Stress Hormones & Cortisol... This is the first video in a series of videos I’ve made for the clinic where I work, and this one is about stress hormones and how to balance them.

My approach to hair loss . .. Here ’s how I approach, investigate and treat hair loss hormonally with my patients. I hope you find it helpful.

Hair & Skin Changes in Menopause There are hair and skin changes that happen in menopause. In this video I explain the different changes and how you can manage them.

In this video I’ll tell you about my favourite hormone progesterone! I’ll explain what progesterone does, the differences between synthetic progestin and bio or body-identical progesterone, why it’s my favourite, the benefits and when you should take it.

Watch the video below to learn about Testosterone for Women... In this video I explain why women need testosterone and when you should take it and how.

Many of my patients have been asking me about this medication and if it is suitable for them after reading about it in the press. Here is what you need to know. This medication is already approved for diabetes treatment. It belongs to a family of drugs called GLP-1 (or glucagon like peptide-1). It has recently been studied for weight loss and there’s been a trial of 2,000 patients that have shown a 14.9% total body weight loss compared with 2.9% in the placebo group over 68 weeks. It is now being studied further to be approved as a weight loss drug. There is another drug called Liraglutide which is related to Semaglutide which is already approved for weight loss. This is also known as Saxenda. This is a daily injection. This too was originally used for diabetes and then found to be good for weight loss as it influences the hunger hormones and also managing sugars. There are side effects to both these drugs, the main ones being nausea, vomiting or abdominal pains. There is also a risk of acute pancreatitis and more seriously thyroid cancer, so taking a drug like this is serious and should be monitored.     What’s the difference between Saxenda and Ozempic? Saxenda is a daily injection which is licensed already to be prescribed for people with a BMI of 30 or over, or 27 with a risk factor such as raised blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or a family history of cardiovascular disease. Ozempic is not licensed yet as it is being further studied for this use but is a once weekly injection. What I have found in my experience in prescribing these type of drugs. This is no quick fix to losing weight. I have seen people use it and not much lose weight due to eating badly and not managing their diet and exercise. It seems to only work if you are on a dedicated weight management plan already. It definitely can help shift stubborn weight if you are already committed to diet and exercise. Ozempic Bear in mind, the weight loss of almost 15% of body weight took over a year in the trial. So, this isn’t a quick fix at all. So that means if you weighed 90kg it would take over a year to lose 13.5kg (29.7 lbs or 2.13 stones). It is good but certainly not a quick fix.     How it feels when you take these medications. From personal experience, you definitely have a reduced appetite. You can occasionally feel nauseous from time to time or if eating fatty or sugary foods. As I’ve said before, it only seems to work if you are following a good diet and exercising. I have seen this medication really help patients who have struggled with weight loss despite a good lifestyle. This has particularly been helpful in menopausal women where there can be a weight gain as the hormones change. But remember, if used as a quick fix without getting to the root of the weight issues or changing lifestyle, when you stop the medication the weight can come back on. Also, the medication is not cheap, with a box of Saxenda costing over £300. However, it may be a great option to help tackle obesity and consequently the other health issues it can cause.

Hair loss is a major issue that affects confidence and self-esteem in both men and women. I am not a trichologist, but I do find hormonal issues affect hair loss, so it is something I see on a regular basis. Here’s how I treat hair loss: #1 Blood Tests –  I check certain blood tests which affect hair growth such as a thorough thyroid profile and iron levels. Testosterone levels if too high in both men and women can cause hair loss. #2 Hormones –  hormonally, hair loss can affect us at all the different stages of life. For a woman in menopause, the new low levels of hormones can worsen hair loss so taking hormone replacement therapy can help.  In premenstrual women, lower levels of natural progesterone can make hair loss worse. Have you ever noticed that pregnant women often have lovely thick glossy hair? That’s because they have high levels of progesterone to sustain the pregnancy. Taking some progesterone (bio or body identical, NOT synthetic progestin) can help. #3 Stress hormones –  hair can fall out 3 months after a period of stress. If you think this is the case for you, taking supplements like Ashwagandha, B Vitamins, Rhodiola amongst others can help balance the stress hormones and stop hair loss. In some cases, I do an adrenal stress profile test to measure cortisol with my patients. #4 Hair supplements –  often a good hair supplement tablet with biotin, zinc and other ingredients like a marine complex can help, hair is slow to respond to what you’re taking so it can take 3-4 months to see a marked improvement. #5 Hair Tonics –  I work with laboratories in London to make custom made hair tonics for my patients which you apply to the scalp. These can be a combination of hormones and other active ingredients like Finasteride and Minoxidil amongst others. They have great benefits for my patients.

What’s the difference between bio identical, body identical and synthetic hormones? In this video blog I explain the differences between bio identical, body identical and synthetic hormones and why I prescribe what I do.

As well as increasing iodine in your diet, or through supplements, there are other nutritional changes that can be made to support the optimum functioning of the thyroid gland, and therefore increasing your energy levels. Selenium  is important for thyroid function as it helps T4 convert to T3. Sufficient amounts of selenium can be obtained from the diet by having one or two Brazil nuts a day or by eating garlic. Magnesium  is also important for the proper absorption of iodine and can be found in leafy green vegetables and whole grains. B vitamins  specifically vitamins B2 and B3, are needed to help the body use iodine at a cellular level. Vitamin D  is important for the immune system so is very important in Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease. It would also be beneficial to optimise your levels of omega-3 fatty acids, tyrosine, vitamin A and zinc. I advise reducing gluten or wheat if you have intolerances. Doing a detox or cleanse programme such as the energy cleanse is going to optimise your body to peak nutritional condition, as well as exercising, managing stress and taking saunas to aid detoxification and supplements, if needed, to support your nutritional needs. Kelly is a 28-year-old woman who I saw with symptoms of tiredness, low mood and weight gain. Her thyroid function tests revealed a T4 level of 14. I put her on a three-week cleanse programme and advised taking supplements. She also started exercising and managing her stress more effectively. After four months she felt a lot better in herself and had much improved energy levels. Her T4 level was retested and had gone up to 17. The lifestyle and nutritional changes she made improved her symptoms and showed up biochemically on her blood tests too. If you are concerned that your thyroid gland is not functioning well it could be worth getting your TSH, T4 and T3 levels checked. Remember, not all NHS GPs are able to do these tests so you may have to have them done privately, if you want to try too do it naturally. To boost the functioning of your thyroid gland you can look at your diet, making sure you get enough iodine, selenium, vitamin D, magnesium and B vitamins in your food or with supplements.

Spring is in the air and lockdown rules are being reduced. It’s time to try and boost our energy and mood a bit so we’re fighting fit and full of vitality when we can finally start resuming some level of normality in our lives. The quality of our life is directly linked to our mood and energy. It is possible to be physiologically healthy on paper but feel low, run down and tired and really not feel like life is not great and you’re constantly walking through treacle and life is an uphill battle. Here are 5 ways to boost your mood and energy now:  #1 Superfood Me Our diet is not that nutrient based in general. We should be having a minimum of 5 fruit and vegetables a day, but really this is the bare minimum. Ideally between 7-10 a day is ideal.  It can sometimes help to add a superfood supplement to your diet. I use a supplement called Superfoods by Nutri Advanced. This is not a substitute to eating 5-10 a day, but just to improve antioxidants which in turn will boost energy on a cellular level. #2 Get Moving Ok, you probably think yes yes, everyone knows this. But I am not necessarily getting 10,000 steps a day, or running, but building some movement across the day. I love nothing more than blasting out one of my favourite songs for 3-4 minutes and dancing vigorously, or sometimes in between patients I jump up and down 10-20 times to get my body moving. Take regular breaks to move your body and boost your energy. #3 Cut Out What Isn’t Serving You This could be anything, from a toxic friendship, a bad vice like sugar or smoking or your Netflix habit! There are things in our lives that drain us and take a lot of mental energy and lower our mood. Think about cutting these things out and see how your life changes. Here’s a clue, it’s often the thing that you really don’t want to change in your life!! I have recently cut out sugar, it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for years but I love it, and I feel really good! #4 Mindset Is Everything It’s possible to feel like you’re doing everything right for your health, eating right, exercising, taking the supplements, and still, you don’t feel good. Mindset is as important as anything. I start my day with some affirmations, breathing, gratitude and visualisations. When things go wrong, I stop and breathe and try and put myself back in a positive mindset. We have to get better with change and get flexible. It’s not easy and I certainly have my moments, but daily training can help to strengthen your mind to roll with the punches and stay positive and on your goals. #5 Get Your Hormones in Order One of the most satisfying aspects of my work is seeing my patients transform their lives after trying many different things with my intervention. It is totally possible to be ‘doing all the right things’ and not feeling the benefit if your hormones are not in balance. I love seeing a patient and balancing their sugars, female hormones, thyroid and stress hormones and watching their lives transform. Knowledge is power and once you understand your hormones it makes all the difference to your health. For example, you can eat certain things at different times of the month and exercise in different ways in the first half and the second half of your cycle which can balance the hormones. There are supplements that can help balance the stress hormones. If your stress hormones are high often it can affect your energy and mood and weight. You don’t have to be diabetic to have a fluctuating blood sugar that can be affecting energy and mood and weight. Of course, lifestyle changes help but sometimes specific hormone interventions can revolutionise your health and wellbeing.

I have always had a struggle with my weight. I have tried juice diets, the Atkin’s diet, shake diets, keto, low carb, no carb, diet clubs – you name it, I’ve given it a go. I have lost weight before but struggled to keep it off. I exercise on a regular basis and I’m reasonably active. I’m a doctor and have trained in functional medicine, integrative medicine and hormones, so I am fairly educated on what is good for health and what isn’t. Yet until I started doing a deep dive into my own hormones, I didn’t realise what the problem was and why I couldn’t lose weight. As a hormone doctor, I’ve helped thousands of women feel energised, less stressed, feel happier, healthier and lose weight. After years of helping others, I decided to introduce the same principles to myself, with remarkable results. The old saying ‘physician, heal thy self first’ has never been so apt. Here’s what I did:  Step 1:   I checked my hormones at day 21 of my cycle. I had high oestrogen and poor oestrogen metabolism, which means I don’t break down my oestrogens well and with the high levels, if left untreated this could increase my risk for breast cancer. High levels of oestrogen also cause weight gain, especially around the middle. I also had low levels of testosterone. Testosterone is thought of as a male hormone, however women do need some to boost energy, fat burning and metabolism. I boosted my oestrogen metabolism by adding in the supplement’s Calcium D-glucarate, DIM and Resveratrol. I already took B vitamins which also help with the process. I also added more green vegetables, raw vegetables and flaxseeds into my diet during days 7-14 of the cycle, when the oestrogen is at the highest to cause ovulation, as this helps the metabolism too. I started using a low dose of testosterone cream daily to boost my levels. I noticed this helped my energy and stamina for working out and I ached less after too!     Step 2:   Checking my stress hormones. I checked my cortisol throughout the day on a urine test. Cortisol is a stress hormone made by our adrenal glands. We need stress hormones but too much physical, emotional, environmental or psychological stress causes imbalances in their functioning. My cortisol was quite raised at night and in the morning. I am not surprised as I have a tendency to be highly strung. I introduced a daily meditation, prayer and gratitude practice to manage my stress. I started some regular yoga and walks in nature. I added in Ashwagandha and Rhodiola supplements. These are both adaptogens which help the balance the stress hormones on a molecular level by regulating a stable balance in the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands.    Step 3 :  Checking for insulin resistance. My blood sugars were normal but my HbA1c, which is the measure of sugar in the red blood cells over 8 weeks, was at the top end of normal and my insulin level was on the high end too. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas and it regulates our blood sugar. My blood sugar was normal, but a lot of insulin was needed to keep it normal. The more insulin in the system, the more inflammation there is in the system and the harder it is to lose weight. I added in certain supplements and medication to regulate my insulin production. I also lowered sugary foods and foods with a high glycaemic index such as starchy carbohydrates. I did also do a thorough thyroid blood test as this can be a common reason for weight gain, but this was normal for me. The result has been sustained weight loss. I do still need to maintain my exercise and diet to keep my weight off, but life is so much easier now I know how to hack my hormones to maintain my weight loss.

The oral contraceptive pill provides great contraception for many women. Some women also take it to regulate polycystic ovaries. However, taking the contraceptive pill does shut down your own ovarian function and can also deplete certain nutrients in the body. These are the supplements I would recommend if you’re taking the pill: Magnesium B Vitamins, especially folic acid and B6 Zinc Vitamin C However, Vitamin A levels seem to improve, so you probably don’t need extra supplements for that. It’s also important to remember that as the ovarian production of hormones are shut off, testosterone can be lowered. Testosterone is an important hormone for mood, energy, strength, focus, concentration and motivation. It is possible to supplement this if needed.