Episode Details

I am thrilled to connect with Dr. Lindsey Berkson today. The audacious and tenacious Dr. Berkson is a distinguished hormone scholar from the highly praised Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane. She is the author of 21 books, and her impact on medical literature continues to grow. With her thoughtful manner and infectious enthusiasm for learning, she educates women about their bodies and health.

Our discussion today highlights the importance of supporting the hippocampus and doing targeted cardiovascular exercise. We explore hormone replacement therapy, the timing hypothesis, and why oxytocin is more than just a bonding hormone. We cover endocrine-disrupting chemicals, detoxification, gut health, inflammation, and ways to support immunity, and we examine how oxytocin influences digestion, gut motility, and gut-brain access. We also explain how oxytocin protects our stem cells, prevents gut trauma after colonoscopies, reduces gut inflammation, and supports healthy transit time.

Dr. Berkson’s new book, The Oxytocin Medicine, is truly an incredible resource and one I will reference often. It is most inspiring!

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:

• How a shrinking hippocampus alters women’s identity and resilience

• The value of cardio-respiratory fitness and pushing limits for driving resilience

• How conservative hormone dosing may fail to protect women’s health in perimenopause and beyond

• Women’s Health Initiative messaging created a widespread fear of estrogen.

• Why Dr. Berkson challenges the timing hypothesis 

• The difference between synthetic progestins and naturally made progesterone

• Oxytocin and how it functions as a system-wide hormone

• Importance of detoxification during the perimenopause to menopause transition 

• Consistent patterns are common among women who age with physical and cognitive resilience.

Connect with Cynthia Thurlow  

• Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn

• Check out Cynthia’s website

• Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com

• Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow 

• Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now!

• Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book

• The Midlife Pause Supplement Line

Connect with Dr. Lindsey Berkson

• On her website

• Substack

• The Oxytocin Medicine