Hotflash Inc is a global platform launched by Ann Marie McQueen, a journalist with 25 years of international experience covering health and wellness. It is designed to inform, entertain and encourage the perimenoposse about all things peri/menopause. This episode and all of season 1 is sponsored by Become clothing. Themes: HRT, insulin resistance, cognition, evolution, supplements, stress response, new research Summary: Lara Briden is a Canadian naturopath living and practicing in New Zealand. She’s also the author of two books: the bestselling period repair manual and 2021’s hormone repair manual. With 25 years in clinical practice, Lara is used to being ahead of the curve scientifically. She explains how what is controversial now often ends up being evidence-based standard practice down the road. She provides insightful, nuanced and scientifically detailed dissections of the many intersecting issues involved in the peri/menopause transition. That includes the ever-present and critical impact of insulin resistance, which is impacting one in two of us. Lara talks about the various forms of menopause hormone therapy that are available and how to use them, and why you really might want to explore the role of progesterone in managing your perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Lara also talks about her own experiments with taking HRT; takes on the host’s questions about cognitive challenges and why they might be happening, talks about the all-important role of our body’s stress-response system, and highlights some important supplements to look at. Lara also tackles some of misconceptions surrounding the current peri/menopause conversation and addresses the theory that “evolutionary mismatch” is making many of our symptoms worse. Highlights: • How and why the naturopathic and integrative doctors are often ahead of the curve in terms of research (3.20) • How to decipher what’s going on with bioidentical, body identical, commercial and compounded menopause hormone therapy (9:15) • Progesterone: what’s out there, what’s emerging, and why you may want to consider it for your menopause symptoms (18.30) • Insulin resistance and cognition (32.38) • Why she is trying out menopause hormone therapy and how it’s going (41.17) • Proceeding carefully with testosterone (43.45) • The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (52) • The impact of “evolutionary mismatch” on menopause symptoms (57.53) • Why sugar can cause the brain to self-cannibalize (1.02.12) • Go-to supplements (1.04.07) Where to find Lara Briden: Web: LaraBriden.com Instagram: @larabriden Twitter: @larabriden 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