Are You Menstrual?

Amanda Montalvo

Welcome to the Are You Menstrual Podcast with your host, Amanda, a women’s health dietitian. In this podcast, Amanda helps you navigate the confusing world of women’s hormones and teach you how to have healthy periods. Each week will be diving into a different topic on women’s health and sharing our perspective using nutrition, female physiology, and metabolic health. The goal is to help you wade through conflicting health information and empower you on your healing journey. We hope you enjoy it! Website: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com

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Health & FitnessHealth & Fitness

Episodes

Light, Your Circadian Rhythm, & Your Hormones with Carrie Bennett
Dec 11 2023
Light, Your Circadian Rhythm, & Your Hormones with Carrie Bennett
In this episode, I am joined by Carrie Bennett, to teach you about light, circadian rhythm, and how these impact your hormones. As a college athlete, supposedly at the pinnacle of health, Carrie began suffering chronic joint issues and insomnia. After her first child was born, she developed debilitating stomach pain, adrenal fatigue, and brain fog. Armed with a BS in Biology, an MS in Nutrition, and certifications as a personal trainer, massage therapist, and breathing coach, she still couldn't find the root of her issues. That's when she found quantum biology. Now, as an online educator, clinician, and faculty member of the Quantum Biology Collective, Carrie's mission is to teach her clients how to create a healing environment by applying quantum health strategies around light, water, electrons, and mitochondrial support. Given these tools, clients who have spent years trying to improve their health—just as Carrie did—finally experience powerful healing and lasting benefits.As always, everything shared in this episode is for informational purposes only. We encourage you to do your own research and talk with your healthcare provider to figure out what’s best for you. What we cover:Why circadian rhythm is important for our health, especially hormonesHow our light exposure impacts circadian rhythmHow to optimize our CR in the modern worldHealthy light exposure and support CR during the winter monthsThyroid Mineral Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/e5aa246b68Connect with Carrie:Website: https://www.carriebwellness.com/ Online Courses: https://www.carriebwellness.com/store Online Community: https://www.carriebwellness.com/community Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carriebwellness/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@carriebwellness Quantum Biology Certification Course for Practitioners: https://www.appliedquantumbiology.com/institute-of-applied-quantum-biology?affiliate_id=3816502Free circadian start kit: https://www.carriebwellness.com/startConnect with Me: My Favorite Paleovalley Products: www.paleovalley.com/hormonehealingrd   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
The Root Cause of Reflux with Michelle Shapiro, RD
Dec 4 2023
The Root Cause of Reflux with Michelle Shapiro, RD
In this episode, I am interviewing Michelle Shapiro, an integrative functional registered dietitian who's going to unravel the confusion that often surrounds reflux treatment. We'll explore why conventional medicine's approach to reflux may not always be in your stomach's best interest, and why you may sometimes need to fuel the fire. Michelle helps us understand the contributing factors of reflux symptoms – ranging from a burning throat and chest pain to that nagging feeling of hunger paired with nausea. Michelle also cautions about supplements and touches on the complex relationship between pregnancy, hiatal hernias, and how managing stress and histamine levels plays a vital role in your health.If you've ever wondered about the connection between stress, your thyroid, and the importance of listening to your body – you won't want to miss this episode. We also have a special Q&A waiting for you over at patreon.com/hormonehealingrd.As always, this episode is for informational purposes only.  Please talk with your healthcare provider to figure out what's best for you. This episode covers:Common symptoms of acid refluxCauses of high and low stomach acid levelsConnection between histamines, stomach acid, and acid-reducing drugsThe impact of pregnancy on reflux and histamine intoleranceStrategies for reflux relief and dietary managementThyroid Mineral Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/e5aa246b68Connect with Michelle:Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/michelleshapirord/ Website: https://michelleshapirord.com/ Quiet The Diet Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quiet-the-diet/id1663088026Connect with Me: My Favorite Paleovalley Products: www.paleovalley.com/hormonehealingrd   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
Fatigue Case Study
Oct 23 2023
Fatigue Case Study
In this episode, we are wrapping up our case study series with a case study focusing on fatigue. Our third case is of a previous course student and 1:1 client, Taylor. This case study is shared with permission. We did change her name and a few details to protect her privacy. As always, this episode is for informational purposes only. Please talk with your healthcare provider before making any nutrition or lifestyle changes. Taylor came to us with extreme fatigue (and I mean extreme) and a slew of other symptoms that were very concerning to her. She started out in the Master Your Minerals course and then did a results review with me. She discovered she had very low mineral levels and was as depleted as she felt. After making some hard life decisions and prioritizing her health, she regained the energy she lost and started to feel like herself again.This episode covers:Her main concerns and symptoms, including what she had previously triedTaylor's stress timeline, what she was doing well, and where we decided to focusHer HTMA results and the very few additional interventions we added as a resultTaylor's healing ups and downs over the next seven monthsMy Favorite Paleovalley Products: www.paleovalley.com/hormonehealingrd   Minerals 101 Guide: https://hormonehealingrd.com/opt-in/mineral-101-freebie-pc/Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
Gut Health Case Study
Oct 16 2023
Gut Health Case Study
We have our second case study this week focusing on a gut health case. Erin is joining me again to help break it all down for you. We went through a thyroid case last week, so if that’s of interest to you, make sure you listen to the previous episode as well. We will wrap up the case study series with a final review of a client that struggled with fatigue and energy issues next week. Our second case is of a previous course student and 1:1 client, Jenna. I reached out to her to ask if we could share her story since I think many people will relate. We did change her name, but all other details are accurate.Jenna’s main concerns were not necessarily digestive symptoms, but many things came back to the poor health of her gut, which is why we chose her for this case. Her main concerns were headaches/migraines around her cycle, acne, hair loss, and recurrent UTI’s and yeast infections. She did an HTMA through the Master Your Minerals course and had very high copper and calcium. It freaked her out and she wanted additional guidance so she got 1:1 support through a results review and then became a 1:1 client to work deeper on healing her gut after rebalancing her copper levels. This allowed her to reduce her acne, headaches/migraines, and get rid of the recurrent infections she was dealing with. And most importantly to her, finally put a stop to her hair loss.This episode covers:Jenna's main concerns and symptoms, including what she had previously triedCreate her stress timeline, determine what she was doing well, and where to focusThree phases of interventions based on her HTMA resultsJenna's healing results in the months followingMinerals 101 Guide: https://hormonehealingrd.com/opt-in/mineral-101-freebie-pc/Practitioner Program Waitlist: https://bit.ly/3ZszVfL Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Mineral Quiz: https://bit.ly/3ycEn4h Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
Thyroid Case Study
Oct 9 2023
Thyroid Case Study
We have our first case study this week and joining me to break it all down for you is one of my clinical nutritionists, Erin. We will be covering a thyroid case this week since that’s what my patrons wanted the most and then next week we will dig into a digestive/gut health case. We will wrap up the case study series with a final review of a client that struggled with fatigue and energy issues. Our first case is of a previous course student and 1:1 client, Tina. I reached out to her to ask if we could share her story since I think many people will relate. We did change her name, but all other details are accurate.Tina’s main concern was thyroid health and specifically, Hashimoto’s. She did an HTMA through the course and noticed her calcium was really high. When she got 1:1 support we worked on rebalancing calcium through her nutrition and lifestyle primarily, as stress was a big part of her high calcium. This gave her the energy she was looking for and greatly reduced her thyroid antibodies since high calcium can slow down our metabolism and impact all systems in the body. This episode covers:Tina's main concerns and symptoms, including what she had previously triedCreate her stress timeline and determine foundational interventionsHer HTMA lab testing resultsAdditional interventions based on her HTMA resultsTina's healing ups and downsThyroid Mineral Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/e5aa246b68Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-courseMy Favorite Paleovalley Products: www.paleovalley.com/hormonehealingrd
How To Thrive During Menopause
Sep 25 2023
How To Thrive During Menopause
In this episode, I am focusing on an important topic that has been heavily requested, menopause! When I think about how to thrive during menopause and set yourself up for success, I think of four main areas: thyroid, stress, nutrition, and our daily habits. If you’ve already gone through menopause, I just want to say it’s never too late to work on the things I cover today. Also, if you did a lot of work and feel like you’ve tried all the things but are still really struggling through menopause, I know that can be really hard, but making nutrition and lifestyle changes is still supporting your long term health. It’s easy to forget that everything we’ve done our entire lives is going to impact our menopausal experience. When we’ve lived a certain way for a long time it can take time to undo a lot of that dysfunction. Be patient and know you are still doing really good things for your body and future health. As always, this episode is for informational purposes only. Please talk with your healthcare provider before making nutrition, lifestyle, or supplement changes.This episode covers:How suboptimal thyroid function leads to symptoms experienced during menopauseRecommendations to reduce stressorsTips for supporting a healthy stress responseThree nutrition tips for menopausal womenDaily habits to support your body through menopauseGet Your Paleovalley Beef Sticks: https://paleovalley.com/hormonehealingrd Thyroid Mineral Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/e5aa246b68Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
Nervous System 101 with Irene Lyon
Sep 11 2023
Nervous System 101 with Irene Lyon
Joining me on today's episode is Irene Lyon, MSC. and nervous system expert. Irene teaches people around the world how to work with the nervous system to transform trauma, heal body and mind, and live full, creative lives. To date, her online programs and classes have reached over 9,500 people in over 90 countries. Irene has a Master’s Degree in Biomedical and Health Science and also has a knack for making complex info easy for ALL of us to understand and apply to our lives. She has extensively studied and practices the works of Dr. Moshé Feldenkrais, Peter Levine (founder of Somatic Experiencing) and Kathy Kain (founder of Somatic Practice). Irene spends her free time eating delicious food, hiking in the mountains or walking along the Pacific Ocean in her hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia.Continue our conversation inside Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd In this episode, we cover:Irene's background and what brought her to the work she does todaySigns that your nervous system is out of balanceWhat you need to know when it comes to healing your nervous systemSurvival stress and how it impacts our nervous systemConstantly calming ourselves and the window of toleranceThe best way to start healing our nervous systemConnect with Irene:https://irenelyon.com/field-guide-to-your-nervous-systemhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBkXgr0E9ZWUg4iSDEUKqVA https://irenelyon.com/ https://www.instagram.com/irenelyon/Thyroid Mineral Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/e5aa246b68Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
3 Minerals That Impact Mental Health
Sep 4 2023
3 Minerals That Impact Mental Health
In this episode, we are continuing the topic of mental health from our previous episode with my mentor, Brendan Vermeire, and diving into how three specific minerals can impact our mental health: copper, zinc, and iron.  Since all of the minerals covered today have their own separate deep dives that go into all the nuance of their functions, testing, etc., you can also find bonus episodes for them inside patreon.com/hormonehealingrd when you join at the exclusive tier. This gives you access to ALL content I’ve ever shared on Patreon, where the $10 tier gives you access to what has been shared that month and every month moving forward. Quick reminder, this podcast is for informational purposes only. Please talk with your healthcare provider before making any nutrition or lifestyle changes. This episode covers:Mental health during the postpartum period and excess copperHow to support excess copperThe connection between zinc deficiency and mental health conditionsWhether you should supplement with zincIron deficiency and excess iron's impact on our mental healthHow to support optimal iron statusThyroid Mineral Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/e5aa246b68Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
Holistic Mental Health with Brendan Vermeire
Aug 28 2023
Holistic Mental Health with Brendan Vermeire
In today's episode, I am chatting with Brendan Vermeire, a Mental and Metabolic Health Scientist & Researcher, Functional Medicine Educator, Writer, and Speaker.  He is a Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Master Nutrition Coach, Master Personal Trainer, USAW Sports Performance Coach, and Crossfit Trainer.He is the proud owner and founder of the Metabolic Solutions Institute for Functional Health and Fitness Practitioners and the creator of the Functional Mental Health Practitioner Certificate Course. He is also the founder of the Metabolic Solutions Research & Education Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to ‘changing the way the world views mental health’ through advancing the science of Mental Health Dysfunction.  He is also the creator of The Mental M.A.P.™, a cutting-edge Lab Panel for Mental Health. In this episode, we cover:Brendan's background and journey to the functional mental health fieldMental health issues and chemical imbalances, with Brendan's viewpoint about the root of our mental health concernsWhat is driving epigenetic changes and how can they show up as mental illnessHow early life stress in childhood can alter our behaviorChasing root causes of health issues and trauma responsesHow mold impacts our brains, and its connection to mental healthBrendan's advice for individuals struggling with their mental healthConnect with Brendan:www.metabolicsolutionsllc.comhttps://www.facebook.com/metabolicsolutionsllc/@the_holistic_savagehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-vermeire-23754693/Thyroid Mineral Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/e5aa246b68Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
How To Naturally Detox
Aug 14 2023
How To Naturally Detox
While the internet would have you believe that you need a supplement or cleanse to support your body’s detox pathways, our bodies detoxify daily on their own. We can absolutely have difficulty with certain organs that can negatively impact our ability to detox, but you might be surprised at what will actually help you detox better. No, it’s not milk thistle. While I do love this herb, there’s a lot more to supporting liver detoxification and detoxification in general than just taking a supplement. If you want to learn more about specific foods and supplements that can support detoxification once you have the foundations in place, join patreon.com/hormonehealingrd to get access to this week’s bonus episode where I dive different options for detox support depending on what you have going on. As always, this podcast episode is not medical advice. Please talk with your provider before making any changes to your nutrition, lifestyle, or supplements. This episode covers:How our bodies detox on their ownSigns and symptoms of poor detoxificationFour areas that can hinder detoxificationHow to support and enhance your liver and natural detoxification Free Healthy Period Starter Guide: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/ab86b6faf2 Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
How To Have Healthy Digestion
Aug 7 2023
How To Have Healthy Digestion
As we continue to work through the foundations for season 5, we have an important topic this week: digestion! Many women struggle with their digestion whether that be bloating, constipation, loose stools, reflux, etc. A lot of our digestive struggles come back to our body’s inability to produce optimal digestive juices and enzymes because a lot of us are living in a constantly stressed state or have lived in one in the past. In this episode, I am going to break down exactly how our bodies digest our food and how you can support your own digestion right now at home. If you want to learn more about how to specifically support constipation and loose stools, make sure you join my Patreon at patreon.com/hormonehealingrd. I go into specific things you can do for those two digestive issues in the bonus episode. As always, this podcast episode is not medical advice. Please talk with your provider before making any changes to your nutrition, lifestyle, or supplements. This episode covers:How our body digests foodTapping into your vagus nerve for relaxationHow digestive bitters work to support digestion and overall gut healthBenefits of apple cider vinegar on digestion and overall healthFree Healthy Period Starter Guide: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/ab86b6faf2 Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course
Can Supplements Harm Your Health?
Jul 31 2023
Can Supplements Harm Your Health?
Supplements are so common these days that it’s easy to forget just how powerful they are. You can go to the grocery store, pharmacy, and most prominently, online to find just about anything you need. I think it’s great that access to supplements is so widely available, but the downside to supplements being so readily available is that they are often taken without as much consideration. Because we can add them to our cart so easily, we may not realize that they could cause more harm than good depending on the supplement and the person. Again, supplements are powerful, they are an amazing resource to have, but my goal with this episode is to teach you how to analyze supplements that you’re interested in or that are being marketed to you and know go through a series of questions to have an idea of whether or not they are a good fit for you. I have a bonus episode this week inside Patreon that takes this a step further and highlights certain conditions and supplements that CAN be helpful. You can join my patreon community at patreon.com/hormonehealingrd. As always this is not medical advice. I’m a dietitian but I’m not your dietitian so please talk with your medical provider before making any changes.This episode covers:Supplements & the influencer eraQuestions to ask yourself when considering a supplementCommonly recommended supplements that could cause more harm than goodMineral Quiz:  https://hormonehealingrd.com/guides-support/mineral-quiz/Connect with Me: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hormonehealingrd Free Thyroid Training: https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/bc89ec6723 Feminine Periodical (monthly newsletter): https://hormonehealingrd.ck.page/d0317056cd Master Your Minerals course: https://www.hormonehealingrd.com/master-your-minerals-course