Why Your “Normal” Labs Might Be Missing Perimenopause Entirely

This week I sat down with Stephanie Dey-Hogan, a nervous system coach who breaks down why chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation might be behind symptoms you've been blaming on hormones, age, or burnout. We talk about how the nervous system connects to your gut, hormones, and immune system, why "normal" labs can still come with a completely flat cortisol curve, and the simple, daily nervous system tools that can start shifting things almost immediately.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:What nervous system dysregulation actually looks like, and why it's so often missedHow the nervous system connects to your gut, hormones, and immune systemWhy standard bloodwork can look "normal" while a DUTCH test reveals a flat cortisol curveWhy busyness is glorified, and how it keeps the nervous system stuck in a high-stress stateHow declining estrogen in perimenopause affects the nervous system's ability to buffer stressSimple nervous system tools you can start today, including breathwork and vagus nerve stimulationWhy becoming curious about your body's warning signs works better than trying to "fix" yourselfHer new podcast, The Invisible Woman, on women 35+ reclaiming their identity➡️ Connect with StephanieWebsiteInstagramThe Invisible Woman Podcast

This week we sat down with Alexandra Hemphill, a nurse practitioner specializing in perimenopause and integrative women’s health, to talk about why so many women are told their labs are “normal” while still feeling awful. We get into the labs most doctors skip, why HRT may be more beneficial starting in perimenopause rather than waiting for menopause, the gut-hormone connection, and the simple daily habits that can get you ahead of symptoms before they pile up. In this Episode, You’ll Learn:Why standard lab panels miss what’s going on in perimenopauseThe full panel of labs Alex recommends: thyroid, iron, ferritin, B12, vitamin D, and omegasWhy women should track their symptoms before even looking at labsThe gut-hormone connection, and how slower digestion affects hormones Starting HRT in perimenopause may be more beneficial than waiting for menopauseThe liver’s role in estrogen metabolism Weight training and bone loss Simple daily habits to get ahead of perimenopause symptomsConnect with AlexWebsiteInstagramFacebookDownload her FREE Guide

Amber, a stay-at-home mom, is currently eating nothing but beef and salt for 20 days. And not for any health reason, but purely out of curiosity about what it would do for her body and muscle retention. In this episode, she opens up about a separate, harder chapter: a postpartum hormone crash that left her progesterone at 0.1 and how she finally got the right diagnosis after an earlier doctor missed it.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:Why Amber decided to eat only beef and salt for 20 days as a personal experiment in weight loss and muscle retentionWhat changed in her training, strength, and body composition during the experimentThe postpartum hormone crash that left her progesterone at 0.1 Her therapist recognized her symptoms as hormonal rather than depression, and how progesterone therapy helped her feel like herself againHow reverse dieting helped her recover her metabolism after an extended calorie deficitBlood sugar and insulin matter more than counting calories when it comes to hunger and cravingsHow her skin has changed since cutting out everything except beef and saltThe mindset shift that helped her push through a 20-day food challenge that’s gone viralConnect with AmberWebsiteInstagram

Kerry was told his congestive heart failure was permanent and would only get worse. He reversed it along with a lifelong irregular heartbeat, crippling depression, and years of chronic pain, using nothing but a carnivore diet. In this episode, Kerry shares his health collapse, the YouTube video that changed everything, and how that same healing spread to his family and people around the world. We also talk about his upcoming documentary, Healing Humanity, premiering October 23, which follows real people healing chronic disease through food.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:Kerry’s health decline: he was overweight, suffered from IBS, crippling depression, and congestive heart failure The YouTube video that changed everythingHow his sleep apnea, brain fog, and stomach issues started resolving within weeksThe heart echo showing his “permanent” congestive heart failure had fully reversedHow his daughter’s severe skin condition cleared up in 30 days after years of no improvement on anything elseHow his vegan daughter transitioned to carnivore and healed her depression and acneInflammation and insulin resistance are the real drivers of heart diseaseInside his documentary, Healing Humanity, premiering October 23, and how to pre-order itConnect with KerryPreorder the DocumentaryYouTube Channel

This week marks 50 episodes and one year of The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, and I’m telling the story I haven’t told.What led me into shifting into functional medicine and starting this podcast.🎉 To celebrate, I flipped the mic and let my boyfriend, Clint, interview me. We get into why I built this show around women 40+ navigating perimenopause, what functional medicine labs catch that a standard doctor’s visit misses, and where I want to take this podcast next.If you want to hear my side of the story, this episode is for you.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:How my business fell apart, and what led me to start this podcastWhy I decided to focus on functional medicineThe difference between the labs a medical doctor runs and the labs a functional medicine practitioner runsWhy standard lab panels can come back “normal” while you still feel terribleWhy I built this podcast around women 40+ navigating perimenopauseWhat I’ve learned from doing a carnivore diet, and the changes I’ve seen in my own hormones and skinThe social side of eating this way: alcohol, restaurants, and feeling like the “weird one”What’s next for the podcast? My best piece of advice if you don’t know where to startConnect with me on InstagramWebsite

This week on The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, we're talking about a full-body scan that found brain cancer with zero warning signsAnd how a metabolic approach helped beat cancer without chemo or radiation.My guest is Andrea Schaffer, an oncology nutrition consultant whose own cancer diagnosis came out of nowhere.A preventative full-body Prenuvo scan found a mass in her brain before she ever had a single symptom. Three and a half years later, she's cancer-free, and walking us through how she approached her cancer diagnosis.The ketogenic diet, the toxins she avoided, the labs she runs, and why she advocated for a very different path than standard of care.If you've ever wondered whether a full-body scan is worth it, what cancer treatment looks like outside the conventional system, or how stress, sleep, and toxins factor into your risk, this episode is for you.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:How a routine full-body MRI scan caught Andrea's brain cancer before she had a single symptomWhy she chose a ketogenic diet and why cancer cells are so sugar-hungryWhy her neurosurgeon supported skipping chemo and radiation in favor of a metabolic approachWhy cancer is more than just a tumor and what it means to treat the whole "terrain" of the bodyThe truth about contrast dyes and why she's won’t have contrast in a scanThe toxin panels Andrea recommendsHow heavy metals, plastics, and mold can impact a cancer diagnosisHow to advocate for yourself inside the medical system Why regular labs matter, and how often you should run themFasting protocols for metabolic flexibilityWhy sleep may be one of the most overlooked pieces of cancer prevention➡️ Connect with AndreaWebsiteInstagramSunshine Sessions- Free group community gatherings every other weekBook an Introductory ConsultationGet 20% off with Code: Broccoli-20

This week on The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, we're talking about nutrition, gut health, hydration, and supplements worth taking.We also talk about why so many women hear "your labs are normal" and still don't feel like themselves.My guest is Jackie Klein, a board certified holistic health practitioner and author of Holistic Healing From the Inside Out. Jackie builds her approach on the foundational things that move the needle before testing or supplements even come into play.If you've ever been told everything looks fine on paper but you still feel bloated, tired, or stuck, this episode is for you.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:Why so many women get "normal" labs but still don't feel normalThe first food Jackie removes from almost every client's diet, and whyThe 4 supplements Jackie considers non-negotiable — and the ones that aren't worth itWhy vitamin D deficiency is so common (hint: it's not just about diet)How toxins get stored in fat cells, and why "keto flu" usually isn't the keto fluWhy hydration alone can't fix constipation without electrolytesWhy walking beats HIIT and cardio for women 40+The truth about alcohol and your gut microbiome, especially during perimenopause➡️ Connect with JackieWebsiteInstagramFacebookGrab a copy of her book: Holistic Healing From the Inside Out

This week on The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, we're getting into the gut-brain connection, hidden toxins, and the sleep habits that can quietly disrupt your mental health with integrative psychiatrist Dr. Krishna Taneja.Dr. Taneja treats the whole person instead of just prescribing and moving on, looking at gut health, toxin exposure, nutrition, and sleep alongside traditional psychiatric care. If you've ever wondered why medication alone isn't fixing how you feel, or how something like mold in your walls could be driving your anxiety, this episode is for you.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:🔹 Why medication alone doesn't address the root cause of anxiety and depression🔹 How mold and environmental toxins worsens mental health symptoms🔹 The link between viral infections and PANS/PANDAS and OCD-like symptoms🔹 70% of your body's serotonin is made in your gut, not your brain🔹 How an anti-inflammatory or Mediterranean diet supports brain health🔹 The sleep habits Dr. Taneja recommends🔹 Why movement timing matters for better sleep🔹 The one simple thing to start doing today: building awareness➡️ Connect with Dr. KrishnaWebsite FacebookInstagramLinkedINYouTube

This week on The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, we're talking about protein and sleep, the two habits doing more for your energy after 40 than almost anything else. Plus we do a quick gut-check on the avocado oil controversy and why so many women over 40 are eating "clean," sleeping enough hours, and still feel tired, puffy, or stuck.My guest is Lillie Kane, YouTube creator and certified nutrition health coach whose own turnaround started far from a health studio. She didn't learn how to actually feed her body until she met her now-husband in her twenties. Since then she's built a following teaching people how to eat, sleep, and think about food differently.If you've ever wondered why "eat your veggies first" might be backwards, why doing everything right still leaves you exhausted, or whether the avocado oil in your pantry is really avocado oil, this episode is for you.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:🔹 Lillie's health turnaround🔹 Why being the "black sheep" at dinner might be the healthiest thing you do🔹 Complete vs. incomplete protein, and why whole-food protein beats the powder🔹 The case for putting meat on the plate first, salad second🔹 What's driving skin aging (hint: it's not just sun)🔹 The sleep habits Lillie swears by🔹 Why chronic stress can undo even the healthiest diet🔹 The avocado oil controversy and what recent testing found, and how to read a label➡️ Connect with Lillie:WebsiteYouTubeInstagram

This week on The Functional Aesthetician Podcast, we brought Zuzu back to talk about something most of us don't think about until something feels off.EMFs, electromagnetic frequencies, the invisible fields coming off your phone, your WiFi router, your smart meter, and just about everything else plugged in around you. If you've been doing all the "right" things for your health and still can't figure out why you're not healing, this episode might be the missing piece.Back again is Karen "ZuZu" Armes, founder of Holistic Health Educators and Lily Fields retreat center.A longtime EMF researcher and author, ZuZu has spent decades studying how the electricity in our environment interacts with the body, and she shares her perspective and practical recommendations for reducing exposure at home.In this Episode, You’ll Learn:What are EMFs?Why "the field" around you matters more than you'd thinkThe four things you can control today: time, distance, shielding, and nutritionWhy you should turn WiFi off at night The routers hiding in your appliances Smart meters, dirty electricity, and simple, affordable ways to shield your homeEMF-blocking phone stickers and what to use insteadNutrients for cellular healthGrounding practices for better sleep, travel, and everyday recoveryZuzu’s take on how EMF exposure affects fertility and hormone health➡️ Connect with ZuzuSign up for Zuzu’s Email list to grab a copy of her bookInstagramFacebookWebsite