Lara Briden's Podcast - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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: