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

Step into the world of metabolic health and fasting as we embark on a captivating journey with the renowned Canadian clinical educator, Megan Ramos!

In an era when chronic illness and obesity have become alarmingly prevalent, and dieting has become a lifelong struggle for many, Megan is on a mission to revolutionize our understanding of metabolic health. Known for her expertise in therapeutic fasting and low-carb diets, she co-founded the revolutionary Fasting Method alongside the renowned Dr. Jason Fung and co-authored the bestselling book Life in the Fasting Lane. Now, she returns with her latest work, delving into the untold stories of women and fasting. 

In today’s captivating discussion, Megan and I explore the staggering statistics that reveal a nation plagued by chronic illness and weight issues, where even the average person has tried 126 diets in their lifetime. Megan shares her groundbreaking insights on women and fasting, unveiling the truth behind misdiagnoses, the myths surrounding intermittent fasting, the role of macros and insulin secretion, and the profound impact of the pandemic on our hormones, sleep, and stress levels. 

Prepare yourself for a thought-provoking episode as we tackle pressing questions from listeners, covering the dawn effect, gout, insomnia, and invaluable strategies for achieving fasting success!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:


My journey with PCOS


Why does body composition matter so much?


PCOS, the number one endocrine disorder in Westernized countries


Common myths about intermittent fasting


The fertility aspect of postmenopausal women


The slippery slope of perimenopause


Is fasting just an extreme form of calorie restriction?


The impact of sleep and stress on glucose and insulin levels


How to integrate intermittent fasting into your lifestyle


Magnesium supplementation for insulin resistance


How to deal with gout

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


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


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause supplement line

Connect with Megan Ramos


⁠The Fasting Method⁠


Find Megan on social media @Megan J. Ramos


Purchase a copy of⁠ ⁠⁠Life in the Fasting Lane⁠ 


Purchase a copy of⁠ ⁠⁠The Essential Guide to Intermittent Fasting For Women⁠

Previous Episodes Featuring Megan


⁠Ep. 116 – Using Intermittent Fasting to Reverse Chronic Illnesses – with Megan Ramos⁠


⁠Ep. 188 – Troubleshooting Your Fasting Method with Megan Ramos

Today, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Karan Rajan, a gastroenterologist, author, and one of the most prominent health and science creators on social media, with a large and engaged social media following.

In our discussion today, we delve into the evolution of fiber, exploring it as a previously overlooked micronutrient, and discussing its chemistry, biology, and the roles of fiber polyphenols, prebiotics, and GLP-1s. We look at satiety and various hormones, and Dr. Rajan shares his take on the increase we’re seeing in colorectal cancer. He also clarifies why colonoscopies are safe screening modalities, how women's guts change in midlife, and various other topics, including poop, the Goldilocks effect, the estrobolome, polypharmacy, microplastics, estrogen dominance, medical myopia, and the gut-brain axis.

Join us for today’s incredibly informative and information-packed podcast with Dr. Karan Rajan.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:


Why is fiber so important?


How fiber fuels the microbiome


Some examples of high-fiber foods


How fiber and polyphenols support microbial and hormonal balance


How fiber supports our endogenous GLP-1 ecosystem


Why colonoscopy risks are often misunderstood


How perimenopause alters gut motility and appetite


What constipation really means 


How lifestyle factors like sleep, exercise, sunlight, and medications shape the microbiome


Dr. Rajan debunks some common social media misconceptions surrounding the gut-brain axis.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


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


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Karan Rajan


On the Loam website


 Instagram and YouTube


On other social media: @drkaranrajan

We have another short-form, live YouTube episode today, where I dive into questions from listeners.

Recently, the most frequently asked questions have been about cholesterol, likely because I often reference my podcast series with Dr. Tom Dayspring, a renowned lipidologist and menopause expert.

Join me today to clear away some more of the confusion surrounding cholesterol.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:


Why comprehensive lipid testing rather than standard testing is essential, post-menopause


How menopause impacts women’s lipid and triglyceride levels


The roles APO B and Lp(a) play in assessing cardiac risk


How the cardiac risk of women increases as estrogen declines


The cardiac health benefits of monitoring lipids and considering HRT within the first six years of menopause


What research studies reveal about how menopause influences cardiovascular risk

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


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


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Episodes with Dr. Thomas Dayspring:

Episode 336: Lipid Masterclass: An Introduction to Lipids and Cholesterol with Dr. Thomas Dayspring

Episode 344: Lipid Masterclass: A Deep Dive into Our Cardiovascular Needs with Thomas Dayspring

Episode 352: Lipid Masterclass: Apo-B, Labs and Women's Heart Health with Thomas Dayspring

Episode 495: Are You At Risk for Dementia? – The Most Overlooked Cholesterol Marker You Need to Know with Dr. Thomas Dayspring

I am honored to connect with Dr. Neil Nathan today. Dr. Nathan has been practicing medicine for over 50 years. He is board-certified in family medicine and pain management, a founding diplomat of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine, and a founding member of the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness. He is also a published author and has recently released an updated and expanded version of his book, Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness.

In our discussion, we explore various complex medical illnesses and the effects of mold, chronic inflammation, immunosenescence, and genetics on the immune system, vagus nerve, and limbic system. We discuss mold exposure and colonization, and what that means for midlife women, along with MCAS, Lyme disease, and mast cell degranulation, and we examine Epstein-Barr as a symptom rather than a primary driver. We also cover limbic and vagal retraining, and Dr. Nathan shares his systematic approach to supporting the adrenal glands and to detoxification efforts in treatment.

This episode with the renowned Dr. Neil Nathan is like a mini masterclass on complex medical illnesses. I found his book super-informative and probably the most systematic source I’ve ever read on mold, Lyme, and complex medical problems.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How our current medical system fails to support complex patients

• How limited appointment times prevent root-cause investigation

• What mold colonization means and why its location in the body matters

• Why leaving a moldy environment does not always resolve symptoms

• How Epstein-Barr often signals immune dysfunction rather than causing it

• Why limbic retraining is essential in today’s world

• Dr. Nathan shares his systematic approach to adrenal support 

• Practical steps to support liver, gut, kidney, and lymphatic detoxification

• Why addressing mold and Candida must precede SIBO treatment

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


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


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause supplement line

Connect with Dr. Neil Nathan

On his website

I am excited to connect with Dr. Lara Briden today! She is one of my favorite naturopathic doctors and the author of the bestselling books Period Repair Manual and Hormone Repair Manual. She has 25 years of experience in women's health, and she currently has consulting rooms in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she treats women with PCOS, PMS, endometriosis, perimenopause, and many other hormone- and period-related health problems.

Dr. Briden is a wealth of information! She brings a fresh perspective and a positive voice to the health and wellness space, and I often recommend her book, Hormone Repair Manual, to my clients and patients. 

Today, she and I dive into her background as an evolutionary biologist and discuss how she became passionate about supporting and advocating for women throughout their lives. We talk about perspectives on aging, what the second puberty (perimenopause) is, and the impact of histamine, mass-cell granulation, and estrogen. We discuss fat redistribution in middle age and the loss of insulin sensitivity. We speak about how using alcohol impacts brain health, sleep, the gut microbiome, appetite, cravings, and hinders estrogen metabolism. We also touch on ways to address dysfunctional uterine bleeding in middle age, explain how to advocate for your health, how middle age impacts the nervous system, and the role of inflammatory foods, including dairy. 

I hope you enjoy our discussion as much as I did! Stay tuned for more!

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:


Dr. Briden discusses her background as an evolutionary biologist and how she changed her career to become an advocate for women’s health.


Many women fear the aging process. Dr. Briden and I discuss women’s mindsets and perspectives on aging. 


Why is there so little awareness about perimenopause?


Dr. Briden defines menopause and discusses the timeframe in which some women experience perimenopause symptoms.


How can ongoing hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause, or second puberty, increase the likelihood of women having issues with a histamine response?


Dr. Briden talks about fat redistribution in middle age and explains why women need to stay on top of it from a metabolic perspective.


How can our modern-day lifestyle make the metabolic shift women experience in menopause even more challenging?


Dr. Briden talks about natural treatments and hormone therapies to lighten the flow of the extremely heavy periods that some women experience during perimenopause.


Dr. Briden discusses the connection between cow dairy and an inflammatory reaction in some people.


Women need to understand what happens in their bodies when they have either a partial or a full hysterectomy.


Dr. Briden talks about estrogen and brain health.


How does alcohol affect the body?


What are the best options with the fewest side effects for hormone therapy for women?

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow


Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn


Check out Cynthia’s website


Submit your questions to [email protected]


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


Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!


Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book


The Midlife Pause supplement line

Connect with Dr. Lara Briden


On her ⁠website⁠  


⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, and Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/LaraBriden⁠ 


Dr. Briden’s ⁠blog⁠ 


Dr. Briden’s ⁠podcast⁠

Books mentioned:

⁠Period Repair Manual ⁠(for women in their 20s and 30s) by Dr. Lara Briden

⁠Hormone Repair Manual⁠ (for women of 40-plus) by Dr. Lara Briden

Free ⁠download⁠ of the first two chapters of both Dr. Lara Briden’s books

⁠The XX Brain: The Groundbreaking Science Empowering Women to Maximize Cognitive Health and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease⁠ by Lisa Mosconi, PhD