The Dr. Josh Axe Show: Why Women Are Exhausted, Inflamed, & Hormone-Dysregulated

Guest: Dr. Austin Lake
Host: Dr. Josh Axe
Date: February 12, 2026

Episode Overview

Dr. Josh Axe welcomes Dr. Austin Lake, a leading expert in women's hormones, for a deep dive into the epidemic of female exhaustion, inflammation, and hormone dysregulation. They explore why women’s health issues like hypothyroidism, PCOS, endometriosis, and infertility are so widespread; criticize the pitfalls of mainstream medical approaches; champion personalized, root-cause-focused natural care; and offer practical tips for both women and their families to restore hormonal health, physical resilience, and life satisfaction. The conversation is rich with clinical anecdotes, research insights, humor, and actionable advice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medications vs. Natural Healing: The Root of the Problem

• Critique of pharmaceuticals: Both Axe and Lake criticize the routine prescription of drugs like statins, metformin, and birth control, noting their tendency to deplete nutrients and mask, rather than fix, root causes.
  • “Medications aren’t designed to heal or fix anything... Rarely do you see that [long-term use] actually fixes anything. It creates more problems.” – Dr. Lake [11:14]
• Example: Statins deplete CoQ10, metformin depletes B12, yet patients are rarely supplemented.
  • “If a doctor is putting a patient on a statin, for them not to immediately put them on Coenzyme Q10, it’s... irresponsible.” – Dr. Axe [00:24, 11:55]
• Natural analogs: Many medications are originally derived from natural substances, which are then isolated, synthesized, and patented. The synthetic version often produces more side effects.
  • “That feels beyond irresponsible… when we start to extrapolate that over the course of all these other forms of medication.” – Dr. Lake [12:39]

2. The Complexity & Individuality of Women’s Hormones

• Women’s physiology vs. men’s: Far less research is performed on women; their health is not just “a little man,” but uniquely complex and dynamic.
  • “Women just are complex... hormones are very fluctuating.” – Dr. Lake [03:12]
• Cookie-cutter approaches fail: Both conventional medicine and many holistic programs are too generic.
  • “There are very, very specific [needs]... it’s really critical to go and look at each individual patient, look at their unique bio-individual needs.” – Dr. Axe [04:44]

3. The Bloodwork Problem & the Meaning of “Normal”

• Standard labs miss key dysfunction: Women told "your labs are normal" often have significant symptoms that don't show up in common tests, or are dismissed if not at pathological levels.
  • “A lot of this blood work, it shows that you’re in normal range, but not that you’re in optimal range.” – Dr. Axe [07:47]
• Optimal vs. normal: Vitamin D, for instance, may be "normal" at 30, but optimal is 50–80.
• Functional testing advocated: Recommend more in-depth tests (e.g., thyroid antibodies, toxic panels, mold/mycotoxins).
  • “What we’ve started to do is look at total toxin testing… because I think it’s a good way to kind of give them a different perspective...” – Dr. Lake [08:34]

4. The True Root Causes: Inflammation and Stress

• Chronic inflammation = Primary driver of PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, and hormonal imbalance, often via insulin resistance.
  • “For a female or for anyone listening… high insulin is, in my opinion, the biggest driver [of conditions like PCOS and endometriosis].” – Dr. Lake [20:53]
• Sources of inflammation: Emotional/psychological overload, overwork (“wearing too many hats”), poor sleep, chronic stress, undereating, overexercising, environmental toxins.
  • “It’s not just—take some curcumin and that fixes all your inflammation... What if the source is coming from what's happening up here?” – Dr. Lake [21:41]
• Adaptive, not just pathological: The body responds to overwhelming stress by shifting hormones as a survival mechanism (e.g., producing more androgens in women with PCOS).

5. The “Five Whys”: Getting to Deep Root Causes

• Root-cause medicine: Practitioners must dig sequentially:
  • Symptom → inflamed tissue → high insulin → elevated cortisol → chronic people-pleasing → childhood trauma, etc.
  • “When we’re doctors of root cause, we’re looking at why, why, why, why, why. And the further you can get to the why, the bigger results you’ll see long term.” – Dr. Axe [26:28]

6. Unique Emotional & Social Pressures on Women

• Cultural scripts: Women are often told to tough it out, ignore symptoms, and endure a disproportionate share of home, childcare, work, and emotional labor.
  • “Some women just go through more than they're supposed to, you know, like they carry more weight than they're supposed to carry.” – Dr. Lake [29:55]
• Mental overload: The constant “on” of female mental/emotional work leads to hormonal stress.
  • “One of the greatest things women can do is turn their brain off—go for a walk, play pickleball, do lunch with a best friend.” – Dr. Axe [35:54]

7. Patterns in Thyroid, Autoimmunity, and Menopause

Autoimmunity and Hypothyroidism

• 80% of hypothyroid is autoimmune (Hashimoto’s), overwhelmingly in women.
• Genetics vs. environment: Less than 10% of hormonal issues are true genetic defects; 90% are lifestyle/epigenetic.
  • “Most things are epigenetic... you can switch them back on or off based on lifestyle.” – Dr. Axe [24:14]
• Triggers: Mold, metals, stress, trauma, infections, food sensitivities (esp. gluten/dairy).

Menopause & Perimenopause

• Healthy menopause is a shift from fertility to stability, a source of wisdom and calm.
• Dysfunction arises when pre-existing issues—nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, stress, unhealed trauma—aren’t addressed pre-menopause.
• Progesterone drops first, estrogen later; unopposed estrogen leads to symptoms, later both drop (hot flashes, dryness).
  • “If you don’t make enough progesterone in your ovaries… you only make it in your adrenal glands. And your adrenal glands are already busy making cortisol.” – Dr. Lake [53:51]
• Supporting the yin: Chinese medicine uses yin-building foods (sweet potatoes, dairy, bananas, omega-3s) to cool and moisten the body.
  • “Yin is more feminine... things that bring moisture to the body.” – Dr. Axe [55:57]

8. The Importance of Personalization and Environment

• Custom nutrition, not a one-size plan: Women in different life stages/diseases (20s vs. 50s, cancer vs. IBS) need different foods.
  • “I am so ingrained in personalized nutrition.” – Dr. Axe [57:26]
• Environmental toxins: Clean up personal care products, test for household molds/heavy metals, minimize endocrine disruptors.

9. The Role of Men: Spouses as Partners in Women’s Health

• Men must learn about women’s cycles, needs, and “seasonal” rhythms to provide emotional and tangible support.
  • “Men should take a class in [understanding the female cycle] because it’s not only gonna benefit her, it’s gonna benefit you.” – Dr. Lake [44:54]
• Communication and awareness: Open conversations about needs, support, and relationship roles are vital.

10. Fundamental Foods & Supplement Strategies (Practical Takeaways)

Top Foods

• Sweet potatoes: Blood sugar stable, fiber, moderate phytonutrients, some effect on progesterone [66:18]
• Berries: Antioxidants, satisfying
• Avocado: Healthy fats
• Eggs (preferably farm-fresh, not store-bought): Only if tolerated, particularly not with autoimmunity
• Grass-fed/finished beef: Clean protein, iron, nutrients
• Protein generally: Minimum 100g daily, more as needed for muscle mass and recovery
• Meal timing: Most calories before 2 p.m.; “Eat with the sun.”

Top Supplements

• B complex (methylated): Especially for MTHFR gene variants, energy, detox, mental health [68:44]
• Magnesium (glycinate preferred): Calm, relax, metabolic support
• Vitamin D (+K2): Aim for 50–80 ng/mL
• Omega-3s (fish oil, cod liver): Fight inflammation, support cellular and brain health
• (Condition-specific) Inositol for PCOS, curcumin for endometriosis, DIM for estrogen clearance
  • But: “With every one of those individual conditions, there are specific supplements—personalization is key.” – Dr. Axe [73:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the limits of pharmaceuticals:
  “Medications aren’t designed to heal or fix anything... Rarely do you see that actually fixes anything. It creates more problems.”
  — Dr. Austin Lake [11:14]

• On the five whys and the true cause:
  “When we’re doctors of root cause, we’re looking at why, why, why, why, why. And the further you can get to the why, the bigger results you’ll see long term.”
  — Dr. Josh Axe [26:28]

• On women’s hidden burdens:
  “Some women just go through more than they're supposed to, you know, like they carry more weight than they're supposed to carry.”
  — Dr. Austin Lake [29:55]

• On practical lifestyle changes:
  “How can I be consistent with my bedtime?... How can I wake up and consistently drink water?... Eat food before I have caffeine... those small incremental changes... if you play the long game...”
  — Dr. Austin Lake [63:46]

• On protein needs:
  “A lot of women think they're eating enough protein... reality is... a salad for lunch, a smoothie for breakfast—no protein—and then a big meal at the end of the day. It's hard for your insulin to manage.”
  — Dr. Austin Lake [68:45]

• On hope and holistic care:
  “What we also have to bring is we have to bring hope... The best practitioners ... are really going through more of this holistic, body-mind-spirit support.”
  — Dr. Josh Axe [50:09]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:24 | Nutrient depletion from meds; conventional medicine flaws | | 03:12 | Unique female physiology and need for individualized care | | 07:47 | “Normal” labs ≠ optimal labs | | 20:53 | Root cause: inflammation, stress, insulin resistance | | 26:28 | Using “Five Whys” for true root-cause diagnosis | | 29:55 | Women’s hidden emotional and physical labor | | 35:54 | Mental overload and importance of rest/play for women | | 53:51 | What happens during perimenopause/menopause | | 66:18 | Dr. Lake’s top foods for women’s hormones | | 68:44 | Foundational supplements: B complex, magnesium, D, Omega-3|

Tone & Style

The episode blends clinical authority, empathy, humor, and practical wisdom. Dr. Lake and Dr. Axe move fluidly between technical explanations (lab testing, hormone pathways), vivid analogies (“the body’s not broken, it’s adapting”), and real-world stories (patients, their wives, their own families). They engage with Christian and traditional medicine perspectives but are inclusive, focusing on actionable steps for health and wholeness.

Summary Takeaways

• Women’s exhaustion and hormonal chaos stem from hidden inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress, and environmental toxins far more than just “bad luck” or age.
• Blood tests often miss the problem; ‘normal’ is not ‘optimal.’
• Traditional, generalized healthcare (and even some holistic advice) fails women—the answer is deeply personalized, root-cause-based care.
• Key food and supplement strategies include nutrient density, protein, B-vitamins, and Omega-3s, with fine-tuning to life stage and unique needs.
• Rest, emotional support, and helping women carry less invisible labor are as important as diet or supplementation.
• Both women (in self-care/awareness) and men (in partnership/support) have crucial roles in sustaining women’s whole health.
• Play the long game, tackle small wins, and bring hope and holistic care to the process of healing.

For women feeling worn out, inflamed, or “not themselves,” this episode is a compassionate, practical guide offering clarity, depth, and the promise of genuine healing.