The Hormone Solution with Karen Martel

In this episode, Dr. Eric Balcavage and I discuss the root causes of hypothyroidism. What is cellular hypothyroidism and how do we treat it? Why the conventional and the functional world may be looking at hypothyroidism in the wrong light. Is there a place for medication? What can cause cellular danger? Plus so much more! This is one you will want to grab a paper and pen to take notes on while you listen.  Dr. Eric Balcavage is a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Board Certified in Integrative Medicine, along with being a licensed Chiropractor in Pennsylvania. Dr. Balcavage has studied under and consulted with several experts in Functional Medicine over the years, including renowned thyroid expert Dr. Datis Kharrazian and methylation expert, Dr. Ben Lynch. Dr. Balcavage trains and consults with hundreds of doctors on topics such as Thyroid physiology, GI physiology, Organic acid testing and Methylation. He also lectures locally and around the country on numerous other health conditions. Rejuvagen is a center that offers a blend of Functional Medicine & Regenerative Medicine combined with Functional Neurology & Nutrition.   He co-hosts the Thyroid Answers Podcast which is available on iTunes. Dr. Balcavage is also the author of The Thyroid Debacle. Today's episode is sponsored by Relish Life. Get $100 off your first month with coupon code KAREN. Listen to an interview with the owners of Relish Life here.  Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Start your membership to the OnTrack group coaching program to help you balance your hormones and lose weight.   Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

In this part 2 of my Q&A Deb What are optimal blood levels for progesterone, estrogen and testosterone in women over 60? Is there a ratio between estrogen and progesterone that is optimal?  Lisa I am 54 and in full menopause. Should I be using topical estradiol and progesterone cream? I currently only use progesterone and the few times I have tried the estradiol cream I have felt very moody/pissy. I use the progesterone cream every other week. Thanks for all of your great info! Jodi I’m a 50-year-old post-menopausal woman with weight gain and abdominal/back/thigh fat increase in the last 3 years. Up 20# (down about 10 over the last 8 months) So based on your recommendations (and agreement from GYN) and my very low levels of progesterone, estrogens, and testosterone. I’m doing a combo bioidentical estrogen and testosterone vaginal cream and Oral Progesterone. First few months I just applied to my skin 2 pumps as directed but it often felt like more was getting in my underwear so I started using an insert tube thing. I haven’t retested yet- on month 4, but am wondering if this is the best way to get the estrogen/testosterone. Would it be better to have them separated? Or a different form? Also, I’ve been taking a week off of the OMP. Is this still recommended? I’m an RD getting my certification in Functional nutrition and I do all the ‘stuff’ Eat clean, supplements, exercise, sleep and still weight loss is very slow and hard and any deviation from the above plan I seem to gain 2-5#. The hormones have helped with sleep and some of that weight loss occurred after taking but still, my body doesn’t look like me. (More like my mom!!!) any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks again! Danielle Hi Karen, I’ve been reducing my refined sugar intake over the last year and I do well all month until the week of my cycle. Why do such intense cravings for sugar, especially chocolate, accompany periods? Which hormones are fluctuating that trigger this? Is it the drop in progesterone? Thank you! Anonymous I have a question about hormone replacement topical application. I know it is best to rotate application sites so as not to overload the hormone receptors. However, I am on four different hormone creams and wondering if it is sufficient to rotate the different hormones between each site, (are the hormone receptors specific to each hormone?) or should I be taking a break completely to give them a chance to reset? I am on DHEA, testosterone, estrogen/estradiol, and progesterone and I rotate those between the chest, inner wrist, and back of the knee. Thank you! Anonymous I have been following your podcast for a year now and I love your energy. Your show is very informative and gives us women hope!! I am 66 years old and had my last period at 55 so my question to you am I too old to start any hormone therapy or should I have begun therapy in perimenopause. Just in these last couple of years, I have been feeling low and not myself. I still work outside the home and am a busy grandmother of 4. At my age, I am still very busy and probably stressed with all the responsibilities I still have to encounter in my life. I still try and keep my body active by doing weight training 2-3 times a week and walking 2-3 times a week. I have this belly fat I can’t get rid of. My sex drive is nil and has been for two years now. I am just not in a happy place and want to feel full again. I don’t know where to start. Naty I have been struggling with sugar binges for over 50 yrs causing abdominal belly fat I walk every day 2 hrs. I have sugar cravings and tried herbal supplements but they do not work sugar is always there and I know I am very emotional and have low esteem. I have no sex drive Menaopause. So frustrated, what can I do? Luhu Hi Karen! Love you!... listen to all your podcasts and have learned so much, I'm a long-term beauty/health/nutrition journalist studying with FDN to become a practitioner and I hope to interview you one day! :) OK, I've always been fit and very lean but have gained 20lbs with menopause all over not just belly, it's like my whole outline is bigger…is this typical? I want to start BHRT and do it right, i.e. knowing my genetics and pathways so I lose this weight not gain more. Fear of that has stopped me so far….and worrying that my gut is not in top shape, but menopause itself makes the gut worse right? Do you see gut improvement with BHRT? My last stool test showed that my beta-glucuronidase was high BUT when I take any Phase 2 support now like calcium d-glucarate or DIM or even Resveratrol my weight instantly increases!! I've asked 2 functional med docs if this is because it's lowering my estrogen more and they said no something else is wrong. But my instinct was that it lowered my estrogen more LIKE YOU SAID! [I tried Dr. LB's Receptor Detox with a low-dose cal d-glucarate and this happened too.] Is this what you see? And do you recommend products like this DURING BHRT so that the hormones are detoxed well? My thyroid is actually good by Dr. Amie Hornaman's standard (though Reverse is 16.4, a bit high?)…however sex hormones are dismally low, both estradiol and free T are a 6 :( Can you remind me what BHRT you take again? I'm interested in the patch but unsure of progesterone amount/delivery…maybe not oral since my gut has been off/a bit SIBO-ish? Lastly since I'm sensitive to supps etc, do you recommend starting with a lower dose of the patch to ease into it and let the body adjust and then say go up to a 0.05? Oh wait, one more thing, there is a female doc on podcasts that talks about bringing FSH down to levels it was when we were younger…can that be done with say a .05 patch or does that take higher doses? THANK YOU SO MUCH xoLuhu Do you have a question for our next Q&A? Please fill out this form. Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately. Get started for only $1! Get the details and apply to be part of my 3-month Mastering Peri & Post Menopause coaching program.  Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram  

In this Q&A  Kesha Hi, Karen. I am 44 and peri menopausal. My periods are all over the place. I’ll go 50+ days with no cycle and then start my cycle. Recently I had a full cycle for 7 days. It got lighter towards the end. Then 5 days later I started my cycle again and had another full period. I take progesterone cream every 14 days and also testosterone injections every 4 days. I do feel great but the fluctuations in my cycle are frustrating. I do know this is just part of peri. My doctor said I may want to take progesterone every day for a while until my cycle is regulated. What do you think about this? Will using BioIdentical HRT prevent menopause or is it to help ease the symptoms of menopause? I have a friend whose doctor is trying to use HRT to push her thru menopause quickly. Anonymous Hi, I was diagnosed a year ago with Endometrial hyperplasia (without atypia) which has been under control using natural micronized progesterone pills (200mg) daily. Throughout the several past few years I’ve been having simple cysts in my ovaries that appear and go away by themselves but last April a mammogram was done on both my breasts and since then I’ve been having pain in my left breast on the left side of my nipple. An ultrasound was done twice after the mammography to check the health of my breasts and to try to know the source of the pain but nothing was seen except “Fibroadenosis” in both breasts. I have done some research and found that vitamin E and iodine can help in treating Fibroadenosis but I don’t want to self-medicate as I know that iodine could affect the thyroid gland. I would like to try both iodine and vitamin E in doses that are monitored by a specialist. Lpeeterson When in full menopause should we be using both progesterone and estradiol cream? Sandijo I'm wondering about BHRT testosterone for menopausal women (approx 50-60yr old). I feel like I don't hear as much from experts on Testosterone for women. What is the optimal blood lab? Will it convert down the path into estrogen? Can I take it every day of the month? Better to take DHEA instead and let it convert to testosterone?  Anonymous Okay my question is what do I eat to help with the immune system disease and inflammation to lose weight and yes I do have a leaky gut my cholesterol is high the other one is low my ferritin is high lupus is high Casey Hello! What causes weight fluctuations? I have hypothyroidism but am starting to think these weight fluctuations aren’t thyroid related. I can be as much as 10 pounds heavier or lighter from day to day. I hate it! Jill Over heard that HRT won't work if you're over 10 years menopausal. Is that true? Courtenay Hi Karen! I have been dealing with hypothyroidism for over two years now, when first diagnosed my doc put me on 100mcg of Synthroid and reluctantly on 25 mcg of Cytomel. This seemed to work for me quite fast as I was able to lose about ten pounds without effort for the first time in my life! Fast forward one full year I gained that ten back and MORE over the span of two weeks this past January. Since the weight gain, I was able to find a provider to prescribe t3 only as I feel like I may have had a reverse t3 problem.. but as you know, I’m Canada they will not test. Since t3 only I feel better but still can’t lose this stubborn weight I put on and it’s really messing with me mentally. Any advice? Ps. I don’t have insulin resistance.  Natalie I am 51 and have been without a period for 4 months. My estrogen is very low and I am having all the symptoms, the worst being anxiety, fog and flashes. I've been to my doctor to get his suggestions. I have also been listening to you for a while now and love your information and podcasts. I just started taking progesterone. I have activated protein C deficiency - a hereditary clotting disorder on my father's side and my mother had breast Ca at 36 (she is still alive and well) Is taking some form of estrogen out of the question for me? Thanks for your help and all you do to help women! I am fortunate to come across your podcast Natalie (Regina SK) Anonymous I need help with weight loss and sex drive!! Links discussed in the episode. Iodine challenge test Episode Testosterone replacement in Women Episode Beating Breast Cancer Episode How to Maintain and Keep Your Sex Drive Alive Do you have a question for our next Q&A? Please fill out this form. Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately. Get started for only $1! Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram  

Tim is one of those guys that will leave you feeling younger and more energetic just by hearing him speak. He’s turning 49 but feels like he’s 18 (with more energy!) What’s his secret? After suffering from multiple health issues, including rectal bleeding, two separate skin issues, chronic acid indigestion and surgery to remove one of his organs due to serious digestive issues, Tim knew something had to change.  But it was only after watching his closest ones die of cancer and the untimely death of his younger brother that he finally decided to take action. Tim’s journey led him to a shocking discovery that helped his friend beat cancer and transform every area of his life. Feeling charged with a duty to help others he started sharing his knowledge with anyone that would listen. In this episode; Tim's and his friends incredible story of healing  The power of live foods what colonics can do for the body the 3 major things that are causing all our health issues the number of chemicals in our environment and where they are hidden why BPA free is a scam the power of minerals for detox glyphosate EMF and why you need to worry about them why all supplements are not created equal how to detox your environment and more! Tim James: https://www.chemicalfreebody.com/ Get the details and apply to be part of my 3-month Mastering Peri & Post Menopause coaching program.  Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately.   Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Start your membership in the OnTrack group coaching program to help you balance your hormones and lose weight.   Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

Adiponectin is what helps you to burn fat! Find out everything you need to know about this, not talked about, hormone that could be stopping you from losing weight.   Download the podcast Wits & Weights: Strength and Nutrition for Skeptics using your favorite podcast app, or go to witsandweights.com/podcast to listen and get motivated to change your life. Download the FREE"Protein Power Transformation Program" at witsandweights.com. Do you have a question you would like for me to answer in my next Q&A podcast? If so please fill out this form.  Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately.   Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

Dr. Tabatha Barber is triple board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, menopause, and functional medicine. She has the unique situation of being licensed to practice medicine in over half the country, so you now have the ability to work with a functional physician virtually. She is the host of The Functional Gynecologist Podcast; where she shares her wisdom and knowledge with women everywhere to reclaim their health. She is also a keynote speaker, mentor, wife, mom, and grandma! By incorporating functional medicine into her women’s health practice, she is able to provide women with the tools they need to optimize their health and happiness, which, in turn, allows those women to pursue their purpose in life. In this episode; why gynecologists and endocrinologists don't understand perimenopause and menopause. why Dr. Tabatha decided to leave mainstream medicine and become a functional gynecologist synthetic hormones versus bioidentical the dangers of birth control pills finding the right research to prove hormones are safe and why you have to be careful looking at some of the studies. why women are choosing to stay on their HRT for life and are they safe? side effects of losing your hormones the impact of stress on hormones as you age the impact of gut health on your estrogen metabolism how to optimize your body for HRT and more! https://www.drtabatha.com/ Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately.   Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

Does counting calories and macros help you lose weight? What is better fasting or calorie restriction for weight loss?  How do we lose weight without harming our metabolism? What does the research tell us?  In this episode, I answer these questions and more! Plus find out the BEST way to sustainably lose weight and keep it off for GOOD! Today's podcast episode is sponsored by Libsyn. Start your podcast today with Libsyn and get your first month free with coupon code FRIEND! Purchase your Advanced Urine Metabilte test kit here.  Use coupon code SUMMER to get 15% off your kit! Sale ends July 30th! Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

Steven Wright is a medical engineer, Kalish Functional Medicine Institute Graduate, and gut health specialist. He spent close to $400,000 overcoming his own health challenges using everything from western medicine to shamans. Steven is the founder of healthygut.com. He lives in Boulder, CO with his fiancé Shay and their two dogs. In this episode Steven's story of going from severe IBS with chronic diarrhea, estrogen dominance, and low testosterone to a healthy functioning gut and body. Hormones and the gut connection. Why you have to prepare the gut before using bioidentical hormones. Why healing diets are sometimes not enough and what to do next. The power of listening to your intuition. When supplements may be needed. How an unhealthy gut affects your weight. How your gut health will affect your mental health. What is really going on with histamine intolerance. The latest on SIBO. The power of butyrate to heal the gut. The best supplements to take to help health the gut. The importance of stomach acid and much more! Get 15% off your order at https://healthygut.com/ Today's podcast episode is sponsored by Libsyn. Start your podcast today with Libsyn and get your first month free with coupon code FRIEND! Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately.   Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

Dr. Mache Seibel is a leading menopause expert who helps women get the information they need to feel better and have more control over their life, their work and their relationships. He is a 25-year member of the Harvard Medical Faculty, author of the best-selling books, The Estrogen Window and The Estrogen Fix, and Editor of the #1 digital magazine for midlife women HotYearsMag.com. His latest book, written with his wife Dr. Sharon Seibel, is Working Through Menopause: The Impact on Women, Businesses and The Bottom Line. Before transitioning to focus on menopause, Dr. Mache was a leading expert in infertility who performed some of the first In vitro fertilization successes in the United States. Dr. Mache has published over 200 scientific articles and 17 books for both professionals and consumers and has received multiple national awards for patient education, research and writing. Dr. Mache has years of experience providing coaching to women from around the world, helping them become a partner with their healthcare providers available at MenopauseCoaching.com. Women in the workforce in perimenopause and menopause make up nearly one-fourth of the workforce. Less than one percent of businesses have a menopause policy in place. How addressing women’s workplace health would lead to greater employee retention and improve the company’s bottom line. How big of an issue is menopause in the workplace? How does menopause affect women at work? What can women do to improve their situation? What are businesses doing to support midlife women in the workplace? Dr. Mache Seibel — Menopause Treatment Speaker, Consultant & Coach Mache Seibel, M.D. (drmache.com) Today's podcast episode is sponsored by Libsyn. Start your podcast today with Libsyn and get your first month free with coupon code FRIEND! Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately.   Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram

In part 2 of my round table with Maty and Marty, we answer listeners' questions. Does cholesterol level correlate with insulin and blood glucose level. If yes - why, what is a physiological explanation. If not, again why?   Do I have to dial in macros to have success with DDF?  I'm surgically menopausal (gees back in 2015) why can't I have any good carbs? I can only lose the weight/fat eating a lion diet. How to help the rise in morning blood glucose from a cortisol release?  In reference to changing hormones (for women), to match your other half, to build a better relationship sexually, is there a negative result of “tweaking” hormones to do these adjustments vs letting the body’s hormones adjust naturally on their own?  General best practices for surgical menopause HRT with family history of breast cancer and personal history of PCOS. Should everyone avoid gluten?  Cold immersion for women. Pro’s & Con’s? Is menopause really going to be the death sentence everyone makes it sound like?  Will the vaccine affect my weight loss?  Is the carnivore diet the holy grail of weight loss and more! Marty Kendall is the author of the book Big Fat Keto Lies. Marty is an engineer who seeks to optimize nutrition using a data-driven approach. His interest in nutrition began eighteen years ago in an effort to help his wife Monica gain better control of her Type 1 Diabetes. But since then, he has worked to develop a systematized approach to nutrition tailored for a wide range of goals. Mart Kendall Website Matty Lansdown is a scientist, nutritionist and health coach that specializes in weight loss and self-confidence for women and busy mothers. Matty’s extensive experience with nutrition led him to uncover the deeper challenge people have with health which isn’t about calories or kale but in fact mindset and behavior change. Having been on his own personal development journey, Matty is now super-passionate about showing people how to level up their health so that healthy habits and the best food choices are easy and natural. Are struggling with perimenopausal symptoms? Hot flashes, weight gain, weight loss resistance, low libido?  Check out the most comprehensive and affordable peri and post-menopause monthly course OnTrack. OnTrack is a group coaching program to help you balance your hormones, lose weight and sail through peri and post-menopause at a fraction of what it costs to work with me privately.   Purchase your home Hormone Test Kits here.  Karen Martel, Certified Hormone Specialist & Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert.  Visit https://karenmartel.com/  Karen's Facebook Karen's Instagram