← The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast
The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast
Menopause, Hormones, and the Truth About Aging Gracefully with Dr. Tabatha Barber
01:01:32
Loading summary
Transcript150 lines
- [00:00]
A
Hey, really quick. Before today's episode, I am going live on Tour for the first time this fall, November 20th through the 23rd in four cities. We will have fun and games, audience questions, full house trivia, real talk about women's health and fitness and more. Get tickets@candace.com tour before we begin today's conversation, I want to give you a heads up. We will be talking about some sensitive subjects. This episode is intended for mature ears, so please listen with this in mind. I've gone to the bathroom way more regularly and that might be weird for some people, but I listen. I could talk about poop all day long. We need to you know One thing I love is sharing stories that inspire us to live with faith and courage and Truth and Treason is exactly that kind of story. It's based on the true life of Helmut Huebner, a teenager in Nazi Germany who couldn't stay silent with nothing more than a typewriter. He risked everything to tell the truth. It's heartbreaking, yes, but it is also deeply hopeful and incredibly inspiring. What gives me chills is that hidden in his name are the German words Mut u Ben practice courage. And that's exactly what this movie challenges us to do. If a teenager could be that brave, what excuse do we have? Parents? I especially encourage you to take your teens. Let this film spark conversation about truth, faith and standing up for what's right. Truth and Treason opens in theaters October 17th. Get your tickets today@angel.com candice and don't miss this powerful story of courage and conviction. I've never been to Israel, but it's a place I've often talked about with friends and really hope to visit someday. It's where the stories of the Bible happened, full of history and meaning. That's why I'm proud to partner with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. For over 40 years, they've been caring for Israel's most vulnerable, feeding children, supporting the elderly, and bringing hope to where it's needed most. There are stories in the Bible that come with promises, and for Christians, I think it's so important to understand the foundations of our faith and the special connection we have with the people of Israel, whose history is told in the Bible. Building intentional relationships and supporting the people of Israel is a way we can live out our faith. Join me in being a blessing to people who share the foundations of our faith. To learn more and find out how you can help, visit ifcj.org that's ifcj.org no matter who you are, life can feel like A roller coaster. But it's better when we go through it together. Welcome to the Candace Cameron Brewery Podcast. We are getting close to the end of season 11, body and soul. Soul. And today's conversation is my final one with my new friend, Dr. Tabitha. Dr. Tabitha Barber is a highly sought after physician speaker, a bestselling author who dedicated her life to empowering women in their health journeys. She's triple board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, menopause and functional medicine. And we are so thrilled to have this final conversation with her today. Come join us. Hi, Dr. Tabitha. Welcome back.
- [03:46]
B
Thanks for having me back.
- [03:48]
A
I. You walked in the door and you have this gorgeous blue dress on. And last week you had this gorgeous kind of hot pink sweater on. And then you had peach jeans on the week before that. Anyway, I looked at you and I was like, you know your colors, don't you? You've done color analysis.
- [04:07]
B
I totally have. It is a real thing. I could not stop watching your Instagram about that. That was hilarious. It makes all the difference.
- [04:16]
A
It really does. I laugh at myself that it's. I've become obsessed with it because it, it was just a fun thing and then it really does make a difference. But every color I've seen you wear really works well. Like, your skin looks amazing, your eyes look amazing.
- [04:33]
B
You're.
- [04:34]
A
I mean, you're a beautiful person, but the colors that you wear against your skin really make a difference. So, like, I knew you were hitting it and I'm like, you know your colors and I guessed right. I said you were spring. I don't know if you're a light spring or a vibrant spring or what.
- [04:47]
B
But I'm actually both, depending on how tan I am.
- [04:50]
A
Got it?
- [04:51]
B
Yes, got it. So you do know your colors. You should do this professionally.
- [04:55]
A
It's been fun. It's been fun. Well, I am very happy that we are going to be talking about menopause today. And so many questions have been rolling in and you are an expert on all things menopause and hormones and everything. So I really hope too, that if you aren't at this stage in your life that you still listen to this conversation. It's so important. This is preparing you for what's to come. Be excited about it in that way so that you can prepare your body with the best steps forward. So Even if you're 20 years old, listen in, it's gonna be great. And you could actually probably support your mom, who may be going through it or has been through it and is now in her Post menopause stage. So I remember I was at the mall one time, and I, I, I had my kids, but they were really young. My mom came out to visit. We were in the shoe store, Nine West Shoe Shopping. And we're at the cash, cashier counter, we're purchasing a pair of shoes. And I look over at my mom, and she looks like she just got out of a swimming pool. She had the worst hot flash in the middle of the store. It was. And I looked at her and I laughed so hard. I laughed. I was like, mom, what is going on? And, and, and she just, you know, took a moment to collect herself, and she was so gracious. And here I am cackling at her, thinking it's the funniest thing. And she looked at me and she goes, you just wait. You just wait. Just hope it doesn't, it doesn't happen to you like this. And now, obviously, I'm, I'm, I'm there. I have not hit menopause, but I'm, I'm there. And I am way more sympathetic at this point in my life. So all you girls, when you see us go through these symptoms, I'm like, don't cackle and laugh like I did at my mom.
- [06:53]
B
No, we are struggling. It is painful. It is miserable.
- [06:57]
A
But is there light at the end of the tunnel when you've hit that one day called menopause? Because explain that to us again. Menopause is only one day. Menopause is not a whole cycle.
- [07:09]
B
Yeah. So the definition of menopause is you've been one year without a period. And so technically after that, you're postmenopausal. But we use the term menopause all the time. You say, I'm in menopause, I'm in menopause. Yes, you're just in this permanent state.
- [07:25]
A
That you don't have a period.
- [07:26]
B
That you don't have a period because your little ovary factories have shut down. All the workers have gone. They've left the building. It's not coming back online. So it's kind of like reverse puberty. You went through this evolution, and things started growing and turning on, and now things are shutting down and changing and regressing. And so we see that through our entire body, not just our ovaries. So now that our ovaries are no longer ovulating every month, they're not producing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. We are going to function differently because actually we have receptors to those hormones throughout our entire body, especially estrogen. So when you can't remember a word or a thought, it's because estrogen used to help your brain function. And now that you're, like, losing the thickness in your face, all that perky cheek, it's kind of sagging down, you're losing the collagen, you're getting wrinkles, you're losing the elasticity in the skin. All of these changes are happening because estrogen is no longer stimulating these tissues. So we actually see this through our entire body, and that's what we need to dive in and talk about, because this is not about just a hot flash and being uncomfortable like, this actually affects our health.
- [08:49]
A
So when you've hit that state of menopause, what. How do you make life as great as it can be in terms of your body? What are the steps you can take? Can you. And if you didn't go through perimenopause? Well, if you didn't set yourself up for success in that way, can you change things at this point?
- [09:12]
B
Yeah. I love menopause. I. I think it's an opportunity to step into an entire new chapter of your life. You know, so many of us have spent the past 20 or 30 years dedicated to our children, to our husbands, to our career, and a lot of us neglect ourselves or just care for ourselves enough to get by. You know, we're not actually focused on, like, being strong and working out and making good food choices. We're all in survival mode. I love to think of menopause as an opportunity to shift the story that you're in. Like, your story's going one way and now it can go another. And I think that God wants us to actually take time to take care of ourselves. You know, self care is self preservation. It's not selfish. It's actually what we need to do. So my mom, one day, I just asked her, I was like, why do you work out and exercise and make good food choices? You know, nobody else does. I'm taking care of all these women who haven't taken care of themselves. And she said, because I took care of my mom, and I don't want to be a burden on you. So she was doing it because she loved her children. So it wasn't selfish at all. All she was working out to love us. And I just thought, that's how I want to age. I want to continue to show love by taking care of myself so I can play with my grandson, and I can do all of the things. I can move my furniture if I want to go into a different house. And like, just take care of myself.
- [10:51]
A
Y right.
- [10:52]
B
So we have to stop looking at it as it's self centered or it's superficial. It's just way more than that.
- [10:59]
A
Right. Because it's not, it's not a commercial that you see on TV where you're worth it and you should do this and you should do that. That's not where it's stemming from. Because I have a hard time with the words self love at times. And it's not because I don't love myself to take care of it. I mean, those are very important things. But I think as a Christian, sometimes we can say, well, is that, is there no humility behind it? And that's where we can get caught thinking it can be a selfish thing to take care of ourselves.
- [11:28]
B
Well, let me just share with you because I see women all over the country and this theme is everywhere. Women are so unhealthy because they've neglected themselves that they cannot show up and do what God's called them to do. They are so focused on like going to their doctor's appointments or their physical therapy or having surgeries and procedures. Like they've completely gone off track because they're not taking care of themselves. So if we just turn it around and think, God wants me to be strong and healthy and fit and nourish my body and eat all the good foods so I can go do his work, I can love on the people and do all the things. So it's back to what we said last week. Intention. What are your intentions? And this is a great opportunity to just rewrite your story and move forward on a different path.
- [12:23]
A
What are some of the biggest questions that women come in once they've hit menopause?
- [12:30]
B
Yeah. So is this ever going to end? Should I be in hormone replacement therapy and how long do I need to do that?
- [12:38]
A
And when you say like, is this going to end? If they've already hit menopause, they're no longer getting a period. What are the symptoms that there. Are the symptoms different post menopause versus perimenopause?
- [12:51]
B
They just multiply, they accumulate.
- [12:54]
A
They do. So it can get worse once your period is stopped. I didn't know that in.
- [13:00]
B
What's worse is that it's a lot of our private parts. It is our vaginal health, our bladder health, being able to be intimate with our partners. You know, we start to have painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, pain, bleeding.
- [13:15]
A
Okay.
- [13:15]
B
Leakage of urine, pelvic floor.
- [13:19]
A
Gotta do those Kegel exercises, ladies.
- [13:21]
B
Yeah, ladies, It's a real thing. Okay.
- [13:26]
A
Okay.
- [13:26]
B
And are there are health ramifications. You start to increase your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease and osteoporosis and dementia. So wait, this sounds depressing, I know, but, but the good news is there's stuff we can do about it.
- [13:41]
A
Okay.
- [13:42]
B
That's why we're doing this episode.
- [13:43]
A
The good news, honestly, I, I, this was, I thought menopause was, you know, stunk, that, that was awful. But once you hit menopause, it actually was going to get better. Boy, was I misguided. Okay, well, this is kind of depressing. But now you're going to tell us all the ways that this is. Doesn't have to be as bad as it could be.
- [14:07]
B
Yeah. So women all over the country feel the same way as you. They're being told, like, it's just menopause. Deal with it, you'll get over it. But a lot of these things you don't get over, and it continues to get worse. So I think of menopause as a fork in the road when it comes to our hormones. You either have to figure out how to make the best of your new situation without the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone that you once had. And the cool thing is, let me just say this, our adrenal glands, which are like above our kidneys in the back, they are backup ovaries. So we do continue to make a little bit of estrogen and testosterone from the adrenal glands. So we're not completely without. And our fat cells even make estrogen for us. We'll talk about that a little bit. So we're not completely devoid, but they are a lot lower than when you were in your reproductive years. And so you can either focus on getting your insulin and blood sugar and thyroid and adrenals and all of that on par so that you can function well, or you can do that and add hormone replacement therapy, meaning you're going to take somehow, either by a pill, a patch or a cream or a pellet, the hormones that your body no longer makes and bring you back to maybe your 48, 49 year old self. We're not trying to have periods, we're not trying to be reproductive. We're just trying to slow down the disease process of osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia. And so that is a decision that women should be able to make.
- [15:50]
A
Is that a decision in Christian culture that has controversy around it? Do some people look at hormone replacement therapy the same as, oh, I'm gonna go get a facelift do they see it in a cosmetic way that says, well, God didn't design me to have it at this point, so I shouldn't go get it from a doctor?
- [16:12]
B
Absolutely. Okay. So same with birth control. You shouldn't be on birth control. God designed you to procreate. And that's why I come from the big family that I come from. But here's the deal. I truly believe God gave us brains, and he helps us and allows us to advance what we know, our understanding, the things we create. He's a creator. We're a creator to make our lives better and to help us. And so there should be a conversation around it so that you can have informed consent and decide for you whether this is right for you or not. It's an individual decision, and it's not vanity. There's two parts to hormone replacement therapy, and this is what's all the rage right now in conventional medicine, is we're going to get rid of your hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. These visible signs that annoy other people and make you hard to live with, like, you're not so nice. So we're going to give you something to calm you down, and that's okay. But there's another reason to take it, and that's all the diseases that we were talking about. And so there's two potential reasons to use hormone therapy, and then you cannot use it at all. But you should know all your risks, benefits, and options and be allowed that decision. I truly believe that women deserve that, at least.
- [17:38]
A
Yeah, for sure. So how do you guide someone with these types of decisions? Obviously, they're going to decide for themselves, but how? I mean, how would you guide one of your patients?
- [17:50]
B
Yeah. So, you know, I talk about the fact that it's used for those two different reasons and that God did create our body to naturally go into that menopausal transition and be able to continue living without all those hormones. But we have to realize we live in a society that our great grandmothers did not. My great grandmother was not flying across the country, being on a podcast, running two businesses, raising teenagers, doing all of these things, going to the gym five days a week. She was knitting and cooking dinner on Sunday and enjoying her life. So the stress of our lives in this day and age is. Has advanced so quickly that our physiology has not changed accordingly. So, okay, you know, if it would have, we wouldn't go into menopause until 70 or 80 because those hormones help us do what we need to do. And so it seems perfectly logical to me that if we want to continue to be as productive as we are in this society and, you know, women have a role in it, then they need those tools to be able to continue to function. Because here's the truth. Women divorce their husbands at menopause. Women quit their jobs because they can no longer perform and think and, you know, do their presentations or finish their tasks, or they can't get along with their co workers because they can't control their emotions. Like, this is a real public threat. And so much so that I am working with Michigan legislators right now because it is affecting the workplace and it needs to be addressed. So this is not superficial. It's not just, oh, poor mom's having a hot flash in Nine West. Like, it really is affecting her whole life.
- [19:46]
A
Yeah. So talk to us about HRT and the specifics. How do we know? Is it like birth control in that it's a bunch of different brands, and it's just trial and error of what works, what doesn't.
- [20:02]
B
Okay, so this is where the conventional medicine side of me departs and goes over to the functional medicine, menopause expert side of me. Because as an OB gyn. Yes. I was taught there's a couple different options. It's this pill or that pill. It's. It's very much like birth control. It's trial and error. See what feels good and what you like. Unfortunately, those options, number one, have this synthetic progestin in them that we don't love, that we talked about a couple weeks ago, that can cause anxiety and depression and weight gain. And there was a famous study that was stopped short in 2002. It's called the Women's Health Initiative, and it was looking at over 16,000 women on HRT. And what it came out with and eventually told us was that those synthetic progestins do increase your risk of breast cancer. Not a lot.
- [21:04]
A
Whoa.
- [21:05]
B
Even though the media ran with it, they say they blamed the estrogen. There was two parts of the study there was women taking.
- [21:12]
A
But it was a synthetic.
- [21:13]
B
Yeah, women taking estrogen alone. A conjugated equine estrogen from horse urine or estrogen plus a synthetic progestin. The synthetic Progestin Group had eight more breast cancers out of 10,000 women. So it wasn't a lot, but it was enough for them to halt the study and let the media run wild with it. There's a lot of politics behind this. But estrogen got blamed for the breast cancer. Nobody talked about the progestin. And overnight, millions of women were taken off their hormone replacement therapy. Doctors were afraid they were gonna get sued and, like, lose their life in about.
- [21:53]
A
What year was this?
- [21:53]
B
Around 2002.
- [21:55]
A
Okay. Not long ago.
- [21:57]
B
Yeah, so a little over 20 years ago. And so we have spent the last 20 years telling women hormones are harmful. Hormones are dangerous. They hurt you, and you just need to suffer through it. Meanwhile, the rates of osteoporosis have increased. The rates of dementia, the rates of diabetes, the rates of heart disease, and the rates of breast cancer all continue to rise. And these women are not on their hormones. So it is now being realized that there was a lot of issues with that study. The real truth is finally out.
- [22:32]
A
Okay.
- [22:32]
B
And estrogen is safe. Okay? Progesterone is safe. That's the form your body naturally makes. There's a small risk with progestins. They can cause blood clots, stroke. They may increase your risk of breast cancer. But we give them, like, candy in our birth control pills for 30 years, and then we act like it's not okay once women hit menopause. So that is where the disconnect comes in. And that I'm super frustrated about, right?
- [23:03]
A
Absolutely.
- [23:04]
B
Because cancer, in these diseases, it's an accumulation over time. Cancer doesn't develop overnight. It is what you've been doing for a long time. And if you're 20 years old and watching this, that's why it's important you listen to this conversation, because what you're doing now is how you're going to be at 50 years old. So.
- [23:24]
A
Right.
- [23:24]
B
What you and I did for the past couple decades is how we are right now.
- [23:29]
A
Okay.
- [23:30]
B
But that's the good news. How we are right now can change. Like, when I'm 80, I want to get out of the chair. I want to run around. I want to, like, do all of the things. So I need to be thinking about that now. And hormones play a big piece of that.
- [23:46]
A
What are. What are ways. I'd love to know complications about HRT if some. Or if someone can't do that. What the alternatives that are natural. Are there foods that we can eat? What do we do to make the best of it?
- [24:04]
B
So I will say there's no foods that you can eat to make your ovaries come back online. Right. I wish there was. Managing your stress, getting that cortisol under control, which we talked about last week, is a huge piece of it. But having an honest conversation about hormone replacement therapy, there are different ways to do it. So you can do. You can get bioidentical. This is another fancy word. That's now really popular. And there was a lot of confusion around what's bioidentical mean? Does that mean it comes from yams, it comes from food? No, it means that chemically, that has the same structure as the hormone that your body made. So even though it's made in a lab, it's technically synthetic. We refer to synthetic hormones as not chemically structured. The same bioidentical means it's chemically structured, the same. Does that make sense?
- [25:00]
A
Yeah, that makes sense.
- [25:01]
B
So estradiol can be a standard prescription from your doctor that is biochemically what your body makes. Progesterone is what your body makes. Those are both standard prescriptions that your doctor can give you. And they come in, you know, the progesterone comes in a pill. Estradiol can come in a pill. But here's the caveat, which I see a lot happening. Women on oral estradiol, their gut microbiome actually converts 30 to 50% of that into estrone, another form of estrogen, before it even gets absorbed into our bloodstream. And we don't want too much estrone because that is the one that can start to damage DNA and the cells and increase our risk of uterine cancer. So it's all very complicated. But just know that there are options out there and you don't need to be afraid. You just need someone who understands this piece of it. The other piece that conventional doctors will say is you only need progesterone if you have a uterus, because it prevents that lining from overgrowing. It keeps it in check like we talked about. But we have progesterone receptors all throughout our body, and it is our natural anti anxiety hormone. So one of the worst things women suffer from is waking up at night just feeling anxious. Their mind is racing. Women will wake up with heart palpitations and, like, feel like they can't breathe. And giving them progesterone calms all that down. So progesterone is not just about protecting your uterus. Progesterone is a beautiful hormone that we can use in our menopausal years to give us high quality sleep without the addictive side effects of sleeping medications and things like that. And you don't want to take Benadryl long term. It's actually been shown to cause dementia. So, like, don't use Tylenol, pm, Benadryl, all those things.
- [27:03]
A
Okay, good to know.
- [27:05]
B
Yes, you are much better off using hormone replacement therapy. And one question I get a lot is, do I have to stay on it?
- [27:13]
A
Forever. Oh, yeah.
- [27:14]
B
Great question, right? Yes. Well, it only works as long as you take it. So if you stop taking it at 60, the benefits will go away. Those disease processes will continue on. Those symptoms will probably mostly come back.
- [27:29]
A
Okay.
- [27:30]
B
So most women take it indefinitely. Some women, because they were never offered hormone replacement therapy because of that study that came out and all the fear. Now they're coming to me at 60, 65, 70 years old. They're like, what about my hormones? I want hormones. And at this point, what we understand, the studies have told us is that once disease processes have set in, like bone thinning, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, it's not really reversible. With adding estrogen back in, it might slow any more progression, but there is a little bit of risk involved. So those older women, they're probably going to want to focus on their vaginal health, their bladder health, and their bone health.
- [28:17]
A
Okay.
- [28:18]
B
So it's all very complex, but it is. There's help. Okay.
- [28:23]
A
You've talked about the hormones being taken in pill form, but aren't there patches or things that you insert under the skin? I really don't know any of this. So you. I'm hoping you know what I'm talking about.
- [28:34]
B
Yes. Patches are actually my favorite estrogen patches. I love the patch because that form of estradiol is bioidentical and it gets absorbed through the skin, so it doesn't go through your liver and gut when you first absorb it like a pill does. And so it has this first pass effect, meaning it doesn't get altered by the gut microbiome or by the liver. It goes straight into your bloodstream through your body, so it doesn't get turned into estrone or anything else you don't want. So I love the estradiol patch for that.
- [29:06]
A
Okay.
- [29:07]
B
And I also like it because it's usually covered by insurance. When we start to think about creams and other things, then we have to talk about compounding, having them made at a specialty pharmacy where the pharmacist creates special doses with those. And that is usually reserved for if the standard prescriptions aren't working.
- [29:29]
A
Okay.
- [29:29]
B
They're not providing relief, that type of thing. Okay. So you're right. There's all forms, and then there's a pellet.
- [29:35]
A
A pellet. That's what I was thinking about.
- [29:37]
B
Under this. Yes, Yes. I like your demonstration. It actually goes above the butt cheek and the hip area a little bit. It's a little procedure. So they cut your skin open and they put it under your skin. It lasts three to four Months. But here's the deal. Once it's in, it's in. You can't take it out.
- [29:53]
A
Does it eventually dissolve?
- [29:55]
B
It does. So it's continuously releasing hormones as it's dissolving. And unfortunately, because of the form that it's in, you usually get really high doses initially and then kind of come down from there. And so testosterone is a really popular pellet to get. And women feel great the first time or two that they get it. But what we notice is a lot of times then those really high doses, they start to have side effects. They start to have chin hairs that they don't want, or acne or hair loss on their head.
- [30:29]
A
Okay.
- [30:30]
B
And they require more testosterone, higher doses to get the same effect. So pellets, I would say, are for not. Not many women.
- [30:40]
A
And is testosterone in pellet, or is there other estrogens that are in a pellet, or is it.
- [30:47]
B
So they're separate? So there's an estrogen pellet and then there's a testosterone.
- [30:50]
A
So you wouldn't, you wouldn't suggest a test testosterone pellet, but would you suggest a, an estrogen pellet? And is the advantage of that is that you're not taking a daily pill? What is the advantage? That you just don't have to think about it for three or four months?
- [31:06]
B
Yeah. So I do have patients who are on both or just testosterone.
- [31:10]
A
Okay.
- [31:11]
B
So testosterone, it's our get stuff done hormone. It makes us motivated. So women who have given up exercise, they get their testosterone levels back up, they can start working out again and they feel really good and they start to build muscle mass and lose that weight. So there's a lot of benefits. And you can do it as a cream and all these things, but as a pellet? I would say not many women tolerate it long term. A lot of women feel good initially, and then they're like, nope, too many side effects. Let's try a cream instead.
- [31:42]
A
Got it.
- [31:43]
B
Whereas estrogen pellets, women seem to just. If they are on them and they love them, they love them forever. And you. It's because they don't have to take anything daily. They don't have to remember a patch. It's like every three or four months, you just go into the office and get this done. But it's a cash procedure. It's not covered by insurance. So there's that huge downside.
- [32:03]
A
And is there any. If you said it's a little procedure, is there a scar where it's being inserted? Can you see it? If you had a bathing suit on. If it's kind of lower back or.
- [32:11]
B
Something, it's a, you know, it's about a half inch wide, almost is the width of your thumb. It's usually a white little line. So some women don't want that scar on there, especially if they're getting it, you know, three or four times a year, they start to add up.
- [32:26]
A
And where is the, if you use the patch, where is that placement on your body?
- [32:31]
B
Oh, that's a great question. Because the pharmacists almost always tell women wrong. They tell them to put it on their arm or their shoulder. Really? I have found the best place is down low by your pubic hair in between your groin line. If you've had a C section below that line, that is where you have the least amount of fat and the clearest route to your blood vessels. And I see the most consistent absorption and balance of our estrogen levels right there. And you, you wear it for three and a half days. You take it off, you put one on, on the other side, you take a little rubbing alcohol and rub off the stickiness left behind. But it looks like.
- [33:10]
A
So is it every sticker? It's like every three days you're switching it. Okay, yeah. So interesting. I know so much.
- [33:18]
B
You didn't even know. You're like, wow, what, what have I got myself into?
- [33:25]
A
This episode is brought to you by. We Share if you're still stuck in the traditional healthcare system, you don't have to be. Think of it like this. Traditional health care is like calling a taxi. Slow, expensive and full of red tape. But we share. It's like rideshare. It's faster, more affordable and built around you. We Share is a faith based company community first health care that keeps things simple. No confusing deductibles, no jumping through corporate hoops, just real people supporting each other through life's medical needs. And here's something extra special just for my listeners. The $149 application fee is waived. Head to weshare.org candice or call 855-230-2523 to get your free quote today. That's 855-230-2523. I don't know about you, but I love to colorfully mark up my Bible. And Mr. Pen is the company dedicated to creating pens and highlighters specifically to be used in your bible. How cute is this? The ink doesn't bleed through the page and there are so many color palettes to choose from paired with their other products, like transparent sticky tape, sticky notes, and tabs and washi tape and you can create the perfect combinations to make studying scripture and even more meaningful experience. With over 1 million 5 star reviews on Amazon, they are the most popular Bible highlighters and pens on the market. That's why I use them. Whether you're looking to deepen your faith through study and reflection or or simply need a reliable pen for taking notes During a sermon, Mr. Pen has you covered. To get 10 off your first Mr. Pen order, go to Candace. Join me in diving into the word in 2025. Go to Candacepens.com to get 10% off your Mr. Pen order. Grand Canyon University, an affordable private Christian university based in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona, is one of the largest universities in the country. Praised for its culture of community and impact, GCU integrates the free market system, a welcoming Christian worldview, and free and open discourse into 369 academic programs with over 300 online. Join a nationwide community of learners redefining what online education looks like through academically rigorous, industry driven programs that can spark bold ideas and prepare you for a future that matters. In addition to federal grants and aid, GCU's online students receive nearly $100,061 million in institutional scholarships in 2024. Find your purpose at Grand Canyon University Private Christian affordable. Visit gcu Edu Myoffer to see the scholarships you may qualify for. What was interesting, I, when I did my blood panel work the first time, like my estrogen and progesterone. Am I saying those right?
- [36:46]
B
Yeah, yeah. You're learning.
- [36:48]
A
I'm such a novice. They were actually very good markers for me, but I had very, very low testosterone, which was surprising for. Because I am such a go getter. I'm such a motivated person and my schedule, I am like I'm always going. So it was a little surprising that I had the ability with such low testosterone numbers. And for those of you probably wondering, this is probably tmi. But no, I am not taking testosterone yet. But it's something that I'm talking about. So we'll see. We'll see. I don't know.
- [37:22]
B
Yeah, and right now you're like working.
- [37:24]
A
Out hardcore, getting in the best shape of your life. I totally feel it right now. But I just, I want all the information. That's why this season has been so important to me. And, and I love this podcast because I've had the ability to meet amazing people like you, amazing people like Lisa. We have another guest on next week, Vince. You're gonna meet him. And I am getting the benefit of talking to really intelligent people and gathering all of the information. So obviously I'm having these for me and for you because I want to share everything, everything that I learned. So I love that we're getting to do this openly and publicly. But like, ladies, I'm on the journey with you. I. I just want to get all the information so that I can make the best choices for myself and also not compare myself to anyone else. Can we. Can you talk about that? Because you know so many ladies and I understand, we all go, well, what are you doing? And I'll ask my friend, you look great. Or your hair looks so thick. What are you doing for it? Are you taking something new? Or what's your exercise program like? What are you eating? Are you tracking macros? What's.
- [38:36]
B
We.
- [38:36]
A
We want to know all the things. Yet there are things that are specific for us and our bodies. So for instance, I don't really share my meal plan with. With people online. I might share some recipes that I like, but I don't want to bullet point. This is exactly what I eat in a day because my body's different than your body. And what might be good for my body may not be good for your body. And vice versa. Versa. And it's so important not to just jump on the next trend or what we're seeing, but actually talk to really informed people. And I also would suggest functional medicine, and not only a western medicine doctor, although I love. I love my OB gyn. He is incredible and awesome. I love him.
- [39:25]
B
But.
- [39:26]
A
But find out what your body needs.
- [39:30]
B
Yeah, absolutely. This is what I see a lot is women. They listen to a podcast or they watch a YouTube and they reach out to me and they're like, I need hormones. I'm like, oh, you do? Yes. I heard I need hormones.
- [39:44]
A
I'm 51 and I need hormones now.
- [39:47]
B
Yeah, exactly. So it's not cookie cutter like that, because we are all dealing with our own stressors and different cortisol levels, our own genetics, our own toxic burden. How burden full is your bucket. What kind of life are you living? Like, all these things interact and come into play. The gut microbiome. So many things are like, making you an individual. And so a lot of women think as soon as they start to feel some hormonal chaos or imbalance, I better get on hormones. That will be the answer. But I promise you, that's like a dog chasing its tail. You're not going to get anywhere you. Until you take care of the root causes of what caused that hormone imbalance in the first place. If it's straight menopause, your ovaries closed the factory and went home. Great. You'll feel better. That's almost never what I see. It's almost always because they're drinking, you know, two cocktails every night and they hate their job and they're stressed out and they're not talking to their husband or having sex anymore or they're fighting with their friend. And like all of these things are driving your body out of balance. And like I mentioned before, your hormones are the first things to go out of whack and offline because that is the least important to your body. Reproducing is not going to happen if you're in survival mode. So.
- [41:18]
A
Right.
- [41:18]
B
Please understand that you're an individual. You cannot compare yourself to Candace or myself or your best friend or even your sister or your mom. You are an individual. So you might need progesterone at 46 or 42. You might never need it. You might need an estrogen patch at 50, you might want testosterone in your 40s or 50s. So that is where having an actual conversation with an expert comes in handy. Because now we're seeing all these hormone shops pop up online and like order your hormones. You cannot understand what's going on in a 10 minute question air and get the answers. Here's the thing. You'll probably feel good for a few months and then it'll go out of balance again and you'll have to adjust your doses or, or add something new to the mix because you're just covering up the symptoms yet again. You're not actually fixing the root of why you're out of balance. Does that make sense?
- [42:18]
A
Yeah, it makes so much sense. I just started thinking about the cost of costs of all of that.
- [42:23]
B
So.
- [42:23]
A
Yeah, what, what things are typically covered with insurance if you have it? What do you have to pay out of pocket? Because there's probably a lot that want to do all those things, but they can't afford to see the doctors that they want to see and maybe their insurance isn't going to cover it and they don't. They're not able to pay out of pocket.
- [42:44]
B
Yeah, that's why there's such an outrage right now. That is why Oprah's talking about it and Halle Berry and Drew Barrymore and all the people. Because for a long time doctors have been afraid of hormones. So they haven't been offering it. And now women are demanding it. And now we've come to understand. Yep, that study was wrong. We didn't understand hormones it is safe to prescribe hormones. They are available, but the doctors don't know how. They don't know how to order lab tests and interpret them. They don't know what doses to give them. So there's this big lag in education. And so, so we're looking to other providers to help, but it's expensive because it's not covered by insurance. Functional medicine, unfortunately, anything that's preventative or that takes time, that's diet and lifestyle related insurance is probably not going to cover it. And so to sit down and have an hour long conversation with a doctor, that's just not going to be covered. That was one of the biggest reasons I actually left my job as an OB gyn. I said to the administrators, I need to ask them about their diet, I need to see if they're sleeping. Like this stuff is important to me. They're like, no, you need to do more surgeries and deliver more babies. So that's just the reality that we're dealing with right now. So we have to navigate that. But understand that there are options and there are doctors who are certified through the North American Menopause Society who will help prescribe hormones. And there's a lot of OB GYNs who are now feeling the pressure and going and getting educated on whole hormones. So keep talking to your doctor because the more that you ask and advocate for yourself, the more it's going to force them to, you know, shift and evolve. Doctors don't actually know everything and that's okay. And so we need to advocate for ourselves and push for change. But there is help out there, I promise you.
- [44:43]
A
Okay, great. I've been so encouraged be with some of the people again that I follow on Instagram and I don't know any of them personally, these just have popped up on my feed. But there's a whole world of women in their 50s that have been in the best shape of their life. I mean, never. They look way better in their 50s than they ever did in their 20s. And they just got control of their health and their fitness, their food, their hormones. But it's what you said, they took control of it. They started asking questions and then taking the steps to do that. And I just love that. I mean, I eat it up. I could just doom scroll through their pages all day long because it really inspires me. And anyway, I, if, if the very start of that, I feel like I might be repeating myself from last week conversation, but would you say even getting food allergy tested would be beneficial? Like, are you allergic? To gluten, corn, these things? Or is it. Are there foods that you just know everyone should stay away from?
- [45:52]
B
Oh, my goodness. So many great questions. So this is how I start. When I see a patient, I have them do a program where we do stool testing, we do food sensitivity testing, we do adrenal and hormonal testing. So I want to see what does their 24 hour cortisol pattern look like? How is your stress throughout the day? I want to see how you're metabolizing your hormones. I want to see what your gut is doing. I want to see if your immune system is inappropriately responding to foods or attacking your own body. I want to see what your thyroid's doing. So all of that is really helpful information so that you can get a full picture of what's going on for, for women. So unfortunately, that's not something everyone has access to. Although it is improving, it's getting better. People are out there. But what I would say is, first of all, you gotta break up with all the lies that you've been told over the past 30 years. Because we were told to eat low fat, no fat that is destroying us, like making hormone havoc. Can I just tell you right now, healthy fats are essential for a healthy body. They actually are the backbone of the trillions of cells in your body. We have this phospholipid bilayer where everything flows in and out of our cells through this fatty layer. So if you don't have enough fats, your cells can't even hear the signals from anything to do their jobs. Cholesterol is actually the main ingredient to make our sex hormones and our stress hormone cortisols. So testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, aldosterone, our blood pressure hormone, is made from cholesterol. So we have to stop fearing cholesterol. Our body needs cholesterol to be healthy. So we've learned things like that. Or that we need to eat less and exercise more. And anytime we're putting ourselves into calorie deficit, our thyroid is like, oh, she's starving us to death. Turn down all the resources, hunker down, hold on to everything harder because she's about to starve us to death. We're in the cave and there's no food. And so you're just driving yourself further into the pit the less that you eat. So we have to, like, undo all of these lies we've been told. And those girls, those women you're watching on Instagram, they're eating, they are lifting weights, they are enjoying their healthy Fats. They're doing everything opposite of what we've been told since the 80s.
- [48:28]
A
That's the most mind blowing part for me because, yeah, I'm a product of the 80s. So I've believed all those things for so many years, which made it way more frustrating in my 40s. And then I'm sitting there going, well, I guess I don't know anything because I've believed all of this stuff. This is what I was taught. I try to stay up on it, but I don't, I don't even know what to believe anymore. What is real. And since I've started learning more and changing things, like I eat more, more than I ever have, I've gone to the bathroom way more regularly. And that might be weird for some people, but I listen. I could talk about poop all day long.
- [49:14]
B
We need to normalize that. If your doctor doesn't ask you about your pooping, then they're not doing their job.
- [49:20]
A
Yeah, but I, you know, I, I didn't even know that people could, it was possible to poop three times a day. I had no idea. That's never been a part of my life. And realizing that I have had major issues with my gut and getting that on track. So many things are changing in my world and it's like this is so eye opening and exciting and it's crazy.
- [49:43]
B
It's essential for us to understand that our body will do anything to stay in balance and to keep us in survival mode. So that's, you know, that is our main focus and on top of that is reproduction. So beyond that, thriving is stuff that you actually have to do actively to really help. So you know, when we talk about menopause and all of these shifts, I just want to invite women to understand that this is such a beautiful opportunity to take back ownership and control of your health. And it really can shift everything else around you, all the people around you, your relationships, everything. So it doesn't have to be scary. I know it feels like so overwhelming.
- [50:34]
A
Well, we're going to take some listener questions. This first one is from Arlene and she asks, how do you feel about fasting? I think this is a great question because it's, it's really twofold. There's, there's actual, I mean there's fasting, but for different reasons. That's, that was the twofold. You can fast simply for the sake of maybe your intermittent fasting. Maybe you're deciding to do a 72 hour fast or whatever and then there's fasting for prayer. Fasting for biblical reasons. So I would love to hear your take on either or.
- [51:10]
B
Or both. Both, yes. So about three or four years ago, God downloaded fast to Faith. To me, this is my fasting program that is all faith based. And what he really showed me was I was teaching women how to fast to get healthy because there's super health benefits. It helps reverse disease. Within 24 hours, your gut can start healing. The bad bacteria and yeast will start to die off with just fasting. And so you can reverse diseases with fasting. Okay. But then spiritually, you start to hear from God and all those fleshly desires, they start to go away. And you realize you actually have more control than you realize. You don't have to eat just because you feel hungry, just because your ghrelin hormone increased. So ghrelin is our hormone that makes us feel hungry. You think of growling, think of ghrelin, but it's pulsatile. It goes up in half hour, later it will come down. So if you ride that wave and don't actually eat and give into that every time, you won't be hungry anymore. So drink some water, go for a walk, read your Bible, and that can be really empowering. So what God taught me was that as soon as you start to live beyond your fleshly desires and your so called fleshly needs, that he really will go to work for you. And in our weakness, we are made strong. Like he gets to work and the conversations can open up and you can start to hear from him and the Holy Spirit can move you and all of these things will happen because you're no longer focused on your body so much like your spirit is speaking now. Your spirit is alive. And it breaks my heart that we have turned fasting into another fad diet. But fasting without faith is just another failed diet. Like you're gonna fail. And that's what I get. I get women who are saying, I lost weight initially. Now I've been doing 16, eight for two years, and I've plateaued. I can't lose the last 20. Well, there's a couple things going on. Number one, your body likes diversity. It doesn't like to eat the same things the same time, every day, all the time, all year round. We were created to eat seasonally, so different foods at different times of the year. You know, in the summer, we're supposed to eat more fruits and berries. In the fall, we're supposed to eat more root vegetables. In the winter, we're supposed to eat more meats. Like we are supposed to be Cyclical beings like that and the time that we eat should change because your body is constantly trying to be in homeostasis. So if you always eat from 10 to 6, that's where your new set point will be. Whatever weight you're at, that's where you stay. So if you're trying to lose weight, you gotta shake it up. You have to change your fasting protocol to burn that own fat.
- [54:16]
A
Yeah, I just learned this. This is brand new, but I'm, I'm now becoming metabolically, metabolically flexible. I think that's the term Vince uses. He's going to be on the show next week. But yeah, it's, this is all brand new information. But it has been amazing to see my body react to those changes. Yeah.
- [54:36]
B
And this is actually a superpower in menopause, especially if you don't want to do hormone replacement therapy. Your diet is the key. And getting into a fasted state is going to be the key to get keeping your weight in check moving forward. So my menopausal women love my Fast to Faith program because it is finally helping them release that weight that has been stuck. They're regaining their metabolic flexibility. So essentially we are all trained to eat every couple hours all throughout the day. That started with the cereal industry. Like, you know, eat your breakfast, which is just a bunch of, you know, nutrient devoid carbohydrates that set you up on a sugar roller coaster the rest of the day. And so the fat burning part of our metabolism where we eat fats for fuel, we lose that ability because we're never tapping into it. So what I teach women is get into ketosis, eat more healthy fats, burn that fat for fuel, and then when you remove the food, your body will burn its own fat for fuel and tap into your own fat stores and get, stay in ketosis. And it feels so much better to not be on that sugar roller coaster. So you put the sugar roller coaster and the hormone roller coaster together. It's crazy town.
- [55:53]
A
Yeah, totally. Oh, I'm eating up this conversation. Okay, this next listener question is from Beaner's mom. She wants to know infrared saunas, what is your take on them?
- [56:04]
B
Oh my goodness, I wish there was more research. They're fabulous. So everything is wavelength. You and I sitting here are wavelengths. We have just condensed down to very slow moving particles. But everything that we see and cannot see is affecting our cells. So infrared is a form of wavelength that can rejuvenate our cells. You know, we heat up our food in the microwave. Those are wavelengths heating up Our food. It's a real thing. So they regenerate our cells and depending on what they level, if it's far, near, or short infrared depends on what cell it's working on. So you have to work with the settings on your machine.
- [56:46]
A
Are all red lights equal?
- [56:50]
B
No. So they have different distances in their wavelength.
- [56:54]
A
Okay, so how do we know which ones? I know.
- [56:57]
B
It's like, how do you know what's a good product? Yeah, you want to read the reviews. You want a combination of near and. And far.
- [57:07]
A
Okay.
- [57:07]
B
You know, I think that's the most beneficial.
- [57:10]
A
Okay. This is from Sammy. And she says, what is. She asks what is the best time to wake up? As a mama of two littles, I struggle with my mornings.
- [57:22]
B
Oh, my goodness, girl. The time to wake up is when your baby's waking up.
- [57:27]
A
That's what I was gonna say.
- [57:28]
B
I know. Like, you have to give yourself of grace during that time because you are sleeping whenever you can and you're just. You're doing the best that you can. I. Ideally, it's good to wake up before them so you can have your own quiet time to move your body and read some scripture. But if you're not sleeping at night and you're exhausted, like, give yourself a break and just sleep until they wake up. You know, that's. And that's going to change. It's going to be over and above blink of an eye.
- [57:58]
A
It really is.
- [57:59]
B
And you're going to be like, oh, I miss those babies.
- [58:02]
A
If it, if it is encouraging to you. I was never a morning person. I was awful when I was younger, but I had my kids young again. 22, 23, 25 years old. And probably by the time I hit 30, I started becoming a morning person. It took a while, but now I'm very much a morning person. And I'm in bed by 8 o'. Clock. I love a 5 o' clock dinner. And then Val and I are just like little, little TV, night, night, lights out, and at 8 o'. Clock. So things could change for you. But once your body kind of will eventually get on a new rhythm as your kids get older, like, it'll. Well, I hope it comes for you. It did come for me. It got easier.
- [58:46]
B
Yeah. And as soon as you have a routine, it changes. That's literally what happens. Yeah.
- [58:51]
A
Oh, this was so. I'm so sad for this to end.
- [58:54]
B
Me too.
- [58:55]
A
This has been such a wonderful conversation and thank you for joining us and really helping bring this whole entire season about our body and soul together. So I hope that you'll come back and we can keep talking with some other season. But thank you Dr. Tabitha.
- [59:13]
B
And where can people find you@doctor Tabitha.com it's three A's. No, I. My mom spelled it wrong or fast. To faith.com I'm the gutsy Dr. Tabitha on Instagram. But I just want to thank you because you are so real and authentic and that helps women feel safe and secure enough to ask you these questions and to have these conversations. So thank you for this platform and for helping so many women.
- [59:41]
A
Well, thanks.
- [59:41]
B
I appreciate that.
- [59:43]
A
Okay, well, life really can't be a roller coaster, so we have a whole body guide for you this season and it's available@candice.com and I also have a new app where you can become a monthly member. You can ask questions, you can join a podcast discussion group. It's called the Together Community and I really hope you check it out. You can go find out all the info@canvas.com together and learn how to become a monthly member. Until next time, be grateful all day day every day. Candy Rock Entertainment all rights reserved.
- [60:30]
B
Abercrombie Kids knows how to make outfitting easy. Mix and match sets are their ultimate outfit hack for fall. Their sweatshirts and sweatpants are super cute, cozy, and they always have the cutest colors and patterns. Shop Fall's easiest outfit at Abercrombie Kids in the app, online and in stores. When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone. Learn more@WhatsApp.com.