Hormonal balance is intrinsically related to spirituality and healing hormonal imbalances is often a catalyst for spiritual growth. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jolene Brighten to talk all things coming off birth control, natural alternatives, Fertility Awareness Method, PCOS, amennorhea and other common hormonal imbalances. If you are a womban– this episode is a must-listen! Connect with Dr Brighten at drbrighten.com
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Episode 325: Holistic Hormonal Balance + Birth Control with Dr Jolene Brighten
By Sahara Rose
Namaste. Itโs Sahara Rose and welcome back to The Highest Self Podcast, a place where we discuss what makes You, Your Soul’s Highest Evolvement.
I am soul excited to be recording this Podcast from my new place in Miami. It has been a long time coming and a dream of mine to live here. I remember last year I was here, exactly at this time, for our Rose Gold Goddesses Miami Launch party, and I told all of the girls at the party that one day I will live in Miami. But I wasnโt sure how that was possible because my husband works in the music industry and has an office in LA. So I wasnโt sure how I would be able to somehow move to Miami; and he would move, despite the office, but I held the space anyways, and here I am, a year later, living out my Miami dreams, taking walks outside by the warm ocean that I could literally dive into, and itโs so turquoise and blue, and Iโm super-excited, when things open up, to go to more dance classes and tap into the beautiful multi-cultural community here.
[1:08]
So, Iโm sharing this with you because I know that my move has been a topic that Iโve been keeping you guys on board on, throughout this journey, and it finally happened, and Iโm here. And it feels like such an upgrade and so expansive in every way.
[1:22]
So, if you are thinking about moving or if you are wanting to start a new life somewhere, have a fresh start with all of the shifts and changes that are happening; perhaps you are feeling this call to recreate something somewhere else or to just expand more into nature, oe by the mountains, or by the ocean, or the city, or whatever it is that is calling you, this is my reminder to you that you can make it happen no matter what is the limitation that you may think is there right now, just know that any limitation can be surpassed if that true desire is there.
And I am excited to see how it unfolds for all of you.
[1:59]
So, in todayโs Episode, we are talking about all things female hormones. Female hormones is, to me, such a catalyst into spirituality. And not only is it catalyst, but itโs actually like a sister, itโs something that you always go back and forth with.
For me, it was very much a catalyst into my spirituality, but itโs also something, the moment things feel off hormonally, I know something is off spiritually, and thatโs why you hear me and so many people, speaking about menstrual cycles and our wombs, and our sacred sexuality and sensuality, and all of these things, because it is inherently connected with our femininity and our divine nature. And we can only achieve wholeness when we do address the underlying imbalances that are happening within our wombs. And, whether you have a physical womb or not; if you are someone who identifies as being a female, you have a vulva, you have female hormones, you are affected by this all.
[2:57]
So, some questions that I commonly get and I see a lot happening in the Rose Gold Goddesses Community, that I really wanted to bring a doctor, an expert, on to ask is firstly, birth control. So many of us are wanting to get off birth control and now knowing what to do instead; what are other options out there that are more natural; and feeling really confused because maybe your doctors, when they put you on the pill, and youโre like โI canโt do this!โ So, itโs really important for us to see that there are other options available for us, and also know the pros and the cons because unfortunately, no type of birth control yet, is perfect. And to me, it boggles my mind that we can go to the Moon but we canโt just fix this most basic issue that every single woman has (maybe because itโs a womanโs issue, not a menโs issue, but Iโll get to that later).
[3:43]
So this topic of birth control โ how we can find a form of birth control that works for us.
I know I was on the pill when I was in college and got off of it, and coming off of it reeled a lot of hormonal imbalances for me. So for a lot of people getting off it now, theyโre realizing maybe thereโs underlying PCOS or theyโre experiencing Amenorrhea, or Endometriosis or whatever else it is. So we talk a lot about birth control in this conversation.
[4:10]
Another big thing I see a lot of women have is PCOS, and PCOS is not just cysts. It stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome but what Dr. Brighten talks about on todayโs Episode is that thatโs not the best term for it because it doesnโt always show up as cysts. And that was just the initial name for it, and she describes why and how itโs been such a long battle for this to even be recognized as a medical condition. And again, it comes from further sexism, and really not looking at womanโs issues as serious as male issues.
So, we talk a lot about PCOS โ how it affects our bodies; how to find balance hormonally. And some other issues as well from Fibroids, Endometriosis, painful periods โ we really go about as many topics as we could fit into this hour to really give you the most benefit.
[5:00]
And I love Dr. Jolene Brighten, I follow her on Instagram and she has such great, great, incredible information about all things female, hormonal imbalance. So she is my go-to pick to take these questions to, who really understands from. Sheโs a Naturopathic Doctor so sheโs really trained with herbs and holistic modalities, and understands the spiritual connection, and also, has done medical research and has been working with female hormones for decades now. So, she is someone that really has the knowledge as well as can understand our concerns and speak our language.
So, Iโm super-excited for her to be on the Podcast today and break down so many questions that women have; so many questions that maybe our own doctors have not been able to answer for us; or our Google searches have not been able to find clarity on – I hope that this Episode helps give it to you. I know, for myself, having suffered from so many hormonal imbalances, namely, not getting my period for over two years, suffering from Amenorrhea, and Iโm grateful for that because it was the catalyst for my growth journey, and I also know how scary it is.
So I am hoping that this can give you some clarity, some awareness, some action steps and some guidance, and how you can move forward and also get help from a medical professional.
[6:15]
So, without further ado, letโs welcome Dr. Brighten to The Highest Self Podcast.
______________________________________________
[6:20] Interview
[6:21] Sahara:
Welcome Dr. Brighten to The Highest Self Podcast, itโs so great to have you here.
[6:24] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah, itโs so great to be here!
[6:26] Sahara:
And the first question Iโd love to ask you is what makes you your highest self?
[6:30] Dr. Brighten:
I love this question, and itโs also like a challenging question. But I think the thing that makes me my highest self is really tapping into my intuition and keeping space every single day for that where I donโt get caught up in the busy, busy hustle, hustle (which is very common for entrepreneurs) and also to be in any type of personality. Always wanted to be like โLetโs be my most logical self in everythingโ but to really be at my highest self requires taking that time, even if itโs 10 minutes a day, to really go inward and do that internal check, it also helps me a lot show up better as a partner and a wife and the mother (the motherโs the big one).
[7:13] Sahara:
Yes! Totally! And we were just chatting about how you moved to Puerto Rico and just go snorkeling in your free time, which is just so incredible and just shows that we can take action to create that into our reality, and create more of those pockets of time. So, you inspired me girl, Iโm moving to Puerto Rico too!
[7:32] Dr. Brighten:
And we get to hang around with a lot of octopi, cuttlefish, itโs a good time!
[7:36] Sahara:
Thereโs this new documentary on Netflix about the Octopus, did you see or hear of that?
[7:40] Dr. Brighten:
Iโve seen it and you know how Netflix just forces things on you.
[7:46] Sahara:
Yeah! โWatch this octopus documentary!โ
[7:48] Dr. Brighten:
Iโve seen it. I havenโt watched it yet. I got a little emotional when I saw that the shark came into the scene, when you and I were talking, I get a little bit triggered by sharks and I was like โI canโt watch this, the octopus is going to get eaten by a shark!โ But I do want to see it because here, I had a great day snorkeling, and one day I was just โ If you just float and be still โ talk about a practice of mindfulness is snorkeling, if you want to see the best stuff, you have to be still and just float, and be really present. And I got to see three octopi and that was incredible because theyโll see you and they get really shy, and then if you sit there long enough theyโll start to come out like โOkay, youโre not trying to get at me; youโre not trying to eat me.โ And itโs something Iโve actually been trying to teach my son, Iโm like โDive down and look at thingsโ which is fun, and heโs 7, and I get them, but explaining to him if you want to catch the most out of life itโs actually happening when youโre still, and itโs the space between the movement where you will see the most things.
[8:47] Sahara:
That is so beautiful and yes, what a great lesson for life.
So you are โthe period whispererโ, you know so much; youโve written an incredible book called โBeyond the Pillโ; and you are a naturopathic doctor and really specialize in female hormones. And I know so many of my community members, my Rose Gold Goddesses are really diving deeper into their hormonal health. I think when we go on a wellness or spiritual journey, thatโs just a very natural place that you either start, or eventually end up in because it plays such a huge role in our lives. And you know, different symptoms show up from PCOS, to Amenorrhea (which I suffered from) but then also just the questions that so many of us have about โWhy is my period early or late, or this or thatโ and what that really means. So I thought that you were the perfect person to dive further into this and Iโd love to start with โ for those people who have made the decision that they want to transition off of birth control pills, but they donโt really know how; theyโre a little bit afraid โ whatโs your suggestion for them?
[9:50] Dr. Brighten:
Thatโs a really interesting place that you start with, the segue of people who are working from the higher self, and theyโre working on their spiritual self, and yet, that is something I find a lot of people arrive to when theyโre like โIโm eating better, Iโm exercising, Iโm meditating, Iโve got everything on lockโ and then they stand back and like โWell, why am I on the pill and what is that doing; or whatโs going on with my IUD?โ and itโs something that weโve been encouraged very much in many different capacities, not just the doctors, to go on autopilot when it comes to our reproductive health of like โJust do what youโre told, donโt question it and youโre not going to get pregnant.โ And listen, when I was 17 and I started the pill, I was like โYes please, not getting pregnant; definitely a good thingโ and yet, many of us donโt understand how it works. And so letโs talk about that, and weโll talk about coming off.
So, the way that hormonal birth control works, if it is to stop your ovulation, it must work at the brain level. Now, this is always a big โAhaโ for people because weโre so often told โOh, you take these hormones for your ovaries to stop ovulating.โ But the way ovulation works is it starts in your brain. So it is a cascade of hormones throughout the month that are leading to your period, if you donโt become pregnant, and itโs all orchestrated by the brain. The ovaries are taking the signals from the brain and theyโre responding to that. So, for birth control to work, just shut down ovulation, it works at the brain level.
The IUDโs, the hormonal IUDโs, they donโt always shut down brain-ovarian communication, they can but itโs not like the pill where thatโs the primary mechanism.
So, when you come off of hormonal birth control there can be sometime between brain-ovarian communication in being re-established. So that may look like Amenorrhea โ we expect you to maybe not get your period back for about three months coming off birth control, if you had regular cycles when you started it. If you had ECS or irregular cycles before, we expect it can take about six months. For some, it can even take about eighteen months before you start ovulating again, which, if you try to come off of birth control to try to get pregnant, and this is especially true with the Depo shot, it can take longer for it to wear off.
You come off with the expectation to get pregnant and you donโt have a period โ yes you do need a period to be able to get pregnant because what precedes that is ovulation and so that can have a lot of women panicked which is why, if youโre listening to this now or youโre debating off of it, I recommend going off of it in advance, at least six months, maybe even sooner, if youโre trying to get pregnant. And even if you donโt want to get pregnant, really for everyone โ Step 1 is coming off โ you need a back-up birth control method if you are having sex with a male partner and the reason for that is because:
1. We donโt know when youโre going to start ovulating again โ so if you are someone whoโs like โI want to do fertility awareness methodโ you might need a condom in the meantime; and
2. You donโt want to get pregnant right away because hormonal birth control is causing a lot of disruption in your system, in various ways, if you havenโt been taking care of yourself the whole time. So nutrient depletions โ Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, ones that are crucial to pregnancy, but also just be a high functioning adult you have to replenish those nutrient stores. Yes, we want to dial and diet; yes, we want to make sure that we are digesting and absorbing our foods and tending to our diet, and we are going to likely need a supplement. If youโre on birth control right now, you definitely want to be on Multivitamin or Pre-natal. So, thatโs a few of the things I talk about in my book. I could definitely go off for a long time talking about metabolic health, inflammation and all the other things we want to do, but I know that was a lot there at the beginning, so do you have an questions?
[13:24] Sahara:
Yeah, no, I think thatโs really great advice and your book really outlines it so much more, and I think the next natural question for people is โWell if I get off birth control, what do you recommend as a more natural form of birth control?โ
[13:37] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah, when it comes to birth control, thereโs no one size fits all. Thatโs really the slippery slope that weโve fallen into (that weโve literally fallen into a pit with birth control at some point) because I think weโve all had the story of trying the birth control method that didnโt work for us.
And so we really have to evaluate whatโs true for your body; whatโs going to work best for you. And when it comes to natural methods, we have barrier methods which, they open up a lot of play, a lot of people donโt talk about those, but barrier methods are the only thing that are going to protect you from HIV, HPV, other STIโs.
[14:11] Sahara:
And that would be like a male or female condom?
[14:13] Dr. Brighten:
Male/Female condom; dental dams – so those barrier methods. We also have cervical cap โ those have a higher failure rate though, so, you also have to look at what is the typical use and whatโs the perfect use. So, whenever you hear the pill is 99% effective โ thatโs if youโre perfect with it; but typical use is 91% effective and youโll still hear people say โWell, itโs not that hard to do perfect useโ and Iโm like โThen why would we be reporting typical use, saying this is typically what people doโ because there are issues that come up. Do you vomit within a couple hours of taking your pill? – Probably not going to be that effective. So, weโve got the barrier method.
Thereโs also the copper IUD โ there are some people who do right with it, they absolutely love it. Iโve monitored patients, so anytime we have a medical intervention Iโm on Baseline Labs; Iโm on Baseline Symptom Tracking for my patient, then in intervention and then we track. So, there are people out there, and there might be of so many comments like โHow dare you recommend the copper IUD, what about the copper toxicity, you could die!โ And itโs like โYes, that can happen with some people but it doesnโt happen with all people, which is why you should be monitoring that with lab work, and definitely monitor your symptoms.โ And if youโre taking a multivitamin or pre-natal, or you love oysters and youโre getting plenty of Zinc, then that can help counter any copper. There is not sufficient evidence to say that there is copper toxicity with a copper IUD that occurs. However, they do say that if you have copper storage disease, that you shouldnโt have a copper IUD, which should all get us paused to say โWell there is a possibility there.โ
So, if you have Endometriosis, heavy or painful periods, the copper IUD is not or you. I have a whole TikTok video of โThree Reasons Not to Get a Copper IUDโ, and thatโs it, because it makes periods heavier and it definitely makes them more painful for people who already have painful periods. So, copper IUD is, I will say, highest efficacy rate, and hands down if it works for you โ you love it: and if it doesnโt work for you, then you absolutely donโt.
And then thereโs Fertility Awareness Method, which I love, because if youโre using barrier methods or youโre using a copper IUD, then you could also use Fertility Awareness Method. And why I love it is not because โ I donโt want anyone to be โWell, Dr. Brighten loves it, therefore that should be my methodโ thatโs not what Iโm saying. What Iโm saying is, I love it because you get so intimately involved with your body and its signs and its symptoms, that you understand when things are not normal and that you can clue in way sooner than labs will. We have this done, doctorโs office will tell them โYour labs are normal, therefore everythingโs are normal.โ Let me tell you that by the time the labs are showing that there are abnormals, the body is no longer compensating. The patient often experiences something in their body as is not normal and will say that before lab symptoms shift, and thatโs what the Fertility Awareness Method can help you with as well. So, if people donโt know what this is โ this is not the Rhythm Method; this is not the Calendar Method, thatโs being like โOh, weโre both ovulating on Day 14โ โ No, we do not. And ovulation can, for you, be Day 14 one month and Day 16 the next month, and Day 10 the month later. It can shift because as a cyclical creature, youโre very much in tune with your environment (Hello 2020, the biggest environmental disruption, the signals weโre getting) everybodyโs periods are all over the place this year, and painful, and weird, where weโre like โWhy am I having these symptoms? Iโve never had these symptoms beforeโ because youโre in tune with the environment. So, with the Fertility Awareness Method you are attracting your basal body temperature โ the minute you wake up you take your temperature. Youโre tracking your symptoms. Do you see raw egg white consistency in your underwear? Thatโs fertile cervical mucus, itโs not a bad thing, itโs a very good thing, you have healthy hormones, we want to see that. Thatโs a sign that you are in your fertile window. We will see a temperature spike which is with the LH spike, thatโs what the brain is saying to the ovaries, and then we will subsequently see ovulation happen.
The biggest, I have to say, weโre both on TikTok and itโs like a new, only 17 states mandated medically accurate sexual education, but I didnโt know how much of an impact that was really having. It wasnโt tangible for me until I had a video that had 2 million views where I told people โYouโre only fertile one day out of the month.โ If you have an egg that is liberated from your ovaries, thatโs going to live 12-24 hours: itโs sperm that can live 5, maybe 6, maybe 7, but really youโll need a 6-day fertile window, and people are like โNo!โ There were people arguing in the comments being like โThis is a lie. This is misinformation. You can get pregnant any day of the monthโ and Iโm like โOkay, have you ever tried to get pregnant?โ because you canโt, itโs not the way that it works.
And so, the Fertility Awareness Method makes the assumption that we ovulate once a month, yes, there can be outliners, but typically youโre only going to ovulate once in a month. Sperm lives 5-6 days, so that means that if youโre really in the mood and you have fertile cervical mucus, donโt have unprotected sex because youโre probably going to get pregnant, and then youโre going to be tracking your physical symptoms, but also you can measure even the cervix height, which is a little tricky, and thatโs if youโre going to get into that stage. And honestly, if you want to do Fertility Awareness Method, working with a Fertility Awareness Educator can be so tremendous and really helping you have your confidence, have it dialed in; and being able to meet your doctor and dialogue in a way where they donโt just dismiss you. I donโt think itโs funny and yet so many doctors think itโs funny to be like โOh, Fertility Awareness Method, do you know what we call that? Iโll see you when youโre pregnant. Thatโs what we call thatโ Iโm like โThatโs so disempowering for you to say.โ Instead, when somebody says โA New Fertility Awareness Methodโ Iโm like โTell me about your temperature tracking; tell me about your fertile cervical mucusโ I go through and ask those questions and if theyโre like โYeah, what do you mean temperature?โ Iโm like โOkay, youโre not really doing Fertility Awareness Method, letโs talk about that!โ
[20:00] Sahara:
I think these are really good because โ yes, I do know a lot of people try doing it and they just assume โOkay, I can have sex during my period with ejaculation inside or right before or after because I canโt get pregnantโ but sometimes that sperm lives for the 5-6 days and maybe they ovulate earlier than they thought and theyโre just guessing, theyโre not really taking the temperature. So then you hear stories like that and people are like โOh my Gosh, this doesnโt actually work!โ
So what would you say are the best methods to prevent anything from slipping up and would you still recommend you partner not ejaculating inside of you if you are using this method?
[20:40] Dr. Brighten:
Yes, so youโre talking about is doing the โpull outโ method which has been a 20% failure rate. If itโs done correctly, itโs up in the 90s in terms of its percent of successful, nobody gets pregnant, and so it only has about a 4% failure rate if done perfectly. The amount of body awareness it takes for a man (pretty tremendous) but also some men, their brains really get overridden by their hormones and everything thatโs going on, so you really have to check in with your male partner about that. And you can use โ I know people that use the Fertility Awareness Method with the โpull outโ method and I have patients who havenโt gotten pregnant for years, and then decided to get pregnant and they got pregnant. And so, that worked for them, will that work for you? Maybe, maybe not, if you canโt risk having a baby, youโre better off to use a Barrier Method, so, use a condom, and certainly during your fertile window, use that.
Now what you brought up is a really interesting point because people will say โWell, how did I get pregnant because I was on my period, and thatโs when we had sex and I got pregnant?โ Well, letโs say your period is 7 days long, so, youโre bleeding for 7 days, and then you ovulate on Day 10. So you had sex on Day 7 because youโre like โWell, Iโm still on my period, itโll be fineโ 3 days later you ovulate. Now, hereโs whatโs really important to understand because we will often hear people talking about the menstrual cycle as four phases, which gets a little bit confusing. Youโll not hear doctors talk about that regularly because we focus on the three phases because the Follicular phaseโs goal is ovulation. Is it wrong to say four phases? No, but when weโre saying four phases, what are we talking about? time of the uterus. Weโre not talking about the ovaries. The ovaries do not care that the uterus is shedding, theyโre like โWeโre getting an egg readyโ thatโs their job. And so, to understand that, well your uterus may still be bleeding, you can ovulate, that can happen. Is that the best scenario for implantation? Absolutely not, because you need to have that endometrium built up. However, at the same time, to recognize that in a 3-day window, if your estrogen is spiking and then you ovulate, it is possible because what could have been left that you were bleeding, was actually left over blood and not so much the lining of the uterus, the lining of the uterus was already building up. So itโs a little bit confusing because your uterus is doing one thing and your ovaries are doing another thing; and then your doctor is saying one thing and then youโll hear other people talking about four phases, and thatโs another thing. So just to understand that the ovaries, during the follicular phase; primary goal is to get ready for ovulation. Ovulation is a 1-day event, then we move onto the Luteal phase. The uterus is menstruating, then itโs building up the lining. And then if thereโs implantation things go a different route, if thereโs not, after the Luteal phase, the lining sheds. Does that make sense?
[23:33] Sahara:
Totally! And I think you said something important. You said, you might ovulate Day 10, so would Day 1 be the first day of your menstruation?
[23:41] Dr. Brighten:
Yes. So Day 1 is the first day that you have flow, and sometimes weโll have a little bit of spotting. If itโs less than a tablespoon (so a tablespoon or less) not really your period, thatโs spotting. So many people are like โOh thereโs something wrong if you see spotโ โ itโs not uncommon to spot, and in some ways your body is like โHey, donโt wear those white pants tomorrow! So that you know!โ
So yeah, the first day is that you have a flow. And so, a typical period is about 3-5 days; 7 days is not abnormal; beyond that we start to get concerned. Thatโs a long period to be having. But you can have the spot, hereโs the thing, spotting still counts at the end, you want to track it as that, so, 5 days then you have regular bleeding and then thereโs brown spotting for two days, you want to be like โOkay, brown spotting for two daysโ your period, not the time youโre bleeding is roughly 7 days.
[24:35] Sahara:
Got it! Yeah, I think thatโs super helpful for people because there seems to just be this assumption of like โYour ovulation is just 2 weeks after, thatโs itโ so I can just kind of keep that in mind or even, I feel like most people kind of count ovulation for a couple of days because you just donโt really know exactly what day itโs on. If youโre doing the FAM method for a long time, could you actually pinpoint the exact day that it happens or is it still this window of a couple days?
[25:01] Dr. Brighten:
Itโs good still to count the couple days. I think if you just absolutely do not want to become pregnant, thatโs like a total deal-breaker, and so with FAM though, I will say there are FAM-tech devices like natural cycles thatโs FDA approved (contraceptive) that doesnโt mean that you just take your temperature and call it a day โ still pay attention to your symptoms. And then thereโs Daisy, which is a fertility monitor, and those are great because they really can get โ they take an algorithm for them, and itโs like math meets chemistry in terms of managing your fertility, like the math beats the pill in some women in terms of โ as we all know somebody on the pill. And so, with that, I think those are great devices to have on board. I personally find them way easier to use than a calendar charting method; Iโm just not going to do it. I tried and I was like โI just canโt do this paper method with this rulerโ but you can get it dialed in to where you are like โOkay, my temperature spiked, and itโs a very small spike.โ I will also say that devices like the Oura Ring โ I wear the Oura Ring and Iโve been surprised that Iโm like โWow! I can actually see when ovulation happenedโ thereโs this little spike, is that what itโs approved for? No! But I am a bit of an expert.
[26:15] Sahara:
How much would the spike be point how many degrees?
[26:18] Dr. Brighten:
It can just be 0.2, 0.4 for some is very, very small spike. For some, theyโll even feel hotter that day, theyโll feel their body temperature go up, but itโs not enough to do just the temperature, and thatโs what I really want to drive home because when they studied this, and the studies are like โWow! Thereโs actually a high success rate with this methodโ weโre also paying attention to your symptoms. So, being in the mood, okay, when your libido upticks and you have no problems with vaginal lubrication, thatโs yeah, youโre around ovulation, because thatโs what your body is designed to do. So libido will actually spike before ovulation as a way; itโs Momma Nature being so smart like โLetโs capture some sperm because thereโs going to be an eggโ and thatโs going to increase the success rate. And always, for people who are listening, who donโt want to have children, I totally get that, which is why you want to learn how Nature designed it because Nature wants you to procreate, thatโs what is being driven here. So if you donโt want to, learn the game and play Natureโs game; and then you could outsmart it. And then I will say this though, as I said, someone always gets pregnant with the pill, I had said that the highest efficacy rate, IUDโs, thereโs no failures, thereโs no human failure variable in that, yet we all know an IUD baby โ we all know these people who have gotten pregnant with these methods, and so, this is when I finally evolved into on social media, as I just say, as Jeff Goldblum says in Jurassic Park, that life finds a way; life will find a way. There are people, Iโve had patients in their 40s with an IUD who are like โIโm pregnant! Statistically I thought I wasnโt even going to be able to get pregnant, and yet, here I am with an IUD and Iโm pregnant!โ So, just to understand that no method is a 100% pregnancy-proof, except for abstinence, and thatโs not realistic for a lot of people, and letโs just be real about it because I know there are people that are like, they pie the sky dreams that they can practice abstinence, but biology!
[28:24] Sahara:
Exactly! Well, thanks so much for explaining that. And I do want to know, I had a copper IUD but I got it done somewhere that they did not use an ultrasound, so it was not placed correctly, and it was scratching me and I thought that it was just โ because they said you might have spotting for the first month. And I also, for me, I feel like I do a lot of yoga, and twists and stuff, so psychologically I was always afraid of โ I was kind of thinking what if was scratching me, even though it already was scratching me. So, I would recommend for someone to go to a doctor that uses an ultrasound just to make sure itโs in the right place.
[28:59] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah, and your doctor should always โ once you get an IUD placed, they should say to you if at any point it doesnโt feel right, you canโt feel the strings, you come in and we do a trans-vaginal ultrasound. So, for anyone listening, itโs not going to be an over the tummy ultrasound like you see on every pregnancy movie, this will be a trans-vaginal ultrasound โ itโs a wand that is inserted into the vagina so that we can visualize the uterus. And so, the thing I will say is not every time Planned Parenthood has this available, so thatโs the other thing too, is that if you are โSomethingโs not rightโ and youโre travelling, you can actually pop into a Planned Parenthood and they can visualize it right away. Perforation risk is low with IUDโs โ people are always โ so perforation, basically if the IUD is trying to bust out of your uterus, and so itโs going through the wall โ that is a bad deal, this low. With the Marina IUD, which is a hormonal IUD, itโs less than 0.1% (very, very low) expulsion is much higher. So with the Marina IUD and the hormonal IUD is, weโve got a higher rate; with the copper IUD itโs even higher, and thatโs when your uterus is like โThis is my house and you do not belong hereโ and it kicks it out.
And really, with that, it can be painful depending on if it gets lodged in the cervix โ itโs a matter of you just need to have strings pulled and it will be removed pretty quickly. When you have a device, itโs just like the implant in your arm, even a device in your body โ itโs a foreign object and itโs also an unknown; also it can always feel like something going on โ you can get it visualized, you can always have your doctor check it out. But before itโs ever placed, they should be going over what are the risks and as part of the informed consent. And the informed consent isnโt just that I gave you the information, itโs that you asked all the questions and you fully understood the information. If you do not have all your questions answered; if your doctor was just like โOh, itโs not that big of a dealโ and kept on doing it, nope, that is not an informed consent, they need to back it up and repeat a correct answer because the informed consent is both a legal and ethical obligation that you are entitled to so that you can make the best decision for yourself, but also so you know when to seek help and you know when to see your doctor.
So with IUDโs, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease risk can be higher. There was an IUD a long time ago that was just a bad device, and that was before FDA was even approving devices, it was like โYeah, sure, just put it in womenโ, and it was bad, it was a bad deal, and when we were getting PID. Itโs much lower now but you still need to know that if you end up with a fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, low abdomen aching, weird discharge coming (and I have a whole discharge article at drbrighten.com). If itโs thick, mucusy, not like cervical mucus, itโs cloudy, itโs white, itโs green, it smells bad, this is a problem. If youโre having sex and your partner touches your cervix, because, yes that happens, and you want to scream (we call it the Chandelier Sign) where weโll actually move the cervix between our fingers โ when you move it back and forth, and we call it the Chandelier Sign because we will want to jump up and grab the chandelier because you are in so much pain. These are all signs of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. Yes, the risk is low, itโs much lower than it used to be, and yet, you still need to know what that is, because yes, it is an infection that is serious, you definitely need to go to the doctor โ I call it the โdo not hasgo, do not collect $200 and go directly to a clinician) get some treatment right away because it can scar you tubes, your fallopian tubes, and so, that can set you out. And thatโs when women say โWell, my IUD caused infertilityโ, back it up, itโs not that the IUD caused infertility; the IUD increased the risk of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and that led to your infertility. And thatโs a very serious thing because sometimes we find ourselves not wanting a baby until the prospect of not being able to have a baby is there, and then weโre like โOkay, hold that, Iโm re-evaluating everything!โ
[32:51] Sahara:
Thanks so much for explaining that and definitely, guys, check out her website, so many great articles, and TikTok videos. So, such great advice!
So, a lot of people are sharing natural birth control herbs โ using herbs for this. What are your thoughts? Do you think we could do in conjunction with things? My concern is that it could decrease your chances of fertility when you are ready (if you are ready) to have a child.
[33:20] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah, I donโt think we have any studies on long-term impacts on fertility, but this is the tricky thing, we just donโt have great studies on that and on herbs that would actually work for fertility. And the problem is, is that anything thatโs natural canโt really be pend, and so, really, thereโs not a lot of money in that. So, it doesnโt mean there isnโt efficacy there, but actually be careful here because if you absolutely cannot get pregnant, youโre rolling the dice there. And my concern is that something is preventing fertility, may also be messing with your hormones and messing with other issues. And so, itโs kind of like โOkay, so youโre not taking a pharmaceutical thatโs messing with your hormones, now youโre trying to use herbs to mess with your hormones. And I know that in the current point of applyment, I just donโt know how I feel; I havenโt sat with this enough. Iโve seen TikTok videos educating women about abotrefacted teas and things that they can be drinking to have an at home abortion. And thereโs one in particular that has a tea โ itโs okay to drink, and it may or may not help you, but if you use the oil, you could die, and I kind of want to chime in and be like โBut okay, if you use the oil, you could dieโ and please be careful because itโs not essential oils and itโs not more effective, and yet Iโm like โI canโt really touch that right nowโ because this is just a bad idea to be educating in this way on social media. What if somebodyโs trying to use that and theyโre in their second trimester? Thatโs not appropriate, and nobody is doing the informed consent with them that an herb thatโs an abortefacted may not work and may be a teratogen, which means that it is now, essentially, mutated your baby. That teratogen means monster for me and so, thatโs, essentially, it can cause malformations, and you can have defects. And so, thatโs something I get really concerned about, but Iโm really concerned about that on the medicine front, and then as a human, Iโm really concerned that this is the way things are going in our society that women are so afraid about having these things taken from them that they are now taking to social media to educate themselves; there are websites popping up โ and these people are not licensed health-care providers, and some of them arenโt even trained in herby (like myself) and so, it makes me a bit concerned. So, if you want to use herbs in a capacity to โ if thereโs one thing like โLetโs take some Viton types to help support progesteroneโ where weโll eat more broccoli to help clear our estrogen out. And Rhodiola, weโve got some great studies on Rhodiola actually; and for energy, and stamina, and helping our hormones overall โ that is different than being like โI want to totally modulate my fertility and prevent pregnancy with that.โ And so, you do want to work with someone who is trained in that and thereโs still not a lot of great evidence in doing that, and why do it when we have these other methods?
[36:15] Sahara:
I remember I was in Costa Rica and it was this one month off-grid experience in the mountains. And we were on our way up and there was this woman who was 8 months pregnant, she was about to give birth, and she was eating papaya and was like โI love eating up the papaya seedsโ sheโs just eating up all the papaya seeds, and Iโm like โIโm pretty sure that thatโs considered a natural birth control, a preventative birth control thing, and I told her that, and she was like โOh, Iโve never heard of that before.โ Have you heard of this?
[36:41] Dr. Brighten:
No I havenโt. Itโs actually anti-parasitic though. I, very much, have had enough patients who, they crave things and we find things and Iโm like โThat actually makes sense for this kind of craving that you had.โ And so, at the end it actually kind of makes me wonder – youโre in Costa Rica.
[37:00] Sahara:
Maybe it was the anti โ because I was like โIโm pretty sure thatโs not good for a baby but you justโฆโ I wish there were more studies on these things so we could for sure know.
And the other thing that I heard was that Stevia (the Stevia plant) was used as a natural birth control in Panama for many years. Have you heard of this?
[37:18] Dr. Brighten:
Iโve heard of that, and then Parsley, another one as well. I was pregnant with my son and I had all this parsley that had overgrown, so I made this parsley pesto, and I was eating it, and this was something that one of my colleagues had said to me, she was like โThat can actually be an abortefacted!โ So, weโre not taught herbs to use them as abortefactents, weโre taught as a caution. Nobody takes tincture of parsley, thatโs not something I was using regularly in my herbal wheel-house, and I was like โI think Iโm going to okay if I eat this parsley pestoโ and sheโs like โItโs a lot of parsleyโ and Iโm like โBut itโs also like my gut; itโs not like a tincture.โ And so, thatโs the other thing, the forms of things that come they in, like oils are going to be way more potent โ we donโt do essential oils internally or over gravid uterus (a gravid uterus is a pregnant uterus) a uterus that has a little human in it. And then also knowing that some things you donโt take as a tincture in pregnancy and yeah, it could be safe to drink as a tea and to have it in tea form or to have it added to your food. Culinary is generally regarded as safe; itโs when you go into the meniscal forms that you definitely want to consult someone with these things.
And again, without the studies or really knowing, you have to, thatโs the other thing too, Iโm always like โWhat happens if it fails? You find youโre pregnant and you want to keep this pregnancy, what happens? You were on this.โ And so, we know that with Vitamin A in the form of retinal palmitate, itโs not just were you taking it at the time that you got pregnant; itโs what were you taking leading up to it? How high were those doses that can have an impact on the baby as well?
[39:00] Sahara:
So fascinating!
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[42:13] Sahara:
So, a lot of women have told me โI wish I could track my cycle but I canโt because I have irregular periodsโ and a lot of them itโs because of PCOS. And I know this is something you speak about a lot.
Can you share with us, first of all, is PCOS showing up more today or are people just getting diagnosed with it more? It feels like everyone I talk to is having PCOS.
[42:36] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah, itโs definitely being recognized more. So, one in ten are estimated to have PCOS, so I wouldnโt be surprised if itโs more, a little bit more higher than that. And what weโve come to understand is that it can take 2-3 years before a person with PCOS can actually find a provider to diagnose them and give them adequate treatment. And so, it can take years; thereโs going to someone in the comments whoโs going to be like โIt took me a decade and I went through a dozen doctors.โ There has been a big fight, for a long time, all things in womenโs medicine to get it recognized. So PSOC has been one; Endometriosis; side-effects with birth control. Medicine is coming around a lot quicker with PCOS than Endometriosis, and is still very hesitant about any birth control side-effects being real; itโs such a bizarre thing to me.
So, with PCOS (this is Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) itโs really important for people to know; itโs a very out-dated name and that not everybody has poly-cystic ovaries, however, women with PCOS had to fight so hard to even get it recognized by doctors that now, to change the name, would be a whole new battle. So, with that, you do not have to have poly-cystic ovaries to get the diagnosis. The younger you are, the more likely theyโll be there; the older you are, the less likely theyโre going to be there because theyโre not really cysts (as weโre coming to find out) what they more likely are, are follicles. Your body is really trying to ovulate and itโs like โAlright, we didnโt ovulate, letโs get even more follicles ready.โ And so, itโs not that you have cysts as much as that you have eggs that are just really, really wanting to ovulate; they just really want to get there. But the hallmark of what we really see with PCOS โ the Rotterdam criteria โ thereโs poly-cystic ovaries, so you have to have two out of three; the other is elevated androgens, and that can be found on lab work or that can be found โ if you find it on lab work, youโre going to find it on the face, or the head, or the chest; and that is, you can have signs, so it can be clinical signs of excess androgen. So hair on the chin, chest, abdomen, hair loss on the head, you can also have cystic acne or backne, acne in other places as well, oily skin, some have really strong body odor that can be those androgens as well. And so, thatโs what youโre going to see more of the time but something that you see in almost all cases that are uncontrolled or undiagnosed with PCOS is the irregular or lack of ovulation. And so, this is something where it gets tricky because thereโs women who get diagnosed with PCOS and theyโre like โMy insulin looks good and my inflammation looks good, and Iโm ovulating like every other month. Iโm doing pretty good! Iโm like โThatโs because youโre figuring out how to manage it.โ And that can make it harder sometimes because they are handling their symptoms and their doctors are like โWell, itโs not so pep and dry.โ So I say that because it is possible to get to a regular menstrual cycle. It might be more like a 45-day cycle but it is possible. And so, that means that youโd be ovulating and it is also possible to get those androgens in check so youโre not struggling with those symptoms as well. But thatโs PCOS, and are seeing more of it likely because the medical community is actually recognizing it; diagnosing it more often.
[45:42] Sahara:
What do you think about people prescribes Metformin for it?
[45:46] Dr. Brighten:
Metformin? I had a guest a couple weeks ago, and we were talking about Fluconazole and she was like โThe F word one.โ
[45:58] Sahara:
Exactly! Not a doctor here!
[45:59] Dr. Brighten:
Itโs all good, itโs all good.
So, with the Metformin, it could really help with the insulin sensitivity issue, so if you are showing signs of pre-diabetes or diabetes, it can be a great go-to pharmaceutical to use, and itโs not a forever pharmaceutical, thatโs whatโs really important to understand. So I encourage people, that if your doctor is going to prescribe you a pharmaceutical, ask them what the plan is to get you off of it. Because with Metformin, so thatโs going to help so that your blood sugar levels get in check, which is really, really important because with insulin issues, that stimulates the fetal cells and the ovaries to make more androgens, and thatโs one way that we can help with androgen, but also prevent cardiovascular risks. What a lot of people donโt realize is that, and thatโs because they get PCOS diagnosis that are doctors like โHereโs birth controlโ, send you on your way, Iโm like โDid anyone tell you about fatty liver disease or cardiovascular issues, or diabetes, or any of these things that can come with PCOS. And so, you will hear a lot of people, and I will say too; if youโre listening to this, you may have been told that to have PSOC you have to be overweight โ once upon a time we thought that, then we got new science, we did better, okay? So thatโs old and your doctor should be shifting away from that mindset. Not everybody is overweight, but everybody with PCOS, everybody in the population in general, can benefit from strength training. And so, with that, if youโre to be put on Metformin, looking at diet and lifestyle, know that this is not โ please, if you have PCOS, Iโm not saying that โYou just need to eat right and exercise, lose weight, thatโs your problemโ no, no, no! But looking at, maybe you want to run less cardio and do more strength training because that cardio can be toxing those adrenals and they can kick out DHEA (and I got more androgens that youโre dealing with) but in addition, building muscle mass helps sensitize insulin, burning fat โ and okay, listen, if you are a woman you should have fat (this is normal โ pits, butt, thighs, breasts, even jiggly arms) these things that are normal were meant to carry some fat. It is an endocrine organ though, just like your muscles can be, which means that it can be producing more estrogen โ which estrogen can be problematic because if youโre not ovulating with PCOS, you donโt have progesterone to oppose it. Now we get Endometro-hyperplasia whoโs going to get that wicked, heavy period and your doctorโs telling you that youโre going to get Endometro cancer one day.
You know, that is something that is a long, long time off for a lot of people if you โ so I just want to say that because doctors will say that โYou have to get on the pill right now or youโre going to get Endometro cancerโ and you have some time to work on this other stuff and trying to get your body ovulating and work on this other stuff. So thatโs going to be more like a year process down the line than an immediate thing. With that, building muscle mass, eating lots of plants, we all need to be eating lots of plants. I know there are people out there doing the carnivore diet, and they swear by it, and Iโm like โPlease, can we just study you because we donโt have enough data for me to feel; it goes against everything that Iโve ever knownโ as just being a human but also my nutrition degree and my doctorate, and everything what Iโve seen in patients, and yet, there are people who get really great benefits. I still contend that given what plants give you to balance your hormones, go with the plant. So, lots of plants so that youโre feeding that micro-biome so that youโve got that fiber; so that you are staying full but youโre also moving your bowels regularly, thatโs going to help with your estrogen as well. And so, eating in a way thatโs focused on nutrient density and not focused on caloric depravation; or focused on bad foods. I hate the bad foods, I was part of the bad foods troop in my 20s, those working of the US DA food pyramid very ironically, I was like โBad foods; bad foods! And I had to only have whole-grained foods!โ
[49:43] Sahara:
Whole grain pasta for every meal!
[49:44] Dr. Brighten:
Whole grain everything; whole grain pasta; whole grain bread, โOh my God, Iโve got to eat all this grain!โ
[49:48] Sahara:
I didnโt eat bread today, shit!
[49:52] Dr. Brighten:
That was so me, and I seriously, I was trying to eat six servings of grains a day and I felt awful doing it, and I would struggle getting enough vegetables in it; and finally I was like โMy goal is, I want to get nine servings of vegetables inโ, I started shifting, I was like โAll my joint inflammation is going away.โ Oh yeah, it took a decade later for me to figure out โOh youโre really gluten sensitive; youโre one of those special peopleโ but not everybody is. We see a lot of that happens on social media, it happens in doctorโs offices, where people are like โThat food is bad, donโt eat the bad food!โ When we label it โbadโ, psychologically what happens when you eat it, you think youโre bad. Cake is not bad, itโs delicious. How can something be that delicious and bad? But itโs one of those things that there is this human experience that we are here to have, and it is not one of deprivation and perfection. You came here to experience it all and sometimes that โallโ is going to be sleeping in, eating ice-cream late at night, watching a movie, skipping your workout. Those things will happen, and so really, what I like to focus on is nutrient density. And even in my book, we do a modified elimination diet, but, and I hope everybody reads up to that, where I talk about โThese foods are not bad, weโre just testing whatโs true for you.โ Because for some people, dairy is driving their acne – letโs find out if that is true for you, and thereโs studies, thereโs science to back up, yes, dairy can drive acne in some people. And what I want everyone to really focus on is โWhat is true for me?โ And only focus on that because I say all the time, I give a lot of great information but itโs not true for everyone, and thereโs a lot of great information out there but itโs not going to always be true for you. We canโt apply everything. So I have been in nutrition for almost 2 decades now, Iโm getting old that day, but with that, like the trends and the diet thing, and everything that I say โFat is badโ, oh yeah, I was part of fat is bad; I was like โNo fatโ and I was on birth control and I wondered why I had no libido.
[52:02] Sahara:
I remember I ate guacamole once and I felt so guilty after it, I was like โI canโt believe I just ate all that guacโ and now itโs like the โsuperfood.โ
[52:12] Dr. Brighten:
Totally, right?! And you watch all of these trends, I mean they are, for a while gluten was the devil, it still is the devil in some cans, and when I explain to people is that maybe it is for you, maybe itโs not, and sometimes you go to some countries and you donโt have a problem with it; and sometimes itโs certain things; and we definitely know thereโs cross activity with autoimmune disease. So if you have Hashimotoโs or if you have Celiac disease for sure, or Psoriasis, glutenโs probably not a good idea for you, but then there are people that are like โI donโt understand, I cut it out, I bring it in; I cut it out and I never have a problemโ and Iโm like โMaybe itโs not a problem for you, good for you, because I love sour dough bread and I wish I could have it.โ
[52:52] Sahara:
Right! So I want to talk about (speaking of nutrition), I want to talk about intermittent fasting for female hormonal health because some people say itโs the best thing ever, some people say for hormonal health itโs the worst thing ever. Whatโs your take?
[53:06] Dr. Brighten:
Intermittent fasting โ Iโve actually seen it works really well in menopause and it can work really well in your perimenopausal years. So once you get in your 40s, as youโre becoming less fertile, and it really depends whatโs going on.
So, I actually had a head injury in 2016, I did Keto and intermittent fasting as part of rehabilitating my brain, I never stopped ovulating. My body is really resilient, this is why I come from this huge Hispanic family, because my body is like โI will ovulate no matter what, nothing will ever stop me.โ But I didnโt have any disruption to menstrual cycle; I didnโt have the fasting to say โOh, well did I have any major hormonal shiftsโ because I was also using progesterone therapy in my Luteal phase (so after ovulation); I would then start progesterone therapy as part of brain rehab. And I do well to intermittent fast when I travel, so I find that when Iโm travelling I will fast for a period, I adjust to time zones a lot better. So I do find times that personally, it works really well for me, and I do it in a window where itโs like I close the kitchen at 7pm and then I donโt eat again until 7, 8, 9am, just depending on how I feel. And thatโs something that didnโt work for me in previous years, I was too metabolically unstable for my adrenal glands, but a 12-hour fast window, most people can do that. Thatโs doable for most people, and thatโs a great way for your gut, and most people donโt realize thatโs intermittent fasting too (is that 12-hour window). So, and Iโm not going to get into some more specifics about intermittent fasting, but we find there is a nervous system in your gut called the migraine motor complex, and it sweeps everything through, itโs why we have healthy bowel movements in the morning; thatโs why we donโt get small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, those critters stay in the large intestine, itโs really important, and we donโt totally know what the enteric nervous system has to do with our entire nervous system, and parasympathetic and sympathetic activity. So, when you actually give that 12-hour break, thatโs when you can get four sweep cycles. Itโs very, very healthy for your digestion, so most people can do that.
Who canโt do that โ people who have adrenal issues may not be able to do that. They will wake up in the middle of the night, theyโll feel hot; sweaty; anxious; and theyโre hungry, thatโs okay to not be doing the 12 hours. If you need to eat closer to bed, thatโs okay, thatโs a healing phase maneuver, totally okay to do. Sometimes people with diabetes, they are not able to do that; they have to eat a little bit closer. So, it really depends on what is true for you.
Now, thereโs other forms of intermittent fasting where people will skip a whole day sometimes. And I will say, if you are cyclical, you are better off doing that, if you want to try it. Letโs be real here, I could say, it might mess with your hormones, but if you want to try it, youโre going to try it, right? And some women, they are just, they love to do little experiments on themselves (this person right here included, I like to do the same thing). So, the best time to try it would be prior to ovulation because after ovulation your insulin sensitivity switches and youโre a little less sensitive, and youโre going to be hungrier, youโre going to be like โI need more food.โ Now, if youโre wanting to do the โIโm going to take the whole day off and fastโ these are actually protocols we use when โ sometimes when thereโs chronic gut inflammation going on, weโve really got to heal the gut. Even Crohnโs and ulcerated colitis, some things are like youโre going to take the whole day off and just drink water and just rest with that. So, thereโs also a therapeutic benefit to that, in this way. The thing you have to mindful of though is that if you end up like โIโm going to start going in and doing the intermittent fastingโ or โIโm only eatingโฆโ I personally couldnโt do the โIโm just going to eat in a 4-8 hour windowโ that feels stressful for me; itโs psychologically stressing me out. But if youโre going to do that, you need to be tracking your menstrual cycle; you need to be tracking all of your symptoms. If you get hungry, you start getting shakey; you get hot, sweaty; you get more irritable. Your body is telling you, donโt wait for your whole menstrual cycle to be thrown off, your body is telling you. But you want to track that and understand that it might take 3 months of you doing that before your body is like โNope, weโre not going to compensate anymoreโ and then you have symptoms show up.
But when it comes to the research in terms of the beneficial key tones that we get, the autophagy, the research is there, and itโs been there for a long time. Itโs getting a lot more attraction now, but back when I was getting my nutrition degree, caloric restrictions, going down to eating 1200 calories a day, having these short feeding windows, they were talking about it back then. They have done it with animal models and actually shown lengthening of telomeres โ basically thatโs your biological clock ticking down. So the science is there, keep in mind, most of the time science is being done on men, and you have to recognize that as a cyclical creature, you are interacting with your environment, youโre way more in tune with your environment than your male counterpart because your body is taking signals from the environment and saying โDo I have enough food to ovulate and get pregnant, and sustain myself, and a human, and then birth it, and then breastfeed it as well. Am I running, this more cardio can do us in sometimes; am I running really hard all the time, my body doesnโt know if itโs a lion, a tiger, a bear or is something coming after me? So, itโs about the signals. We need, and so in one way though, is that when youโre intermittent fasting is when you are eating, eating nutrient dense foods, so you are eating youโre not going fat-free on me, you are eating plants, you are getting as much nutrients in; high quality foods in; so that you are signaling from the environment. And to that pay, there are nutrients available.
It has been argues that we likely practice intermittent fasting as our cave men selves because it was feaster famine sometimes; we would hunt for things; go after things; forage for things. And so, sometimes you would get up and there wouldnโt be food so youโd be out; youโd be hiking; youโd be foraging; youโd be exercising, and it wasnโt contrary to the belief that the men were out doing all the โ no, there were lots of women hunting as well. And this is funny because theyโre just stereotypes that weโve made up in Disney stories and theyโre not rooted in reality. And so, women and men were doing that all along.
So, this again comes back to โIs it true for me?โ And back to what I said before, I do find that the people who are most successful with Keto and with intermittent fasting tend to be more advanced in age, and so in your 20s, it may not work for you. If you are a marathon runner and youโre wanting to do intermittent fasting, know that youโre compounding the stress. If you come from a background that gave you a high allostatic load or your high A scores and you are now intermittent fasting โ to understand that itโs not the individual stressor, itโs the totality of the stress thatโs taking place and only you can truly examine that and answer โIs this the best thing for me in the context of everything thatโs going on?โ So this all is to say it depends.
[1:00:29] Sahara:
Yes, well thatโs a really great explanation. I found for myself, when I was dealing with Amenorrhea, even though I wanted to do all the fasting, that was not right for me at the time because I needed to do, had to do basically no exercise, just stretching because I needed to โ I also didnโt have body fat too, so it was just not the right move. Whereas now, Iโll do about 14 or 16 hour fast, which is basically skip breakfast, but I do drink a coffee that has MCT oil and stuff like that. But I do know a lot of other people say that coffee is not good for female hormonal health, and I know that we had a chat about this before because youโre a Portland coffee lover.
So what is your thought? Can we have coffee and still have healthy hormones?
[1:01:15] Dr. Brighten:
Oh absolutely! Coffee can actually help with estrogen metabolism. So if youโre estrogen dominant, sometimes coffee can help with that. The problem is that, one, if youโre drinking poor quality coffee that can likely be problematic. You know, sometimes the way that decaf is processed is worse for you than regular coffee because theyโre using chemical compounds in there.
So again, itโs back to what is true for you. There is a small sub-set of the population, itโs a slow metabolizer, so theyโre the kind of people (this is like my husband) that they have coffee at noon; midnight theyโre still wide awake โ thatโs a slow metabolizer. So for you, you want to have coffee, youโre going to want to have it earlier in the day. If you find that you are jittery, youโre really hungry, you are anxious, you are sweating when you have coffee, itโs probably throwing catecholamine, so youโre getting a stress response to that, so thatโs not great for you.
But when it comes to coffee, yeah it used to be that people would say โYeah, depletes magnesiumโ and Iโm like โCan we talk about alcohol for a minute then?โ especially as everyone is in quarantine. But another thing I want to talk about too here is โ as I bring up alcohol, itโs just being mindful of rituals as well โ I think in a Western society we often forget how important rituals are. And it happens a lot in the wellness space where we just start taking stuff away from people without ever thinking about the ritual. And I actually had, when I was in medical school, one of my herbal medicine teachers, she taught herbal medicine class and she was one of the clinicians that I worked under, and she was Native American. And what was really interesting to me, she taught me and I carried that forward to my practice, is if someoneโs smoking, you never take away that ritual โ that is their ritual and tobacco is sacred; and really coming from that perspective where sheโs like โInstead itโs about harm reduction.โ So, a lot of my training was about harm reduction โ how do we reduce harm? And about getting them to roll organic tobacco; if itโs that important to them, they get sacred, and whatโs interesting is that you go through that process with people, you often find that ritual melts away and they find a new ritual; you help them find a new ritual that really serves them. So, that comes up as Iโm like โA-ha! Being for alcoholโ and Iโm like โWell, thereโs still this ritual of people coming home at the end of the day and having a glass of wineโ when people are โThatโs bad, breast cancer all of a sudden.โ Yet, we have to recognize, well this is a ritual, and coffee can very much be โ like for my husband, thatโs like going to church in the morning, I swear, heโs like measuring everything by the grams, itโs a whole thing, everything is weighed, measured, all of that. And so, with that, as I say that, one of the best ways, though, for you to examine is coffee impacting you in a negative way, is to pull it out and then reintroduce it and see how you feel. Will you feel a little more energy? Yes you will, thatโs not as much of a problem, but say you have fibrocystic breasts, so you have lumpy, bumpy breasts that get more tender before your period, and you take out coffee and then you find out that โOh, my breasts werenโt tender this cycleโ and the lumps and bumps will take some time to go away โ well thatโs a sign that that perhaps wasnโt working for you. But I think itโs really easy for us to vilify things and to be like โThis is bad, itโs always badโ and yet, this is my personality type where itโs always like โIt depends. In this context it could be bad.โ If you are drinking a pot a day – that could go in a bad direction for you; youโre having GI irritation, so that can happen. If you have diarrhea if you drink coffee, youโre tummy is like โOh my goodness, stop it!โ So, some people do get that irritation, itโs usually because of high tannins, which are actually antimicrobial and can keep some things in check in your gut as well.
And then the other thing Iโll say about coffee is that Dale Bredesen, who does a lot of work in reversing Alzheimerโs, he has a great book if anyone has – I mean, we should all know about this because 66% of the population that has dementia is women. Thatโs whoโs getting these cognitive diseases as we age, and he and doctor [Broughmatter โ 1:05.:25] found great efficacy in their protocols with using coffee and introducing coffee. Whatโs interesting is that, when I had my head injury, I actually would fast, I just couldnโt even eat in the morning, and I would crave coffee, and I would drink four cups of coffee, which I thought that was kind of crazy โ youโre fasting and youโre drinking four cups of coffee and I was fine; I was like โThis isโฆโ, so my dogmatic self, it still lives in there sometimes, itโs like โThis is not possible, this is bad, youโre doing a bad thing.โ And then I heard Bredesen speak and he was like โWe do a fast and then we had them drink at least two, if not four, sometimes more, cups of black coffee because it actually spikes specific key tones that heal the neurological tissue of their brainโ and I was like โWow!โ
So, again, it depends and we have to be careful because what applies to โ look, I wouldnโt want a young teenager โ I wouldnโt want my kid, heโs seven, a straight up espresso or anything like that. Yet thereโs countries where they do; it doesnโt stomp your growth as we used to believe (I totally believed that when I was a kid) and we also have to recognize that it does have medicinal benefit (it does have medicinal benefits). So who are we talking about in what context, and is it actually true for them? Because I think itโs like โ youโll hear things where people are like โWine is bad for female hormonesโ well, arguably yeah, it raises estrogen. So having a glass of wine is bad in that it can raise estrogen, however, it can also drop your cortisol and your catecholamines pretty quickly, and you feel calm and less stressed because that one glass, itโs a disservice after that, but that one glass may be shifting other hormones and things feel better. People are like โThere is Resveratrol, thatโs good; oh well, your blood sugar, oh thatโs badโ you know. You canโt get it right all the time, and sometimes just being happy and enjoying something is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Iโm not saying everybody go binge drink alcohol and coffee all day, youโve got to drink your water still.
[1:07:24] Sahara:
Totally, yes, I think thatโs super important. You know, certain phases of your life might draw you to certain types of medicine, and they really all are medicine, including plant medicines like marijuana etc. you could find something thatโs good, you could find somebody said thatโs itโs bad, everything. For me, I donโt drink alcohol, I donโt smoke weed, but I like coffee, so itโs like everyone will have their vices or whatever you want to call it, but itโs really medicine.
[1:07:49] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah. Well, thatโs where it comes to ritual again, where itโs like โ we call it a vice, and yet, is it a vice or is it a ritual? Yeah, and I donโt want to be that person, that this happened to me, and so we call it cannabis, because thatโs the botanical name, whereas marijuana, I messed it up a bit with, because we grew up and that was the word, and for everybody listening, this was so embarrassing to me. I was at Maya Maya Green revitalize, out on a hike in the desert, and this cannabis doctor, I said marijuana, and she was like โThatโs actually a very racist term and very stigmatizing and is why we have not been able to advance legislation.โ Sheโs from Canada and sheโs like โI canโt even believe youโre from the United States.โ
[1:08:28] Sahara:
Why is marijuana a racist term?
[1:08:30] Dr. Brighten:
So, itโs actually used to make it to where it was โ like, thatโs what Mexicans use, thatโs what Black people use, and then itโs like this drug, whereas cannabis is the botanical name, so thatโs the scientific name, so thatโs the scientifically accurate term.
[1:08:43] Sahara:
Also like Santa Maria, thatโs what itโs called in Spanish right? Yeah.
[1:08:50] Dr. Brighten:
Right, but itโs what in the US they use I guess when legislation is being passed. And for everybody listening, this is an herb (just as weโre talking about Rodiola, just as we were talking about Viatex) itโs been amazing to see the research thatโs coming out at Stanford on cannabis. And so, with that though, I guess when legislation, theyโre just like โThatโs the marijuana, the kinds are smoking dopeโ and that kind of thing. And that really holds science and medicine back, which is problematic. I actually had a plane flight, next to a 60-something year-old, she was so rad. She was on all these pain meds, and she was on all these pharmaceuticals, and she was telling me this story how her kidneys were failing her, and they were getting her ready for dialysis and telling her to get her affairs in order because after dialysis, itโs not a long road that you have. And she decided to see a cannabis doctor, try it, sheโd gone off of all her pain meds, all her medications, went back to her doctor โ and she lived in Eugene Oregon, and itโs kind of surprised by this โ told her doctor โI stopped all my medsโ because he was like โOh my gosh, your kidneys look amazing, you donโt need dialysis, what happened?โ She was like โI stopped all my meds, I started cannabisโ and he was like โIโm not going to see you as a patient anymore if youโre using cannabisโ and that was the end of that; and she was like โI fired him then and there and I found a doctor that wasnโt going to put me on dialysis.โ Iโm like โYour doctor was more comfortable with your kidneys failing and you dying than you using a stigmatized medicinal plant!โ Thatโs insanity to me! Thatโs why Iโm like โLetโs take a moment and talk about it.โ But I seriously, I donโt know if you saw me โ people would see me on the camera โ go rewind this and look at it, I got a little red as I even told that story because I was like โI should know that! My family is from Mexico, I should know that!โ This is everything that went on with the criminalization and just everything around it, itโs so interesting. I feel like in the 90s I knew nothing because now Iโm learning so much in life.
[1:10:48] Sahara:
Totally, yes! Itโs super important that now these different medicines are coming to life, and then itโs also remembering that something that might be medicinal for one person is not medicinal for everyone, but itโs giving people the opportunity to use what works for them and not say โOh, this didnโt work for me and no one should have it.โ I feel like, often times, we read a book or listen to a podcast or something and this person, personally, didnโt have a good experience with it so then it becomes bad for every single person, so it is like people can share their experiences with it, but if youโre actually getting benefit from something, donโt listen to the stigma, just keep doing it. And itโs really amazing to see all types of plant medicines now, like Psilocybin etc. so much more research is being done on these plants. And to use them as allies, again, not another crutch, but another way to bring you back to your own bodyโs healing wisdom.
[1:11:41] Dr. Brighten:
A-ha, absolutely! Itโs so well said, and think thatโs โ again, it comes back to is it true for me? Because what that person is telling you โ you know, September is PCOS awareness month, and there was a lot I was just listening to from the PCOS community about how many people were just like โYou have to lose weight and everyone has to eat this way or that way; and if itโs not this way, then youโre doing life wrong.โ You know, we forget about the psychological diet โ I think a psychological diet is more necessary than physical diet, in terms of what you eat and what you consume and what you let in โ sometimes you need โ fast from that, take a little break from that. But itโs so interesting to just see, Iโve always very anti-dogmatic in terms of my approach as a physician because Iโve just seen, time and again, so many patients, they donโt fit the textbooks, you have to get creative โ I mean, I get that people, theyโve seen so many doctors and struggled, and itโs like โWait, we have to try something new in all of this.โ But just to examine things and to recognize, that person sharing their story is absolutely true, itโs 100% true for them. That doesnโt always mean you can apply it to yourself. And I think weโve really moved out of the age of the โsurrender your power to the guruโ I think that was happening for a really long time, where it was like โThis person has been there before me and they know more than me, and theyโre more educated than me, so Iโm just going to surrender my power and let them tell meโ and that sometimes took the shape of a doctor, so the white coat was a really easy one for people to be like โIโll just give you my power.โ But it also happens with influencers on social media; it can happen with โ itโs happened for a very long time with celebrities: itโs happened in a lot of ways.
[1:13:22] Sahara:
Politicians.
[1:13:25] Dr. Brighten:
Politicians? Yeah! Thatโs one I never think Iโd never slippery slope myself into that one, to be reasoning my way into being like โOh yeahโ but that can definitely happened too โ to where you just give up your power and itโs a lot more work to take the reins and drive the chariot; itโs a lot more work than to just let the horses run free. But I will tell you, when you get to the end, youโre going to be way less satisfied if you were not in charge and you were not driving that. Thatโs so much of what I really try to drive home to people. And also to recognize that you got this โ you do not have to depend on external validation or even a doctor for every single thing โ weโre here when you need us but you shouldnโt always need us because you should need us for a minute until we get you back on course and youโre like โI got this, I know what Iโm supposed to do!โ
[1:14:13] Sahara:
I love that so much, and I think sometimes, I know for myself, when I was dealing with Amenorrhea, not getting my period for years, I was like, I felt this unfairness of โWhy do I have to now spend all of my time trying to figure this out and learn all of these thingsโ that it was taking me away from what I wanted to actually study. Sometimes you forcibly have to become that expert in whatever it is that youโre experiencing, but now Iโm so grateful for it because I get to have these interests and these types of conversations; and have learned so much about my body thatโs always going to be useful. And sometimes your own personal health problems are your greatest gifts but you only see that on the other way.
[1:14:51] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah, when we went through that with my son having PANDAS (for people who donโt know that, thatโs Pediatric Autoimmune Neuro-Psychiatric Disorder thatโs associated with Strep, it is not the cute little teddy bear; itโs not cute at all, doesnโt eat bamboo) and with that, I knew because Iโve definitely had my rough patches in life, my A-score is really high, so in childhood โ Iโve been served enough in childhood, I thought it was good I got through it all, I got my lessons โ and at that time like I know that when I just โ 1 – have to surrender; let myself feel whatever I have to feel; go deep into the darkness, if itโs there, follow it down, see what is there and know to come back up for air. I knew all this, and yet, still at times I hated it, and I was like โI regret this, I hate this; I regret, not even regret, thatโs not even the right word, itโs just more of like Iโm bitter that I have learn! And people were like โWrite a book on PANDASโ and I was in the thick of it, and I was like โI donโt want to do that, thatโs not what I love, thatโs not what I want to study.โ And yet, my son has been able to turn around, heโs thriving, I got him back way faster than others; and I realize that โMan, to understand its own immunity.โ I worked with so many women with autoimmunity โ what a blessing, what a gift to witness and to work with so many patients that once when it came to my son I was like โI got this; this autoimmune, I got this; Iโm not even tripping, I got this!โ And so, through that, I came to Portland โ I often see this book that goes around; itโs impossible to have gratitude and basically feel a negative emotion (what we label a negative emotion); itโs impossible to feel gratitude โ I donโt know what the quote is exactly, but like depression at the same time or something like that. No, thatโs not true actually, because you can simultaneously have emotions, youโre very complex like that, where youโre like โIโm recognizing what Iโm grateful for; I am really doing my gratitude but right now I hate all of this, and Iโm feeling this and this is hardโ and thatโs not because youโre not grateful enough, and youโre not spiritual enough, or not anything, itโs because you are human, having a human experience, and youโre being begged; you are being begged to have that experience, and to process and to grow, and to move through it. And you can hate every minute of it, thatโs okay too, but I think itโs really important what you said about your Amenorrhea โhating it and realizing what a gift to have gone through this and to have this. I will also note thatโs a time not to be doing intermittent fasting โ eat the calories people. But if you have hypothalamic Amenorrhea, someone should be telling you that. Thereโs also, if you have a history of eating disorders, go gluten free or try to cut out the dairy, or intermittent fast (any of that). Unless you are working with somebody who is specifically trained in eating disorders, because it can be a trigger for you โ because thatโs just another of those where a lot of patients feel the same way too, where theyโre like โI hate this, why is this my burden to carry?โ And yet, one thing I will say to everybody thatโs listening to this is that, I think in some ways itโs a part of our story, but itโs also a part of our story to tell, and itโs so important because you never know whoโs going to be healed when they hear your story. And I see this play out so many times on social media, or when I broke down on social media, because I was like โI was just about to launch a bookโ and โBeyond the Pillโ is coming out and Iโm like โYouโve got to be on in on social media, be professional, be all these thingsโ and then I just lose it. Iโm on Instagram Live and I just start crying and Iโm like โMy day sucks 90% of the dayโ I just lost it, and I was like โI canโt keep up the faรงade; I canโt keep this goingโ and I just explained what was happening with my son โ and how many moms with special needs were like (special needs children) were like โI thought I was failingโ โ looking at everyone on social media and when I saw that, I was like โThis is someone I respectโ whoโs having a really bad day and sheโs crying in front of thousands of people. Itโs okay if I cry by myself in my bathroom, and that really opened my eyes so much to like โYou know, we used to tell our stories moreโ weโd sit around the camp fire, tell stories, we used to talk about things. So much of womenโs medicine has been made taboo and weโve been disempowered in silence. It is painful to carry the burden of your own story โ part of telling our story helps us process it โ and now we have to pay for counselors (we all do), so if you do that, no worries, especially in 2020. But the other thing is that when you tell the story, someone else can hook in and be like โThat actually is helping me in this wayโ or โI thought that was normal and Iโve been living with that, and yet you healed from that, and I donโt have to live with that?โ You telling your story about Amenorrhea, and there are people out there that are going to hear it and be like โI gave up, I thought I was never going to have a period, I just gave upโ and then to hear that healing is possible. And thatโs sometimes all we need, is just to have that hope, thatโs like youโve tried every med, youโve tried every diet, youโve tried everything, but you havenโt tried hope. And thatโs been the thing thatโs been missing in all of this.
[1:19:56] Sahara:
Yes1 Preach! So beautifully expressed! Thank you for that and thank you for all of your wisdom. This was like a masterclass just in itself today.
So where can listeners connect with you further or join your email list, get your new book, and just get your wisdom nuggets on a daily basis?
[1:20:15] Dr. Brighten:
Well, the main place you want to find me is drbrighten.com and if you go to drbrighten.com/hormonekit then weโll find a meal plan and recipe guide to help you get started on eating a nutrient dense diet and really focusing on optimizing your hormones. It is gluten and dairy free so that it is inclusive in that way (I have enough on autoimmune community that are โNo, this has to be gluten and dairy free). So, you can grab that there.
You can also find me on Instagram, itโs @drjolenebrighten and you can also find me on TikTok at the same handle. Iโve got videos on YouTube, so it just depends on where you want to hang out โ you can hang out with me.
[1:20:50] Sahara:
Awesome! Thank you again for sharing your wisdom with us.
[1:20:53] Dr. Brighten:
Yeah, thank you so much for having me, this was a great conversation.
[1:20:55] End of Interview
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[1:20:56] Sahara:
Goddess, yes! How incredible was that conversation! I hope you were taking notes and you can always go back and re-listen.
And I know how scary it can be when your hormones are out of balance or when youโre not getting your period, or youโre experiencing pain or cramps, or whatever it is, but just know that you can find healing and you can find your way around. And learning about your body is always a gift; itโs always going to bring you into further alignment. And for some of us, that this is just a major part of our journeys to really understand ourselves. I know this was for me. So wherever you are in your journey, Iโm sending you so much love; so much healing: so much clarity; so much awareness. And let this knowledge guide your path so you can find the foods, the herbs, the practices, the lifestyle techniques, everything to benefit you at the highest level so your hormones can be balanced, your life can be juicy, your womb can be interconnected and you can really radiate at your highest self.
So thank you so much for listening and thank you Dr. Brighten for being on this Episode.
[1:21:57]
So donโt forget to join us in Rose Gold Goddesses. We are diving deep this month, healing the Mother Womb. The Mother Womb is something that so many of us hold onto, whether it is upfront obstacles that we have had with our own mothers in this lifetime or if itโs an intergenerational trauma that has been suppressed and we see it show up in our relationship with other women, our relationship with ourselves, our inability to communicate and express with our own mothers, maybe anger, or sadness, or guilt, or shame we feel when we are in communication with our mothers; and how important it is to really heal from that wound to bring about upmost wholeness, and we can really only manifest and be as magical as the depth that we go into, into ourselves. So if we really want these incredible rainbows, and unicorns, and Goddesses in our lives, well weโve got to work with the more shadowy aspects of ourselves. So thatโs what Goddess Ceridwen is all about. Sheโs all about diving deep into your shadows, into your inner witch, into your Mother Womb and bringing about healing, transformation and magic.
So, come join us this month in Rose Gold Goddesses to dive deep and receive the twelve other Goddess circles we have done; my Healing and Embodiment Through Dance Course; my Awaken Your Powers Masterclass; my Sex Money Magic Masterclass; and so much more, all included in your membership.
That is rosegoldgoddesses.com you can find that link in the show notes and Iโm soul excited to meet you inside.
[1:23:23]
If you loved this Episode, I would love to send you a free gift which is the first half of my unreleased book โEat Right for Your Mind Body Typeโ. This is a different book than โEat Feel Freshโ. My first book ever which is not released anywhere, and I am gifting it exclusively to those who leave a review of my Podcast in the iTunes store. So all youโve got to do is head over to iTunes where youโre maybe listening to this Podcast and leave a review, take a screenshot that youโve left it and email it over to me at [email protected] and I will send you back the first half of my unreleased book โEat Right for Your Mind Body Typeโ, which goes all into Ayurveda, Doshas, Plant-Based Nutrition, Body Types – all of the things in a really fun and engaging way. So this is my gift to you for free for supporting the Podcast. Every single review I personally read. It really helps the Podcast be listened to by more people so we can raise the vibration of the planet together, and I am soul grateful to have you on this journey.
Thank you so much for listening and Iโll see you on the next Episode. Namaste.
Episode 325: Holistic Hormonal Balance + Birth Control with Dr Jolene Brighten
By Sahara Rose