Beating Brain Fog with Dr Sabina Brenna, Neuroscientist & Psychologist - Best Bits #6

 For many of us, alcohol is woven into our lives, whether it’s a glass of wine at dinner or a night out with friends. It provides the backdrop to most big occasions, both happy and sad. But how does it affect us during menopause, when our bodies are changing in so many ways? And how does it influence our hormones and our health? The festive season is fast approaching, and with that can come a lot of pressure, because there’s always a lot to do, and our social schedule can fill up alarmingly. So, this episode is all about forward planning to help you get through this hectic time unscathed. I take a closer look at our relationship with alcohol, how it may be affecting our menopause experience, and how small shifts in our approach to drinking could make a big difference to our health.My guest is the brilliant Sarah Williamson, life coach and founder of Drink Less, Live Better, and author of an excellent book of the same name. But trust me! There’s no preaching here. In 2019 she decided to take a break from alcohol for one year... and hasn't gone back to it, there was no rock-bottom, no drama - just a feeling that perhaps alcohol wasn't providing all the benefits she thought it was.  She’s found that the relationship with alcohol is often the final bit of the jigsaw for many midlife women in getting a handle on their wellbeing. Sarah talks a lot of sense, and I love her practical, compassionate and non-judgemental approach. You’ll find some very helpful advice in this episode on how to manage your relationship with alcohol. Join The Happy Menopause Club to access this month's bonus episode: Drink Smarter, Not More: 7 Quick Wins for Cutting Back This Festive Season. If you’re a fan of The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family about it, and make sure you click the follow or subscribe button on whichever platform you listen on to make sure you never miss an episode. It really does make a huge difference to the algorithms which influence the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

This is a special episode which shines a spotlight on nutrition to celebrate World Menopause Day, It’s actually a re-release of one of my most popular episodes, which I thought you might like to discover or rediscover, because it’s packed with useful information and foodie tips. I thought it was important to focus on foods to balance out my other special, which is on this year’s WMD theme of HRT. In that episode, BMS menopause specialist Kathy Abernethy debunks some of the myths and mysteries around HRT. But whether you take HRT or not, the right nutrition is incredibly important. The better you eat, the more effective your HRT will be. Because it’s basically just hormones. The body still needs to know what to do with those hormones, and this is where your diet comes in. Different nutrients are key catalysts in the chain reaction of our hormones that affect all the systems in our body. And if you’re not taking HRT, the right food is even more important to help you manage your symptoms.In this episode, I’ve picked out my 10 favourite foods to support a healthy menopause. There’s something for everyone in there, and there might be a couple of surprises too! Get your notebooks ready so you can plan your menopause-friendly shopping list!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, please do leave a 5-star rating and a review on Apple podcasts or whichever platform you listen on and make sure you tell all your friends – it makes a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast and really helps to spread the word. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

HRT (or MHT) isn’t natural territory for The Happy Menopause podcast, but as it’s the theme for this year’s World Menopause Day, I thought it would be remiss of me not to cover it.HRT has become a pretty contentious issue in recent years, with a lot of people being very entrenched in the strongly for or strongly against position. And amongst all that there are quite a lot of self-styled experts, who are anything but expert in the matter! I’ve been concerned to see the impact this has had on women in midlife, who’ve often become confused, fearful or distressed about the lack of clarity and some of the disturbing messages about the risks if you do take it or the risks if you don’t take it. As with all things, there is nuance here, so for this episode I’ve reached out to the excellent Kathy Abernethy whose menopause credentials are beyond question. She’s a trained nurse and BMS menopause specialist who’s been working as a clinician in the menopause arena since the 90s. Kathy is a hugely respected figure and has helped thousands of women over the years with her evidence-based advice and clinical support. She came on the show in Season 2 to talk about solutions for vaginal dryness, and I was delighted to welcome her back to shine a light on HRT, provide clarity and bust some of the many myths that are out there. We explore 12 key questions and myths about HRT. We look whether you can be too old or too young; how your medical history affects things; whether you’re just putting off the inevitable; what happens if you don’t take it; and more. Tune in for the inside track and a balanced, evidence-based view of this complex subject from someone who’s a genuine expert. If you’re interested in the diet and lifestyle side of menopause management, check out my other World Menopause Day special on 10 Foods to Focus on for the Menopause. And if you want ongoing support every month, you really should consider joining The Happy Menopause Club for bonus episodes, articles, Q&As and videos at thehappymenopause.com.If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and please give it a 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Aromatherapy is much more complex than just lighting a scented candle. The essential oils of flowers, plants, wood, nuts or seeds can have a powerful effect on the body. In this episode, we explore how aromatherapy might support us in midlife, menopause and beyond. My guest is Amy Anthony, a certified aromatherapist and aromatherapy educator who’s an expert in this intricate area. She practices as an aromatherapist in New York City and has taught at the former New York Institute for Aromatherapy and the Centre for Aromatic Studies. We talk about the multitude of ways that aromatherapy can support our health and wellbeing. Amy explains the different essential oils and how they can help us.  She also shares some practical advice on how we can use them safely.  We discuss the brilliance of bergamot, the restorative powers of rose, how rosemary can revitalise us and why we should love lavender. It’s an absolutely fascinating session – she even shares a couple of recipes that you can find in the show notes on my website. If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and please give it a 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Tune into this short message for some VERY exciting news. I’m going to introduce you to The Happy Menopause Club, which is where all the cool midlife women hang out! There’s loads of great content on there for you that I’ve prepared especially for you and I tell you all about it in this short clip. If you can’t wait to find out about it, visit thehappymenopause.com and sign up straight away. I can’t wait to see you there. This month in the club:  - A members-only podcast episode on Best Breakfasts - A live Q&A on nutrition for bone health - A menopause masterclass on 5 Foods to Focus on to Manage Symptoms - My article on 7 Things You Really Need to Know About the Perimenopause - Member’s chat - A special offer of 25% off my book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You FlourishSign up at thehappymenopause.com!Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Medicinal herbs have been used for centuries to support our health and wellbeing. In fact, some Chinese and Egyptian texts about the use of herbs date back to 3000BC. In this episode I explore the role of herbs in menopause, and how to introduce them into our self-care programme to manage those pesky symptoms. My expert guest is medical herbalist, Hannah Charman. She brings 25 years of clinical experience to the podcast and supports her patients with a combination of herbal medicine, coaching and advanced hypnotherapy. Her specialist area of interest is menopause, and there really isn’t much that she doesn’t know about herbs and how they can help us through the hormonal upheaval during this phase of our life. Hannah explains the therapeutic history of herbs and how it has developed over the centuries. She calls it the people’s medicine and she’s picked out her top 5 herbs for managing the menopause. She takes us through each one in detail, explaining what it is, how it impacts the body, how it can relieve symptoms, where it grows, how it can work with food, and how you could use to support yourself. She also shares some very helpful advice on the use of herbs generally and how to ensure that you use them safely and effectively. It’s a fascinating episode with a hugely helpful range of tips.  In fact, it gave me a real urge to create my own herb garden! If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and please give it a 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Premenstrual disorders can make life incredibly miserable. Any woman who’s struggled with PMS will know that, and I covered that specific issue in the closing episode to Season 5. This episode is a follow-on from that, as I drill down into PMDD – premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Although it occurs in the 2nd half of the cycle, this isn’t just a severe form of PMS. It’s a hormone-based mood disorder caused by a severe reaction to the natural fluctuations of oestrogen and progesterone which can lead to intense emotional reactions, depression, negativity, brain fog and fatigue, amongst other things. There are no prizes for guessing that PMDD can get a lot worse during the perimenopause which is why I’ve drafted in some expert advice on this. My guest is Dr Lynsay Mathews. She’s a lecturer in Public Health at the University of the West of Scotland and a leading researcher into PMDD, a condition she’s struggled with herself. Lynsay launched the UK’s first PMDD research agenda and works with a team of researchers on several studies covering a range of PMDD issues. She’s just the woman we need for such a complex subject. We discuss what PMMD is; why it might happen; how it can affect you and your loved ones; how you know you’ve got it and the challenges of diagnosis. Lynsay talks through her own personal story of PMDD and how it inspired her to initiate numerous research projects into the condition. We look at the stats around PMDD and the number of unsuspecting women who may be struggling with symptoms. She also explains the various treatment options that are available. It's an incredibly thought-provoking discussion and made me wonder just how many women out there might have PMDD and don’t realise it. If you suspect that it might be an issue for you and you’d like to find out more and perhaps sign up for one Lynsay’s studies, I’ve put all the relevant links in the show notes. This month, the Happy Menopause Club is covering best breakfasts, there’s a live Q&A on nutrition for bone health and you can discover 7 key things you need to know about the perimenopause. Sign up at thehappymenopause.com for just £6 a month for bonus episodes, nutrition Q&As, menopause masterclasses, special offers and more! If you’re a fan of The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family about it, and do give it a 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on. It makes a huge difference to the algorithms which influence the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

September is a good time for new beginnings, so if you’re thinking about how to build up your strength and fitness if you’ve let things slide a bit this summer, this is the episode for you. In this episode I chat to the brilliant Cara Metz. She’s an absolute testament to the transformative power of healthy living. A dancer from a very early age, she went on to become the Latin American British Open champion and developed a career as an international dancer, coach and teacher. Following her retirement from professional dancing, she decided to channel her experience and energy into becoming a fitness expert, and has created her trademark approach of short blasts of exercise specifically designed to fit the schedule of the busy midlife woman. Think you don’t have time to exercise? Think again!Cara is such an inspiration. Her story is fascinating and I’m a big fan of her exercise snacking approach. She takes us through the thinking behind her fitness programmes and why it works so well for midlife women. We discuss the different types of exercise which are important and relevant to women in this stage of life and she shares a few moves for us to try. It’s a really energising episode!If you’ve enjoyed the podcast, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and please give it a 5 star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

You know when it’s coming don’t you? That time of the month, when people start to tiptoe around you and discretion is definitely the better part of valour amongst your loved ones. Woe betide the fool that dares to suggest you’re a little hormonal – especially if it’s a man! Yep, I’m talking about PMS, premenstrual syndrome, which is the focus of this month’s episode PMS can make life miserable, and it can affect different women in different ways, because the symptoms can include irritability, low mood, sheer rage, headaches, bloating, back pain, sore breasts, skin breakouts, anxiety, IBS and poor sleep. We women really lucked out, didn’t we? This episode explores:-       What PMS is and why it happens-       What’s going on with your cycle-       The role of progesterone in PMS-       PMS or PMDD?-       Factors that influence hormone balance-       The role of nutrition in managing PMS-       Specific foods to focus on, and what to avoidIt’s time to stop putting up and shutting up! This is your opportunity to make a material difference to something that might have been affecting you for years. If you enjoyed the podcast, don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode and please give it 5 star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on, I’d be so grateful. And do tell your friends and family about it too. It really does make a huge difference to the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. After all, every woman deserves to have a happy menopause.Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.

Do you ever wonder what you came upstairs for, forget where you’ve parked the car or find yourself grappling for the right word that just won’t come? These are all common concerns for women in midlife because brain fog is one of the classic symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.In my latest Best Bit to celebrate half a million downloads for The Happy Menopause podcast, I’m focusing on brain fog because all that hormonal turmoil plays havoc with the oestrogen receptors in your brain. The resulting forgetfulness, poor concentration and focus, plus a general sense of your brain not firing on all cylinders can be incredibly disconcerting. I’ve come across many women in my nutrition clinic who were genuinely worried about early onset Alzheimer’s when it was actually all about the hormones.  So I’m diving back to Season 2, where we get to the bottom of brain fog with the delightful Dr Sabina Brennan. She’s a chartered health psychologist, neuroscientist and host of the Super Brain podcast, so brains are very much her business! Her book Beating Brain Fog is a wonderful read, with lots of practical strategies to support and tune up your brain. Tune in to hear just some of what she’s got to say about this tricky subject and for the full episode scoot back to Season 2, Episode 16, where there’s a whole load more advice for you that I couldn’t squeeze into this taster. Enjoy!If you’re a fan of The Happy Menopause, please tell your friends and family, and do give it a 5-star rating and a short review on Apple podcasts, or whichever platform you listen on. It makes a huge difference to the algorithms which influence the visibility of the podcast, so that more women can find the show. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, plus a whole load of exclusive advice around menopause, join The Happy Menopause Club for just £6 per month. Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish.