The Girlfriend Doctor w/ Dr. Anna Cabeca

Latest Episodes:

The Estrogen = Cancer Myth with Dr. Anna Cabeca and Dr. Shawn Tassone Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

Menopause and perimenopause shouldn't be something you just power through, yet that's the way that many women deal with their hormone or energy issues. There's a better way, and it doesn't involve being afraid of estrogen and hormone therapy. Dr. Shawn Tassone answers your questions on cancer, estrogen, hormones, and health, and talks about why the narrative matters in getting to the root cause of a patient's problems.

[3:05] Being a man in the arena of women's health gives him a different perspective. As the author of The Hormone Balance Bible, Shawn helps women transform their body and life during perimenopause and menopause.
[4:10] Shawn found that if he could share stories of hormonal archetypes with his patients, it connects much better than just raw data. It gives women a starting point to get the information they are looking for and points them in the right direction to learn more.
[5:50] Hormone issues can feel very isolating, like you're not being acknowledged. Hearing the stories of other people and how it affected them is affirming.
[6:20] If 10,000 men's penises fell off tomorrow, there would be a national outrage and inquiry. But when hundreds of thousands of women are complaining of endometriosis, pelvic pain, or fibroids, they are told that it's just what happens when they get older.
[8:10] The more women physicians that experience the menopausal period of life the more natural options and reception that women will get in our culture.
[8:45] Speak up and share what's on your mind. There is always one next right step and the answer is never "come back next year and I'll check again." In the case of perimenopause and menopause, there is always a next right step for being healthier next year than you are now.
[10:50] Half of Shawn's patients bring labs from other physicians that say everything is normal. You can't just look at the numbers. You have to look at the person and how they personally feel. The narrative part of your patient's history matters.
[12:10] Shawn tells the story of a mother run ragged trying to maintain and support her family and how the narrative of the saboteur helped her understand her situation. Women have a tendency to power through painful sex or exhaustion or stress.
[15:40] Shawn's mother passed away from ovarian cancer and that started his own journey to learn how hormones influenced the situation. Oncologist's jobs are to help you live longer. They aren't particularly interested in quality of life.
[19:10] When it comes to cancer, it's always important to try to identify the root cause whether it was a hormone disruptor or toxic exposure. With every single patient that Dr. Anna has seen with cancer, the issue was never their own natural production of hormones.
[21:10] There are a number of factors when it comes to cancer. Shawn will typically do a genetic test to identify their individual risk as well as their genetic risk.
[23:50] There is a clean way to do keto and a dirty way to do keto. The keto green diet has shown to have improvements on multiple health markers as quickly as two weeks in.
[24:40] For women in menopause who've had cancer and have restrictions around estrogen, the treatment is piecemeal. If the issue is vaginal dryness, the recommendation is Julva. If it's overall health, Shawn points them to a macha product or fish oils and magnesium.
[28:10] It's important for healthcare providers to communicate with each other. Dr. Anna had a patient that had been treated for breast cancer and had a Vitamin D hydroxy level of 11, where the optimal number is closer to 80. This was a major failure on the part of her healthcare team since Vitamin D is a key hormone player.
[31:15] Estrogen is crucial in slowing bone loss while also maintaining brain, cardiovascular, and skin health. If your quality of life is impacted negatively because you're afraid of hormones, you're putting the cart in front of the horse.
[33:05] There is a study that is ongoing that looks at the effect of hormones like estrogen on rates of cancer and it looks like there is no increased risk of breast cancer. The media has demonized estrogen to the detriment of both women and men.
[34:10] Vitamin D doesn't make you feel any different, but it is helpful for the long term. The silent factors like Vitamin D levels are often the most overlooked. The cancer we get from a lack of sun exposure is much worse than anything you can get from too much sun exposure.
[35:30] Hormone imbalances can make you into an entirely different person. Fixing your hormones can have near immediate results where you feel considerably better over the course of a week. Add in vitamins and supplements which work over a long period of time and you have a solid protocol.
[37:45] At one point, progesterone was only prescribed to protect against uterine cancer. Shawn likes and prescribes progesterone for a variety of reasons, whether or not the patient has a uterus.

Mentioned in this Episode:

512-956-0296

@shawntassonemd

tassonemd.com/quiz

dranna.com/menopausemasterclass

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Always seek the advice of your own physician or qualified health professional before starting any treatment or plans. Information found here and results are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional and are not intended as medical advice.

The Holiday Gift Guide with Dr. Anna Cabeca Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

The holiday season can be stressful, but it doesn't have to stay that way. Dr. Anna talks about the importance of reflecting on the joys in our lives and honoring our experiences without getting frustrated or depressed. She also has the ultimate holiday health gift guide for you, filled to the brim with great ideas for giving the gift of good health this holiday season.

[0:45] The holiday blues are a real thing and it's not just the stress of the season.
[1:50] There are four pillars of health in the Girlfriend Doctor community: Embrace, Nourish, Shine, and Awaken, and there are gifts in each area that we give this season.
[2:20] Celebrate the simple joys in your life. Reflect on the joys you experience because the more you focus on something, the more it expands and is magnetized toward you. Being able to sit and embrace that feeling is a skill that will change your physiology.
[4:00] Dr. Anna is giving to the House of Hope, a place that she helped to start that helps young girls who have been trafficked. The other charity she is passionate about is the House of Dawn, a home for single moms that are finishing school while providing shelter and counseling.
[6:40] If you know someone who needs help, or you need help yourself, email the team at dranna.com and tell us what you need.
[7:10] The holiday season is about peace, and being present in this time of our lives. When you shift from fear-based thinking to being happy with your life as it is, it's a complete gamechanger.
[8:30] The things and people that you have lost in your life can be honored in a spirit of love. Sorrow is a reflection of the joy you experienced with someone. Reflect on the joy you shared and journal it. Make it a daily practice.
[10:10] The holidays can be stressful, but if you can recreate the joy in your life, you shift from fear to love and that higher emotional energy compounds.
[11:00] Dr. Anna's gift guide has something for every member of the family. One of her favorites is a plant based milk maker called the Almond Cow.
[12:50] Another big hit is Garden Guidance Cards, created by Dr. Anna's daughter. Each card gives you great ideas for cooking and preparing different vegetables and the benefits that come with them.
[15:40] Olive oil is something that Dr. Anna likes to use frequently and the Olive Oil Club is a great way to get hand-picked olive oil for yourself or someone special.
[16:30] The oral health detox kit from Trina Felber and the skin care line Wellena are two more top picks. Blue light blocking glasses are another great way to give the gift of good health.
[17:55] If you've been saving all year for your own health, something like a water filter or air filters are a great option to level up your healthy lifestyle.
[18:35] One of Dr. Anna's favorite gadgets recently has been an infrared sauna. There are various models and a huge number of benefits that go with infrared light therapy.
[20:15] Gratitude is a practice and a discipline. Pay attention to the little good things in your life and you'll be surprised at how obvious it is that you're surrounded by joy.

Mentioned in this Episode:

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Does Adrenal Fatigue Really Exist? with Dr. Anna Cabeca and Ari Whitten Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

Red light therapy is the energy hack we need to support our mitochondria and re-energize our bodies. Ari Whitten goes into the science of the Energy Blueprint system and breaks down the myths around adrenal fatigue. Learn how we can repair our cells, increase our energy, and reduce inflammation with light therapy and by working with our body's natural hormonal and circadian rhythms.

[0:50] Ari Whitten has done his PhD work on energy, is the host of the Energy Blueprint Podcast, and the author of the Energy Blueprint System. He's on the cutting edge of science when it comes to energy.
[2:40] Health science has been Ari's passion since the age of 12 when he was into fitness and exercise, but he differed from traditional bodybuilders in their pursuit of muscle mass at any cost.
[6:15] Ari was always fit and healthy until his early 20's when he was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr Virus and was floored for over a year with chronic fatigue. That experience became the seed of his fascination with the body's energy systems, how they work, and how to optimize them.
[8:50] He got so deep into natural and alternative medicine in his effort to treat his adrenal fatigue, that he became very frustrated with traditional medicine's treatment of the condition. He started his research into the condition and found that there were almost no studies on adrenal fatigue in existence.
[10:20] Chronic fatigue syndrome is the wastebasket diagnosis of the conventional medical world. The condition of adrenal fatigue is relatively unknown and unexplored and a catchall term for when the root issue is unknown.
[11:25] Ari spent a year researching the topic and found a number of adjacent conditions. He was hoping to find a connection between cortisol and fatigue, but the evidence was pointing in the opposite direction. This put Ari on a quest to understand what is really going on within the energy systems of the body and the proper way to optimize them.
[13:55] It turns out that most people's fatigue has nothing to do with their adrenal glands. Other factors play a much bigger part. Simply being a night owl can result in dramatically different cortisol rhythms throughout the day.
[18:15] Medications can cause HPA axis dysfunction, as well mood states like depression and anxiety, being overweight and sedentary, and more. When it comes to the adrenal glands, it's an issue of light.
[19:30] Most people believe they are night owls, but a study done in the journal Nature revealed that simply being in a more natural environment will reset a person's biological clock. Light and our hormonal rhythms have much more to do with fatigue than most people realize.
[22:20] Ari's paradigm on energy levels involves the mitochondria and the brain. We're taught that mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, but we're finding that they are the most sensitive organs in our body when something isn't right.
[25:15] The research of Dr. Robert Naviaux has shown that the mitochondria have two modes depending on the cell danger response. The modes are mutually exclusive, and when the cell shifts into a more defensive mode it shuts down energy production.
[26:50] Mitochondria can detect a number of physical and biological signals that are risks to the cell. They will react to elevated stressors in the body and issue orders to the nucleus of the cell to reduce energy production and shift to other more defensive processes.
[29:30] Any source of stress in the environment can shift mitochondria out of energy production mode, and light deficiency or toxicity can have the same effect. Most people are suffering from both.
[33:20] Light isn't just one thing. Like nutrition, we need many different parts of the spectrum of light for our bodies to function optimally. Your circadian clock is directly impacted by light photons hitting your eyes and different kinds of light can have both positive and negative effects.
[36:40] There is both light deficiency and toxicity. Most people are deficient in blue light during the day when they need it, and overexposed to blue light at night. The differential and timing has a direct impact on your circadian clock, and most people are suffering from both too much and too little blue light.
[39:15] UV light from the sun is responsible for the creation of Vitamin D in the body which is related to many different hormonal processes. If we are insufficient in Vitamin D, it prevents a number of other processes from functioning properly.
[41:20] Sun exposure increases nitric oxide. Sun exposure has been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease in rats even in the absence of vitamin D.
[43:10] You can't replace the benefits of sunlight exposure with a Vitamin D supplement.
[44:00] Red and near-infrared light play important roles that differ from other light nutrients. Red and near-infrared light penetrate the skin and interact with cells at the cellular level. When this happens, it stimulates the mitochondria to produce more energy.
[47:40] Red and near-infrared light is a critical nutrient for the mitochondria. When a cell is under too much stress, nitric oxide can end up in the wrong place and red light can correct the issue.
[48:35] Hormesis is the concept that transient metabolic stress leads to beneficial adaptations at the cellular level. Exercise is a good example of cellular metabolic stress that results in temporary stresses that result in long-term positive benefits.
[52:05] Your body interacts with your environment. Things like exercise create a cytokine cascade that builds resilience in your body and makes your immune system stronger. The human body needs those kinds of stressors to express normal health. Without them, your cells become weak and prone to damage.
[54:40] Red and near-infrared light switch genes on and off, particularly genes responsible for expression of inflammation and genes responsible for tissue growth and regeneration. Red and near-infrared light are fundamentally stimulating the cells to produce more energy, reduce inflammation, building more resilience, and increasing growth factors to support better healing and regeneration.
[56:40] Pairing infrared light with exercise can amplify the effects. It can be used in a preconditioning capacity, or after exercise to decrease soreness and enhance the adaptations.
[1:00:00] Another study showed a close relationship between red light therapy and fat loss as well as insulin resistance. Red light positively impacted both measurements with as little as 15 minutes of red light exposure.
[1:02:30] There is evidence of a systemic impact, but in the case of exercise the optimal use of red light is to expose the muscles being exercised. The optimal distance is between 8 to 16 inches from the skin.

Mentioned in this Episode:

theenergyblueprint.com/anna

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Optimal Health Begins in the Mouth with Dr. Anna Cabeca and Trina Felber Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Your oral health is the gateway to your immune system. Trina Felber talks about how your oral health is directly related to the strength of your immune system, and how poor oral health can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, dementia, erectile dysfunction, and kidney disease. Learn exactly what you can do to have a healthier mouth right now and why you should be avoiding the off-the-shelf oral care products most people use today.

[1:55] Good health starts inside your mouth. If you don't have the right bacteria inside your mouth it causes a number of other issues with your overall health, and your immune system is one of those things.
[3:20] People who fail to brush their teeth twice a day may be putting themselves at risk of heart disease and advanced gum disease. Both of which can raise your risk of a fatal heart attack ten fold. Other increases in risk from poor oral health include bad breath, dementia, pneumonia, erectile dysfunction, and kidney disease.
[5:10] Your mouth and vaginal health are directly related to the immune system and microbiome of your baby as well.
[7:15] Your mouth is your first line of defense. You can transmit over 20 million bacteria with just one kiss. The goal isn't to get rid of all bacteria, it's to have the right kinds of bacteria in your mouth. Having an alkaline environment in your mouth prevents the bad bacteria from growing as well as having less plaque and stronger teeth.
[8:40] Trina tells the story of a friend who was a dentist whose client was catching gum disease just by dating a guy with poor oral health. Your oral health is directly impacted by those closest to you, so you need to get them on board as well.
[10:45] Dr. Anna shares her own experience in reversing the age of her own mouth. Most dentists will tell you that you can't reverse gum recession, but that's not true. You just need to address the root cause. Most people brush too hard. Your gums are soft, and when they are bleeding they become an open door for bacteria to spread throughout your body.
[14:00] Nitric oxide is a vasodilator and is crucial to heart health. If your mouth bacteria is not healthy, then nitric oxide can't be produced optimally, so your heart, brain, and sexual organs will suffer from reduced oxygen and blood flow. Your oral health determines if your body can produce nitric oxide.
[18:15] Dr. Anna recommends for her patients to periodically check their salivary pH. It can vary quite a bit throughout the day, but it's a good indicator of the mind/body connection at work. Stress and cortisol will affect the acidity of your oral health.
[20:20] If your saliva is unhealthy, everything else is going to suffer. Supporting your oral health will always end up with fresh breath.
[23:00] Everything inside your mouth you swallow, and that ends up seeding your gut bacteria. Your mouth is your connection between your gut and the outside environment. If you're not producing enough healthy saliva, you won't be able to eliminate harmful viruses and bacteria.
[24:35] Your saliva should have minerals in it. If you have leaky gut syndrome, you're not going to have enough minerals in your saliva. This is why mothers often have sensitive teeth or cavities after giving birth.
[25:20] If you can heal your mouth, you can heal your gut, which will in turn reinforce and support your oral health. If you're buying oral health products off the shelf, you are probably sabotaging your oral health by creating a more acidic environment. Just making a switch to other products can improve things dramatically.
[27:05] Using natural products is better, but they may not be providing everything your mouth needs to be optimally healthy. The three components for a healthy oral care product is that it's alkaline, has minerals, and detoxes your mouth. Clay is the ideal medium for optimal oral health.
[32:15] There is no point where we can ignore our oral health. People are seeing HPV in their mouth and it is a growing concern among aging Americans. Tenderness and hot spots are the warning signs that you may have an issue with your oral health and is something you should talk to your dentist about.
[36:40] Oral health issues are amplified by a poor immune system. Getting to know your body and the health of your immune system is very important.
[37:50] Over the past two years of the pandemic, we've been unknowingly creating the right conditions to grow the bad kind of bacteria. The LED teeth whitening system not only whitens your smile, the light therapy increases blood flow, reduces inflammation, and stimulates collagen.
[41:40] Blue light therapy kills bad bacteria by affecting a particular molecule typically only found in the wrong bacteria and destroying it. Peroxide should be avoided because it breaks down your enamel as it's whitening your teeth. If your teeth are looking dingy, it's probably because your enamel is thin and peroxide makes your teeth thinner and more brittle.
[46:30] Trina's system is meant to be a part of your lifestyle. People often do it while they are making dinner or answering emails to make getting it done convenient. The system comes with a variety of products that cover all aspects of your oral health.
[51:20] It takes an average toothbrush over 400 years to biodegrade. This is why Trina's toothbrush is made from bamboo and natural fibers.

Mentioned in this Episode:

primallifeorganics.com

@trinafelber

dranna.com/Teeth-Whitening

dranna.com/Dental-Detox

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Creating Mindful and Resilient Children with Dr. Anna Cabeca and Dr. Madiha Saeed Nov 26, 2021

Show notes

Madiha Saeed is on a mission as the Holistic Mom to help children live healthier, happier, more mindful lives. Learn about the inflammation epidemic that is afflicting children today and what we as parents can do to help our children make more rational, healthy decisions by choosing nutrient-rich foods, focusing on gratitude and optimism, and creating a home environment where they can thrive.

[0:40] What can we do as parents to raise mindful and resilient children with a combination of functional medicine and parenting? That's the question that Madiha's new book tries to answer.
[1:25] Because of widespread chronic inflammation, children are unable to make rational decisions today which are resulting in a number of societal issues.
[3:10] Madiha's mission began after seeing her newborn child struggle to simply breathe. She started her journey of self-healing and put those lessons into practice to help her children as well.
[5:35] Chronic disease has quadrupled amongst children since the 1960s. Now 1 out of 2 American children has a chronic health condition. By 2025, the projection is that 80% of children will be diagnosed with a chronic health condition. ADHD has increased 167% and by current projections 1 in 4 children will be diagnosed with autism by 2033.
[8:35] By understanding the why and the what, we can understand the root cause of suffering, which is that our children are living unbalanced lives. The decisions children make every day are determined by their brain, and studies have shown that inflammation reduces the connection between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, both of which are needed to make rational decisions.
[10:30] During a research study, they found that children with behavioral issues had high levels of key inflammatory markers. Inflammation can impact babies in the womb. Society lives unbalanced lives and the chronic inflammation that comes as a result is passed from mother to child.
[12:30] Endocrine disruptors have been found to be closely linked to inflammation, hormone imbalances, and gender confusion that we are seeing now. Medications that were commonly prescribed to pregnant women in the past decades are being found to have multi-generational impacts and increased suffering.
[16:10] There are thousands of chemicals that are released on a regular basis and we have no idea what their long-term impacts are. BPA is a common culprit that is found in most plastics, including baby bottles.
[18:00] We need to be more mindful of what is going into our children's bodies and what they are wearing. As parents, we need to empower our children to make positive changes to their daily lifestyles and improve the future.
[21:00] Our consumer choices matter. Science has proven that gratitude and optimism strengthen the link between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala and improves overall health and wellbeing.
[22:15] When a child has a chronic health condition, it can become hard to focus on anything else, but if you can shift the focus to the lessons they can learn and what is going right in their lives, it can help them optimize their brain, body, and health simply by reducing the overall stress level.
[23:20] Devices and social media are addicting for children. We need to incorporate stress management practices like nature and physical play to balance out their daily routine.
[24:55] There is a direct connection between our gut and our brain. The microbiome is vital to helping a child's brain develop fully and reduce inflammation. Nutrients regulate every single chemical reaction in a child's body.
[26:25] Madiha uses a diet framework that starts with vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats. Make it easy and fun for your children to eat healthy food and teach them at a young age how it helps them keep their hormones in balance.
[28:10] During the pandemic, diabetes has doubled in children.
[28:55] Unfortunately, children today are deficient in a number of nutrients, and this causes a cascade of health issues. Madiha typically begins supplementing with vitamin D, fish oil, and probiotics.
[32:10] The more kids can enjoy the process and participate in creating the healthy food they need, the more they will consume.
[33:30] Mindfulness shows us how best to respond at many different levels at once. It allows children to have the perspective they need to live a healthy life.
[35:20] The Holistic Rx is meant for anyone taking care of children who wants direction on how to live a mindful and healthy life. It centers around the child's health and diet, and how to help them recover from inflammation, insulin resistance, and more.

Mentioned in this Episode:

theholisticrx.com

holisticmommd.com

@holisticmommd

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Sexual Health Beyond Reproductive Hormones with Dr. Anna Cabeca Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

Understanding the seven key areas of health and sexual health are key to knowing what your next right step is and to unburden you from some of the guilt, grief, and self-sabotage in your life. Learn about the pillars of sexual health and what solutions women can access that will go beyond just dealing with their reproductive hormones to allow them to regain their sex life and enjoy sex again.

[1:00] Dr. Anna has been practicing in the field of women's sexual health for years and today's episode deals with hot topics around sexual health, sexual function and dysfunction, and what you need to know to have a healthy and happy sex life.
[3:25] The vagina is essential for life and it's vital to take care of your vagina as you age because our physiology drives our behaviour.
[3:45] Testosterone affects our behaviour in various ways and its use has risen and fallen in favor as a therapy over time. Dr. Anna tells the story of a patient that was undergoing testosterone therapy and how high testosterone could have resulted in a major relationship issue.
[5:45] Physiology affects behaviour, especially when it comes to sex. There are seven key areas of health that need to be in place to have normal sexual function.
[7:45] Dr. Anna's story begins at the age of 39 when she was diagnosed with early onset menopause and infertility. She struggled with a number of health issues until she took a healing journey around the world.
[9:55] PTSD reared its ugly head around the age of 48 for Dr. Anna and she experienced all the symptoms of menopause again. It takes more than hormones to fix a hormone problem. There are three additional hormones beyond the reproductive hormones that need to be brought into balance for optimal sexual health.
[12:50] Dr. Anna's experience led her to try the keto diet, and she found the ketogenic lifestyle to be very powerful in treating and correcting her hormone imbalances. After adding in more alkalizing foods, Dr. Anna felt sharper and more focused than ever.
[15:20] A research paper showed a direct correlation between glucose metabolism in the brain and endocrine and neurological symptoms. Glucose metabolism in the brain is an estrogen-dependent process, but the use of ketones for fuel is not hormone dependent.
[16:30] The keto diet is very acidic and men tend to adapt more quickly to it due to their higher testosterone levels. Women need to address those differences, and the keto green diet works well for both genders.
[18:00] On average, women in their 50's are on two or three different medications.
[19:25] Hot flashes were recently linked to cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. This is partly due to the loss of estrogen but that's not the whole picture. Insulin resistance is also linked to hot flashes.
[20:50] We as women can do it all, just not at the same time. Research has shown that a large percentage of women over the age of 30 suffer from issues with arousal, vulva dryness, discomfort during or after sex, or urinary leakage.
[22:50] One of the key underlying issues of sexual dysfunction are the underlying psychological causes. This dysfunction can then lead to emotional and self-confidence issues.
[24:50] Only 17% of adults discuss their sex life with their doctor.
[25:20] There is also medication-induced sexual dysfunction. There are a number of common medications that can have a negative impact on your sexual health.
[26:15] A healthy vagina has an acidic pH. That acidity is the vagina's first line of defense and as women age the vagina tends to become more alkaline. Gut health and vaginal health are closely linked; if one is healthy, the other usually is too.
[29:15] The human vagina is an underappreciated organ that is not merely a passageway for vaginal discharge, menses, sperm, and neonates, but can profoundly affect the health of a generation.
[30:45] Many women power through uncomfortable sex despite being in pain. One of the most energetic and intimate things we can do is have sex, and if she isn't enjoying it, chances are he won't either.
[32:10] Dr. Anna breaks down the case of a patient experiencing a variety of sexual health issues and what their treatment entailed.
[34:55] Studies looking at the effects of vaginal DHEA found considerable hormonal benefits.
[39:30] Estrogen replacement therapies were found in studies to not have any negative effects in cancer patients when compared to alternative therapies.
[42:05] Another of Dr. Anna's clients was having trouble with orgasm. After Dr. Anna worked with her on the seven areas of sexual health and with focused therapies, she was able to regain the ability to orgasm.
[43:25] About 10%-15% or women never achieve climax. Up to 75% of women never experience climax through intercourse. This emphasizes the differences between climax and orgasm and why it's important to communicate with your partner about the experience. The female sexual experience is also more complicated than a male's.
[47:20] Reproductive hormones play a role, but cortisol, adrenaline, and insulin also have major impacts on sexual health. If you're stressed, you can be eating the best food and your urine pH will still be acidic because of the cortisol. This is why the oxytocin/love hormone is one of the most powerful.
[48:30] Orgasm is one of the best ways to increase oxytocin, and oxytocin comes with a number of benefits including anti-aging effects, pleasure, happiness, appetite and pain reduction, and muscle mass.
[49:35] We need a whole body approach to sexual health. It's not just about testosterone.

Mentioned in this Episode:

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Love, Oxytocin, and Contribution with Dr. Anna Cabeca Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Anna shares the story of her experience struggling with PTSD and the fear of losing everything she had worked so hard to build up over the years, and how, through those struggles, she discovered the power of being willing to receive as well as contribute and give back. Learn why oxytocin is the most powerful hormone of all and how living a life of contribution is the best life you can have.

[0:55] Community is healing. Being in a community increases oxytocin in the body which is the most powerful hormone responsible for the feeling of love and connection.
[2:15] Our energy, thoughts, and emotions are held in certain parts of the body. We usually associate oxytocin with the heart, which is why heartbreak is a common and easily understood emotion. It's a physical as well as an emotional experience.
[3:45] Dr. Anna was in California last weekend where she spent some relaxing time at a spa. While she was there she met a chiropractor who helped Dr. Anna release some tension in her back and during the treatment they did muscle energy testing to identify the source of the tension.
[6:05] Dr. Anna tells the story of how her mother met her father, and how an early childhood experience of seeing her father lose his job impacted her. These memories came up during the treatment.
[8:25] In the summer of 2017, Dr. Anna was struggling with PTSD after her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury. She closed her practice and rented out her house, all while struggling with being a single mom and going into perimenopause.
[11:00] During that time, she had patients coming to her and asking for her help because doctors aren't comfortable with customizing hormonal therapies. She couldn't prescribe them medicine, but that was when she created Julva and brought the product to the market.
[13:50] That same fear of loss must have been what Dr. Anna's mother felt after leaving the Middle East to marry her father. Sometimes we are hiding things from our children to protect them, but it can still bleed through.
[16:00] Hurricane Irma hit that September which was another devastating hit to Dr. Anna's situation. The storm ruined the place she was staying with her family, and she was forced to turn to the church for support.
[19:00] After some incredible effort from members of the church in cleaning up the destruction, Dr. Anna opened her home to another single mom with kids who had lost virtually everything, and they lived together for several months.
[21:30] The more we contribute to others, the more good things we receive in our lives. After that period of time, Julva became a top selling product in the market.
[22:50] Blessings should be paid forward. The energy of oxytocin is life giving. Through contribution and the giving of ourselves, we can let go of fear and take the next right step.

Mentioned in this Episode:

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

How to Be Wild and Well with Dr. Anna Cabeca and Dani Williamson Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

If you've experienced trauma in your past, know that you're not broken, you're a survivor. Our past experiences can lead to chronic debilitating conditions but they don't have to be a life sentence. Dani Williamson suffered from a number of chronic lifestyle diseases related to her adverse childhood experiences, and now she's on a mission to help people understand how your diet can either heal you or kill you, and how you can overcome what you're suffering from with six steps to living wild and well.

[1:05] Adverse experiences and the physical issues that come up from them are contributing to an explosion of depression, disorders, and suicide. Phone calls to suicide crisis headlines have gone up 800% since the beginning of the pandemic. Age 10 to 24 is the fastest growing demographic for suicide.
[2:45] Dani grew up in a storm of chaos. Her grandfather died by suicide and her mother attempted to kill herself many times. Dani suffered from chronic diarrhea for years from the stress and 15 years later she was in a bad marriage, diagnosed with lupus, and was on the road to committing suicide.
[4:15] Dani's kids were her reason for choosing to continue to live. She packed up and moved and decided to become a nurse practitioner. Despite the improvement in her relationships, Dani was still suffering from several conditions and it wasn't until one doctor, in particular, asked her about her diet did things start to change.
[6:20] Checking her food sensitivities changed the trajectory of her career completely. Dani had seen four gastroenterologists before the age of 40 and not one of them asked Dani what she was eating.
[6:45] Changing her diet turned her world around. She no longer needed to take medication for lupus or IBS, and she healed the inflammation in her body and now she's on a mission to help other people do the same.
[7:35] You can reverse whatever it is that you've turned on from years of chronic dysfunction.
[8:30] Adverse childhood experiences don't define us, but they do impact us. Those kinds of experiences can affect the very wiring of your brain. Dani's mother's second marriage was to a child molester who preyed on Dani when she was younger.
[9:45] Dani's ACE score was 6. If you have a score of 4 or above, your risk of dying from stroke, heart attack, or suicide goes way up. In Dani's practice, she made the realization that almost all of her patients were suffering from some sort of childhood trauma. Dani now uses the ACE evaluation with every patient in her office.
[11:40] Dani recently had a patient with an ACE score of 10 and at the age of 60.
[12:35] Dr. Vincent Felitti was an internal medicine doctor and in 1985 noticed that 50% of the participants in his weight loss clinic were dropping out. One day he asked a patient how old they were when they first had sex, and this lead him to the realization that many of his patients had incredibly adverse childhood experiences.
[15:00] Dr. Felitti started asking more related questions and developed them into the ACE test. He took the test to a number of different academies and was generally rejected until a person from the CDC recognized the importance of the test and they started one of the largest studies ever on childhood trauma.
[16:45] What happens to you before the age of 18 can set you up for a lifetime of chronic lifestyle diseases, depression, suicidal thoughts. Every single chronic lifestyle disease risk is increased by a higher ACE score.
[18:30] Every school missed the effect of adverse childhood experiences. Adverse childhood experiences are the single largest public health crisis in the United States and every single pediatrician should be offering this questionnaire..
[19:30] Women are 50% more likely to have an ACE score higher than 5. Your ACE score is directly linked to stress and the hormone cortisol. When cortisol is high chronically, we know that you have a much higher risk of developing an autoimmune disease.
[22:50] Dani goes over the 10 ACE questions and how many people assume their experiences are the normal childhood experiences that most people have.
[26:50] The ACE score is now a fundamental component of how Dani understands a patient's situation and what may contribute to their issues.
[29:15] If you feel triggered right now, this could be your opportunity to recognize what has happened to you and turn things around. Your diet, sleep, and movement define the quality of your life and you can take back control.
[31:15] Irregular bowel movements are a clue that you are not eating properly. You should be having a bowel movement once or twice a day, and if that's not the case you need to look at your diet. Your diet controls 90% of your health.
[33:30] If your diet is mainly coming from a drive-thru window, you are creating systemic inflammation in your body. Inflammation is the root of every chronic lifestyle disease.
[34:45] Many of the people with high ACE scores usually don't have a community around them, and that's a big component of being able to heal. Social interactions reduce stress. We heal in community and in communion with others.
[36:30] Giving back to a community takes your mind off your problems and increases oxytocin, one of the most powerful positive hormones in your body. During the pandemic, Dani started hosting physically distanced cookouts each weekend to create a sense of community that was being lost.
[38:40] As adults, you have to automate, eliminate, and delegate everything that isn't serving you and your family.
[39:40] Dani offers a class to patients before they see her called the six steps to healing. In terms of diet, Dani walks the talk. She started with one small step at a time
[40:45] You have to put yourself first because you are worthy of that. It takes time to rewire your brain and beliefs, but when you do and you're running at 100% it trickles down to everything in your life.
[42:30] It's also important to find a therapist to help you sort through the trauma in your own life. Don't be afraid to ask if they have a sliding scale if you need to and to find the right therapist for you.
[43:40] Dani's book is common-sense practical medicine. She wrote the book so that anyone can understand that garbage in equals garbage out, and that the average person who wants to feel better has a path forward.
[45:45] Dani tells the story of a patient suffering from a number of chronic lifestyle diseases, including being morbidly obese and having an ACE score of 9. Between addressing her adverse childhood experiences and finding out what her food sensitivities are, she's turning around her entire world.
[50:45] There is no age limit on health. It takes time to change and improve, but when you see the improvements in your life and how you feel, you will feel motivated to stay consistent and keep going.
[52:15] Dani and Dr. Cabeca discussthe origin story and benefits of Naltrexone. To find a functional medicine doctor in your area, go to ifm.org or speak to your local compounding pharmacist.

Mentioned in this Episode:

daniwilliamson.com

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Breaking Up with a Toxic Ex-Boyfriend (aka Sugar) with Dr. Anna Cabeca Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Halloween is essentially the beginning of an avalanche of sugar until the end of the year for most people, but if you're not careful, you may be risking more than just rotting your teeth. Find out why sugar and stress is a deadly combination that you should definitely avoid, why the "diet" in diet soda is a cruel joke, and how you can ditch the toxic boyfriend known as sugar and start living the Keto Green lifestyle right now.

[0:10] This is the season of sugar consumption and stress, and that combination leads to a lot of acidity in your system. It's time to break up with the toxic boyfriend that keeps on coming back, sugar.
[1:35] Halloween is known for sugar, sugar, sugar. And right after Halloween the holiday season starts up and with it comes the temptation to eat even more sugary treats. Unfortunately, stress and glucose together can be a deadly combination that creates acidity and inflammation throughout your body.
[3:25] Getting into the Keto green lifestyle is the secret to breaking up with sugar for good.
[4:00] Dr. Anna's brothers were very into Halloween, and even as adults, still have Halloween parties now, but Dr. Anna is not so enthusiastic after a creepy interaction at the age of 11. Even with those differences between Dr. Anna and her brothers, their relationship with sugar has a familial factor.
[5:30] Dr. Anna has diabetes on both sides of her family, so she's been extremely aware of those risks in her life. Type 2 diabetes is diet controlled and lifestyle based and it often results in Type 3 diabetes, also known as Alheimer's and Dementia. The combination of sugar and cortisol is a timebomb waiting to happen.
[6:30] When Dr. Anna was on her healing journey around the world, she met a Native American shaman that recognized that she had high levels of sugar and acidity in her system and was surprised that Dr. Anna wasn't suffering from cancer already.
[7:10] Keto Green is the opposite of sugar. It's ketones and alkalinity, and when you're in that state, you have the willpower to avoid sugar cravings.
[7:30] Sugar is so addictive because it directly affects the dopamine in your brain, which is the hormone of addiction. 100 years ago, we consumed an average of 10-15 grams of sugar per day. Modern humans consume 10 times that amount.
[8:15] Diet soda is a cruel joke. Just like sugar, artificial sweeteners trigger the same set of physiological processes. The worst thing is that artificial sweeteners will actually make you fatter. Studies on rats showed an association between consumption and incidents of metabolic syndromes like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
[10:30] When your palate is cleansed, artificial sweeteners don't taste good. Listen to what your taste buds are telling you.
[11:15] Eliminate aspartame from your diet completely. Dr. Anna helps people recover from the effects of artificial sweeteners because it's a critical part of healing from the neurological effects.
[12:15] Whether you have the genetics for diabetes, you can reverse and improve your insulin response. Dr. Anna's father suffered from type 2 diabetes for years, and the symptoms gradually changed him over time. After speaking with his doctor, Dr. Anna decided to take her father's case on herself.
[16:10] Dr. Anna put her father on an early version of her Keto Green diet, took away three of his medications and added a few supplements to his regime. In 30 days, her father lost 30 pounds and went from injecting 120 units of insulin per day to 20 units, and he began to feel amazing.
[17:30] You are never too old to change things up in your life and your diet. Replacing sugar with healthy fats will transform your life.
[19:30] Don't fall down the spiral of sugar addiction. Make strategic and healthy substitutes that taste great and empower you to avoid putting toxic sugar and artificial sweeteners in your body.
[20:30] Give your kids healthy options. When they are full and satiated, they aren't going to want treats all the time. Give them reasons why the sugar isn't good for them and give them healthy options that taste great.
[22:00] There is a lot going on in the world, but you can make a change by taking one step at a time. Write down what your next right step is, and then go take that step.

Mentioned in this Episode:

youtube.com/thegirlfrienddoctor

dranna.com/show

Core Connections with Dr. Anna Cabeca and Erica Ziel Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

Erica Ziel, deep core exercise specialist, talks about the deep connections throughout the body and how your fascia and muscles impact everything from your toes to the top of your head. Learn about how Erica helps her students heal and release their fascia from inherited patterns of movement that cause dysfunction, and how to properly train your core to support your body and move without pain.

[0:30] As a child, Erica had daily knee pains that only got worse as the years went on. After finally seeing a specialist about the pain, she was told the solution was to simply strengthen her legs. This put her on the path to learn about exercise science and the body. She began developing her own methodologies through her experience, especially when it comes to pre and post-natal women.
[2:30] The pelvic floor and the fascia is a very important area of the body but people don't talk about it or how to address pelvic floor pain. The quality of your life depends a lot on the health of your pelvic floor.
[4:00] So many women are told that healing isn't possible and that they just have to live with the pain and discomfort.
[4:40] One common mistake that women make is drawing their belly toward their spine during exercise. This restricts breathing and blood flow to the pelvic floor. Tucking in your pelvis is another mistake that's come out of the fitness industry. You need to stop focusing solely on your glutes and think about your pelvic position.
[6:15] Constantly rolling your shoulders is also an issue as the forceful movement shuts down your core. The more forceful you are in trying to force your body to do something, the more it rebels.
[7:15] Be aware of how you are holding your body throughout the day. Try to stand more during your day and sit on a flat surface so you sit up taller. How you sit directly impacts your pelvic floor and lower back. Let your shoulders relax and use your mid back for support.
[9:05] If you're standing, be aware of your knees. If you are locking your knees, it puts a lot of pressure on your lower back.
[9:50] Dr. Anna has been experiencing more soas pain since the beginning of the pandemic. Any negative innervation in the connective tissues of our body is not good. As we age that tissue becomes more stiff and less flexible, which is why Dr. Anna advocates for an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
[11:25] Fascia is connected from head to toe and fascia release is an important part of healing the body. A strong core is critical to the healthy function of the pelvic floor.
[12:50] Our inner line that begins at the big toe and goes up the inner thighs, pelvis, and hips has a direct impact on pelvic floor health. Many women experience back pain or pelvic floor issues without realizing it may be related. Many times, where you feel pain and dysfunction isn't the root cause. It's just the weak link that gave way first.
[14:25] Fascia goes through and around all of our muscles, organs and nerves. Fascia informs the way that we move, some of which is hereditary. It's possible that you may have been walking wrong your whole life because of how you learned when you were a child.
[16:10] The way that we have been moving in our life makes our fascia stronger for that movement pattern. As we walk we should be creating an oppositional spiral throughout our core, but many women are stiff and stuck when they walk. The spiral motion patterns allow the fascia to work throughout the body.
[18:35] It's hard to relearn how to move. You have to trust your body's ability to move and change and improve. We can create new fascia and learn how to become strong in all movements by integrating the entire body as much as possible.
[20:30] Functional exercise that incorporates moving the whole body is game-changing. Doing exercises correctly versus incorrectly makes all the difference in the world. Muscle is the organ of longevity, and women need to exercise to stay flexible, supple, and healthy.
[23:00] Emotions are stored in the muscles of the body, with movement we can release these stuck emotions in the body. Our fascia system is so integrated, that when we start to increase the range of motion we can unlock a lot of feedback, especially when it comes to the pelvic floor.
[26:00] Be ready to let go of the pain and dysfunction that is holding you back. It's a big piece of our healing journey to let go of the emotions related to the pain.
[26:50] During Dr. Anna's healing journey, she learned from several spiritual healers that the breast holds relationships, the kidneys hold fear, the liver holds anger, the pancreas holds guilt, and the bladder holds the fear of letting go. In Eastern medicine, focusing on the emotional and spiritual aspects of healing is crucial and is something that Western medicine misses out on.
[31:05] Your thoughts matter. Being grateful for the good things in your life will have a direct impact on your quality of life. Retrain your mind to focus on the positive instead of the negative and it will change your energy. Movement is an important piece in attaining a higher vibrational energy.
[32:55] Women with dysfunction and pain can be consumed by it. We can become so used to the pain that the body doesn't know what to do when it's not in pain. Erica tells her students that it's not just about healing the body, they have to be open to what else shows up for them in a positive way.
[34:20] We don't have a big enough vision for what our lives could be like, especially when we've been living in dysfunction and pain for a long time.
[35:45] One of the first things to address is posture. Think about lengthening throughout the day. The pelvic floor has more surface area than you think. For optimal pelvic floor function, pelvic tilts are a good all around exercise to practice. As you work on your pelvis and become aware of your breath, you will get a lot of feedback from the body.
[39:15] In order to change our habits, we have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable for a while. It takes time to train the neural pathways that connect your pelvic floor to your breath and to connect with your body. Always keep your movement out of the range of pain and work within that space. Over time your range of motion will expand as it heals.
[41:50] You may have to pull back from high intensity workouts for a brief time as your body learns a new pattern of movement. Erica tells the story of a woman who retrained her body to run faster after giving birth to multiple babies than she did before becoming a mother because of the lack of pain.
[44:40] If you're stuck in a seated position for a long time, there are some simple movements that you can do to not become stiff. Don't force your body to feel something, light movements, awareness of your pelvic position, and a taller posture are enough.
[46:30] If you're using an exercise ball to sit on, be careful about allowing your body to round forward. If you can stay seated more upright they can be a great way to exercise in a seated position.