WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:15.640 Hello, this is the Itchy and Bitchy Podcast because being 2 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:20.399 itchy is bitchy and our medical system sucks. I'm doctor 3 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:23.839 Keith Nolica, a vetnary, allergist and dermatologist. 4 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:26.160 And I'm Stephen Miller, a doctor of nursing practice and 5 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:27.800 a Q Care nurse practitioner. 6 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:32.240 Send us your questions at ask at itch not dot com. 7 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:35.399 We love you, but we're not your doctors. The information 8 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:39.240 we discuss is not direct medical advice. Please talk to 9 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:43.280 your provider who is the expert on your care. The 10 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:47.000 Itchy and Bchi Podcast is sponsored by doc Itchy Medical 11 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:50.560 Pets supplements designed to optimize your pet's health with the 12 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:55.679 latest veterinary medical research. Visit docichi dot com or find 13 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:59.320 us on Amazon and please click that follow button and 14 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:03.039 send us a quest question at ask at itchnot dot com. 15 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:07.920 Thanks welcome back, and I hope this finds you well. 16 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:09.599 How are you doing, Doc? 17 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.159 I'm good. I hope everyone's good. It's a rainy day 18 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:14.040 here in Knoxville. 19 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:20.359 All right, So this episode is titled Menopause Science, the 20 00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:27.079 hormone dumpster Fire and pituitary Chaos. Explain so simple even 21 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:31.920 a husband can understand, and that may sound a little derogatory, 22 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.760 but I realized after talking to Karen, who's taught me 23 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:39.200 so much, Thank you very much, Karen, and doing an 24 00:01:39.239 --> 00:01:44.000 episode on menopause, that I actually didn't really understand menopause. 25 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:47.239 And I'm even a veterinarian. I did a master's which 26 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:51.079 turned out at Auburn University to be in endochronology, just 27 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:54.280 because that's what was their expertise. But so I thought 28 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:59.560 today that we would try to explain menopause and I 29 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:04.319 educate myself in the process. And one of the couple 30 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.680 other things that kind of stimulated this was my realization 31 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:10.960 that I didn't quite understand, and being embarrassed to tell 32 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:13.680 Karen that I didn't quite understand. And then I saw 33 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:15.520 this really great We try to be trendy and pay 34 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:18.280 attention to social trends, but there was this really cute 35 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:23.680 Facebook post with this teenage boy and his mom, and 36 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:25.879 the teenage boy was talking about I think this was 37 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.800 all AI generated, but if they were actors, kudos to you. 38 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:31.479 But the teenage boy was explaining how the mom was 39 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:38.199 going through cougar puberty, and so cougar is the slang 40 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:43.800 is for sort of a semi aggressive woman who's self 41 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:48.560 empowered and willing to date younger men and out and 42 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:52.439 about in the world. And so, but that really funny 43 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:54.840 thing was basically how menopause is like puberty, and I 44 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:58.759 started thinking that, you know, that actually is probably pretty accurate. 45 00:02:59.479 --> 00:03:05.159 So we clinically talk about medical issues, and what we 46 00:03:05.199 --> 00:03:09.080 deal with clinically predominantly is single hormone deficits, so like 47 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:11.879 low thyroid and then we do a thyroid test and 48 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:13.919 supplement the thyroid hormones. 49 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:19.039 Is that correct, Stephen, Yeah, I mean in medicine we 50 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:24.520 do certainly hormone replacement therapy on many levels, not just 51 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:30.560 estrogen or progesterone, but things like thyroid hormone and testosterone 52 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:31.240 and that kind of thing. 53 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:34.080 Yeah, So it's so clinically though, it's very much sort 54 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:38.560 of a single item kind of concept. So the way 55 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:41.400 the system works. And I really like Jesus for a 56 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:43.439 variety of reasons, but one of the reasons I like 57 00:03:43.560 --> 00:03:45.639 Jesus is that he told a lot of stories and 58 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:49.039 parables to make things very simple, and so, like the 59 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:51.479 story of the mustard seed, a little bitty problem can 60 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:56.319 turn into a great big issue. And so that's kind 61 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:57.800 of where we're headed with this. So I'm going to 62 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:02.120 try to explain the whole pat tuitu a teary hormone 63 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:06.759 access in the frame of your toilet, And that sounds 64 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:10.319 really crazy. Hold sick with me, doc here, but and 65 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:12.280 you're gonna check fact check me as we go along. 66 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:13.840 But I think this will make sense even though it 67 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:16.480 sounds really really crazy. So there are a lot of 68 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:21.079 different terms and many many many names, and various hormones 69 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.920 and pre hormones that are involved in this. So they 70 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:28.040 have names like act H and TSH and prolactin and 71 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:29.920 all of these kinds of things. And if you want 72 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:31.920 us to do a whole episode on what the terms 73 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:34.319 mean and the actual names, we can do that send 74 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:37.759 this comment at ask at itchna dot com. But we're 75 00:04:37.759 --> 00:04:40.240 going to ignore all the big words for now. So 76 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:43.240 the peturitary releases all of these hormones and then they 77 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:46.839 affect various glands in your body, your testicles, your ovaries, 78 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:51.079 your adrenal glands, and there's this big cycle. But the 79 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:53.759 way that it really works is kind of like your toilet. 80 00:04:53.879 --> 00:04:56.839 So you have a toilet bowl and then a tank 81 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:00.439 of water which represents the hormones and so when you 82 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:03.000 flush your toilet, you get a surge of water, you 83 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.240 get a surge of hormones, and most of these are 84 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:09.240 on a circadian rhythm, So like when you sleep, a 85 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:12.879 lot of hormones get released to help kids grow and 86 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:16.160 help you your brain regenerate and all of these good things. 87 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:20.279 So daytime, nighttime, even seasonal in animals. So that's kind 88 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:22.920 of the water tank. But then when your hormones are low, 89 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:25.879 the pituitary gland in your brain, just a little BITDP 90 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:29.600 sized thing in the base of your brain release recognizes that. 91 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:32.279 So it's like the flute valve in your toilet that 92 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:34.439 the water goes down and it says, oh, we need 93 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:37.759 more water, and it the pituitary gland fills, turns on 94 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:41.399 and starts filling up the hormones, and so your brain 95 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:45.680 then sends signals to the glands the test testicles, ovaries, 96 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:49.720 adrenal glands to start producing more hormone and then there's 97 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:52.079 a negative feedback loop that the when the water gets 98 00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:55.519 high enough, the float valve recognizes that and it turns off. 99 00:05:56.120 --> 00:06:02.160 Yeah, so the pituitary gland starts to produce stimulating hormones, 100 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:05.560 and that's the s in many are releasing hormones, so 101 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:07.000 they're pre hormones. 102 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.600 That's Sh'S thyroid stimulating hormone and that comes from the petuitary. 103 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:16.480 Yeah yeah, and so that technically is considered sort of 104 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:20.680 this feedback loop, and that's why it's called the petuitary axis. 105 00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:24.120 And so the body says we need more hormones, the 106 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:27.160 petuitary says, okay, well this is how you make more hormones, 107 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:29.959 and it goes and it says how to make the hormones, 108 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:34.160 and then the glands make more hormones. So but the 109 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:39.000 whole system very simple. So toilet more water, the petuitary 110 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:41.879 produces more water, you flesh, get the cycles. All of 111 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:45.680 that makes sense. Imagine if you have fifteen toilets all 112 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:49.199 lined up in a row and they're all interconnected, and 113 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:52.680 that's actually what the hormone system and petuitary gland is 114 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:53.959 doing in our bodies. 115 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:57.920 Yes, So there's five different axes, and without getting too 116 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:02.240 thick in the weeds here, the thyed axis, the adrenal axis, 117 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:05.639 the gunadal axis, the growth hormone axis, and prolactin axis, 118 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:11.240 and all of those axes help control varying hormone levels 119 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:12.000 throughout the body. 120 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.000 So what happens during menopause and why this is such 121 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:18.240 a crazy time, and why it actually is pretty fitting 122 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:23.319 to compare it to puberty. So this cougar puberty little 123 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:27.000 Facebook post actually was pretty clever. Is that menopause is 124 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:30.079 not like a program stop sign. So in animals, when 125 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:34.639 they cycle through estrus and fertility periods, it's a very 126 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.759 organized stop sign kind of event and then it can restart. 127 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:43.199 What menopause is is this chaotic, crazy situation where the 128 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:46.879 ovaries basically burn out and they stop producing the estrogen 129 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:50.480 and the progestine, which provide the negative feedback to the 130 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:54.639 pituitary gland, and so the pituitary gland goes crazy producing 131 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.600 all of these pre hormones, which then stimulate all of 132 00:07:57.639 --> 00:07:59.920 the other glands in the body. And it's like you're 133 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:04.079 toilets overflowing and going crazy because the float valve is broken. 134 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:07.759 But in addition, it's all five of these access so 135 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:10.800 all fifteen toilets in are connected and it's all going crazy, 136 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:15.240 and it's this giant dumpster fire of hormone imbalance, and 137 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:17.560 the protuitary is trying to get the body to make more, 138 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.720 but the body doesn't have more to make and it's 139 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:23.319 just insane. So that's what menopause is. We're going to 140 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:25.720 take a break here and we're going to be back 141 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:29.360 and we're going to talk about the four other medical 142 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:32.639 conditions where the same kind of crazy dumpster fire and 143 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:56.679 hormone chaos can occur. So we'll be right back right, 144 00:08:56.840 --> 00:09:00.480 we're back, and we're going to talk about the dumpster 145 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:03.840 fire of menopause. But actually there are four events that 146 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:08.480 happen in our lifetime that are similar where the peituitary 147 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:12.480 gland and the bodies glands like the testicles, ovariase, adrenal 148 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.799 glands are just totally going crazy. So menopause is one 149 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:19.440 we talked about that now it's not an organized stop sign, 150 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:26.000 it's just total pituitary hormone chaos. The other situations are 151 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:29.480 true puberty. So we've all most of us, I guess 152 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:32.000 listeners have gone through puberty, and we can remember we've 153 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:35.320 watched our teenagers go through puberty. And it's another one 154 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:38.600 of these times where the peturitary gland is secreting huge 155 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:41.799 amounts of hormones to get the body to do all 156 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:46.559 sorts of different things. So it's producing estrogen's progestins testosterone, 157 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:51.120 but it's also precing growth hormone. The prolactin controls the 158 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.759 circadian rhythms. We have cortisol levels that are being increased, 159 00:09:57.159 --> 00:09:59.879 and so you can imagine all of these fifteen toilets 160 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.840 connected and the body is trying to regulate them to 161 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:06.000 get your body as a child to mature into an 162 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:10.200 adult and become sexually functional. So that's a really really 163 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:14.080 complex period and a lot of chaos going through and 164 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:17.080 it really is pretty similar to menopause. So if you 165 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:20.759 think about increased hair growth is happening, you think about 166 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:24.559 mucous membrane is changing, you think about skin pigment occurring, 167 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:29.919 skin thickness, flakiness, oil secretions in the skin, it's just 168 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:35.840 a turmoil. So the other couple of situations are sleep disorders. 169 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:38.519 So if you're not getting enough sleep, that's when a 170 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:41.000 lot of hormones are released and a lot of pituitary 171 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:45.559 activity happens due to the circadian rhythm, and prolactin may 172 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:46.600 regulate a lot of that. 173 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:50.600 Yeah, so I think it's important to point out melatonin 174 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:54.399 is produced by the pineal gland, which is in the 175 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:58.039 center of the brain, and then the pituitary gland does 176 00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:05.799 interact with melatonin in that it interacts with the circadian 177 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:11.159 rhythms and hormone influences sleep wake cycles, which is influenced 178 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:16.159 by growth hormone actchtsaging the gonadotropins. So there is definite 179 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:21.360 interaction between the pituitary gland and melatonin that's produced by 180 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:22.320 the pineal gland. 181 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:25.559 And that's why you'll hear a lot about taking melatonin 182 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:30.600 to improve sleep, which then improves hormone balance. And we 183 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:34.639 have a condition in dogs called geriatric hormone imbalance that 184 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:39.080 has melotonin sensitivity, and so melatonin can help sort of 185 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:43.399 stabilize a lot of these hormone axes. It doesn't really 186 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:46.399 replace deficient hormones, but it just makes the whole system 187 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.559 kind of wake up and function a little bit more normally. 188 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:53.480 And then the fourth one is aging. So as we age, 189 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:57.799 all of our hormones tend to change. And part of 190 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:01.080 that is like with menopause, where they max, the ovaries 191 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:03.639 may burn out and not be able to produce the hormones, 192 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:07.120 which messes up the whole feedback loop and the pituitary 193 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:10.200 gland goes crazy. But all of the hormones tend to 194 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:14.799 kind of slow down as we age, and that causes 195 00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:18.039 a lot of dysregulation, and that's starting to be recognized 196 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:22.320 now in dogs with this geriatric hormone imbalance that responds 197 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:25.720 to melatonin every evening. So it's kind of this weird 198 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:29.639 rejuvenating kind of effect that we see in dogs. Is 199 00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:32.279 that happening in people where older people are responding to 200 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:33.600 melatonin beneficially? 201 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:37.639 Yeah, they do, and certainly there are certain forms of it, 202 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:40.039 and there's a lot of science that has gone into 203 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:44.559 levels of oral melatonin that people should and should not take. 204 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:47.840 So I always encourage people to discuss these issues with 205 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.039 their provider. 206 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:53.840 Yeah, we are not your doctors. Please talk to your provider. 207 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:57.960 So that's sort of the controversy between high dose melatonin 208 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:02.080 and low dose melatonin. We use high dose melatonin, but 209 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:06.120 they can't tell us if they're uncomfortable or have insomnia 210 00:13:06.519 --> 00:13:08.559 or a variety of things like that. So humans may 211 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:11.200 be much more sensitive to some of the side effects. 212 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.440 The nice thing about melatonin is that there's really not 213 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:17.080 a toxic dose in dogs at least. Definitely check with 214 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:19.879 your provider about the human issues if you're going to 215 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:23.480 take any supplements. Again, we're not your doctors. So we're 216 00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:25.759 going to take a break here and we'll be back 217 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:28.559 and talk about some of the treatments that we can 218 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:31.159 do for these disorders. Again, the four big disorders we 219 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:34.759 talked about, menopauses the starting place for this chaos of 220 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:38.639 fifteen toilets all interconnected that are overflowing, and that's the 221 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:42.360 pituitary gland and the body's glands. And then we have 222 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:46.000 real puberty and teenagers, we have aging and sleep disorders. 223 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:47.879 So we'll be back in a second and I'll talk 224 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:50.039 about what maybe we can do about some of those. 225 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:06.960 All right, we're back, and I hope you're still with us. 226 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:11.919 So we're going to talk about some possible easy therapies. 227 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:16.279 Really nothing prescription at this point, although Stephen may want 228 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:18.879 to add some things. But so, the four disorders that 229 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:23.440 cause the fifteen toilets to overflow in the pituitary hormone 230 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:28.679 axis dumpster fire are menopause, puberty, aging, and sleep disorders. 231 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:31.399 So what do you want to talk about first? 232 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:34.399 Yeah, I mean we can we can address the sleep 233 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:38.919 disorder pee certainly. I think sleep apnea contributes to so 234 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:45.600 many issues, including heart a rhythmias and many cardiovascular issues 235 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:48.759 as well as aging. Sleep's very important for our bodies 236 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:53.480 to heal, and so I think it's important for people 237 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:59.600 to have a sleep regimen that's been set for, like 238 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:03.200 this sleep hygiene which we've talked about in another episode, 239 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:05.879 where people begin to prepare for sleep at nine, turn 240 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:11.480 off stimulants, turn off their computers and their iPhones, and 241 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:12.960 turn the lights down in the house. 242 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:15.799 And I think if there's one single thing that I 243 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:19.399 could say makes a huge difference having kids and teenagers 244 00:15:19.399 --> 00:15:22.039 and even with myself, is really get rid of the 245 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:24.639 smartphone and the tablet, Like having those in the bedroom 246 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:29.919 really affects your sleep and sort of this scheduled relaxation 247 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:33.080 process getting ready to go to sleep is also really important. 248 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:34.799 And part of that needs to be to get rid 249 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:38.399 of the smart devices and get off of social media 250 00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:41.840 and stop dooms growing and brain rot and get your 251 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:43.679 body ready to have a good night sleep. 252 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:48.759 Yeah, I mean, I think it is vital to avoid 253 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:53.759 caffeine and stimulants after about five pm. 254 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:56.600 Any chocolate or any caffeine after four pm. 255 00:15:56.519 --> 00:16:00.399 Yeah zero, and sort of get the body prepared for sleep. 256 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:03.519 So I think that's the sleep hygiene piece. Making sure 257 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:09.000 that your bedrooms put together in a way that's conducive 258 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:12.720 to quietness and peacefulness and darkness. 259 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:15.279 So how much do you think melatonin helps? So? And 260 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.879 dogs melatonin really doesn't seem to make them sleepy at all, 261 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:21.840 but they sleep twenty hours a day, so it's hard 262 00:16:21.919 --> 00:16:26.039 to know. Does melatonin actually help sleep in people or 263 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:27.600 is it working in a different. 264 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:32.200 No, it helps people sleep and certain the issue is 265 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:35.759 and there are lots of issues around melatonin. A lot 266 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:40.799 of people overplace their melatonin, which then suppresses their internal 267 00:16:41.799 --> 00:16:43.240 production of melotone. 268 00:16:43.279 --> 00:16:44.360 What do you mean overplaced? 269 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:49.159 Taking thirty milligrams of melatonin at night as opposed to 270 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:52.720 starting off with lower doses that would just stimulate melatonin 271 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:56.159 production in your body, and so you can suppress melatonin 272 00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:57.360 production and then that. 273 00:16:57.279 --> 00:16:59.320 Causes issues as well. 274 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:02.279 You have to retrain your body to sort of get 275 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:06.839 all that worked out. So, but melatonin is very effective. 276 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:10.119 I think people historically have either taken too little or 277 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:14.559 taken too much and not had good results based upon 278 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:18.079 their lack of knowledge around melatonin utilizations. 279 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:21.559 Okay, so definitely talk to your provider about that. Also, 280 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:23.440 sleep apnea, that's something that you would talk to your 281 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:26.920 provider and get a sleep study and medically. You know, 282 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.000 people can die with sleep apnea, so that can be 283 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:30.839 a really serious medical issue. 284 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:34.160 Well, and I think too people believe sleep apnea is 285 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:38.200 only obstructive sleep apnea, and I think it's important to 286 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:42.319 sort of help our audience understand that they're varying forms 287 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.440 of sleep apnea that are treated very differently. So some 288 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:47.799 folks have central sleep apnea. 289 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:51.079 Which is like a brain neurologic nerve. 290 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:54.839 Yeah, So I mean, I think it's really really important 291 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:58.039 that if you have symptoms of sleep apnea. There there's 292 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.440 a screening tool called the stop bang which you can 293 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:06.519 find anywhere online and take it and if you achieve 294 00:18:06.599 --> 00:18:09.640 certain number of points on that, then certainly consulting with 295 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:11.920 your provider to get a sleep evaluation. 296 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.079 Okay. Aging also kind of relates, So as we age 297 00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:17.920 with a sleep app near you're typically we gain weight. 298 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:20.880 At least I've gained a fair amount of weight, and 299 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:23.279 so you know that may be part of the issue. 300 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:25.839 But as we age, all of our hormones tend to 301 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:29.200 slowly decrease, and it's almost just kind of like the 302 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:32.799 body's wearing out. But it also relates to other things. 303 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:36.119 So as we age, we stop exercising as much, we 304 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:39.640 don't move around as much, we become more sedentary, we 305 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:43.079 definitely can gain weight, and our whole metabolism, fatty liver syndrome, 306 00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:46.119 a lot of those things can happen as well. And then, 307 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.359 like I said, in the dogs, we're recognizing this geriatric 308 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:53.640 hormone imbalance that we don't really have a specific disorder, 309 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:55.799 but we give a melotone and they seem to kind 310 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:58.519 of rejuvenate a little bit. So what would be some 311 00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:01.440 simple aging things exerc mobile. 312 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:04.720 So in humans, the reduction of growth hormone is kind 313 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:09.559 of referred to as somematopause, sort of like menopause, but somematopause. 314 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:11.200 Somatotropin is like growth hormone, and. 315 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:16.480 So somatopause which is decreasing growth hormone and IGF it 316 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:20.880 leads to things like reduction in muscle mass, increasing body fat, 317 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:26.079 low energy, decreased bone density, and reduced exercise tolerance. 318 00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:27.160 And that sounds like aging. 319 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:30.559 It sounds like aging because it is aging, and so 320 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:34.279 certainly there are many things we can do to offset that, 321 00:19:34.599 --> 00:19:39.880 like exercise, a routine exercise regimen, you know, five to 322 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:42.960 seven days a week. If some form of aerobic and 323 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:44.559 muscle resistance training. 324 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:47.440 Get up and Move. Used to do this Facebook post 325 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:49.119 where it was get up and Move. It was even 326 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:51.039 just parking at the end of the parking lot so 327 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:52.480 you would walk more steps. 328 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:55.559 Yeah, so I did that in an effort to encourage people, 329 00:19:55.720 --> 00:20:00.799 for the patients and friends to continue to push it. 330 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:04.079 Even though you're tired, you need to move, and so 331 00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:07.799 daily ways to incorporate more movement would be to part 332 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:10.680 further away from the building, take the steps instead of 333 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:15.519 the elevator, you know, lifting objects to use your upper 334 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:16.359 body muscles. 335 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:20.480 Certainly, I think even simple nutrition can play a big role. 336 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:23.119 So as we get older and exercise less gain weight 337 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:25.880 than just better nutrition pain attention to it. Yes, what 338 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:26.759 we're putting in our. 339 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:31.960 Bodies low fat and then certainly higher protein intakes. So 340 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:36.400 in order for our bodies to build muscle, we need 341 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:43.119 good protein intake, and so protein really becomes vital to 342 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:44.039 us as we age. 343 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:47.680 All right, So the other issues are than puberty, and 344 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:51.240 there's not much that we can actually do to help 345 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:55.559 puberty other than get through it. But definitely mental health 346 00:20:55.759 --> 00:21:00.440 is important during puberty. So it's a crazy time young people, 347 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:03.519 you know, they're not wise and worldly like some of 348 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:08.079 this older people, and so you know, understanding counseling, but 349 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:09.960 also for them, you know, make sure that they're having 350 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:13.000 really good sleep, that they're prepared for sleep, get rid 351 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:18.759 of those iPads and smartphones, you know, really even prepare them. 352 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:21.559 With my daughter, we were really good about trying to 353 00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:27.079 set up a pre bedtime sort of events, even starting 354 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:30.079 as a young child, with that continued into her teenage years, 355 00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:33.559 sort of getting this relaxation schedule, getting ready to go 356 00:21:33.759 --> 00:21:37.039 to sleep. So that can be really important for teenagers. 357 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:39.759 Yeah, and then on the other end of the spectrum, 358 00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:42.920 you've got things as we human beings age, you get 359 00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:48.880 a reductions in LH and FSAH, the gonautotropic hormones, and 360 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:53.240 so then people suffer side effects from rectile dysfunction, infertility, 361 00:21:53.720 --> 00:21:58.640 low energy level, and so certainly there are some HRT 362 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:02.319 options for those things as we as we get. 363 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:07.839 Also hormone replacement therapy. So that's more of the menopause, 364 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:10.480 which is the next kind of section, the last of 365 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:14.319 the four. So in menopause again it's that the big 366 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:17.279 problem is not just that you run out of estrogen, 367 00:22:17.319 --> 00:22:22.519 but that you run out of estrogen progesterones LHFSH and 368 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:26.279 then that signals the pituitary to produce more pre hormones 369 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:29.200 and the whole system goes crazy, so your fifteen toilets 370 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:33.079 start overflowing. So some of the therapies for that is 371 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:37.480 one just recognizing that this isn't just a behavioral mental 372 00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:41.960 disorder of older women. That's kind of where a lot 373 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:45.160 of medicine used to be for way too long, and 374 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.720 so now with hormone replacement therapy, it really can help 375 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:52.440 to just provide some of the hormones like estrogen that 376 00:22:52.839 --> 00:22:57.880 reverse some of these negative symptoms like mucous membran drying, 377 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:03.559 some of the sleep disorders, erectile dysfunctions as men age 378 00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:07.680 and have kind of the menopause man version that can 379 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.039 happen as well. But what else could women do with menopause. 380 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:12.640 That would be well, I mean, I certainly think that 381 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:19.160 Karen Nicol, who initiated this podcast years ago, would be 382 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:24.359 the expert and certainly has had many episodes on HRT 383 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:29.559 and of course on HRT. 384 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:32.359 So she has two hundred and seventeen episodes and they're 385 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:36.240 all at the website which is Itchy andbitchi dot com 386 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:38.680 So if you want to hear the expert actually talk 387 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:43.559 in an expertise rather than a toilet metaphor or parable, 388 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:45.240 that's your source. 389 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:48.720 Yeah, when it comes to hormone replacement therapy, it is 390 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:55.799 such a complex topic, a complex treatment plan and individualized 391 00:23:55.960 --> 00:24:00.759 treatment plan, and certainly I think, can you know, having 392 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:06.680 consultation with an expert talk just in hormones becomes something 393 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:09.960 that I think is extremely beneficial. 394 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:11.960 Okay, we're going to take another break, and when we 395 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:15.960 come back, we're going to do our legit or bullshit section, 396 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:28.119 So we're going to be talking about microplastics. Stick with us, 397 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:36.559 all right, we're back, and this is the legit or 398 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:41.400 bullshit section where we have some interesting medical science facts 399 00:24:41.480 --> 00:24:44.160 and we try to determine if this is something that's 400 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:48.079 real or if this is really just insane. So are 401 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:51.039