What No One Told You About Hormones with Dr. Neely

Walks with Mom is back and in this episodes Kim & Karren sit down with Dr. Micol Neely of Phoenix Wellness and Rejuvenation for a insightful discussion on hormones, women’s health, and why so many people feel “off” even when doctors say everything looks normal.

From her fast-paced career in emergency medicine to building a practice centered around prevention and whole-body wellness, Dr. Neely shares the moment that changed everything. Burnout, motherhood, and the global shift during COVID pushed her to rethink how healthcare should actually work—not just saving lives in crisis, but helping people truly feel well every day.

What unfolds is a candid, multi-generational conversation about the gaps in women’s health education. From first cycles to perimenopause and beyond, the truth becomes clear: most women were never taught how their bodies actually work.

Dr. Neely breaks down what hormones really do, why “normal ranges” don’t always mean optimal health, and how modern medicine is finally starting to catch up—decades behind—on understanding women’s biology.

This episode is equal parts eye-opening and empowering, giving listeners permission to stop brushing off symptoms and start asking better questions about their health.

About the Guest: Dr. Neely

Dr. Neely is the founder of Phoenix Wellness and Rejuvenation and a leader in concierge functional medicine. With over 15 years of experience in emergency medicine, she transitioned into a more holistic, preventative approach to healthcare after experiencing burnout and recognizing the need for deeper, more personalized care.

She combines traditional medical training with advanced education in functional medicine, collaborating with experts across disciplines to help patients optimize their health, balance hormones, and prevent disease before it starts.

Her mission is simple: keep people healthy, informed, and thriving at every stage of life.

If you’ve ever been told “everything looks normal” but you still don’t feel like yourself, this conversation will resonate deeply.

This episode opens the door to conversations many families never had—and gives you the knowledge to start having them now.

Come with us as we explore what it means to navigate these years with our aging loved ones.

So grab a cup of coffee—or maybe a glass of wine—subscribe, invite your friends or family, and join us for Walks with Mom.

Special thanks to our Sponsor Amada Senior Care Mesa serving families and seniors in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Mesa, and the surrounding East Valley area. Accredited VA Provider (NPI # 1558048199) and Trusted resource for Long-Term Care Insurance Claims

Compassionate, personalized in-home senior care starts here – contact Amada Senior Care Phoenix today by phone at (480) 418-5422 or visit us online to get started and give your loved one the support, dignity, and independence they deserve.
www.amadaseniorcare.com/mesa-senior-care

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Aging is not for the faint of heart. I'm Kim, a proud generation Xer, and I'm here with my baby boomer mom Karen. Together, we'll tackle the tough but necessary conversations, share the hilarious and sometimes embarrassing moments, and open up about the stories that truly touch the heart. Come with us as we explore what it means to navigate these years with our aging loved ones. So grab a cup of coffee or maybe a glass of wine, invite your friends and family, and join us for Walks with Mom. Well, welcome back. Welcome back to Walks with Mom, our podcast where two generations uh have some tough conversations, but necessary conversations. And I'm one of your hosts, I'm Kim, and I'm a Generation Xer. And mom, will you, uh, my co-host, will you introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Well, I'm Karen, and my family I'm called Mima, but I am a proud baby boomer. Woo-hoo, baby boomer in the house.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Yep. Well, I am so excited because we are going to have a conversation that honestly, um, mom and I, we we've had very touches on, but I think as a mother and daughter, we haven't had a lot of conversations about it. But we are joined today by Dr. Neely of Phoenix Wellness and Rejuvenation. Thank you for having me. Oh, we are so excited. Well, I didn't even tell mom about any of the topics because I know that she would want to research and find out. So this is really gonna be like a one on 101, you know. Surprise.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

It's a surprise. Let me tell you, I've I've told my mom all about it. So we got you. We got you. Well, good.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Well, why don't before we dive deep into some questions, just tell us a little bit about you, your background, and what is concierge functional medicine? Sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

So I started out in emergency medicine um and practiced for 15 years in the ER. What? Yeah. Um, I'm a little ADD and high energy, so it was perfect fit. Um, but then when I was almost 40, I had my son. And so I'm a single mom and trying to do ER and was pretty burnt out and COVID hit. So I moved to California with my son and my baby sister and my mom came in, like they traded off and helped. And um, I got to do a lot with COVID in California. And through that, I met some amazing people that I learned a lot more about functional medicine, um, treating people a lot differently than just, hey, you're alive, good job. See you later.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Um and and turn them and get them out the door at the next stage.

SPEAKER_02 2:57

Fell in love with it. Um, so after COVID, I moved back to Phoenix so my son could start kindergarten and we could be a little more established. Um so I've done a lot of trainings through like A4M, um, other docs I collaborate with, um, naturopathic doctors, and have learned a lot different style of medicine. My goal is to keep people healthy and to prevent disease. Oh, that would be my goal too.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Especially for the baby boomers. Well, yeah, I love that background. We um my son, which her first grandson, he is was an ER nurse. And so I can definitely relate. Our funnest times were around the kitchen table of what was the craziest ER story that there's always a good story. But I love how you're on this side, really looking at the holistic person, not just what the crisis is, and you're looking at the holistic person.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yeah. So many people would come and tell me, like, I feel terrible, or especially women. They have a soft spot in my heart, and they'd be like, I don't know what's wrong with me. I walk through the door, I tripped over my kids' shoes and I screamed at them, and that's not me. Like, but they tell me my labs are normal. And so it's really cool to address that with them and be like, Well, your hormones aren't normal. They're maybe in some weird random range that somebody created a long time ago, and usually probably some man created those ranges. Did you know that they did not include women in any studies for NIH until the 90s? Are you serious? And women didn't even have like menstrual products, were not tested on actual menstrual blood until like the last 10 years. That just makes me sick, actually. Yeah. I'm like, wait a minute, it's 2026, and you're telling us we're just now starting to really study women as women. Women. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

So do you usually practice most with women?

SPEAKER_02 4:56

No, we have both male and female. Um, I definitely have a soft spot for women, and especially women going through like perimenopause. I think because that's a lot what I've gone through. Um, but I work with men and I teach them how to treat their women too.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

I love that. I actually love that. So let's talk about hormones. Let's just get right down to it. So a little bit about we we didn't talk a lot, we don't talk a lot about hormones. And I think looking back, speaking of 2020, yeah, that's when I was in full-blown like menopause looking back on that now. I didn't know if it was like COVID, trying to run a business, kids at home, you know, but there was just so much going on that I feel like I couldn't address that. And so mom and I are starting to have discussions like, you know, hormones and lack of hormones. And now I'm having those discussions with my 21-year-old daughter about all of this. But talk to us about, you know, what does that look like in women even her age? Yeah. Like, you know, 70s, 80s. How do we address those hormones or lack of hormones from a holistic perspective?

SPEAKER_02 6:17

Sure. And I mean, my mom is 70. She was um a big part of my life and influence, but we also didn't talk hormones.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Oh no. I don't ever remember, yeah, ever remember having a discussion about hormones, estrogen, testosterone, progesterone. The only time, you know, estrogen was when you're going through menopause, and the doctor may recommend something like that. But yeah, it's like, what is estrogen? You know, it it really was never talked about.

SPEAKER_02 6:45

I think from your generation comes from this mindset of, well, you're a woman, you just tough through it and handle whatever comes. Probably. Probably. At least that's what was portrayed to me. I agree. I I even remember like going through um my first cycle and I had no clue. And, you know, my mom grabbed a book and she's like, Well, we can skip that chapter.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Here's a diamond.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

Yeah, I kind of got shocked when the night before I got my married the first time, my mother said, Well, we haven't had the talk yet. I'm saying, it's too late now. I'm just getting married.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

You got one hour. Oh, wow. But yeah, so, but then even more so going through perimenopause, menopause. I don't think the term perimenopause was even a thing. I have no idea. Um, and man, would it be nice for women to have that support? Because there's so much to a woman and what happens with our hormones. Um, like both men and women have hormones, and you need both. But women's are up and down and in cycles, and I mean, it affects everything we do and think and feel. And the cool thing is with science now, we can do something about it. Um the study that came out that really destroyed women's hormones um just made everyone stop hormones in the 90s. And it's estimated that a hundred thousand women in the US died an early death because they came off their hormones.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

So tell, yeah, can you talk? I've again, I haven't done a lot of research, but as our hormones decrease, right, as we age, tell me, should we be replacing them or what does that look like? Let's say, you know, I come to you or my mom comes to you. I obviously there'd be tests or you'd you'd do things like that. But what are some things that you're looking for or helping us look out for to prevent?

SPEAKER_02 8:54

Sure. So a lot of times we just start with your symptoms. Like, what are you feeling? Like, are you really struggling with like mood changes, fatigue, brain fog? Um, and then we get labs. And there's a lot more testing we can do nowadays. So we get a blood test. I always start with that. Um, but there are some genetic markers, there's saliva and urine you can check. I mean, you can really dive into the science behind hormones now. But overall, I think each person needs to be looked at individualized and say, what are you feeling? And what is our goal? Um, there is a lot, a lot of evidence now that early in menopause, the earlier that we start replacing estrogen, the better health benefits. So when someone's coming to me maybe at 50 and they're starting to plummet with their estrogen, especially if it's really low, they're at a huge increased risk of heart disease, early dementia, um, breaking a bone. Um, so if I can replace that and bring them into a normal level, not only do they feel better, but we're talking longevity because now they've got better health for the long term.

SPEAKER_00 10:06

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 10:07

There's not a lot of evidence on starting hormones later on. I do. Um and I take it a case by case. So, um, for instance, my mom does hormones. Um, and we've we've done them differently than I would do for someone who's 50 than 70. Yeah, right, right. Your different point of life. I have patients that have replaced their hormones and we've done it cautiously and by talking to them about their symptoms. And they are living their best life with energy, mood, sexually in their 70s and 80s.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Oh my gosh, I love that. Yeah. Well, it just it baffles me that, you know, we have these hormones, right, for 40, 50 years, right? Just average, right? Or at least a lot. And then we just like suddenly don't have them. And what happens to our body after that? Because I think part of that does go into our bone health, yeah, our, you know, organ health, right? You know, all of these hormones are part of that. It's part of who we are. So another question that I had, because I said, hey, mom, uh, Dr. Neely does peptides. And she's like, What's peptides? And I said, Well, good thing. Don't research it, mom.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Don't go on the internet, don't ask AI. So I have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

So we're gonna kind of switch that. Yeah, give us a like a one 101. Sure. So you've heard of insulin.

SPEAKER_02 11:33

Most people know insulin. Insulin is a peptide. So a peptide is simply a short chain of amino acids. Think a baby protein that your body already has. So some of them are insulin, melatonin, growth hormone. These are all things your body's already making. We can actually replace those in the body, just like we have bioidentical hormones. We now have peptides to replace things that your body's short on or to signal your body to heal or change. Um, for instance, inflammation is a big one. Um wow.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Okay, you caught her attention right now because mom is having some inflammation in her hands.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

I have a disease, you know. An auto-attacking my body, an inflammation type. It's not severe, but has has been a problem.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

And you you feel it, and it affects your life. We have a peptide that's derived from the gut, it's BPC 157, and as we replace that, it brings down inflammation in the body.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

So I'm signing up.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

I think you just you just got her right there. I I really, really love peptides. The thing that I find with peptides is they're not a miracle. Like I can give a diabetic insulin and they're going to live. But if they don't exercise and eat correctly, oh well, that's with most things. The diabetes is still gonna destroy their life. Even with peptides. I can give you a peptide, but if you don't eat well and get exercise, your peptide's not going to be optimal for you. Right. So the way I work is to try and look at the whole picture with someone. Like, let's get you on a healthy diet that reduces inflammation. Let's get exercise and then bring in the peptides so you really feel the benefits and maybe a little bit faster. They're a tool.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

I like that. It's a tool. Yeah. It's a tool and used correctly in the scheme of all the others, then that's when you're going to have the most benefits or see the most results. Just like hormones.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

I might not give everybody estrogen. There's a lot of women that need it, but not everybody. Same with peptides. There's a lot of women that are.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

You can you do some testing to see if some of our peptides are not as healthy as they should be?

SPEAKER_02 14:02

It depends. So, more we're gonna be looking at inflammatory markers. So I'm gonna check out like a homocysteine level or CRP level and see where are your inflammatory markers. And if they're really high, then I would recommend a peptide protocol and a diet and certain exercises. And then in maybe six or 12 weeks, we recheck that. Um growth hormone is one that I love using, and that I can specifically um check certain labs with. Other peptides, it's not like you can get a specific level. You're just looking at its effects in the body.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

So you're looking at factors or markers to look at that. I I can see her face right now, and I'm like, okay, well, after this podcast, we're going to be making an appointment.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Come on, you know. I haven't really got a good answer to what's going on in my body. Yeah. And I don't like the solution that I've been given. Yeah. And uh, well, I seek a different information.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

I think that's the purpose of this. And what we're doing is having these tough conversations and hopefully opening up other people's minds as well. I just love looking at you, and you're like, oh my gracious, I never thought of that. And and Dr. Neely, if I would have come to her and said this, you know, it would have been dismissed like right away. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 15:30

Yeah, because we tend to think, oh, it is what it is, because I'm getting old.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

I'm telling you, it's it's my mom too. She toughs it out. Like, I just started her on an anti-inflammatory peptide. Um, she was in a crack accident and broke her sternum. What? I don't know. I could see her just like, I'm tough. I can handle it. Like, right. You do know your daughter has stuff that can help. And she'd be like, oh, I I'll be okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

I'm like, no, no, no, sit down. I I'm just super excited because I think this is going to maybe be an eye-opener for other people to start having conversations about, you know, things outside Western medicine. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Well, you know, I'm relatively healthy and just little things are beginning to bother me now. And you wonder, okay, is this just part of age or is this something I need to address? And a lot of times you just don't have a good answer.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Well, and it can be both. It can be part of age, yeah. But then there are things that maybe can help during that process as we're aging.

SPEAKER_02 16:35

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the goal isn't to stop aging. If you stop aging, you're dead. So we don't want that. But the goal is to optimize health and live with health and energy for the years we do have. Oh. And that I think we have the keys to now.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

I really like the energy part.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

But I I you just resonated with me and live with energy for the years we do have. Yeah. That is that's powerful. That's powerful. Yes. So let's move on because this is one that um is a hot topic, especially as baby boomers. Um, like my mom, this is the first time they're turning 80 this year. This is the first generation or the first year that the baby boomers turn 80.

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

And so my generation, the Gen X, is like anticipating the next 10 to 15 years, navigating this with our parents. But talk to us about brain health. Yeah. And maybe some possible ways of preventing dementia or at least helping to curb that.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

This one is near and dear to my heart because it does run in my family too. Um, and one of my big fears is losing my brain. I I put too much work into it, so I don't want to lose it. Um, so I've done a lot of research this year and brought more things into my clinic for mental wellness. Because I don't think that you can actually have a fully healthy body without a healthy brain. Um, and we go back to the basics here. It's it's pretty simple. Our diet is a huge factor. So getting rid of flu foods that cause a lot of inflammation is really important. Um, especially our diet here in the US is probably the worst poison there is in the world. Um, and I understand like you get busy and you just run through fast food and you get this fried food or a quick fix in a plastic baggie. But that's poisoning our brains. And I think that's why we're seeing a huge spike in dementia is from the diet that you've had for 50 years. Um, also the lack of exercise. I think the number one predictor of longevity is muscle. If we can get people to build muscle and eat healthy, right there, those two free things you can do can help prevent dementia.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

I love it. Because I do think I I I haven't read, but I also think that whatever happens in our body affects our brain. For sure. And so if we're not treating our body and our gut, our GI track and things of that nature, it's just gonna flow up into what affects our brain, any mental health, mental illness, any of that.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

It does. I mean, most are serotonin. People know the word buzzword serotonin for mental wealth, but most of that's in the gut. Yes. Um, and too, like if you're ever stressed, where do you feel it? Like a lot of it's especially right here. Um, so yeah, so what you're eating, what you're doing activity-wise is one of the biggest things you can do for your brain. But we actually have some really neat studies too. Hormones are a big one, um, especially if we can stabilize and replace with bioidentical hormones early on in menopause. Okay. We don't have a lot of studies showing past like 60s. Yeah. I, though, just incidentally from my patients, think that it helps. I've seen a lot of women, 70s up to 80, that their brain fog is better, they're sharper, and then they're more motivated to exercise. So, you know, is it because they're exercising more or they just feel better too?

SPEAKER_00 20:26

That is very true. If your brain is foggy, you know, like when you're ill, you've we've all experienced a brain fog. You don't want to do anything.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

So if your brain is more alert, you can think it through and reason and make yourself do it.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

Exactly. Exactly. Again, a tool. We we need those. And then peptides. All right. Some of my favorite uh for brain. We've got CMAX cilink. It's just a little shot, just like you give yourself insulin, but it boosts your mood. So you'll feel less anxiety, depression. Um, epithelium is one that really helps the brain. And we have evidence that it extends the telomeres in your cell so your cells last longer, live longer. Yes. Um, but it's really good for the brain. Okay. And then my new favorite is a cerebral lysin. Cerebralin um is amazing for the brain. Um, we've actually used it in other countries for years for traumatic brain injury to prevent dementia, stroke. Um, but we're now bringing it into our world here in the US, especially functional medicine is doing a lot with it for preventing dementia.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

So, do you do like kind of a baseline cognitive exam to decide which one of all of those peptides people might need?

SPEAKER_02 21:49

Yeah. So my baseline is labs. I do a little genetic test and sit down with patients. I have a whole questionnaire, and we usually talk for a few hours and then we kind of make a roadmap. Of where are we? Where do we want to be? And based off your results, how do we get there? So I'm usually starting with the simple things diet and exercise because we all need that. Yeah. And then we're talking hormones and then we add in the peptides. And the peptides aren't a one size fits all. So that's the danger, is a lot of people are just going and buying them off the internet and getting them from unsafe sources. But if you have someone guiding you that knows how they actually work in your body, now they're just helping your body be more efficient.

SPEAKER_00 22:35

That's always bothered me about so much medication. Is how is it working in your body and how are they affecting each other? And you know, it may help that one thing temporarily or at the end, but I've always been concerned about but what's the domino effects of using that?

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Well, I can't tell you how many times in the ER I'd have someone come in with a list of like 50 meds, and I'm like, they're taking this one to help with the side effects of that one and this one and this one. Oh. It's it's a puzzle sometimes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

I actually visited my doctor this week and decided not to take the medication because it's kind of a uh iffy right now.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But maybe we can talk to Dr. Neely about some of that. I definitely will. I can't wait. Can we walk while we talk too question? I know.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

How long do I have to wait for an appointment?

SPEAKER_01 23:28

Well, that's what we're gonna ask right now is where can our listeners find you and where how can they get in touch with you? Sure.

SPEAKER_02 23:36

So um I'm a small home-based. Um, I've created a wellness center in a historic home down by Encanto Park. So all my patients feel like family when they come in. Um, a lot of them just reach out by phone um or text. Um, I do have a website. It's pwrlivewell.com. Okay. Um and they can send in a request for information through the website. Um and it has my address. So phone's probably the easiest to text. Texting is great right now.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

I know, right? Texting. But then they can just go to your site and then put in a request. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

And then I usually reach out personally, or I've got a couple nurses um that are amazing people, and we just organize and get you in for the first time. And after that, you're just family, and it's like coming over for dinner. Oh I'm I am I'm sure it's healthy food.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

Well, thank you so much for being on our podcast today. And you, if you have found this enjoyable or think that this might be applicable to somebody in your life, please go ahead and share. Also make a comment. And uh until then, we'll see you on the next walk.

SPEAKER_00 24:52

This is Karen, and I just wanted to say thank you for spending some time with us today. Please come back for more laughs, more connections, and more real life moments between these two generations. See you on the next walk.