Ask The Doctor: Hormone Edition—Everything You Need To Know About Balancing Hormones Naturally with Aviva Romm, MD

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09/16/20 • 131 min

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This is the fourth edition of Ask the Doctor, where I ask functional medicine doctors a ton of questions in a single episode so you can reap the benefits of all of their knowledge (check out the first episode, featuring Dr. Will Cole talking about inflammation, hormone balance, birth control, and more, here; the second episode, which features Dr. Ellen Vora in the most comprehensive conversation about anxiety ever, here; and the third episode all about gut health with Dr. B, the Gut Health MD, here).

I am so excited about today’s guest, who I think is one of the most brilliant women’s health experts in the country—Dr. Aviva Romm. Aviva is a Yale-trained, board-certified family physician with a specialty in women’s health and obstetrics; certified professional midwife; and herbalist. She’s been called “the face of natural medicine in the 21st century” by Prevention Magazine, she is a member of the Yale Integrative Medicine Program’s Advisory Board, and currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. She’s also written some brilliant books, including the Adrenal Thyroid Revolution, which we’re doing a little giveaway for on Instagram, if you want to go check it out.

I asked her basically every hormone-related question I could think of, and all of the ones you shared with me on Instagram. This episode is truly SO comprehensive. We cover:

What hormones are and why they matter for women
Common signs you can look for at home that would your hormones are out of whack
Exactly what tests to ask your doctor for to measure for thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, and other hormonal issues
Her thoughts on home hormone testing kits
The relationship between hormones and energy, and how you can get take care of your hormones to boost your energy
Easy lifestyle changes you can make to support your thyroid and her Thoughts on thyroid medication
The relationship between hormones and anxiety and ways to support your hormones to lessen anxiety
How hormones impact weight gain
What a shorter or longer cycle means, and how to optimize your cycle generally
Natural remedies for PMS, including the one food to eat before your period to get rid of PMS
Her thoughts on seed cycling, which SO many of you asked about
Steps you can take now to optimize your fertility in the future, and her thoughts on egg freezing
Her thoughts on hormonal contraception, steps you can take to balance your hormones while on birth control, and how to detox from the pill if you choose to go off it
The types of diets that are best and worst for hormones, and the individual foods that make the biggest difference in hormone health
The relationship between hormones and low libido, and her tips to boost sex drive at different phases in your life

You can find more from Aviva at her website, AvivaRomm.com and on Instagram @avivaromm. I’m of course @lizmoody on Instagram and we’d both love to hear any thoughts or reactions or even questions that come up as you’re listening, so screenshot and tag us both on Insta!

Enjoy!

PS: My foodie preset pack is officially live. You can get all 8 presets, designed to make your food pics look as good as they taste, at lizmoody.com/presets. They’re on sale for 50% off for a limited time only!

PPS: Healthier Together is officially a number one best-seller! You can get your copy on Amazon or at lizmoody.com/cookbook. Please keep sending me your creations on Instagram—they make me so happy!

This episode is sponsored by Garden of Life, one of my all-time favorite brands. I focused on stress-relieving products in this episode, including their Mood Plus probiotic, which is formulated specifically to help with stress and anxiety, and their magnesium chelate, which I take nightly to help avoid constipation and help alleviate anxiety.

Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I asked her basically every hormone-related question I could think of, and all of the ones you shared with me on Instagram. This episode is truly SO comprehensive. We cover:

What hormones are and why they matter for women
Common signs you can look for at home that would your hormones are out of whack
Exactly what tests to ask your doctor for to measure for thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, and other hormonal issues
Her thoughts on home hormone testing kits
The relationship between hormones and energy, and how you can get take care of your hormones to boost your energy
Easy lifestyle changes you can make to support your thyroid and her Thoughts on thyroid medication
The relationship between hormones and anxiety and ways to support your hormones to lessen anxiety
How hormones impact weight gain
What a shorter or longer cycle means, and how to optimize your cycle generally
Natural remedies for PMS, including the one food to eat before your period to get rid of PMS
Her thoughts on seed cycling, which SO many of you asked about
Steps you can take now to optimize your fertility in the future, and her thoughts on egg freezing
Her thoughts on hormonal contraception, steps you can take to balance your hormones while on birth control, and how to detox from the pill if you choose to go off it
The types of diets that are best and worst for hormones, and the individual foods that make the biggest difference in hormone health
The relationship between hormones and low libido, and her tips to boost sex drive at different phases in your life

Enjoy!

Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Om & The City’s Jules Acree—Productivity & Happiness Hacks, Financial Minimalism, and Easy Approaches To Sustainability

My guest today is Jules Acree. Jules is a wellness writer, entrepreneur, and video content creator behind Om & The City. It’s her daily mission to bring wellness down-to-earth and to help others simplify life to find more joy. She is also the founder of The Homebodies, an online shop for low-waste, intentional living. On this episode, we discuss:

How to actually set—and stick to—boundaries that will transform your career and relationships
What financial minimalism is, and how Jules implements it in her life
The one thing people get wrong when they embark on a sustainable lifestyle
Jules’ personal mental health journey, including how she’s overcome struggling with depression and anxiety
Her go-to mental health tools for feeling good, energized, and productive every day
Her morning routine
Her experience in couples therapy
Amazing relationship advice FROM her couples therapist
And so much more!

You can find Jules on Instagram at @omandthecity, and we’d both love to hear your reactions to this episode, so please screenshot and write any thoughts or questions that come up as you’re listening and tag us both (I’m @lizmoody).

Enjoy!

This episode is sponsored by Lifeway Foods, makers of America’s best-selling brand of kefir.

Kefir has 12 different strains of live and active cultures and 25-30 billion Colony Forming Units (CFU), while the average yogurt can have anywhere from 1 to 5 strains with 6 billion CFU. Plus, it’s also up to 99% lactose-free. Lifeway Kefir comes in all sorts of delicious flavors, and they even have a dairy-free Plantiful line. Go to lifewaykefir.com and click “where to buy” to find a store that carries Lifeway near you!

Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy.

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Next Episode

The Third Morning/Evening Routine Episode—My New Roots, Janea Brown, Chrissy King & Choosing Chelsea

Welcome to our third morning/evening routine episode! In these episodes, we shake things up a bit in this episode by going inside the morning and evening routines of some of the wellness world’s biggest celebrities. You can listen and just enjoy a sneak peek, or steal some of their genius ideas to try at home! In Part One, I shared the routines of Minimalist Baker, Kale Junkie, Rachael’s Good Eats and The Cutting Veg. In Part Two, we dug into the routines of Kelly LeVeque, Laura Lea, Inspiralized, and What’s Gaby Cooking. This week includes:

Sarah Britton from My New Roots on free bleeding, vaginal steaming & her journey to balance her menstrual cycle—plus the coffee alternative to drinks for daily energy
Chrissy King on the daily practice that helps her deal with trauma and negativity & the three books that have changed her life
Jenea Brown on tricking herself to stay off her phone, plus three secrets to she uses to make her home calm, productive, and joyful
Chelsean Culbertson from Choosing Chelsea on the one thing that’s helped her change the way she thinks about her body & the reality of quarantine parenting

PS: Healthier Together is officially a number one best-seller! You can get your copy on Amazon or at lizmoody.com/cookbook. Please keep sending me your creations on Instagram—they make me so happy!

PS: My foodie preset pack is officially live. You can get all 8 presets, designed to make your food pics look as good as they taste, at lizmoody.com/presets. It also includes a bonus preset for your lifestyle pictures AND my FREE guide to taking great photos with your phone.

This episode is sponsored by Kyoto Botanicals, the first CBD brand I’ve recommended on this podcast! They believe every ingredient matters and should contribute to your overall health, which is why they only use USDA certified organic oils to deliver flavor with benefits. Their products only have organic, single-source plant extracts, not lab developed flavors and colors, so you get whole plant benefits as nature intended. Finally, their hemp is grown according to strict organic and biodynamic standards, and they only use only organic coconut MCT oil as a carrier. I recommend all of their products, but especially their tinctures. You can get a whopping 25% off your order (AND they always have free shipping!) by using the code “HEALTHIERTOGETHER” at kyotobotanicals.com.

Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices