September 19, 2024 • 57 mins
In this episode, we dive deep into the often misunderstood world of perimenopause with Integrative and Functional Dietician JeJe Noval. JeJe offers clarity, wisdom, and detailed recommendations for navigating this phase of life.
Highlights include:
- Understanding perimenopause: its symptoms and how it differs from menopause
- The role of minerals, particularly zinc and copper, in hormone regulation
- The connection between methylation, genetics, and hormone balance
- Why hormone replacement therapy isn't always the best first option
- The importance of gut health in managing perimenopausal symptoms
- Nutrition strategies for supporting hormonal health
- Exercise recommendations for perimenopausal women
- How stress affects hormonal balance and ways to manage it
JeJe provides insights into a functional approach to perimenopause, emphasizing the importance of addressing root causes rather than just treating symptoms.
Connect with JeJe Noval:
Website: www.jejenoval.com
Instagram: @gut.and.hormone.harmony
Program: Gut and Hormone Harmonizer
Website: www.kellybhaney.com
Email: info@kellybhaney.com
Instagram: @kellybhaney
Facebook: Kelly B Haney Wellness
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome to the Heal and Stay Healed podcast, where
we talk about healing and, moreimportantly, staying healed from
chronic disease and otherailments and issues.
We'll cover all the crazythings about health and life the
good, the bad, the ugly and thehilarious.
My name is Kelly and I'm asurvivor and overcomer of severe
(00:31):
autoimmune disease, and I can'twait to share with you what
I've learned so that you canheal and stay healed too.
Thanks for listening and enjoythe show.
Welcome, friends.
(00:53):
Today we are talking about a hottopic, especially for females
in their mid-30s to late 40s,and that is the topic of
perimenopause.
Right now it seems like thereis a ton of conversation about
this topic going on, but also alot of confusion and
(01:14):
misinformation that is out thererelated to this natural phase
of life, and I know I am notalone in looking for some sound
and solid information and wisdomhere.
So in this episode we arejoined by an exceptionally
qualified guest to guide usthrough the realities, myths,
(01:35):
challenges and strategiessurrounding perimenopause.
Integrative and functionaldietitian Gigi Noval is here to
help us today.
With 31 years of experience asa registered dietitian
nutritionist, gigi holds degreesin nutrition and dietetics, a
master's in clinical nutritionand a PhD in education,
(01:57):
specializing in e-learning.
Currently, she's an assistantprofessor at Loma Linda
University's Department ofNutrition and Dietetics.
Gigi is also certified as anintegrative and functional
nutrition practitioner, agastrointestinal nutritionist
and a menopause coachingspecialist.
Through her telehealth privatepractice, she helps clients
(02:18):
overcome GI and hormone-relatedissues with her signature Gut
and Hormone Harmonizer program.
This information that we arecovering today is not just of
high importance for my femalelisteners.
Hey fellas, understanding thistopic is essential for
supporting the females in yourlife, so please keep listening.
(02:40):
In our conversation, gigibreaks down perimenopause into
digestible bites for us,covering the intricate roles
played by minerals, vitamins,methylation, gut microbiome
balance, gene variations andstress.
She goes deep into hormonereplacement therapy, explaining
why she believes it shouldn't bethe first line of defense in
(03:04):
most cases.
Gigi also addresses thespecific considerations for our
vegetarian and vegan listenersin this age range and for all of
us.
We discuss in great detail hownutrition and lifestyle can make
all the difference in thisstage of life, just as in all
stages of life.
Here we go with the insightfulGigi Noval.
(03:27):
Gigi, welcome, and thank you somuch for being here for what is
sure to be an enlighteningconversation today.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Oh, Kelly, I have been looking forward to having
this conversation with you, so Iam excited to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Before we dive in, I'd like to just very quickly
ask you a question that I loveto ask guests of the podcast,
but also I love to ask people inreal life, because you just
hear the most fascinatingresponses.
Do you have a favorite quote,short poem or music lyric that
has positively influenced youthat you'd be willing to share
(04:08):
with us?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yes, absolutely.
Wherever I am, whether it beteaching in the classroom with
our nutrition and dieteticstudents, or in my concerts or
presentations, I always love toshare Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.
And it says trust the Lord withall your heart.
Lean not in your ownunderstanding, but in all your
(04:32):
ways.
Acknowledge him and he willmake your path straight.
And I eat, breathe that textall the time because life, you
know, some parts are good andthen some parts are frustrating
and scary.
But then when I think aboutthat verse and I remember to
just trust in God and leaveeverything in his hands, then it
(04:56):
helps the moment, it helps thesituation.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Thank you for sharing that, I think.
Thank you for sharing that.
I think it's always so helpful,and when we're really sick or
ill it's extra beneficial tohold on to a faith in something
that is much bigger thanourselves and much greater than
our own very limitedunderstanding about the big
(05:21):
picture and especially whenwe're sick that brings so much
comfort and peace.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Right.
Oh, I absolutely agree.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Okay.
So today we are going to talkabout what I would say is a hot
topic right now, at least in myown peer group, and it's
actually been my most requestedtopic for the podcast.
We're going to talk aboutperimenopause.
Well, I'm sure we'll talk aboutmenopause too, but not
menopause so much asperimenopause.
So you are an integrative andfunctional dietitian.
(05:57):
Can you just explain for uswhat does that mean and what
sets you apart from a moreconventional dietitian?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Oh, I love this question.
This is such a good question.
So I'm going to start off withintegrative.
Integrative means we stilluphold Western medicine
practices.
Okay, parts of it we do.
We're not throwing it all out.
So, when it comes to certainmedications, like for those with
(06:28):
type 1 diabetes, theyabsolutely need insulin from
outside because their pancreasisn't making it.
So, yes, that type of medicine,okay, we honor that.
So it's integrative because italso means that we believe in
other practices, such as massageokay, acupressure, myofascia
(06:57):
release therapy.
So those are the otherpractices that are integrated
with Western medicine practices.
So that's integrated.
And then we have functional,which there's also functional
medicine.
So when I think of functionalmedicine and functional
(07:18):
nutrition, it's really alltogether in one.
So functional is looking at theroot cause.
Why do we have these issueswith perimenopause in the first
place, or with diabetes type 2?
Is it because of theinflammation?
(07:39):
Where did the inflammationbegin?
And so let's work on that, onresolving the root cause,
instead of jumping intomedications right away for
diabetes and then forperimenopause and the issues
that might come along with it orthat come along with it.
Why do we jump right away tomedications?
(08:02):
And when I say medications.
It's hormone replacementtherapy, because it is a
medication, and so what sets meapart is that I like to look at,
in addition to lifestylepractices, what are the
imbalances within our mineralsthat cause these issues to
(08:23):
happen?
What are the imbalances withinour own blood sugars that we can
work on to alleviate some ofthe symptoms that we have?
And looking at root causes forGI concerns, instead of giving
medication right away.
So we like to look at the rootcause, so I like to use all of
(08:46):
the different practices that wehave, because then it brings a
synergistic effect to the tableto help people truly optimize
their health.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I love everything that you just said so much and
talk about setting yourselfapart from the norm and from
what so many of us are used towhen we go to the doctor, which
is kind of the opposite ofeverything you just said, and
that's always been a key part inmy understanding of true
healing.
We're not just slappingband-aids onto things.
(09:23):
We've got to find those rootcauses, and the fact that you
pull from all these differentareas that are available to us
to find those root causes andthen to treat them is really
magnificent, and I am verycurious and excited to hear how
all this applies to this topicof perimenopause.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yes, this applies to this topic of perimenopause.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yes, perimenopause, I think it's safe to say, is kind
of shrouded in mystery for manyof us.
I mentioned in my own peergroup this is a hot topic.
We're starting to hear moreabout it, we're starting to try
to talk to each other about it,we're trying to figure out how
it affects us.
But there's a lot of confusionbecause there is still not a lot
(10:07):
of open conversation aboutmenopause, let alone
perimenopause, and like mosteverything else, there's surely
a lot of misinformation outthere.
I've heard claims, personally,that span all the way from
perimenopause is not a realthing to perimenopause is even
worse than actual menopause.
(10:28):
So please, gigi, bring someclarity here for us.
Is perimenopause a real thingand if so, what is it?
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Okay, this is so important to really clarify
because, yes, so important toreally clarify because, yes,
some other health practitionerswill deny it when it is real.
And if anything, though, I'mglad we're having these
conversations, I'm glad thatyour group, your peers, your
(10:58):
other mothers that you get to dolife with you're talking about
it.
So the curiosity is gettingbetter and better.
But is it real?
Oh, absolutely.
In fact, what we callperimenopause and I'll explain
it a little bit more in a secondbut it can begin for a good
(11:19):
number of women as early as inyour mid-30s, so even 35 years
old.
For me, though, I can pinpointit, and perhaps mine was close
to the mid-40s, and then I hitthe actual menopause at 51.
(11:39):
But I could definitely lookback at my life and say, oh, yes
, that was definitelyperimenopause.
So perimenopause is when, yes,our estrogen levels start to
shift more, more so in thedownward direction, but then it
could still fluctuate up, butmore so in the downward
(12:00):
direction.
Not just estrogen, butprogesterone as well.
Progesterone is working its wayaround, because in
perimenopause, ladies still havetheir periods, but testosterone
can also go down with estrogen.
So here's the thing when theseshifts happen, ladies can
(12:26):
actually start experiencingvasomotor symptoms, such as the
hot flashes, such as nightsweats.
Usually the conversation hasbeen in menopause that you
experience, that it actuallybegins with perimenopause.
So we have the vasomotor typeof symptoms.
Moodiness can also take placefor some people, Maybe they
(12:51):
might feel they're moreirritable or anxious, and
palpitations can be felt.
You might think whoa, how manyprior heart issues and why am I
having these really fastheartbeats?
So there's that For some women,this might be the beginning of
(13:15):
cholesterol levels skyrocketing.
For some it can lead toinsomnia or having disturbed
sleep, and then, for some,fatigue can set in and then for
some, brain fog.
But if we're not doing anythingabout this now, then, yes, bone
(13:37):
health can start leading toosteoporosis at this time, to
osteoporosis at this time, andyeah, so those are the changes
that can happen.
Insulin resistance can starttaking place too at this time
because of the decreasedestrogen, and so I'm going to
(13:59):
leave it there for now with thesymptoms.
That's enough, right, I know.
I mean, I could go on and on,but I will add one more.
There is reflux.
Some women start to have refluxat this time and, yes, it could
also be due to a shift inestrogen and progesterone
(14:28):
estrogen and progesterone.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Wow, it's so eye-opening to hear you list off
these symptoms, which are noteven similar in nature.
We just went all over the placeand something like reflux, for
example.
It would be natural for it tocome to mind.
Like I have a GI issue orsomething like cholesterol.
It's not your natural firstline of thought to say, oh, this
is related to perimenopause.
And then, yeah, everything elseyou mentioned, of course, hot
(14:52):
flashes, night sweats that's theone thing that I feel like our
mothers were willing to talkabout, but I'm sure our mothers
weren't aware, let alone most ofus probably aren't aware.
All the other things that youjust said.
It's very eye-opening to hearand understand just how much our
hormones kind of are the bossof everything.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
It sounds like To a certain degree, which I agree.
So here's the thing.
Typically Western medicine willsay oh well, let's just put you
on hormone replacement therapy.
And I am what's the appropriateword to say?
(15:37):
Well, baffled.
Baffled isn't really the word,but my reaction to certain
studies that have come outrecently saying that, oh,
hormone replacement therapy isnot as bad as we think, Okay,
With the side effects, and okay,good, I'm going to give it that
(16:00):
right.
But why does it have to be thefirst line of defense that many
go to, that many otherpractitioners immediately just
give you as the first choice?
When, from a functional pointof view, let's look at okay, how
did God design us?
(16:20):
When we look at minerals, whenwe look at those imbalances and
when we look at what is theplace of minerals and how
they're connected to ourhormones, then that means we
could do something about gettingour hormones and not
(16:41):
necessarily we can't increasethe amount of estrogen or
progesterone as we continue togo on in life.
But here's the thing even withdecreased estrogen and
progesterone, we can still haveestrogen dominance, meaning the
ratio of the estrogen at lowerlevels is still more than
(17:04):
progesterone.
So this is where the issuesthat I just mentioned actually
stem from, because there arelots of women who have less
estrogen, less progesterone andtestosterone, but they don't
have the hot flashes, they don'thave the night sweats, they
don't have the weight gain.
Oh yeah, that's.
Another symptom that I forgot tomention is weight gain, and so
(17:28):
but how come they don't have itRight and it's like, but they
have less estrogen andprogesterone.
It's the imbalance of estrogento progesterone.
So we could still have that.
Now, here's the thing the sparkplugs of our hormones is our
minerals.
So when it comes to copper,copper works with estrogen.
(17:54):
When it comes to zinc, it workswith progesterone and
testosterone, and so when welook at our zinc to copper ratio
, like on a hair tissue mineralanalysis test, when that is too
high or too low, it is tellingus that we have a dysregulated
(18:17):
copper level.
So I'm going to get a littlenutrition nerdy here on you.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So I'm a huge nutrition nerd myself, so nerd
away.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
That's right, okay, so.
So here's the thing there ismore and more research that is
looking into copperdysregulation, and so, again,
copper works with estrogen.
But what we don't reallyrealize is that copper needs to
be bound.
(18:46):
It needs to be bound to beactive, to be bioactive, and it
needs to be bound to a proteincalled cyralloplasmin.
And if we don't have enoughactive vitamin A, retinol, then
our cyralloplasmin will notbound with the copper, and so we
(19:08):
have a lot of unbound copperfloating through our system,
going to our brain and going toour liver, our kidneys, and it's
causing these other issues thatwe are experiencing in
perimenopause, menopause andpostmenopause.
And so if it's bound, thenwe're fine, it goes to the right
(19:31):
places.
Now, how does this happen?
Well, okay, if there's a lot ofunbound copper, then that means
we might not be taking enoughvitamin A, that is, active
retinol, which is found in eggs,in salmon, in sardines, in
(19:51):
whole fat dairy products.
Now here's the thing If ourmeal pattern, dietary meal
pattern, like vegetarian andvegan, which is naturally low in
zinc, or we're just not eatingenough bioavailable zinc, then
(20:11):
the body will say, oh, zinclevels are low, we are going to
wait till it increases to anormal level.
So liver just hold off, don'trelease more cyralloplasmin.
So then we think about uh-oh,if we don't have enough
cyralloplasmin, what's going tobind with the copper?
(20:33):
And so that's why it's soimportant to eat bioavailable
zinc, which is found mostly.
We can only truly findbioavailable zinc in animal
products.
So if that's off or we're justnot eating enough of zinc, that
can also lead to this copperdysregulation which can lead to
(20:57):
the hot flashes which can leadto the high cholesterol levels
which can lead to the fatigue,all of those symptoms.
All of those symptoms.
It begins with minerals, andthen our other minerals such as
sodium that works with estrogen,potassium that works with
(21:20):
progesterone and testosterone.
But here's the thing when weare just working, working,
working, and we're not managingour stress, then our body will
use up these certain minerals inour cells, throwing them off,
and we need the minerals andvitamins to work as cofactors to
(21:42):
help with our methylationsystem.
So I'll talk about methylationin a second, our methylation
system.
So I'll talk about methylationin a second.
But here's the thing the sparkplugs of our hormones are
minerals, and so that's whatneeds to be addressed first.
(22:04):
So when a practitioner says, oh,don't worry about hormone
replacement therapy because theresearch is so much better.
But then you want to questionwho sponsored, who funded those
hormone replacement therapystudies?
Right, you got to think aboutthat.
And big pharma, big pharma isalways pushing their medications
.
And we have to remember thatperimenopause, menopause and
postmenopause is not a disease.
(22:25):
It's a beautiful transition inlife.
And postmenopause is not adisease.
It's a beautiful transition inlife.
And so when we work at thecellular level, with our
minerals, with our gut community, with our blood sugars, a lot
of times women realize I don'tneed to have hormone replacement
therapy because then thosesymptoms get alleviated.
(22:45):
So Western medicine immediatelysay oh, go ahead and take
hormone replacement therapy whenit is band-aiding or masking
all of these imbalances withinour minerals and our vitamins.
And then the methylation systemthat we are designed with amens
(23:07):
, and then the methylationsystem that we are designed with
.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Can we talk a little bit more about hormone
replacement therapy?
I know you said it's a band-aidRight.
What are the concerns with it?
Because there's a lot of women,I think, who aren't
knowledgeable about everythingyou just said which, by the way,
we hold on to your listener.
We will dig a little deeperinto what exactly needs to be
(23:31):
done, but first I think weshould definitely talk about HRT
.
I spoke to someone not too longago who said I was just so
miserable and what you just saidrecent studies have shown that
it's quote unquote safe.
What are your concerns when itcomes to HRT, and why would it
be your preference that yourclients don't go that route?
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Okay, so well, yeah, it would be my preference that
they try the functional wayfirst and then, after they do
all that and they still don'tfeel good, then okay, let's get
them ready for HRT.
So here's the thing.
Now, if you look at the fineprint of these studies, they do
(24:20):
say that if it's just by itselfand I hope I don't mess this up
but if it's just by itself, theestradiol, then the risk of the
other medical conditions are wayless.
And then I believe that whenthey add the progesterone to it,
(24:42):
that some other concerns canrise or the risk of those can
rise.
So here's my concern is thatwhen women are on estradiol
especially okay, so there arethree different types of
estrogen, but especiallysynthetic it will compete with
(25:07):
copper to get to cyralloplasmin,so it will usually win out over
copper, and so now there's notenough cyralloplasmin to bind
with copper, and so now we havea lot of unbound copper floating
through our system, which canlead to all these other concerns
(25:32):
, medical conditions, later ondown the road.
So causing a copperdysregulation is one of my main
concerns.
And the other concern is thatwhen women take this, they don't
think about addressing theirminerals, vitamins, methylation
(25:52):
system, and so yeah, and it's amedication.
And if we don't need anadditional medication in our
body and I know some medicationsare why should we add this
synthetic form?
Why should we add thissynthetic form?
Speaker 2 (26:07):
I know there's bioidentical hormone replacement
therapy but those also have itsown concerns as well, too.
Okay, thank you for that.
That's very helpful because itis something that has
historically been pushed as whatyou said a first response, as
(26:31):
what you said, a first response,and I think it is very
concerning that this is beingprescribed to how many women out
there without any kind ofconversation about minerals,
without any conversation aboutnutrition and lifestyle factors.
That's a big concern because,as you mentioned, something that
seemingly sounds innocuouscopper dysregulation is not
innocuous and is actually a bigdeal and can lead to some pretty
(26:54):
severe issues, and that issomething that we should know,
right?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yes, yes, absolutely, you nailed it.
And so here's the thing.
Yes, for some women it ishelpful.
Some say, oh, I've gotten mylife back, and okay, that's good
, but you really could havegotten your life back if you
address things from a cellularlevel.
Now, not everybody can eventake on hormone replacement
(27:22):
therapy.
Well, why is that?
So I'm going to try to quicklyexplain methylation.
And some practitioners don'tcheck this before they start the
monohormone replacement therapy, and this needs to be addressed
.
So methylation is when acarboxyl group which consists of
(27:43):
one carbon and three hydrogens,when this is added to DNA, to
genes, and it can turn on andturn off certain genes.
It can turn on and off genes,and it is also methylation is
involved with our detoxificationprocess.
(28:04):
It is involved with our hormoneregulation.
So when women say, oh, I feltworse, or I didn't do well on
hormone replacement therapy, whydid I get worse?
Well, I wish that thepractitioners would check their
methylation process.
And so methylation, once againagain, is when we have these
(28:27):
carboxyl groups one carbon,three hydrogens, they're added
to DNA, it turns on and offgenes, it can help with our
detoxification process, it helpswith our hormone system, our
hormone regulation system, andso if there are any glitches in
(28:49):
the detoxification pathway, andfor some women when they have an
MTHFR gene variation, so that'smethylene tetrahydrofolate
reductase gene variation.
If they have a variation, forthat it can make it very
difficult to break down and getrid of the hormone replacement
(29:14):
therapy going through the system.
It will take so much longer.
It might take longer in thesystem to get out, and so that's
why some women do worse onhormone replacement therapy.
But that's not just the onlyglitch in the methylation system
.
There's vitamin B12.
If we have a gene variation forvitamin B12, then our
(29:37):
methylation system can't workwell.
If we have a gene variation formagnesium or zinc, those are
important cofactors that arehelping the methylation system.
So that's why some women don'tdo well on it.
But then when we work onoptimizing our methylation
(29:57):
system you don't really need anyhormone replacement therapy
because you will feel so muchbetter.
And another thing why some womendon't do well on hormone
replacement therapy is becausetheir gut community is out of
balance and the specificbacteria that is designated to
(30:18):
break down estrogen can be in animbalance.
And when that specific bacteriacalled astrobalone is out of
balance, then this enzyme calledbeta-glucuronidase increases,
and now we have too much of thisenzyme, our own estrogen.
(30:50):
When it goes through the liverit gets broken down through the
detoxification system in phaseone and phase two of the liver.
It deactivates it, it breaksdown the metabolites, just right
, and then it'll make thosemetabolites not as dangerous for
us.
So it says, okay, you are readyto go to phase three of
detoxification in the gut, readyto go out.
(31:10):
But when the gut community isout of balance and there's more
beta-glucuronidase in there,then when it gets to the gut it
will say oh, you know what?
Actually, let's have a party,let's undo what the liver just
did, let's reactivate theestrogen metabolites.
(31:31):
Oh, and why don't werecirculate it back into the
system which leads to theestrogen dominance?
So there are these other areasto look at for both women who
are on hormone replacementtherapy as well as those who
aren't.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Yeah, all right.
So I'm going to go out on aledge here and say that it
sounds like it all starts withour nutrition and our diet.
Is that fair to say if we aretrying to take a natural
approach to perimenopause andmenopause to perimenopause?
Speaker 1 (32:06):
and menopause To a very huge degree.
Yes, yes, a very, very hugedegree.
Because here's the thing.
Other practitioners will say oh, just eat well, have lots of
plant-based food items.
Yes, that's important, but weneed to know specifically what
our nutrigenetics is.
(32:26):
We need to know where ourglitches are, so to speak.
However, even if we are eatingaccording to our mineral needs
and our nutrigenetics, but if weare not managing our stress,
it's going to override whatwe're doing and throw things out
(32:46):
of balance.
And if we're not getting enoughquality sleep, then that will
also throw all these otherthings out of balance, all these
other areas, and if we are notmindfully moving it on a regular
basis.
But then there are some womenwho think oh, exercise is good.
(33:08):
Well, let me run marathons, letme do excessive, high intensity
workouts, like seven days aweek, and we are just regulating
our system.
So you could still be eatingwell for you.
But if we are putting all thisstress on our body and not
taking care of our sleep and notalways being on the go Because
(33:32):
a lot of women are always on thego, always on the go I used to
be that until I realized, ooh,that's dysregulating my
autonomic nervous system whichwill then affect my minerals and
everything else.
So, yes, nutrition is so big,but what are the precursors to
(33:52):
throwing that?
Speaker 2 (33:53):
off.
You touched on something Iwould love to hear more about,
because this is another areawhere I feel like people just
want to throw their hands up inthe air Exercise for a woman
around this age range that we'retalking about.
I've heard the complaints ofwell, they tell me to exercise,
but now they're telling me Iexercise too much or the wrong
(34:13):
way.
What does an ideal exercisesituation look like for best
promoting our health during thisphase of life?
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Yes, during this phase of life, low impact, low
impact for sure.
So walking is great and ifwomen still want to run, just
don't run for miles on end andrun at a comfortable speed.
Why do we have to run so fast,so fast?
(34:51):
Yes, it's nice to get PRs backin the day, I get it.
But when we are doing that formore than an hour, really high,
intense running really fast formore than an hour, that throws
our gut community out of balance.
So joyful movement is best at alower impact.
But then we cannot forgetstrength training, because the
(35:12):
more muscle we have that willalso help us with balancing and
managing our blood sugars themore muscle we have on board.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Absolutely so.
Low impact, cardiovascular andstrength training that's our
sweet spot right now.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Yes, that's absolutely our sweet spot, but I
know some women like the highintensity, so just as long as
it's not really more than Ithink what's best.
More than 30 minutes and maybeup to three times a week.
If they still want that, thenOK.
If we take that away frompeople, it might also feel like
we're withholding oxygen fromsome women.
(35:52):
So, um, but what's really sweetis the low impact yeah, we
touched on gut health.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I said earlier, wow, hormones are really the boss,
but really it's our microbiomethat's the boss or maybe you can
tell me which is the biggerboss, but clearly both are
extremely important.
So that kind of brings us backto I always want to go back to
the nutrition conversation.
We're both nerds, so, yes, yes,yes, we're talking about eating
(36:24):
right to foster this, gettingenough zinc, absorbing enough
zinc and then dealing with thecopper regulation properly.
You mentioned testing for this.
Is this something that weshould be doing if we are having
these symptoms?
Is this something we should dopreemptively?
(36:45):
How does the testing and wheredoes the testing fall in?
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Oh, this is a great question.
You know, I really think,especially when we're having
symptoms, it would be good tohave this hair tissue mineral
analysis test done.
And what happens is that whenyou go close to the nape, to the
scalp, and you get like an inch, a little over an inch, from
(37:11):
the scalp, and you get it atseveral places you just need
about a teaspoon full of that.
That tells us a lot.
It's complementary to bloodwork.
Hair tissue mineral analysisgives us a good picture of what
has been happening for the pastthree months, how we have been
responding to stress, whatminerals we have been burning
(37:32):
through due to stress.
So that is a very importanttest to do, along with blood
work.
I'm not saying it's a one andonly test that you should just
only do, but it tells us a lotbecause a lot of us are very
depleted in our cells of sodium,potassium, zinc, cobalt, and we
(37:56):
need those to help us producestomach acid.
And if we don't have enoughstomach acid, then the food that
we eat, the bacteria that comesin the food that we eat, the
bad bacteria or the undesirablebacteria, can't be killed off
because we don't have enough ofthose particular minerals that
(38:17):
help with stomach acidproduction, so we can get
information like that there.
It could give us clues as todoes this person have a copper
deficiency or sorry, copperdysregulation or not?
Also, calcium and magnesiumthose are involved with our
blood sugar regulation, so thatgives us a clue of where we're
(38:40):
at and it's very important to beable to do.
But yeah, especially whenyou're having symptoms would be
a good time to take it.
But if you want to be superproactive, it does not hurt to
get that before things start tohappen.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
So, when you identify issues through lab tests and
through doing this particulartype of testing with your
patients, is this something thatis addressed purely through
lifestyle?
Are there supplements involved?
How do you go about treatingyour patients?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
So as much as possible, like with calcium,
because calcium a lot of womenus women don't get enough from
the food and the beverages thatwe drink.
So just bringing awareness tothat and having them really work
on increasing their intake ofthat mineral through food and
beverages, that's really thebest route to go and to keep
(39:42):
calcium supplements to a verybare minimum.
So that's one aspect.
Supplements to a very bareminimum so that's one aspect.
But with sodium and potassiumthere are certain electrolyte
mixes that I feel comfortablehaving my patients or my clients
take on a regular basis thatthey could add to water.
They're not all created equal,so I'm always very careful with
(40:04):
the ones that I recommend, andso it's always whole food first
is the route that I prefer totake.
But there are times whensupplements are needed, like if
there is an MTHFR gene variationand women need specifically
methylated B12 or methylatedfolate or both, or just one or
(40:29):
the other.
Then yes, there are times forsupplements.
For sure I am not the type ofpractitioner that, oh, let's do
everything through supplements.
I'm also very cautious.
There is a time and a place forit.
But I'm also cautious not to doit excessively.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Great.
And then you mentioned zinc andhow it's so important to make
sure we're getting the correctamount dietarily, and that's
something that is an animalproduct.
What about vegetarians andvegans?
How should they approach?
Speaker 1 (41:02):
zinc.
That's a good question.
I mean, hopefully, those whoare lacto-ovo-vegetarian can do
eggs a little bit more regularly, and for vegans, it's something
that, yeah, they would have toconsider taking a supplement,
but not for long.
(41:23):
It's not even as bioavailableitself, but then we have to be
very careful with zincsupplements and not take it all
the time, because then it caneasily throw off copper.
So that's a challenge that theywould have to be really on top
of should they stay there.
(41:43):
But I know I have clients inwhich I'm not pushing, telling
them you got to get out of beingvegetarian or vegan, but I see
their struggles and I know whatit's due to, like our brush
border enzymes at the lining ofour GI tract.
In order for that enzyme to beproduced, we really need
(42:05):
bioavailable zinc.
That's just one example, and Isee their GI issues.
It's improving slowly butsurely, but I cannot force them
to say, well, let's reconsider.
So, yes, there are thesupplements, but it's something
that they have to walk verycarefully on, otherwise they can
throw off copper.
(42:25):
But the zinc in our food andwhen we are eating the other
things appropriately, then itbalances it out with the copper.
So what's nice about beingvegetarian and vegan, though, is
that you easily meet your fiberneeds.
In fact, you over-meet yourfiber needs, and so that can be
(42:49):
an issue, because when there'salso a lot of fiber, there's
also a lot of fiber.
There's also a lot of phytatesthese components in plants and
excessive amounts of fiber andphytates can decrease the
absorption of zinc, calcium,iron, selenium, while these
(43:10):
minerals are already low tobegin with in this meal pattern,
and then you have the excessfiber and the excess phytates,
then what are you absorbing, youknow?
So it affects absorption, soit's something for them to think
about.
It's challenging, oh boy.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
Yeah, it is.
It's rare that we, when talkingabout fiber, that there's a
warning that there can actuallybe too much, but that does make
sense.
Just very high level, generallyspeaking, for your average
woman.
I'll use myself I'm about toturn 44 for your average 44 year
old woman, what is your generalhigh level?
(43:50):
This is the diet that youshould be pursuing.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Okay.
So, as you can tell, I'm not ofthe type to say, go vegetarian,
go vegan, but I am a believerin and I can't take credit for
this before I say this I likethat.
So I like to promote a plantforward omnivore meal pattern.
(44:22):
So the base of our meals comefrom plants and it's important
for us to get 30 different plantbased food items per week to
increase the diversity of thegood bacteria in our gut
community.
To increase the diversity ofthe good bacteria in our gut
community, but then to also getthe appropriate, not excessive,
(44:42):
amounts of animal products sothat we get the bioavailable
form of protein, vitamin B12,zinc, all those other nutrients.
So that's what I wouldencourage women to do.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
So not eating the highly processed junk food.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
In addition, yes, I mean when we say not, the human
reaction will make someone wantit more.
So we like to say minimizingthe highly processed foods and
not to be afraid of processedfoods like tofu, like rice.
(45:26):
We can't just eat rice fromwhere it's growing, Otherwise we
won't be able to eat it, so ithas to be processed.
And so, yes, there's process,but it's the highly processed.
And so, yes, there's process,but it's the highly processed.
(46:01):
But occasionally, once in awhile, we're on vacation, we're
at a family event, let's notcarry on this halo of stress
that, oh no, it's a highlyprocessed food.
Oh, it's not good for me whenwe live with that kind of
mindset.
We are adding this extra layerof stress on us and it's not
healthful at all.
It is actually canceling ourmoment of joy with family, with
friends.
But it is best to keep it toonce in a while.
Speaker 2 (46:16):
Perfect.
I couldn't agree more.
I think the diet you justdescribed, in my opinion, is not
just ideal for perimenopause orhormone regulation.
It's ideal for pretty mucheverything.
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Yes, indeed, so true.
And the omnivore is not to beconfused with carnivore.
So some people get that mixedup and a carnivore is just
purely just eating meat productsand hardly touching any
plant-based food items.
So that I do have an issue withbecause when you don't have any
fiber, any of thephytonutrients from the plants,
(46:52):
then we're missing out, gut ismissing out on those benefits,
causing issues.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Yeah, that carnivore diet is a little hard to wrap my
head around.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Yes, I know Same here , for sure.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
Yeah, I actually.
There was a time where I wantedto be strictly plant-based and
I attempted it for a while and Ifelt horrible and my labs
showed deficiencies and mynaturopath reminded me that,
with a very scarred colon, Ihave some absorption issues and
plant protein can be harder toabsorb than animal protein,
(47:28):
which is much more bioavailable.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Right, oh, that was a very wise naturopath you worked
with, so I'm in agreement, forsure, and I'm glad that you
complied accordingly and youalso listened to your body as
well.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
Yeah, it's interesting.
I've experimented a lot.
Those who are familiar with myhealth journey know and that's
the way we learn right we makemistakes and then we correct
those mistakes.
Speaker 1 (47:54):
So true, I have been there too.
And then for me, from 15 to 30,I was vegetarian, left to oval
vegetarian and maybe at timesvegan.
But I definitely see how I setmyself up for a difficult
perimenopause.
I believe it laid thatfoundation for a copper
(48:16):
dysregulation.
And now I see, with the heartbeating fast and just getting
irritable, you know all thatlike oh.
When I look back I'm like, oh,that was perimenopause.
I wish what I know now I knewback then.
So that's why I'm so passionateto share this with my younger
(48:37):
sisters like you, and spreadingthe word, because this
transition can be beautiful, wecan do something about it and it
doesn't have to alwaysnecessarily be menopause
replacement therapy or hormonereplacement therapy.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
Before I let you go.
We've, in passing, mentionedstress several times throughout
this.
What has your professional andyour personal experience taught
you about what are the ways thatwe can manage stress?
Because women in this age range, you know life isn't really
easy.
We've got a lot going on We'vegot kids, We've got older
(49:14):
parents, We've got spouses.
We've got a million activities.
Potentially, some of us not allof us like myself, I try to
limit the activities, but evenstill we're at a challenging
point in life and we're havingto deal with all these other
things that are starting tohappen.
So what do you recommend?
(49:34):
How do we better manage ourstress?
Speaker 1 (49:37):
Okay, but first of all, I do want to start off with
what you're already doing,which I'm so proud of you
cutting back on all theactivities.
Now here's the thing I know askids get older, they have more
friends and they get all theseinvitations to all these
different birthday parties.
What have you?
And I get that.
(49:57):
I understand that that's partof their growing up, but do we
have to go to every singlefriend's birthday party?
Could we say, for every twoyeses, we have one no.
Or every three yeses, have oneno, and balance it out and with
other activities that come on?
(50:19):
Yes, it's nice to be involvedwith church volunteering, but
how much can we be involved withas well, even though that is
important?
Do we over-volunteer?
So we need to look at our dailyand weekly schedules.
Where can we say no, what isabsolutely not needed?
Because the more we're alwayson the go, our autonomic nervous
(50:41):
system is just in sympatheticmode.
So that's the first thing.
And then the second thing is tobe an observer of yourself
throughout the day.
See where in the day you'retight in the neck, the head,
certain parts of your body,check your breath.
(51:02):
Be an observer of yourself andsay, whoa, I'm really tight.
What's making me tight, but letme slow down.
To take at least more is better, but at least three slow, deep
breaths.
More is better, but at leastthree slow, deep breaths.
And if we could do these checksjust for a minute or two
(51:22):
throughout the day, pullourselves out from sympathetic
and get us into parasympathetic,then, even with everything
happening around us, that canstill be helpful in bringing
down those cortisol levels.
And then another thing is to bemindful of how much we're
looking at our phones beforegoing to bed, because we want
(51:45):
the blue light to stay away fromus as much as possible to allow
the melatonin levels to riseappropriately.
And while, yes, it's good toalso watch shows together as a
family, can we cut back on thatand do some creative activities
together where we don't need thescreens, where that could bring
(52:07):
laughter and joy and creativitythat doesn't take a lot of work
to put together?
Like, even for adults, coloringis such a therapeutic activity
that you could do with the kids.
And then, last but certainlynot least, pausing to meditate
(52:28):
on God's word for like a minuteor two, like with the verse that
I love trust in the Lord withall your heart, lean not in your
own understanding.
Just thinking about that,pausing and meditating.
It doesn't have to be longmeditations, but peppering our
day with those deep breaths andpausing for a minute or two
doesn't have to be long.
That can help us manage ourstress daily.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
That's great.
I personally love my coloringbooks.
Awesome, I love hearing that.
Well, I feel like I still havea million questions I want to
ask you.
We could talk about this forhours, but I want to be
respectful of your time, so isthere anything that we didn't
touch on today that you feellike it would be important for
us to know?
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Yes.
So here's the thing we havechoices in life, not that we
didn't talk about this, but Ijust want to emphasize that we
have choices in life.
I'm not saying that peopleshouldn't have hormone
replacement therapy.
If that's the route you take,then just know it does come with
(53:36):
consequences.
We're band-aiding the situationand when those mineral
imbalances, gut imbalances, arenot addressed, it will come to
bite you later on down.
So we have to prioritize thatwhat's important for the
individual.
I don't want people to feel like, oh, we are shaming them or
bashing them for wanting to gothe hormone replacement therapy
(53:56):
route.
We have choices and so that's achoice.
But then there's also anotherwonderful choice that we can
still work on decreasing ourrisk of heart disease and
decreasing our risk ofosteoporosis, bone health, with
all these other aspects that wetalked about, and so there's
that choice too.
(54:16):
So the choice is up to you, butit depends on your own
philosophy.
It depends on which route youfeel is truly best for you.
Yeah, I want women to feel okay.
Yeah, she talked about this way, but I still wanna go this way,
and that's fine.
I still want women to feel goodwith the choice that they make
(54:37):
as they transition, go this wayand that's that's fine.
I still want women to feel goodwith the choice that they make
as they transition into thisjourney Beautifully put.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
Okay, gigi, I want to thank you so very much for
being here.
Your expertise has beenincredibly valuable and I'm sure
our listeners are eager tolearn how they can benefit from
your knowledge.
On a more personal level, inyour private practice, you work
one-on-one with women navigatingthese waters, these tricky
(55:07):
waters of hormone-relatedconcerns, as well as
gastrointestinal gut-relatedissues.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your gut and hormone
harmonizer program and also howcan people reach out to you for
more information?
Speaker 1 (55:22):
Okay, yes, thank you so much.
But first of all, I want to saythank you, kelly, for having me
here with you, because I reallyenjoy talking about this topic
and talking about it with you.
It was very wonderful for me.
So thank you, and I'm proud ofyou for taking charge of your
health and being an excellentexample to so many women that
(55:44):
you can overcome battles thatwe've had when we were younger
and live a life where you feelso amazing.
So thank you for being thatexample to all of us.
Thank you, you're welcome.
Okay, yes, so the gut andhormone harmonizer program is a
group hybrid program with a lotof one-on-one, so I believe in
(56:06):
community and so that's whythere's that aspect of it and so
.
But here's the thing it doesinclude those tests that I talk
about the nutrigenetics test,the hair tissue mineral analysis
and the GI map stool tests.
So I send those kits out andthen the individual sends the
samples out to the lab and thenI actually record myself going
(56:29):
over the results and thenpersonalization takes place with
a lot of back and forth throughPractice Better, the HEPA
compliant platform that I use,and in addition, I also have two
monthly group calls where Ialways deliver a hot topic in
the area of gut and hormonehealth, so there's a whole lot
(56:50):
more to it, but the way tocontact me is through my website
, and it is simply ggnovallcom,and gg is spelled
j-e-j-e-n-o-v-a-lcom, or I canalso be reached on my Instagram
(57:12):
account.
At my Instagram account, whichis gut and hormone harmony.
Speaker 2 (57:26):
Gigi, you are a beautiful soul.
Thank you so much for theextremely important work that
you are doing and I hope you'llcome back sometime soon and
share more with us.
Speaker 1 (57:32):
Oh, will do.
I'm excited to come back andhave another conversation with
you, Kelly Will do.
Speaker 2 (57:39):
I'm excited to come back and have another
conversation with you, kelly.
That was such a helpfulconversation for me and I'm
confident it was for you too.
Gigi just knows so much aboutthis topic, obviously, so reach
out to her if you are inspiredto learn more or if you are
interested in working with her.
We'll have her contact info inthe show notes.
A quick note that I wanted toadd we talked a bunch about
(58:02):
animal products.
If you do eat animal products, Ialways highly recommend that
you look for the highest quality, sustainable and most ethical
sources.
A good practice is to get yourmeat, dairy and eggs straight
from a farmer who is open andwilling to talk about their
practices.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday and I hope you received
(58:25):
value from this episode.
If you did, please take amoment to support my ability to
produce this podcast bydownloading the episode,
subscribing to the show, ratingand reviewing, and please share
this with anyone who you thinkmay find value in it as well.
I am so honored to walkalongside of you as we heal and
(58:49):
stay healed together.
Bye.
Welcome to the Heal and Stay Healed podcast, where
we talk about healing and, moreimportantly, staying healed from
chronic disease and otherailments and issues.
We'll cover all the crazythings about health and life the
good, the bad, the ugly and thehilarious.
My name is Kelly and I'm asurvivor and overcomer of severe
(00:31):
autoimmune disease, and I can'twait to share with you what
I've learned so that you canheal and stay healed too.
Thanks for listening and enjoythe show.
Welcome, friends.
(00:53):
Today we are talking about a hottopic, especially for females
in their mid-30s to late 40s,and that is the topic of
perimenopause.
Right now it seems like thereis a ton of conversation about
this topic going on, but also alot of confusion and
(01:14):
misinformation that is out thererelated to this natural phase
of life, and I know I am notalone in looking for some sound
and solid information and wisdomhere.
So in this episode we arejoined by an exceptionally
qualified guest to guide usthrough the realities, myths,
(01:35):
challenges and strategiessurrounding perimenopause.
Integrative and functionaldietitian Gigi Noval is here to
help us today.
With 31 years of experience asa registered dietitian
nutritionist, gigi holds degreesin nutrition and dietetics, a
master's in clinical nutritionand a PhD in education,
(01:57):
specializing in e-learning.
Currently, she's an assistantprofessor at Loma Linda
University's Department ofNutrition and Dietetics.
Gigi is also certified as anintegrative and functional
nutrition practitioner, agastrointestinal nutritionist
and a menopause coachingspecialist.
Through her telehealth privatepractice, she helps clients
(02:18):
overcome GI and hormone-relatedissues with her signature Gut
and Hormone Harmonizer program.
This information that we arecovering today is not just of
high importance for my femalelisteners.
Hey fellas, understanding thistopic is essential for
supporting the females in yourlife, so please keep listening.
(02:40):
In our conversation, gigibreaks down perimenopause into
digestible bites for us,covering the intricate roles
played by minerals, vitamins,methylation, gut microbiome
balance, gene variations andstress.
She goes deep into hormonereplacement therapy, explaining
why she believes it shouldn't bethe first line of defense in
(03:04):
most cases.
Gigi also addresses thespecific considerations for our
vegetarian and vegan listenersin this age range and for all of
us.
We discuss in great detail hownutrition and lifestyle can make
all the difference in thisstage of life, just as in all
stages of life.
Here we go with the insightfulGigi Noval.
(03:27):
Gigi, welcome, and thank you somuch for being here for what is
sure to be an enlighteningconversation today.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Oh, Kelly, I have been looking forward to having
this conversation with you, so Iam excited to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Before we dive in, I'd like to just very quickly
ask you a question that I loveto ask guests of the podcast,
but also I love to ask people inreal life, because you just
hear the most fascinatingresponses.
Do you have a favorite quote,short poem or music lyric that
has positively influenced youthat you'd be willing to share
(04:08):
with us?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Yes, absolutely.
Wherever I am, whether it beteaching in the classroom with
our nutrition and dieteticstudents, or in my concerts or
presentations, I always love toshare Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.
And it says trust the Lord withall your heart.
Lean not in your ownunderstanding, but in all your
(04:32):
ways.
Acknowledge him and he willmake your path straight.
And I eat, breathe that textall the time because life, you
know, some parts are good andthen some parts are frustrating
and scary.
But then when I think aboutthat verse and I remember to
just trust in God and leaveeverything in his hands, then it
(04:56):
helps the moment, it helps thesituation.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Thank you for sharing that, I think.
Thank you for sharing that.
I think it's always so helpful,and when we're really sick or
ill it's extra beneficial tohold on to a faith in something
that is much bigger thanourselves and much greater than
our own very limitedunderstanding about the big
(05:21):
picture and especially whenwe're sick that brings so much
comfort and peace.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Right.
Oh, I absolutely agree.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Okay.
So today we are going to talkabout what I would say is a hot
topic right now, at least in myown peer group, and it's
actually been my most requestedtopic for the podcast.
We're going to talk aboutperimenopause.
Well, I'm sure we'll talk aboutmenopause too, but not
menopause so much asperimenopause.
So you are an integrative andfunctional dietitian.
(05:57):
Can you just explain for uswhat does that mean and what
sets you apart from a moreconventional dietitian?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Oh, I love this question.
This is such a good question.
So I'm going to start off withintegrative.
Integrative means we stilluphold Western medicine
practices.
Okay, parts of it we do.
We're not throwing it all out.
So, when it comes to certainmedications, like for those with
(06:28):
type 1 diabetes, theyabsolutely need insulin from
outside because their pancreasisn't making it.
So, yes, that type of medicine,okay, we honor that.
So it's integrative because italso means that we believe in
other practices, such as massageokay, acupressure, myofascia
(06:57):
release therapy.
So those are the otherpractices that are integrated
with Western medicine practices.
So that's integrated.
And then we have functional,which there's also functional
medicine.
So when I think of functionalmedicine and functional
(07:18):
nutrition, it's really alltogether in one.
So functional is looking at theroot cause.
Why do we have these issueswith perimenopause in the first
place, or with diabetes type 2?
Is it because of theinflammation?
(07:39):
Where did the inflammationbegin?
And so let's work on that, onresolving the root cause,
instead of jumping intomedications right away for
diabetes and then forperimenopause and the issues
that might come along with it orthat come along with it.
Why do we jump right away tomedications?
(08:02):
And when I say medications.
It's hormone replacementtherapy, because it is a
medication, and so what sets meapart is that I like to look at,
in addition to lifestylepractices, what are the
imbalances within our mineralsthat cause these issues to
(08:23):
happen?
What are the imbalances withinour own blood sugars that we can
work on to alleviate some ofthe symptoms that we have?
And looking at root causes forGI concerns, instead of giving
medication right away.
So we like to look at the rootcause, so I like to use all of
(08:46):
the different practices that wehave, because then it brings a
synergistic effect to the tableto help people truly optimize
their health.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I love everything that you just said so much and
talk about setting yourselfapart from the norm and from
what so many of us are used towhen we go to the doctor, which
is kind of the opposite ofeverything you just said, and
that's always been a key part inmy understanding of true
healing.
We're not just slappingband-aids onto things.
(09:23):
We've got to find those rootcauses, and the fact that you
pull from all these differentareas that are available to us
to find those root causes andthen to treat them is really
magnificent, and I am verycurious and excited to hear how
all this applies to this topicof perimenopause.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yes, this applies to this topic of perimenopause.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yes, perimenopause, I think it's safe to say, is kind
of shrouded in mystery for manyof us.
I mentioned in my own peergroup this is a hot topic.
We're starting to hear moreabout it, we're starting to try
to talk to each other about it,we're trying to figure out how
it affects us.
But there's a lot of confusionbecause there is still not a lot
(10:07):
of open conversation aboutmenopause, let alone
perimenopause, and like mosteverything else, there's surely
a lot of misinformation outthere.
I've heard claims, personally,that span all the way from
perimenopause is not a realthing to perimenopause is even
worse than actual menopause.
(10:28):
So please, gigi, bring someclarity here for us.
Is perimenopause a real thingand if so, what is it?
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Okay, this is so important to really clarify
because, yes, so important toreally clarify because, yes,
some other health practitionerswill deny it when it is real.
And if anything, though, I'mglad we're having these
conversations, I'm glad thatyour group, your peers, your
(10:58):
other mothers that you get to dolife with you're talking about
it.
So the curiosity is gettingbetter and better.
But is it real?
Oh, absolutely.
In fact, what we callperimenopause and I'll explain
it a little bit more in a secondbut it can begin for a good
(11:19):
number of women as early as inyour mid-30s, so even 35 years
old.
For me, though, I can pinpointit, and perhaps mine was close
to the mid-40s, and then I hitthe actual menopause at 51.
(11:39):
But I could definitely lookback at my life and say, oh, yes
, that was definitelyperimenopause.
So perimenopause is when, yes,our estrogen levels start to
shift more, more so in thedownward direction, but then it
could still fluctuate up, butmore so in the downward
(12:00):
direction.
Not just estrogen, butprogesterone as well.
Progesterone is working its wayaround, because in
perimenopause, ladies still havetheir periods, but testosterone
can also go down with estrogen.
So here's the thing when theseshifts happen, ladies can
(12:26):
actually start experiencingvasomotor symptoms, such as the
hot flashes, such as nightsweats.
Usually the conversation hasbeen in menopause that you
experience, that it actuallybegins with perimenopause.
So we have the vasomotor typeof symptoms.
Moodiness can also take placefor some people, Maybe they
(12:51):
might feel they're moreirritable or anxious, and
palpitations can be felt.
You might think whoa, how manyprior heart issues and why am I
having these really fastheartbeats?
So there's that For some women,this might be the beginning of
(13:15):
cholesterol levels skyrocketing.
For some it can lead toinsomnia or having disturbed
sleep, and then, for some,fatigue can set in and then for
some, brain fog.
But if we're not doing anythingabout this now, then, yes, bone
(13:37):
health can start leading toosteoporosis at this time, to
osteoporosis at this time, andyeah, so those are the changes
that can happen.
Insulin resistance can starttaking place too at this time
because of the decreasedestrogen, and so I'm going to
(13:59):
leave it there for now with thesymptoms.
That's enough, right, I know.
I mean, I could go on and on,but I will add one more.
There is reflux.
Some women start to have refluxat this time and, yes, it could
also be due to a shift inestrogen and progesterone
(14:28):
estrogen and progesterone.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Wow, it's so eye-opening to hear you list off
these symptoms, which are noteven similar in nature.
We just went all over the placeand something like reflux, for
example.
It would be natural for it tocome to mind.
Like I have a GI issue orsomething like cholesterol.
It's not your natural firstline of thought to say, oh, this
is related to perimenopause.
And then, yeah, everything elseyou mentioned, of course, hot
(14:52):
flashes, night sweats that's theone thing that I feel like our
mothers were willing to talkabout, but I'm sure our mothers
weren't aware, let alone most ofus probably aren't aware.
All the other things that youjust said.
It's very eye-opening to hearand understand just how much our
hormones kind of are the bossof everything.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
It sounds like To a certain degree, which I agree.
So here's the thing.
Typically Western medicine willsay oh well, let's just put you
on hormone replacement therapy.
And I am what's the appropriateword to say?
(15:37):
Well, baffled.
Baffled isn't really the word,but my reaction to certain
studies that have come outrecently saying that, oh,
hormone replacement therapy isnot as bad as we think, Okay,
With the side effects, and okay,good, I'm going to give it that
(16:00):
right.
But why does it have to be thefirst line of defense that many
go to, that many otherpractitioners immediately just
give you as the first choice?
When, from a functional pointof view, let's look at okay, how
did God design us?
(16:20):
When we look at minerals, whenwe look at those imbalances and
when we look at what is theplace of minerals and how
they're connected to ourhormones, then that means we
could do something about gettingour hormones and not
(16:41):
necessarily we can't increasethe amount of estrogen or
progesterone as we continue togo on in life.
But here's the thing even withdecreased estrogen and
progesterone, we can still haveestrogen dominance, meaning the
ratio of the estrogen at lowerlevels is still more than
(17:04):
progesterone.
So this is where the issuesthat I just mentioned actually
stem from, because there arelots of women who have less
estrogen, less progesterone andtestosterone, but they don't
have the hot flashes, they don'thave the night sweats, they
don't have the weight gain.
Oh yeah, that's.
Another symptom that I forgot tomention is weight gain, and so
(17:28):
but how come they don't have itRight and it's like, but they
have less estrogen andprogesterone.
It's the imbalance of estrogento progesterone.
So we could still have that.
Now, here's the thing the sparkplugs of our hormones is our
minerals.
So when it comes to copper,copper works with estrogen.
(17:54):
When it comes to zinc, it workswith progesterone and
testosterone, and so when welook at our zinc to copper ratio
, like on a hair tissue mineralanalysis test, when that is too
high or too low, it is tellingus that we have a dysregulated
(18:17):
copper level.
So I'm going to get a littlenutrition nerdy here on you.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So I'm a huge nutrition nerd myself, so nerd
away.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
That's right, okay, so.
So here's the thing there ismore and more research that is
looking into copperdysregulation, and so, again,
copper works with estrogen.
But what we don't reallyrealize is that copper needs to
be bound.
(18:46):
It needs to be bound to beactive, to be bioactive, and it
needs to be bound to a proteincalled cyralloplasmin.
And if we don't have enoughactive vitamin A, retinol, then
our cyralloplasmin will notbound with the copper, and so we
(19:08):
have a lot of unbound copperfloating through our system,
going to our brain and going toour liver, our kidneys, and it's
causing these other issues thatwe are experiencing in
perimenopause, menopause andpostmenopause.
And so if it's bound, thenwe're fine, it goes to the right
(19:31):
places.
Now, how does this happen?
Well, okay, if there's a lot ofunbound copper, then that means
we might not be taking enoughvitamin A, that is, active
retinol, which is found in eggs,in salmon, in sardines, in
(19:51):
whole fat dairy products.
Now here's the thing If ourmeal pattern, dietary meal
pattern, like vegetarian andvegan, which is naturally low in
zinc, or we're just not eatingenough bioavailable zinc, then
(20:11):
the body will say, oh, zinclevels are low, we are going to
wait till it increases to anormal level.
So liver just hold off, don'trelease more cyralloplasmin.
So then we think about uh-oh,if we don't have enough
cyralloplasmin, what's going tobind with the copper?
(20:33):
And so that's why it's soimportant to eat bioavailable
zinc, which is found mostly.
We can only truly findbioavailable zinc in animal
products.
So if that's off or we're justnot eating enough of zinc, that
can also lead to this copperdysregulation which can lead to
(20:57):
the hot flashes which can leadto the high cholesterol levels
which can lead to the fatigue,all of those symptoms.
All of those symptoms.
It begins with minerals, andthen our other minerals such as
sodium that works with estrogen,potassium that works with
(21:20):
progesterone and testosterone.
But here's the thing when weare just working, working,
working, and we're not managingour stress, then our body will
use up these certain minerals inour cells, throwing them off,
and we need the minerals andvitamins to work as cofactors to
(21:42):
help with our methylationsystem.
So I'll talk about methylationin a second, our methylation
system.
So I'll talk about methylationin a second.
But here's the thing the sparkplugs of our hormones are
minerals, and so that's whatneeds to be addressed first.
(22:04):
So when a practitioner says, oh,don't worry about hormone
replacement therapy because theresearch is so much better.
But then you want to questionwho sponsored, who funded those
hormone replacement therapystudies?
Right, you got to think aboutthat.
And big pharma, big pharma isalways pushing their medications
.
And we have to remember thatperimenopause, menopause and
postmenopause is not a disease.
(22:25):
It's a beautiful transition inlife.
And postmenopause is not adisease.
It's a beautiful transition inlife.
And so when we work at thecellular level, with our
minerals, with our gut community, with our blood sugars, a lot
of times women realize I don'tneed to have hormone replacement
therapy because then thosesymptoms get alleviated.
(22:45):
So Western medicine immediatelysay oh, go ahead and take
hormone replacement therapy whenit is band-aiding or masking
all of these imbalances withinour minerals and our vitamins.
And then the methylation systemthat we are designed with amens
(23:07):
, and then the methylationsystem that we are designed with
.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Can we talk a little bit more about hormone
replacement therapy?
I know you said it's a band-aidRight.
What are the concerns with it?
Because there's a lot of women,I think, who aren't
knowledgeable about everythingyou just said which, by the way,
we hold on to your listener.
We will dig a little deeperinto what exactly needs to be
(23:31):
done, but first I think weshould definitely talk about HRT
.
I spoke to someone not too longago who said I was just so
miserable and what you just saidrecent studies have shown that
it's quote unquote safe.
What are your concerns when itcomes to HRT, and why would it
be your preference that yourclients don't go that route?
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Okay, so well, yeah, it would be my preference that
they try the functional wayfirst and then, after they do
all that and they still don'tfeel good, then okay, let's get
them ready for HRT.
So here's the thing.
Now, if you look at the fineprint of these studies, they do
(24:20):
say that if it's just by itselfand I hope I don't mess this up
but if it's just by itself, theestradiol, then the risk of the
other medical conditions are wayless.
And then I believe that whenthey add the progesterone to it,
(24:42):
that some other concerns canrise or the risk of those can
rise.
So here's my concern is thatwhen women are on estradiol
especially okay, so there arethree different types of
estrogen, but especiallysynthetic it will compete with
(25:07):
copper to get to cyralloplasmin,so it will usually win out over
copper, and so now there's notenough cyralloplasmin to bind
with copper, and so now we havea lot of unbound copper floating
through our system, which canlead to all these other concerns
(25:32):
, medical conditions, later ondown the road.
So causing a copperdysregulation is one of my main
concerns.
And the other concern is thatwhen women take this, they don't
think about addressing theirminerals, vitamins, methylation
(25:52):
system, and so yeah, and it's amedication.
And if we don't need anadditional medication in our
body and I know some medicationsare why should we add this
synthetic form?
Why should we add thissynthetic form?
Speaker 2 (26:07):
I know there's bioidentical hormone replacement
therapy but those also have itsown concerns as well, too.
Okay, thank you for that.
That's very helpful because itis something that has
historically been pushed as whatyou said a first response, as
(26:31):
what you said, a first response,and I think it is very
concerning that this is beingprescribed to how many women out
there without any kind ofconversation about minerals,
without any conversation aboutnutrition and lifestyle factors.
That's a big concern because,as you mentioned, something that
seemingly sounds innocuouscopper dysregulation is not
innocuous and is actually a bigdeal and can lead to some pretty
(26:54):
severe issues, and that issomething that we should know,
right?
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yes, yes, absolutely, you nailed it.
And so here's the thing.
Yes, for some women it ishelpful.
Some say, oh, I've gotten mylife back, and okay, that's good
, but you really could havegotten your life back if you
address things from a cellularlevel.
Now, not everybody can eventake on hormone replacement
(27:22):
therapy.
Well, why is that?
So I'm going to try to quicklyexplain methylation.
And some practitioners don'tcheck this before they start the
monohormone replacement therapy, and this needs to be addressed
.
So methylation is when acarboxyl group which consists of
(27:43):
one carbon and three hydrogens,when this is added to DNA, to
genes, and it can turn on andturn off certain genes.
It can turn on and off genes,and it is also methylation is
involved with our detoxificationprocess.
(28:04):
It is involved with our hormoneregulation.
So when women say, oh, I feltworse, or I didn't do well on
hormone replacement therapy, whydid I get worse?
Well, I wish that thepractitioners would check their
methylation process.
And so methylation, once againagain, is when we have these
(28:27):
carboxyl groups one carbon,three hydrogens, they're added
to DNA, it turns on and offgenes, it can help with our
detoxification process, it helpswith our hormone system, our
hormone regulation system, andso if there are any glitches in
(28:49):
the detoxification pathway, andfor some women when they have an
MTHFR gene variation, so that'smethylene tetrahydrofolate
reductase gene variation.
If they have a variation, forthat it can make it very
difficult to break down and getrid of the hormone replacement
(29:14):
therapy going through the system.
It will take so much longer.
It might take longer in thesystem to get out, and so that's
why some women do worse onhormone replacement therapy.
But that's not just the onlyglitch in the methylation system
.
There's vitamin B12.
If we have a gene variation forvitamin B12, then our
(29:37):
methylation system can't workwell.
If we have a gene variation formagnesium or zinc, those are
important cofactors that arehelping the methylation system.
So that's why some women don'tdo well on it.
But then when we work onoptimizing our methylation
(29:57):
system you don't really need anyhormone replacement therapy
because you will feel so muchbetter.
And another thing why some womendon't do well on hormone
replacement therapy is becausetheir gut community is out of
balance and the specificbacteria that is designated to
(30:18):
break down estrogen can be in animbalance.
And when that specific bacteriacalled astrobalone is out of
balance, then this enzyme calledbeta-glucuronidase increases,
and now we have too much of thisenzyme, our own estrogen.
(30:50):
When it goes through the liverit gets broken down through the
detoxification system in phaseone and phase two of the liver.
It deactivates it, it breaksdown the metabolites, just right
, and then it'll make thosemetabolites not as dangerous for
us.
So it says, okay, you are readyto go to phase three of
detoxification in the gut, readyto go out.
(31:10):
But when the gut community isout of balance and there's more
beta-glucuronidase in there,then when it gets to the gut it
will say oh, you know what?
Actually, let's have a party,let's undo what the liver just
did, let's reactivate theestrogen metabolites.
(31:31):
Oh, and why don't werecirculate it back into the
system which leads to theestrogen dominance?
So there are these other areasto look at for both women who
are on hormone replacementtherapy as well as those who
aren't.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
Yeah, all right.
So I'm going to go out on aledge here and say that it
sounds like it all starts withour nutrition and our diet.
Is that fair to say if we aretrying to take a natural
approach to perimenopause andmenopause to perimenopause?
Speaker 1 (32:06):
and menopause To a very huge degree.
Yes, yes, a very, very hugedegree.
Because here's the thing.
Other practitioners will say oh, just eat well, have lots of
plant-based food items.
Yes, that's important, but weneed to know specifically what
our nutrigenetics is.
(32:26):
We need to know where ourglitches are, so to speak.
However, even if we are eatingaccording to our mineral needs
and our nutrigenetics, but if weare not managing our stress,
it's going to override whatwe're doing and throw things out
(32:46):
of balance.
And if we're not getting enoughquality sleep, then that will
also throw all these otherthings out of balance, all these
other areas, and if we are notmindfully moving it on a regular
basis.
But then there are some womenwho think oh, exercise is good.
(33:08):
Well, let me run marathons, letme do excessive, high intensity
workouts, like seven days aweek, and we are just regulating
our system.
So you could still be eatingwell for you.
But if we are putting all thisstress on our body and not
taking care of our sleep and notalways being on the go Because
(33:32):
a lot of women are always on thego, always on the go I used to
be that until I realized, ooh,that's dysregulating my
autonomic nervous system whichwill then affect my minerals and
everything else.
So, yes, nutrition is so big,but what are the precursors to
(33:52):
throwing that?
Speaker 2 (33:53):
off.
You touched on something Iwould love to hear more about,
because this is another areawhere I feel like people just
want to throw their hands up inthe air Exercise for a woman
around this age range that we'retalking about.
I've heard the complaints ofwell, they tell me to exercise,
but now they're telling me Iexercise too much or the wrong
(34:13):
way.
What does an ideal exercisesituation look like for best
promoting our health during thisphase of life?
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Yes, during this phase of life, low impact, low
impact for sure.
So walking is great and ifwomen still want to run, just
don't run for miles on end andrun at a comfortable speed.
Why do we have to run so fast,so fast?
(34:51):
Yes, it's nice to get PRs backin the day, I get it.
But when we are doing that formore than an hour, really high,
intense running really fast formore than an hour, that throws
our gut community out of balance.
So joyful movement is best at alower impact.
But then we cannot forgetstrength training, because the
(35:12):
more muscle we have that willalso help us with balancing and
managing our blood sugars themore muscle we have on board.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Absolutely so.
Low impact, cardiovascular andstrength training that's our
sweet spot right now.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Yes, that's absolutely our sweet spot, but I
know some women like the highintensity, so just as long as
it's not really more than Ithink what's best.
More than 30 minutes and maybeup to three times a week.
If they still want that, thenOK.
If we take that away frompeople, it might also feel like
we're withholding oxygen fromsome women.
(35:52):
So, um, but what's really sweetis the low impact yeah, we
touched on gut health.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I said earlier, wow, hormones are really the boss,
but really it's our microbiomethat's the boss or maybe you can
tell me which is the biggerboss, but clearly both are
extremely important.
So that kind of brings us backto I always want to go back to
the nutrition conversation.
We're both nerds, so, yes, yes,yes, we're talking about eating
(36:24):
right to foster this, gettingenough zinc, absorbing enough
zinc and then dealing with thecopper regulation properly.
You mentioned testing for this.
Is this something that weshould be doing if we are having
these symptoms?
Is this something we should dopreemptively?
(36:45):
How does the testing and wheredoes the testing fall in?
Speaker 1 (36:50):
Oh, this is a great question.
You know, I really think,especially when we're having
symptoms, it would be good tohave this hair tissue mineral
analysis test done.
And what happens is that whenyou go close to the nape, to the
scalp, and you get like an inch, a little over an inch, from
(37:11):
the scalp, and you get it atseveral places you just need
about a teaspoon full of that.
That tells us a lot.
It's complementary to bloodwork.
Hair tissue mineral analysisgives us a good picture of what
has been happening for the pastthree months, how we have been
responding to stress, whatminerals we have been burning
(37:32):
through due to stress.
So that is a very importanttest to do, along with blood
work.
I'm not saying it's a one andonly test that you should just
only do, but it tells us a lotbecause a lot of us are very
depleted in our cells of sodium,potassium, zinc, cobalt, and we
(37:56):
need those to help us producestomach acid.
And if we don't have enoughstomach acid, then the food that
we eat, the bacteria that comesin the food that we eat, the
bad bacteria or the undesirablebacteria, can't be killed off
because we don't have enough ofthose particular minerals that
(38:17):
help with stomach acidproduction, so we can get
information like that there.
It could give us clues as todoes this person have a copper
deficiency or sorry, copperdysregulation or not?
Also, calcium and magnesiumthose are involved with our
blood sugar regulation, so thatgives us a clue of where we're
(38:40):
at and it's very important to beable to do.
But yeah, especially whenyou're having symptoms would be
a good time to take it.
But if you want to be superproactive, it does not hurt to
get that before things start tohappen.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
So, when you identify issues through lab tests and
through doing this particulartype of testing with your
patients, is this something thatis addressed purely through
lifestyle?
Are there supplements involved?
How do you go about treatingyour patients?
Speaker 1 (39:18):
So as much as possible, like with calcium,
because calcium a lot of womenus women don't get enough from
the food and the beverages thatwe drink.
So just bringing awareness tothat and having them really work
on increasing their intake ofthat mineral through food and
beverages, that's really thebest route to go and to keep
(39:42):
calcium supplements to a verybare minimum.
So that's one aspect.
Supplements to a very bareminimum so that's one aspect.
But with sodium and potassiumthere are certain electrolyte
mixes that I feel comfortablehaving my patients or my clients
take on a regular basis thatthey could add to water.
They're not all created equal,so I'm always very careful with
(40:04):
the ones that I recommend, andso it's always whole food first
is the route that I prefer totake.
But there are times whensupplements are needed, like if
there is an MTHFR gene variationand women need specifically
methylated B12 or methylatedfolate or both, or just one or
(40:29):
the other.
Then yes, there are times forsupplements.
For sure I am not the type ofpractitioner that, oh, let's do
everything through supplements.
I'm also very cautious.
There is a time and a place forit.
But I'm also cautious not to doit excessively.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Great.
And then you mentioned zinc andhow it's so important to make
sure we're getting the correctamount dietarily, and that's
something that is an animalproduct.
What about vegetarians andvegans?
How should they approach?
Speaker 1 (41:02):
zinc.
That's a good question.
I mean, hopefully, those whoare lacto-ovo-vegetarian can do
eggs a little bit more regularly, and for vegans, it's something
that, yeah, they would have toconsider taking a supplement,
but not for long.
(41:23):
It's not even as bioavailableitself, but then we have to be
very careful with zincsupplements and not take it all
the time, because then it caneasily throw off copper.
So that's a challenge that theywould have to be really on top
of should they stay there.
(41:43):
But I know I have clients inwhich I'm not pushing, telling
them you got to get out of beingvegetarian or vegan, but I see
their struggles and I know whatit's due to, like our brush
border enzymes at the lining ofour GI tract.
In order for that enzyme to beproduced, we really need
(42:05):
bioavailable zinc.
That's just one example, and Isee their GI issues.
It's improving slowly butsurely, but I cannot force them
to say, well, let's reconsider.
So, yes, there are thesupplements, but it's something
that they have to walk verycarefully on, otherwise they can
throw off copper.
(42:25):
But the zinc in our food andwhen we are eating the other
things appropriately, then itbalances it out with the copper.
So what's nice about beingvegetarian and vegan, though, is
that you easily meet your fiberneeds.
In fact, you over-meet yourfiber needs, and so that can be
(42:49):
an issue, because when there'salso a lot of fiber, there's
also a lot of fiber.
There's also a lot of phytatesthese components in plants and
excessive amounts of fiber andphytates can decrease the
absorption of zinc, calcium,iron, selenium, while these
(43:10):
minerals are already low tobegin with in this meal pattern,
and then you have the excessfiber and the excess phytates,
then what are you absorbing, youknow?
So it affects absorption, soit's something for them to think
about.
It's challenging, oh boy.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
Yeah, it is.
It's rare that we, when talkingabout fiber, that there's a
warning that there can actuallybe too much, but that does make
sense.
Just very high level, generallyspeaking, for your average
woman.
I'll use myself I'm about toturn 44 for your average 44 year
old woman, what is your generalhigh level?
(43:50):
This is the diet that youshould be pursuing.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Okay.
So, as you can tell, I'm not ofthe type to say, go vegetarian,
go vegan, but I am a believerin and I can't take credit for
this before I say this I likethat.
So I like to promote a plantforward omnivore meal pattern.
(44:22):
So the base of our meals comefrom plants and it's important
for us to get 30 different plantbased food items per week to
increase the diversity of thegood bacteria in our gut
community.
To increase the diversity ofthe good bacteria in our gut
community, but then to also getthe appropriate, not excessive,
(44:42):
amounts of animal products sothat we get the bioavailable
form of protein, vitamin B12,zinc, all those other nutrients.
So that's what I wouldencourage women to do.
Speaker 2 (44:59):
So not eating the highly processed junk food.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
In addition, yes, I mean when we say not, the human
reaction will make someone wantit more.
So we like to say minimizingthe highly processed foods and
not to be afraid of processedfoods like tofu, like rice.
(45:26):
We can't just eat rice fromwhere it's growing, Otherwise we
won't be able to eat it, so ithas to be processed.
And so, yes, there's process,but it's the highly processed.
And so, yes, there's process,but it's the highly processed.
(46:01):
But occasionally, once in awhile, we're on vacation, we're
at a family event, let's notcarry on this halo of stress
that, oh no, it's a highlyprocessed food.
Oh, it's not good for me whenwe live with that kind of
mindset.
We are adding this extra layerof stress on us and it's not
healthful at all.
It is actually canceling ourmoment of joy with family, with
friends.
But it is best to keep it toonce in a while.
Speaker 2 (46:16):
Perfect.
I couldn't agree more.
I think the diet you justdescribed, in my opinion, is not
just ideal for perimenopause orhormone regulation.
It's ideal for pretty mucheverything.
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Yes, indeed, so true.
And the omnivore is not to beconfused with carnivore.
So some people get that mixedup and a carnivore is just
purely just eating meat productsand hardly touching any
plant-based food items.
So that I do have an issue withbecause when you don't have any
fiber, any of thephytonutrients from the plants,
(46:52):
then we're missing out, gut ismissing out on those benefits,
causing issues.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Yeah, that carnivore diet is a little hard to wrap my
head around.
Speaker 1 (47:02):
Yes, I know Same here , for sure.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
Yeah, I actually.
There was a time where I wantedto be strictly plant-based and
I attempted it for a while and Ifelt horrible and my labs
showed deficiencies and mynaturopath reminded me that,
with a very scarred colon, Ihave some absorption issues and
plant protein can be harder toabsorb than animal protein,
(47:28):
which is much more bioavailable.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Right, oh, that was a very wise naturopath you worked
with, so I'm in agreement, forsure, and I'm glad that you
complied accordingly and youalso listened to your body as
well.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
Yeah, it's interesting.
I've experimented a lot.
Those who are familiar with myhealth journey know and that's
the way we learn right we makemistakes and then we correct
those mistakes.
Speaker 1 (47:54):
So true, I have been there too.
And then for me, from 15 to 30,I was vegetarian, left to oval
vegetarian and maybe at timesvegan.
But I definitely see how I setmyself up for a difficult
perimenopause.
I believe it laid thatfoundation for a copper
(48:16):
dysregulation.
And now I see, with the heartbeating fast and just getting
irritable, you know all thatlike oh.
When I look back I'm like, oh,that was perimenopause.
I wish what I know now I knewback then.
So that's why I'm so passionateto share this with my younger
(48:37):
sisters like you, and spreadingthe word, because this
transition can be beautiful, wecan do something about it and it
doesn't have to alwaysnecessarily be menopause
replacement therapy or hormonereplacement therapy.
Speaker 2 (48:53):
Before I let you go.
We've, in passing, mentionedstress several times throughout
this.
What has your professional andyour personal experience taught
you about what are the ways thatwe can manage stress?
Because women in this age range, you know life isn't really
easy.
We've got a lot going on We'vegot kids, We've got older
(49:14):
parents, We've got spouses.
We've got a million activities.
Potentially, some of us not allof us like myself, I try to
limit the activities, but evenstill we're at a challenging
point in life and we're havingto deal with all these other
things that are starting tohappen.
So what do you recommend?
(49:34):
How do we better manage ourstress?
Speaker 1 (49:37):
Okay, but first of all, I do want to start off with
what you're already doing,which I'm so proud of you
cutting back on all theactivities.
Now here's the thing I know askids get older, they have more
friends and they get all theseinvitations to all these
different birthday parties.
What have you?
And I get that.
(49:57):
I understand that that's partof their growing up, but do we
have to go to every singlefriend's birthday party?
Could we say, for every twoyeses, we have one no.
Or every three yeses, have oneno, and balance it out and with
other activities that come on?
(50:19):
Yes, it's nice to be involvedwith church volunteering, but
how much can we be involved withas well, even though that is
important?
Do we over-volunteer?
So we need to look at our dailyand weekly schedules.
Where can we say no, what isabsolutely not needed?
Because the more we're alwayson the go, our autonomic nervous
(50:41):
system is just in sympatheticmode.
So that's the first thing.
And then the second thing is tobe an observer of yourself
throughout the day.
See where in the day you'retight in the neck, the head,
certain parts of your body,check your breath.
(51:02):
Be an observer of yourself andsay, whoa, I'm really tight.
What's making me tight, but letme slow down.
To take at least more is better, but at least three slow, deep
breaths.
More is better, but at leastthree slow, deep breaths.
And if we could do these checksjust for a minute or two
(51:22):
throughout the day, pullourselves out from sympathetic
and get us into parasympathetic,then, even with everything
happening around us, that canstill be helpful in bringing
down those cortisol levels.
And then another thing is to bemindful of how much we're
looking at our phones beforegoing to bed, because we want
(51:45):
the blue light to stay away fromus as much as possible to allow
the melatonin levels to riseappropriately.
And while, yes, it's good toalso watch shows together as a
family, can we cut back on thatand do some creative activities
together where we don't need thescreens, where that could bring
(52:07):
laughter and joy and creativitythat doesn't take a lot of work
to put together?
Like, even for adults, coloringis such a therapeutic activity
that you could do with the kids.
And then, last but certainlynot least, pausing to meditate
(52:28):
on God's word for like a minuteor two, like with the verse that
I love trust in the Lord withall your heart, lean not in your
own understanding.
Just thinking about that,pausing and meditating.
It doesn't have to be longmeditations, but peppering our
day with those deep breaths andpausing for a minute or two
doesn't have to be long.
That can help us manage ourstress daily.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
That's great.
I personally love my coloringbooks.
Awesome, I love hearing that.
Well, I feel like I still havea million questions I want to
ask you.
We could talk about this forhours, but I want to be
respectful of your time, so isthere anything that we didn't
touch on today that you feellike it would be important for
us to know?
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Yes.
So here's the thing we havechoices in life, not that we
didn't talk about this, but Ijust want to emphasize that we
have choices in life.
I'm not saying that peopleshouldn't have hormone
replacement therapy.
If that's the route you take,then just know it does come with
(53:36):
consequences.
We're band-aiding the situationand when those mineral
imbalances, gut imbalances, arenot addressed, it will come to
bite you later on down.
So we have to prioritize thatwhat's important for the
individual.
I don't want people to feel like, oh, we are shaming them or
bashing them for wanting to gothe hormone replacement therapy
(53:56):
route.
We have choices and so that's achoice.
But then there's also anotherwonderful choice that we can
still work on decreasing ourrisk of heart disease and
decreasing our risk ofosteoporosis, bone health, with
all these other aspects that wetalked about, and so there's
that choice too.
(54:16):
So the choice is up to you, butit depends on your own
philosophy.
It depends on which route youfeel is truly best for you.
Yeah, I want women to feel okay.
Yeah, she talked about this way, but I still wanna go this way,
and that's fine.
I still want women to feel goodwith the choice that they make
(54:37):
as they transition, go this wayand that's that's fine.
I still want women to feel goodwith the choice that they make
as they transition into thisjourney Beautifully put.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
Okay, gigi, I want to thank you so very much for
being here.
Your expertise has beenincredibly valuable and I'm sure
our listeners are eager tolearn how they can benefit from
your knowledge.
On a more personal level, inyour private practice, you work
one-on-one with women navigatingthese waters, these tricky
(55:07):
waters of hormone-relatedconcerns, as well as
gastrointestinal gut-relatedissues.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your gut and hormone
harmonizer program and also howcan people reach out to you for
more information?
Speaker 1 (55:22):
Okay, yes, thank you so much.
But first of all, I want to saythank you, kelly, for having me
here with you, because I reallyenjoy talking about this topic
and talking about it with you.
It was very wonderful for me.
So thank you, and I'm proud ofyou for taking charge of your
health and being an excellentexample to so many women that
(55:44):
you can overcome battles thatwe've had when we were younger
and live a life where you feelso amazing.
So thank you for being thatexample to all of us.
Thank you, you're welcome.
Okay, yes, so the gut andhormone harmonizer program is a
group hybrid program with a lotof one-on-one, so I believe in
(56:06):
community and so that's whythere's that aspect of it and so
.
But here's the thing it doesinclude those tests that I talk
about the nutrigenetics test,the hair tissue mineral analysis
and the GI map stool tests.
So I send those kits out andthen the individual sends the
samples out to the lab and thenI actually record myself going
(56:29):
over the results and thenpersonalization takes place with
a lot of back and forth throughPractice Better, the HEPA
compliant platform that I use,and in addition, I also have two
monthly group calls where Ialways deliver a hot topic in
the area of gut and hormonehealth, so there's a whole lot
(56:50):
more to it, but the way tocontact me is through my website
, and it is simply ggnovallcom,and gg is spelled
j-e-j-e-n-o-v-a-lcom, or I canalso be reached on my Instagram
(57:12):
account.
At my Instagram account, whichis gut and hormone harmony.
Speaker 2 (57:26):
Gigi, you are a beautiful soul.
Thank you so much for theextremely important work that
you are doing and I hope you'llcome back sometime soon and
share more with us.
Speaker 1 (57:32):
Oh, will do.
I'm excited to come back andhave another conversation with
you, Kelly Will do.
Speaker 2 (57:39):
I'm excited to come back and have another
conversation with you, kelly.
That was such a helpfulconversation for me and I'm
confident it was for you too.
Gigi just knows so much aboutthis topic, obviously, so reach
out to her if you are inspiredto learn more or if you are
interested in working with her.
We'll have her contact info inthe show notes.
A quick note that I wanted toadd we talked a bunch about
(58:02):
animal products.
If you do eat animal products, Ialways highly recommend that
you look for the highest quality, sustainable and most ethical
sources.
A good practice is to get yourmeat, dairy and eggs straight
from a farmer who is open andwilling to talk about their
practices.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday and I hope you received
(58:25):
value from this episode.
If you did, please take amoment to support my ability to
produce this podcast bydownloading the episode,
subscribing to the show, ratingand reviewing, and please share
this with anyone who you thinkmay find value in it as well.
I am so honored to walkalongside of you as we heal and
(58:49):
stay healed together.
Bye.
Popular Podcasts
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.