Lara Briden's Podcast - TopPodcast.com

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Latest Episodes:

Decoding hypoglycemia: Is it insulin resistance or dysautonomia? Nov 20, 2024

Is your low blood sugar a symptom of insulin resistance or mild dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system?
In this episode, Lara returns 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
her concerns about continuous glucose monitoring.

Links:

Dr Andrew Maxwell's presentation about dysautonomia, hypermobility, and mast cell activation.

Hypoglycemia in young women: The science behind "hangry" Jul 10, 2024

Symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar include light-headedness, headaches, and anxiety. Hypoglycemia can even feel like panic attacks.
In this episode, Lara discusses:

why young women are more prone to hypoglycemia,
the importance of the autonomic nervous system and a "blunted glucagon response," and
what you can do to feel better.

Links:

Food addiction and other causes of abnormally high hunger Apr 19, 2024

Do you feel hungry all the time? Abnormally hungry? If so, it’s worth trying to figure out why. Potential drivers of abnormally high hunger include insulin resistance, gut and microbiome issues, low blood sugar, and food addiction—just to name a few.
In this episode, Lara explores food addiction and some of the controversy around the term. She also discusses the next best steps on the road to recovery.
Links:

Lara's new book about metabolic health
Poll: Addiction to highly processed food among older adults
Dr. Jen Unwin's Resource page

What's the story with dairy and periods problems? Jan 23, 2024

For some women, stopping normal dairy products can relieve period symptoms. But why?
In this episode, Lara discusses:

the inflammatory effects of A1 casein
how a mast cell histamine response can drive period problems such as premenstrual mood symptoms, heavy bleeding, and pain.

Links:

How IBS and SIBO can affect periods and hormones Apr 18, 2023

Did you know that what’s happening in your gut can affect your periods and hormones?
In this episode, Lara discusses:

small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and its role in IBS,
how SIBO can drive or worsen endometriosis, insulin resistance, premenstrual mood symptoms, and the fibromyalgia of perimenopause, plus
how to treat SIBO.

Links:

Medications that cause weight gain Jan 17, 2023

Why do antihistamines cause weight gain? And how does hormonal birth control affect metabolism?
In this episode, Lara looks at:

how common medications affect metabolism
why birth control that is *androgenic* is more likely to cause weight gain, and
whether natural progesterone is more likely to cause weight gain or weight loss.

Links:

Does your chronotype affect your ability to lose weight? Nov 23, 2022

Are you a morning person or an evening person? And could that affect your ability to lose weight?
In this episode, Lara looks at chronotype, which is your individual disposition to be awake or asleep at certain times. And how that might affect your overall health and metabolism.

Inositol for mood, sleep, and PCOS Sep 30, 2022

The supplement inositol is a superstar for treating polycystic ovary syndrome. It’s also been clinically trialled for weight loss, thyroid disease, anxiety, insomnia, and premenstrual mood symptoms.
In this episode, Lara looks at:

"what is inositol?" and how to get it from diet
myo-inositol versus D-chiro-inositol, and
why it's all a little confusing.

One thing Lara forgot to mention is that to get results with inositol, you need to commit to it for at least three months. And if it works, you’ll probably want to stay on it for years. Luckily, inositol can be quite inexpensive, especially if you choose straight myo-inositol powder.

Links:

Help for post-pill acne, hair loss, and weight gain Jul 12, 2022

What do post-pill acne, hair loss, and weight gain all have in common? They can all be the result of a temporary surge in androgens when trying to come off certain types of hormonal birth control.
In this episode, Lara discusses post-pill androgen symptoms including:

why pills like Yasmin are the hardest to come off
how androgens can cause weight gain, and
natural treatments such as zinc, berberine, and cyclic progesterone therapy.

Links:

Top 6 natural treatments for premenstrual mood symptoms Jun 01, 2022

Are premenstrual mood symptoms caused by progesterone or helped by progesterone? And why do antihistamines give such relief?
In this episode, Lara discusses premenstrual mood symptoms including:

the role of histamine and mast cell activation
progesterone sensitivity, and
effective natural treatments such as magnesium, iodine, and body-identical progesterone.

Links:

The most common cause of weight gain May 11, 2022

There can be a strong hormonal component to abdominal weight gain. And in most people, that hormone is insulin.
In this episode, Lara discusses insulin resistance including:

why you could have insulin resistance even if your blood sugar is normal
the role of mitochondria, and
all the ways to lower insulin and improve metabolism.

Links:

A safer type of hormone therapy Apr 06, 2022

If you're going to take hormone therapy, it's safer to take hormones that are identical to human hormones. In other words, hormones that are body-identical or bioidentical. The concept of bioidentical used to be controversial but is now conventional and mainstream.
In this episode, Lara discusses hormone therapy including:

why the concept of bioidentical was controversial when it didn't need to be
oral micronized progesterone for heavy periods, mood, sleep, and perimenopausal migraines, and
some facts about body-identical estrogen (four uncontroversial things and one controversial).

Links:

Endometriosis is a disease of immune dysfunction Mar 21, 2022

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease that’s affected by hormones but is not caused by hormones. Instead, endometriosis is, at least in part, a disease of immune dysfunction.
In this episode, Lara discusses some of the new endometriosis research including:

the link with genes that increase the risk of autoimmune disease
the role of a bacterial toxin called lipopolysaccharide or LPS, and
new targets for natural immune-modulating treatment.

Links to:

Blog post: Immune treatment for endometriosis
Blog post: Why I prescribe iodine for breast pain, ovarian cysts, and PMDD

Why PCOS cannot be diagnosed by ultrasound Mar 09, 2022

Were you told you have polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS based on a pelvic ultrasound? That may or may not be an accurate diagnosis because PCOS cannot actually be diagnosed or ruled out with ultrasound.
In this episode, Lara discusses PCOS including:

why PCOS is an umbrella term
the difference between polycystic ovaries and ovarian cysts, and
why some women with undereating and endometriosis are being mistakenly told they have PCOS.

Links to:

Blog post: PCOS cannot be diagnosed (or ruled out) by ultrasound
Blog post about the 4 types of PCOS.
Citation for the quote about polycystic ovaries: Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Which Criteria to Use and When?
Lara's forum where you can post a comment or suggest a topic for a future episode.

Natural treatment of heavy periods Feb 18, 2022

In a normal period, you should not lose more than about 80 mL of menstrual fluid over all the days of the bleed. That’s equivalent to about five tablespoons spread over all the days of the bleed. In this episode, Lara discusses heavy periods including:

the role of hormone imbalance, mast cell activation, and insulin resistance,
simple period-lightening strategies such as iron, zinc, and a dairy-free diet, and
using body-identical progesterone to lighten periods.

Links to:

Blog post about heavy periods.
Blog post about testing for insulin resistance.
Blog post with a list of brand names of body-identical progesterone.
Professor Prior's document: Managing menorrhagia without surgery.
Lara's forum where you can post a comment or suggest a topic for a future episode.

Pill bleeds are not periods Feb 03, 2022

The pill is commonly prescribed to "regulate periods," but it can't actually do that because withdrawal bleeds from contraceptive drugs are not real menstrual cycles.
In episode one of The Lara Briden Podcast, Dr Lara covers: