This episode and all of season 1 is sponsored by Become clothing. Themes: FDA, HRT, toxins, menopause, perimenopause Summary: Carmen Stansberry is a nurse practitioner living in San Francisco, California posting to Instagram under the handle Wits and Wellness. I wanted to speak to Carmen because she is so knowledgeable about so many things that impact our care and our health during perimenopause – and not just in the US. She talks a lot about how the for-profit, insurance-based model of health care in the US impacts everything from the FDA approval process to what clinical studies are done to the guidelines doctors use to the screening tests your insurance covers. As a nurse practitioner, Carmen prescribes HRT and she shares her expertise on using bioidentical versions and other advice she gives her patients. She’s also a huge advocate of awareness about the amount of toxins in our environment, whether it’s everyday plastics or the skincare products we use. Highlights: • How the for-profit system impacts health care and why we need to ask questions (4.30) • Why compounding pharmacies are demonized (9.30) • Why you need to pay attention to your Vitamin D (14.00) • How the turf war between conventional and functional medicine impacts women (15.30) • The underlying problems we need to watch out for in perimenopause (25.45) • Her mode of prescribing HRT (28.30) • Back to compounding pharmacies! (36.00) • How hormone-mimicking toxins in our products are making peri/menopause worse (40.00) • Life changes you might need to make to ease your peri/menopause transition (43.00) Where to find Carmen: Instagram: @witsandwellness Web: The Advanced Practice SPONSORS: Become anti-flush cooling clothing | Use code HOTFLASHINC to get a 20 percent discount. The Ritual by Pure | Use code HOTFLASH to get the first month free. Join the Hotflash Inc perimenoposse: Web: hotflashinc.com TikTok: @hotflashinc Instagram: @hotflashinc Twitter: @hotflashinc Episode website: Hotflashinc See hotflashinc.com/privacy-policy for privacy information