Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

I’m delighted to reconnect with Dr. Philip Ovadia today. He is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon with over 20 years of experience in the operating room and the founder of Ovadia Heart Health, a telemedicine practice focused on preventing and treating metabolic and cardiovascular disease through dietary and lifestyle intervention. He has co-authored two books, including, most recently, Stay Off My Kitchen Table.

Today we discuss key statistics on metabolic health, metabolic health challenges, and lifestyle interventions, including Dr. Ovadia’s three I's (insulin resistance, inflammation, and imaging), optimal lab values, vulnerable populations, and why prevention is key, especially for women and heart disease. We discuss the influence of gut and metabolic health, elimination diets, the reintroduction of food, and the positive influence of AI on medicine. We also cover the impact of GLP-1s and so much more.

Stay tuned for an insightful conversation with Dr. Phil Ovadia on why improving metabolic health is one of the most important steps you can take to prevent cardiovascular disease.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

Why clinicians often fail to recognize the five metabolic syndrome criteria as signs of metabolic disease

Dr. Ovadia introduces his "three I's”, and explains why they deserve far more attention when evaluating cardiovascular disease risk.

How dietary and lifestyle interventions can improve metabolic health, reduce medication use, and help people feel more empowered

Why blood work should always be interpreted as part of the bigger picture rather than focusing on a single value

How metabolic changes during perimenopause and menopause can increase cardiovascular disease risk, and why prevention is particularly important

How gut dysfunction can interfere with nutrient absorption and contribute to ongoing metabolic health challenges

The value of using the carnivore diet as an elimination diet

Dr. Ovadia explains why he is optimistic about AI in medicine

How Dr. Ovadia’s perspective on GLP-1 medications has evolved, and how he now uses low-dose GLP-1s alongside dietary and lifestyle interventions for certain patients

Some simple measures to help you better understand your current metabolic health

Bio: Dr. Philip Ovadia

Conducting over 3,000 heart surgeries taught Dr. Philip Ovadia that good health comes from lifestyle and nutrition, not surgery. Sadly, many of his patients considered their heart attacks “inevitable.”

Having lost 100lbs to overcome lifelong obesity, Dr Ovadia is on a mission to help people stay off his operating table by teaching them how to never need a heart surgeon through his Telehealth practice, Ovadia Heart Health.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Philip Ovadia

On his website

On social media: @ifixhearts

Pre-order a copy of Stay Off My Kitchen Table

Today, we have a sponsored episode featuring One Skin, a super high-value company I’ve worked with over the past two years.

I'm joined today by Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira, one of the CEOs and co-founders of One Skin. Dr. Oliveira holds a PhD in stem cell biology and tissue engineering. She has co-invented five patents and co-authored numerous scientific publications. She and her team are disrupting the outdated anti-aging skincare industry with their cutting-edge research on skin and longevity.

In our conversation, Dr. Reis Oliveira shares her journey from receiving her PhD to co-founding One Skin. We explore the impact of cellular senescence and immunosenescence and how estrogen receptors in the skin change during perimenopause and menopause, increasing the rate of senescent cell accumulation. We discuss skin as a longevity organ and the research behind the OS-01 peptide, including how it supports the microbiome and blood flow, its exceptional results for increasing hair thickness, and how to use this peptide in skin, body, or hair care. We also cover the effects of sun and environmental exposures on skin aging, and Dr. Reis Oliveira discusses her current research on the influence of GLP-1s on stem cells and skin health.

Stay tuned for a truly interesting and insightful conversation on the science of skin, longevity, and the latest research behind One Skin.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

What led Dr. Reis Oliveira and her team to focus on cellular senescence and skin as a longevity organ?

What cellular senescence is, and why it becomes increasingly important during perimenopause and menopause

How maintaining a healthy skin barrier and good hydration helps the skin recover from various stressors

One Skin's research and product development process

How Dr. Reis Oliveira's team measures the epigenetic signature of the skin to determine biological skin age

The importance of supporting the barrier function across the entire body, and not just the face

How stress, hormonal changes, and aging increase senescent cells within hair follicles, and how to support hair density and thickness

Why protecting your skin from UV exposure remains an important part of healthy aging

Investigating whether the OS-01 peptide could help support skin quality in people using GLP-1 medications

How long does it typically take to see results with One Skin face, body, eye, and hair products

Bio: Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira is the CEO and co-founder of One Skin. She holds a Ph.D. in stem cell biology and tissue engineering, is a co-inventor of 5 patents, and a co-author of numerous scientific publications. She relocated from Brazil to Silicon Valley in 2016 to found One Skin, a fast-growing longevity company developing products to promote skin age reversal by targeting a central driver of aging, the accumulation of senescent cells.

Carolina and her team are disrupting the outdated anti-aging skincare industry with their groundbreaking research around skin and longevity.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira

One Skin

On TikTok

Instagram

I am honored to have Dr. Carrie Jones back on the podcast today. She’s a naturopathic physician and hormone expert with over 20 years of clinical experience in women's health and endocrinology.

In today’s conversation, we unpack common social media myths about midlife, the influence of lifestyle choices in perimenopause, the role of cortisol and hormones, and current research on the parasympathetic nervous system. Dr. Jones explains vagal freeze, how our stress response can exacerbate it, and why stress has become so normalized. We also explore the influence of synthetic hormones, thyroid propaganda, immune system function, autoimmunity, lab reference values and ranges, and the timing hypothesis of hormone replacement therapy, and Dr. Jones shares her favorite new supplements.

Stay tuned for another insightful conversation with one of my favorite voices in the hormone space.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

The importance of being thoughtful about information shared on social media regarding perimenopause and menopause

How chronic stress becomes harder to tolerate and can cause an increase in inflammation during perimenopause

Some simple strategies to help you feel safe, connected, and supported, and improve your vagal tone

How actual stress, anticipated stress, and perceived stress all activate the same stress response

How chronic stress affects every system within the body

How certain women can tolerate synthetic hormones very well, while others develop various symptoms

Why basic blood tests and reference ranges are not always optimal for everyone

Factors that could influence thyroid function, and the benefits of a broader thyroid assessment than TSH alone

Dr. Jones explains why she prefers to start hormone therapy early in perimenopause if appropriate

The new supplements Dr. Jones uses to support mood, stress, and sleep

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Carrie Jones

On her website

Instagram

YouTube

Hello Hormones Podcast

I’m excited to welcome Dr. Dave Rabin today. Dr. Rabin is a translational neuroscientist and board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in treatment-resistant PTSD, addiction, vagus nerve activation, and HRV as a biomarker. He is also the author of A Simple Guide to Being Alive, a thoughtful and helpful guide to supporting our health, and one of my favorite books in the last several years.

In this episode, we explore the habitat crisis and why we cannot bully our nervous system into safety. Dr. Rabin explains trauma and support, healing from within, the role of anhedonia, and why the absence of pleasure is a physiologic issue rather than a moral one. We also discuss wonder, awe, and play; the importance of touch, intimacy, eye contact, oxytocin, and co-regulation; the role of psychedelics, medication, and psychotherapy in trauma healing, and how kindness toward ourselves and others can help activate the vagus nerve.

Stay tuned for an insightful discussion on supporting your nervous system, healing from within, and rethinking what it means to be truly alive.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

Why Dr. Rabin believes we are facing a habitat crisis rather than simply a mental health crisis

What happens when you try to bully your nervous system into safety

How the vagus nerve helps shift the body from chronic stress into recovery

Being blamed or unsupported after hardship can reinforce a victim mindset.

Why medicine, technology, practitioners, and other tools should help activate your own healing rather than become something you depend on

Wonder, awe, play, and pleasure may support the body's natural healing response.

How human connection, oxytocin, co-regulation, and shared experiences support nervous system regulation and recovery

How psychedelic-assisted therapy fits into trauma healing

How medication can help stabilize people while healing begins

Why being kind to yourself is an essential part of healing

Bio: Dr. Davis Rabin

Dr. David M. L. Rabin, MD, PhD, is a translational neuroscientist, psychiatrist, entrepreneur & inventor on a mission to cure mental illness. He has been studying the impact of chronic stress in humans for over 20 years, focusing on trauma, addiction, and human performance. Dr. Rabin is a Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, the Chief Medical Officer and co-founder at Apollo Neuroscience, the Executive Director of The Board of Medicine Nonprofit Medical Board, and the Medical Director of The Apollo Clinic. In addition to hosting The Psychedelic Report and Your Brain Explained podcasts, Dr. Rabin regularly serves as an expert for news outlets such as The New York Times, Vogue, CBS News, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, dancing, playing volleyball, sailing, and hiking with his wife, Kathryn, and their son, Sammy.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow

Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

Check out Cynthia’s website.

Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow.

Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.

Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. David Rabin

On his website

On social media: @DrDaveRabin

The Psychedelic Report and Your Brain Explained Podcasts

Dr. Rabin’s book: A Simple Guide to Being Alive

I am happy to connect with Coach Bronson Dant today. He has spent over a decade guiding and training people in health and fitness. He discovered the benefits of a whole-food, animal-based ketogenic diet for optimizing metabolic health and performance, and wrote The Ultimate Ketogenic Fitness Book.

In our discussion today, we dive into the powerful story of Coach Bronson’s pain-to-purpose journey. We explore the value of mindset and look at how age-related changes affect muscle, inflammation, and metabolic flexibility. He shares his three pillars of muscle health related to nutrient density, bioavailability, and satiety, and we examine the importance of sleep, the impact of extremes in exercise, and the value of stress management. We also unravel the complexities of weight-loss resistance, and Coach Bronson discusses his research published in the Journal of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Health Science, sharing his perspective on macros and functional movement in menopausal women.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:


Coach Bronson shares his three pillars for nutrition


The limitations of basing nutrition on calories alone


How the hormone piece impacts effective weight management


How to avoid physical deterioration through fitness and nutrition


Why Coach Bronson advocates for living life to the fullest and dying quickly


How does muscle mass impact metabolic health?


The importance of taking a balanced approach to weight loss


How sleep aids muscle recovery and growth 


Stress management, nutrition, and fitness for overall well-being


How alcohol affects our health and fitness


The benefits of combining functional movement training and proper nutrition for older adults 

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website.


Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com 


Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow. 


Purchase Cynthia’s book, The Menopause Gut.


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Bronson Dant


On his ⁠website⁠ 


⁠YouTube⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠


⁠The Ultimate Ketogenic Fitness Bundle⁠