Better Everyday With Sarah And Dr. Brooke

I cover a whole lot of ground on this episode answering questions on the validity of at home blood tests, insurance coverage for more functional tests like the DUTCH test, how to support yourself during the postpartum period, what it means if you’re spotting both before your cycle or  around day 21, getting to the bottom of hormonal acne and how to take the herb vitex (aka chaste tree berry).    To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!     Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I’d like to send you one too.   Be sure you connect with me in my FREE PRIVATE Facebook group: Hormones & Happiness with Dr Brooke where other amazing, like minded women like YOU are already hanging out! Join us! Partners of the Dr. Brooke Show (Stuff I Know You Will Love!) Want skincare that is natural yet actually works? Look no further than Purity Woods! Their Age Defying

Oh if I had a dollar….honestly…I hear this literally every single day. I hear is so often that I decided to dedicate an entire episode to it! So many of you have a body comp or weight loss goal - this applies to working on a chronic health issue too - and you feel like you’re doing so much and when you describe your efforts you can’t understand why, for all the energy, time and money you’re spending, you aren’t getting better results. Most of us feel like we are doing everything right and can feel frustrated or confused why things aren’t improving as quickly or as profoundly as we want them to. In this episode, I break down the most common reasons “doing all the right things” isn’t working and what to do instead.  To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!   Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I’d like to send you one too. Be sure you connect with me in my

Originally intended to treat type II diabetes, these injectable drugs are now widely available (and quite pricey) as medications for weight loss - and they do produce weight loss! However, because these medications work on hormones that are secreted from the digestive tract, they of course have a host of gastric side effects that can make them unpleasant but again effective. When you look a bit closer though at the quality of the weight loss we see it isn’t such a magic bullet after all. This means we are losing as much muscle as body fat, in some cases more and that’s about the last thing we want - especially as we get into our 40s. In this episode I talk about how these medications work, what can be done to counter this unwanted consequence or what to consider if you’re thinking about taking these meds. As well, I talk about a few other effects of these meds that we need to keep an eye on such as lowering HRV and raising resting heart rate. These meds are definitely an options for a certain population but w

On the whole, we know exercise is helpful to balance blood sugar. However, for those of you that feel badly after exercise or those of you that get a strange reading on your CGM (continuous glucose monitor) after a workout I wanted to clear up any confusion as to what’s happening and why. In this episode I also cover what types of training cause various types of blood sugar highs and lows, what’s a problem and what’s not as well as how to adjust if you’re not feeling great after a workout or running out of energy and suspect it’s your blood sugar that’s the cause.     Are you dealing with all that comes with perimenopause and need a little help? Be sure to email me about joining my amazing perimenopause coaching group: the PeriParty! We’re tackling this dicey time with the right information, exercise and nutrition - and having a lot of fun in the process! Just reach out for more info.    To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!     Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram an

With more and more of my patients testing positive for mold derived mycotoxins in my practice, I wanted to welcome back to the show environmental professional Michael Schrantz to answer specific questions about how to take the next steps. When we find mycotoxins on a urine test in my practice, the next step is trying to figure out where the mold is coming from in the patient’s environment. This is often when things get very overwhelming! And potentially, very expensive.    With the wide variety of mold testing you can do in your home, how do you know what to trust? Which test is best? Should you even open this can of worms that may involve remediation of your home which is emotionally and financially taxing? I trust Michael and really wanted to have him back on the show to specifically answer testing on what tests are the most accurate and your next best steps to investigate mold sources in your home.    Learn more about Michael and how he can help you here.   Are you dealing with all that comes with perimeno

I was lucky enough to stumble upon Britt’s work on Instagram and I’m so glad I did because after I devoured her book (The Science of Stuck, Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward) in a day, I asked her to be on the show! We’ve all felt stuck at one time or another and it can leave us asking disempowering questions like “what's wrong with me” or “why can’t I do what I need to do” that leave us more stuck and anxious than we already were! In this episode, Britt (a licensed neuropsychotherapist) helps us ask the right questions to produce forward progress, get moving with “micro-yeses” and to honor and understand ourselves better - turns out we may be stuck because somehow we feel it’s the safe place to be. I shared my story of being super stuck about a year ago and how I fell precisely into this trap of doing a lot of the wrong things to get unstuck and how I’m using these tools to keep moving forward.    Learn more about Britt Frank and her book here.   Are you dealing with all that comes with peri

This is a dicey episode for sure and I’m certain it will have a lot of you rethinking your supplement regimen. Iodine is most often used to improve thyroid or breast health but it’s important to understand the whole story about how these recommendations came about and why more iodine can actually be bad for both.  Iodine is an essential nutrient that we absolutely need for thyroid function as well as other systems in our bodies, HOWEVER, it’s a Golidlock’s nutrient if there ever was one. When you look at how our bodies manage iodine and what our actual need for this unique trace mineral is you can see that we need to be a bit more careful with higher doses of iodine. This episode explains exactly why we need enough and not too much (and of course what the doses are that is just enough for general health, thyroid, pregnancy, etc.), what research shows us in terms of the fall out of too much iodine (hint: oxidative stress, thyroid problems and a rise in autoimmunity) and when to consider lowering iodine intake

She may be the most unsung hero in the supplement world - especially for women in their 40s and beyond. She’s got loads of research that spans decades demonstrating her safety, relatively inexpensive and super effective - she is creatine! Providing benefits for your brain, bones, muscles and metabolism (literally all the stuff we’re after right?) creatine is a real powerhouse when it comes to nutrients. This episode will help you understand how to take this powerful nutrient for maximum benefits. There’s a lot of confusion about creatine out there especially for women and creatine: who needs to take it, timing, dosing, safety, etc. and this episode will clear all of that up.  Are you dealing with all that comes with perimenopause and need a little help? Be sure to email me about joining my amazing perimenopause coaching group: the PeriParty! We’re tackling this dicey time with the right information, exercise and nutrition - and having a lot of fun in the process! Just reach out for more info.  To work with Dr

With Marth’s recent Sports Illustrated cover, the internet is ablaze with opinions on women, beauty standards and how we should look in a bathing suit in our 80s. Much of this unrealistic standard of beauty is not now, like not new at all, but what was interesting to me is that most of the comments about this cover shoot were from women. Whether you’re in the “she looks amazing for her age” camp or the “this is absurd, no woman in their 80s would look like this without a lot of money and intervention” camp, this episode will give you a LOT more to think about.   Aging is a dicey subject for women. We feel like we are obligated to look as young as possible for as long as possible and we are also wondering where our line in the sand is about aging naturally: a little botox but not going under the knife? Dying our hair but no fillers? There is more to aging than deciding if we do it au natural or not and I think the most important thing about this pic of Martha is what it stirs up in us- and that can give us a w

That’s a tough question, right? It can be tricky to know if you need to give yourself grace or a kick in the pants. It can be especially tricky if you have ever pushed yourself too hard. We are experiencing a real push back to hustle culture and the idea of #noexcuses and this is a really good thing. But sometimes we do need to push ourselves to get a workout in or to finish that task and with all our internal chatter and conditioning it can be hard to know when you’re treating yourself with respect and listening to your body and when you’re making an excuse that really doesn’t serve you.    In this episode I talk about tried and true tools that will help you know when to push and when to rest, when to hustle and when to give yourself grace. Share this with a woman who needs this!   To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!     Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tel

Oh my do I open a can of worms on this episode…..but it’s an important topic for many reasons. We do not all need all the things all the time and we do want our regimen to change with our changes needs in most instances. And we can’t expect a supplement to always get us out of hot water if we continue  with habits that don’t work for us.    However, a popular IG account made a reel saying that your body can heal completely without the use of any supplemental support ever, ever. Worse, the tone of the video seemed to imply that if you are relying on a supplement or medication as part of your healing then you aren’t really doing all the necessary work. I call BS. Total and utter BS.   First, there are situations such as anemia or certain infections as examples where a medication or supplement I think are very, very important as part of healing. Next, there are countless examples of a supplement providing assistance to help you through a tough or challenging health condition such as autoimmunity or a period of o

This was a really fun episode! Sugaring is a unique hair removal process that tends to have way less pain and skin irritation compared with traditional waxing. Historically though, you had to go to a spa to have it done but with Sugar Sugar Wax you can do it at home! This product is just so cool because you can use it anywhere on your body, it’s organic, it’s biodegradable and it’s compostable. And perhaps most importantly, once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy to use and bonus: not messy at all!.   I’m really in love with this and I have to say, I was very, very skeptical because my skin reacts horribly to waxing. There was a bit of a learning curve but it wasn’t steep AT ALL and Sugar Sugar Wax has incredible customer service to help you through any number of issues you have with the product. I was quickly sold so I reached out to Salome to come on the show and share the wonders of Sugar Sugar Wax.   To learn more, just click here! And use code BETTEREVERYDAY at checkout for savings! To work with D

I’m so excited to welcome back fellow ND, Dr. Sara Defrancesco to talk all about IBS: irritable bowel syndrome. If you’ve ever struggled with this issue only to be met with an elimination diet you won’t want to miss this episode. Elimination diets can be helpful in the short term and can help you fine tune your triggers but a much bigger impact can be made with tending to the microbiome, clearing up gut infections, supporting your immune system and more. Dr. Defrancesca is a wealth of information on gut health and I’m so grateful to have her back to take a deeper dive into IBS.    Check out her Freedom From IBS program here.    To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!     Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I’d like to send you one too.   Be sure you connect with me in my FREE PRIVATE Facebook group: Hormones & Happiness with Dr Brooke where other a

In this episode I give you the rundown on ten different hormones that directly impact metabolism or they profoundly impact appetite and cravings. With the internet ablaze with the ongoing argument of: hormones don’t matter, only calories in/calories out matter vs. the “no all you need to do to lose weight is balance your hormones”, I’m sure you’re confused and worse you may feel lazy or shamed for wondering if your hormones are to blame.    I hope this episode helps you understand that both camps are right and both are wrong and most importantly, your hormones do influence behavior and metabolism directly so YOU are not wrong nor to blame here.   Metabolism alone is insanely complicated and that’s made more complex by female hormone fluctuations week to week or even day to day and certainly decade to decade. Add to that disagreement between medical professionals for how to best assess hormone dysfunction vs. overt hormone disease and compound it all by the effect hormones have on your ability to stick to any

This episode is a fascinating interview with fellow ND and Bastyr graduate, Dr. NIck Bitz who is now part of product formulation at Neurohacker. We talked about my current favorite nootropic product Qualiamind BUT also we talked about the emerging concepts of aging. Nick does a fantastic job of explaining what exactly is cellular aging and what are the hallmarks of this process. We talk about zombie-like cells that are known as “senescent” cells that can’t quite complete their life cycle and rope other cells into this unhelpful state. New research on aging points towards a few key compounds found in plants known as senolytics that will help clear up these senescent cells. As well, Dr. Bitz and I share our favorite senolytic lifestyle and nutrition habits as well to help us all age better. We wrap up the interview with exactly how to dose these senolytic compounds and supplements, which is unlike any vitamin you’ve ever taken so be sure to tune into this one!  Checkout more info on senolytics and other brain s

She’s back! The fun, informative and no nonsense hormone expert, Dr. Jolene Brighten is here talking about her new book “Is This Normal?” This book and this interivew gets into ALL the questions you may not have wanted to ask, not known who to ask or maybe thought it you were the only one with the question. We focus in this episode about what’s normal when it comes to libido, sex and a host of other aspects of the female experience that may have had you wondering, is this normal? We also touched on the unique aspects of all of these things when it comes to perimenopause because so very much changes during this time and it doesn’t have to feel like “oh that part of my life is just over now”.  Learn more and get Dr. Brighten’s new book here.  To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!   Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I’d like to send you one too. Be sur

This episode is a bit ranty, which is not usually my style! But I just had to say a few things about social media and what’s going on out there with experts because it hurts my heart (and my head) for you all. I wish I had an answer of how to make this medium a better place for nuance and thoughtful discussion but it’s just not. Yet, we all turn to social media for information, for solutions to our problems and in search of ways to feel better so I felt it important to address this issue on the podcast. I hope this episode is helpful if for nothing else that for me to say a big “I’m sorry that it’s like this and I hope most of us are trying to do better for you all.” Social media started as a place to connect and share and I hope somehow we can get back to that.    To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!     Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I’d like

To get more willpower and discipline you have to understand how they work and to appreciate they are a finite resource. This means that if you’re low on willpower it’s not because you are weak it’s because you need to find ways to preserve willpower and ways to build your reserves of discipline. So many of us know a lot of what we need to be doing more of or less of, yet we struggle to stick with things that help us and skip things that don’t make us feel great. In this episode I teach you how to harness willpower, stop your discipline leaks and quick simple things to build up more willpower so you can more easily do what works for you.  To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!   Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I’d like to send you one too. Be sure you connect with me in my FREE PRIVATE Facebook group: Hormones & Happiness with Dr Brooke where ot

NYTimes best selling author Dr. Izabella Wentz is on the show to dig into her new book that is all about adrenal health. We get into the misnomer and myth around “adrenal fatigue” discussing what it is and what it isn’t. As well she talks in depth about a real passion of mine which is setting the record straight that cortisol isn’t all bad and stress is inevitable, so why does all this stress have us feeling tired and with a host of hormone symptoms? And most importantly what we can do to build more resilience to stress and what we can do to heal from chronic stress that may already have us feeling burnt out.   Learn more about Izabella and her new book the Adrenal Transformation Protocol here.  To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!   Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up for my awesome emails here. Seriously,I write really great emails, or so 1000s of women tell me and I’d like to send you one too. Be sure you connect with me in my FREE PRIVATE Faceb

This episode is juicy! So many great questions from you all about all things progesterone and I was able to cover so many aspects of this “everything is gonna be OK hormone”. Our progesterone levels start declining in our mid 30s and we feel all sorts of symptoms from this including anxiety, irregular cycles, worsening PMS, anxiety, depression and insomnia. This of course worsens during our 40s, under high stress, aren’t ovulating due to PCOS or HA or as we get into perimenopause. In this episode I cover the difference between low progesterone and unbalanced estrogen and progesterone (known as estrogen dominance), how to support your progesterone (i.e. can you do it with food, what supplements help, and common supplements that will not help, etc.), various considerations for using progesterone as part of HRT and even the less common occurrence of progesterone sensitivity.  To work with Dr Brooke click here and if you loved this episode please leave a review!   Follow Dr Brooke on Instagram and get signed up f