Women’s Health
Covid-19: Comorbidities, Long-Haul Symptoms, and Immune Resilience
Vaccines are getting distributed at increasing rates. Researchers are testing 68 vaccines in human clinical trials, 20 are the final stage of testing, and two are approved for full use according to the New York Times vaccine tracker. However, depending on your risk category and the state in which you live, it could be months…
Read MorePCOS: Natural Solutions for a Common Hormone Imbalance
What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? It is a complex endocrine disorder that affects 20 to 30 percent of women. In medicine, we use the term syndrome to describe a collection of signs and symptoms that don’t necessarily have a single identifiable cause or pathological process. PCOS causes the sex hormones in women to become…
Read MoreHormone Therapy for Women: What Are the Known Risks?
Discussion about hormone therapy for perimenopause and menopause is complex. Questions about safety, timing, and duration typically require a nuanced conversation about a person’s history, diet, lifestyle, risk factors, genetics, blood tests, and cognitive function. This article illustrates why the discussions are complicated and how I approach them. I practice Precision Medicine, which means that…
Read MoreWhy Cardiovascular Disease Kills More Women Than Breast Cancer
Most women I know, friends and patients, fear breast cancer. It makes sense because one in eight of us will develop breast cancer over our lifetime, which translates to a lifetime risk of 12.5 percent, and higher for those of us with a high-risk gene mutation. However, our fear of breast cancer may come at…
Read MoreHormone Testing: What to Check and Why
Questions about hormone testing are common among my patients and on social media. Women want to know which hormones they need to check and why. They also want to know what hormones and other biomarkers can be tested at home. In this video and accompanying article, I cover the biomarkers that I check for myself…
Read MorePerimenopause, Menopause & Hormone Balance: Office Hours at goop
Over recent years, I have been interviewed by Gwyneth Paltrow and her goop lifestyle brand about perimenopause and hormones as well as other popular topics such as the ketogenic diet, stubborn weight loss and the secrets to staying younger. Perimenopause & Menopause Women in their 40s and 50s are hungry for information on another way…
Read MoreHow to Strengthen Your Immune System Against Covid-19
While rapid and important work is being done to develop immunotherapy and a Covid-19 vaccine, we don’t have them yet. Meanwhile, we are getting somber reports daily on the number of cases and deaths. While we wait for proven treatments, I recommend that we focus on how to strengthen immunity as the best way to…
Read MoreAre Superfoods Worthy of Their Title?
When I see an article on superfoods, it makes me slightly crazy. Is eating an açaí bowl the size of soccer ball really a good idea? Some can get away with it, but most women I know over 40 find that this so-called superfood jacks up their blood sugar. I wear a continuous glucose monitor,…
Read MoreOpioid Use and Misuse in Pregnancy: Clinical Issues, Alternatives, and Best Practices
Refill request. Refill request for opioids. When I practiced as a mainstream obstetrician/gynecologist, my heart would sink every time the opioid refill arrived in my inbox. I’d look up the electronic health record of the patient requesting the opioid, and if I saw “pregnancy” in her chart, my heart would sink further. Why? Because I…
Read More7 Pillars of Health: Simple Tips for Vitality
Health, for me, is not merely the absence of disease. Health is physical, mental, emotional, social, and functional well-being. Any time is the perfect time to make changes to improve your health. The 7 Pillars of Health that I follow are: EATFood is information for your DNA and for that of your microbiome. Eat 1…
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