Fast to Faith: Weight Loss & Hormone Support for Women Over 35
Christian women looking to lose weight, sleep better, and regain energy! Discover proven strategies with Dr. Tabatha (a triple board-certified physician).
Dr. Tabatha illuminates the gaps in conventional gynecology while empowering you to navigate your health issues with confidence and faith. Grounded in a Christian perspective, she delves into the latest insights from the worlds of wellness and functional medicine, exploring topics such as the microbiome, environmental toxicology, nutrition, and epigenetics, all through the lens of honoring the body as God's temple. She firmly believes that gut health is the foundation of gynecological well-being and spiritual vitality.
Discover how factors like diet, lifestyle choices, and environment impact hormones and contribute to various health conditions. From hormone imbalance to stress management, weight gain to emotional eating, Dr. Tabatha covers it all. With her expertise and interviews with leading health experts, you'll gain cutting-edge knowledge and practical remedies to enhance your health journey while strengthening your faith.
Use your superpowers of fasting and faithing to become the superwoman God created you to be! God has fully equipped you with the strength, wisdom, and resilience to overcome any challenge, but many of us have given that power away. You'll learn how to use scripture as the living, nourishing Word to guide you each day and reconnect you to Jesus in a whole new way! This is a necessary part of physical health.
Dr. Tabatha's own journey, from overcoming personal challenges to becoming a respected OB/GYN physician, fuels her passion for educating and empowering women. Her faith in God and belief in the healing power of His creation are at the heart of her message. Join Dr. Tabatha Barber, a triple board-certified physician, as she guides you back to wholeness and explains what's happening in our bodies as women. She debunks all the myths and lies we've been told as women. If you feel dismissed, unheard, confused, frustrated, or disconnected, then you are in the right place.
You CAN lose weight, have abundant energy, feel great in your own skin, and feel mentally strong enough to conquer anything that comes your way. You just need to reconnect your body, mind, and spirit the way God created you to thrive! Her podcast aims to reach a wider audience, offering insights into what's normal, natural, and when to seek help, all while encouraging you to find strength in your faith and trust in God's plan for your health.
If you've been searching for a faith-filled functional physician, look no further! Follow Dr. Tabatha on Facebook @DrTabatha, Instagram @gutsydrtabatha, on YouTube @fasttofaith, and visit www.fasttofaith.com for more information. Join the conversation and reclaim your health today!
Fast to Faith: Weight Loss & Hormone Support for Women Over 35
#246. "Hormone Therapy Helped…Until it Didn’t” Watch BEFORE doing Hormone Replacement Therapy
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The Hidden Dangers of Benadryl: How Faith, Sleep, and Hormones Impact Your Health
In this eye-opening episode, health advocate and coach Andrea joins us to share her powerful journey from chronic stress and hormone struggles to deep healing through faith and wellness. We dive into the shocking connection between long-term Benadryl use and dementia, why hormone therapy isn’t always the full solution, and how faith can guide the path to true health restoration.
Andrea opens up about her experience overcoming sleep issues, managing cortisol levels, and learning to prioritize rest without guilt. She shares the importance of comprehensive hormone testing and how detoxing her body transformed her energy and clarity. If you're facing sleep challenges, hormone imbalance, or feeling stuck in unhealthy cycles, this conversation offers hope, practical tips, and encouragement rooted in faith.
If you like this episode, check it out on youtube: https://youtu.be/EVTufmX7j9Y?si=CO-5wbmFakqHAobz
Chapters:
0:00 - The Truth About Benadryl & Dementia Risks
1:58 - Hormone Therapy Journey: What Worked & What Didn't
3:52 - The Root Cause: Stress, Cortisol, and Gut Health Explained
5:39 - Why Long-Term Benadryl Use Harms Your Brain
7:32 - Natural Sleep Solutions That Changed Everything
8:35 - The Power of Hormone Testing & Detoxification
12:10 - How Faith and Fasting Led to Lasting Health Changes
21:12 - Learning to Rest: Overcoming Chronic Overachievement
23:41 - Fighting Imposter Syndrome & Trusting God’s Plan
26:02 - Final Encouragement for Women Facing Health Struggles
If this episode inspired you, share it with someone who needs hope and healing!
Join us for the Empowered by Faith: 5 Days to a Lighter You Challenge!
Register now: https://go.drtabatha.com/lfgf716197
What You’ll Learn in Just 5 Days:
🔥 How to Lose Fat & Boost Energy 🙏 Spiritual Renewal 🧠 Breaking Weight Loss Myths 👑 Stepping into Your Best Self 💫 Bonus Opportunity!
If you’re ready to stop trying harder and start healing smarter, your first step is Empowered by Faith — the 5-Day Reset.
This self-paced experience helps you regulate your nervous system, stabilize your metabolism, and realign your identity in Christ through simple, faith-centered rhythms.
This is where many women begin.
Start your reset here:
https://ftf.fasttofaith.com/empoweredbyfaithlive
You can also explore the 21-Day program with Candace inside her app for deeper support.
Supplement Mentioned in This Episode
Find it here: shop.fasttofaith.com
Use code PODCAST for 20% off
Learn more:
https://fasttofaith.com
Hear what others are saying about Fast to Faith:
https://fasttofaith.com/testimonials-2/
Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fast-to-faith-weight-loss-hormone-supp...
Benadryl & Dementia: What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You!
(00:00)
Dr. Tabatha: It breaks my heart because so many doctors out there are telling people, “Just use Benadryl to sleep.” And then we’re wondering why Alzheimer’s and dementia are skyrocketing decade over decade.
Dr. Tabatha: Welcome to the Fast of Faith podcast!
Andrea: Thank you, thank you! I'm super excited and a little nervous to be here.
Dr. Tabatha: Oh good, thank you for your honesty. I love bringing on real women to the podcast who have been there and done that because that's who my listeners want to hear from.
(00:41)
Dr. Tabatha: We’re at the point where “infobesity” is real—we can get all the information, but putting the pieces together for our individual bodies is the challenge. That’s why I wanted to bring you on. You came to me looking for hormone guidance, and we ended up figuring out so much more.
(01:20)
Dr. Tabatha: It’s been a couple of years since you first came to me, right? What brought you in?
Andrea: I started struggling with hormones around 42 or 43. I stopped having periods by 45. I had hot flashes, I was nonfunctional. A friend suggested hormone pellet therapy, and even though I was anti-pharmaceutical, I gave in. It was life-changing. No more hot flashes, inflammation went down, glucose improved—everything.
(01:58)
Andrea: But I didn’t change my lifestyle. I’m an overachiever. I kept overdoing it. The hormones helped me feel better, so I went back to my high-performance life. Eventually, it stopped working. My gut issues came back. I never really healed the root cause.
(03:12)
Andrea: That’s when I found you on a podcast, listened in, and reached out. I just knew there was more going on beneath the surface.
(03:52)
Dr. Tabatha: I remember thinking, “Wow, this woman is badass!” You were training for endurance events like a 50k. I told you, “Hold up, girl. Let’s heal your body first.”
Andrea: Yep! I didn’t realize hormones were just a Band-Aid. They made me feel better, so I kept living my old life—but it wasn’t healing me.
(04:26)
Dr. Tabatha: It’s like a domino effect. Hormone shifts affect gut health, blood sugar, inflammation, brain fog, joint pain—it all compounds. Once your gut is inflamed from stress and hormone imbalance, your immune system becomes overactive. Hormones may tip the domino, but they won’t fix the rest.
(05:02)
Dr. Tabatha: So we started the Healthy Her program, focused on gut healing, and we looked at your adrenals. Your cortisol was through the roof. Makes sense—you were powering through athletic training.
Andrea: It wasn’t sustainable. And yes… I was on Benadryl.
Dr. Tabatha: For how long?
Andrea: Oh gosh… 20 years.
Dr. Tabatha: That’s what I want people to hear. Chronic use of Benadryl is dangerous.
(06:17)
Dr. Tabatha: We’re calling dementia “type 3 diabetes” now because blood sugar plays a big role—but acetylcholine is also key. Benadryl is anticholinergic, which blocks acetylcholine. That’s the neurotransmitter we need for memory and thinking. Chronic use increases the risk of dementia, especially over age 50.
(06:55)
Dr. Tabatha: It’s heartbreaking. People assume it’s harmless because it’s over-the-counter, but that’s not true.
Dr. Tabatha: Instead, we switched you to GABA, L-theanine, melatonin, and progesterone—those support sleep and protect the brain.
Andrea: I take GABA with L-theanine, magnesium, and progesterone at night. I tried different formulas until I found what worked.
(08:03)
Dr. Tabatha: You were on hormone pellets but felt puffy and off. We did deeper testing and discovered your body wasn’t detoxing estrogen properly.
Andrea: I had no idea! I’d been told I had estrogen dominance in perimenopause, but never understood why.
Dr. Tabatha: That’s why it’s crucial to choose providers who test everything—not just hormone levels.
(09:46)
Dr. Tabatha: Your local doctor tested your blood hormone levels. But when we did a Dutch test, we saw how you were metabolizing those hormones—and your “bad estrogens” were way too high.
Andrea: That made all the difference. Once we supported detox, things started to shift.
(10:56)
Dr. Tabatha: “Metabolism” just means conversion—changing one form into another. Hormones need to be broken down and excreted properly. If that process fails, you feel awful. Bloating, puffiness, inflammation—it’s all connected.
(12:10)
Dr. Tabatha: You came to me two years ago, and now you’re a certified Fast to Faith coach! Why did you stay in the community and take that next step?
Andrea: The changes were life-altering. I already ate healthy—by athlete standards—but this changed everything. And the faith piece was huge. The community was so supportive.
(12:47)
Andrea: I followed you quietly for a while, then joined the first Fast to Faith program. I’d fallen back into old habits, and it was time. I eased into fasting—I do about 14 hours instead of 16 because of my activity level and cortisol risk.
(13:16)
Andrea: Adding faith and scripture to the program just shifted my perspective. I was already a believer, but this made me treat my body as a gift. I started respecting it more, especially around rest and recovery.
(13:53)
Andrea: I went to a church retreat at the end of the program. The year before, God told me, “You need to slow down.” This year, He said, “You need to share this with other women.” It was clear. I didn’t know what that would look like, but it stuck with me.
(14:27)
Andrea: I searched for health coaching programs for months. They were too expensive, too conventional, or didn’t align with my values. Then I got your email. I knew instantly—this was the one. It was a gift from God.
(15:05)
Dr. Tabatha: That’s amazing. You were patient and obedient, even when it wasn’t clear what to do next. And I love that you joined as an athlete. Most women in the program aren’t working out at your level.
(15:38)
Dr. Tabatha: We adapted the program for your needs—increased protein, adjusted fasting—and it still worked. That taught me the program can work for women doing all kinds of things.
(16:57)
Andrea: I learned to ask for what I need—something women struggle with.
Dr. Tabatha: Yes! I’ve learned that, too. People want to help—you just need to drop the ego and ask.
(17:34)
Dr. Tabatha: I’m excited to see where your coaching path leads. You’ll reach women that I never could—because your story will resonate with them.
(18:09)
Dr. Tabatha: When you added the faith element to fasting, what changed most?
Andrea: How I treat my body. I overdo everything, and I started learning to respect rest. I also changed how I eat—no more eating 5–6 times a day just because athletes are told to.
(18:48)
Andrea: If I didn’t sleep well, I used to still work out hard. Not anymore. That used to destroy my adrenals.
Dr. Tabatha: Exactly. We glorify exhaustion in this country. But rest is vital.
(21:12)
Andrea: Seeing the test results was eye-opening. I realized I was slowly killing myself. I had to prioritize sleep.
(23:41)
Dr. Tabatha: When you do Kingdom work, the enemy tries to stop you. What happened before your meeting?
Andrea: I had imposter syndrome. I almost didn’t go. But a woman needed a ride, so I drove her—and that forced me to show up. It ended up being a blessing. I felt like God was throwing me a lifeline.
(26:02)
Dr. Tabatha: I’m so proud of you. Vulnerability is how we help others heal.
Andrea: Thank you. I want all women to know—you don’t have to suffer through midlife. And if you’re younger, even better. Take control now. It’s so worth it.