How Science Got It Wrong About Progesterone

Progesterone is important for women's health.

Progesterone has been both ignored and wrongly blamed for side effects it does not cause. How did that happen?

For one thing, progesterone was discovered shortly after estrogen. Thus missing the opportunity to be part of the tidy hormone dichotomy of “testosterone for men and estrogen for women.” Also, progesterone could not (at first) be made into an oral medication, so was replaced by progestins.

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Decoding Hypoglycemia: Is It Insulin Resistance or Dysautonomia?

Is your low blood sugar a symptom of insulin resistance or mild dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system?

In episode 16 of my podcast, I return to the topic of hypoglycemia to discuss the difference between insulin resistance and dysautonomia, why unstable blood sugar does not automatically mean insulin resistance, and my concerns about continuous glucose monitoring.

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How Too Much Testosterone Can Cause Weight Gain in Women

Testosterone causes weight gain in women.

In women, too much testosterone can cause insulin resistance and abdominal weight gain.

That’s why androgen excess is the main driver of weight gain with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause, and some types of birth control.

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High Histamine Can Make for a Tougher Perimenopause

A tendency to allergies or high histamine can increase the risk of perimenopausal symptoms such as night sweats, anxiety, pain, sleep disturbance, migraines, and heavy periods. That’s because histamine increases with estrogen, and estrogen is higher than normal during the early years of perimenopause.

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