A Hormone Conversation With Truth Bombs, Plus Sleep, Gut Health & Getting Your Life Back

Episode Description:

In this group coaching session, Dr Kirstey Holland guides four patients through their most pressing perimenopause and menopause questions — from sleep breakthroughs and gut healing to the truth about testosterone therapy. Raw, real, and packed with clinical insight, this is the kind of honest conversation most women never get in a doctor's office.

Highlight Topics:

• Sleep breakthrough — how MagCalm, PreGaba, and removing devices from the bedroom finally broke a long-standing insomnia cycle, and why your glymphatic system depends on it
• Self-sabotage & gut flare — reconnecting with nourishing foods, the psychology of 80/20, and Dr Kirstey's blood-glucose-friendly chocolate bark recipe
• Hair issue & hormone balance — the real science on female testosterone, why Professor Susan Davis's research at Monash cautions against the perimenopausal "stack," and how progesterone deficiency drives androgen dominance
• Estrogen consistency — why missing doses triggers a brain-level "emergency" response, what vasodilation from progesterone actually feels like, and how to time your HRT rhythm
• Reflux & gut healing — weaning off PPIs safely, the role of Hydrozyme and stomach acidity, and why warming the gut with miso or bone broth before meals is a game-changer
• Illness recovery — how inflammatory cytokines attack the brain when you're sick, the nightshade family's skin-gut connection, and natural immune support with ArmaForce, lactoferrin, and bicarb baths
• Intergenerational trauma & the oracle card pull — Dr Kirstey shares Galit Atlas's Understanding Emotional Inheritance and the group receives a "Spiritual Growth" card to close

What Listeners Will Take Away:

1. Sleep is medicine — consistent sleep hygiene plus targeted supplements can reset even deeply entrenched insomnia
2. Estrogen is addictive to the brain; skipping doses unpredictably creates anxiety, palpitations, and mood crashes — rhythm matters more than daily perfection
3. Testosterone is not a routine perimenopausal supplement — the world's leading female testosterone researcher says it should only be used for distress-causing hyposexual disorder
4. Self-sabotage around food is often a sign you need better-quality treats on hand, not more willpower
5. PPIs treat the symptom, not the cause — supporting stomach acidity with digestive enzymes is the path to true reflux healing
6. When you're sick, sleep is your immune system's most powerful tool — every hour of sleep shortens recovery time
7. Food sensitivities aren't permanent; healing the gut over time can expand your tolerance

Transcript

Dr Kirstey Holland 0:00

Hi, gorgeous lady. Hello. How are you? I'm great. How are you? I'm good now that I'm sleeping. I'm feeling amazing. Yeah. It's very exciting. Yeah. Oh, my God. Tell me everything. So I'm still waking up, which is fine. Okay. Yes. But I t- I take the MagCalm, I take my two PreGaba, and I go back to sleep, and it's amazing. So- It just sends that message to the nervous system. It just goes, "It's okay." Yeah. you know that nervous system can hit a road bump, and when it does, it needs a biochemical messenger of some sort at some point if it's gone on for a little too long just to send that message, "It's actually safe for you to go back to sleep." Yeah. I can't believe it. Isn't that amazing? And I even slept in the other day. I was in shock. Oh. I couldn't believe it. Oh, Yanni came upstairs and told me. I was so excited, and I was just like, "Oh, phew." Because, it's so tricky as the praccy, right? Because you actually, you never really know how a patient is gonna respond, and that's the truth. And I wish more doctors were happy saying that out loud. Yeah. And, I also know that I know my tools really well, and I'm also quite a good diagnostician, so I can get to the heart of the matter for the patient, particularly if I have you one on one. Yeah. So when we had our initial consultation, I got a- I will quite often get a sense. I will get a sense as to whether, have I really got this, or will I be a little more apprehensive? Will I be like, "Let's try this, I'm not so sure." But honestly, I felt like we had this. I was like, "We've got this." No, I'm so happy. Thank you. Oh, I am so delighted. Bianca, Cassie is sleeping. I'm like going, "You don't-" Oh my God, that was fast. Hi, Cassie. Hi. Congrats. I know. Very fast. Oh. Beautiful. Oh my God. Just wait until you start getting... H- honestly, I know you feel so much better after you've slept, right? But wait until you are consistently sleeping. wait for that. You're gonna feel like you've grown wings. the, this energy that comes back during the day when you finally sleep, it's like next level. It's like you're living a different life. But just the relief of knowing, "Oh, this is possible," it just- Yes it just, yeah. Yes. And then the other thing that I wanna, I want to And I don- don't wanna sort of stuff it all down your throat at once, but I just want you to know that if that can change, anything else that you need can change too, It's, a- and I hope it's given you that. oh, if I need to make another change in another area, that's okay. That tweak will come, Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Excellent. Excellent. So when was the first night you slept properly, or that you slept in a way that you hadn't slept in a very long time? I think it was Friday. Friday night. Friday night. I was like, yeah, I still woke up at about 3:00, and I'm like, yeah- Sure. Yeah this is normal. We go, okay, we've got a rhythm, we've got a habit happening here, and that's important because, it's really important for all of us to understand that the circadian rhythm disruptions are habitual, when they've been in place for long enough. Yeah, and it's been a while. Yes. And yeah, I just took the MagCalm, took my two GABA. Yeah. And didn't... My s- my screen's, my phone's out of my room now, so I think- Great. Great yeah. That's huge. It's a massive step, but it's really big. And I went back to sleep, and I was like, what is this?" What is this? so yeah, that was, yeah. And did you see a positive change on the Saturday? Was there something noticeable about your, inner dialogue? Was there something noticeable about, were you happy to do an extra run to the supermarket? Or, was there s- was there something positively... did something impact positively post that sort of first night of new sleep? it's funny 'cause I woke up and I was obviously very excited. I ran downstairs to tell my husband 'cause I'd never- He was still sleeping? I think... We've been sleeping in different rooms because- Of course of COVID. Good I said- Excellent "Oh my God, I slept." And he's "What do you mean you slept?" And, then I had all this energy, and I wanted to actually... You know how when you have- Yes I just actually feel like I had a heap more energy. But the fact- Yes that I slept, I felt like I wanted to do all these things. Ah, so exciting. no, just take it easy. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. That's right. We do need to fill the reservoir up, that is true. So I love that sort of awareness, that, that sort of cautionary awareness already. and that, that is the case. So please, don't run the marathon, but just know that you will be able to very soon when you feel that true energy come back, not just that excitement, due to the change. Yeah. And I think it was more excitement that, more than anything. But yeah. yeah. But how good does it also feel if... can you imagine this computer system's been like needing an update for a fair while, Yeah, sure. You've just unplugged it and rebooted it. this computer's gonna be working brilliantly, moving forward. And I just wanna share a piece of really nerdy information with you. But the brain, when it knows that the phone is in the room, the research actually shows that there's a part of the brain that is actually, that remains alert overnight if we know that there is a device in the room. Oh, wow. So they've put people in sleep trials and sleep studies with and without devices. And every single time when their device is not in the room, and this goes for concentration, study. So kids who are studying with the phone in the room, w- if they actually take the phone... I didn't get it right all the time, of course, because I'm a human and so is my son. But, when he was doing year 12, I was like, "Baby, come and put your phone upstairs and go downstairs to the study." and every time he did that, he said to me, "Mom, my, my concentration is so different without the phone in the same room." And the same goes for our sleep. and I would extend this to televisions. And the research isn't on televisions, the research is on iPads and phones, but I do wonder, about electronic devices in the bedroom. And I love the... As much electromagnetic free radiation we can receive is really important. And the other thing that I think is important to mention is just the bedhead. what is on the other side of the wall of the bedhead. Oh I once- That's true. Yeah. What have you got there? No, I'm all good. There's no... I was Yeah. great Yeah I once upon a time treated a little boy who lost all his hair and his eyelashes and his eyebrows, and it was because he was on the other side of the r- of the wall to the microwave, and his older brothers and sisters would come home after basketball and reheat their dinner in the microwave where his bed head was. And this little boy's immune system was, like, shocking. Lost his hair, lost his eyebrows, and it was literally the microwave on the other side of the bed. Oh, wow. Yeah. And failure to thrive. His mother brought him in, and she was just devastated. And I was like, "Don't worry, we will get to the bottom of this." And after protein... I'd already started to grow some of his hair back, we got his protein levels up. He put on weight. He was thriving-ish, and then I was like, "There's gotta be something else." I said, "Okay, we gotta take it down to the lowest common denominator. Let's look at everything. let's look at the sick building syndrome. Let's look at the..." And I just said to her, "All right, hang on a minute. Where's the meter box?" The meter box is really important because that's one of the electromagnetic, i- implements in the house that's very, high voltage if you like. So that's something that's really important. All these sort of invisible, electromagnetic radiations that can impact us too as these beautiful mammalian c- creatures that we are. But yeah, something as simple as a microwave on the other side of the wall, and this little boy was, 10 kilograms heavier and, grew his eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair back within a six-month period. Yeah. So all the things. We're so sensitive, but I'm so excited that you are sleeping. Yeah. Yeah. Sleep will solve a lot of the perimenopausal issues because not only now is your body able to reboot, the sy- system is able to reboot, but your glymphatic system, literally the thing that will support you in preventing Alzheimer's and dementia, is able to work properly overnight because the glymphatic system cleans the brain, and that's what's so important. Yeah, overnight too. And that's when all of our repair happens. If we're awake, our conscious mind is on, and the unconscious memory programming, trauma resolution, autophagy, cell death, all of those things are paused until we actually are unconscious. Yeah. So we're gonna get there, Cassie. Woo-hoo. Huge celebrations, and thanks for trusting me. it's tricky when you haven't had, what you've wanted for a very long time to trust, an- yet another praccy. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. yeah. I've got you. Thank you. Hello. what a great, great... So Friday. Friday. Friday, so that was Friday the 15th, right? Friday the 15th of May. From now on, you will be someone that sleeps. You will no longer identify as somebody that doesn't sleep. Yeah. Good. So good. Yeah. Trisha, Bianca, hi. How are you? Hello. What's happening? Talk to me. What's new? What's changed? What do we focus on for you this week? What are we moving towards? What are we moving away from? my I think, I've been really focusing on trying to get back on track again. I feel just the last few weeks I've been not, as all the good things I've been doing in the last 12 months and sort of- thing, and so I'm like self-sabotaging myself a little bit, so I just- Excellent awareness. So I'm just trying to, bring it back to basics again, 'cause my gut, I'm really feeling it, like in my gut- I'm not feeling myself. Okay and so my gut is like really, rumbly and, and crampy and stuff like that as well. So yeah, I've just really noticed I'm having to go back to basics. So th- the last two days I've just gone, "Okay, let's just keep it really..." And just really doing heavy, deep, slow cooked stews with lots of vegetables and- Great it's cold and wet and it's perfect for that at the moment, But yeah- Great I'm trying to keep it really simple, but it's, it's a struggle. Like, when you do so well after 12 months and then you go hang on a minute, and you beat yourself up a bit. So I have noticed mentally it's been a bit harder than nor- what I have been able to work through. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And it's never the kind of 100% that's difficult, right? I think women- are very well-versed in, that kind of dominant, diet culture. Not that this is anything like that, but we're very well-versed- in, okay, we're gonna do this thing really well and we're gonna do it for this period of time, So we set ourselves up and we, shoulders back and we go, "Okay, great." And then suddenly when the guardrails are essentially down and we have to self-modulate, we have to go, it's 80/20, so what does that look like? Is that 80/20 a day? Is it 80/20, m- a week? Is it 80/20 a month?" Like, where does that fall, Yeah. Sometimes we have to reestablish our own guardrails and to figure out, like, where it works for us personally. Yeah. I... And, just a few offerings, sometimes when I do feel like this, I'll catch myself early. I'll go early. I'll do, one of my chocolate barks, and I'll actually start my day with a power cuppa and chocolate. So I've I've I've rewarded myself. I've got my chocolate bar, and I've got my power cuppa, and it ki- it in a way for me it just removes the temptation for the rest of the day. 'Cause it's kind of- like it's out of the way straightaway. It's like I'm having chocolate for breakfast because I'm a big girl and I can make up my own rules. So it helps the self-sabotaging, and I know that sounds a little strange, but the chocolate that I do make still keeps me within 3.9 to 4.9 'cause I add the collagen and the GI and the MCT oil powder to it. Yeah but sometimes rewarding yourself straight up, which kind of seems counterproductive or it seems y- you know, the opposite to what we should be doing when we're trying to be good. Yeah. But sometimes it short-circuits that self-sabotage when we go straight to- Yeah the reward. Yeah. Yeah. I actually, totally forgot about just the chocolate bar you talked about- Yes and stuff like that. And I- Yes think that this weekend I'm gonna just make up those- Great type, treat type things. great. So exactly that. Yeah. 'Cause the treats that I go to, what you get in the shops aren't really- Ugh, yeah that- So bad in comparison good in conditions- Yeah like we have to process. Yeah. Yeah. I think just even making time this weekend just to make some up for myself- Yeah, absolutely and call them mum's treats so no one touches them. Yeah. That, that's it 'cause they, no one's gonna really want them, 'cause they've got that- Probably not by the time you've done the food protocol properly your entire... Oh, there we go. Tha- is that the one that's currently in the fridge? This is the one that I... Ca- can you see the chat? This is the one that I currently have in. So- Fantastic would it be helpful if I just quickly talk you through how I made that? Yeah, that would be great. So I cheat. I, I cheat. I go to a woman's kind of craft circle on it's one Saturday a, a week now, a- one Saturday a month, sorry, and I'm learning how to crochet and basket weave and all sorts of things. And I started talking to them about the chocolate that I make and the beautiful artist who runs it was like, "Oh, God, and she makes her own chocolate." And I'm like, no. I just pimp the chocolate." So I purchase, the highest kind of, cacao content I can find. Yeah Jan- Yani actually i- is a bit of a hawk-eye in the supermarket, so often he'll find the dark lint chocolate. Is it 98% or sometimes 90% dark lint chocolate? Yeah. And because nobody buys them they're often on 50% off. No- nobody wants their chocolate that dark. So Jan will come home with, five blocks of, kind of 98% or 90% dark lint chocolate. And then what I'll do is I will heat, MCT oil in the pan, and I'll melt the chocolate in the MCT oil. And as soon as the chocolate is liquid, so not boiling or anything like that, just liquid, I'll turn off the, I'll turn off the heat. It's so delicious. I'll turn off the heat, and I'll put baking paper down, and I'll take Medjool dates, split them, pull the pip out, and line the, the plate with the Medjool dates. And then honestly, I do something different every time. These I sprinkled a layer of macadamia nuts all over the top of the Medjool dates. And then I took, the chocolate mix, popped it in a glass, jug, poured it over the top, and then sprinkled a paleo granola on top so that I've got a crunch. And, and believe it or not, and oh, sorry. And to the chocolate I'll add the collagen, the GI Restore, and the MCT oil powder just by looking at... Sometimes I do it with one block of chocolate, sometimes I'll do it with two. so depending on how much chocolate I've got in there. this particular one was just one dinner plate, so I just added one scoop of the collagen, two teaspoons of the GI Restore, and two teaspoons of the MCT oil powder. And this keeps my blood glucose between 3.9 and 4.9, which is still fat burn as opposed to fat store, and I've got a chocolate treat. So I'll start my morning with this, with a coffee power cuppa, and then I'll have, generally about half a date's worth of a piece at a time, so half a Medjool date's, piece at a time two or three times during the day, And it do- it doesn't change my weight at all, and I get that kick. And then I go, "Okay, great. I've got my treats." Awesome. And then, yeah. So and there's a beautiful protein ball recipe, in the, in the Vitality Clinic as well. It's called, what is it called? It is called Protein Balls. and those protein balls are really delicious. There are lots and lots of different recipes under, under Eat. I'll just... This is actually such a, an important point. the snacks, once we've achieved the weight loss, repaired, rebalanced, reclaimed, and we're going back to normal, you... Where, we do need a treat. we really do. I wanna just share my screen to show you, That's two... Desk- two share. Okay, awesome. Great. Can you guys see the Vitality Clinic? Yep. Yep? Awesome. So under, under Eat, down the bottom, Protein Balls. I'm just gonna click on that. I really love these because they also fill me up. So sometimes when I need a delicious treat that fills me up, these are brilliant. And these are actually, these are brilliant for school lunchboxes. chocolate peanut butter balls, lemon coconut, matcha green tea, almond chocolate. You can actually use your Jomies. You know how you use the Jomies for your power cuppas? You can use the Jomies powders in here too, so the cacao or the turmeric latte or the beetroot. You can use your chais and your coffees. Pumpkin spice and vanilla balls, three bl- berry blasts, salted caramel, that's really yum. and those will keep you in a, in a glucose state that's supportive of the outcomes that you're looking for long term. Yeah. And then sometimes you just want something a little different, right? Sometimes you don't really want the eggs. I don't know if you've tried the collagen balls, 'cause these- No are actually a really nice snack in the afternoon too, particularly when you're starting to self-sabotage. So the collagen balls, these are really yum. These are basically like homemade acai balls. berry bliss ball. So it depends on, on, on what you're after, like what... Chocolate delight, mango tango, coconut bliss, zesty lemon, green power bowl, tropical paradise. So you've got lots of options there. and you've got your smoothies and also dips. I don't... Have you seen the dips? No. And there's my... Yeah, so there's... Th- the dips are actually... I know that they're savory, but sometimes the dips and the crackers... I don't know if you've made my crackers either. I've got crunchy seed crackers. These are really yum, particularly when you need crunch. So the Belly Soothe dip range. And just having these in the fridge instead of, self-sabotaging with the good stuff. You can go to the beetroot horseradish dip. This is actually my personal favorite. green olive dip, sweet potato and roast cashew, tuna dip, salmon dip. Oh, I don't know. Is it between the beetroot and the salmon? I do love the salmon. so that's those. And these are the best crunchy seed crackers. I don't know if any of you have tried Mary's Gone crackers. It's like a, it's a gluten-free cracker range. They, but they are exorbitant. They're like so ridiculously expensive. I think each cracker is like $2. These are so easy, and they are amazing. Belly Soothe five seed crackers. So they're literally just seeds, and it is the easiest thing to make in the whole world Love, love Yeah. There we go. Thanks. So this weekend it's dips, it's crackers, it's protein balls, and it's chocolate bark. Yeah. Yeah, And that takes care of the self-sabotage. Excellent. I reckon that's gonna- Yeah help a lot. 'Cause it's usually the snacks that's taking me off track. and then- Yeah once I do that, then I don't make best choices at, for meal times and stuff. It just ends up being a- Yes. Yes roll and ball. And make sure that you're hydrated, make sure that you've got your electrolytes on board, 'cause quite often when we don't have electrolytes on board and we're not hydrated, we go for food rather than hydration. Yeah. So in the same way that, with three cups of green and one cup of color, we're feeding the microbiome first. Yeah. Make sure that the thirst is always taken care of, electrolytes in the morning, then your power cuppa, and then start your day with chocolate. like, whenever in your entire life has doctor said, "I think it's a really good idea for you to start your day with chocolate." Yeah. I knew I was gonna rewrite this space. Yeah, but welcome to being human. It's very... and what I would also encourage is just the mindset shift from, now that I've done X, i.e., I've done something in the past 12 months- now I'm wanting to rebel. just looking at that space too. hang on a minute, what am I really doing? am I really self-sabotaging, or am I, it, am I literally not stocking up the fridge with everything I need? Yeah. 'Cause the question is what do you need? Yeah. And if it's like, "I just need a sweet treat too." it can be that simple. Yeah. And even that's, the crackers and the dip, it's that salty- Yeah. Yes salty snack- Yes that sometimes you just crave. Absolutely. chocolate, chocolate piece. Definitely. Definitely. And take your inspiration from Big Food and Big Pharma. Whenever they create something for us to become addicted to, the ingredients that they use, the kind of the dopamine switch in the brain, something that allows us to feel like we have been satiated, it's always, sweet, salty, and crunchy. So if you've got your power cuppa with a little bit of sweet and a bit of stevia, you've got your dips and you've got your cracker, and then you've got your sweet treat, that's all supportive of your biochemistry, particularly in perimenopause and menopause. You've nailed it. You've gone against Big Food and Big Pharma, and you've achieved Johnson safety and satiety switch by giving yourself everything that you need and require. And, the other thing that I would say too is sometimes when we start to crave or go outside of the meals- We don't necessarily have everything that we need in that meal. So sometimes, and particularly at this point, like I know you've worn a continuous glucose monitor, when you do set up your plate, say for example you're making a salad, add a bit of apple to the salad and add some blueberries on top so you've al- and then add your maybe your tamari nuts or your, I often take, this is actually something I do on a very regular basis. I stick pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and s- sunflower seeds in the pan, roast them, and then just add a bit of tamari over the top, and then just get that nut covered in tamari so it's this really amazing crunchy, roasted, salty seed. And sprinkle that over the top of the salad with the apples and the blueberries so that in that one meal you've got every flavor. So you've got your lemon and lime, you've got your salty, and you've got your sweet in that same meal so that every single part of the tongue is satiated. You've got sweet taken care of, you've got sour taken care of, you've got bitter taken care of, you've got crunch taken care of. And even the, even the crunchy cr- crackers, you can actually take those and break them up and put them on top of a salad so that you've got that crunch as well, 'cause that's the thing that we often miss. Yeah. Yeah. Yum. I'm hungry now. Excellent. I think you might be in the kitchen this weekend. Think so. Excellent. Excellent. Bianca, how are you, beautiful? Look at your gorgeous hair. Hi. You look like you've- Oh, thank you so much you've just come home from a shoot. Have you just been on location? No. Yeah. Actually, I needed a little bit of styling, I did a bit of styling for myself because, Working lately I've been, losing a lot of hair. Ah. yeah. I'm- Interesting not really bothered. Yeah. I'm not really bothered because I'm full of new little ones- Okay. All right baby hair. Yes. and I used to have this, like periods when, when- it was... I was losing it, and then not so much, but during this phase I was in lately, like the last year- last half of year- it was really good actually. I, I- I got so much new hair and everyone was noticing. I told you this. but now, I don't know, and I'm wondering because- Yeah what Cassie said about sleep- Yes you know how I, how I said that I, sleep like a baby with the 300 milligrams of progesterone? Yes. And it's still the case. Yes. Uh, but, but, but, but I realized that this is now the second or the third evening- Mm-hmm when I feel, right before going to bed- Mm-hmm I feel this- It's not a numbness, it's not dizziness, but really weak. Like, I need to lay down. But it's not like when you're sick. Mm-hmm. It's just when I lay down and go to sleep- Mm-hmm it goes away. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. It's just like, like the bed is calling me, you know? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. But in a, in a really a bit more aggressive way. I don't know how to describe this. Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, so then I, I fall asleep, like, almost instantly. Mm-hmm. And also something to s- to, to note is that, uh, lately I've been forgetting my estrogen in the morning, because I have this alarm at 9- Ooh 9:00 AM when I take my tablet- Okay of Lenzetto. Yes, yes. And, um, I, I, I don't know. I skip the alarm, and then I say, "Okay, I'm gonna do it now," then I forget. Yes. Uh-oh. And it's been a few days. Yeah. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Like two, three, three days. Then I do it, then again I forget about it, and the sweating is slowly coming a- again. Like- Okay, yeah the sweating, you know, night sweats. Yeah. But not, not intensively. Yeah. It's not So I was thinking that maybe the, the lack of estrogen, like, so suddenly just stopping. Yes. But not intentionally. I didn't stop intentionally. Yes. It's just- Yeah, yeah, yeah forgetting about it. I get it. And- Yeah uh, I re- also noticed that when I take it daily, uh, my, my breasts are not sore, but there's a little bit more tension there. Mm-hmm. So, uh, like you said, you, you mentioned once that maybe- Yeah I can, I can try do it one day yes, one day skip it. Every second day, yeah. Yeah, every second day. But- So- I might have skipped it more than one day. Yeah, fair enough. Fair enough. And now, now I, now I see some Yeah, now I see some effects. I don't know if that's the case, but maybe you can, you can- Yes help me out figuring this. Yeah, absolutely. Um, a couple of things. Yeah. Let's first start with the hair, hair loss. Yeah. So, um- If you've had periodic hair loss throughout your life- Yeah, yeah but it hasn't... We're not talking about sort of patchy bits falling out, right? We're just talking- No, no, no. No, no, absolut- noticing- Just- more in the brush- Yeah more in the shower. Exactly. More sort of like- Exactly. If I, yeah you know, on the clothing. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that sort of thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So that, that, that definitely can be related to stress. and don't forget that when we- Yeah do have a, a gastrointestinal absorption issue, it can be due to a decrease in absorption. So I know that- Yeah well, we know that the research shows that the microbiome can go out in perimenopause and menopause and, and you're very much on the cusp. I sort of see you a- as both due to having had- Yeah a surgical intervention. Yeah. Right? Yeah. So we know that the, the microbiome can definitely be a little, let's call it finickity for the moment. Yeah. So if there is a slight decrease in absorption from those nutrients, you might start to notice it in the hair, if that is something that you're- Mm predisposed to. But I wouldn't be- Mm too concerned because I also know how, h- how, how, how important your nutrition is to you, and I know this isn't- Yeah isn't something that's going to slide long term. And w- we're very much in the process of, kind of getting you back on track in terms of the gut- Yeah microbiome. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. So I wouldn't be too concerned about it as long as they're not, you know, it's not falling out in clumps. the other thing that I, that I would let you know is that, perimenopause, and some menopausal presentations are a, an androgen excess in relation to progesterone deficiency. So it's not a true androgen excess. The research actually shows... The, the, the global, expert on, female testosterone is actually in Melbourne. Her name is Professor Susan Davis. And, Mm she runs, the lab at Monash University, and she's actually shown... She, she did a, a recent clinical trial that was, a copy of the original that she did 20 years ago. And I'm not sure if you've noticed on social media, lots of my patients have, is that there's this very big push towards the perimenopausal or menopausal, stack, they call it. They're like, "What you need- Yeah is estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and a GLP-1." Yeah. Yeah. Right? Exactly. Yeah. What, what Professor Susan Davis actually proved is that testosterone is very stable in, in women, and should really only be used for true hyposexual disorder that causes distress. So, so women who, who truly have low libido or low arousal with severe distress. Because some women have low libido, But they can have good arousal once they are- Mm-hmm in a sexual experience with their partners or lovers or whatever it is. Some women have- Mm low libido and low arousal, as in it's very difficult for them to become sexually aroused, but it doesn't cause them any distress. Yeah. But what Professor Susan Davis says is that if there is low libido, low arousal, and distress associated, we can use very small amounts of testosterone that very quickly, hopefully in inappropriate scenarios increase, libido in women. But the reason why I'm going the test- down the testosterone pathway- Yeah is because, what the research has also shown is that because of the fact that progesterone decreases, we can quite often be in a testosterone, i- in a higher androgenic state. So we can have a, an androgen excess in relation to a progesterone deficiency. And when women are experiencing more androgens in relation to a true progesterone deficiency, which is what perimenopause and menopause is- Mm we can start to lose, hair, like more sort of here. So like- Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, the sides you can't see, like the male- Yeah male pattern baldness. Yeah. And that's that true- Yeah, yeah, yeah that's that tr- th- that's not the sort of, hair loss that we notice when we have, you know, more in the, the, the brush or on the clothing. but that is due to, more testosterone in relation to progesterone deficiency. And also some women actually, metabolize their testosterone down the 5-alpha reductase pathway, which is a more androgenic pathway. And the two testosterone metabolites, etinochanolone and androstenedione, are four times more powerful than testor- testosterone itself. So if we are metabolizing our testosterone down a f- a 5-alpha reductase pathway, we can be more, predetermined to female pattern baldness. Now, I don't think this is what's happening. Oh, okay. No. But- This is not the case, for sure. Yeah the, the testosterone dominance also, presents itself in a more aggro presentation or internalized- Yeah anger, and a potential for abdominal weight gain. So this is one of the reasons why- Yeah, as well testosterone is not indicated for perimenopausal and menopausal women- I see unless you're talking about the hyposexual, disorder. I see. And, Mm the... So, so, so that's the hair loss piece, from, from both a nutritional gastrointestinal perspective and an androgenic perspective. Mm. Mm-hmm. which I don't think the latter pertains to you, but I think it's important to mention. and the- Yeah other thing is, is that- When we use testosterone off-label for women and it isn't indicated, testosterone can change the sound of your voice. So- Oh, like deeper deeper. Like, like a... Mm. one of my colleagues in the States, she actually used a lot of testosterone, and you can hear her voice. well, I mean, I knew what her voice used to sound like, but now I can hear that her voice is, is gone much deeper, and it's not reversible. So the voice can remain- Wow deep. Yeah. And the clitoris can grow to the point where there is a protrusion, in the, in the clitoris. So we can have changes in our anatomy downstairs that do not change back to normal, right? So- We do not want that. Yeah. It's not something I want. It's not something I want. Me neither. And, so, so, so, you know, there are, there, there, there are lots of people in the dominant, space that you would think are very well educated that are just like, "All perimenopausal women need testosterone." Yeah. So, I just- Yeah think it's very important to just take a moment and just be caution. Caution- it's a cautionary tale. Yeah. Yeah. The leading expert in testosterone is here in Melbourne, Australia at Monash University, and this is what she says, and the research is not out, you know? Yeah. And this other group- Yeah says literally exactly the opposite. So that's important. No, we're, oh, we are not there. Yeah. No. No. Yeah. And then the, the feeling that you're feeling just before you're going to bed, is I think vasodilation. So is it after you've taken- Oh, wow magnesium, and is it after you've taken- After. After. I- it's after magnesium After the magnesium. And it's also after progesterone? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, so what happens is, is that, the magnesium and the progesterone is a vasodilator. So what that means is it, it, it kind of relaxes the walls of the, of the, blood vessels. So it gives you a bit of a oh- Yeah, like I'm floating like- Like, like, I don't even know how to describe it. It's, it's- It's exactly that it's like- It, it, it can feel like the very beginning of- I have no limbs, you know almost fainting. It can feel like that. Yeah. Exactly like that. Like the very beginning of almost fainting or just very sens- Exactly just very gently. pre-GABA, GABA, magnesium, progesterone, all of these things can be a slight vasodilator. I would say that- You might be missing your tired sign or you might be going to bed just a little bit too late. If the- Yeah magnesium and the progesterone is i- creating so much vasodilation for you, at that point- Yeah I would say sneak it back just a little bit earlier, and then take them straight away and just go to bed. Don't go to the couch. Do not pass go. Yeah. Go to bed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Because I take them, like, around dinner time, like 6:00, 7:00 PM. Mm-hmm. And then I even go to bed 10:00, 10:30, you know, PM. So then- You might be missing your tired sign then I get, like Yeah. It's, it's not an ill It's, it's too much to say that I feel ill. Yes. But it's like, like you said, like a brain- I completely understand. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So that's- That's the vasodilation that's good to know. That's interesting. Yeah. Interesting. And it From a traditional Chinese medical perspective, what they would say is, is that you've already reached your capacity for chi, like chi deficiency. Like, you're, you're energetically- Right deficient. Like, you've gone- Deficient past your, you've gone past- Yeah your tired sign. It's you should have been in bed at, like, you know, I don't know, an hour earlier. An hour earlier. Half an hour earlier. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Something like that. An hour, like it's, it's- Yeah would be the best. Yeah. Yeah. That would be the target. But, you know. And then one final piece I think is very important is that, the brain, Estrogen is addictive. So when- Mm when you, when you look at Yeah. When you look at estrogen and progesterone- Interesting estrogen is addictive, progesterone is not. So with progesterone, you can increase, dosages and you can sort of change the cadence with which you take your progesterone. But with estrogen, the brain is so dependent on it, and it can actually be quite w- for women who use estrogen to begin with, they can, they can feel this, like, unbelievable effervescence initially. And this like- Mm-hmm bloop. Stuff's amazing. Mm-hmm. You know? Like this- Mm-hmm like, they can feel a bit sort of high on life, so. That was my experience. Yeah. That was my experience with estrogen. Lots of, lots of women can become quite evangelical around estrogen because of that initial response, and then they want to continue to experience that, so they want to go higher and higher and higher, which is not actually a very good idea long term. Mm. But the, Mm-hmm the brain's addictive capacity with estrogen, it's quite important to heater the dose. So, so if you are going to go every second day, I would say try to keep And I do love the, the, the fact that you've got an alarm clock, and I also understand that you're not a robot. but it would probably do you quite well to keep that, rhythm consistent. Yeah. So one day- Yeah, and rhythm is important for me Wednesday. Yeah. It's definitely important. Yeah. Like Monday- I've been, I've been, Yeah yeah, ignorant a little bit with it, and I, I can feel the effe- the effects. I, it's definitely there. They are definitely there. So, yeah. I would, I would very much try this one on and one off. The- 300 milligrams of oral micronized progesterone is a really good dose. At this point in time, I don't think that there's any, you know, any reason to increase your progesterone dose. No, no, no. No But what I would say, for a, a surgical, a kind of perimenopausal picture, it's a good idea for you to keep your estrogen consistent. And- Yeah I, I do think that if you are experiencing We know that breast tenderness, i- is a sign of too much estrogen in the breast. Yeah. And the breast is b- being- Yeah exposed to too much estrogen. 300 milligrams of oral micronized progesterone should be protecting your breast tissue from one spray of estrogen daily. but if you feel better on one spray of the estrogen every second day, I don't think that there's an issue with that for you at this point in time for your circumstances. Yeah. Yes. Yes, I will do that. Yeah. I will do that. But try to keep it consistent because the other thing- Yes one, one more thing is that- Yeah, the inside. Yeah when your, when your estrogen levels, plummet and the brain is expecting its next hit, let's talk, let's, let's call it the hit- Yeah and it doesn't receive that, the brain will perceive that as an emergency. So you could start- Yeah to feel more sympathetic dominant nervous system experiences. Yeah. So you could start to feel heart palpitations. You could start to feel a little bit more- Yeah overwhelmed. You could start to feel- Yeah stressed for no reason. Yeah, it's there. It's there. It's definitely there. Yeah. Yeah. So that's very important, that consistent rhythm with the estrogen is important for you. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. I will do so. Yeah, yeah. Thank you so much. You've, you've got this. You've got this. Oh. And, and how's your tummy, tummy? Is it a, i- is it, is it getting better? Oh. With the tummy, it's, it's tricky. I cannot figure it out. I mean, I'm so good with my body, I believe. But with the tummy and with my m- with my gut, it's just I'm not, I'm not there. and why I say this is because I'm on, I'm on lower dose of PPI, just like re- you recommended. Yes. Yes. I, I started with the 20, 10, 20, 10 of, of PPI. Yes. Yes. And now I'm exclusively on 10 for about- Great. Great seven days now. Seven to eight days. Great. So a week. Great. Great. Great. And since I still have symptoms, some days I'm better. Mm-hmm. Like, almost none. Mm-hmm. The only symptoms which are reoccurring are the ones with the throat. Okay. Yeah. So not really there's no much m- not really pressure in my chest. not really burning sensation in my stomach. None of that. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But the throat is still sensitive, like- Mm-hmm the lower part. The esophagus. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. How do you call it? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, I was afraid to go off just now from the PPI. Yeah. Maybe perhaps, I don't know, go for 10 days and then start to go just like the estrogen, like one day on and one day off- Yeah slowly? Yeah, yeah. Can I do that? The... So the only other thing that I would say to you is that you've got the SB5B, the lactoferrin, and the probiotics- Yeah on board, right? Yeah. Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The, the- Yeah the only other thing that I would want to get on board before you start to decrease, I think it's great that you've got- you're managing on 10, so I would keep that consistent. Yeah, yeah. I'd keep your PPI at a 10 consistently, but before decreasing your PPI, I would make sure that I'm taking at least half a Hydrozyme with dinner at night because- Okay I know that this sounds counter, but the reason why you have the burning is because, you've got the acidity coming up into- Yeah i- i- into the, into the... this part of the plumbing channel. Let's just say that. Yeah. Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So- Yeah, yeah, yeah and, and the g- the stomach needs to be the pH of battery acid in order for food when it lands in the stomach to be transformed, transported, and distributed throughout the body. So the stomach needs to be the pH of battery acid. When we put a PPI in there, it neutralizes the acidity so that- Yes we don't experience the reflux. But what that causes long-term is a putrification of the food in the gastrointestinal- Mm tract. So- Exactly so if we don't correct the underlying cause, which is a decrease in digestive capacity, before we take away that PPI, we're going to- It will just- end up with putrification and no digestive- Yeah capacity. Yeah. Yeah. So we just need to- Yeah get maybe half a Hydrozyme in with your last meal of the day. So this is, this is during my PPI, my 10, right? Yeah, yeah. D- during this period. Yeah. Okay. Yes, yes. 'Cause you've got the Hydrozyme, right? Yes, yes, yes, I have it. Yes. So, so just break the capsule in half so that you just take half a Hydrozyme with dinner so that you start to, support the, the digestive system before we come off the PPI. Yes. I, I totally agree with this. Makes sense, total sense. Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Also, something to, to, note here is that I, I wasn't really paying any more attention to food tolerance. So I was trying to add, like, everything, and I, I don't see any differences. Which is, which is good. That's excellent. I mean, I can have the chocolate. Yeah. Yeah. I can have the chocolate. I can have- Yeah as long as I'm smart with it. So not empty stomach- Yeah, absolutely because I can see that on a... the empty stomach is the worst, worst rebound- It gives me the- Yes the worst effect, with my throat Yes, and Tricia's nodding because she's had the same experience. And, and the, the- Oh, really? Yeah, exactly the same. And, the thing that I would say to you is, is, women that have a sensitivity to food on an empty stomach, you do very, very well having a little bit of bone broth or having a little bit of miso before you're starting to eat so that your system- Mm can warm up- Mm and get the digestive enzymes started before that actual- Yeah meal hits, hits the gut. Yeah. Yeah. So it's a really good idea to start each meal with a little bit of bone broth or a little bit of miso to get that digestive capacity warmed up. Yeah. Oh, thank you. That makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Excellent. Okay. Excellent. Perfect. Love that you- You've got this. Thank you so much I'm gonna take that tip. I like that tip. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's a good one. I still have issues with occasionally, and like it's that- Yes reflux that comes up- Yes and that burning and the, the vomity type feeling sometimes. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Will do. because it's just- Yes intensely intense. So- Yes I'm gonna try that with the miso or bone broth. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely try that. And, um, we can actually, because of the high estrogen in perimenopause and menopause, we can actually wake in the morning with a nausea. Like, I don't know if anybody's experienced that, like waking with a sort of nauseous kind of empty, gnawing stomach feeling. To, to down regulate that too, um, just a little bit of warm water with miso or bone broth is very supportive. Yeah. Very, very supportive just to c- just to kind of support the digestion. But, um, yeah, it's, it's, the, the, the menopause, the perimenopause/menopause gut is, is an interesting one. Um, but Tr- Tricia, do you still take the, the pepties? Yeah, I still take the pepties. Yeah. And, and you find that quite soothing? It does soothe. Yeah but, because I've been eating a lot more foods- and I shouldn't be. It's just like, it's just f- it has flared up recently again. Yes, yes. So- Yes and I know what to do- Yes not, you know, to help it- Yeah bring it down. Yeah, yeah. 'Cause mine's food related. Yeah, that's right. And, and the shitty part about this is, is that it's unfair. Like it's, it, well, it's unfair and it's unfair without the- with- without the quotation marks. but remember, there's never been a time in your life where you've been more inflamed. So anything that causes that inflammation, both in the esophagus and the gastrointestinal tract or the gut, will be exacerbated by the food trigger, and then will create that level of kind of burning because that inflammation itself and the cortisol itself is actually eroding the protective mucosal layer. Yeah, which is so unfair but true. But it does pass. It does pass. This will pass, yeah. So. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I know I, I had to talk a, a very perimenopausal 45-year-old off a cliff today. I was like, "No, I promise you, this is it. You're in the eye of the storm." I was like, "You're in the eye of the storm." She's like, "I've got frozen shoulder, and my hip hurts, and I'm constipated," and she said, "I'm fat, and I'm ugly." I was like, "Oh my God. Oh, here we go." I was like, "It's all right. It's all right. This is the worst of it." And she's like, "And I'm not even menopausal." And I'm like, "No, no, no, that's the calm sunrise. The shit storm is in perimenopause. Don't worry. You're gonna be okay." Oh my God, it's so unfair. It's so unfair. Yani, can you please add the C-Max to my prescription, my Excel document, so I know when to take it? Cassie, you can... Oh, hi gorgeous. Were you sneaky there all along? Did I not know? Cassie, you can take your, vitamin C whenever you like, just daily. Okay, great. Thank you. Pleasure. Melody. Sorry, can I- Oh, tell me quickly ask. With my- Please blood test- Mm-hmm it said day two for the estrogen of my cycle for the blood test. Yes. But was it day 22 for progesterone? Yeah, five to seven days after ovulation ideally for progesterone. somewhere between... You know, you've got a 28-day cycle, so you're pretty lucky. So yeah, that's, that's easy for you. Generally five to seven days after ovulation, so with a 28-day cycle, anywhere between day 19 and 22 is perfect. Okay, great. Thank you. Yeah. Day two for all other hormones. you know, if ever you're testing, you know, FSH, LH, sex hormone binding globulin, testosterone, free testosterone, estrogens, any other hormones, tested on day two is a really good idea. Progesterone's the finickity one that we need to test five to seven days after ovulation so we can see what's happening in that luteal phase- Yeah so we can see whether we're supported by progesterone or not. Okay, great. Thank you. If we're usually batshit crazy, not cool, not calm, not collected, we're not supported by progesterone. Just saying. Progesterone also sleeps like the dead, so she might be missing in action. Not sure, but we'll confirm that. Okay. Yeah. Excellent. Hello, gorgeous Melody. How are you? Hello, hello. I'm okay. I'm okay. I was just off camera 'cause I've been coughing and sneezing- You're unwell wiping my nose and yes. So I'm still not feeling great. it's been over a week now, so- Mm-hmm I'm getting a bit over it, to be honest. It's called a bushfire for the body. Yeah. Yeah. And it's interesting 'cause I used to... I, I've been kind of reflecting on it. I was thinking, yeah, I used to feel like... I remember when I used to get sick, and it was almost like, "Oh, this is a way-" Relief. Yeah, to slow down. You know what I mean? Like, it was a relief. I do. I can get rest. It's like permission- Sadly to rest. Sadly, yeah Uh-huh. I know. Like that was something to look forward to. Isn't that shit? How shocking is that? You know, "Oh, thank God I'm ill. I can actually give myself a break." I know. I know. So you're not alone. It's crazy 'cause then I was thinking like I'm getting like... I'm getting to the point now, it's only been like just over a week, and I'm like- Yeah I'm over this because I've been feeling so good. Yes. And I'm like, I know how good I can feel now, and I'm like, I don't like- Oh feeling like this now. So- No it's a good thing, I guess. That's, yeah, that's a good thing- It's great but, you know? It's fantastic. Yeah. And it's also like, oh, wow, now when I do allow myself the rest that I deserve and require, I don't need to be sick for that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Definitely see this as a reboot though. I, I... And, and, and this is actually a really important piece of information that I love reminding my patients about. When you are sick, don't forget that the inflammatory cytokines actually attack the brain. So when you have a, a, a pathogenic, invasion, whether it is bacterial or viral, the inflammatory cytokines attack the brain. So that's the nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna eat some worms- Mm I feel so shit, and I can't believe no one's even called. You know, like, where are my friends? Like, so just remember that. Remember that. Yeah. Yeah. So true. Yeah. So true. Yeah, yeah. And probably, probably also why I ate potato yesterday purely for comfort, which, you know, I haven't done i- like, in, you know, well, for months actually. Yeah, yeah. and yesterday I was like, so I made this roast dinner, which was, like, a big effort 'cause, like, my body's achy and I'm just like- Oh my God but anyway, I had this beautiful chook, and I thought, "Actually, it's quite an easy meal to make to put a, like, beautiful chook in the oven." Fair. You know what I mean? Fair, yeah. And just cook up- Whack the veggies in- The veggies throw it in. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like, "Okay, I'll do that." But then I made these beautiful potatoes for the rest of the family, which I've been doing. Mm-hmm. And I just haven't been eating them. But last night- Yes I was like, "Oh, I'm gonna have some of these- Stuff this potatoes." That's right. It's so, so good. This is gonna be magnificent for me. Yeah. You know, like cook in the beautiful chicken fat and- Oh my gosh. Hello everything. They were delicious. Yum. but I noticed actually, like, pretty much immediately after that meal, I was, like, bloated, and I haven't felt that way in a while, so I was like, it's really noticeable that I, I really... I, I think it's probably not just potatoes for me, it's probably that group of, The nightshade family yes, nightshades. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I, I do think they're an issue for me. Yeah. So. Yeah. And, and great. Yeah. So, and, and, and this is exactly what an n of 1 experiment is about, you know? So it's more about the gathering of the beautiful wisdom and then making educated choices around that, and not beating ourselves up when we decide to eat the potato. Yeah. You know? I'm glad you ate the potato. Yeah. I know. They were so- For me- delicious y- you're unwell, and you, you ate the potato, good for you. Yeah. And number two, you've gone, "Oh, shit, I think it is the nightshade family for me." Good. Great. Yeah. It's, it's... You're winning all round. You're winning all round. Yeah. That's what I thought. Yeah. I thought, you know, it's- And- It's a lesson. If it hasn't been the full 72 hours, see whether it does present on the skin. And, and just for context, the, the nightshade family has an internal/external relationship, just, just for the, the, the, the rest of the beautiful women on the call, is that if there is an eczema, asthma, presentation on the skin, for example, the nightshades are a particular food group that can exacerbate those kinds of symptoms. And, and, and Melody has experienced that. So, potatoes, eggplant, aubergine. is that the same thing? Yeah. Potato, eggplant, chili, peppers, tobacco, goji berries, all of those nightshades can really exacerbate the skin-gut connection, as well as the skin-lung. So the, Yeah, that, that real internal/external relationship with the two. And it's interesting that you noticed it in bloating, but I, I just wanted to say to you, has it yet been a 72-hour period? Have any of the skin goodies kind of, you know, raised their ugly heads, or not so much? it hasn't been 72 hours, 'cause it was only last night, so it's only 24 hours. Yeah. Yeah. But I have been itching my wrist today a bit. Oh, yeah. Yep, there you go. I'm like- Great. Yeah. Perfect. Itching here. Perfect. Yeah, excellent. Yeah. It's good to have a somatic response to the things that are not good for you. Like, you know, gluten's not great for me, and of course I will eat it every now and then because I'm a human. And, and then I will be in a bad mood, I will have a bloated belly, and, most importantly, it'll get me from a vanity perspective because I'll be super, super puffy all the way underneath my eyes. Like, I'll literally have these, like, puffy bags, you know, underneath my eyes, 'cause it immediately affects my lymph. So it's just, like, not worth it, you know? But I, I still do it occasionally, you know? And, and you might eat the odd potato every now and then, but the beauty about this is, is that we go, "Shit, potato's giving me eczema, make my skin itch, and bloat me." So on the days that we don't wanna feel those things, we've had that somatic experience, so we've gone, "Oh, it's actually not worth it today." And then on the days that it is, you'll be like, "Oh, stuff it." Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. That's the thing. Yeah. And I, I kind of feel like when I'm, like, not sick, like, 'cause I've got this virus or bacterial infection, whatever it is, I've got something- Yeah at the moment, so I feel like I'm, like, not at capacity. Yeah I'm not vital. Whereas, like, even a few weeks ago comparatively ly for me. I was- Yeah feeling much better. So I can kind of look towards the future and think, "Okay, well, when I am, you know, kind of in a more thriving place, I could-" Yes possibly tolerate the odd bit of potato every- Yeah you know? Yeah, exactly. Possibly. I don't know. Exactly. I could try it. You make, well, you make the, you make the educated decision. You know, you get to the point where... Oh, bless you. You get to the point where you heal, seal, and repair that skin to that point where you don't have any exposed kind of eczema, nothing is open, it's not an open wound. It would take a really big punch from the inside of the gastrointestinal tract from that kind of nightshade to, to punch through the gastrointestinal tract so that that inflammatory cytokine can actually get to the skin and start aggravating to the point of eczema and psoriasis. So for me too, it does depend on where my immune system strength is at, and you'll find that. So you'll be at a point where you go, "You know what? I'm so robust at the moment, A, I'm not touching this, I feel awesome. Those potatoes can go and get..." You know? Or you'd be like, "I am so good right now, I am gonna go the potato." You know? And you might find that when you just have it as your treat or on your sometimes foods list... That's why I don't like to vilify anything. Like, let's not vilify the potato. Let's just put the potato in the sometimes foods list, you know? So then you go, "Okay, my skin's great. My... Everything's great. I feel fantastic. I think I can handle it." And then you see how the immune system does respond, and sometimes over time we can get to the point where the trigger food, with the appropriate gastrointestinal support, the appropriate immune, strengthening, the appropriate time away from the trigger, we can become less and less sensitive to that trigger too. So those, that sometimes food list is not always a sometimes foods, foods list. It's just a sometimes foods list for the moment, you know? And something like a complete hormonal shift into menopause might change that again a c- like, completely. You might find in menopause that potatoes are not an issue for you. So that's actually why I do the heal, seal, repair protocol once a year, just to see whether my food triggers have changed. Mm. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. I am, like, very hopefully optimistic about menopause. Excellent. I know. yeah, like, I really- The time can't pass away, so... Yeah. Don't worry, I can't wait for my crone years. Yeah. Even I'm really embracing the queen. Like, queen, the queen is, is perimenopause, right? That's it. Mm-hmm. We- we're- we've named her. She's the queen. But I'm looking forward to the crone, I really am. Yeah. I was, I was, boasting to some of the younger girls in my Pilates class the other day. I was showing them my silver hair. I was like, "Look. Look at my beautiful silver hair. I have some gorgeous gray hair-" Yeah coming out the back." And they were all like, "Oh. Oh, wow. Yeah." "Cool." I was like- Yeah "Yeah, I'm gonna like... I'm rehabilitating my curls as we speak, and I'm gonna have this full head of gray hair and wear big red lipstick." Yeah. I've got a- So good. So good who do I look... I lo- I love Andie MacDowell. Do you know Andie MacDowell? She's that gorgeous American actress. I go, "All right. She's my, she's my menopausal avatar." She's done it naturally. She looks gorgeous. I love the wrinkles on her face. I love her gray hair. That's where I'm going. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm going there. Beautiful. Highly recommend you choose an avatar. Yeah. Yeah. Menopausal avatar. Yes. Yeah. It is. Yeah. I love that. I have to share- this funniest story, when I was actually- Please getting my nails done, there was these two ladies- Excellent who were complete strangers to each other, and they were teaching language to the nail, person who was doing their, nails. And they were talking about vain and how it's spelt three different ways and stuff and stuff. And then all of a sudden, these amazing women, like, they, they said, "We're gonna own our gray," and they just said, And they started singing out loud, these two strangers, I'm So Vain, the song, out in the middle of the actual, getting the nails done, 'cause they were absolutely owning their, like, their, their- I love it wearing their grays. I love it And they were just so, so much fun. It was complete strangers who'd never spoken to each other, and then all of a sudden they're singing in the nail place, I'm So Vain, the song, and just absolutely loving it. That is fantastic. That is so good. That is the sisterhood at its best. Yeah, it was amazing. I loved it. I... Oh, my God. I'm with you. Like, that, that, those are the... 'Cause that's the kind of viral video I wanna see. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. And it just happened in front of me. It was so amazing. And you're going, brilliant. Yeah. The universe is conspiring to show you all of these things, Tricia. Yeah. It is. Melody, do you have an allergy to the Echinacea family, Andrographis, or the daisy family? Do you have any of those allergies? You'd pretty much know about them. I don't think so. I... Not that I... M- not, not, not that I know. They haven't- No kind of come up, come up on any of my testing. there is a, I don't know if you know. Do you know the Bioceuticals product called Armor Force? Have you heard of it? Oh, many years ago, yes. Yes. Yes. it's a really good one for when you have, a cold and flu, as in, like, just over the counter. Okay two Armor Force three times a day, and it'll nip it in the bud Yeah, just as long as you don't have, a, an allergy to the daisy family, echinacea, or andrographis. and the other things that you can do on your prescription is you can turn up the volume and double your doses of lactoferrin and SB, and zinc and vitamin C, just to kind of give your body a boost. Okay. Yeah the only one I haven't got is vitamin C, I think. Yeah. Not, well, not on my prescription. I- Yeah I've just got, like, a over-the-counter one. Yeah, go for it. Go for it. Do it. Yeah, okay. Yeah, do it, do it, do it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Do that. I mean, as long as it hasn't got sugar in it. Yeah. No, no. So that's some... Yeah, good. Perfect. Yeah. Perfect. No, go for it. Yeah, yeah. Take the over-the-counter vitamin C. Okay. There's no, there's no issue with that. Yeah. Okay, great. So SB5B- Yeah lactoferrin, and zinc. Am I right? The zinc, yeah. Yeah. And then your vitamin C, and then if you are gonna swing past, the pharmacy or, or get your husband to, ArmaForce is a really kind of great over-the-counter one, yeah. Great. To just ni- nip it in the bud. I'll do that. Yeah, yeah. Two, two tablets three times a day. Two, three times a day with food. it can make you feel... Andrographis, is the really amazing, powerful ingredient in that supplement, and, it can make you feel nauseous if you have it on an empty tummy. Ah, okay. Yep. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah. All right. But rest, there's nothing like rest. You know, every time your eyes are closed and you're asleep, your immune system is fighting off the pathogen. Mm, yes. Yeah. I've been doing that, and- So the more you sleep, the l- the, the kind of... It, it, it'll decrease the time of your illness or sickness. Mm. Yeah. Yeah. So it's a good way to think of it, isn't it? Like, oh, the more I sleep, the shorter this is gonna be. Yeah. 'Cause we quite often find it difficult to allow ourselves. Yes, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. No, I've, I've been falling asleep in the afternoons actually, which I rarely do. Great. but I've just been so tired. and I've been getting a lot of, like, just muscu- musculoskeletal kind of- Aches and pains pains, which I- Yes don't normally get, so it's kind of- Ouch weird for me, you know? Yeah. I'm like, oh- Yeah my aches. You might wanna get in the bath. Yeah. Yeah, I should do that actually. Get in, get in the bath with the magnesium salts. Yeah, okay. I've been doing the- Yeah foot bath, but I might do full body, yeah. Getting... Get your full body in the mag bath. Yeah. Okay. Yep. Awesome. And, I know this sounds a bit strange, but a teaspoon of bicarb in water, will actually help get rid of the toxins out of the system, and it'll create a pH balance that'll help you get rid of those, aches and pains. A teaspoon of bicarb or soda in 250 mils of water. And just- Trying to be so surprised, yeah. Sell it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I know it's very, very random. But it- Okay it, it, it, it, it, it just creates a neutral pH, and the aches and pains are because of the, the, the toxic die-off of the pathogens. Right. Okay. Yeah. So, that can help. But just, just one, just once a day, and, you know, not for longer than sort of three days at a time. Okay. Yeah. One teaspoon in a cup of water. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bicarb. Bicarbonate. Yeah. Okay. All right. Yes. I'll try it. I dare you. Yeah. It's one of those, isn't it? Yeah, I'm gonna think about that. Yeah. Well, normally I use it for cleaning- Yeah, I know so it's kind of a weird concept. Very strange. Yeah. Take the Handy Andy. Yeah. What did Trump recommend for COVID? Jick or bleach? Oh, yes. Yeah. No, it's not, not quite as bad. No. Oh, that's great. Thank you. Thank you for that. Pleasure. Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure. Excellent. Any other questions for me this evening? Oh, okay. I've got a, I've got a Healing with the Angels oracle card deck for tonight. Haven't used this one before. This is by Doreen Virtue. All right, let's see. What is it that we need to know in order to live our most vital, vibrant lives for the next seven days? If anybody is dealing with intergenerational trauma, the current book that I'm reading is absolutely blowing my mind. I have to share this. I've gotta put it in the book club as well. It's, it's the, called Understanding Emotional Inheritance. It's by a woman called Galit Atlas. And, it's talking about y- y- you know how, how we say trauma is c- can be passed on genetically? And she's literally talking about the emotional inheritance, that is passed on through both epigenetics and genetics, and it's just, it's absolutely insane. She is so wildly intelligent. I cannot say enough about her. Sh- it's Galit Atlas, Understanding Emotional Intelligence, PH- PhD. When we talk about the ghosts of the unsaid, we're talking about the inherited feelings of our parents, unprocessed trauma where the phantoms that lived inside them were talking... We're talking about traumas that our parents and grandparents would not process, and they are transmitted to us in some raw way. and she quotes in the book Holocaust survivors Maria Torik, Nicholas Abram, who said, "What haunts us are not the dead, but the gaps left within us by the secrets of others." So says psychotherapist Galit Atlas, who has spent her life and career both witnessing and unraveling the ways that the lived and unlived experiences of our ancestors can show up in our own lives. Galit, who is Syrian or Iranian by way of Israel, grew up in the midst of trauma, violence that continued to unfold around her, against a generational tapestry of pain. We talk about the direct transmission of trauma in our conversations, and she, she shares what shows up in her practice again and again, and she also talks about the idea of what Freud called afterwitness, which is the way that we reprocess traumatic memories again and again from our new lived perspective. And I absolutely love this. I don't know, like, the way that we reprocess our trauma from our relived perspective. Like, all of my childhood trauma, I think I've managed to process it through so many different lenses. Like, I've managed to process it through the lens of myself as an 18-year-old and, you know, in my first, you know, relationship with my first boyfriend, and then through the lens of my becoming a mother, and then looking at that trauma through the eyes of a parent, seeing a little child that a trauma could have happened to, you know? And then also looking at it through this lens of, yeah, perimenopause, and then I wonder how I'll process the trauma through the lens of, of menopause as well. Like, it's... I think it's just such an interesting thing that, not that we have to continue to take our trauma with us. my last chapter in the book that I've just written is about laying our trauma down so that we are free, so that we can, you know, choose not to take it with us into the next 50 years. But I really do appreciate the way she talks about This idea of what Freud called after witness, which is the way that we reprocess traumatic memories again and again from our new lived perspective. We explore what healing looks like for clients who suddenly become aware of how these hidden forces and patterns are informing th- their lives, and what it l- looks like to clip those threads and set yourself free. And perhaps most poignantly, discuss the idea of victims and aggressors, and how so many of us in the grips of our victimhood feel justified in lashing out. This is a phenomenon we can trace from our personal lives to the global stage, and it deserves our awareness. And she basically argues too that every victim is an aggressor, and I think that that's so interesting as well. I think we can see ourselves as both if we truly allow ourselves that space too because, you know, the, the, the victim usually feels quite sort of, you know, justified in being the aggressor. But then it's like, oh, which role am I playing and how do I wanna make sense of all of this? And it's messy, but it's so beautiful. It's so incredible. emotional inheritance. Therapist, her patients, and the legacies of trauma. It's a beautiful book. Beautiful. Ooh, look what I pulled for us. Spiritual growth. Trust that. Wow. That's so cool. You're going through a time of rapid spiritual growth. Enjoy the process. During this time, you may feel a mixture of many feelings, confusion, excitement, fear, and wonder. You love your renewed connection with the divine, and you wish you could read, study, learn, or meditate on a full-time basis. Simultaneously though, you may worry about the implications that your spiritual studies will have on the rest of your life. What impact will your new spiritual pursuits have on your job, marriage, or friendships? We're gonna cut those bastards loose. We're moving on in a new direction. These worries create a fear that may erode the enjoyment of your spiritual studies. Surrender these fears to God and the angels. Trust that you are supported, loved, and guided each moment. Don't worry about how your future will blend with your spiritual growth. Trust the same power that brought you to your spiritual path will also take care of everything else for you. After all, this power supports all of the planets in the sky. It'll surely support you perfectly too Wonderful. I love it. Continue on your beautiful spiritual growth. I mean, honestly, you are a spirit and a soul in a human meat suit after all, aren't we? Excellent. Till next time. Thank you so much for spending this evening with me. Lots of love. Take it easy. You too. Mwah. Cheers. Get better soon. Cheers. Oh, bye babe.