Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden
and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I've just finished a series onbelly fat, which you guys really
(00:47):
, really loved Some of my mostpopular episodes ever so thank
you for loving that so much.
So I thought I'd stay in thatgeneral area.
So if you haven't listened tothat series, I think you'd get a
lot of value out of that.
So that goes for.
I think it's about fourepisodes the previous four
episodes and this week I'm goingto talk a little bit more about
(01:08):
gut health and specifically thegut skin axis and the
estrobolome.
So sounds pretty complicated.
It is a little complicated, butit's really well.
I think it's fun.
I'm a bit of a dork, but youknow I love all of this sort of
stuff.
I love making sense of symptomsand I love making sense of what
(01:30):
is going on in our bodies andalways understand that whenever
anyone's talking about knowledgeof the human body, this is just
what we know now and this canchange.
This is actually particularlystuff with the microbiomes in
the body, and yes, there aremultiple microbiomes.
When we are giving informationabout it, then we can't
(01:53):
guarantee that that's not goingto change next month.
So this is just sort of themost recent kind of information
we have on the gut and itsimpact on hormones.
So I'm going to do a fewepisodes.
Looking at this and looking atthe estrobolone Sounds a little
bit scary, but it's.
You know, it's okay.
(02:14):
And this week's episode is goingto focus a little on skin
health, because I know you guysreally love skin health as well.
So here's the thing when youthink of perimenopause and
menopause, most women arethinking, or even most people
are thinking, of the commonsymptoms like hot flashes and
mood swings and erratic periods,right.
(02:35):
What you may not realize isthat peri and menopause also
impacts the skin specificallyand menopause also impacts the
skin specifically.
And one fascinating aspect ofthis is actually the role of the
estrobolone, and I'll discusswhat that is in a minute, and in
(02:57):
this episode I'm going to talkabout how the estrobolone can
influence our skin health andalso, of course, discuss some
practical tips to supportvibrant and healthy skin,
because we kind of all want thatright.
It's something that I think,particularly as women.
We love our skin to feel good,we like it to look good, and
often in peri and menopause,there are multiple things that
(03:18):
happen that impact our skin, andanything we can do to make it
look and feel better is very,very helpful.
So before I dive into theconnection between the
estrobolome and the skin, I mean, have you even heard of the
estrobolome?
It's actually pretty easy tounderstand.
It's part of your gutmicrobiome okay, it's just a
(03:40):
funky term for the community ofmicrobes in the gut that
contribute to the metabolism ofestrogen.
In fact, they also contributeto the metabolism of
progesterone as well.
But whoever found it decided toname it the estrobolone, and
the estro is based on theAmerican spelling of estrogen.
(04:00):
It could even be pronouncedestrobolone.
I'm not 100% sure, but there itis.
So these microorganisms, thisestrobolone, they play rather a
crucial role in convertingestrogen into various little
substances which can have eitherbeneficial effects or
(04:24):
detrimental effects on the body.
So it's good for us to knowabout it.
As you already know I'vediscussed this many times
perimenopause triggers hormonalfluctuations.
Probably I should say that theother way around.
Actually, the hormonalfluctuations are part of
perimenopause, and particularlywe have that very rapid decline
(04:48):
in progesterone and then we havethis decline and then surge in
estrogen levels.
And these changes in hormonescan impact the skin in many ways
.
But here I've just got some ofthe kind of key aspects of the
estrobolim's impact on skin whenyou're in perimenopause.
Firstly, it can impact yourhydration and elasticity of your
(05:12):
skin.
So estrogen is known to promoteskin hydration and to maintain
its elasticity.
And as estrogen levels declineas we get closer to menopause,
the skin may become drier andlose some of its suppleness and
flexibility.
And the estrobolum influencesthe metabol of estrogen, and so
(05:36):
an imbalance in its composition,in the composition of the
estrobolum, can increase skindryness and reduce elasticity.
So supporting a healthyestrobolone may help optimize
estrogen metabolism andcontribute to better skin
hydration and elasticity.
So, again, supporting guthealth is what this is all about
(06:00):
.
If you're supporting gut health, then you are supporting a
healthy estrobolone.
Another thing that theestrobolone can impact is
collagen production.
So collagen I think we all knowit's a structural protein
responsible for skin strengthand firmness, and it's
influenced by estrogen levels.
Estrogen stimulates collagenproduction, and reduced estrogen
(06:24):
during perimenopause can leadto a decline in collagen
synthesis.
So we don't want that right.
The estrobolem's role inestrogen metabolism can
indirectly affect collagenlevels, potentially impacting
the skin's ability to maintainits youthful appearance, and
nurturing a healthy estrobolamay contribute to optimal
(06:47):
estrogen metabolism and supportcollagen production.
Skin thickness and wrinkles arealso impacted by estrogen
because it influences theability of the skin to retain
moisture and also this thicknesslevel.
We know that we get skinthinning.
(07:09):
I've really noticed on thebacks of my hands.
I mean, I've always had fairlyI guess I don't know veiny if
that's how to describe it veinybacks of my hands, but I'm
noticing it's just a little bitmore obvious to me these veins.
And so, yeah, I feel likereduced estrogen levels have
(07:31):
impacted in me getting thinnerskin, and when the skin is
thinner it makes it more proneto wrinkles and fine lines and
to dropping a little.
You know, getting some saghappening, particularly around
the jawline and other areas ofthe body.
Additionally, estrogen depletionaffects the skin's ability to
retain moisture, leading todryness and an aged appearance,
(07:54):
and this is also.
It can impact some of thosemore inflammatory skin
conditions like eczema,psoriasis, anything where
there's dryness of the skin, andI certainly have had.
I've talked many times about myown experience with eczema in
perimenopause, and so you know,if you've got this estrogen
(08:15):
depletion that's impacting theskin's ability to hold moisture,
and then you also haveallergens on top of that and
you're a little bit morereactive to allergens at this
time of life, then yeah, you'regoing to get itchiness, redness,
flakiness, um, yeah, not nice,I can tell you from experience.
So by maintaining a balancedestrobolone um, we can support
(08:39):
our estrogen metabolism,potentially promoting thicker
and more moisturized skin andthus reducing the appearance of
wrinkles, which you know I don'tlike to hop on a lot about the
aesthetic aspect of this, butyou know, for many women our
appearance is really important.
It's really tied up in ourself-esteem and therefore our
(08:59):
mental health.
And if we can look the way wewant to look, whatever that is,
for as long as we can, thenlet's do that Particularly.
If we can look the way we wantto look, whatever that is, for
as long as we can, then let's dothat Particularly.
If we can do it in a way thatis not harmful.
Let's talk about inflammation,actually, and sensitivity.
I did just mention my ownexperience with eczema briefly,
(09:22):
but hormonal changes duringperimenopause can cause
increased skin sensitivity andinflammation and that
sensitivity can be to whatyou're putting on your skin, can
be to weather changes, can beto allergens, like what I've
experienced and the estrobolomesimpact on estrogen metabolism
(09:42):
can definitely indirectlyinfluence these skin conditions
and imbalances in estrogenmetabolites so that's the
product of metabolizing estrogenare these what they call
metabolites?
So imbalances in them due to anunhealthy estrobolome may
contribute to heightened skinsensitivity and inflammation.
And by promoting a healthyestrobolum, women can
(10:05):
potentially mitigate these skinissues and maintain more balance
in their skin.
So I know for me something elsewith me it's all about me.
This episode is I'm prone toredness of the skin.
I think I probably do have somerosacea, and definitely when we
have increased inflammation,and that's why eating in a low
(10:31):
inflammatory way and, in fact,ideally eating in a way that
supports your own body'sbiochemistry and balancing out
the pH and all of those things,which is what we do with the
GLOW protocol.
And, as I said, the issues thatI had were while I was still a
student, primarily, and I was amature age student in my 40s and
(10:53):
I didn't know that a lot ofthese things I was experiencing
was perimenopause, because wejust don't get educated that
well in perimenopause as womenand even in my degree, my
naturopathy degree, I don'trecall there being a huge
emphasis on it, and one of thereasons for that is purely
because it's not a medicalcondition.
(11:15):
You know it's a stage of life,so we covered it from that point
of view, but I don't reallyfeel that and we see this in the
medical world as well I don'treally feel that we get this
covered in a way that really isgood enough to support women.
So a lot of my knowledge isfrom additional training that
(11:36):
I've done and additional readingthat I do on the daily so that
I'm keeping up to date andbecause I love it and probably
because it's impacting me aswell.
There's generally a higherlevel of interest in things that
are impacting our own health,isn't it?
So, yeah, what I experiencedwas was a lot of inflammation in
(11:58):
my skin and once I gotqualified and I'd been out for a
couple of years, that's when Idid my training in metabolic
balance, and metabolic balanceis the core nutrition program in
the GLOW protocol, and once Ihad my own personalized
nutrition plan then I saw hugeimprovements.
(12:19):
So that is something that Ithink is ideal.
If it's something that you'reinterested in is getting
personalized nutrition.
It is absolutely life-changing,particularly at this time of
life.
So, yeah, we definitely want tomake sure that we're looking
after our gut healthspecifically if we want to have
(12:44):
beautiful skin, and so let'slook at what we can do to help
maintain and optimize our skinhealth during peri and menopause
.
So, having a balanced diet Ijust mentioned personalized
nutrition I think that's optimal, but obviously it's not
necessarily going to beaccessible for everybody.
(13:05):
But if you're consuming anutrient-rich diet so
nutrient-rich is one lots ofwhole foods, right.
Fruits, particularly darkcolors, like your blueberries,
your raspberries, yourstrawberries, your blackberries,
that kind of thing are reallyanti-inflammatory Veggies.
(13:26):
Same brightly colored,particularly the orange veggies,
are great as anti-inflammatorytype veg.
But getting a good variety ofveg, particularly veggies that
are high in fiber or prebiotics.
Very important Quality proteins, so they can be animal proteins
(13:49):
, they can be plant-basedproteins.
Once the body breaks down yourprotein into its building blocks
, which are the amino acids, thebody can't tell the difference
between a I don't know, aprotein that is an amino acid,
rather that has come from ananimal, versus an amino acid
(14:11):
that's come from a plant.
Did you know that?
I was shocked to learn thatwhen I was in uni doing my
nutrition studies.
So, yeah, if you do have more ofa plant-based diet, you just
need to make sure you're gettingyour essential fatty acids,
particularly your omega threes.
They're your anti-inflammatoryum uh fats and they are
(14:34):
sometimes lacking in thoseplant-based diets.
So just make sure you'regetting, whether it's flaxseed
oil, hemp seed oil they'reprobably the two most rich.
Walnut oil is more of anomega-6.
But, yeah, it's reallyimportant you're getting your
omega-3s.
And for everybody, whetheryou're plant-based or whether
you have a broad range of eating, healthy fats are super
(14:56):
important.
Please, don't fear fat.
That is one thing that I stillsee people, women in particular
and it comes from decades of lowfat marketing.
Low fat is not better for you.
Fat.
Low fat does not make you loseweight.
You need healthy fats,particularly at this time of
life, for your hormones to beproduced effectively.
(15:21):
So please don't skimp on thefat.
And having a good, healthy,nutrient-rich diet will give you
your essential nutrients, yourantioxidants that nourish the
gut microbiome and promoteoptimal estrogen metabolism.
This is really important.
So, balanced diet number one,and just on that, I just do want
(15:44):
to mention that you know, thisis where diet is one of the most
critical things or I'm gettingon a soapbox one of the most
critical things we have.
And what we eat can reallybeautifully nourish us or it can
really harm us.
And if we're filling up oncalorie rich foods or energy
(16:06):
rich foods is probably what Iprefer to call it that's going
to make you less hungry fornutrient dense foods.
So if you fill up on beautifulwhole foods first and then have
some treats, that's going to bea way better balance than you
know getting into the processedfoods which have all sorts of
(16:29):
chemicals in them that aredesigned for you to be addicted
to them, that are designed towant you craving them, want you
craving them, that are designedto make you feel full and will
take you away and take yourfocus away from nourishing
(16:51):
yourself with nutrient-richfoods.
Soapbox away, right.
Other things we can do tooptimize our skin health during
peri and menopause that supportsour healthy estrobolone is
probiotic and prebiotic foods.
So if you considerincorporating some probiotic
rich foods like yogurt,sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha,
(17:14):
that kind of stuff into yourdiet.
I'm less into kombucha, I'll behonest, because of the sugar
content, but I really likeyogurt, sauerkraut and kefir.
These foods contain beneficialbacteria that can help maintain
a healthy estrobol.
And, additionally, consumingprebiotic rich foods.
(17:35):
These are fiber rich foods,such as garlic you know, garlic
falls into this, if you cantolerate it onions, if you can
tolerate them, and unripebananas they're really good to
provide the necessary fiber tofeed your beneficial gut
bacteria.
Even things like sweet potato,things like oats, that sort of
stuff.
Gosh, if you Google prebioticfoods, you will get a whole list
(17:58):
.
Of course, stay hydrated.
We all know staying hydratedreally helps your skin health.
Drinking I'll always give youthe calculation 35 mils per kilo
of body weight, 35 mils peryour, however many kilos you
(18:18):
weigh, that's how many mils ofwater, 35 mils per kilo you
should be drinking daily to helpmaintain your skin hydration
and support the naturalfunctions of your skin, of your
brain, of your kidneys, of yourliver, your gut, everything
Really helpful for detox as well, which is also really important
(18:38):
for skin.
Really helpful for detox aswell, which is also really
important for skin.
Having a good skincare routine.
So a skincare routine thatfocuses on hydration and
nourishment, and also one thatis seasonal, that takes into
account depending on where youlive.
Like Queensland, where I live,we've just had our coldest day,
(18:59):
I'm pretty sure today, ourcoldest day this year.
It's been a pretty warm year,having said that, but yeah, it's
been cold.
When it's cold, the air isdrier.
If there's wind around, thatcan really draw moisture out of
the skin.
So having a skincare routinethat is adapting to the
(19:22):
different environment is reallyimportant.
If you're in front of the heateror a fire a lot when it's
colder weather, if you're in airconditioning when it's hot
weather, all of this willinfluence what you use on your
skin and you don't need to spenda lot of money on this, my gosh
.
Um, there's a lot of money onthis.
My gosh, there's a lot.
The beauty industry spendsbucket loads of money trying to
(19:45):
convince you that you need tospend lots and lots of money on
skincare and really you can keepit very simple.
I highly recommend you keep itas low tox as possible.
You look for chemical-freecleansers, moisturizers, serums
that have been formulated tosupport skin.
(20:05):
If you're 40 plus, kind ofingredients you want definitely
hyaluronic acid really importantand some sort of vitamin A, so
like a retinol.
These are really good forhelping to keep moisture in the
skin.
They help to erase fine lines.
(20:27):
I actually had a friend of mineyes, vanessa, a friend of mine
yesterday asked me if I'd hadany work done.
She wasn't quite so.
What's the word?
It wasn't quite as frank aquestion as that, but that was
the question and I don't mindbeing asked.
In fact, I found it quiteflattering that I get asked that
(20:48):
.
But no, I have not and it'sjust purely from the good kind
of lifestyle measures that Itake, particularly in regard to
hydration into healthy fats,into nutrient-rich diet.
I think that is really important, having prebiotic foods.
(21:10):
I don't a specific probioticthat would support my gut
microbiome.
There are specific ones forthat.
(21:32):
Please don't just randomly takethose probiotics you get in the
supermarket or in the pharmacythat have like 10 billion,
literally 10 billion bacteria.
They are not your friend.
I'm digressing a little bit,but I guess we're still talking
about gut health.
Please don't do that.
If you don't need probiotics,do not take probiotics.
(21:52):
The small amount you're goingto get in the probiotic foods is
is fine, everything inmoderation.
But yeah, those ones are justdecimating your natural gut
microbiome, which is the bestone.
You're better feeding it upwith the prebiotics and avoiding
behaviors that are going toreally harm your gut microbiome
(22:15):
rather than just smashing theprobiotics, anyway, off my
soapbox, yeah.
So using the hyaluronic acid, Ithink, is really important.
I use that twice a day.
I love it.
I use a retinoid cream, which Ithink is what's helping a lot
with my not having lots ofwrinkles, even though I'm a
Queenslander.
(22:35):
I use.
I think what is one of the keythings is I use oil on my skin,
so I use argan oil.
I've talked about this, I think, on the podcast before.
I use argan oil, which is aMoroccan oil.
It's really easy to get.
Don't have to pay a lot for it.
Rosehip oil is also anotherreally beautiful oil to use.
I personally just prefer theargan oil.
(22:57):
I believe there is research inthe collagen production aspect
of the argan oil specifically,but I do love the rosehip oil.
I believe there is research inthe collagen production aspect
of the argan oil specifically,but I do love the rosehip oil
because I find it quiteanti-inflammatory.
But yeah, just keeping it reallysimple, really low tox, making
sure you are when you're in yourforties, you really do need to
moisturize morning and night.
(23:18):
I didn't used to do that when Iwas in my twenties.
I am one of those people thatwhen I used to wear makeup every
single day, I didn'tnecessarily take it off every
single day.
It was a bit naughty, uh, in mytwenties.
But definitely, if you wearmakeup, please take it off every
night and make sure you'reputting some beautifully
nourishing products on your skin.
And if you're noticing dryness,address it immediately, not
(23:40):
just with topical products, butmaking sure you're drinking
enough water.
I think that's probably all Ineed to say about that, but if
you have any questions, pleasefeel free to message me at
SusieGardenWellness on Instagram.
Managing stress that's my finalone.
I will always talk about stress, and this is actually for a
number of reasons.
Stress can negatively impactyour gut microbiome and your
(24:03):
skin health.
We know that we have this gutbrain connection and that if
we're under stress, it's goingto impact our gut, and on a
number of levels.
Actually, not just your gutmicrobiome, which it will
definitely impact, but also yourability to digest your food and
therefore get all of thenutrients in your food.
(24:25):
So you can have this perfect,perfect diet, but if you're not
absorbing the foods and breakingdown firstly breaking them down
properly, but then absorbingthem then obviously you're not
going to be getting the benefitof that and that's absolutely
going to impact not just yourskin health but all aspects of
health.
So you really do need to managestress and as much as the
(24:48):
research is with things like thebreath work and that doesn't
need to be super complicatedjust literally breathing deeply
into your belly will help toregulate your nervous system and
help to bring down your stressresponse.
Meditation I will always promotemeditation because that is
(25:09):
where there is so much researchand I just know that when I'm
meditating regularly, I justthink differently, I feel
different, I feel so much betterin myself.
So that's really, reallyimportant that you are.
If you can meditate some people, it's just not for them and
that is absolutely fine.
You will get a similar level ofbenefit from just doing
(25:34):
anything that brings you joy.
Anything that brings you joy.
I'll always, of course, promoteyoga as well, because I love it
and it really enhances yourmind-body connection.
It really enhances yourexperience of your breath if
you've got a good teacher thatis guiding you like that.
(25:55):
Also, spending time in natureSpending time in nature is
incredible for getting yougrounded back in your body.
And if you're a city dweller,like I used to be, even if you
don't even have a balcony, letalone a backyard, if you can
stand near a window and get sunon your skin, look at the blue
(26:16):
sky, if you can see sky,hopefully you can from your
window.
Having some indoor plants, thatwill really help.
Anything like that is useful.
But hopefully you have a localpark or something like that that
you could go and just spend alittle bit of time in nature.
Or if you're lucky enough tolive um where you have got
access to the ocean or rivers or, um any kind of body of water,
(26:41):
any kind of green space, thenthat's even better to spend even
just 10 minutes.
I know, when I'm walking mydogs, that is just one of my
favorite times.
Even this morning it was just abeautiful sunrise.
It was freezing cold, the sunwas coming and hitting the
leaves, all the birds were out.
It was just sensational.
And that starts your daybeautifully if you can spend
(27:04):
some time in nature, and thatjust makes everything better.
So prioritizing that as an actof self-love and self-care will
really positively impact you onso many levels.
So I think that's all I'm goingto talk about today.
So you know, as we kind ofnavigate the changes that occur
(27:26):
during your perimenopausetransition and post menopause as
well, if you can understandwhat's going on inside your body
, I think it just puts you in aso much better position to
advocate for yourself.
And when you can understandsomething complex like the
estrobolone and I'm going to beunpacking that a little bit more
over the coming weeks then, andparticularly today, the
(27:48):
estrobolone's impact on the skin, that can really provide you
with valuable insights,particularly if you're feeling
like, no matter what you do,your skin is not doing what you
want it to do.
Perhaps you need to go a littledeeper than what you're putting
on your skin.
So remember, you can support ahealthy estrobolum through a
really good nutritious diet,probiotics, prebiotics,
(28:10):
hydration, stress management andgood skincare.
When I say good skincare, Idon't mean expensive, I just
mean well thought out goodskincare.
I don't mean expensive, I justmean well thought out.
You can really optimize yourestrogen metabolism and promote
vibrant and healthy skin.
So of course, this is generaladvice, it's not a personalized
(28:31):
protocol.
Okay, this is just foreducational purposes, maybe a
little bit of entertainment.
Hopefully you find me a littletiny bit entertaining.
If you're finding myselfentertaining, if you're looking
for a more personalized approachand a protocol with the exact
strategy for you, for yourindividual biochemistry, then
that's a different thing.
That is, you know, you canclick the link in the show notes
(28:52):
and book in to have a chat withme to see if that is right for
you, and I work remotely spyvideo links so I can support
people in most places, certainlyin Australia and New Zealand,
in the US in some places as well.
So, yeah, reach out.
(29:13):
I hope you've enjoyed thisepisode.
If you do have any questions,please let me know.
Otherwise, I will be back onThursday with Q&A.
Thanks so much for joining metoday on the Ageless and Awesome
podcast.
If you liked today's episode,please make sure you click the
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(29:33):
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Or, if you'd like to continuethe discussion, head over to
Instagram and DM me atsuzygardenwellness.
(29:54):
I'd love to connect with you.