MORE BLOG POSTS — Female health
GLP-1 Drugs: Close but No Cigar
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
Youβve seen the before-and-after pics, read the rave reviews, and maybe even discussed these βwonder drugsβ with your health care practitioner. And while medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide have been game changers for many women who use them, they don't magically erase every metabolic problem that contributed to weight gain in the first place. They don't build muscle, improve the quality of your diet, guarantee adequate nutrition, fix your sleep, balance your hormones, or teach you how to maintain your weight if the medication is eventually stopped. And that's where the conversation needs to get a little more interesting. Β ...
Three New Supplements Worth Knowing About After 40
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
If youβve followed me for any length of time, you know Iβm not a fan of recommending supplements simply because someone on social media promised theyβll make women over 40 thinner, younger, and maybe even smarter. Supplements should have a purpose. But as we get older, some of those purposes become increasingly important. Maintaining muscle mass gets harder. Collagen production declines. Oxidative stress (think βinternal rustingβ) can increase. And our bodies still need adequate nutritional support to repair tissue, recover from exercise, and keep our natural detoxification systems doing their jobs. Sometimes, dietary intake alone simply doesnβt cut it. Thatβs...
Why I Needed Three Books to Explain Weight Loss After 40
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
Because βeat less and exercise moreβ is never going to cut it. Β If losing weight after 40 were as simple as eating less and moving more, no one would need to write books about it, right? And most of us wouldnβt need to resort to fad diets and weight loss medications. But the truth is that no matter how clean your menu or how much cardio you clock in every week, your scale wonβt blink an eye if other hidden factors are messing with your metabolism. After years of working with women who were eating well, exercising, counting calories,...
A Tale of Two Hormone Frenemies
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
The Complex Relationship Between Female and Thyroid Hormones Fatigue. Weight gain. Brain fog. Hair loss. Constipation. Mood changes. Trouble sleeping. Feeling cold one minute and hot the next. Welcome to menopauseβ¦or is it? Yes, itβs easy to blame perimenopause and menopause for nearly every symptom that plagues women over 40. But just because something has feathers and webbed feet doesnβt mean itβs always a duck. And letβs not forget that birds often function in flocksβjust like your hormones. Thyroid hormone is just as important as female hormones, and women over 40 are much more prone to developing thyroid problems. The...
Is Your βNormalβ Blood Sugar Really Normal?
Posted by Lena Edwards MD on
If your fasting blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c are normal, you may assume your glucose metabolism is working just fine. But thatβs not always the case. In fact, the metabolic changes that eventually lead to prediabetes can begin yearsβsometimes a decade or longerβbefore your blood sugar officially crosses into the prediabetic range. If youβre gaining weight around your middle, craving carbohydrates, crashing in the afternoon, feeling hungry two hours after eating, or wondering why the same strategies that helped you lose weight ten years ago now barely make the scale blink, your body may be telling you itβs time to...