ReInvent Healthcare

Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo
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May 17, 2023 • 44min

The Impact Of Adrenal Hormone Dysfunction On Menopause And How To Restore Balance

In this episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we have a special guest, Dr. Kyrin Dunston, the host of the Hormone Prescription podcast and founder of the Her Hormone Club - an end-to-end membership that provides women with state of the art hormone therapy.  She’s a speaker and has been featured in TEDx, CBS, NBC, Reader's Digest, The Huffington Post, Best Self and more. We dive into the topic of adrenal hormone dysfunction and its significant impact on menopause. Menopause is a natural transition in a woman's life, but the hormonal changes that occur during this phase can lead to various symptoms and health challenges. Hormones are the foundation of women’s health and must be in balance.  We shed light on the crucial role adrenal hormones play in menopause and provide insights on restoring hormonal balance to alleviate these symptoms. Make sure to listen to the full episode to learn more.IN THIS EPISODE:The Crucial Role of HormonesHormones serve as the foundation for various bodily functions and processes, influencing everything from reproductive health to metabolism and emotional well-being.There are seven main metabolic hormones that are particularly important for women. These hormones include insulin, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormones (T3 and T4), growth hormone, and leptin. Each of these hormones plays a unique role in regulating different aspects of a woman's health. The key is asking the right questions, testing and not guessing, and comparing to optimal not “normal” lab values.Cortisol’s Impact on MenopauseDuring menopause, when a woman's reproductive hormone levels decline, the body undergoes significant hormonal changes. These hormonal fluctuations can lead to an increased production of cortisol, as the body perceives these changes as stress. Inappropriate cortisol levels during menopause can contribute to various symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and weight gain. When one hormone is out of balance, it affects other hormones, and your body will steal from one pathway to help another which leads to more imbalance. We cannot live without cortisol, so the body will sacrifice other hormones for survival.  Without testing and examining other hormone levels and stressors, practitioners can easily miss key findings. Cortisol Management during Menopause Managing cortisol levels is important. Hormonal changes can affect cortisol production, leading to symptoms like anxiety, irritability, and weight gain. Practicing stress reduction techniques, maintaining a healthy diet, supplementing when needed, and getting enough sleep are crucial for cortisol management during this stage. RESOURCES:Dr. Kyrin DunstonCheck out Dr. Kyrin Dunston‘s website here. Join Dr. Kyrin Dunston’s Hormone Bliss Challenge here.Check-out Dr. Kyrin Dunston’s Her Hormone Club here. Follow Dr. Kyrin Dunston on Instagram.Listen to Dr. Kyrin Dunston’s podcast here.ReInvent HealthcareRead through our FREE Resource Adrenal Guide.Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease. Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.  Watch our recorded Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here.Join my June 2-4, 2023 Nutritional Endocrinology Symposium here.
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May 10, 2023 • 14min

The Cortisol Awakening Response

In today's episode, we discuss the cortisol awakening response, which is a salivary test that's part of the Dutch test and other hormone tests. We'll be looking at the patterns of this response and discussing what can cause it to go out of balance. This test, along with urine-based metabolite measurements, provides a beautiful picture of your overall cortisol levels. If you're interested in learning more about the importance of cortisol testing and how it can benefit your health, listen to the full episode.IN THIS EPISODE:Cortisol Awakening Response TestThe Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) is a natural biological process in which the hormone cortisol is released by the adrenal glands upon awakening in the morning. The CAR typically occurs within the first 30-45 minutes after waking and is responsible for preparing the body for the day ahead. The Cortisol Awakening Response Test measures the amount of cortisol in the saliva at awakening. It is used in conjunction with the urine metabolite testing to evaluate response to stress. When used with metabolite testing, it allows you to see the dips and peaks throughout the day to see if there are any imbalances. If the cortisol awakening response is too low or too high, that is a sign that we need to ask more questions about this client’s lifestyle. Why Timing The Cortisol Awakening Response MattersThe cortisol awakening response is a natural physiological pattern where cortisol levels increase rapidly within 30-45 minutes after waking up in the morning. When testing, it is crucial to test immediately upon awakening, within the first 5 minutes at most. Once a person starts moving around we are no longer going to see the baseline amount.  The timing of the cortisol awakening response is critical because it sets the tone for the body's stress response levels throughout the day. If cortisol levels are not elevated in the morning, it can impact our ability to cope with stressors, increase our risk for diseases, and affect our mood and energy levels for the rest of the day.The HPA Axis and Blood Sugar DysregulationThe HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis is a complex neuroendocrine system that regulates the body's response to stress. When we encounter a stressful situation, the hypothalamus in the brain signals the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which then stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that helps the body to respond to stress, but chronic stress can cause dysregulation of the HPA axis and lead to various health problems. One of these problems is blood sugar dysregulation, which occurs when cortisol raises blood sugar levels in response to stress. Over time, this can lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, high levels of cortisol can cause the body to store fat, particularly in the abdominal area, which can further contribute to blood sugar dysregulation and other health issues.RESOURCES:Read through our FREE Resource Adrenal Guide.Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease. Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.  Watch our recorded Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here.
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May 3, 2023 • 15min

Cortisol Metabolite Testing: Finding the Missing Link in Your Hormone Health

In this week’s episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we talk about a specific type of test that analyzes metabolites in the body. This test analyzes the levels of metabolites to help evaluate for adrenal dysfunction. IN THIS EPISODE:The DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) TestThere are different versions of the DUTCH test with different purposes that can check hormones, the cortisol awakening response, and adrenals, which in turn can find out about thyroid function. Another great thing about this test is it can also test for cortisol metabolites. Cortisol MetabolitesOnce cortisol is broken down by the liver for excretion, it is converted into cortisol metabolites. Each individual person has a different set of chemistry that may be contributing to their symptoms, fatigue, libido, etc. and looking into cortisol metabolites can go a long way in order to understand their dysfunctions better.Cortisone and CortisolCortisol is deactivated to cortisone and vice-versa through different types of enzymes. The ratio of cortisol to cortisone and their metabolites is something to look at to see how the body is excreting and this can show signs of inflammation and give us a better picture of how the adrenals are functioning.RESOURCES:Read through our FREE Resource Adrenal Guide.Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease. Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.  Watch our recorded Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here.
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Apr 26, 2023 • 17min

Adrenal Testing Options

In this week’s episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we go over different adrenal testing options, what sets them apart, and why they are important. Having different options is good for you and your clients to know so that they are aware of their options and how each test works. IN THIS EPISODE:Blood Chemistry Adrenal TestsThere are several markers of electrolyte balance on the blood chemistry that give clues about the status of the adrenals.  Testing cortisol in the morning is not sufficient since cortisol has its own circadian rhythm. For blood tests of cortisol to be useful it would need to be done 4 times a day.Salivary Adrenal TestsThese types of tests should also be done 4-5 times a day. This test also looks at DHEA and we want to look at the sum of the Cortisol in a 24-hour period. Again, there is also a pattern to this type of test that we should be aware of since it can be a telling clue about the adrenal state. The DUTCH Test or the Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive HormonesThis is the test that I use most and there are different versions of DUTCH Tests with different purposes that can check the adrenals, sex hormones, and also the cortisol awakening response. Additionally it tests for cortisol metabolites. What are Metabolites?When cortisol is broken down for excretion, it is converted into cortisol metabolites. When we look at metabolites we are assessing the body’s ability to clear cortisol, which gives us clues about other hormone and body system functions, RESOURCES:Read through our FREE Resource Adrenal Guide.Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease. Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.  Watch our recorded Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here.
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Apr 19, 2023 • 14min

Adrenal Dysfunction and Sex Hormone Interaction

In this week’s episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we talk about the interactions between sex hormones and adrenal glands, what tests can be done and how to assess for dysfunctions so that we, as practitioners can recommend the best course of action that our clients can take in order to help them get well.  IN THIS EPISODE:Cholesterol and Pregnenolone Steal Not very many people are aware or remember that Cholesterol helps create the sex hormones. Cholesterol needs Vitamin B5 in order to get to the next step which is Pregnenolone. So what exactly is Pregnenolone Steal? Learn more in this episode. Sex Hormone Imbalance and Adrenal Dysfunction Sex Hormone Imbalance is very much related to Adrenal Dysfunction. That is why when you approach a client with a Sex Hormone Imbalance, you need to assess cortisol levels and get their stress and adrenal function under control. The Importance of Cortisol Cortisol plays an important role in stress response. If one is under a lot of stress, pregnenolone is going to be converted to cortisol, and lead to imbalances in sex hormones.  So it is  important to get stress under control in order to control libido and menstrual cycles.  RESOURCES: Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease.  Read through our FREE Adrenal Guide. Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.   Watch our recorded Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here. Check out the Hormone Interaction image I mentioned during the episode here.
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Apr 12, 2023 • 39min

An Expert's Guide to Implementing the Adrenal Transformation Protocol with Dr. Izabella Wentz

In this week’s episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we have with us a returning guest, Dr. Izabella Wentz who is a Doctor of Pharmacy with over 20 years of experience. She is also an author of bestselling books and today we dive into her latest one, the “Adrenal Transformation Protocol: A 4-Week Plan to Release Stress Symptoms and Go from Surviving to Thriving.”    IN THIS EPISODE: Thyroid Issues and Adrenals 90% of people with Thyroid issues and Chronic Fatigue have some sort of Adrenal Dysfunction because of an intimate connection between thyroid hormones and stress hormones. Some people develop Hashimoto’s after a significant time being “stuck” in a stressed out survival state. How Stress affects the Adrenals It is important to support stress function in order to properly support adrenal function. With any autoimmune disease, the first thing we have to remove is stressors. May it be mental, emotional, physiological, environmental, or food related. That is why it is important to properly assess the state of our clients in order to best recommend the best course of action for them. Adrenal Transformation Protocol Overview Safety Signals - Learning to eliminate danger signals (flight or flight mode) and turning them into safety signals such as how to make the body feel like it isn’t in a famine.  Nutrients - Going over the nutrients that get depleted during stress and nutrients that are needed under stress that support the thyroid and adrenals  to get into a thriving state.  Daily Habits - Going over the day-to-day routines of clients, do they have negative self-talk, are they doing enough things that bring them joy and energy, are they exercising appropriately. RESOURCES: Dr Izabella Wentz Check out Dr. Izabella Wentz’s Website here.  Follow Dr. Izabella Wentz’s Instagram here. Follow Dr. Izabella Wentz’s Facebook here. Pre-order the Adrenal Transformation Protocol: A 4-Week Plan to Release Stress Symptoms and Go from Surviving to Thriving as well as Dr. Izabella Wentz’s other books here. Listen to our Hashimoto’s discussion here. Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease.  Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.   Read through our FREE Adrenal Guide. Create your own healthy and balanced breakfast meals with our Break your fast menu here.   Learn about food and nutrients that can help your clients get a balanced diet with our Functional food guide here. Join our Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here.
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Apr 5, 2023 • 40min

Food and Herbs for Adrenal Dysfunction

In this week’s episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we talk about food, herbs, and supplements that are great for balancing and maintaining our clients’ health. We also go over why it is important to assess our clients’ diet so we can coach them on what to eat to support good adrenal function.    IN THIS EPISODE: The Importance of a Balanced Breakfast A typical high carbohydrate breakfast that consists of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and toast puts a lot of stress on the adrenals. If people are in a state of adrenal dysfunction, they need a balanced breakfast to “break their fast”. A good breakfast would have something “green”, a good source of protein, good omega-3 fats, or something with probiotics. Important Vitamins for Adrenals Vitamin C is important for cortisol and other adrenal hormones. It is also an antioxidant that protects the adrenals from damage. Vitamin B5 is needed to convert cholesterol to pregnenolone and is helpful for those under long periods of stress with adrenal dysfunction. Mushrooms to Support Adrenals Cordyceps are adaptogenic mushrooms that help the body maintain consistent energy levels and help the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which increases cellular oxygen absorption to alleviate adrenal fatigue. RESOURCES: Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease.  Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.   Read through our FREE Adrenal Guide. Create your own healthy and balanced breakfast meals with our Break your fast menu here.   Learn about food and nutrients that can help your clients get a balanced diet with our Functional food guide here. 
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Mar 29, 2023 • 23min

The Truth About Adrenal Fatigue

In this week’s episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we tackle a new topic all about Adrenal Health. We go over its function, how the adrenals work, symptoms, how to test and assess the adrenal glands, and related hormones. We need to know all of these in order to give our clients the proper lifestyle, diet, tests, and nutrients they need for their adrenals, so they can live a fully optimized life.  IN THIS EPISODE: Why is the Adrenal Gland Important? It is a part of the Sympathetic Nervous System which produces hormones that help the ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ reflex to keep you safe when in danger or under stress. The adrenals mobilize resources required to keep us safe and then recover and repair. ‘Adrenal Fatigue’ I look at it as “Adrenal Dysfunction” or HPA Axis Dysfunction (Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis). It is found that with better testing, we can analyze the adrenals on a deeper level to evaluate our clients and what we can do to support and normalize their adrenals. Factors that can Affect the Adrenals Chronic stress, inflammation, autoimmune condition, food sensitivities, obesity or low-grade infections trigger the body and lead to imbalance. This can make way for chronic viral infections or bacterial infections in the body. Physiological changes can also trigger the adrenals - Toxins found in the air, water, our food, and even the day-to-day products we use like make-up and body care products. It is important to know about all these details so we can get stress off our clients’ adrenals. RESOURCES: Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease.  Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.   Read through our FREE Adrenal Guide here.
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Mar 22, 2023 • 21min

Frequently Asked Thyroid Questions

In this week’s episode of ReInvent Healthcare, we tackle frequently asked questions and misconceptions people have about the thyroid so that we can make sure that our clients are well-informed. This way, we can help people optimize their health by getting to the root cause then guide them through proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices. IN THIS EPISODE: Food for Thyroid Don’t be scared of brassicas like kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage in the diet, since they do wonders for the body. These have only been a concern when nutrients were isolated.  With soy, there is a misconception that it is bad for you. It’s only a problem for people with thyroid function if they're low in iodine, because the goitrogens in the soy can interfere with the uptake of the iodine which is needed for making thyroid. Foods to stay away from are gluten, dairy, and sugar.  Can people get off Thyroid Medication? It is not possible to get off medication if people have had their thyroids removed. There is also a chance that they are on the wrong medication and that is causing further harm. For those who still have their thyroid, it is very possible to get off medication through balancing blood sugar, practicing mindfulness, and getting proper sleep and movement.We as practitioners have to be able to tell our clients to get the proper tests done, make the right lifestyle choices, and improve their diet so that people do not fall through the cracks. Hormones that Interact with the Thyroid Insulin - Studies show that TSH levels can correlate with insulin. Thyroid dysfunction can also impact insulin and can lead to diabetes. Cortisol - Adrenals affect high and low levels of cortisol and the conversion of T4 to T3. It can also affect receptors and inflammation in the system. Sex Hormones - Birth control or hormone replacement therapy at menopause will cause an increase in thyroid binding globulin, which effectively causes too much bound thyroid hormones and not enough free. People on testosterone therapy make less thyroid binding globulin, which causes more free thyroid hormones which can lead to symptoms of  hyperthyroidism.   RESOURCES: Get our Free Thyroid Resource Guide to support you in managing clients with Thyroid issues here. Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease.  Access Additional Resources for Practitioners ready to improve clinical outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training.   Improve Your Clinical Skills with our recorded 1-day Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here. Learn from our Client Thyroid Program packed with Strategies for Restoring Optimal Thyroid Function here.  
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Mar 15, 2023 • 56min

The Thyroid Debacle with Dr. Eric Balcavage

In this week’s episode, we have with us Dr. Eric Balcavage, the co-author of The Thyroid Debacle, host of the Thyroid Answers podcast, and the owner and founder of Rejuvagan, a functional medicine clinic in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.  Together we talk about what’s wrong with the western Medicine approach to thyroid care, and how we as practitioners can do things differently from a Functional perspective.  IN THIS EPISODE: Why Is The book called “The Thyroid Debacle” There are countless clients who struggle from chronic hypothyroid signs and symptoms who are told that they don’t have a problem with their thyroid. At the same time, there are also those who get diagnosed with hypothyroidism and get medications and improved lab numbers, but still struggle with hypothyroid signs and symptoms.  These people continue to suffer because they are told they can’t have thyroid problems because their labs are normal. The Correlation Between People on Hypothyroidism Medication and Risk Of Cancer Hypothyroid clients who have “sick cells” are given T4.  In this situation, the metabolism of the sick cells can increase, causing the precancerous or cancerous cells to replicate and lead to cancer.    RESOURCES: More about Dr. Eric Balcavage: Dr. Balcavage’s Clinic - Rejuvagen Follow Dr. Eric Balcavage’s Instagram page Get your copy of The Thyroid Debacle here Visit Dr Eric Balcavage’s Rejuvagan YouTube and Rejuvagan Facebook pages for more details Get our FREE Thyroid Resources Guide with resources to support you in managing clients with Thyroid issues here Get our FREE Guide to Taking a Detailed Health History that gets you to root causes with ease  Access Additional Resources for Practitioners Ready to Improve Clinical Outcomes through our Nutritional Endocrinology Practitioner Training Improve Your Clinical Skills with our recorded 1-day Thyroid Adrenal Workshop here  Learn from our Client Thyroid Program packed with strategies for restoring optimal thyroid function here

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