Went to your doctor in your early 40s with sudden anxiety, insomnia, brain fog or unexplained weight gain — and walked out with an antidepressant? Author and nurse practitioner Dani Williamson joins Dr. Chris Motley to explain why SSRIs are not the answer to perimenopause, what's actually happening in your body as estrogen drops, and how healing your gut can bring your thyroid and hormones back into balance.

Key Takeaways from this Conversation:

Women are being prescribed SSRIs for anxiety when the real cause is perimenopause. There’s no SSRI for that.

Estrogen-loss comes with mood symptoms, weight gain and health concerns like Hashimoto's Thyroiditis as your thyroid begins to slow down.

Fix your gut and your thyroid and hormones will (usually!) fall into place.

Dani Williamson’s Top 7 Most Inflammatory Food:

Gluten

Dairy

Soy

Corn

Sugar

Eggs

Peanuts

If your doctor’s reaction to a health concern brought on by estrogen-loss is “let’s just watch this for 6 months,” it’s time to find a new doctor.

A tiny low-dose estrogen patch can change your perimenopause game.

Healing trauma and abuse is key (especially when it comes to thyroid health): Unaddressed childhood trauma can collide with the body-chaos of perimenopause. EMDR and talk therapy can help with this journey.

------

Follow Doctor Motley!

Connect with Dani Williamson (she’s taking new Hashimoto's patients)

https://www.instagram.com/daniwilliamsonwellness/

https://daniwilliamson.com/

Buy Dani's book: https://shorturl.at/28pv3

Dani and Dr. Motley’s Sunday Night Service: Your health questions answered: Dani Williamson and Dr. Motley

------

* You can get cell support in gummy form: Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/DRMOTLEY.

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/

*Do you have a ton more in-depth questions for Doctor Motley? Check out his course on emotions and the body in his membership. You’ll find other courses full of his expertise and clinical wisdom, plus bring all your questions to his weekly lives! To try risk-free for 15 days click here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15