room. 'cause I was just so tormented, so just anxious. And all of a sudden, the day before I was flying out, I'm like, you have a book. You need to put all these things you've been writing into a book and share it with the world because it's going to help somebody else in your, in a position similar to yours. I sat on that flight and I channeled that book. I never looked up so I wasn't, 'cause I was very scared to go back home. It sounds strange, but I was scared of what I would face. You know, you all, you leave and you, you, you figure you brave and you suffer.

Dr. Tanya (17:09):

But when the time comes to get back, that's when you're like, oh, the reality is gonna hit. And how hard will that reality be? So I'm on that flight, it's a three and a half hour flight, and I don't look up or down. I have headphones on and I put up my laptop. I very rarely use my laptop on a flight, but I never stop. By the time I landed, three and a half hours later, 90% of that book was completed. I had gone through all the essays, chosen the once rewritten, all the essays, decided how I was going to do it. The book just came through me. And I know that the universe sent this to me at that time to give me the time and space to process what I had gone through and to share it with somebody out there who needed to hear that it's okay to go after your dreams.

Dr. Tanya (17:55):

It's okay to be authentic. It's okay to speak your truth even though sometimes it's hard. Even though sometimes you're scared. Do it scared. Just live your life and do it the best way that you can because the only person that's going to be with you through the dark nights of the soul is you and your mind. And the name of the book, my son once, that was years ago, way before the book, I always said if I'd write a book that would be the name. He looked at me in the middle of Vegas about places, and I was walking through the mall and there was this beautiful Buddha and I like, oh my God, I have to stop and go in. He just looked at me, he says, oh, you, you're all about Buddha and butterflies. Every time there's a Buddha, we have to stop every time there are butterflies, we have to stop. And I'm like, you know what? I'm gonna write a book and I'm gonna call it a Bubbles Buddha and butterflies. And he just looked at me, he says, whatever, you just have to stop all these butterflies and all these, put it just so I wrote, that was the name of the book. So the name of the book was way before the idea for the book came in. Yeah. So everything just fell into place for this book.

Dr. Kyrin (18:56):

Yeah, it's so, it's so beautifully written. I I can't recommend it highly enough for any woman at midlife period. If you have burnout, if you don't know what your dreams are, it's just beautifully written, very inspiring. I think you really hit on key factors that keep us as women stuck. A lot of us think it's our health and that is a part of it. But there's something before the health where it is this honoring of ourselves and our permission to go against what society says we should be. And you know, I I hope everyone listening really gets how brave it is for doctors like Dr. Tanya and me to go outside the mainstream medicine is really a religion <laugh>,

Dr. Tanya (19:42):

It's

Dr. Kyrin (19:42):

Not so much science as it is a religion. Because what mainstream medicine, no matter what continent you live on, or country you live in, is is a certain belief system in how you treat the body and how health is created or destroyed. And it's limited to giving a pill for every ill a surgery for every symptom. And it's not really targeted at healing the underlying cause. And so as doctors, we are trained into this belief system, this religion of mainstream medicine. And then we're told we know more about this type of health than anybody else. So forget everything else. And what the science says that we clearly are ignoring a large majority of what it takes to create health for men and women. We're ignoring our spirituality. We're ignoring the causative aspects. We're ignoring our lifestyle aspects. All the inputs that we go to learn in functional medicine school that the naturopaths got the first time we have to go to another school to take another medical education.

Dr. Kyrin (20:52):

And then we might take herbology, right, or acupuncture or energy medicine, which is something I've studied. And we have to start learning how to incorporate the spirituality. So for, for you to go outside your country and learn all these newfangled things, right, which aren't new at all. Like you pointed out, they're thousands of years old and have been validated by modern science. But mainstream medicine just conveniently wants to keep that out of everyone's awareness is extremely brave. I loved how you described that. You didn't have the awareness of your bravery and then all of a sudden it came into focus for you. Wow. Like I've been brave my every step of the way in following my inner guidance and now I'm going back. And then I could see where the transformation happened for you that shift to owning yourself and owning Yourself's, calling and having a mission to bring this to people who otherwise, you know, if they don't hear it from you, there's some people who will never hear it.

Dr. Kyrin (21:57):

And so I loved that and I want every woman listening to really pay attention because I have yet to talk to a woman who doesn't have this inside her too. And she's covered it up and buried it and forgotten it and denied it and just settled for what she thinks she should have, but she thinks she can have instead of what her soul has always known it wanted, that maybe she hasn't thought about in decades. So can you talk about the importance of like really you saw yourself true for who you were and what you were here to do? And how do women get to that place? Because there are women listening right now who are laying across the bed in despair because they're like, I've tried everything. There is no answer to my fill in the blank with the 60 plus symptoms of what I call midlife metabolic mayhem. You know, overweight, tired, no sex, hair falling out, skin issues, liver issues, digestive issues, mental health issues, you name the list. So there's a woman right now laying across the bed thinking her life is over because she can't find the answers. So how can you help her move into an awareness that you have?

Dr. Tanya (23:09):

First of all, her first instinct is usually right. Reach out for help and the awareness that something is not quite right. I think it took me a long time to acknowledge that something wasn't right. You know, you, you get up at two and three in the morning and you, you, you don't know why you're not sleeping and you as you call, you have me metabolic mayhem. But you keep thinking that it was going to go away. And that if, if you work harder, if you work out longer, if you eat less, if you just commit to doing more, it'll go away. Where really we should be committing to being more of ourselves. But sometimes we've forgotten, we don't even know who we are anymore. And post covid, I think it's even worse because I think the physical isolation and we became disconnected from ourselves in ways that are unprecedented.

Dr. Tanya (24:04):

And we are reaching a stage, I think this year where we're only now processing the effects of the pandemic on top of everything else that's going on with us physically and emotionally and spiritually. I had hoped that in many ways that the pandemic would be an awakening for the healthcare community because I realized that functional medicine was made for times like these. This is where functional medicine showed the diamond for what it really is during covid and now beyond. And not enough people are aware that one, there is this thing called functional medicine that actually looks at the patient and not the disease process alone. And that is individualized. And that we look at everything, the entire history of the patient, a comprehensive physical exam, the labs are looked at in a different way. There's so much and there's not one better than the other.

Dr. Tanya (25:01):

And I keep telling people, I will not say that conventional medicine is better or worse than functional medicine. I think there's a need for every single part, including the alternative, what we call, they call alternative. And I call complimentary because they compliment what we do. And we need to start integrating everything that we've learned into a unique recipe that is designed for each patient. So for this woman lying across the bed, I wanted to know that I see you, I hear you, I feel you, I have been exactly where you are. And you will get out of this and you will get out stronger, smarter, fitter, wiser, and even more beauty. Your soul will be even more beautiful for what you've been through. I always tell people the dark night of the soul that many people go through, it's just polishing us for something to shine our light brighter. We've just been polished. But when you're going through that, you're like, gosh, can, can you just polish me? It's not as hard. Can, can I get a light polish?

Dr. Tanya (26:08):

Must you polish? Must you, you know, I don't need to be scrubbed that hard. You know, I just want to gentle polish. You're going too deep. And it hurts as it really hurts. It really does. But then when you come out and you look at it, I look at so much that I burned out, including after Covid. And I look at those moments and I think they were lessons, lessons and they were blessings. And I call them the blessings. Blessings. I love that. Blessings and blessings. The blessings that that came out of these. I can now say beautiful things. And I, I have a lot of patients going through that now. And sometimes I think I'm so grateful that I went through it so I can truly empathize with the patient and say, okay, I understand. I truly get what you're going through. I get getting upon a morning and saying, there must be mortalized than this.

Dr. Tanya (27:02):

I get going on the scale and said, where did those five pounds come from? You know, put it on your rings, trying to put on your, my, my wedding ring one day wouldn't go on. I'm like, what happened to my fingers? And I'm looking at those fingers, I'm like, when did my fingers get fat? <Laugh>, you know, I get irregular periods and all of a sudden my periods that were really spectacularly regular power on time just suddenly stopped being regular. I'm like, okay, so I'm only in my late thirties, what's going on? Nobody told me that as early as my late thirties, I would be going through perimenopause. Especially if I'm, I have been significantly stressed. So if you are listening and you are feeling that everything is not right, understand that it's, it's it's turning you upside down and inside out preparing you for something greater, deeper, and far more beautiful than you can ever imagine.

Dr. Tanya (27:54):

I promise you, you will see that light again. But in order to see the light, we have to go through this tunnel. And if you have a partner holding your hand through the tunnel, it's a lot easier. And that partner is a sympathetic, well-trained healthcare professional. Somebody who will see you, who will hear you, who will truly sit back and see you for what you're going through and will not tell you it's in your head or you just need to rest. Or God forbid some, one of my patients, and I swear that was true, was told to just have another baby, just go have another baby. It was sort out your hormones. And I'm like, you are kidding me. They did not tell you that. She came to me. She says, he told me to just have another baby. I said, your doctor told you that?

Dr. Tanya (28:39):

He said yes. I said, I promise you do not need to have another baby. You know, and these are the stories that you hear all the time. And you think, where were we trained? Where is the deficiency in our training that we can look at the woman who hasn't slept for weeks, who is tired, who has gained weight? And it's not that it's in her mind. 'cause If you've been tracking her weight, you will see she's gained weight. She will tell you that her clothes are no longer fitting her. She's, she hasn't made it up. She's not gonna go and buy clothes because she just feels like it. And tell her that the answer to her, her, her problem is to have to get pregnant and have another baby. More lack of sleep, more weight gain, more hormonal issues. So we have to find partners, health partners, who will walk this tunnel with us and beyond because, not because you've gone through the tunnel and you've reached the end and you, you're seeing the light.

Dr. Tanya (29:29):

You can drop, I can drop your hand or you can drop my hand. I need to walk you through, get your, be on that and say, listen, I'll always be here for you if you need me. And that is what I think a lot of us have lacked in the past where we know there's a trusted healthcare partner that we can always go to and say, today I'm not feeling it. Or something is not quite right because the patient lives in their bodies and they know when something is not right. Even if the labs are normal, even if all the tests are normal and we can roll our eyes and bounce our head against the wall and say, what else is there? The patient knows. And if we allow them to tap into their inner wisdom and tune into their innate ability to heal themselves, we will have the answers. And that's our job. Not to just write prescriptions and tell them what to do. It's a partnership.

Dr. Kyrin (30:22):

Yes, it is so beautifully described. You know, I had to laugh when you said that about the doctor told her to have another baby. 'cause I, it brought up a memory for me from medical school 'cause I had crazy periods. That's one of the things that drawn me to going into ob. GYN is trying to figure myself out. And they told me that the doctor at the clinic at my med school told me, have a baby, this will get better. And that's insane <laugh>. But it just highlights the insanity of what we're talking about. So for the woman listening, yes, you, you will get through that dark night of the soul. And I love your analogy of the polishing. Yeah, don't polish me so hard, <laugh> so hard. But I really think that if we're off our course in life in any way, something has to get our attention.

Dr. Kyrin (31:13):

Whether it's a relationship crisis or a health crisis or a financial career crisis, something has to get our attention. And for some of us it is our health. So also I like to encourage women to stop thinking about your health problems as an obstacle and start looking at them as the pathway to the evolution of your soul. Like you talk about the butterflies that you love, I love them too. It really is the pathway. And I love this quote you shared from Mark Twain. There are two important days in your life, the day you were born and the day you find out why. And I think for a lot of the women I work with their health challenges and passing through them and learning how to navigate them becomes the vehicle through which they find out why they are here on this earth. And if you're listening and you're thinking, Karen, I can't even think about how I'm gonna get dinner and you're talking about why I'm here on this earth, I really don't care.

Dr. Kyrin (32:17):

I just wanna feel better. I hear you. I've been there like Dr. Tanya and I have both been flatlined, cortisols, that's the worst you can get. It means you're surviving and that's it. You're just surviving. And so I understand we've been there. How can you help women really get on that path and that understanding? And she's wondering, what am I here for? I really loved how you leaned into the question. And this has been true on my journey too. I recently am back from two years traveling in Africa and Middle East and Great Britain and just really kind of on this soul searching journey. And it's been monumental and I hope to share some of it in writing soon while I'm still unpacking it. But I always say I couldn't have done that without what I call hormonal prosperity. You gotta have hormonal prosperity to do all the things. But it also is the pathway towards me now truly, truly knowing and accepting who I am in this world. I love that workbook you made. Yeah. Can you talk dream catcher? Yeah, talk a little bit. So

Dr. Tanya (33:23):

This, this dream catcher was, was channeled while I was, was away studying. And I had been doing some coaching with some patients or, or clients. And I realized that a lot of people don't out of touch with their dreams. So you are born with whisper with a purpose. Everybody has a unique soul's purpose, but for some reason, either a teacher or a parent or somebody tells it tells you you can't do this or you can't be this and you forget. We forget who we were called to be. And it takes us sometimes to sit down and targeted questions. So I would work with myself and ask myself the questions and realize that let me use it with some of my patients. And that's how the Dream Catcher workbook was born. Where I, I wanted people to really get deep and spend time with themselves and get this done.

Dr. Tanya (34:13):

And many people didn't want to do it. People wouldn't, because when you start to get deep, it brings up some fears. It brings up some guilt and resentment. And I'm not living the life I wanted to, to, you know, to live. It's too hard, you know, to change now would be too hard. And I would stick with it and say, listen, I just need you to, to complete this. You don't have to share it with me, but keep it and, and just work on it. And that's how the dream catcher work came through, through work that I was doing. These are questions that I have sat and asked myself on many occasions. I still use it for myself at times where I'll sit and ask myself, okay, so there you are, and this year I'm gonna be 56. And if, you know, in Chinese medicine, this is a pivotal year for women.

Dr. Tanya (34:58):

'Cause Every woman is every seven years. But the funny thing is that 56 is where it ends. So I've been on a mission to find out from traditional Chinese medicine practitioners what happens from 56 onwards. I don't just dry up, but there's absolutely nothing in the textbooks that tell you what's happened after age 56. But I'm completing another seven year cycle. And it's something that, having looked back, I realized that it is true that over after seven years, you, you sort of go through a rebirthing, right? Last year I went through a significant rebirthing, but I think because I was aware that I was going to be 56 this year, I kind of like, okay, well I know I'm going to go through this rebirthing process. I have no choice because it's not so bring it on. You must never ask the universe to bring things on.

Dr. Tanya (35:50):

Never, never, never. Because it brought it on. And it was like I was telling telling somebody that for this year, 2024, I felt for the first half of the year that I was placed in a washing machine and somebody had forgotten to turn off the re cycle. And I would go and as fast as I thought I would come to the end of a cycle, I'm like, okay, you're gonna stop now and wash me off and spit me out. It would just start over again. I'd be tumbled over and over again. And I'm like, okay, this rebirthing process now I've been washed so many times that now I think I really need to find a recycle myself because if I don't, I'm going to keep getting tumbled over. And, you know, and it's been quite a, a series of aha moments for me realizing that I am exactly where I am meant to be at any given time.

Dr. Tanya (36:39):

That everything I have learned over the past 55 plus years, whether it's in medicine, in marketing, in branding, in anything business, has brought me to this point. And I'm now making decisions that are from a place of owning my purpose, my power, and my passion. I've reached a stage where I've owned that. I'm, I now have silver strands of wisdom <laugh>, you know, I don't call them grace, they're silver strands of wisdom and that I need to share with people. But more importantly, I, you need, these are now my legacy is, and how am I going to leave the world a better place? Having gone through everything I've gone through, I need to start to share the lessons and the blessings with people. So it took me a while to come out about my burnout. I didn't wanna talk about it. There was some shame in attached to it.

Dr. Tanya (37:26):

You know, how can the doctor allow ourself to burn out? Not once, twice, three times, even four times. You know, you'd think that by the second time one learns. But in sharing that and sharing my truth as authentically as I could, I cha I have changed. I know I have changed so many lives because the people who were suffering in silence, who didn't know what burnout felt or looked like, there are people who did not want to come out, who didn't know where to turn. And having me speak about it and say, listen, there is more to life than just hormone replacement or vitamins or supplements or having your face done. It's all everything together. And we need to look at what is right for you at any given point in time because it'll change as you change your needs and desires change. And I use myself as a Guinea pig so many times, okay, there's this new product on, let me try it.

Dr. Tanya (38:22):

My sister is one of the, I would say one of the top aesthetic medicine practitioners out there. I'm usually the Guinea pig. So yes, I would put my hand up for Botox and yes I will, I, you know, I've had thread lifts and I've done, you know, 'cause normally it's this, I need to try it Tony. And I'm like, okay, there's certain things I'll try. There's certain things I, you know, I won't. But I think that each person needs to know what's right for them and tune in. So I always ask the patient, do you feel that you, you wanna start this? Do you think it's time to start hormone replacement, bioidentical hormone replacement? Do you think tune into your body and see how it feels? Because not because there is, it's been prescribed in 90% of the patients at this time with this level needed, means that this patient needs it.

Dr. Tanya (39:06):

I may need to give them another few months. It, for me, looking at the practice of where medicine and, and getting people well has been the biggest shift for me. I will not necessarily cure certain people of certain diseases, but I will heal them even if it means coming to a point of acceptance of what is going on. And more importantly, understanding what is going on with their bodies. Because I believe that once a patient is educated well enough to understand what is going on with their bodies and empowered to remain in tune with their bodies and listen to their bodies, I think half our problems are solved. Once I get the patient to do that. And you know, many patients come to the doctor and say, the doctor knows all. So just, you know, just write me a prescription and, and take it all.

Dr. Tanya (39:52):

I need to lose these, this weight. Now just give me the, the ozempic. And I'm like, well, before I go to that point, let's see what's going on. Could it be a thyroid, could it be something else? And people don't quite get that. Their bodies <laugh>. You know, there's so many bodily processes that are happening all the time and that before we go and interfere with it with drugs or even with certain supplements, we have to understand the baseline and know exactly where you are. And you need to know that with this happening, this is how you are feeling. So that when we shift you and transform you, you can understand, okay, I've moved to this other level. My goal for each patient is to get to a point where they feel joy. And I call somebody because I call it the mojo. I'm the Mojo MD mojo.

Dr. Tanya (40:39):

So somebody said, oh, all your patients are coming back and all I see is that they're glowing. I say, yeah, they have the module glue, right? Yeah, I want the glue. I said, well, you know, they've, they, it doesn't just come and I don't just write a prescription for the glue <laugh> that there is a, a process that takes us and there's a system that takes us through a number we first to get the glue. So she just wanted, she wanted the glue right away. And I'm like, well, it doesn't quite work like that. But she's one of my most successful client stories. 'cause Once I, she understood that if one, it took work, two, I would be there for her. And three, it wouldn't happen just overnight. And she had to remain connected with her body through it all so she could explain to me what was going on.

Dr. Tanya (41:23):

Yeah. She became so connected that if she comes tell me anything, I'm like, okay, I'm gonna check it. She knows exactly what's going on. But not many healthcare practitioners are listening enough to their patient. We need to allow them the time and the space to unpack what's been happening to them sometimes for 30, 40, 50 years. It's so true. And it's time and space and a safe, nurturing environment where they don't feel rushed. They feel like they're heard, they feel like they're in, in a cocoon. I said, listen, I'm going to envelop you in this safe, you know, cocoon, at which point your transformation can begin. And that's really what, that's my goal now that I create soft nurturing spaces for each patient who comes through to me.

Dr. Kyrin (42:09):

I love that. It's beautiful. Beautifully said, described. And it's exactly what we need to heal as women, to be put in that loving cocoon and given the time and space to feel into what's right for us to discover what's right for us to rediscover ourselves, to transform into that butterfly. Because like this quote you shared from Hippocrates, which I love, natural forces within us are the true healers of disease. And then I've heard it said that we just need to remove everything that's an obstacle to the body healing itself. And sometimes that negative mind space, negative emotion, emotional space, those are the blocks. And so if we can get out of the way, and I just wanna reiterate what you said about having a guide, every successful person, you know, I heard the saying behind every successful man, there's a woman, right? But more than that, it's not that it's behind every successful person.

Dr. Kyrin (43:07):

There is another person or way more people. It doesn't have to be male or female, but everyone who's, you know, and just think of Luke Skywalker, right? He had a teacher, you think of Ralph Macchio and the Karate Kid. He had a teacher. Everybody has a teacher. Everyone who's successful can see us as we truly are and help guide us. I love what you've shared about having a lot of shame around your burnout. I had a lot of shame when I practiced regular ob GYN and I weighed 243 pounds and I looked and felt 20 years older than I was. And I felt so ashamed. I thought everyone can look at me and see I'm not healthy, but I'm supposed to know more about women's health than anyone else. But I think a true teacher has walked the path that they're helping you to walk.

Dr. Kyrin (43:55):

And if they haven't, do they really know is my question. I question anyone who hasn't experienced <laugh>, what I'm dealing with, I think that people who have been through it themselves really do bring a uniqueness. And so I think it's almost a badge of honor. Oh, I've been there, I know what it feels like. And it really resonates with women when they hear that. So I thank you for your vulnerability around that. Thank you. And I so want to keep talking and we might have to do a part two because there's, I love it when I meet a fellow physician who actually has had a lot of the same experiences. We can have a dialogue on a different level and perspective that I think really will touch a lot of women. If you're listening, this is changing you, even if you don't realize it. And so if you like it, reach out and let us know, and we'll do a part two with Dr. Tanya. But I want you to share with everyone where they can connect with you online. How can they access the gifts that you have. The Dream Catcher Workbook, the Destined for Joy workbook, your book that you've published. Tell them all the places.

Dr. Tanya (45:04):

So you can find me online@tanyabore.com. B-E-A-U-B-R-U-N as in nancy.com. On my website, you also have access to my Destin for Joy ebook. Going to have a link sent to you for my Dream Catcher workbook. 'cause I think it's something that you, you have reminded me to reactivate this dream catcher. So I will send you the link for them to download. I'm on Instagram as Dr. Tanya Bran. I'm on Facebook as Tanya Ang Boran. I also work out of sat a Center for Functional and Integrative Medicine, which is my baby. It's the first functional and integrative medicine clinic in the, in my country, St. Lucia. But I think it's the first in the Caribbean, the first of its type in the Caribbean. So I'm very proud of it. I don't think there's any other, a Caribbean physician who has the training that I, I've had as western medicine with functional as well as integrative medicine.

Dr. Tanya (46:04):

And my goal is really to reach as many people, but particularly women who are feeling that they've lost themselves. That they, they, they just don't know who they are anymore. And they're just going through the motions. You living life in black and white, there's no joy. You're surviving and not thriving. I want people to thrive and feel vibrant and energized and filled with joy because what is the purpose of life? If you can't see things in color, if you get up every morning and look at yourself in the mirror and you're like, Ugh, you know, who's this person? I, I don't even know this person. And then when you look into their eyes, it's dead. I want the light back. I want the life back into their eyes. I want the life back into their souls because there's so many soulless women, and I shouldn't say soulless, the soul is there, but it's dull and it's dimmed the light and the, the, the light from the soul is so dim that we can't even see.

Dr. Tanya (47:06):

They can't even see their own light. They can't even share their beautiful light that the world needs. This is my book of bubbles, bud and butterflies, or is available on Amazon. You've just inspired me af after remembering how the book came, that I still have a book that's on my laptop that needs to be resurrected, revamped, and come out every so often. You know, it calls to me and I'm like, yeah, but as I was talking to you, so I am going to start looking at that and, and with no pressure and doing it out of a place of ease and joy. And that's where I'm at now, where everything in life has to be easy and simple and joyful. Anything starts to create too much angst and anxiety and stuff. I'm like, this is clearly not for me. <Laugh>, it sounds like the lazy and I take, you know, you, you, you just take the easy way out.

Dr. Tanya (47:58):

But for me, I think that by now my life needs to be simpler and somebody says, I'm now living my legacy is, and I, I've, I've really taken that on and said, these are my legacy years and how am I going to make the most out of that by having as much joy in my life. But yet being able to share this, this joy with people and inspire others to share their joy. And just imagine if all of us would just the, just imagine the joy coming out of our, our hearts and our souls and each person just sharing that, how different our world would be if we just freely gave, just give, just give. Yeah. Without over giving, of course, because you know, our tendencies to give and to give and eventually our everything gets sucked out and we just left it fleet. And I'm like, oh, okay. Maybe I should have given so much. So yes, I am available on my website, on Instagram, on Facebook. I don't do LinkedIn as as much as I should. So, but I am on LinkedIn. Should

Dr. Kyrin (48:57):

No, should

Dr. Tanya (48:58):

<Laugh> No, there's, yeah, yeah. I, I was told once, pick two platforms and use it. So my main one is Instagram, then I'm on, on on Facebook as well. Okay. And I just want anybody listening to, for them to understand that you are exactly where you're supposed to be as dark and deep as you think your dark night is. It gets better.

Dr. Kyrin (49:22):

It does, it gets

Dr. Tanya (49:24):

Better.

Dr. Kyrin (49:24):

And I thank you so much for sharing your beauty, your brilliance, your journey, your bubbles, butterflies, buddhas, everything that you've shared. We'll have all the links in the show notes, so if you're driving, don't worry about writing it down. We'll get all the links and put them in the show notes. Thank you so much Dr. Tanya for sharing your journey and just everything you shared, I can't thank you enough for joining us today.

Dr. Tanya (49:50):

Thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure.

Dr. Kyrin (49:52):

And thank you for joining us for another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kieran. I know you are inspired. I know you're gonna go download the Dream Patcher workbook. 'cause I'm telling you, these are some great thought provoking questions and the quality of your life is really governed by the questions that you ask. So make them great questions. Thanks so much for joining me today. I look forward to seeing you next week for another episode. Until then, peace, love, and hormones, y'all.

Dr. Kyrin (50:22):

Thank you so much for listening. I know that incredible vitality occurs for women over 40 when we learn to speak hormone and balance these vital regulators to create the health and the life that we deserve. If you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you give me a review and subscribe. It really does help this podcast out so much. You can visit the hormone prescription.com where we have some free gifts for you, and you can sign up to have a hormone evaluation with me on the podcast to gain clarity into your personal situation. Until next time, remember, take small steps each day to balance your hormones and watch the wonderful changes in your health that begin to unfold for you. Talk to you soon.

 

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► Take the Body Story Quiz from Dr. Tanya Beaubrun: Understand the balance between your body, mind, and soul. And how to nurture yourself to vibrant health and more joy. CLICK HERE.

 

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May Britt Searty | How Family Constellations Therapy Impacts Your Ancestry & Health

Welcome to another enlightening episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast, where we empower midlife women to achieve optimal health and wellness. This week, we have a truly inspiring guest, May Britt Searty, who takes us on a profound journey into the world of Family Constellations Therapy and its remarkable impact on our ancestry and health.

Episode Highlights

In this episode, May Britt Searty shares her incredible story of personal transformation and professional dedication. From battling a severe skin disease in her youth to discovering holistic healing practices, May's path has been anything but ordinary. Join us as we explore:

• May’s Early Journey:
• How a severe skin disease led her to a life-changing visit to a macrobiotic specialist.
• Becoming a vegetarian and its role in her 5-year healing process.
• Backpacking adventures and studying various holistic therapies, including Anatomy, Physiology, Cranio Sacral Therapy, and The Rosen Method.
• A Bold Move to Bahrain:
• Trading a high-paying marketing job for a position managing a women’s health section in a key hotel.
• The cultural immersion and deepening of her life’s purpose.
• Meeting her husband and gaining new perspectives that opened the world to her.
• Holistic Health and Spiritual Development:
• Extensive studies and certifications in Physio Massage, Cranio Sacral Therapy, Reiki, Reflexology, Naturopathy, and more.
• The significant role of Family Constellation and Holistic Coaching in her current practice.
• Living and working across the globe, including the UK, Bahrain, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Germany, Qatar, and Dubai.
• Personal Insights and Inspirations:
• May’s experiences as a mother and how it has shaped her understanding of life.
• Her view on work as a passion rather than a job.
• Hopes and excitement for the emerging future.

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding Family Constellations Therapy:

• Learn how your family's past can influence your present and future health.
• Discover the therapeutic process of Family Constellations and its benefits.

2. Holistic Healing and Personal Growth:

• Insights into integrating various holistic practices for overall well-being.
• The importance of celebrating femininity and personal development.

3. Empowerment Through Change:

• Find inspiration in May Britt’s willingness to take risks for her passion.
• The value of diverse cultural experiences in enriching personal and professional life.

Are you ready to explore the depths of your ancestry and how it impacts your health? Tune in to this powerful episode with May Britt Searty and discover the transformative potential of Family Constellations Therapy.

Thank you for joining us on this incredible episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast. We hope May Britt Searty’s story has inspired you to explore new avenues of healing and personal growth. Stay tuned for more episodes that bring you closer to achieving your health and wellness goals.

Remember, your health is your greatest wealth. Until next time, take care and stay empowered!

 

► Family Constellation & Holistic Coaching by May Britt Searty: CLICK HERE

 

► Are you tired of feeling like you're losing control at midlife? Weight gain, low energy, and a decrease in sex drive are all too common. But it doesn't have to be that way.

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Verónica Moreno | How To Get Unstuck And Reclaim Your Power To Create The Life You Truly Want To Live |

Welcome back, ladies! The latest episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast is here, and it's one you won't want to miss. This time, we're joined by the inspirational Verónica Moreno, an expert in Mindset Coaching and Deep Healing. If you're a midlife woman feeling trapped by past conditioning or weighed down by self-doubt, this episode offers a lifeline.

Meet Verónica Moreno:

Verónica isn't your average mindset coach. With a rich background that spans powerful Energy Healing techniques—including Emotional Freedom Technique & Matrix Reimprinting, Theta Healing, Pranic Healing, and Shamanic Energy Medicine—she brings a unique, multifaceted approach to personal development and healing. Combining these methods with the results-oriented world of Coaching and the therapeutic insights of Humanistic Integrative Counseling, Verónica has empowered women from nearly 20 countries to reclaim their power and live authentically.

Key Takeaways from the Episode:

1. Verónica’s Journey:

• Discover how Verónica's own path to becoming an expert in Mindset Coaching and Deep Healing has shaped her innovative approach.

 

2. Understanding Common Challenges:

• Learn about the common challenges that midlife women face, like past conditioning, self-doubt, and people-pleasing, and how to break free from these patterns.

3. Powerful Energy Healing Techniques:

• Get introduced to various Energy Healing techniques such as Emotional Freedom Technique & Matrix Reimprinting, Theta Healing, Pranic Healing, and Shamanic Energy Medicine. Understand how these techniques can be applied to reclaim your power and create a fulfilling life.

4. Inspiring Success Stories:

• Hear real-life success stories of women who have transformed their lives through Verónica's methods, illustrating the universal nature and effectiveness of her approach.

 

5. Actionable Steps to Reclaim Your Power:

• Walk away with actionable steps and guidance on starting your own journey of reclaiming power. Verónica emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, self-love, and living an authentic life.

 

In today's fast-paced world, midlife women often find themselves juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, sometimes losing sight of their own needs and desires. This episode is a gentle yet powerful reminder that it's never too late to reclaim your power and start living the life you truly want. Verónica's expert advice and inspiring stories will leave you feeling motivated and equipped to make meaningful changes in your life.

 

Ready to transform your life? Tune into this episode and take the first step toward breaking free from your past and stepping into your power. Don't forget to subscribe to The Hormone Prescription Podcast and leave us a review—we love hearing from you!

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Thank you for being a part of our community. Together, we can support each other to live our best lives. Tune in, take notes, and start your transformation today!

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• Tune In Now to listen to this empowering episode.
• Subscribe to The Hormone Prescription Podcast for more insightful episodes.
• Leave a Review to share your thoughts and help more women discover our show.

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► 7 day course Step Into Your Power with Confidence and Joy from Verónica Moreno. A step by step process to break free from the past, reclaim your power and create the life you truly want to live. CLICK HERE.

 

► Are you tired of feeling like you're losing control at midlife? Weight gain, low energy, and a decrease in sex drive are all too common. But it doesn't have to be that way.

With our Hormone Balance Bliss Challenge, you can reclaim your youth and feel as amazing as you did in college. Our proven system is designed specifically for women at midlife who want to balance their hormones, reset their metabolism, and start seeing real results.

Imagine waking up with more energy than ever before. Feeling confident and sexy in your own body. No more mood swings or uncontrollable weight gain – just pure blissful balance throughout menopause.

Sign up now for our 7-day challenge and start seeing incredible results within days! Attend daily interactive Q&As with our experts, take assessments to track your progress, and learn the exact steps needed to achieve hormonal harmony. You deserve this – don't wait any longer!

CLICK HERE to sign up NOW!

 

 

Ashok Gupta | Using Limbic Retraining To Improve Your Hormonal Poverty

Welcome back to another empowering episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast! Today, we have a special guest whose story will inspire and enlighten you—Ashok Gupta. Ashok is an internationally renowned speaker, filmmaker, and health practitioner. He has dedicated his life to helping people overcome chronic illnesses and reach their full potential.

In this episode, Ashok shares his personal journey of battling ME, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, during his time at Cambridge University. Through his own neurological research, he not only managed to get himself fully recovered but also developed a groundbreaking recovery program called the Gupta Program. This neuroplasticity-based "limbic retraining" program has been helping countless individuals around the world since 2007.

Key Highlights

• Ashok Gupta's Personal Journey:

Discover how Ashok went from a chronic illness sufferer to a globally acclaimed health practitioner, filmmaker, and speaker.

 

• Understanding Limbic Retraining:

Learn about the concept of "limbic retraining" and how it can effectively improve conditions like ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and Long Covid.

 

• Hormonal Imbalances & Limbic Retraining:

Insightful commentary on the challenges faced by midlife women with hormonal imbalances and how limbic retraining can be a game-changer in addressing "hormonal poverty."

 

• The Gupta Program:

Explore the neuroplasticity approach of the Gupta Program and practical tips on implementing limbic retraining in your daily life.

 

• Latest Research & Success Stories:

Highlights of the latest medical research and real-life success stories related to limbic retraining, offering hope and empowerment to those struggling.

This episode is a treasure trove of valuable insights and practical advice for midlife women who are navigating the complexities of hormonal imbalances. Ashok Gupta's expertise and personal experience make this a must-listen episode for anyone seeking to improve their health and well-being through innovative approaches like limbic retraining.

Tune in now to hear Ashok Gupta's incredible story and gain actionable insights into improving your hormonal health. Don't forget to subscribe to The Hormone Prescription Podcast and leave us a review to help us reach more listeners like you!

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Speaker 1 (00:00):

Are you prepared to lose everything you've got in life? Well, Neil Donald Walsh is quoted as saying, you'll have everything you want in life when you're prepared to lose it. All confused by that and how it relates to your hormones and your health. You'll definitely wanna stay tuned to hear Ashok Gupta, tell you why.

Speaker 2 (00:20):

So the big question is, how do women over 40 like us keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself Again. As an OB GYN I had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue. Now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kyrin Dunton. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Speaker 1 (01:13):

Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. Thank you so much for joining me today as we talk with Ashok Gupta about limbic retraining, how it can improve the hormonal poverty that you're experiencing as a woman over 40 or maybe even sooner than that. Most women don't realize the interconnection between their nervous system and their hormonal system and also their immune system and so many other connections, which we're gonna talk about in this episode. But they are intricately connected and it's affecting you. Whether you're aware of this or not. Ashuk is, gosh, he's a lifelong learner who likes to go in depth and his pain has become his purpose. And he's been on a journey for many years since university to help himself and help others to heal the underlying root causes of many chronic diseases that come in the NICS category, which we'll talk about that you probably have heard of, but you may not be familiar with.

Speaker 1 (02:23):

And they're actually related to hormonal poverty and hor imbalance, perimenopause, menopause, PCOS, all the things that plague women or can plague women throughout the life cycle. We're gonna dive into that as well. So needless to say, if you have a female body <laugh>, then this applies to you and it's something you're probably not hearing about in many places. So I hope that you'll join me and also that very quizzical Neil Donald Walsh quote. We're gonna talk about that as well as some others. So I'll tell you a little bit about a shift and then we will get started. Ashush Gupta is an internationally renowned speaker, filmmaker, health practitioner who has dedicated his life to supporting people through chronic illness and achieving their potential. He suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome around 25 years ago when he was studying at Cambridge University. And through neurological research that he conducted, he managed to get himself a hundred percent better.

Speaker 1 (03:23):

He set up a clinic to treat others and he's published a well-known neuroplasticity limbic retraining recovery program and known as the Gupta program in 2007. He has published several medical papers. He is undergone several randomized controlled trials around this program that he's created and published them. He's published trials on lung covid, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, showing that the treatment is effective. He'll give us the details on that in the interview. And he's continually researching these conditions in a way that allows him to provide workable, daily use accessible solutions to so many of us who suffer with these problems. Please help me welcome us Gupta to the show.

Speaker 3 (04:14):

A delight to be here. Thank you for inviting me.

Speaker 1 (04:16):

Yes, lovely to have you. I actually have heard about your program from some colleagues who use it with their clients, so I'm super excited to have you on. I don't think a lot of people are familiar with the topic that we're gonna talk about and how really it applies to everyone. We're gonna talk about specific uses and how it might apply and really, I think in the times that we're living in with so much stress, everybody talks about, oh, you need to manage your stress, but what does that really look like on a daily basis? And also I don't think how people get that the nervous system is really triggered or programmed to have adverse responses to stress and what do you do about it? So we're gonna dive into neuroplasticity, limbic training recovery, which is as shooks program that he's developed and even an app I believe, which will get him to talk about, so what, what does that even mean? Limbic retraining? Why should we care about this? Why do we need this?

Speaker 3 (05:19):

Yeah, <laugh>. So great starting point for our conversation. Yeah, so look, when we go to a hospital, right, isn't it interesting how modern medicine separates and divides the different departments? Yeah. So in a hospital you will have a separate psychology department, a separate neurology department, a separate immunology department. And so we've got very used to this idea that there are, that the body's like a car and different things go wrong in different parts of that car. And we go to the right department and specialist who fixes that part of the car. But in the modern era, the types of diseases that people are suffering from are not hardware issues. They're not physically things wrong with a car. They're electrical issues. IE the nervous system, the electrical system, the information system. It's like when you go to the garage and your car has a fault, they often plug in a machine and it resets all the electrical system, the car, and all the warning lights go off and the system comes back to normal.

Speaker 3 (06:13):

And so in a similar way, when we're talking about limbic retraining or brain retraining, what we're saying is that traditional ill illnesses have been more reductionist in the way that we treat them. There's something wrong over here, there's something wrong over here, there's something wrong with the leg, let's fix that. But modern diseases are the interconnectedness that require a more holistic response. And that comes down to the software systems, not the hardware systems. So the nervous system is like the software that's running the computer of your body, the physical hardware of your body. And that's where we often get bugs. Just like in modern computers, we get bugs. And so brain retraining is saying, well, let's retrain those bugs and get our system back to balance. And a lot of those bugs we believe are in the unconscious brain, in the limbic system, part of the brain and the limbic system.

Speaker 3 (06:57):

Part of our brain is the more emotional part of the brain. And once again, we go back to old medicine as I call it, that would perceive the limbic system as purely responsible for our emotional responses, our fight or flight response, et cetera. But now we're discovering that the brain doesn't differentiate between an emotional response, a biological response. What these responses are are survival responses. The brain enacts survival responses. And so while we're retraining the brain, we're not only impacting on emotional responses but also physiological responses. And our immune response is a defensive survival response. And we've now discovered ways that we can influence that immune response and then enable the body to come back to balance. So that's a long way of kind of describing what we mean by brain retraining and limbic retraining. Right.

Speaker 1 (07:44):

Thank you for explaining that. And if anyone's listening now and you're thinking, oh, I don't need to listen to this, it doesn't apply to me. Yes, it applies to you <laugh>, <laugh>, it applies to every human and all mammals really on the face of this planet, particularly with the, the levels of stress that we're encountering. And I hope that you're clearly hearing what is saying, how this part of the brain is completely integrated with our emotional system, our nervous system, our immune system. So I think a lot of women are surprised when I teach them, for instance, in my hormone bliss challenge, which is coming up soon, that how they feel their emotions are related to their hormonal balance. And so if you have a particularly problematic emotional feelings that are coming up, depression, anxiety, that's related to your hormones through your nervous system, so exactly what we're talking about today.

Speaker 1 (08:46):

So if you're a woman in perimenopause, pre menopause, menopause, post menopause and you're struggling, part of the problem that you're struggling with with is not only a hormone problem but a nervous system problem. And that's exactly what we're talking about today. Mm-Hmm <affirmative>. So this does apply to you and it really applies to, I love your analogy of the car. That's brilliant. And the electrical system, it really applies to all of us and particularly women because we are disproportionately affected by a lot of these. You talk about neuro immune condition syndromes, NICS, which is interesting. I've never heard it called that. So can you talk about what, what are NICS neuro immune condition syndromes?

Speaker 3 (09:31):

Yeah. So that's a label that we've given to a whole range of different diseases that we call those modern diseases. So there's neuro immune diseases. So that means are the neuro, the nervous system affected and the immune system affected. So that's conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, long covid, and then also sensitivity reactions. So mold illness and also related to that Lyme because Lyme and mold often, you know, occur and then a whole bunch of pain syndromes, right? So all of these come under the banner of neuro immune condition syndromes where they've got commonalities between the symptomatology that is presenting itself. And if I can give a analogy of how I believe these nicks start, because I think if we go through that, that theory, I think that would be really useful to, to frame our discussion. So these neuro immune condition syndrome we see, you know, I mean we all know somebody's got long covid, right?

Speaker 3 (10:22):

Who's got lingering effects of covid so common in the population, why is this happening? Well, I like to go back to first principles of us as human beings. What is the biggest question of all? Why are we here <laugh>? Now we could answer that from a philosophical perspective and that would be a lovely conversation. But let's start with a scientific perspective. We are here because over millions of years of evolution, our bodies have adapted to our environment, learn how to survive and pass on our genes to the next generation. So we are survival machines and the brain's number one priority and the body's number one priority is survival. That's what can pass on those genes. Now what's happened is that in our modern life and modern world and the way we're living our lives, those threats to survival have increased or certainly the brain perceives them as increased.

Speaker 3 (11:11):

So for instance, we're more exposed to pollution if the brain sees as a threat, we're more exposed to toxins in our food, we're more exposed to daily stresses and strains of life. And now social media means that unconsciously we compare ourselves to all the best, most amazing people in the world and and compare ourselves to that top 0.1% of people out there, right? So we setting ourselves unrealistic expectations of life. So all of these things impact on our system. So our system feels more under threat, physically, emotionally, biologically. Which then means that when an illness comes along, normally our bodies just fight it off and go back to standby mode. So let's say for instance, mold, we have a mold exposure. Normally our brain perceives that this is dangerous, is able to create a response to deal with that mold exposure. And normally our systems will go back to balance.

Speaker 3 (12:00):

But I believe in a whole range of these different exposures, whether it's viruses, bacteria, mold, lying, the system errs on the side of caution because survival is the number one priority. So when we have exposure to that threat, the brain fights off that condition, but goes into over defense mode that even once it's fought off the threat, it errs on the side of caution and keeps stimulating the immune system and the nervous system unnecessarily. And what that then does is completely disrupt our hormonal balance, completely disrupt our autonomic nervous system, our gut, and all of these different processes in the name of survival. And for me this has to make sense because there's millions of people who are suffering from these conditions. Why is it so many people are have a system which is malfunctioning? It is because we now live in a more threat induced environment, which means our system is overstimulating these defensive responses. And that's why we're seeing, if you talk about emotional defensive responses, we're seeing anxiety and depression skyrocket at the moment in the population, especially since Covid. And we are seeing the number of neuro immune conditions also skyrocketing because of this threat system which is over responding. And if I can give an analogy, which I think many of my patients find really useful. So Kiran, are you a fan of, I don't know, game of Thrones or maybe a fairytales?

Speaker 1 (13:20):

I love fairytales. A good fairytales.

Speaker 3 (13:21):

Fairytales. There we go. So imagine that you are queen of your kingdom. So you are Queen Kiran. That's a nice, that's a nice ring to it. Queen Kiran, you are queen kirin, queen of your kingdom and your castle. Mm-Hmm <affirmative>. And you have an army which is your nervous system which defends the castle. And you have your navy, which is your immune system that also defends the castle from threats. And so when an invader comes over the hill, that could be a virus, a bacteria, gut problems, whatever it is comes over the hill. Your army and navy are able to fight off that threat effectively. But imagine there's now a drought in your kingdom. So now the kingdom is weaker, the army and navy are weaker because of the stress of the drought. Now an invading army comes in, could be covid, could be mold, whatever it is.

Speaker 3 (14:08):

Now your army and navy have to fight much harder to fight off this incoming threat because they're weaker. So it takes 'em a lot longer. The battle lasts a lot longer. And even once the army and navy feel they've defeated the incoming invader, they aren't sure because they think what happens if the invader is hiding in the forest or is somewhere peripherally in the body. So they come to the weekly meeting with Queen Kirin and they say, queen Kirin, we're not sure if we fully fought off the invader and the kingdom could fall. So we need all the resources now. We need all the food, the water, the wheats, the iron, everything needs to be channeled to us. And of course queen Kirin, you think that's a logical thing to do. We need to ensure survival of the kingdom. So now the army and navy are on a hair trigger.

Speaker 3 (14:52):

They keep firing off their weapons of war, which causes excessive inflammation in the body because some of those arrows start falling back into the kingdom causing internal inflammation and challenges and hormonal imbalances as well. 'cause Our system isn't designed to be in this overactive defensive state. Then what happens is opportunistic infections. So the spies in the kingdom start flourishing 'cause they're not the anti spy. The the secret service is not getting funded well. So now we get opportunistic infections or opportunistic viral infections, bacteria, pathogens, mycotoxins, all these types of things starts flourishing in the system because the army and navy is taking up all the bandwidth of the body and is fighting its non-existent threat. As this system continues, the weaker and weaker the kingdom gets from all of this over defensiveness, the more and more the army and navy believe we're still in danger.

Speaker 3 (15:44):

So they keep firing off more and more weapons of war, which gets the kingdom even weaker and so on and so on. And that's why often we then stay in this non homeostasis. We stay in this state of overstimulation, lack of homeostasis, autonomic dysfunction, gut dysfunction, hormonal dysfunction, all of these things are interconnected. And I believe they're all triggered by underlying reason, which is a system which is an imbalance because it's doing the thing that it thinks is best. Survival. Survival is number one priority. And what brain retraining is, is realizing that a lot of these symptoms that we're experiencing hormonal imbalance, guts, mycotoxins, these are downstream effects of an over defensive system. So brainery training is the next time the army or navy have their meeting with you, you say to them, my dear generals, the war is over. You can stand down, get back to balance, get back to standby mode.

Speaker 3 (16:39):

And what that does is it then means that the autonomic nervous system and the immune system start coming back to a level of homeostasis. And what we find with our patients, and we've done lots of studies which we'll talk about, then all of the downstream effects start also resolving themselves and therefore the gut challenges the fatigue, the health compromising effects all start coming back to balance and people start getting better and they start recovering. So you start, you, we came to this flow of thinking from the question, what is a neuro immune condition syndrome? So I believe neuro immune condition syndromes covers a whole variety of these modern diseases that we haven't found a magic pill for that doctors really don't have much that they're able to support. And yes, there's lots of great work that people like yourselves are doing in terms of supplements and medications that can support healing. But we often find that as soon as one has a stress, guess what all of the symptoms come back again or many of the symptoms come back and we have to find another route towards healing. And what we're saying to a lot of practitioners is the brain retraining piece. If you use that in compliments with traditional avenues, it magnifies the power of healing because you are, you are targeting from not only downstream but also the upstream causes as well.

Speaker 1 (17:52):

Yeah, thank you for that analogy that that really helps. And I guess one other I'll offer that's coming to my mind is a friend of mine called it, it's, you know, the limbic system is your smoke alarm. And it's like all of our smoke alarms are going off even though there's no fire, there might have been a fire at one time, whether that fire was a mold exposure or lime or foods you're sensitive to or maybe some type of childhood be big T trauma or little T trauma or something. And that the smoke alarm just gets stuck in this on state that keeps our entire system in a state of hyper arousal, kind of sympathetic outflow with, with parasympathetic deprivation. And then that causes a whole host of other problems. I love it when people like you come with great analogies that really help people understand what's going on for their body, why this applies to them. We really are, we're on assault just listening to the, the radio or looking at the TV with everything that's going on in our modern lives. And so this applies to all of us. And I love this quote you shared with me, I had to think twice about it. I think it's brilliant. Your brain can heal your body when you get your mind out of the way. <Laugh>, <laugh>,

Speaker 3 (19:18):

There's a lot to a lot to unpack in that. Yeah, <laugh>.

Speaker 1 (19:22):

Yeah. So talk a little bit about that and then maybe we can start talking about the program that you've developed, but yeah, that, that's a mind bending quote

Speaker 3 (19:31):

<Laugh>. So we are looking at three different components. We are looking at the body, our physical body, we are looking at our brain, which is the physical component that houses the electrical system or it's the kind of the head of the nervous system as it were. And then we're looking at the mind, which is our subjective experience of consciousness, of being awake, of being alive. And traditional medicine doesn't really necessarily look at the consciousness piece, right? It looks at the brain and the body in the very neutral scientific terms. But these three pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are constantly interacting and affecting each other. Every emotional condition, you call it trauma, it could be depression, has a physiological component. So we know that for instance, 50% of depression cases involve excessive inflammation. Every emotional condition has a physical component. Every physical condition has an emotional component.

Speaker 3 (20:22):

Now they, they are not separate and therefore often we may not realize it, but our mind and the way that we think and the way that we interact with our condition impacts on the condition itself and also impacts on how the brain can get back to homeostasis. So our program is not a psychological program, it is not CBT, but what it is is it's saying let's look at these three components and look at the interactions and look at how we can create the best environment for the brain to feel that we are safe and that it can switch off these overactive arousal systems so we can get our health back. And a key piece of jigsaw that relates to that quote is our past traumas. So we know that women are more likely to develop these conditions compared to men. And also that if someone has a background of let's say little T trauma or big T trauma, they also are three to four times more likely to get one of these types of chronic illnesses.

Speaker 3 (21:20):

And that's because we believe that whether it's your experience in the womb, how stressed your mother was, how stressful the birthing experience was, and then the first five years of life are hugely formative in terms of your sense of safety, your relational context with your mother and father. All of those impacts on your nervous system and how trigger happy it is to threats around you based on its sense of safety. And so in a similar way, our mind impacts our physical body because if we have never felt safe emotion in our past, why would our body believe that we're safe physiologically? Because once again, the brain does not differentiate between the different types of threats. They're just threats that need to be mitigated. And that's our clue as to why people with trauma are more likely to have these types of conditions. And it may not even be trauma, it can just be a, a sense of a lack of nurture from our past. And that's where these pieces come together. So that's why I kind of created that quote to make sure that we're aware of these different components and how they interact.

Speaker 1 (22:17):

I love that. That's so beautifully said and explained. I don't know that I've ever heard it more beautifully explained. If we've never felt safe emotionally, why would our body believe we are safe physiologically now? Right. The fire alarm is on. And so the program that you developed, and maybe this is a good time to ask you to share with everyone your background and how you came to develop this program because it, it really helped to, I don't wanna put words in your mouth, but transform and save your life in a lot of ways. Correct? Absolutely. So how did that happen?

Speaker 3 (22:49):

So it was the mid nineties and I was studying as an undergrad at Cambridge and I had a virus, didn't think much of it and the virus kind of went away, but I started feeling physiologically really bad. So extreme fatigue, extreme exhaustion. I'd look at a textbook and couldn't even read it. I had to crawl to the bathroom sometimes 'cause my energy was so low and I thought what on earth is going on here? And in my worst moments I was, you know, almost suicidal because it's a horrible condition, you know, you just don't feel like you can do anything. And I go from doctor to doctor and they'd say, we dunno what you have. We have no explanation for it. We have no treatment for it. We don't even know, really know what to call it. And you might have it for the rest of your life.

Speaker 3 (23:29):

And you can imagine for a young man that was a almost a death sentence that's like a brick wall in front of you saying you have this disease and we don't, we can't help you. And I met hundreds of others who were also suffering from similar conditions. And that started my lifelong quest to try and understand these conditions. And I made a contract with the universe and I said, if I can just get myself, well even if it's not fully, if I can just get myself well, I will dedicate the rest of my life to helping others with this condition because there's so much untold suffering that's going on that we don't see because these conditions aren't really taken so seriously because they don't, they're not seen as increasing mortality necessarily. And that started my lifelong quest. And so I then researched brain neurology physiology and I came up with a hypothesis as to what causes these conditions, which I published online in 1999 and then in Medical Hypothesis Journal in 2002 and then set up a clinic to treat others. And since then we've become a online program with an app and we've published several medical studies and randomized controlled trials on our treatments as well. So that's been my journey and like all of us in, or many of us in these professions, we've gone through our own challenges, our own suffering and are looking to improve the lives of others because we've found something that's helped.

Speaker 1 (24:41):

Yeah, we are both here fulfilling our contracts with the universe. <Laugh>, I have a similar contract and I think that a lot of us who do the type of work that we do with communities and patients that are underserved by corporate medicine had a a similar story of not being helped and served by the corporate medical establishment. And so we found the answers. And so I'm so glad you're here listening if you're listening right now. So do you wanna talk a little bit about what's involved? I know that you have a free trial you're gonna share with everyone and we're, we're gonna talk a little bit more about that coming up. But what kinds of activities are involved with limbic retraining? It sounds like I'm gonna have to do brain surgery. I know somebody's thinking it sounds complicated. <Laugh>

Speaker 3 (25:33):

<Laugh>. Well I love that maybe one day science will progress and we can just flip open the head re we do in a car, fix a few wires and then done. But unfortunately that technology hasn't come so until then we are gonna have to do it manually. Yeah. Internally ourselves. And that involves various brain exercises that we have. So we teach a patient to recognize these danger signals on the periphery of consciousness. Yeah, because the brain has a safety valve, it always checks with our consciousness as to whether what it is doing is the right thing, the right defensive response. And most of us aren't aware of that day-to-day. But we enable people to tune into that and retrain the brain that we are not in the same state that we were at the original exposure to that threat. Life has moved on, we are now safe.

Speaker 3 (26:21):

And that doesn't happen the first time, the second time, the third time you have to repeat this. And that's where neuroplasticity comes in. The idea that our brain is malleable, changeable, we can rewire it towards health and that's what we do in the Gupta program. So we are now an app which makes it super easy to use. And the way it works is people can come to our website or download the free app and then, and obviously that'll be in the show links and they can take our free trial 28 day free trial where they can go through the videos and audios and learn a lot more about their condition and should they then decide to take on the full program. Then that involves watching videos, weekly webinars with myself. And something that has been an absolute game changer in terms of brain retraining and nervous system regulation is something called daily Gupta size. <Laugh>. Now what

Speaker 3 (27:13):

Lay on words there, daily Gupta size, we recognize that patients are often isolated. They lack motivation to put these practices in to daily routines. So we have daily Zoom calls with our trained coaches where we take people through the exercises that they need. So if you're not somebody who can follow a program and integrate it, just come online every day or whatever, whatever days you can, and we take you through everything that you need each day so it becomes a regular part of your daily practice. And that has been a game changer for our patients. And we have like two to 300 people a day who come on to these Zoom calls and it's a real sense of community and support as well. And so there's a whole package of techniques, events that people can then come to and we hold people's hand. We would take them through the brain retraining.

Speaker 3 (27:58):

Yeah. So that's how it essentially works. And until we have independent phase three trials, so currently we're doing phase one and phase two trials. We've shown great data and I'll share some of that with you. But until we have the large scale phase three trials, we offer a one year money back guarantee on the subscription so people can use it and after six months if they, if it's not for them or they think it's working for them, they can return it no questions asked and get their money back and use that money for something else. So we think people have got nothing to lose by giving this this way of doing things a go. Right.

Speaker 1 (28:27):

I love that you, you have a name for a Gupta size that's awesome. And that it's done in community because one of the biggest stressors we have right now in modern society is that we're so disconnected from our families, friends, loved ones living a lot of us in, in isolation and loneliness is at epidemic levels worse on your health than smoking. And so I know with me, I do my programs with women only in groups because the connection is part of what, when we have that co-regulation with other people, we need that as humans, as homo sapiens and it really helps. So I love that you have that and yeah, do you wanna talk a little bit about the research that you've done? I'm really interested to hear more about that.

Speaker 3 (29:15):

Yeah, definitely. Look, there can be so many things on the internet right now on Instagram, Facebook, you're scrolling through. Everyone's got some kind of healing methodology for all these different diseases, but for us, the science matters. Yeah. Mm-Hmm <affirmative>. So therefore we spent a lot of time and effort and money on supporting research studies in this particular field. And so we published a couple of recent randomized control trials. So we did one on fibromyalgia and we found that after eight weeks of our program compared to a relaxation program on our program, within eight weeks, patients notice a 40% reduction in their fibromyalgia scores. But zero response in the control group, we halved anxiety, halved depression, halved pain, and doubled functional capacity. And that's just within eight weeks. And these wow effects lingered and stayed on for six months or sorry, five months. So that's a four month, three month follow up.

Speaker 3 (30:07):

So that was one study which published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, which is one of the top journals. And recently we just did a study on long covid and we found that, well we were comparing our program to a wellness program. So it was a real proper control that wellness program had sleep and diet and supplements and all the good things that we are told to do to keep our health at a good level. So compared our program to that equivalent structural program and after three months our program was four times more effective at reducing fatigue and twice as effective at increasing levels of energy. And so it's quite rare in a medical study you get a 400% response compared to the the control group that's once to get a published randomized control trial that people can see on our website. And then another study we just published, which wasn't an RCT but was a clinical audit of our patients, we found that across 14 different conditions. So this includes Lyme disease and POTS and chronic fatigue and long covid across 14 different diseases. After just three months on our program, people had anywhere between a 60 to 120% improvement in their symptoms. And what this showed is that this idea that one program can impact on lots of different diseases because they may have the same underlying pathology, if we target that underlying pathology, we can heal a whole host of different conditions. And that's once again a published study that people can, can take a look at on our website.

Speaker 1 (31:31):

Yeah, I'd love that. Thank you for sharing that. It sounds like a lot of work but also a very worth it to validate this modality that has applications across disease spectrum. So for every aspect of that car that you talked about in the beginning, the the how the body is very mechanistically viewed in mainstream medicine and it's really not. We are living beings that every part affects every other part. I'm wondering before we close, if you can talk about this Neil Donald Walsh quote that you shared with me that I love and I'd love it if you could ex help everyone understand you could talk about a little bit who Neil Donald Walsh is. He's he, well he's the writer of conversations with God and other books and the quote is, you'll have everything you want in life when you are prepared to lose it all. What does that mean and how does that apply to what we're talking about today?

Speaker 3 (32:26):

It's an ancient Eastern philosophy. It comes from the ancient Vedic tradition, which is this idea that when we have an attachment to a specific result, we cause ourselves stress, right? So if we really want that job and we go to the interview, if we are really, really desperate to get that job, how are we gonna come across in the interview? We're gonna come across stressed, less self-assured, less confident in our ability to get that job because we are coming from a place of desperation. So it's that place of where desire turns into desperation or an intention turns into desperation. And so when we're so attached to result fist clenched, we actually push those things, those very things that we want. We push them away from ourselves. Now how is this relevant to healing? Sometimes when we put so much emphasis on our physical bodies and our physical conditions and we are desperate to get better and we have a hypervigilance of these disease states within us, although it can feel like that means we're monitoring it and trying to find solutions, actually we may push healing away from ourselves because we are in a state of desperation.

Speaker 3 (33:35):

And in that desperation to heal from it, we actually tense up our nervous system and push away the very thing that could heal it, which is a more relaxed nervous system. Therefore, acceptance of our current state is the first step to healing. And that's a core part of what we do in our program as well.

Speaker 1 (33:51):

I love that. Therefore, acceptance is, is the first step. You know, this applies very much to women who are wanting to, to achieve pregnancy and having difficulty. And they don't realize that in ruminating on getting pregnant and they're not getting pregnant and I've gotta get pregnant. And the stress levels are going up, that they're actually negatively impacting their hormones and their nervous system, their limbic system, and they're causing it to be in a survival state that says, I'm not safe. And then you can't get pregnant in that state. So gosh, I never heard Neil Donald Wash apply to our health. That's brilliant <laugh>. But yes, the attachment and acceptance, there's literature I love that says acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. And really it does start with accepting it otherwise, a, a lot of the healing that we do, even from a functional perspective is very what I've heard called transactional.

Speaker 1 (34:52):

I do this detox for myself and I want my body to give me X result. And it's no wonder that we go about healing that way sometimes because that's the kind of society that we live in. It's very much a transactional society. Relationships are transactional. I give you this money, you give me this, but our bodies are living systems that do respond to the intention with which we try to heal our bodies. So I think coming from a place of understanding that and loving ourselves, so to me self-love is not a transactional activity. It needs to be a, a very holistic, nurturing, ground up activity where our intention is to give our body everything that it needs, everything that she needs, I like to say to heal. So I love that you put that intentionality into your Gupta size, <laugh> and the Limby training program.

Speaker 3 (35:49):

Yeah, absolutely. The idea of we are where we are, it's already happened. If I don't accept what has already happened within my body right now, all I'm doing is resisting and I'm in a resistant state. And what we resist persists that famous quote. So to get outta that resistance state and calm our nervous system, the first state is accepting whatever is so right now. And from that place of acceptance, we can then say, I now save my energy instead of worrying about this, I save my energy to be able to look at solution orientated processes and set that intention for health. And that's really how that quote comes in.

Speaker 1 (36:26):

Yes, I love that our nervous system is activated when we're in that resistance state. So it starts with acceptance. I love that you're gonna share a free trial with everyone. Thank you so much for that. I myself would love to try it and, and even would invite you to come back after I've tried it and we can talk about my experience. I don't know if that would be beneficial. I'd love to, yeah,

Speaker 3 (36:49):

Give you complimentary access and then we can see how you respond to it, what you think of it, and have another chat. That would be lovely.

Speaker 1 (36:56):

Yeah, that would be lovely. And so tell everyone where they can connect with you online and around learning more about the program that you're offering. We will have the link in the show notes, but tell everyone how to connect with you.

Speaker 3 (37:11):

Yeah, so it's simple. They can come to our website, which will be in the show notes@guptaprogram.com or they indeed can go to app store or play store and just download the, the free app and straight away start retraining your brain. You can look at videos, audios, and even some of the daily Gupta size. The first part of it, the nervous system regulation is free. It's free to anybody on the planet. It's our kind of gift back to the planet. So you can join that for free and kind of experience those first, you know, ways of looking at your nervous system and yeah, that's how they can find out more.

Speaker 1 (37:41):

Awesome. Thank you so much shook for your journey, turning your pain into your purpose and for sharing your mission and your contract with the universe, with us and with the world. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (37:54):

Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (37:55):

And thank you for joining me for another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. I know that you're inspired will by what you've heard today. I think the more tools that you can have in your tool bag for your personal healing, health and wellness to reverse hormonal poverty and get to hormonal prosperity, the better off you'll be. This is a great tool that I'm excited to share with you. So I hope that you'll click the link in the show notes and download and do the free trial. And I'd love to hear about your results. Reach out to me on social media at Kirin Dunston, MD Thanks so much for joining me. Until next week, I'll see you for another episode. Peace, love and Hormones, y'all.

---

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Kevin Ellis | The Hormone Stronger Bones Solution - Why Your Current Program Is Likely Not Enough and What To Do Instead

Welcome back to another enlightening episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast! This week, we dive deep into a topic that resonates with so many of us: bone health. We often think we’re doing enough by following generic health programs, but what if those programs fall short when it comes to bone health? What if there’s a better way to ensure stronger, healthier bones?

🎙️ Episode Highlights:

In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome Kevin Ellis, famously known as Bone Coach™, into our midst. Kevin is not just any health coach; he's a Forbes-featured certified integrative nutrition health coach, podcaster, YouTuber, bone health advocate, and the founder of BoneCoach.com. With his unique 3-step process and world-class coaching program, the Stronger Bones Solution™, Kevin has transformed the lives of thousands across the globe.

Key Points Discussed:

• The Reality of Osteoporosis and Osteopenia: Understanding why traditional programs might not be enough.
• Kevin's Unique 3-Step Process: Learn about the innovative Stronger Bones Solution™ that has helped individuals in over 1500+ cities worldwide.
• Personal Stories and Success: Hear inspiring stories from people who have regained confidence in their bone health journey.
• A Vision for the Future: Kevin's mission isn't just about the present. Discover how he plans to help future generations prevent osteoporosis and lead long, active lives.

Kevin's approach is both inspiring and informative, providing actionable insights and practical steps that you can start implementing today. His dedication goes beyond just addressing current issues; it's about paving the way for a healthier future for our children and grandchildren.

🦴 Who Should Listen?

This episode is a must-listen for midlife women who are looking to take control of their bone health. Whether you’ve been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis or simply want to ensure your bones stay strong and healthy, this episode offers invaluable advice and guidance.

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Bone health is more than just a medical concern; it's a critical component of living an active and fulfilling life. Kevin Ellis’s expertise and passion shine through in this episode, offering you not just hope but a practical roadmap to stronger, healthier bones. Let’s embark on this journey together and make bone health a priority!

Don’t forget to subscribe to The Hormone Prescription Podcast and leave us a review. We love hearing your thoughts and experiences. Until next time, stay healthy and stay strong!

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By engaging with this episode, you’re not just taking steps toward better bone health; you’re joining a global movement dedicated to a healthier, more active future. Listen now and be inspired!

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Dr. Kyrin Dunston (00:00):

You don't have to know where each step is placed day one. You just have to know where you want your path to lead. Kevin Ellis, stay tuned for the Bone Coach who will share his groundbreaking program with you to make sure that your bones stay strong and vital as you age.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (00:19):

So the big question is, how do women over 40 like us keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself Again. As an OB GYNI had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue, now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kyrin Dunston. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (01:13):

Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. Thank you so much for joining me today. As we talk with Kevin Ellis, also known as The Bone Coach, Kevin has a unique three step process and coaching program called Stronger Bone Solution. He's gonna share with you, he's gonna share so much. He really has a great way of articulating the importance of bone health. We're gonna talk about diagnostics. How do you know if you have an issue with this? What are the correct diagnostic tools you should be undergoing? You're probably not getting this information in your regular doctor's office. I even share a story about one of my clients who had a kind of interesting experience with her primary care doctor around that. So we're gonna dive into that. And you know, bone health is super important. It's kind of one of the most silent diseases because most of us start losing bone mass around the age of 30 unless we're doing something to prevent bone loss.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (02:16):

And most of us are not. And it accelerates more in women than men, which is super unfair. But it's just a reality for various reasons that we're gonna touch upon. Also related to your hormones as we go through midlife. So if you're not doing diagnostics around this and you're not paying attention and being proactive, I promise you this is happening to you. As you're sitting there listening to my voice, whether you're driving your car or gardening or doing the dishes, you are losing bone mass if you're not doing something to prevent bone mass loss if you're over 30. It's just a fact. And so the only way that you really will know this is a problem if you don't do anything about it, is you might fall when you're older and have a fracture, which can be devastating because a third of women who fall and have a hip fracture because they have osteoporosis, will die from it.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (03:20):

Yes, die. It's one of the leasing causes of death in older women, a third of us who that happens to will become incapacitated, where we can no longer live independently. That means you have to move out of where you've lived your whole life maybe, and into a facility where you have assisted care all the time and you lose your freedom <laugh> and you lose lots of things that come along with that, that change. So I know we talk about it really in this kind of detached, often the future way, like we're not talking about you, but yes, we are talking about you. So this is a vital episode for everyone to listen to. Even if you're a guy, there are men who listen to my show too. Hi guys. And I love that because you help the women in your life and this is you, you need to listen.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (04:09):

But we're gonna talk about how you can know this is an issue for you earlier. And then most importantly, what do you do about it? Kevin has some great resources for you. He explains things in plain English in a down to earth way just like I do. So I think you're really gonna love our discussion. I'll tell you a little bit more about him and then we'll get started. Kevin Ellis is better known as the Bone Coach. He is a Forbes featured integrative health coach podcaster and is the founder of Bone coach.com. Through a unique three-step process and the world class coaching program called Stronger Bone Solution, he and this team have helped thousands of people with osteopenia and osteoporosis in over 1500 cities around the world get confident in their stronger bones plan. His mission is to help millions of people with osteoporosis build stronger bones and to help our children and grandchildren create a strong and healthy foundation so they can lead long active lives. Please help me welcome Kevin to the show.

Kevin Ellis (05:11):

Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to this. It's gonna be a great conversation.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (05:15):

It is. I have been waiting to have you on the show for a couple years. You are super busy because you have a su super successful program in helping people reverse their bone density and improve it whether they have osteoporosis, osteopenia. And so I'm really glad to have you on the show and share you with my audience. Some of my listeners may know, 'cause I talk about <laugh>, I'm an open book when it comes to my health and my family's health, and my mom has the worst osteoporosis I've ever seen. No surprise that she also has Alzheimer's, right? 'cause The two are connected and connected also with hormone imbalance. She was in hormonal poverty for three decades without treatment. So I think it it's great to launch into this talk really with you telling everyone why you're so passionate about the work that you do.

Kevin Ellis (06:10):

Yeah. 'cause usually when you're thinking about bone health or you're thinking about osteopenia or osteoporosis or stronger bones, you're not typically thinking about the younger male, right? You're, you're typically thinking about somebody later in life. Maybe it's maybe just like you said a mother or a grandmother or an aunt or a friend or someone like that who's experienced the effects of maybe fractures or osteoporosis and how you saw that, how that impacted their quality of life in their later years. So it's usually not the younger male that's passionate about this or talking about this, but for me, my journey really started a long time ago. And like a lot of us in the health space, my journey started through my own health issues and challenges. So when I came outta the Marine Corps, I had a lot of different health issues, high stress, poor sleep, chronic digestive distress, couldn't figure out what was going on.

Kevin Ellis (06:54):

My energy was almost non-existent. Some days I could barely even get out of bed. And then I was diagnosed with celiac disease. And for those who are not familiar, celiac disease is an autoimmune condition where when you ingest gluten, the tiny little nutrient absorption centers inside your small intestine, they're called vii. And I, I like to call 'em roots in your soil. And my roots were becoming damaged and they were becoming blunted and they couldn't do their job. And my body still needed these important nutrients to execute its daily functions, specifically calcium, because calcium is the primary mineral constituent of your bones. But you also need it for muscle contractions, for nerve impulses, for a, a variety of other things. So I wasn't absorbing these important nutrients and my body was going to the largest reserve of minerals I had, which were my bones and pulling from there.

Kevin Ellis (07:40):

So celiac disease led to bone loss and a subsequent diagnosis of osteoporosis. And this was right around 30 years old. And for anyone to get that diagnosis at any point, it can be scary. And you know, for me at a young age, I still was trying to make sense of it all. And there was fear was a very strong impetus and driver for me and also wanting to be there for my kids in the future because I lost my father when I was two months old. And all I ever wanted was to have that person in my life. And I didn't wanna leave my kids in a position where, you know, they didn't have me there too. So I had a pretty strong reason to make improvements and I put this plan together, I did the research, consulted with people, and I ended up turning this, this health journey into a passion. And I became a coach and I built out a program and grew that community to a couple hundred thousand people. And we've got over 10,000 people that have come through these stronger bones programs now. So it's, it's just really a passion of mine through personal experience, but also just seeing the lives of people we've changed and transformed and how they get to live their most best lives that you know in the future. So

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (08:43):

Yeah, I love hear hearing how people came to do what they do, that they love, that they're passionate about those. So thank you for sharing that. And I think that a lot of women listening right now don't think that we're talking to them because osteopenia, osteoporosis, bone loss really has no symptoms until you are at the point where you start getting fractures, right? It might be spinal compression fractures or you could fall when you're older and and break something. But I find that this is so <laugh> under-discussed in the medical community. And I actually recently had a patient who shared with me that she went and got a bone density. 'cause I advised everyone to get a bone density and based on certain parameters, which we can talk about. And she definitely qualified as needing one. And she went and got it and she had osteoporosis and she took it to her primary care doctor who basically scolded her and yelled at her for getting a bone density.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (09:50):

I don't know if you've come across situations like that, but increasingly I'm having patients come to me where their doctors are getting angry at them for getting screening tests that they really needed, that their doctor didn't recommend bone density being one of them because, you know, his whole attitude was, well now you have osteoporosis, what are I gonna do about that? Because he didn't know what to do. So this is why I love what you do because doctors really don't have an answer. And the fact I was so angry after she told me that, that her doctor got mad at her. So can we talk a little bit about what is appropriate screening? Who should be getting screening? What screening should they be getting? Because I think a lot of the women listening have never had the proper screening and don't even know that they need it and they don't know that we're talking to them.

Kevin Ellis (10:36):

Yeah, this is, this is so important. I'm glad we're talking about this because number one, you as the patient have the right to be the educated and empowered advocate for you. You have the right to ask for tests. You have the right to get those tests done and to see where you're at and get some objective baseline markers and monitor those changes. You as the patient you should be asking for that. That's how you take care of yourself long term. Because a lot of times what happens when I see people, a lot of people, they want to prevent future fractures. They may not already be at that point, but some people I've seen, they've already fractured a lot of times, 5, 10, 15 times, even some. So we want to prevent that from happening. So how do you do that? Well, first let's understand that every single person has bones in their body.

Kevin Ellis (11:18):

Your bone health is important and you're putting on 90% of your bone mass by the time you turn age 18. And by the time you turn 30, the remaining 10% approximately is gonna fill in. And that's what we call peak bone mass or what I call a full bucket, right? So if when you were younger, you had poor diet nutrition, you drank a bunch of sugary soft drinks, you ate a bunch of candy, you weren't getting enough calcium, vitamin D, magnesium K two, you weren't getting enough protein in your diet. Or if you're listening to this and you've got kids or grandkids, think through that lens too. Not just what you went through, but what maybe your kids are going through right now. If we led a sedentary lifestyle, if we weren't out playing sports or being active or moving our bodies and our bones in these short, sharp, dynamic movements to help stimulate good healthy bone growth from a young age or doing gymnastics, right?

Kevin Ellis (12:10):

Get those kids in gymnastics if, if possible because gymnasts have some of the best bone density out there. And then if we had an eating disorder when we were younger, if we took certain medications like glucocorticoids or if we smoked or drank excessively, all of those things could have prevented you from reaching peak bone masses starting with that full bucket. So it's good to understand how, how your bones are being built over time. And it's good to also know, hey there, there are probably some contributors I had in my youth. What are the things I can do now to understand where I'm at and what I need to do to move forward? So I like to see people getting these objective markers and baselines early in your thirties to forties, right? If you get a baseline right around the time you, you achieve peak bone mass, 30 years old, then you can monitor those changes over time.

Kevin Ellis (12:57):

And that's a great place to start. If you're already past 30 and you haven't had a bone density scan yet, you can get one. If you can't go to your doctor and get one, go to an external radiology group and get one. If you have any chronic digestive issues, especially if you have celiac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, any, any of those absorption conditions, you have a reason to go to your doctor and say, Hey, I believe this is contributing to bone loss and I'd like to dig a little bit further. Can we get this test? And that's how you go about having those conversations. Or you can even just say, Hey look, I, I'm not saying no to your recommendations, I'm just saying can you help me get a little bit more data to make the best decision to move forward? Right? So if you just have that kind of dialogue instead of shutting your physicians down, that may lead to MM-hmm <affirmative> better results.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (13:42):

And then what kind of bone density should they be asking for? Because they're not all bone density testing is created equal <laugh>.

Kevin Ellis (13:50):

That's right. Yeah. So we would look for a DEXA scan, dual energy x-ray absor geometry, it's painless test, kind of like an X-ray, but very low levels of radiation. You lay down on the machine, it does a scan and it tells you your bone mineral density and then it generates a score. And that score is, if it's plus one or minus one, you're gonna be told that's normal and healthy. If it's minus one to minus 2.5, you're gonna be told that's osteopenia. We would call that low bone mass. And that's like a precursor to osteoporosis and minus 2.5 or lower. So minus 2.6, minus 2.7, so on and so forth. That's considered osteoporosis. And the greater the negative number becomes the more severe the osteoporosis. Now important note, bone density is only part of the picture. It's an important part, but it's only part of the picture.

Kevin Ellis (14:37):

So if we wanna really understand stronger bones, you have to know that bone density is the actual mineral content of the bone. Bone quality is the structural integrity of the bone, the micro architecture, how the bone is organized. Those two things combine to create bone strength. So a lot of times you only have part of the picture if you're just getting a bone density scan. So how do I get the bone quality part? Well, there's an add-on software to the DEXA scan that you can get. It's called TBS trabecular bone score. You can call a facility ahead of time, ask 'em if they have the capability and then just confirm with the technician before you start your scan, just say, Hey, do you have the TBS? 'cause It's, it's, you're gonna be able to get all that data just in that one scan, which can be great.

Kevin Ellis (15:20):

So you have bone density, bone quality, there's another technology out there that is, it's more prevalent in Europe, it's making its way more into the US now it's called rems, radiofrequency echo graphic multis spectometry technology. And it's found in a device called echo light. And this looks at the, it's an ultrasound technology that looks at your bone density, your bone quality and gives you a five-year fragility score, like a predictor of fracture basically. And that can also be another tool that you use. And the the last set of tools that I would encourage people to look at are when you get these tests, these, these markers of bone density and bone quality, you have to understand that if you only have one, you don't know if you're actively losing bone right now, present day as we speak. So what are the things that we can look at to understand what's going on right now in our bones?

Kevin Ellis (16:12):

Well, we'll look at bone turnover markers and bone turnover markers. Look at the activity level of cells that are building up and breaking down your bone and let's if the, the bone turnover markers, we're gonna talk about bone resorption. The most sensitive marker for bone resorption is serum CTX. And that is a CT low peptide test. And that looks at the activity level of cells that are breaking down bone. So if that activity level is elevated or even really high, that can be an indicator of active bone loss and a root cause issue that needs to be explored and addressed. And if we have, if we're looking at bone resorption, we also wanna look at bone formation. So the most sensitive marker for bone formation is called P one and P, that's pro collagen type one and terminal propeptide. And this looks at the activity level cells that are building up that bone. So you wanna look at, you wanna look at those two things at the same time. So those are some markers. I love that. And where you're at.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (17:08):

Comprehensive answer. Thank you so much. So everybody listening, we're gonna give some, Kevin has some great resources for you to get further information. So don't freak out about what are all the, this lingo you're hearing about. He's got more resources to really support you in your bone journey, whether you've got great bone mass or you're already losing bone mass because bone mass is something you have to promote. Just like you don't clean your house one time and it stays clean, you have to clean it periodically. So it's something you need to work on. So let's dive into talking about the connection between bone health and hormones because I don't think a lot of women get that there's a connection and particularly women at midlife don't realize that they're being robbed in the middle of the night while they're sleeping a bone mass and it has something to do with their hormones. Can we talk a little bit about that?

Kevin Ellis (18:05):

We most certainly can. So there are different types. There's absolutely a hormone connection, there's a major hormone connection to osteoporosis and bone loss and stronger bones. So let's start with, there are different types of osteoporosis. There is primary osteoporosis that is typically related to a decrease in estrogen. In post-menopausal women. Estrogen has a protective effect on bone as estrogen levels decrease as they do during menopause or even before menopause. That can cause an increase in the activity level of cells that break down bone. And when that activity level elevated and really high, that's gonna cause more bone loss, right? And over time, even in the five years right around that transition, some women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass in that, in that period of time. And that's pretty significant, right? So we have to be aware of that, that major hormonal change that's happening and even take some proactive steps to, to do that.

Kevin Ellis (18:59):

And I know Dr. Karen, you, you talk about this all the time, but in terms of other causes of osteoporosis, there's secondary osteoporosis and that is where it occurs as a result of behaviors, disorders, diseases, conditions, and medications. So there can be different reasons for that bone loss that's taking place. Hormones can absolutely play a role, especially estrogen. And then if we're talking about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, if that is part of your plan, you know, and it's different for every single person, and I know you talk about this quite a bit, but estrogen can help with the prevention of bone loss, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA can help with supporting the bone building side of things too. So there, there are things that you can do from a hormonal perspective and that again, it varies for every single person. You gotta work with a practitioner to help you figure out what's right for you. But just know those can be some tools to help support you as you start moving in the right direction or even preventing some of that loss from happening.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (19:52):

I just wanna make the point for everybody listening that there really is no current recommendation on use of sex hormones or what I like to call flex hormones because they have flexible functions. It's not just about sex. For the prevention of bone loss, really there isn't. So when you're talking to your doctor about hormones, you're probably not gonna get some of the information that we're sharing with you today about the fact that it does help prevent bone loss. So it's something that you're going to have to bring up. And the fact that flex hormone therapy or getting to a state of what I call hormonal prosperity actually helps you to build bone. There is a recommendation using estrogen in particular to reverse or treat osteoporosis. It's not considered a first line therapy though, which we might get into talking about medications and they don't talk about the use of other bone building agents like testosterone is super important for women too. So I, I'd love to just give that caveat because a lot of times people will hear something on the show and then they go running to their doctor and say, well I heard Kevin talking about this, Karen talking about that, and, and they just get poo-pooed and then they get really confused because they're kind of being gaslit but don't realize it <laugh>. Yeah. So that's why I like to, to tell them what to expect when you bring this information you're super excited about to your, your doctor

Kevin Ellis (21:24):

And, and you have to realize too, and it's just, you kind of just touched on medication. But you have to realize too that when you go into the conventional medical model and you're having these conversations, just know that the standard recommendation that will be provided for you is take some calcium, take some vitamin D, go for a walk, don't lift anything heavy over, you know, very small amounts of weight and here's this medication, take it. And we'll see you in two years for your next bone density scan. I would bet if anyone has already had this conversation with their doctor, 95% of you're like nodding your head. Yeah, that's exactly what I heard. Right? There is so much more to bone health than that. There are so many other pieces and let's even, I'd love to just touch on the medication because that that conversation is gonna come up.

Kevin Ellis (22:13):

So if you're okay with that. Sure. Briefly, I, I would, I'm not anti-medication. I have seen a lot of situations where it's necessary in lifesaving for some people, but I am pro do everything you possibly can naturally first before considering that as an option. Because when it comes to these bone medications, they have a dramatic effect on bone physiology. It's not like taking an aspirin. And there are different categories of these drugs. There are anti-resorptive medications and there are anabolic medications. Anti-Resorptive medications are designed to slow down the activity level of cells that are breaking down bone. Can they do that? Of course they can, but there are risks and side effects that come with their use. So for antiresorptives, this would be broken down into bisphosphonates and rank lain inhibitors. Bisphosphonates, you've probably heard of some of these before would be your Fosamax, your bon niva, your reclass, those kind of drugs, those are bisphosphonates and your rank lain inhibitors are like Prolia.

Kevin Ellis (23:11):

Okay? So bisphosphonates, the safety and efficacy of these drugs, not really well known beyond five years. And as you and I are going about our daily lives, doing our daily activities, exercising, doing chores around the house, we're starting to get these tiny little micro cracks, micro fractures in our bones. That's normal, right? For every single person. That's normal. And then what happens is you have cells within the bone called osteocytes, they're like orchestrators of this bone remodeling process. They sense that damage and they send out a signal and say, Hey, we need to become stronger. And that signal is picked up by other cells and these cells called osteoclast, they come in and they, they scoop out that damaged bone and right behind it, it's a coupled process. You have these other cells called osteoblasts that come in and build stronger, healthier new bone. That is a normal remodeling process that happens throughout our lives.

Kevin Ellis (24:03):

When you're taking some of these medications, especially longer term, multiple years, you can actually slow down that activity level too much to where you start to accumulate that old worn damage weakened bone over time. So even if you're taking one of these longer term and you're seeing improvements or you're seeing stability in your bone density scan, that quality, that structural integrity, it may not be there, right? So you may not actually have stronger bones, your bones may end up being weaker, just, it just depends. So you have to be aware of these things before you jump into them. And then other certain medications like Prolia, you can't just take that medication and then stop taking it because you'll have what's called a rebound effect. And that can increase the risk of ver vertebral fractures. So again, most people don't get that education in a 15 minute conversation before they just jump into taking a medication.

Kevin Ellis (24:54):

And then the other category of drugs are called anabolics. And those drugs are designed to build bone, build better quality bone and build it faster. Can they do that? Yes. Are there risks and side effects and implications of use? Of course. So you can only take 'em for a certain period of time and once you take them you have to follow it with another medication just to not lose the bone you gained. So the reason I tell people this is ask questions. It's okay to pause, to take a deep breath to make those decisions and to, to just make the most educated, empowered decision you can.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (25:26):

Yeah, super important to know about the medications, be an informed consumer, know what your options are because a lot of times you're not gonna get all the information when you're talking to your doctor. You're just gonna get a prescription here, take this. But what I love about what you do and the resource that you have for everybody is that you really help them to understand, like I I always say I'm not the type of physician who's just gonna tell you do what I say because I'm the expert. I'm gonna educate you about how your body works and help you make the best choice for yourself and you do the same. And that's what I love about the work you do. I think gone are the days when we can just abdicate control of our health to our healthcare provider and assume they have our best interests at heart.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (26:09):

We really have to become the CEOs of our own health and have a working knowledge of how our body works. Otherwise, we're gonna kind of get to the later in the finish line and be upset like a woman I talked to recently who's in her eighties and having all these consequences of hormonal poverty and she's really angry and saying, why didn't anyone tell me? Why Didn't anyone tell me what I was signing up for <laugh> when I didn't, when I went into hormonal poverty at menopause and nobody helped me to get out. I, I think something else that's really important. I know we only have so much time to talk today and that's why I love that you have this extra class everyone can attend, which we'll give you details on later, is exercise. I was talking with a client just a couple hours ago about exercise and when most women at midlife hear the word exercise, they think aerobics and <laugh>, they don't think about weight-bearing exercise or if we hear weight-bearing exercise, we don't necessarily think you're talking about weights.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (27:14):

This woman was actually kind of interesting won't give details on her name or anything, so it's confidential, but the situation I think is very common. I hear this a lot. She didn't wanna lift weights 'cause she didn't wanna bulk up like a man. Also, she was noticing when she was doing certain exercises like squats or arm ex upper arm exercises that she was having discomfort so she stopped doing them. So I know that's a lot of information in there, but basically let's talk about what kind of exercise do you do need to do for your bones?

Kevin Ellis (27:47):

Yeah, exercise is so important. You can be eating all the right foods, which most of the time people think they're eating. I hear this all the time. People are, I feel like I'm eating healthy, I feel like I'm exercising and I still have this condition. Why is this? Well, you have to provide the proper stimulus that your bones need to become stronger and your bones need a couple different types of stimuli. You need impact and you need muscle pulling on bone. So when the muscle pulls on bone, there's this mechanical signal that sends a chemical signal to tell the bones to become stronger. Most people, like I said, when they get diagnosed, they're told, Hey, do some walking. Don't lift anything heavy and just kind of avoid anything that could potentially cause a fall or fracture. Do.Dot that could actually be some of the worst advice that people get is to not put any stimulus on those bones.

Kevin Ellis (28:33):

And the reason I say that is you have to have weight-bearing exercise and you have to have resistance training and muscle strengthening. So what is weight-bearing exercise weight-bearing exercise is anything where your body and your bones are working against gravity to keep you upright. There are things you're doing on your feet and they're placing a good healthy stress on those bones. So that would be, you're walking, you're jogging, you're hiking, you're gardening, you're playing pickleball, you're running around with the kids and the grandkids out in the yard. All those things are considered weight-bearing exercise. It also would be yoga, Pilates, tai chi, qigong, dancing, even All those things are weight-bearing exercise. If you are doing those things, keep doing 'em and you can incorporate this into your plan. Okay? You have to also be aware of non-weightbearing exercise. And this is where your body and your bones are not working against gravity to keep you upright and they are not placing good healthy stress on your bones.

Kevin Ellis (29:27):

And if one of these activities is your primary form of exercise and the only thing you incorporate, you need to do more, right? So if you're doing swimming or cycling, especially swimming, you need to be aware of this. And swimming specifically, it's not that if you do it and it makes you happy and it brings you joy and you're, you just love getting in the pool and swimming around, that's great. You can keep doing this, but don't get in the pool five days a week, swim a couple laps, get out and say, I did my exercise. 'cause You didn't, you have to provide the stimulus that your bones need. And that would be this next form of exercise, which is muscle strengthening and resistance training exercise. And this is where you're bringing in, maybe it's the barbells, the dumbbells, the the resistance bands, the machines at the gym, if that's where your comfort level is at and you're starting to incorporate some, some really good movements that can be helpful.

Kevin Ellis (30:23):

Now, if you are new to weightlifting or resistance training or muscle strengthening exercise, don't be intimidated by some of the things I'm gonna share because you don't have to start at the highest, most intense level. That's not where we recommend people start. We want you to start at a weight that you're comfortable with, that we can look at your body mechanics that we can get you doing things with good form and slowly build up that intensity from there to where you just know how to do it and you're comfortable, right? So that's where we're doing things like squats or this is, it sounds scary, but it's actually not that scary. Dead lifts, right? Overhead presses. And there are other exercises that we can incorporate there too, but those are some great foundational movements that we can incorporate and we want to build up that intensity. Five to 10 repetition range can be a great, a great range to be in, but you gotta have good form, right? So again, you don't have to start at the most intense place day one. You just gotta slowly build up from there.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (31:18):

Yeah, I, I'm so glad that we're talking about this because I do think that just a lot of women miss it. We really do need the weights, the weightbearing activities and working with weights and it's something that a lot of women aren't familiar with, so they shy away from it. And I just thought it was interesting. The woman earlier said that she started having discomfort and so she just stopped doing it and she just wrote that off, I don't need to do that. It hurts <laugh>. Yeah. So it gave us the opportunity to have a, a conversation about, well, no, it's just like when, when something hurts in your body, you've gotta investigate why. Same with lifting weights. If you're having pain, you probably need to look into why.

Kevin Ellis (31:57):

Exactly. And, and just to give you an example, every single person is different. They're at different fitness and activity levels. They have different conditions, they have different pain in their body. So we actually teach people how to modify things to address this. I know we're gonna share this resource here in a little bit, but we'll teach people how to, you know, if they've got pain in any area, any area of their body, their neck, their shoulders, their back, their hips, their knees, their feet, and they're worried about their bones. We teach modifications, adjustments and tweaks to where you can actually provide the stimulus that you need. Or if people have specific conditions that they're trying to navigate, stenosis, scoliosis, spondylothesis, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc, or you've already had a fracture, we will teach modifications, adjustments, and tweaks to make sure you know how to, how to do those things safely and still provide stimulus that you need. So yeah, a lot of times pain, it can either prevent people from taking action altogether or it can compromise their body mechanics and put them at greater risk of injury. So we just wanna make sure they're doing the right things and they've got the right form as they get into these movements.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (33:00):

Two questions I definitely wanna ask you before we wrap up. And number one is, I know some women are probably thinking, so I'm getting thin bones, it's not that big a deal. But what they don't understand are the consequences they're signing up for or the potential consequences of having thin bones. Can you talk a little bit about that? Because I I, more than anything from this episode, I want everyone to really get the message. You need a, you need to check your bone density now it's vital and you need to do something about it if it's not optimal. So what kind of consequences are we talking about?

Kevin Ellis (33:38):

Yeah, I'm, well, a lot of times the biggest concern is, is fracture, right? So if you have seen anybody later in life, whether it's a mother or grandmother or something like that, I used to work at a retirement home when I was, when I was a lot younger and that was one of the first jobs I had. And I always talk about how that had a dramatic impact on my life because I saw people in their final years and what they looked like and what their quality of life was like, and whether they were hunched over kind of making their way to the dining hall or they, they were just upright chatting, having fun with their friends. And that had a really big impact on me. And the biggest concern that I see people when they come to us is they're concerned about fracture. Because when we have fractures that that's gonna dramatically impact your life, they can be life changing, they can be debilitating six months after a hip fracture, you've only got about 15% of patients can walk across a room unaided every year.

Kevin Ellis (34:26):

We've got about 300,000 hip fracture patients. A quarter of people end up in nursing homes, half of them never regain their previous function. So it's, it's not to, not to scare people because just because you have low bone density doesn't mean you're gonna fracture, right? There are preventative things you can do to build stronger bone to prevent that from even being your fate. A fracture is a possibility and it does happen. So we need to do everything we possibly can to preserve and strengthen this structure that's gonna carry you to an active future. And that's a big part of what we focus on.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (34:55):

Right. And then the other thing I wanted to talk about, we talked about the sex or flex hormones when it comes to bone density, but we didn't touch on cortisol, the stress hormone, which also gets to gut health and bone. And I don't think that a lot of people are a aware of the connection between other hormones like cortisol, which relates to gut health and bone health. Can you talk a little bit about that briefly?

Kevin Ellis (35:21):

Yeah, I certainly can. So there's a major connection, let's even start with the gut health piece too. 'cause Yes, of course stress hormone cortisol that can impact your gut health can increase the, can increase intestinal permeability, leaky gut. But with gut health, there are a couple ways that this can affect your bones. So the first way is kind of what I talked about with celiac disease, the absorption of nutrients and having challenges with, with that, that can cause your body to pull minerals in from the bones and that can, that can lead to bone loss if you have issues with absorption. The other issue when it comes to gut health and bone health is that your bones are living tissue. They're not just these static structures that hold you up right and carry you through life. They do that and they do a really good job of it.

Kevin Ellis (36:04):

But inside your bones you have something called bone marrow. And bone marrow is a soft spongy material. It produces 95% of the blood cells in your body. So if you need help with preventing bleeding and clotting, that's where platelets are gonna come in. If you need help with carrying oxygen to the body's tissues, carrying carbon dioxide away from the tissues back to the lungs, red blood cells are gonna help with that. But if you need help with fighting infections, healing wounds, anything related to the immune system, that's where white blood cells come in. Well, the cells that break down bone are a form of white blood cell. So anything that is stimulating the immune system is speaking in the same language as the cells that break down bone. Where does 70% of your immune system reside in your gut? So if you have digestive issues, especially chronic and long term, it's not just a matter of am I absorbing my nutrients, it's am I stimulating that immune system speaking in the same language as the cells that break down bone and leading to more bone loss.

Kevin Ellis (37:01):

So resolution of those digestive issues is incredibly important. And then if we shift to, if we're talking about the impact of chronic stress and high cortisol on our bones specifically, there are a couple, a couple ways that this can affect our bones. Number one, it can reduce progesterone production and we need progesterone to support healthy bones. The other way is that it actually reduces the ability of the os osteoblasts, the cells that build bone, it reduces their ability to build that bone. And the other thing that we need to be concerned about is high glucocorticoids, these natural steroid hormones, they kill osteocytes, osteocytes are these orchestrators of the bone remodeling process. So we need all of these things to function in a, in a good way. And when we have high stress, elevated cortisol levels or we have cortisol dysregulation, even that can be an issue that comes up.

Kevin Ellis (37:55):

So just be aware that if you have stress in your life, and it may not be, I know we always, we talk about the lion always, but you know, the lion is, is probably not gonna be the, the main stressor in your life. The, it's probably gonna be the, the financial conflict, the family challenges, the keeping up with the perfect lives of the Jones is on social media. Those kinds of things can contribute to and drive that stress response. And you just have to be aware of that and you just need to cultivate a healthy practice around dealing with that stress. And I think if you do that, you you'll be in a really good place at least to start. Yeah,

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (38:31):

For sure. And I love this quote you shared with me before we, we started recording, I have to share with everyone, you don't have to know where each step is placed day one, you just have to know where you want your path to lead. You have certainly given everyone a step for day one when it comes to their bone health journey and let's tell them where it leads. We'll <laugh> we'll have link links in the show notes, but Kevin, tell everyone where they can connect with you online and about this great resource that you have for them to help them continue on their journey. And we'll have the link in the show notes.

Kevin Ellis (39:07):

Absolutely. So you can always find me@bonecoach.com. We got a lot of free resources, stronger bones programs, all that stuff there. And you can always find me on all the social channels too. At Bone Coach or at Bone Coach Kevin, go to Instagram, go to the podcast. Go go. Any of those places you'll find us there. But the best resource I would suggest your audience starts with is if we could leave this in the show notes we kind of talked about, this is my free Stronger Bones Masterclass, comes with a free bone healthy recipes guide. But this masterclass is gonna take anybody who wants to improve their bones, is concerned about their bone health or just wants to have an active future and you want to take care of that structure that's gonna get you there, sign up for this masterclass. It's gonna walk you through step by step. Everything you need to do, it's gonna just gonna walk you through the process we take. We take our clients through step by step by step. It's gonna help you uncover missing pieces in your plan. It's gonna help you get on the right path for stronger bones. And that's the Stronger Bones Masterclass. We'll leave that in the show notes. So check that out, sign up for that. And that's the best resource to get started. Awesome.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (40:07):

Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing this really very important information, Kevin. I really appreciate it. Thanks

Kevin Ellis (40:14):

So much Dr. Ki,

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (40:15):

And thank you for joining me for another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. I know you are inspired to lift up the hood of your bone car and take a look at your bones and see what's going in there. If you haven't had proper testing, please, please, please go and get it and then take action. This is vital. So I look forward to hearing about your bone health journey on social media. You can reach out to me on Instagram or Facebook and share your stories and your progress and what you're learning and we'll have another wonderful

Speaker 2 (40:48):

Episode for you

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (40:49):

Next week. Until then, peace, love, and hormones y'all.

Speaker 2 (40:54):

Thank you so much for listening. I know that incredible vitality occurs for women over 40 when we learn to speak hormone and balance these vital regulators to create the health and the life that we deserve. If you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you give me a review and subscribe. It really does help this podcast out so much. You can visit the hormone prescription.com where we have some free gifts for you, and you can sign up to have a hormone evaluation with me on the podcast to gain clarity into your personal situation. Until next time, remember, take small steps each day to balance your hormones and watch the wonderful changes in your health that begin to unfold for you. Talk to you soon.

 

► Get access to Kevin Ellis's Stronger Bones Masterclass: Discover The 3-Step Blueprint Osteoporosis "Thrivers" Use To Help Build Strong Bones So They Can Stop Fearing Fracture & Lead Active Lives plus Get a Free Recipe Guide! - CLICK HERE.

 

► Are you tired of feeling like you're losing control at midlife? Weight gain, low energy, and a decrease in sex drive are all too common. But it doesn't have to be that way.

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► Feeling tired? Can't seem to lose weight, no matter how hard you try?

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We offer advanced hormone testing and treatment from Board Certified Practitioners, so you can feel confident that you're getting the best possible care. Plus, our convenient online consultation process makes it easy to get started.

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Christine’s Journey Out Of Hormonal Poverty: From Metabolic Mayhem Hopelessness To Success At Midlife

Welcome to another inspiring episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast! This week, we dive into the captivating journey of Christine, a remarkable woman who transformed her life from the depths of hormonal poverty and metabolic chaos to a thriving midlife success story.

Episode Highlights

• Christine's Personal Journey: Listen as Christine candidly shares her struggles with hormonal imbalance and metabolic mayhem, painting a vivid picture of her life before finding hope and healing.
• Turning Points: Discover the pivotal moments that changed the trajectory of Christine’s health journey, leading her from hopelessness to empowerment.
• Overcoming Obstacles: Gain insight into the strategies Christine employed to combat metabolic mayhem and rise above her challenges.
• Benefits of Working with The Host: Hear firsthand about the transformative benefits Christine experienced through her work with our host, including practical advice and tailored strategies that made all the difference.
• Inspiration for Midlife Women: Learn how Christine’s story can inspire you to take control of your hormonal health and find success in midlife.

Christine’s Story: From Hopelessness to Triumph

In this episode, we delve into Christine’s personal account of facing seemingly insurmountable hormonal struggles. Like many women at midlife, she found herself navigating the confusing and often discouraging world of metabolic issues and hormonal imbalances. But Christine's story doesn't end there. Through perseverance and expert guidance, she discovered a path to reclaim her health and vitality.

Christine shared invaluable practical advice and strategies for women dealing with similar challenges. Whether it's dietary adjustments, lifestyle changes, or understanding the nuances of hormonal balance, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you on your journey.

Christine provides an insider's view of what it's like to work with our podcast host. She breaks down the process at a granular level, explaining the philosophy behind the approach and why it works when other methods might fail. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the information overload on Dr. Google, Christine's story will resonate deeply. She highlights how the expert knowledge and personalized care she received made all the difference.

Christine's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and expert guidance. Her transformation from hopelessness to success is not just a story—it's a beacon of hope for every woman at midlife feeling demoralized by hormonal and metabolic struggles.

Don't miss out on this inspiring episode! Tune in now to hear Christine's incredible journey and join our Hormone Balance Bliss Challenge today. Together, let's embark on a path to reclaiming our health and vitality.

---

Stay tuned and stay inspired, and remember: you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. With the right support and knowledge, you too can achieve hormonal balance and midlife success.

Happy listening!

---

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (00:00):

Thank you so much, Dr. Karen. I truly, I cannot thank you enough. You have not only transformed my life, but you have saved my life in so many different ways and given me a life that I want to have.

Speaker 2 (00:15):

That's what Christine a had to say about working with me. Stay tuned for more details about her experience.

Speaker 3 (00:23):

So the big question is, how do women over 40 like us, keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself Again. As an OB GYN, I had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue, now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results, and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kieran Dunton. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Speaker 2 (01:16):

Hi everybody. Thank you so much for joining me for another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kieran. I'm so glad that you're here because you're gonna get to hear a client, Christine, share her experience of working with me. We've got the Hormone Bliss Challenge launching this week on May 23rd. I only do it live a couple times a year. So you definitely don't wanna miss this, especially if you've thought about working with me and you've been wondering what's it like, what am I gonna get out of it? And really wanna understand my philosophy and how I've gone about helping thousands of women's women get out of midlife metabolic mayhem and hormonal poverty and into hormonal prosperity. Because if you're a woman over 40, most likely, you are experiencing many of these 60 plus symptoms of midlife metabolic mayhem to varying degrees. And it's interfering with you living your life the way that you want to, frankly, the way that you deserve to.

Speaker 2 (02:19):

You deserve to be healthy, vital, alive at every single age. There's no reason really, that you shouldn't feel as good as at 80 as you did at 20. And if you think that's laughable, then you don't know what I know, and you need to definitely come because I'm gonna teach you how to do that and this program. So Christine is a client who has worked with me, and she can give you the insider's view of what that's like, what benefits she's gotten from it, and help you understand a little bit more about the nuts and boats at a granular level that are involved with the philosophy that I share and why it gets results when other things don't. I know you might be feeling a little demoralized because if you're like most women at midlife, you've been going down the Dr. Google route and trying to figure it out by yourself, which I don't doubt that you could given enough time and energy to try to figure it out, but it might take you the 30 years that I've spent as a board certified OB GYN, completing my fellowship in anti-aging, metabolic and functional medicine, treating thousands of patients to have the knowledge and expertise.

Speaker 2 (03:32):

So, hit the easy button button and listen to the episode and you'll find out how you can get on the fast train to where you wanna go with your health and your life. Please help and help me welcome Christine to the show. So how are you doing?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (03:48):

I am feeling so much better. My mood is stabilized. I am like, I am not girl. All the time. I am. I have enough energy that I'm actually starting to, I'm working out now in the mornings when I get up, I'm sleeping better at night. It is, yeah, it is <laugh> like it's, it's like I'm getting to a whole new me and I love it. It's a great journey and I cannot thank you enough, honestly.

Speaker 2 (04:14):

Oh, my pleasure.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (04:16):

It's great.

Speaker 2 (04:16):

What kinds of problems were you dealing with that made you seek out help outside of mainstream medicine? What kind of health problems?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (04:25):

I was experiencing a lot of feeling very tired, feeling beyond tired, lethargic, low energy, not feeling like myself, feeling very angry and on edge all the time. My hair was thinning. I was putting on weight, excessive body hair, facial hair, and feeling very frustrated, quite honestly, through mainstream medicine. I went to a, I had listened to one of your podcasts and I thought I had all this great information, and I went to my gynecologist who came recommended that dealt with women in menopause, was her specialty. And I shared all of this information with her, and she sat there and looked at me and she said, well, you're in your fifties and you have a 6-year-old child. You're you, it's not, you're depressed. You need an antidepressant, and I could, I can run your hormones and I can tell you you're low on estrogen and that doesn't mean anything. You need an antidepressant. And I walked out of there, literally sat in my car and cried, and I listened to another one of your podcasts and had this wonderful opportunity to begin working with you. And everything literally started changing my life around for me working with you.

Speaker 2 (05:35):

Awesome. Oh, thank you. So what have been the most surprising things that you've learned? I'm sorry that you dealt with that at your doctors. Unfortunately, your experience of basically what I call gaslighting is not uncommon, and some women listening probably have experienced that. What has been the most eyeopening to you in the things that you've learned since you've been working in the program?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (06:01):

I think so much everything, honestly, that I have been learning and continue to learn from you. It is, you are this fellowship trained gynecologist who has this wealth of medical knowledge behind you, and you also embrace different medicines from around the world and those philosophies, and you bring them all together and you put the science behind them for what used to be for areas that used to be considered, oh, this is different. Or it's not real because it's, it hasn't been vetted by us medical standards and we can't con you confirm it. And now so much of that we're seeing is being confirmed of, of different types of medicines and, and different approaches that have been for so long. And being able to combine those and really looking at your whole self, not just a piece of you. And you look at the whole woman and every aspect from the medical to the mental to the spiritual, and how do we bring that together and use that to be able to build what it is that women need, quite frankly. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> all women. It's not something that should be overlooked. And I think many times it has been overlooked in modern medicine, especially when it comes to women. The focus that you have brought to it and the work that you do and that you bring the science behind it, I think just brings, brings it to a new level for many people.

Speaker 2 (07:25):

Yeah. Thank you. And I remember meeting you the first time and you've come a long way. And can you share about what's changed for you?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (07:34):

Oh my gosh, everything. I am hitting 55 this summer, and I have a 6-year-old by choice. He was a little medical miracle, and I had always been in really good shape and in really active. And after his birth, like I just started noticing like my energy levels going down. My weight was heavier after birth than be when I was pregnant with my son. And just noticing going, wow, what's going on with me? And like, okay, it's menopause and how do I do and what do I do with this? And just feeling myself, just continuing to go down, becoming more lethargic, becoming more on edge with everything. And after having had the opportunity to work with you and learning from you and following, I have energy again. I'm to the point now where I'm up in the mornings and I'm working out and I'm giving myself that time and that space to be able to not feel guilty about carving out time and making myself a priority, which I think a lot of us forget or feel guilty about if we try to make ourselves a priority because we have to be mom.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (08:36):

We have to be the best at our, our work, and we have to be there for everyone else. And if we take time for ourselves, we feel guilty about it, or that's too selfish. And having learned that, no, it's not selfish, it's a necessity. We have to take care of ourselves and grant ourselves that time. And, and that has truly brought such incredible balance back. My, my children have commented <laugh> about and my 6-year-old mommy, like, I love that you're playing with me more. And, and we're doing more things outside. My daughter's like, yeah, you're not so angry all the time. And she's a teenager, so that says something. Yeah, just saying that says a lot for a 14-year-old to say, wow. And that has just been a huge gift. And even my husband has been very, again, you're back to a more pleasant person than I've seen in a really long time. And we now have time to go out and to do things and to have time together, which is huge. We have not had that in a really long time.

Speaker 2 (09:34):

Yeah. I mean, it's amazing. It's lovely to hear you talk about that because one of the biggest areas that suffers for us when our health suffers is our relationships. And I think that as women, we can really almost be in denial about that truth because people, to be honest, they don't wanna be honest with us and they don't wanna hurt our feelings and say, you know what? You're not showing up as the woman I married or <laugh>. I'm a teenage girl and I don't even wanna be my around my own mom. Right? So they don't say anything and we think that nobody really notices, but I promise you, isn't it like the elephant in the room and then when you get better, everyone says, oh my gosh, you're you're doing so much better. I love this. And so I like that you highlighted that because I think that, I don't know, it was true for me. And it sounds like it was for you too, that I was in total denial about how I wasn't showing up in my relationships. Like I really would have liked to, and nobody, people were too polite in my life to call me out on it. I wasn't showing up as the best doctor that I could have been when I, my health was tank. I wasn't showing up as the best anything. Don't you think that's true?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (10:46):

A hundred percent agreed. And, and what's really bad is my husband did call me out on it a few times and I lashed out at him. I'm like, what are you talking about? Just, I have all this work and the long hours at work and I, we have two children and we're doing all these things and I had every excuse under the sun as to why it wasn't me per se, because I couldn't, or I wasn't willing at that point to really just stop and take a breath and say, Hey, what's going on with you? Because that meant that if I had to deal with me and take time for myself, then I, in my mind at that point, then I couldn't be there and do what I needed to do for everyone else. And that was being selfish until I met you. <Laugh>. <laugh>

Speaker 2 (11:28):

Changed.

Speaker 2 (11:29):

Yeah. And you mentioned earlier about taking time for yourself. So doing this type of work, it is a time commitment. It's a financial commitment. And I find that's a, a lot of, there are a few reasons why women don't do this, because clearly we're not getting the answers we need at our mainstream doctor's offices. I don't think anyone would argue about that. But then the next is, oh, it's gonna gonna take too much time. Oh, it's gonna take too much money. And then there's the, I don't trust myself to do it. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. So those are kind of the things that keep women stuck. And I made a pact with the universe when I discovered this. I said, I'm gonna use it on myself and then if it works, I'm gonna spend the rest of my life helping other women with this information. And it's not just menopause. 2 million of us go into menopause each year. In the United States alone, there are 50 million of us in menopause, but it's the perimenopause, it's the PCOS, it's all the hormone things. We've had women in our programs in their twenties. So what really tipped your hand that you said, this is the thing for me to get where I wanna be. I'm willing to invest the time, willing to invest the money, and I trust myself and I deserve it. What made you make all those decisions?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (12:45):

Honestly, when I left the gynecologist's office and I saw it in my car and I felt so deflated because I had listened to a series of your podcasts and I went in armed with all this information, I went, this is it. I've got it. And this is this gynecologist who she specializes with women in menopause or perimenopause. I'm like, yes, this is awesome. And being told I was depressing, made an antidepressant, and here's a script <laugh>, I was like, thank you. No, thank you. I said, something has to change because this is not me. I don't want to live like this any longer and I have to figure some things out. Having the support of my husband was huge and tremendous. It was, yeah, you, you need to, he was a hundred percent, yes, you need to figure it out and do what you need to do.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (13:32):

And in terms of investing in myself, I didn't at first see it as investing in myself. I saw it a need to fix myself, for myself to be there for others. And that's where I was when I started with you, Dr. Karen. And you know, in terms of the investment and the money, when you look at the numbers and you crunch it and you crunch the numbers, what you are investing in yourself over the course of a year is less than what we do so much with so many other things going out for dinner. And I'm not saying we shouldn't do those things. We absolutely should. But when you look at what we spend on going out for dinner, going to get a massage, going to the gym, whatever other things we do, when we, you break that cost down, it is a minimal investment.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (14:18):

And honestly, for what you, what the services that you offer for being able to make it affordable, if you break it out over what it costs over the cost of a year, mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. And then with the gains and learning about that, it's, you are worth the investment in yourself. You are worth that time and the balance and being able to find and, and discover, it's not even about rediscovering yourself. It's about discovering who you are at this point in time and where you want to go with yourself and that work, the work that you do and that you, the journey you help so many women on is you honestly taking four or five different disciplines and bringing them into one, if not more than, and you're giving all of this to us to be able to do. And when you break that down over the cost of a year or cost of a lifetime, it's that <laugh>, the financial piece is not, it is not this astronomical amount that is out of reach for women. It really isn't.

Speaker 2 (15:23):

Yeah. And I'm so excited. So you talk about, to take you where you wanna go, so what do you envision for your future? You've got the 6-year-old, the 14-year-old. What do you envision?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (15:36):

Honestly, I am, that is where I'm working through right now. Right? I had a whole vision for myself back in my forties. I made a deal with myself that I was gonna go back and, and work on my doctorate. And I was like, oh, I'm never getting pregnant. It's not help happening. Working with modern medicine. I was like, it's just not happening. So I went back and I was like, okay. I got accepted into a doctoral program and then I found out I was pregnant and I was like, oh, did it all, did both. And started a new job. And in the process of that and said, okay, my goal was I was going to retire at 56 and be able just to enjoy. And now I have a 6-year-old and a 14-year-old. So it's a little different. So for me right now, it's really figuring out I want to do next how I want to evolve everything I've done and worked for and, and what is that next piece?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (16:22):

Not sure yet. And I'm exploring a lot of different avenues and just doing a lot of learning in some different ways and areas to see what it is that I want to continue to do because I'm not ready anymore. Two years ago or a year ago, I was like, oh my gosh, how am I gonna do this? I just wanna be able to retire and just sleep in the mornings and not do anything. And now I have this energy and I'm going, yes. Like what was I thinking? <Laugh>, what is the next step? What do I want to do? And how do I do that? And that's really what I'm focusing on right now.

Speaker 2 (16:55):

Yeah. And I love to hear you say this because I remember where you were and if I had said that to you a while ago, you would've just probably gotten very upset. What do you mean <laugh>? <Laugh>, when our health suffers, the, the, the biggest question, and the Bri biggest problem we have is like, how can I fix myself? How can I survive this? We're not, we let go of our dreams. And I know there's somebody listening right now who's identifying nodding her head saying, oh yeah, I remember I used to have dreams, but I don't even have them anymore. Because today my dream is like, how am I gonna make it through the day without two double espressos and then sleep the whole night? And how am I gonna keep my marriage alive when I don't ever wanna have sex? And how am I going to, you fill in the blank. And I love that the questions have changed for you and they've become expansive instead of contracting, they're expansive. Like, oh, and you have, now I see this and here the energy and vitality to basically do whatever you want, which is awesome.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (18:01):

Thank you for that. And it's honestly, I would not be here right now if it weren't for you. Oh,

Speaker 2 (18:06):

That is so sweet.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (18:08):

It's the truth. It's the truth. There are so many in all fields that don't truly hear what is being said, let alone listen, but truly hear and have the know and the level of expertise that you do in so many different areas. And the fact that you're also willing to continue on a growth journey professionally, that you're, that you continue to learn and you want to grow. That is incredible. And not many people, quite frankly, in the medical field at this point in their careers, are willing to do that. And that is a huge testament to you.

Speaker 2 (18:47):

Oh, thank you. Yeah. That I do have this lifelong learner in me that's always evolving. And I started my woman shaman training. I'd love to tell you about that. I'm wondering what you would share with a woman who's listening who maybe she's thought about working with me. Believe it or not, there are women, they see me and they hear and they're like, oh my gosh, I need what you have. But there are all these buts that get in the way. Yeah. One woman is coming to my mind who I've actually known personally for, gosh, probably 10 years. And she struggled with her weight and her energy and her health and all these things. And it's like she comes around and she's like, okay, I can't take it anymore. This is the last straw of my health. I'm gonna do the thing. And then she always, her butt gets so big, she doesn't do anything.

Speaker 2 (19:35):

And I'm not talking about her BUT, but her butt, her excuses. And I think the last time I talked with her, she now has fatty liver and pre-diabetes and all kinds of things. And so my job is to help people to reverse these things. And I know what path she's headed down because there is this point of no return. You get down with chronic disease where once you start having anatomic problems, then it becomes very hard to reverse. So anyway, all that to say, what do you say to that woman whose health is really not serving her in being able to live as who she authentically is in this life and express herself? Who's toying with, oh, I know Dr. Kirin can help me, but <laugh> dealing with her buts. And what would you say to her?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (20:24):

I would say there are always a million reasons why not to do something. And you only need the one reason, and that is yourself. And to give yourself the space and grace to take that risk. Because it is very scary to embark on a journey that can change you and help transform you and to help you become the person you want to be. And it's very easy to stay in a path or on a path that is very comfortable because you know where that's headed and you don't wanna head there, but you think that this is it. And I would just say to take that risk on yourself and and to take that chance and just to engage once with you and not look at a whole program or what the work is that I have to do or should do, just walk in and work with you and then go from there for the next part piece and one step at a time and not look at the overwhelming, this is where I wanna be and how am I gonna do that? That's so much work and it's so difficult. And it all these reasons and all those buts, why not? The one reason why is for you yourself

Speaker 2 (21:30):

Because you deserve it. We all do. Really, as you're talking, I'm thinking it's like if you go into first grade and you start obsessing about, oh my gosh, I've gotta make it through eighth grade, then, then I've gotta go through nine through 12 in high school and then I gotta go to college. And you just go, forget it. It's too long. It's too hard. I can't do, right. It's, we wouldn't do that. So you just look at the next step. And we've got the Hormone bliss challenge launching I think this week. And that gives people a real taste of seven days of working with me live one-on-one to see what it's like, and mostly have the ahas that a lot of people don't get. Because I think that, and I'm just wondering for you, is this true A lot of women, although you get that your mainstream HMO $30 copay doctor isn't giving you the whole truth and they're just giving you pill for every ill or a surgery for every symptom.

Speaker 2 (22:21):

Okay, we get it. We're not served there. But then there's so much online and social media, blogs, podcasts, and we're inundated with information. Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>. And if you're struggling, if you're a woman at midlife, you're probably struggling with some aspect of your health. It's just a fact. You're consuming all this information so you think you know the answers, but you don't even realize what you dunno. And so I'm just wondering, 'cause it sounds like it's, you were listening to podcasts and doing all these things that what we're really, you might have already answered this, it sounds like that the ahas were that you need to do all the things. You can't just do one thing. But I don't wanna put words in your mouth. What were the real ahas once you got down to the granular level, nitty gritty, okay, these are the steps you need to take. What were the ahas for you? What was most surprising? I

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (23:14):

Think the aha. There were so many along the there are, and I can't say there were, there are so many along this journey for me, the first, excuse me, the first aha was, again, as I said before, it is you have these expertises in so many different, and I'm saying four or five, and I know it's way more than that. And I'm, I apologize for underestimating that when you are out there and you are listening to different podcasts and you are researching and you are trying to bring all these pieces together, it was from the first podcast <inaudible>. I literally, I had stumbled upon it. It wasn't something I was actively looking for. I was like, oh, let me just give this a try and hearing your story. And I'm sitting there going, yes, that's me. Yes, that's me. And I'm literally checking off almost every single box that you were talking about, and you were so open and honest about your experiences and your journeys.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (24:09):

That immediately caught me. And I was like, okay, here is a doctor who is willing to put herself out there. Let me see what is the next piece. And then listening to the next part of your podcast and, and you talk about everything. And I'm going, okay, we've heard so many and we've learned, and I grew up with parents who immigrated to this country. So different alternative medicines were this thing for us growing up. And it was like, oh, there were those freaky kids. You know, using these herbal type things, what's up with you? You know, so you hide all those things and you kind of push them to the side. And here you are talking about all these different approaches in, in different combinations. And that was like, that was my first aha. Like, oh my goodness, I can unpack some of this.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (24:54):

And here is someone who is an expert in all these different areas. And then it just continued to grow from there. You treat the whole woman. It is not, piece of it is the whole woman. And again, and with our medicine that is such a compartmentalized, we have specialists, everything or people who generalize, but no one who's an expert in. So all the different parts, to be able to look at us as a whole woman and knowing how everything is connected. And again, for me that aha, oh yeah, remember this. And wow, here is someone who can only is not only speaking to that, but is teaching me and helping me understand how all these different parts are connected and how that will help me become the person I want to evolve into in a healthy manner without taking shortcuts, without looking for a fast fix, without, why isn't this working? And being able to do it in a positive manner that will help me continue to build and grow a healthy version of myself that I want to become

Speaker 2 (26:03):

So beautifully said. I guess I was blessed to be in a female body. So I have walked the walk of all of my clients. 'cause I've been in this body for many years, and then really blessed to have had the health challenges that I've had because they've exemplified that midlife metabolic mayhem that I help women with. So I uniquely, I'm intimate with the pain of it and also the pathway out because as a board certified ob, GYN, it wasn't, those tools weren't that, wasn't it? <Laugh>. And so I have sought out tools for to heal myself and then use them with other women and they actually do work. You just gotta pick 'em up and use them. Right? <laugh>, yes, <laugh>. Absolutely. Right. Well, thank you so much Christine, for sharing your experience. It's so great to connect with you. It's been wonderful working with you and with our health. There's always more to unfold and improve. It's a never ending journey. And I look forward to the future improvements you're gonna make, grateful for the ones you've already made and what you're gonna do, how you're gonna spend that extra energy and vitality and joy that you're creating. Thank

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (27:17):

You so much, Dr. Kieran. I truly, I cannot thank you enough. You have not only transformed my life, but you have saved my life in so many different ways and given me a life that I want to have. Thank you. Thank you. Oh,

Speaker 2 (27:34):

So grateful to have been a part of your life and your journey. Christine. Thank you. You're

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (27:38):

Stuck with me. I'm not going anywhere. <Laugh>

Speaker 2 (27:40):

<Laugh>. I know. I feel the same way. So thank you so much. Thanks for doing this. I so much appreciate it and I'll talk to you soon.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (27:50):

All right. My pleasure. Okay, have a great night. Thanks,

Speaker 2 (27:52):

You too. Bye. Thank you so much for joining me and Christine today and for listening to her experience, and hopefully you've gotten insight into what's possible for your health and your life going forward when you decide to say yes to yourself. We'll have the link in the show notes to the Hormone List Challenge if you would like to join us starting May 23rd to find out how we can help you transform your health and your life to where you want it to be, how you can get out of midlife metabolic mayhem caused by hormonal poverty and into hormonal prosperity. Look forward to seeing you live in the challenge starting on Thursday, if that can serve you well. And until next week, we'll be back with another episode. Peace, love, and hormones, y'all.

Speaker 3 (28:42):

Thank you so much for listening. I know that incredible vitality occurs for women over 40 when we learn to speak hormone and balance these vital regulators to create the health and the life that we deserve. If you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you'd give me a review and subscribe. It really does help this podcast out so much. You can visit the hormone prescription.com where we have some free gifts for you, and you can sign up to have a hormone evaluation with me on the podcast to gain clarity into your personal situation. Until next time, remember, take small steps each day to balance your hormones and watch the wonderful changes in your health that begin to unfold for you. Talk to you soon.

 

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Lori’s Journey Out Of Hormonal Poverty: From Metabolic Mayhem Hopelessness To Success At Midlife

🌟 Lori's Leap from Hormonal Poverty to Prosperity 🌟

Welcome to the latest episode of The Hormone Prescription Podcast, where we illuminate the path from struggle to vitality for women at midlife and beyond. Today, we bring you the truly inspirational story of Lori, a midlife warrior who turned her years of metabolic mayhem and hormonal havoc into a narrative of hope, health, and hormone harmony.

The Struggle Is Real

Lori’s saga began like that of many women stepping into midlife. Struggling with symptoms of Midlife Metabolic Mayhem, her days were colored with exhaustion, imbalance, and a silent cry for relief. Despite Lori’s dogged determination to find a solution—traversing through the maze of advice, medications, and regimens—the elusive answer to her woes seemed just out of reach.

The Turning of the Tide

The game-changer for Lori was her serendipitous encounter with the Hormone Balance Bliss Challenge. Like many, she approached it with a mix of skepticism and desperation. Yet, what unfolded over the course of the challenge was nothing short of miraculous.

Bloom into Balance

Not only did Lori achieve that long-sought hormonal equilibrium, but her entire well-being blossomed. Energy returned, clarity replaced confusion, and a renewed zest for life emerged. It’s not just a story of hormonal balance; it’s about rediscovering the fullness of life at midlife.

Key Takeaways and Inspirational Nuggets

• Persistence Pays Off: Lori’s testament to never giving up, even when the night seems darkest, speaks volumes. Your answer might just be around the corner.
• The Power of Personalized Solutions: Lori’s experience underscores the value of tailored approaches in navigating midlife transitions.
• Hormone Balance Bliss Challenge: This beacon of hope stands as a testament to the power of targeted, supportive strategies in reclaiming one’s health.

An Invitation to Share and Support

Inspired by Lori’s story? You’re not alone. We invite you to share your stories, struggles, and successes. Because when one woman blooms, she lights a path for all. Whether you’re deep in the throes of your own hormonal poverty or have found your version of prosperity, your story holds power.

Embark on Your Journey

Midlife mayhem doesn’t define you. If Lori’s story has ignited a spark within you, perhaps it’s time to explore what the Hormone Balance Bliss Challenge can do for you.

Remember, it’s not just about surviving; it’s about thriving. And you don’t have to do it alone. Visit us for more information on how you can start your personalized path towards hormone prosperity.

Thank you for tuning in to The Hormone Prescription Podcast. Until next time, may you find your balance, your bliss, and your unique prescription to hormone prosperity.

To connect, learn, or find support, reach out. Your story is just beginning.

 

Dr. Kyrin (00:00):

Lori says about the hormone bliss challenge. I'm just so thankful it has changed my life. Stay tuned to hear a little bit about her story and her journey with the Hormone Bliss Challenge, which is coming up starting May 23rd.

Dr. Kyrin (00:15):

So the big question is, how do women over 40 like us, keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself again. As an O-B-G-Y-N, I had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue, now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kyrin Dunston. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Dr. Kyrin (01:09):

Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. Thank you so much for joining me today as we talk with one of my clients, Lori, who is a woman at Midlife who was really struggling with her health. Maybe you can relate those 60 plus symptoms of midlife metabolic mayhem. She had been just so many different providers. I tried so many different programs and treatments and therapies. She says shares in the episode about the symptoms that were just accumulating, kind of like ants and really had gotten to a very hopeless and helpless place trying to search for answers online 'cause her doctors weren't helping her and trying these different. So-Called one-Shot Wonders She'll Share. You'll get to hear all the details of her journey and how she finally found success when she joined our Hormone Bliss challenge, which is launching again on May 23rd.

Dr. Kyrin (02:06):

I only do it live a couple times a year, so you're definitely gonna wanna join us if Lori's experience speaks to you. If you're a woman at midlife who really feels lost and hopeless to correct your weight, your energy <laugh>, your sex drive, your hair loss, your male pattern, hair growth, right, getting a mustache, your memory problems, your concentration problems, your mood problems, irritability, depression, anxiety, the list of symptoms that women start experiencing, usually by the time they hit 40, definitely by the time they hit 50, and sometimes even in their thirties and twenties, is long. The symptoms of midlife, metabolic mayhem is what I call it. And it's not just about your sex hormones. You might be surprised to learn that it's about so much more and we touch on more about what it's about in this episode. So I hope you'll enjoy listening to Lori's story because this could be your story going from feeling lost and confused and hopeless to being successful and hopeful and knowing that you too have received all the tools that you need to get out of midlife metabolic mayhem and to experience the vitality and joy that you deserve.

Dr. Kyrin (03:28):

So without further ado, let's welcome Lori to the show. And Lori, start by telling us a little bit about what you were struggling with that brought you to the challenge.

Lori (03:41):

I have always, it feels like always had symptoms from fatigue. I didn't have the weight gain until recently, late fifties before I started the weight gain. But I've had the insomnia at times. I've had the fatigue during the day. Lots of times I would drive an hour and I'd have to pull over and take a nap, just fatigue. But thinking a lot of times that it was being a mom working full time, just being busy all the time. And then you get to the stage where, okay, now I'm retired, now my kids are gone and I'm still having those symptoms. And then you blame it on allergies. But I had some issues that I had to go to my gynecologist and have checkups every sometimes six months. And I love her. She's fantastic. But she even admits I don't know anything about hormones. And I knew that was part of the key.

Lori (04:45):

I thought it was the whole key because it seems like friends of mine who have, once you have one symptom, like you don't just have one, you have them all <laugh>. And so all of my, the ones that have migraines, we also have this and we also have that and like, what is it? And so I had tried many things. I've researched many things, avid reader, always trying new things. But I think until I participated in the hormone challenge and you explained the why behind a lot of things, I thought I knew the why, but really digging in and getting the why and you have such a fabulous way of not overwhelming and making it so technical that that we don't understand and it just goes over our head. You give analogies and make it in a way that even I can understand that has no science background.

Lori (05:40):

Mm-Hmm <affirmative>. And those things have been sticking with me. And I think the other big part was I am more of a type A just do it, cross it off your list, done that and understanding all of the energetics about it, the why, the connecting, the how does our experiences in life, either our stress, our past stress, our current stress, how we handle things that how of, how all of that affects our health as well. And of course there's a connection. You always hear stress causes, but those were things for people that are older. And then now you're older <laugh> and you're like, okay, this is gonna be me, this is me. And the symptoms just keep, seem to keep adding. And I so appreciate understanding that why and working with it. And I think one of the biggest things too is you can change.

Lori (06:41):

I think a lot of it felt like, well that stress that's external, there's nothing I can do about it, but I can. And you've given me so many ways to change and deal with it and to feel empowered that I can, it's not about taking a pill. It is about lifestyle changes and how impactful those are, as well as maybe supplements and hormones and things that will help along the way. But deep breathing, some of the evening relaxation audios, those have helped so much. And I've, I'm still a list person and I'm probably always gonna be a list person, but I don't let the list drive me like it used to. I used to almost be in a panic until I could start working on my to-do list. And I'm really trying to enjoy life more and I know that it's helping my health as well. So I am. That's awesome. I am so thankful that I started this journey with you and I'm trying to, I think I had done a summit years ago with you, and so I just really connected with you and your way of teaching and sharing and empowering. And so I've always followed you and all of a sudden one day I saw the Hormone Bliss Challenge and I said, I have got to do that. So I'm just so thankful that I have, it's changed my life.

Dr. Kyrin (08:12):

Yeah. I'm so thankful that you have two because I think a lot of women you mentioned earlier, it's not just one symptom, it's many. And I always say they're like ants. If you see one an at a picnic, there's never just one <laugh>. There's a hundred. And it's like those symptoms, 60 plus symptoms of midlife metabolic mayhem, like I call it that women over 40, sometimes even younger, can start experiencing. And I find I come across so many women who I really appreciate you coming on the podcast to talk about this because so many women are online looking for answers and there's so much that they don't understand that they don't even know. They don't know. And then it makes hard for people to recognize a solution that works when it drops right in front of them and they're likely to poo poo it. Because fortunately, or unfortunately, well I'll say unfortunately, doctors, OBGYNs, internist, family practice docs, brilliant, dedicated, caring, loving people, however they're put through training that into corporate medicine that basically takes them through training on a pill for every ill a surgery for every symptom.

Dr. Kyrin (09:28):

And it's not really about healing the cause of these problems. That's what most of us are getting at our doctor's offices, including me when I went through my forties. And that means there are a lot of people online teaching about women's hormones. Unfortunately, a lot of these people actually don't have the depth and breadth of experience to give a comprehensive solution. So there are a lot of people who say, oh, essential oils, that's the solution for your midlife hormone problems. There are a lot of people who say, oh, you just need this one supplement and this is gonna fix it for you. Oh, you just need to follow this one diet. And are those tools useful? Yes. However, I think that when women don't know even what they don't know and they don't know what they're looking for and they see someone says, I have the answer, they oftentimes fall in the trap that a lot of us fall into is trying that solution and then it, it doesn't work.

Dr. Kyrin (10:29):

And they conclude there is no answer. Right. And that's why I've done the summits that I've done and I think the last one we did, we had a hundred experts on the Stop the Menopause Men Summit, most of whom are board certified medical doctors or other credentialed healthcare practitioners who have the comprehensive information and solution. And that's really what I offer. I've been accused of, Karen, you, you tell people they have to do all the things. And I say, yes, if you wanna feel great in your fifties, sixties, eighties and be as healthy as you can, increase your vitality span, your longevity, your libido, your weight, all those things you really do need to do all the things. If you leave any one thing out, you're never gonna achieve what's possible for you. And I know this is a long commentary on what you said, but you really inspired me. So I'm so grateful to you to come and talk about your experience because I think that women can, sometimes they're inundated with information in their social media and email about balance your hormones this way. And they don't recognize an authentic solution that works when it comes across their path. And so I appreciate you coming and sharing your experience. 'cause You had tried a lot of different things, hadn't you? Over many years. Yes,

Lori (11:48):

A lot. And I think that was specifically one thing I remember you saying is that it rarely is this comprehensive. I still get probably five emails a day on this solution, that solution, and they sound good. And you try and then like you said, it doesn't work or maybe it doesn't work right away. And so then I stop because I don't have that follow through with somebody that can help me say, Nope, you just need a little more time. Or this is another thing, this is another piece to the puzzle. I think I thought too that it was a couple of puzzle pieces and really it's a multitude of puzzle pieces and that's the good thing. And the bad thing, <laugh>, the bad thing is it can start to feel overwhelming sometimes, but that it is important. It isn't gonna be that one or two things that fixes you.

Lori (12:43):

Especially like you said, things that have built up for 30 years. Like it's not just gonna course correct immediately that it takes a while to turn the ship around. And I just so appreciate that expertise that you have in so many areas across the whole body, the whole mind, the whole spiritual aspect because it is all of that. And I have never found any wedding over the past 30, 40 years that can be that conduit together, that knows that can share all of it and guide me in all of the pieces instead of like this piecemeal stuff. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> that I've forever. So I'm just, yeah, I'm just so thankful.

Dr. Kyrin (13:24):

Yeah, we learned through our pain, right? And so it's my weight struggles, my health struggles, my spiritual struggles, all the things that I've had to learn in my path, most of which I learned was not in medical school or even in my residency. Sure, that was the nuts and bolts of it. But working with thousands of women over the past 30 years and my own health, I always say that people shouldn't listen to me because I'm a board certified MD or in fellowship trained in anti-aging, metabolic and functional medicine. But why you really shouldn't listen to me is because I've been where you have been. And I reversed all those problems and navigate, continue to navigate my health journey in positive ways. What are some of the most surprising things that you learned in the challenge that you just would've never not even known, that you didn't know or never guessed would be a part of reversing midlife, metabolic mayhem, preventing disease, increasing longevity? What are the surprising things?

Lori (14:24):

I think one of the biggest things, one I've already mentioned that it is way more than a few pieces. Like it's so complex, it's more complex than I ever imagined, and yet I knew it wasn't easy. So that's been a big piece. The other piece, I always knew eating was important. I thought I was a good eater. I don't snack, I don't eat like candy and a lot of junk food. But really the difference that being careful with foods particularly that cause inflammation. And I didn't understand the inflammation part and how that damages cells, which just sets off this chain reaction of pieces. And it was, even as I got into it was a little harder for me to accept, again, thinking that I ate pretty healthy. But that has really made such a huge difference in how I feel mental health as well as health.

Lori (15:24):

And that's probably one of the biggest pieces. And then I think just how I get in my own way of, even though I have wanted to be healthy for a very long time, like where have I put the roadblocks in? Where have I refused to make changes? And just having that support. It's great for somebody to tell you, oh, this is bad for you, don't eat this. But I think having that support along the way is what's really sort of proven to myself, how valuable that piece is. And we don't get that with mainstream medicine. You go to appointment and then like, do we need a follow up? And even if you have a follow up, they're not talking about these important pieces, it's just what's the next test? What's, how's the pill affecting you and how important those other pieces are. The pills aren't even going to work very well if you still, if it's just covering up the surface and you don't get covering up the symptom and not really getting down at the root cause of what is causing this. Yes.

Dr. Kyrin (16:25):

But something you said made me think this idea that there's one right diet for everyone, it just popped in my head. It's like saying that there's one right kind of music that we should all listen to. We should all listen to acid rock music. That's the right kind of, well, anyone would say that's insane. People have different preferences. Well, just like you emotionally and mentally have different preferences. Your body has different preferences and needs and so diet needs to be very customized. And I think that a lot of people are surprised to find out that it's not only about calories when it comes to diet. We talk about that in the challenge. There are other issues related to the foods you eat that most people are not aware of. And how was it doing the challenge with seven days on Zoom with other women, A lot of women are very hesitant to talk about their health in a public format like that.

Dr. Kyrin (17:20):

And it's funny, when I first started doing group programs in my office, gosh, over 10 years ago, what I realized is in doing this work, women need support, but not just support from me. They need support from each other. And so that's why I started doing groups in my office and then I said, well, I'm not gonna be able to reach all the women who need this help in my office. So I started offering online programs in groups and invariably women are very hesitant to do something online, to do something in a group. Now with the pandemic, I think that's changed. But how was that for you? Were you hesitant to do that? And what was your experience like?

Lori (17:54):

I'm pretty open and I'm pretty open about my symptoms and sharing with people. And because I, I'm amazed at how people can, I had that I feel that way or I tried this and I've always known how helpful that is to share your story with people because I learned so much. So I wasn't quite, I do a lot of work on Zoom for work too, so I wasn't initially worried about that. But then when you do start talking about some of these things, you're, hmm, I do. I really wanna share that to a group. But the group was, so everybody's going through the same thing and it was beautiful to hear some, someone would share something and I would be like, I didn't even know I had that symptom, or I had never thought of that being connected to all of this. Because that's another thing that I learned.

Lori (18:46):

It's like you can have the most remote little symptom and be like, yep, that is because da da da. And it's all connected in like those ants. It's not just a thousand ants around. They're all from the same colony and they all feed off of each other. So I learned so much from other people and you do get to the point where you're just like, if I wanna be better, I just need to be open and I need to be able to share. So when you think about all the programs that really help people, like whether it's Alcoholics Anonymous or whatever, you need that follow up. You need that support. You need to be with other people that are going through the same things. So I just found that I was able to make better connections because I was working with other people.

Dr. Kyrin (19:30):

Yeah, I find that the power of the group, and it's been documented in many white papers and studies over the past decade. I even had a gentleman on my podcast who really does a lot of work with this around the power of the group in increasing healthcare outcomes. And so a lot of programs are using group models now for improvement for diabetes outcomes and all kinds of chronic health problems. So it's not just with me, but I find a lot of people haven't been exposed to it yet. So it can seem a little daunting. And it's funny though, in the courses we've created over the past few years, we, I find that's one of people's favorite aspects of the program is the group. And people have literally found their BFF in my programs, which is really nice and special. So the challenge, I think it sounds like it was pretty eye-opening for you about a lot of things and then you chose to go on and start working with me in my other programs. What really tipped your mind and to making the decision to commit to yourself in that way?

Lori (20:38):

A couple of things. One was the challenge. After the seven days, I was like, oh my gosh, I can't do anything for seven days and make this huge commitment for seven days. And, and then what I did, I found that was the thing I was looking most forward to every day. And I learned so much in seven days that I was like, I can't stop for one thing. I, there's so much more I need to learn. It's that whole, are you consciously incompetent? And I really felt like I was at the point that I needed some guidance specific to me because where I live in rural Iowa, there, there aren't not people like you that I can like just go pick up with. There's just no support like that. And so I felt that, that I needed, that. I had just been recently diagnosed with testing positive for autoimmune disease.

Lori (21:32):

Didn't know what that really meant. Didn't really want to go to the medical field on that 'cause they'll just give you a pill. And I knew that wasn't the answer. I didn't realize it was all related to the hormones and the gut. And that was a surprise for me. And when I found that out, I was like, I have to do this. I am going down the fork in the road is to the left. That's not a good place and I need to go to the right and I don't have that kind of expertise here. And I knew you did. And so you've gotta go with the sure thing. I've spent 30 years trying this and trying that and going here and one thing here. And I just needed to do that. And another thing that you've shared is that we wanna just go to the doctor, get surgery, get a pill, go home.

Lori (22:19):

And I realized that I really had bought into that too. And that not only do I not have, even if it was true, I don't have that option around here, but we do deserve to be healthy. And I have a new grand baby, my first, and I wanna be healthy. I wanna get on the ground and play with her for years. I don't wanna be where I can't take care of her or play with her. And that really was the tipping point for me is I have done for a lot of people, done a lot of work over the years and now it's, I really need to take care of myself and so that I can be there for my family and not just even physically be there, but to be my full self there to be a happy self and not just a person that's in pain and suffering. Yeah. And that it is gonna take time. It is going to take time out of our day. It's gonna take some money, but why have those things if it's not in a healthy, happy way?

Dr. Kyrin (23:24):

Yes. And I'm just thinking as you're talking, remember you sharing and the program and the challenge, and I remember all the women's shares and we have the, the daily worksheets that people submit, which I love reading because I really get to see what people women are struggling with. And it breaks my heart because when I read it, it I see, I know how unnecessary the health suffering is and I know the severity of suffering that it causes. And then something that I ask women to reflect on is if your health challenges continue, all those little ants that are creeping up every day, where are you? What's your life gonna look like in another year, five years, 10 years? What dreams are you going to have to give up on? And so I'm just wondering, if you were still out there looking for answers and trying one-shot solutions that don't work, what would you be afraid are the dreams you would basically have to give up on?

Lori (24:23):

I think for me, I have a lot of like aches and pains, muscle. And so just being is sometimes difficult and painful and you just, all you can do is focus on the pain and I don't wanna be that way. A, you don't wanna be in pain and B, it just ruins everything. And so even, you know, the times I'm with my granddaughter and the times I'm with my family, that is everything to me is just like, it's never completely happy because you're just in all this pain. That was the biggest thing that I wanted to get past is I wanted to just really enjoy my retirement. I've worked hard to get here. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> and I wanted it and not suffer through it.

Dr. Kyrin (25:06):

Right. And yeah, you have the grand baby and your husband. I, I, he is, I love working with women because you teach a woman about her health and then she teaches everyone she loves and that's in her circle. And everybody's health improves. Thank you so much, Laurie, for coming and just sharing your experience. I think it's really valuable for other women to hear women like you who have gone through this experience, sharing your experience so that they can judge, is this something that could help me? And they can see, wow, is she suffering, like I'm suffering? And what benefit has she gotten? And help them make a decision about if the hormone was challenge could be something that could be helpful for them. Any last words you'd like to share with any woman who's considering going to the challenge? Not quite sure, and that's on the fence. What would you tell her?

Lori (26:05):

Well, I think the main thing for me is I've spent a lot of time researching, a lot of time going to doctors, a lot of money on a variety of, whether it's supplements or appointments or tests, and then it always goes away. And you, I never really saw huge benefits and I already see huge benefits in this short amount of time and it will stay with me forever because you teach us how to take care of ourselves. It's not, it's something that I will take with me forever, even though I still have a lot to learn and I am just so thankful. And for someone who has tried and tried to find answers, this finally is an answer and I just can't thank you enough. And I would tell anyone, please do it. If you have any of these symptoms and you want to get better, it is the answer that I've been looking for. And also, I had a doctor appointment this morning and I've lost seven pounds, so, woo. Yes. And I only wanted to lose about 10 or 12, so I'm pretty close to being there, so I'm super excited about that too.

Dr. Kyrin (27:20):

That's amazing. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with you and I so appreciate you sharing your experience on the show. I know there are women out there you're helping right now who are feeling hopeless and lost and don't know where to turn, and they've made so many bad mistakes and wasted so much time and so much money that they're afraid of making another one. And they're just paralyzed with fear, honestly. And so I know you've helped some women today get unstuck and take action on their own behalf. Thank you so much, Lori.

Lori (27:56):

Thank you. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye-Bye.

Dr. Kyrin (28:00):

And thanks for joining us for another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. Hopefully you've gotten some hope here today. Hopefully you've gotten some answers and your understanding that you really need to address all the things. And then I'm gonna teach you about all the things you need to do during the Hormone Blist challenge that starts live on May 23rd. Seven simple days where we go live on Zoom. You'll have one-on-one interaction with me and other women struggling with the same things. And you'll learn the exact steps that I took to get out of midlife metabolic mayhem and to stay out of it for over a decade now and the exact steps that I've taken thousands of other women through. So if that could be of service to you, please use the link in the show notes to find out more and to join us. I look forward to seeing you there. Until next week, peace, love, and hormones, y'all.

Dr. Kyrin (28:56):

Thank you so much for listening. I know that incredible vitality occurs for women over 40 when we learn to speak hormone and balance these vital regulators to create the health and the life that we deserve. If you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you'd give me a review and subscribe. It really does help this podcast out so much. You can visit the hormone prescription.com where we have some free gifts for you, and you can sign up to have a hormone evaluation with me on the podcast to gain clarity into your personal situation. Until next time, remember, take small steps each day to balance your hormones and watch the wonderful changes in your health that begin to unfold for you. Talk to you soon.

 

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Michelle Saudan | Easing The Stored Trauma That's Hurting Your Health

In this enlightening and empowering episode, we're joined by the inspirational Michelle Saudan, a beacon of light in the world of healing arts and the founder of Amanzi Wellbeing. Michelle’s dedication to transforming lives through trauma-informed approaches, coupled with her mastery in sound healing, breathwork, movement, bodywork, and meditation, brings us a conversation that's both healing and revolutionary.

Episode Highlights:

• Michelle opens her heart about her personal and professional voyage into the realms of healing arts. With her story, she illuminates the path for those of us seeking a deeper understanding of our holistic health.
• The spotlight of our discussion shines brightly on the topic of stored trauma—how it's often the unseen force disrupting women's health, especially during the pivotal stage of midlife. From hormonal imbalances to a spectrum of other health concerns, Michelle sheds light on the shadows cast by unaddressed trauma.
• Have you heard of trauma-informed approaches but find yourself mystified by what they entail? Michelle demystifies this term, explaining how such strategies foster a safe environment for healing and liberation from the chains of past hurts.
• Seeking practical wisdom? This episode is laden with tangible tips and strategies. Discover how integrating sound healing, purposeful breathwork, mindful movement, and meditation into your daily life can act as pillars supporting your health and healing voyage.
• We wrap up our conversation with a surge of hope and a call to empowerment. Michelle reminds us that it's within our power to nurture our health, rewrite our stories, and step into a life marked by balance and vitality.

About Michelle Saudan:

Michelle Saudan embodies the essence of holistic healing. Through her groundbreaking work with Amanzi Wellbeing, she has dedicated over a decade to enriching the lives of individuals, especially women navigating the complexities of midlife. Her approach is one that intertwines the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions, offering a roadmap to those eager to heal from trauma and lead a life filled with joy and well-being. Michelle's commitment goes beyond individual healing—she is passionate about fostering community healing, notably through her trauma-informed wellness retreats that spotlight Africa's unique wellness treasures.

In Conclusion:

Dive deep with us into this life-affirming episode as Michelle Saudan helps us uncover the profound impact of stored trauma on our health and guides us through the pathways of healing. Remember, the power to transform our health narratives is within our grasp, and with the right tools and wisdom, we can emerge stronger, healthier, and more vibrant.

Ready to start your healing journey? Join us on The Hormone Prescription Podcast and take the first step towards not just surviving, but thriving. Because your health isn't just about hormones—it's about heart, healing, and harnessing your power.

 

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (00:00):

G Mate is quoted as saying trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you. Trauma affects all of us, and it affects our health. If it stays untended, we'll never achieve the brilliant health that's possible for us at midlife and beyond. Stay tuned as Michelle Sudan shares with you, how to use Compassionate Inquiry and other modalities to help ease the trauma that's hurting your health.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (00:27):

So the big question is, how do women over 40 like us, keep weight off, have great energy, balance our hormones and our moods, feel sexy and confident, and master midlife? If you're like most of us, you are not getting the answers you need and remain confused and pretty hopeless to ever feel like yourself Again. As an OB GYN, I had to discover for myself the truth about what creates a rock solid metabolism, lasting weight loss, and supercharged energy after 40, in order to lose a hundred pounds and fix my fatigue, now I'm on a mission. This podcast is designed to share the natural tools you need for impactful results and to give you clarity on the answers to your midlife metabolism challenges. Join me for tangible, natural strategies to crush the hormone imbalances you are facing and help you get unstuck from the sidelines of life. My name is Dr. Kyrin Dunton. Welcome to the Hormone Prescription Podcast.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (01:20):

Hi everybody, and welcome back to another episode of The Hormone Prescription with Dr. Kyrin. Thanks so much for joining me today as we talk with Michelle Sudan, a beautiful woman I met in Dubai who's going to talk to us about healing the trauma that binds you, that's hurting your health. Whether you know it or not, the majority of us pro, probably pretty much all of us have little T traumas throughout our life. I know we've talked on the podcast and during the Stop the Menopause Madness summits some about this, but we haven't really tackled it in a big way. How do you start to address this in a tolerable way that's compassionate and really helps you to understand how these little overwhelming situations in your childhood and life have affected your health and are affecting your health to this day. So we're gonna talk with Michelle about that.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (02:18):

I met her when I was in Dubai. She's from Zimbabwe. She talks a little bit about her story, which is beautiful, as with many of the healers I met in Dubai. She has a multifaceted skill set and is just a gifted human being. And really I think it's her presence that's more healing than anything. You'll see what I mean when you hear her talk. I think she has a healing frequency that just heals people who are in conversation with her or listening to her. That's been my experience with her and I just had to have her on the show. I had some beautiful experiences with her when I was in Dubai. Looking forward to having more. I think you will love this conversation as we really talk about healing the trauma that's binding you that you might not even be aware of, maybe you are, and how to go about doing that. So I'll tell you a little bit about her and then we'll get started. Michelle Sudan is the founder of AM Manzi Wellbeing and a practitioner of healing arts. She's deeply committed to the transformative powers of trauma-informed approaches, found healing, breath movement, body work, and meditation. She's devoted to supporting and holding space for the healing and wellbeing of our global community via trauma-informed wellness retreats with a focus on expanding awareness of Africa's unique wellness assets. Please help me welcome Michelle Sudan to the show.

Michelle Saudan (03:45):

Thank you, Karen. I'm so happy to be here. It's an honor. Love you energy, and just happy to share.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (03:52):

Mutual. I'm so glad that our past crossed when I was in Dubai and really your energy just spoke to me. You have such a calming presence. There's so much talk about trauma and trauma informed therapy. I think the world is really waking up to how we've collectively been traumatized and how it's affecting our health. I know that's been a part of my journey these past 10 years, and you just had a presence and a way of speaking about these issues that was extremely non-threatening and inclusive and compassionate. And I saw people opening up in response to what you shared in a way I hadn't seen before, and I very much appreciated that. I know I participated in inner child healing meditation that you offered at Eva experience in Dubai that was just beautiful and so many other interactions. I so enjoyed hearing you talk about your grandmother and how she would speak to you and speak to just the culture that you come from, the continent that you come from.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (05:15):

It's steeped in you <laugh> in such a beautiful way. And so I was very excited to share you with my community because I think here in the US we women have been traumatized in ways that we don't even realize. And that was a big thing that happened for me in my year and a half travel outside the US was just seeing that, okay, yes, people have trauma pretty much everywhere, but it's very different in the ways in which, and the support systems and cultural differences in other areas that allow people to have a resiliency that I don't necessarily see here in the us. I mean, first off, the fact that it's talked about openly and collectively and discussed is so foreign to my US experience, particularly in the medical field where this really hasn't so much made it into the mainstream. It is starting to show that people are kind of left with not identifying, oh, this is talking to me, not aware particularly as a woman at midlife struggling with hormonal and other health issues. Oh, this is a part of my hormonal healing. Oh, what tools could I use? So you're left with a lot of women googling on doctor go, trying to find answers, maybe finding some answers, but really not a holistic, nurturing, supportive collective approach. So I'm wondering if you can start by talking a little bit about what brought you to trauma work and trauma healing. Hmm.

Michelle Saudan (07:10):

It's a lovely question. Thank you. Well, Kirin, I started my career as a bodyworker 14, now 14 years ago. And it came up to a point where a lot of my repeat clients would book sessions just to talk. I remember the first client, like it was yesterday, who booked a 90 minutes deep tissue massage. And he sat down and I said, well, you know, it is not first time he knows the protocol, you know, put the bath lay down. But he just sat and he said, no, Michelle, from today onwards, we'll do 15 minutes massage. 75 minutes we are going to talk. It started, and I was so confused because at that time, you know, 22 years old, I, I didn't know that there were such modalities like coaching and counseling and therapy. It doesn't exist in my part of the world in Zimbabwe where I came from.

Michelle Saudan (08:09):

So I started researching and, you know, came upon all these beautiful modalities and discovered that this was something I could, you know, serve my clients with. And then, then it was the topics that they brought as well, you know, topics such as suicide or harmful habits or, you know, depression, anxiety, which I did not know of, but they just opened up. And so I took it as my responsibility and also curiosity to find out more about these deeply rooted concerns that they were speaking to, and so that I could meet them at least halfway. And then that's how it started and it's been a roll on effect. And I remember watching a documentary called The Wisdom of Trauma by who is now one of my teachers, Dr. Gbo Mate, and his approached Compassionate Inquiry. And when I watched that, I just resonated with his teachings and everything that he spoke to in the world of trauma. And I decided to dive deep into somatic somatic healing when it comes to trauma informed practices and just an overall overarching theme when it comes to looking at trauma. And that's, yeah, that, that's the way it's taken me today. The nutshell.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (09:31):

I love that because for so many reasons, the first, well one relates to this quote that you shared with me before we started recording, that I love by a h Almaas, only when compassion is present will people allow themselves to see the truth. I think that's something that I feel from you is from truth, but also peace, truth, inside peace. But the truth to me is peace. And that this man, bless him, <laugh>, he saw the truth of who you were and he didn't believe, oh, she's just a massage therapist. And he saw that truth in the compassion that you offered him, that came through your hands because you weren't counseling him. And he called that out in you. So he loved and respected himself enough to say, oh no, I see who this woman is. And he also saw what he needed. And then to basically stand for that truth, this is what I need.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (10:34):

And so it, it's so beautiful. I do believe that we each have a unique purpose on this planet and a reason for being here. And that part of our health problems are the fact that we haven't recognized or allowed ourselves to know that truth. And particularly in America, we've tried to decide with our minds, oh, what's a good career? How can I make a good living and, and have quote unquote security with a good pension plan and 401k and a home and a car, and all this with our minds. And we haven't listened to our souls to allow us to be called forth from us what our true purpose and calling is. And so I love that story because it says to me, you were attuned and you were listening to what is the universe telling me that I'm here for what I'm good at? And he called that out in you. I just think it's so beautiful. Does that make sense?

Michelle Saudan (11:40):

It does. It's, it's similar to, you know, when you, when you reflect on the quote, what's so beautiful about it, Karen, is that if, if I came to you and I was pouring my soul and bearing everything that I needed help with, I'm gonna seize to see everything and see things as they are and be willing to accept them and see the truth. And not just the story, but the underlying truth of what's really happening to me. For me, if there is judgment, if I'm being seen to be that which is not right in my life, if I'm being seen through a lens of compassion, then I'm gonna be willing to see all the parts of me, the good and the bad. You know, the comfortable and the uncomfortable. So that truth, seeing the truth of what really is present, seeing the truth of the pain that's underneath, you know, whatever addiction, you know, if there's, because underneath the anger that I hold within my body, within my soma, I'm gonna be willing to see it all and listen to it being mirrored back to me when there's compassion present and I'm willing and I'm ready to open that Pandora's box.

Michelle Saudan (12:53):

'Cause when we open that box of healing, so much comes out that sometimes even shocks us. But if there's a compassionate witness or there's that sense of compassion within, then I'm, I'm not gonna be afraid. I'm just gonna be willing to open up that box load, I know what's inside, but I'm gonna be okay with it. 'cause The person in front of me is just mirroring that it's okay. And I think that really embodies what that quote stands for. And thank you for, for reflecting it back. I think it's so important.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (13:27):

Yes. And something that has been really a part of my journey was initially I said, well, I want to work with women and help them with their health. So what's the biggest toolbox, most powerful toolbox I can get to access to help women? And so I said, oh, I'll get my medical doctorate. So I went to medical school and then I practiced that for many years. And then I saw that so many women, despite all the prescriptions I gave them and surgeries, I did hysterectomies, things like that, people were still suffering, particularly at midlife, including myself. And I said, well, we're missing something. Something's not right here. And then I discovered something called functional medicine. So that looked at the physiologic, biochemical causes of disease. So I studied that and that helped me transform my health and the women I was working with. But then after a while I started saying, wait a minute, yes, this works but not for everybody and why is that we're missing something.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (14:31):

And then kind of went on my own healing journey and realized that the things that you help people with is what I was missing. And now I've realized, well this affects all of us, but very much in the US we have this mindset of, if I'm able to have a family and work at my job and be a productive member of society, this doesn't apply to me. Like there's very much this culture of don't talk, don't trust, don't feel like feelings are the enemy <laugh>. And I find in working with women with their health, feelings are everything. And that's really what stops us from doing the things that could help us with our physical health is the feelings that we don't feel, the traumatic history that we don't acknowledge, that we don't talk about. But people spend so much time and energy not talking about it and pretending that everything's okay.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (15:39):

Put some lipstick on, do your hair, you know, what's that song? I got my hair done, dah, dah, everything's fine. Like that to me says American culture. And so a lot of what I spend time with women doing is trying to help them see that no, everything's not fine 'cause you got your hair done and your nails done. And that really avoids talking about the things that are underneath what's causing you to not follow the diet. You know, you should follow, you know, eating things that I say are not in your best interest. <Laugh> doing things that are not in your best interest and your energy provides kind of, I've seen people open up in a way that, well, and I, I must say that in the Middle East where I encountered you in general, people are more open to being aware of these things.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (16:36):

I'm talking about it. And I was amazed to arrive there and find this huge conversation going on in the kind of public that isn't going on in the US particularly. Also, I saw that in South Africa about apartheid and it's very public. And people say to you right away, oh yeah, we talk about this. We have to heal from this as a country. So can you talk a little bit about how people come to realize that this is them? And I'll say one more thing. I know I've said a lot at the retreat that you gave her a treat and you had kind of a conversation with everyone that to my mind was about codependency. But you never said that word <laugh>. And you had people open up in a way that was so beautiful having this conversation in such a gentle way that women were realizing, oh yeah, this is me, but you never came at it. We come from a, in the US from a very top down perspective, oh, this is what the issue is and you need to da, and then people shut down. And no, that's not me. I'm not codependent. Can you talk a little bit about that? That's

Michelle Saudan (17:46):

A great question. It's like when you talk to a child, we have to realize that when people go through trauma, you know, like we all have gone through our own stuff, is that it causes us to put walls up and to protect and defend. That's a normal primal state of being when we're, you know, subjected to external forces that are, are not right, that are not safe for our being. So that when people are trying to heal, the last thing you want to do is, like you said, come from the mind because that's not gonna help anyone. It's what got them there. That's not what's gonna take them out. We need to come from the bottom, you know, and but come right from the heart center, that's what's gonna take them out. So in order to work with, with the trauma or to work with any of these circumstances that got people into the limiting states that they're in, then we can't be pointing fingers, for lack of a better word, it's gotta be different.

Michelle Saudan (18:51):

So that defenses are lowered and then we can work, then we have an open field. We don't have, we are not dealing with an army. You know, we are dealing with a peacemaking operation here that's ready to, to make amends and to see how we can fix things. And with regard to people talking about things you had said, you know, in South Africa, you know, people speak South Africa a little bit differently. That, and I love the movement and the energy, you know, that's building up. I can't say the same thing for other parts of Africa. I'm from Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans and South Africans, even though we share the same border is very different. Zimbabweans are still very much, we are very held back. I think we are 10 steps behind, for so many reasons. There's that fear, you know, that we can't speak, you know, after having, without bringing politics into this conversation.

Michelle Saudan (19:51):

But, you know, that has largely played a role, you know, lack of freedom of speech. It was never, never present from the time we won independence. But the South Africans had amazing leadership. Look at Nelson Mandela. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>, you know, that, you know, for them to rely on. But for us, we can't say the same. So it's, we are still stuck in that time zone where people are not so open, at least not yet. And I hope to be one of the people with other sisters and brothers to change that narrative, not just for Zimbabwe, but for the continent as its own. 'cause It's time for us to heal, not just as a country, but just as a people regardless of where we come from. Mm-Hmm.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (20:36):

Yes. And so is your approach something that you came by more innately from your origins and your ancestors? Or is it something that you learned?

Michelle Saudan (20:49):

It is something I would say I learned largely because I grew up in a community where we did not speak and you just had to go and do your job. Just if you had a roof and you had something to eat, whether it was once a day, you, you, you were better off. You just go and you continue because things could be worse. That was the mantra in our homestead. So, but then something happened and I have to thank them. I, I got a youth exchange scholarship at 16 and I went for the first time to the USA and it was such a huge culture shock because we were taught to be quiet, respect the teachers <laugh>. And if we had an opinion, we kept it to ourselves. And when I went to a public school in Santa Barbara, it was very opposite.

Michelle Saudan (21:48):

Children spoke their minds. And so it, it really awoke something in me. I said, wow, you know, I mean, if we had a bit more respect, yes we can do it with some respect, but I loved how the children were just open, you know, they spoke the family. I stayed with them. The girls spoke about, you know, their emotions, how they were feeling openly with the parents. And that wasn't something I grew up with. So when I went back to Africa, it ignited something in me and I said, well, you know, I'd like that to be different, you know, 'cause it was nice, you know, we learned, we spoke our truth. Nothing was held and they were still together even though they spoke opinions. So it was a reflection. And then it was also something I learned because I traveled to so many countries in my time and then said, no, well, I've been extracted from what I've known for so long. I think this is where we are missing. We are missing something here as a people, as a culture. And this is hindering us in so many ways, economically, mentally, physically, socially, emotionally. And this is one of the major missing links, at least from the country I know of. I can't speak to others in the world, but from what I know from experience. So to a long-winded answer to your question, yes, it was learned.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (23:19):

And so what was the evolution? Because yes, there are, people do speak their minds and opinions in the US and there's this whole reservoir of pain that isn't discussed, the feelings underneath. I'm wondering, coming from what you described in your cultural background and then the kind of eye-opening experience in the US, what was the evolution that allowed you to really have this deep presence and ability to sit with people in their pain and feelings? How did that evolve and how did you learn that? Hmm.

Michelle Saudan (23:58):

Yeah. Sitting with the deep pain comes from having gone through a lot of deep pain and adversity yourself. So I've gone through my own deep adversities, not just as an individual, but with my family is a lot of pain we've gone through as a collective. And I think watching when that's being mirrored to you as a child growing up. And you can see maybe we were not able to speak about the emotions, but the physical presence of holding space for people was always there is always part of the culture. You sit, there's no words being said, but we sit with the person and we know what's going on, but we sit and we grieve, we hold that space. So seeing that, but also having felt my family hold me and very much the same way and do the same for them is something you could sit with anything.

Michelle Saudan (25:00):

You know, people came with so many things and my grandmother was a, a nurse by night, but she did traditional African healing in the community, you know, and people were always coming to the home with different things and just sitting, you know, we could, they could be laughing and talking, but you see there was some pain and there'd just be silence, you know, or the body posture, you know, with the rounded shoulders and the heads down and the hands together under the chin as though you really, you know, I I I hear you, I resonate with you. So seeing that it's just been able to, to help me as well, to be able to sit with other people. It's like, no pain is, it is too big for me to be with you. I might not have all the answers to, or, you know, support to help you unpack it, but sitting with you that I can do no matter what. It's,

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (25:58):

That's so beautiful. Just being present with it. And, you know, my experience in the US is that we can't sit with, with uncomfortability. We gotta turn the TV on, eat that, you know, sweet compulsive avoidance of being present to discomfort, hence all the compulsive ways that we medicate our pain that then affect our health. You know, rates of diabetes, <laugh> and pre-diabetes are soaring in the US over consumption of sugar, but also caused by stress, which affects how we process sugar, right? It affects our cortisol stress hormone. And it's interesting to me, a big part of what I help women with is the menopause transition. And it's a huge problem in the US but in other cultures it's not as much. And it's partly because of our lifestyle and the things that we reach for and the stress levels that we have. But it's very hard to get people to see this because in a capitalist culture, people profit off of our poor health and our compulsions. And it's such a part of the culture that we're taught when we're literal, oh, you fell and skinned your knee, have a cookie that'll make you feel better. How would you help someone compassionately lean into looking at the ways that they compulsively avoid their pain and feeling their feelings? Hmm.

Michelle Saudan (27:31):

Yeah. The first one, and I always use this word, is first compassion for yourself where there's no judgment. 'cause What leads us into the, the habits is then now the, you know, finding ways to cope with how bad we feel about ourselves, right? Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>. So it's okay, you know. So first I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll share an acronym that I share with many of my clients and something I use myself. So it's raining. So r stands for just recognize, just recognize what's going on for you. Okay? There's anger within me, there's guilt, or there's shame, or there's deep sadness. So there's grief. Just recognize what's there. And then the next thing is a, is allow, can you allow it to be there? You know, can, can the sadness be there without you trying to change it or whatever it is. And then I am in choir, just get curious, okay, what's really happening for me?

Michelle Saudan (28:31):

You know? And this creates space, you know, it gives you really a lot of space between the stimulus and you know, your reaction or your response. So get curious, okay, well what's happening? You know, what's triggered that? What's brought this on? And then the last part is to nurture yourself. So by the time you get curious and you say, oh, okay, well it was something someone said, okay, that triggered this belief. You know, there's this, there's something, 'cause this is, this is a pattern. Now there's space. You're becoming more conscious. And as Carl Young says, it's, it's until we make the unconscious conscious, it'll drive our lives and we'll call it fate. So here you are being conscious now, you know, by just doing this, you know, recognizing can you allow it to be with no judgment? Can the grief be there without me saying, oh, enough now, or have grieved for too long, I've been too sad, I've been crying for too long, or I haven't cried enough.

Michelle Saudan (29:34):

You know, can there be no evaluation on, on, you know, what's present for us? And then we get curious. And then the last part is nurture. Okay, what do you really need besides the cookie, you know, or the ice cream tub, is it a hug? Do I need to talk to someone? What's underlying? Because if it's, if it's a habit that doesn't serve you, it's okay, but let's look at what it's giving you. So when we look at a cookie, what are we getting? You know, we get dopamine, right? We circuits are wiring and firing. So from that, eating that satisfaction from the sugar. So what is that equivalent to? It's equivalent to a hug, quality touch. Yeah. So can I try that instead? And then it doesn't hurt me internally. So that's how the framework I use, it seems like a long little, long checklist. But when it's more conscious, it's just the way of being as opposed to, to doing. I

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (30:32):

Love that. So rain, recognize our recognize a allow, I was

Michelle Saudan (30:39):

In choir, so this was curiosity. And then n was is nurture,

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (30:46):

Right? And that quote from Carl Young, until we make the unconscious conscious, it will drive our lives and we will call it fate. And so many of the women I work with really have the mindset and attitude that my life is the way it is. I only have this health problem, this hormonal problem. Most of the women who come to me. And I just want you to tell me what supplements I need to take, diet to eat, exercise to do, to get rid of these symptoms. And not really seeing how unconscious patterns are playing a role in their health problems. And for so many of us, it is, I know for me, you know, unconscious patterns of this belief of I wouldn't be doing a good job as a doctor if I wasn't bleeding myself in my giving, right? I had to suffer in my giving.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (31:41):

And then that caused me to overwork and overdue, which then affected my wellbeing and health. But it was such a compulsive, unconscious belief. And now I've kind of transformed that. 'cause I recognized it and it wasn't serving me. So I guess I kind of did this <laugh> rain. I inquired this is serving me, oh, it's hurting me. And then I didn't, couldn't show up my best self and then started to nurture myself and say, no, I, you know, I can only really help other women to nurture themselves when I nurture myself. And so I stopped doing that. And I find that a lot of the women I work with have that similar belief. They give till it hurts. What thoughts would you share about that?

Michelle Saudan (32:32):

My grandmother always used to refer to this. I don't remember the passage, but it was from the Bible and it was about my cup runneth over. And she always used to say, you know, I'm, I'm a nurse, but at the end of the day, you know, my cup has to be four and the extra is what I give you children's, what I give my patients. And that was always something she spoke. And we didn't understand what it meant as an adult, I do now, but when we are giving so much and get into something where we spoke lightly saying compassion fatigue, you know, is giving so much that there is an underlying belief. And that's something that is very old. So it's something we have to look at, you know, within ourselves. It's like, okay, where, where is this coming from?

Michelle Saudan (33:27):

Because it's okay to give, you know, we're all in this line of service. But when it's, there's an, an agenda because it's a, it's attached to something that, that doesn't serve us where we de be depleting ourselves. So there's some work for us to do. 'cause It shouldn't be that way where when it's, when it comes out that way, there's, there's something where it started is so, so my question would be, where did you learn that you had to give so much of yourself that, or you depended or you placed your value on how much you know you gave. So something you learned. So it's, where did you learn that? And can we look at it from a nonjudgmental lens and see what's happening?

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (34:15):

So yes, the compassionate inquiry, and I know that you work with Gabor mate and I wanna share a couple quotes that you also shared with me. One from Gabor, which is, trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you and the other from Tara Brock, whom I love the deepest transformations in our lives come down to something very simple. We learn to respond, not react to what is going on inside us. And very much what I hear you talking about is first becoming aware that something's happening. I think this used to be me and, and so many women I work with, we're not, we don't even, we're not, we don't even recognize these internal thought and feeling processes that are happening. And then we try to shut them down because we don't wanna go there. So we don't allow it. And then we're certainly not inquiring <laugh> because I just need to put my lipstick on and keep it moving. And then we don't really know how to nurture ourselves 'cause we're not in touch with what we're needing and what we're wanting. But this idea of slowing it all down and learning to respond and not knee-jerk reaction, how would you help a woman to start to slow down and to start to respond and not react and really turn towards herself in this way?

Michelle Saudan (35:47):

It's, I think cultivating or having a practice of your own, you know, a mindfulness practice. And what I mean by that, Karen is not, not everyone needs to light a candle and burn incense and have a meditation cushion. You know, it, it, it can sound like making your own pot shrimp soup on a Sunday. And, and that's your moment and taking all the time. If whatever takes you out from the busyness, you know, of your external and really brings you in, then find that and use it as an anchor. If you love trimming your roses, let that be that moment where you say, okay, I'm gonna try and be as present as I can consciously and use this moment to, to really, I'm trimming the roses, but there's also, it gives me space and time just to be with myself, to slow down, you know, walking your dog, brushing your dog or your horses, just whatever it is, just find something that really anchors you.

Michelle Saudan (36:51):

We all have it, but maybe we just haven't consciously realized that, hey, that is my thing, you know, but you just unconsciously drawn to it, but you just didn't know that that is your, you know, your, your silver, your golden key to presence. So finding any practices that really bring you into the present moment to really slow down and anchor you can really make a difference. Because it's in those spare moments where you actually think, you know, well no, that didn't go well. What, what's wrong? You start questioning and give you space to contemplate if you are also ready to go there. Sometimes we can have all the space, but if we are not ready to go there, then all we'll have is just space. But, you know, so I hope that that helps. But just finding one's own way of taking that moment. But like you said, self-awareness is just do I realize that something's wrong and or something needs to be changed? Not wrong, I'll, I'll take back that word, but just something that needs to be changed. And if you just have that realization that no, something needs to change, then you have presence, voila, the rest will unfold.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (38:10):

Yes, presence and awareness. And it leads me to a question that really has been reframed for me recently, and that is, what is self-love to you? How would you describe that to someone? Because we hear so much, oh, love yourself, love yourself. But really what does that mean on an everyday basis? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What, how do you do that?

Michelle Saudan (38:35):

Yeah. self-love. I, I think for me when I have a balance between authenticity and attachment, it means that I'm not stretching myself too thin to save the relationships around me. I'm not, I'm not putting myself on a spit as a sacrifice for the relationships I have. There is an element of me nourishing those relationships, but there's also a balance of me nourishing myself in equilibrium that for me, daily, because I'm in a relationship daily as all of us are, it's a very big thing because your relationships really test you. You know, <laugh> as my young aunt made a joke. She said, well, if you want to get to know your crazy, have relationships or go live on an island, <laugh>,

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (39:30):

You <laugh>.

Michelle Saudan (39:32):

So it's so self-love is, in what ways are you choosing you even in the daily mundane things? I think it goes beyond, you know, spoiling yourself with a beautiful breakfast and a spa day or meditation treat at a center. But it's just how are you choosing you every day and how are you holding yourself accountable? 'cause It's also gotta be self-Love is also that element of allowing yourself to see your own growing edge, because then there's evolution, you know, that is also self-love. Not just in the ways we give space for, for ourselves, but it's also in recognizing, no, you know, this is where I contributed to this conflict or, you know, I, I wasn't my best here. You know, I could have done better, I could have responded better. That I feel, oh, I believe is also self-love because you are so self-aware and you are growing. So where are you catching yourself to be accountable and responsible for actions that may not have served or hurt somebody else's? Also, self-love, if it makes sense.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (40:44):

Yes. I love that. Balancing authenticity and attachment and how you are choosing you every day and holding and holding yourself accountable. So it's kind of like a responsibility to yourself and to others. And how do you hold both of these gently in both hands together? <Laugh>, that's kind of what I heard. You have a beautiful retreat coming up that I would really like to go to. So I'm gonna see if the universe would like me to go. So I'm setting that intention 'cause it would be my 60th birthday, and I've been wondering what do I want to do for my 60th birthday? And then I saw the retreat you have and I said, oh my gosh, what I love, love that. And I try to live my life by what would I love to have happen? Because in this life I only get one <laugh>. So I try to be guided by that. But do you wanna tell everybody about it in case they might be interested? We'll also have a link to your website that has the details, but tell everyone about it.

Michelle Saudan (41:50):

Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>. Thank you, Karen. Here, this retreat is called the Ancient Walks of Wisdom. And the intention was to, to really hone in on the holistic, forgotten languages of healing on the continent of Africa. But some of the oldest tribes such as the Himba and the Sam, who we know as the, you know, being the guardians of nature, they only take what they need. You know, they move from different ends of their lands with only what they can carry. But when, if I were to move, I speak to myself, I need a whole moving truck. I cannot carry everything in my hands. And it's a reminder for me, and I hope that it would be a reminder for those that come is that we forget to live lightly and not just externally, but internally. And this was the intention. And just to really look at how they live in unison and community with their children.

Michelle Saudan (42:51):

For example, one of the tribes we will visit is a Himba tribe. And the woman does not put the child on the ground unless he wants to, to walk and run. But she, he, this baby is latched with the mom 24 hours, you know? And eye contact and holding is something that we've lost in modern society. So this was just for us to come back. We are teaching this, we are learning this now by reeducating with modern studies and trauma, somatic healing. But when we look at it is something we already did in all our tribes, wherever we come from. So this is just to reconnect us, what has always been, but we've just forgotten. And this is what this retreat will embody. And I have one for local women. 'cause One thing I realized was that some of the retreats I was doing, which I canceled most of, was I didn't see my grandmother in who I was trying to represent.

Michelle Saudan (43:56):

I didn't see my mom or my great-grandmother, and they would have never afforded some of the retreats. And I said, well, I think I need to, to change this. And it gives me so much passion to now do some really low income retreats for just most women. So I'd like most women to be able to come and connect, like what we did at her retreat. I'd like everyone to be able to come because trauma and mental health is how it's seen right now in, in, in Africa is if you've, you know, in a mental health hospital, then that's when you need it. But if you don't do it again, put on the lipstick like you said and carry on. So I'd like to open that up. 'cause Our ancient elders, they did all of this, so they just didn't call it a retreat, but there was that support. So I'd like to bring that back in a way that suits us in the day and age we are living right now. So that's what I have upcoming and I'm really excited to share it and hopefully maybe I will come closer to you in the states and we can do some for, you know, for everyone's. I believe everyone should be able to have this at their fingertips.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (45:13):

Oh, that sounds beautiful and I love your consideration for, for inclusivity at all economic levels. It's something that I struggle with in what I offer because to provide the type of services is rather expensive, and that means that some women are left out. And one of the ways that I can be more inclusive is by providing this podcast free. So I love having guests who come on and really I offer as you have this depth and perspective that they're not encountering every day and, and information and inspiration that they can use for healing. I mean, you sharing the rain technique, I invite everyone who's listening to start using that and just maybe keep it in your mind and the next time something happens that is disturbing or troubling or keeps coming to your mind, maybe just spend some time using that rain process of cognize, recognizing, allowing, inquiring and nurturing. That's a place to start. And I invite everyone listening also to look at, at Michelle's website and the offerings that she has, we'll have the link in the show notes that you can click. I thank you so much for just being who you are and for sharing yourself with us and the world. I think you've been a healing presence for me, and I know everyone listening to this show feels that as well.

Michelle Saudan (46:50):

Oh, thank you, Karen. It's been a joy. Thank you so much. Love to everyone listening and if anything, just remember it didn't start with you. I think we can love ourselves to healing by remembering just that. And yeah, I look forward to seeing you, Karen. If not at the retreat, I see you in Dubai or somewhere where God aligns us. But thank you too for the work you're doing.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (47:15):

Thank you. And you know that what you just said, it didn't start with you. That's a whole other conversation, <laugh>, that we can have. So maybe we'll have that at another date. If you're listening and that intrigues you and you would like us to talk about that, please reach out to me and let me know and we'll see if Michelle might allow us to make that happen. Thank you so much for joining me today. Look forward to hearing your experiences with the rain process, which is really a beautiful process that Michelle has shared with us. Thank you so much. I will see you next week in another episode. Until then, peace, love, and hormones, y'all.

Dr. Kyrin Dunston (47:54):

Thank you so much for listening. I know that incredible vitality occurs for women over 40 when we learn to speak hormones and balance these vital regulators to create the health and the life that we deserve. If you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you'd give me a review and subscribe. It really does help this podcast out so much. You can visit the hormone prescription.com where we have some free gifts for you, and you can sign up to have a hormone evaluation with me on the podcast to gain clarity into your personal situation. Until next time, remember, take small steps each day to balance your hormones and watch the wonderful changes in your health that begin to unfold for you. Talk to you soon.

 

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