If you’re a midlife woman, then your bone health should be at the top of your list to check. As we age and transition from peri-menopause, to menopause, to post-menopause, our bone health is at risk, for some more than others. Here’s a stat from the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation: Of the estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, about eight million or 80% are women. Approximately one in two women over age 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. A woman's risk of...

Menopause is not just about gaining weight, having hot flashes, and not sleeping well. It’s also about the decline of our cellular health, which contains these very important organelles called mitochondria. I’ve talked about mitochondria in passing on numerous podcasts, and dedicated a full episode on Urolithin A, a gut metabolite that induces mitophagy, or the cleaning up of our mitochondria, so be sure to check that one out. As we age and start the process of menopause, which includes...

How can we take an ancient practice, modernize it, and use it during a time in a woman’s life when we are vulnerable and want to feel and look our very best? Some women are all in when it comes to taking hormones during the menopause transition, while others want a more holistic approach. How about combining the two? Is it possible? I have the perfect guest joining me today to break down what Ayurvedic medicine is and how it can fit into our modern society's need to feel and look great,...

In Parts 1 and 2, Dr. Savage and I dove deep into the early detection and prevention of chronic disease states. If you have not listened to those episodes yet, check out #60 and #62, where you will learn about the importance of discovering your unique health equation and how to support optimal health through labs and other tests. In this podcast, we dive deep into what intervention is, how to apply it in your anti-aging plan, and when to know it's time to intervene with a medical provider....

Chronic disease states start in the gut. Stool testing has been gaining traction to help people reach their health goals by working on their gut health and overall well-being. Stool testing can take a look inside your gut microbiome and identify pathogens, parasites, keystone species, nutrients, genetic material, and more. Clinicians and doctors can utilize this valuable data to continue to prevent disease and turn around health conditions by making lifestyle changes and personalizing...

Inside most of our cells, as well as plants, fungi, and animals, are the mitochondria, or power plants of cells. These little organelles make chemical energy, called ATP, or Adenosine Triphosphate, which is our body’s energy currency. About hair growth, for example, the cells that make up our hair follicles need a lot of energy to grow hair. About our skin cells, if we don’t have healthy mitochondria making enough ATP, we won’t have healthy, youthful-looking skin. This is true for our...

Every day we hear more and more about the importance of gut health and how it relates to all chronic disease states, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Our conventional healthcare system is not well-versed in preventive approaches to overall health, especially when it comes to gut health. More often than not, doctors we see are not asking us about the foods we are eating, or not eating, our level of daily stress, sleep, or exercise routine- all...

Our current healthcare model is set up for sick care and acute care- so if you are already sick with cancer and receiving treatment, or cut your hand with a kitchen knife by accident, our healthcare system is helpful. What it isn’t set up for is preventive care. Lifestyle interventions are your first lines of defense- think about how nutrition, sleep, stress management, and exercise impact your life. Beyond that, what else could you be doing to prevent chronic disease states, such as...

Menopause and fat loss- will they ever be friends? Women are not small men and the art of fat loss for menopausal and post-menopausal women can be challenging. Hormonal changes, especially with a decline in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels during menopause often lead to a slower metabolism, loss of lean muscle mass, increased visceral fat level, decrease in bone mineral density, increased anxiety, poor sleep, and loss of overall strength. Sarcopenia, or muscle wasting, is a...

Longevity refers to how long you can live in a healthy state, void of chronic disease. The big 4 horsemen of chronic disease are Alzheimer’s Disease, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. If you could take the guesswork out and know what your body needed in order to thrive so you could live your most optimal life for as long as possible, would you be up for that? Most people are complacent when it comes to their lifespan, or the length of years they live, regardless of their...

Social determinants of health are nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. Think of healthcare access and quality, economic stability, neighborhood, and built environments, such as parks, community fitness centers, and access to nutritious food. Many of us don’t have to think about these things because we live in well-established communities, have access to multiple grocery stores, and have opportunities to safely exercise at parks, hike on trails, and workout at community gyms....

A new study found that hair loss affects over 52% of women over 50 years old, and 80% of women by the time they are 60 years old. During peri-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause, women's hormones are fluctuating, decline, and causing chronic hair shedding, thinning, and hair loss in many women. During women's midlife years, there are other hormonal changes going on causing weight gain, leading to yo-yo dieting, increased stress, disrupted sleep, and challenges with exercising. Add in...

Many midlife women that I work with, and are friends with, fear getting breast cancer more than heart disease. The focus on cardiovascular health is often not listed on my client’s health history form as an area of concern. Did you know that heart disease is the #1 cause of death for both women and men? Over 60M women in the U.S. live with some form of heart disease. While there are many unique risk factors for women developing heart disease, which we are going to cover in this episode, one...

Micronutrients are the nutrients our body needs in lesser amounts to grow and develop. These include vitamins and minerals, and our body cannot manufacture these, so we must obtain them thru diet and supplementation. There are water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, macrominerals, and trace minerals. One of the best ways to look inside your cell to see what your nutrient status is is by taking a micronutrient test. This test tells you if your cells are stable, borderline deficient, or...

Metabolic flexibility is the body’s ability to utilize different sources of fuel for energy - either glucose and fat, stored body fat or fuel from food. Most people are fueled by glucose because of their poor diet, especially the Standard American Diet. As we age, metabolism also slows down. Our mitochondria decrease in both quality and quantity, affecting our ability to produce energy within the cell. Signs that one is metabolically inflexible are weight gain, cravings between meals, and...

Welcome back to another Women's Health Ask Me Anything episode on the Health Trip podcast. My featured guest is Dr. Carla DiGirolamo, a double Board-Certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist who specializes in the care of reproductive-age and mid-life women. She is a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner. What really sets her apart, is that she’s also an athlete, fitness trainer, and nutrition coach. How many doctors can you say that...

Midlife is defined as being between the ages of 35-60 yrs old. This is when we start to see and feel changes, and not in the direction we want. Brain fog, forgetting where we left our keys, more trips to get Botox, belly fat, dreaded hair thinning, chronic fatigue, horrible sleep, and, sadly, low to no libido – the list goes on and on. As we age, the doors to chronic disease open up: heart disease, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and cancer all become real possibilities for most of us. I’m all...

Today I am focusing on osteoporosis and midlife women. It’s called the “silent disease” because you can’t feel your bones getting weaker. The National Osteoporosis Foundation offers these facts: -1 in 2 women will break a bone due to osteoporosis after the age of 50. -A woman’s risk of fracture is equal to her combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer. -24% of hip fracture patients age 50 and over die in the year following the fracture. -A bone density test is the best way to...

Have you ever wanted to ask your primary care physician, or OBGYN, certain questions about your vagina or sexual health and bailed out? Or asked them questions only to have them tell you it’s in your head or dismiss you altogether? Dr. Kelly Casperson, MD, and I sit down for my first Ask Me Anything episode on women’s health. I collected some fantastic questions from you, my midlife women's community. Let’s dive in and see what going on down there! Dr. Kelly Casperson, MD is a...

PCOS, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, is one of the most common causes of female infertility, affecting 6% to 12% (as many as 5 million) of US women of reproductive age. There’s no known cause of PCOS, but several mechanisms have been linked to this syndrome, such as hormonal imbalance, insulin resistance, and genetics. Women with PCOS can develop serious health issues, especially if they are overweight. Here are some stats from the CDC: • more than half of women with PCOS develop type 2...

In Part 2, I share my ongoing personal journey of hair loss and hair growth. After a year of amazing hair growth, and very little hair shedding, I made one change that triggered a massive shedding, bringing me back to where I was over a year ago. With my oldest son's wedding in six months, i decided to try two newer modalities on the market and am sharing my experience with you. When working with my clients on their hair growth journeys, as well as my own, I work with three buckets:...

Did you know that having regular sex positively influences your overall health and longevity? Studies have shown that both men and women who engage in regular sexual activity have stronger immune systems, reduced anxiety, feel happier, and protect the health of a man's prostate. Sexual activity and orgasms release beneficial chemicals in our body that supports bonding with others and a feeling of self-worth. Regular sex may also support a woman's transition into menopause and beyond by...

If you’re like me and going through menopause, you may have taken notice of some vaginal changes for the worse. As we move through menopause, our hormone levels drop. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are the three dominant sex hormones that matter most when it comes to having hot, pleasurable, juicy sex. Some women cruise through menopause without a hitch, but most women experience adverse physical, emotional, and psychological issues, such as: -loss of self-lubrication -thinning...

The average age of a woman in menopause is 51 but can range between 40-58 years old. We are going to spend a third of our lives in menopause so why not make it as vibrant as possible? There is no need to suffer during perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause when we have options to support us. Perimenopause and menopause may include a variety of symptoms such as hot flashes, brain fog, low libido, anxiety, hair loss, and weight gain. Menopause also opens the door to an increased risk of...

I work with a lot of men and women who want, and need, to lose weight. Some are struggling to lose 50+ pounds, while others can’t seem to shake the last 10 pounds off. As we age, our mitochondria diminish in quantity and quality, leading to a reduction in cellular function. Burning body fat requires optimal cellular function and energy. If you think back to biology class in high school, remember that the mitochondria reside inside our cells and produce ATP, our energy currency, that runs the...