In this episode, Dr. Lisa discusses how to tell if you are burnt out and on “survival mode” (and so many of us are, unfortunately!). She uncovers the harmful effects of not resting/activating the parasympathetic nervous system, along with ways to prevent burnout. Listen in to discover ways to “fill up your own gas tank” so that you can start feeling your best and living your best life.
What’s Else is Happening?
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is next month. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Join Dr. Lisa’s new Facebook group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!
We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode re-release from June 2020, Dr. Toni and Dr. Lisa discuss: the benefits of some stress in your life; how stress becomes toxic; and how it impacts your libido, energy, mood, memory, immunity and more. Discover how to test for stress hormone imbalances and what you can do about is using lifestyle changes, meditation, exercise, nutrition, herbs and more.
In this episode, we cover:
What stress is and why you need good stress
How your adrenal glands work
What cortisol, your main stress hormone, does in your body
How you can test your adrenal function
How you can decrease toxic stress and the negative impact of stress on your hormones and health
Why is stress important to talk about?
There are downstream effects in body from stress, including hormonal changes
Stress is related to up to 90% of all illness
Chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death in the U.S.: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide
More than 75 percent of all physician office visits in the U.S. are for stress-related ailments and complaints
Your ability to handle stress can be impacted by: events in your childhood; genetics; and tendencies and learned behaviours from your family and loved ones.
How Some Stress Can Serve Us In the Short-Term
Stress can be both physical and emotional. Not all stress is bad!
Why do you have stress? You need it to survive!
If you came across a predator like a bear in the wild, the fight or flight response (sympathetic nervous system response) kicks in the release of adrenalin and results in:
Heart rate and blood pressure increases
Blood vessels dilate to increase blood flow to large muscles (arms and legs)
Pupils dilate to see more clearly
Blood flow to your core organs of digestion is shut down since it’s not a priority
Reproduction and fertility is on hold so your energy is focused on immediate survival
Ideally, stress is temporary, allowing your stress hormones to go down and your body has time to recover and repair.
When Stress Becomes a Problem
Stress can become chronic when you are presented with one stressful situation after another and don’t have time to recover. It is important to note that it can be triggered by perceived threats or actual threats. Stress can build up and be too much for your system to handle, especially if you’re experiencing a combination from different sources like:
Being stuck in traffic
Running late for work
Doing a presentation at work
Not getting enough sleep
Managing kids and home life
Dealing with sick kids or ill parents
Good stress has positive effects in your body!
When stress is very temporary and you’re looking forward to something that gives you “butterflies” in your stomach, like going for a job interview, writing an exam or going on a date, it can be a good thing for your body!
Good stress can:
trigger feelings of reward in your brain after it is over
support your immune system by increasing heat shock proteins
increase your wound healing ability and effectiveness of vaccination
increase your resistance to infection and cancer
reduce inflammation and allergic reactions
boost your energy
support your productivity (to a point)
control your sleep-wake cycle
regulate blood pressure
manage how your body uses carbs, fats and protein
Sources of stress can include:
Mental (worry, anxiety, depression, past trauma)
Chemical (medications, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, mold exposure, chronic bacterial or viral infection)
Physical (dehydration, vitamin deficiency, fasting, pain, injury, structural misalignment, lack of sleep, time zone change)
What are your adrenal glands and what do they do?
Your adrenal glands are triangular-shaped glands located above your kidneys that produce your stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol (among other hormones as well).
Cortisol reaches its’ maximum level 15 minutes after a stressful situation occurs and:
Increases gluconeogenesis (increases blood sugar levels breaking down glycogen in liver)
Decreases insulin sensitivity
Decreases growth hormone
Decreases T3 thyroid hormone
Decreases your immune system and inflammatory response
Increases fat and protein metabolism
3 phases of the stress response curve:
Alarm phase – adrenalin increases then decreases after acute stress
Resistance phase – cortisol increases and stays high with longer term stress, like work or school deadlines, car accidents, illness or death of loved ones
Can have you feeling hot and wired with issues like:
Too much nervous energy and unable to wind down
Feeling warm or hot
Sweating at night
Different parts of your body feeling red and inflamed
High blood pressure
Weight gain in the mid-section
Needing caffeine or sugar to increase your energy and keep going
Needing alcohol to unwind in evening
Getting sick as soon as you relax or go on vacation
Exhaustion phase – cortisol decreases as you get into burnout
Can have you feeling cold and tired with issues like:
Fatigue and exhaustion
Feeling weak
Get dizzy upon standing
Experiencing low blood sugar
Dark circles under the eyes
Tongue and face appear pale and puffy due to retaining water
Are you stuck in the Resistance phase of the stress response curve?
How do you make the “Resistance” phase of stress tolerable instead of toxic?
Chronic stress can be manageable with enough personal resources and support system
Tend and befriend
Spending more time feeling zen and relaxed in the spa in your mind (parasympathetic nervous system) instead of staying in the emergency room in your mind (sympathetic nervous system)
Toxic stress can happen when you don’t have personal resources and/or support system to deal with it and can result in:
uncertainty and feeling lack of control
physical and mental illness
Your normal daily/diurnal cortisol curve:
Cortisol is highest in morning in response to morning light, giving you energy to get up and take on the day
It decreases over the day and has an inverse relationship with melatonin (your sleep hormone)
If cortisol is high at night, then melatonin can’t be properly produced and released by pineal gland
The World Health Organization (WHO) is bringing attention to the problem of work-related stress. WHO is updating its definition of burnout in the new version of its handbook of diseases, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) which will go into effect in January 2022. The WHO:
specifically ties burnout to “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”
defines burnout as “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.”
Chronic toxic stress causes your brain to change!
It shrinks your hippocampus and impairs memory
It weakens the connections in your prefrontal cortex (your rational self) to decrease your concentration, focus, impulse control, decision making ability, regulation of stress response
It increases activity in your amygdala resulting in more hypervigilance, more sensitivity and reactivity to stress (like a toddler having a tantrum)
It induces cerebrovascular changes and increases: neuro-inflammation, oxidative stress and blood brain barrier permeability resulting in brain fog, mood disorders and accelerated aging of your brain tissue.
Other negative health effects from chronic toxic stress include:
Weight gain in midsection
Blood sugar issues and increased risk of diabetes
IBS including gas, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea
Reflux and heartburn
Muscle tension and headaches
Insomnia
Reduced immunity
Mood disorders
Increased blood pressure
Lower bone density
Accelerated aging
How are your hormones impacted by stress?
You need the appropriate amount of cortisol for your thyroid to work properly
If stress and cortisol levels are high, you can’t make enough of your other sex hormones like testosterone and progesterone causing:
How do you find out what is happening in your body?
Testing for stress hormone imbalances includes:
Orthostatic hypotension
Pupillary response
Questionnaires like Identi-T Stress Assessment
Lab tests for adrenal function
Urine – DUTCH and CHI testing for cortisol production and breakdown plus other hormones, multiple samples throughout the day (4 or 5 point testing)
Saliva – multiple samples throughout the day (4 or 5 point testing)
Blood – cortisol AM is of limited value, best for testing thyroid function
How do you keep stress tolerable instead of toxic? How can you prevent burnout?
Keep a regular daily routine
Sleep – aim for at least 7 hours, avoid screens at night, use blue-blocker glasses
Get enough natural light and sunlight during the day
Get in the right types of exercise at the right time of day, avoiding over-exercising
Avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol, caffeine, sugar
Stay hydrated and consider adding pinch of salt in water
Practice mindfulness, meditation and journaling to reduce: worry, negative thoughts and rumination
Get therapy or counselling from a psychologist or psychotherapist. Also, take advantage of the Government of Canada’s free online mental health portal, Wellness Together Canada, to access free online mental health resources and support, including access to therapy, apps, meditations and more.
Talk to your Naturopathic Doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner about taking supplements such as: vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium, adrenal glandulars, and adaptogenic herbs like: Siberian ginseng, ashwagandha, rhodiola, holy basil, licorice, maca, reishi, cordyceps, shatavari, schisandra.
Get outside: walking in nature and practice “Forest Bathing”.
Today’s Mama Must Have –
Dr. Toni enjoys Traditional Medicinal’s Stress Soother Tea to relax and get into the “spa” state of mind.
Dr. Lisa likes Traditional Medicinal’s Chamomile with Lavender Tea, and their Lemon Balm Tea to wind down in the evening.
Thank you for joining us today!
What’s Else is Happening?
Dr. Toni’s next HypnoBirthing session for expecting parents looking to decrease fear and anxiety to support their natural instincts around labour and birth is happening this fall. Join her at https://www.hypnobirthingcalgary.com/register
Join Dr. Lisa’s new Meetup group Wild Woman Adventures Toronto if you want to get out in nature, connect with other women and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Activities include: sunrise/sunset SUP, tree-top trekking, a new moon workshop and more!
We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer:The information provided is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni review simple yet effective ways to manage your stress and anxiety, especially when there is still so much uncertainty around the latest wave of the pandemic. If you’re feeling worried and overwhelmed dealing with unexpected school closures and online learning, listen in to learn how to support your mental, physical and emotional health during this challenging time.
In this episode, we cover the importance of:
Lowering your expectations
Use the “good enough” mantra to help you get through
Get clear on your non-negotiables or deal breakers
Have a “not now” list
Celebrating your successes with a “Ta-da” list, not matter how small it is
Getting outside daily
Making the mundane fun by injecting play and fun into your day with your kids
pairing up activities – dance and sing along with your kids’ favourite movie
Prioritizing and planning one thing you enjoy doing each day, even if it is for 5 minutes at the end of the day
Getting the kids involved with age appropriate chores around the home like sweeping and cleaning up, making beds, emptying dishwasher, fold laundry, putting groceries away
Quick nutrition hacks like hard boiled eggs, 30 second smoothie bowl (mix protein powder with yogurt and berries), buying whole roasted chicken, buy frozen veggies and fruit, make things in bulk, getting meal delivery
Deep breathing throughout the day to increase your ability to be calm and mindful
Pair with activities like doing dishes, washing hands, sitting in meeting
Activating your vagus nerve with humming, singing and gargling
Using essential oils to support calm and stress reduction
in bath with epsom salt, back of tub during shower, on tissue or diffuser: lavender, citrus like orange, lemon and grapefruit, peppermint, Easy air, Serenity
Enjoying a cup of relaxing tea
tulsi and lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, kava, ginger
Completing the stress cycle with releasing emotion
Cry it out to your favourite song or sad movie
Moving your body, even if it’s jumping jacks or punching a pillow
Laughter
Hugging for at least 20 seconds
For more info, see this episode of Brene Brown’s Podcast with Emily and Amelia Nagoski and this episode of the Ten Percent Happier Podcast.
Talking to your kids about feeling different emotions and how to deal with them
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
You can also support us by visiting our Patreon page where you can find out how you can join us for our monthly patron webinar where we do a deeper dive discussion about all things perimenopause,
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
Don’t feel like having sex? It’s time to listen to this re-release of Dr. Toni’s conversation with Dr. Trina Read, sexologist and CEO of the Business of Sex. They discuss the impact of perimenopause and stressful events (like a pandemic) on your sex life. This episode was originally released on May 28, 2020.
Dr. Trina has an unique perspective as a sex and relationship expert who has a corporate background in marketing and PR and who is also a perimenopausal mom.
In this episode, we cover:
How to use self care to bring libido back
Why you need to know your happy triggers for sex
The importance of knowing what you want out of sex and communicating it
Why you might want to take intercourse and orgasm off the table for better sex
How to have those awkward conversations around sex
Why personal lubricant makes all sex better
The importance of working your pelvic floor muscles
In perimenopause and in stressful times, you may find your libido is flatlined and don’t feel like sex.
Your body can only produce either cortisol (your stress hormone) or testosterone (your sex drive hormone). If you’re producing cortisol, you can’t produce testosterone.
In situations with great change, it’s important to connect with your partner and look for ways to be together, so that you don’t drift apart. Being proactive and finding pockets of time to be close with your partner helps your relationship, as well as feeling more powerful yourself.
Ask yourself – what can I do to help myself feel more sensual?
You can back into the groove and bring your body back to a place where you feel more centred and sensual by:
Taking a bath
Listening to your favourite music
Giving yourself some me time alone in your bedroom with a vibrator
Just making up your mind to connect with your partner (even if it feels forced at first)
The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research (CeMCOR) was founded at the University of British Columbia (UBC) by endocrinologist Dr. Jerilynn Prior. There is lots of information about their research around menstruation and hormones at https://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/
UBC is also home to the Sexual Health Laboratory run by Dr. Lori Brotto that focuses on research around women’s sexual health. https://brottolab.med.ubc.ca/
Research shows that sexual desire is similar to happiness. For most women, in order to feel sexual desire, you needed to be triggered. You can learn positive triggers around sex and negative triggers around sex. You need to set up your positive triggers for sex.
Unfortunately, you may have been brainwashed to think that only 2 things available for sex is having intercourse and having an orgasm.
Sexual intercourse all the time can be a negative trigger for a lot of women, especially if you feel like it doesn’t quite do it for you.
When you can anticipate doing something that you want to experience, a happy trigger for sex can be created. Working on triggers for sexual desire and increasing your repertoire for sex are important for your sexuality to evolve.
Self care like meditation, yoga and tai chi lowers stress and cortisol and can increase your libido.
There are studies that prove that meditation improves your sex life!
Perimenopause is like reverse adolescence with wild ebbs and flows of estrogen and progesterone that can create mood swings, anxiety, hot flashes and insomnia. No wonder you don’t feel like having sex!
Once you hit 40 years of age, you produce less oxytocin. Oxytocin is a bonding hormone. With less oxytocin, you start being more “selfish” and focus on yourself. With more wisdom, self confidence and self care, you can feel more deserving and able to explain to your partner what you want.
This is your opportunity to create something different and better in your sex life! Your partner will be on board with you becoming a more engaged partner…it could result in you actively wanting sex more often.
If you’re experiencing vaginal dryness sometimes or all the time, sex can be painful. Trying out a few different brand of lubricants (silicone based, water based or a combo) can be a game changer for your sex life. Lubricant makes all sex better. You might even want to try a lubricating suppository.
If you don’t use it, you lose it! If you don’t use your vaginal canal, you could experience vaginal atrophy. Exercising your pubococcygeus muscle increases blood flow. Research shows that post-menopausal women who do Kegel exercises have bigger, better orgasms than women who don’t do Kegels.
What’s the female equivalent to the towel test?
Every woman’s uterus will prolapse to a certain extent. Greater levels of prolapse can create painful sex.
There are options to address uterine prolapse other than surgery:
Herbal medicine like black cohosh
Pelvic floor physiotherapy
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
Laser rejuvenation
You can slide or decide: slide into painful sex or decide to do something different and exciting.
Too scared to talk to your partner about doing something different and new?
How can you start talking to your partner about sex when you feel awkward and uncomfortable. Dr. Trina’s website http://trinaread.com/ has many different articles you can share with your partner to stimulate conversation around sex and your own sex life.
Watch for the release of Dr. Trina’s self help fiction book Amy Finds Her Sex soon!
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Toni is a huge fan of her local neighbourhood buy and sell groups on Facebook. These can be a lifesaver for moms on a budget.
Thank you for joining us today!
Find the show notes at perimenopausalmamas.com or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
We refer to this past episode from October 8, 2020 so often that we decided to re-release it! Is your thyroid the reason you are exhausted, depressed, constipated, forgetful and gaining weight? We discuss signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, how to properly diagnose imbalances, how to eat to support thyroid health and how we approach assessment and treatment as Naturopathic Doctors.
One in eight women will develop thyroid disease at some point in their life and women are 5-8 times more likely than men to experience thyroid issues.
As Dr. Lisa shared previously in Episode 3, she realized that her thyroid wasn’t functioning properly after giving birth to her son. It is common for women to discover thyroid issues in the postpartum period. Proper blood work, addressing stress and taking dessicated thyroid were crucial for Dr. Lisa to feel her best.
Why is your thyroid so important?
Your thyroid gland regulates your temperature, energy production and metabolism. When your thyroid is under functioning, it is called hypothyroidism. High thyroid function is called hyperthyroidism.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism include:
Fatigue and exhaustion
Unexplained weight gain
Increased sensitivity to cold and temperature changes
Constipation
Dry skin and thinning hair
Puffy face
Cravings for sugar and carbohydrates
Muscle weakness, aches, tenderness and stiffness
Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
Depression and anxiety
as many as 15% of women on antidepressants have an undetected thyroid problem as the cause of their depression
Brain fog, poor memory and concentration
Studies of women in their 60s have shown that low thyroid function can cause dementia-like symptoms and treatment can improve cognitive function and have a protective effect on the brain
High cholesterol
Increased risk of heart attack, cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure due to the regulatory control of the thyroid on heart rate and rhythm
Fertility issues, increased risk of miscarriage and preterm birth
Increased risk of prenatal and postpartum depression
Why do so many women have thyroid issues?
Possible Causes of Your Thyroid Issue Include:
Environmental exposure to different chemicals, xenoestrogens and heavy metals
Certain medications including birth control pill
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Iodine, selenium, vitamin D, zinc, iron, vitamin A
Low calorie diets
Infections
Stress
High cortisol levels due to chronic stress:
reduces thyroid hormone production
inhibits your conversion of the inactive form of thyroid hormone T4, to the active form T3
Gut issues
Leaky gut (also known as intestinal hyperpermeability) and imbalances in your gut microbiome have both been shown to impact hormone imbalances and fluctuations, like when you are postpartum or in perimenopause
Autoimmunity
Environmental toxins, chronic stress, nutritional insufficiencies, leaky gut, food intolerances and having chronic inflammation are all factors that can contribute to autoimmune disease
Your immune system is triggered to produce antibodies that can attack your thyroid, which is what is happening when you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
How do you properly test your thyroid function and the underlying causes of thyroid issues?
Blood work:
Full thyroid panel: TSH, free T4 and T3, thyroid peroxidase antibodies, thyroglobulin antibodies, reverse T3
Vitamin D, iron
Celiac screen
Gluten and other food sensitivity
Saliva and urine testing for hormones including cortisol, estrogen, progesterone
Urine testing for heavy metal exposure (eg. cadmium, mercury)
Temperature checks every 3 hours during the day to see if your body is using your thyroid hormones properly
What can you do about an underfunctioning thyroid?
Avoid raw goitrogenic foods – soy and Brassica family veggies like broccoli and cauliflower
Increase your intake of thyroid supporting foods
Seaweed like dulse for iodine, brazil nuts for selenium, pumpkin seeds and oysters for zinc
Reduce toxin exposure
Replace nutrient deficiencies
Consider adrenal and stress support:
Address your throat chakra – speaking your truth, asking for help
Herbal support with ashwagandha, kelp, bladderwrack, Coleus forskohlii
Thyroid hormone replacement with Synthroid or Dessicated thyroid
Take in the morning, on an empty stomach, away from caffeine
Why would you consider dessicated thyroid?
If you’re on monotherapy like Synthroid (T4), you still night suffer from anxiety and depression even if your TSH levels are normal
T4 may not be enough to restore your T3 levels in your blood and target tissues
It contains all four natural thyroid hormones – T4, T3, T2, T1, plus iodine, thyroglobulin
Today’s Mama Must Have:
Dr. Toni loves having a healthy and easy recipe like Egg Muffins from Amanda Naturally that the whole family will eat for breakfast or a snack. Check out Episode 5 for more tips for healthy food habits from Amanda.
Dr. Lisa knows that Dessicated Thyroid is an absolute must have for her!
Thank you for joining us today!
Connect with us at our website www.perimenopausalmamas.com, on Facebook and on Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
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