Category

Hormones

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Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 1

The Hormone Hierarchy

Prioritizing Hormone Interventions to Harmonize Your Health

The hormone hierarchy allows us to address the preceding factors first — those that affect other hormones beneath them in the hierarchy.

Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 2

Cortisol

The King of All Hormones

The monarch of our hormonal hierarchy, cortisol, is an unsung hero when it’s in balance, but when it’s out of whack? It can turn your body into a realm of chaos.

Insulin Resistance: Our Sticky Problem

Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 3

Insulin Resistance: Our Sticky Problem

...and surprisingly simple solutions

Insulin resistance affects 80% of Americans, raising heart-disease risk by 40%. Discover the nutrient shown to be 4× more effective than the top diabetes drug, plus easy, proven steps to regain metabolic health.

Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 4

Thyroid: The Conductor of Your Hormone Symphony

For all your hormones to play in harmony, they need to pay attention to the conductor of the symphony. That conductor is your thyroid.

Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 5

Estrogen: The Younger Sister

There are over 400 critical functions in the body involving estrogen! We need estrogen and tend to feel that powerfully when it’s lacking…

Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 6

Progesterone: The Elder Sister

When I began studying medicine in 1996, I was told that after a woman had a hysterectomy…

Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 8

DHEA: The Mentor

Fountain of Youth...or Phony?

DHEA is commonly associated with anti-aging. It is prescribed for reproductive health. Supplements are marketed for aging…

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Peptides & Biological Signaling | Part 1

Weight Loss is the Least Interesting Thing GLP-1s Can Do

You’ve Been Fed The Wrong Story About Semaglutide

For patients with MCAS, POTS, and chronic inflammatory illness (patients who have nothing to do with weight loss) something else is happening.

Perimenopause Is a Litmus Test.

Why Midlife Often Exposes the Physiological Load Women Have Been Carrying for Decades

What if perimenopause symptoms aren’t just about hormones? Dr. Hartman and Cynthia Thurlow on gut health, the estrobolome, and midlife resilience.

When Perimenopause & Chronic Stress Collide

Why Some Women Struggle Even After Their Hormones Are Balanced

Some women still feel wired, reactive, and sleepless in perimenopause even with “balanced” labs and HRT. Here’s where stress physiology fits in holistic hormone therapy.

Beyond Replacement: Hormone Optimization | Part 4

Lifestyle & Nutrition

Low-Hanging Fruit for Hormone Balance

Transform hormone health through actionable lifestyle changes: stress management, strategic nutrition, environmental detox, and evidence-based supplementation for lasting results.

Beyond Replacement: Hormone Optimization | Part 3

Testing & Tracking

How to Measure What Matters

Standard hormone testing misses critical information. Discover what to test, when to test it, and how to interpret results for true hormone optimization.

Beyond Replacement: Hormone Optimization | Part 2

Your Gut & Nervous System

The Hidden Hormone Influencers

Why does hormone therapy fail? Your gut and nervous system control how hormones are processed, metabolized, and eliminated—not just your hormone levels.

Beyond Replacement: Hormone Optimization | Part 1

The Hormone Hierarchy

Why Your Adrenals, Thyroid & Insulin Come First

Most practitioners do hormone replacement, not optimization. Learn why addressing cortisol, insulin, and thyroid first changes everything for lasting hormonal health.

Metabolic Syndrome | Part 4

The Complete Protocol

Becoming a Professional Athlete of Your Health

Discover the complete protocols that reverse fatty liver disease, drop A1C from 11 to under 7, and transform metabolic health—if you’re ready to commit.

Metabolic Syndrome | Part 3

The Upstream Revolution

Testing That Reveals What’s Really Wrong

Learn why your “normal” lab results might be hiding years of metabolic dysfunction and which tests reveal the real story.

Metabolic Syndrome | Part 1

The Metabolic Gang

Why Your Health Problems Travel Together

Uncover why your “separate” health problems—from PCOS to brain fog—are actually members of the same coordinated metabolic gang.

Happy middle aged woman enjoying the beach

Your Hormones in Harmony

Your Hormones After 40: The Changes No One Talks About (But Should)

Navigating Perimenopause & Menopause

Understand the hidden hormonal shifts affecting your brain, metabolism, and energy—plus science-backed solutions to help you thrive through this natural transition.

Beyond Weight Loss With GLP-1s

A Doctor’s Guide to Benefits, Risks, & Natural Alternatives

Discover why GLP-1 medications work when other approaches fail, their surprising health benefits beyond the scale, and science-backed strategies to minimize side effects.

Your Hormones in Harmony | Part 7

Low Testosterone Symptoms in Women

Causes & Natural Solutions

Discover the hidden signs of low testosterone in women, and science-backed natural solutions to restore balance and reclaim your vitality.

Your Hormones in Harmony

High Testosterone in Women

Symptoms, Causes, & Natural Solutions

Elevated testosterone, such as in PCOS, can cause mood problems, acne, weight gain, anxiety, infertility, and various other health issues in women.  

PCOS (now PMOS) in Young Women

Why the New Name Confirms What Functional Medicine Already Knew

Discover why PCOS cases have increased by 67% in young women and the functional medicine approach that goes beyond birth control pills to restore true hormonal balance.

Tired mom slumped on coach with blurred family circling her

Made for Health

CIRS vs. Hypothyroid

Stop the Guesswork & Reclaim Your Energy

Confused by overlapping symptoms of CIRS & low thyroid? Discover how to spot the difference, test properly, and reclaim your energy.

Made for Health | Part 0

Hormonal Harmony

The Key to Lasting Energy, Mood, and Wellness

Your hormones are like an orchestra, each playing a role in your health. When one is out of tune, the whole symphony suffers.

Made for Health

Thyroid Whisperer

Listening to the Signals Your Body Has Been Sending

Rapid weight gain, unanswered questions, and doctors saying, ‘You’re fine.’ Dive into a story of resilience and uncovering the truth.

Made for Health

Transforming Trauma Into Hope

Cynthia Thurlow’s Journey to Empower Women’s Health

Cynthia Thurlow’s path to becoming a wellness advocate wasn’t a career choice; it was a calling…rooted in trauma. Her own battle health battles forced her to question conventional methods and find answers that traditional medicine couldn’t provide.

Made for Health

Our Silent Crisis

Men’s Health is in Crisis...& No One’s Talking About It

Dr. Tracy Gapin shares how men are sleepwalking into a health crisis…and no one’s talking about it.

GLP-1 Probiotic

Revolutionary New Probiotic Promotes Weight-Loss Naturally

Have you ever thought that the secret to weight loss could literally be living inside you? Discover the science behind the solution to metabolism.

Personal Care Products

Coach’s Corner

Reducing Our Toxic Load

Spring Cleaning for Our Hormones

Fiber is finally getting the attention it deserves thanks to what we’ve learned about metabolism, lipid management, the gut microbiome, and even brain health.

Man experiencing headache

Hormone SERIES Cortisol 1 of 2: The King of All Hormones

Cortisol is the the king of all hormones. Ideally, I would have started discussing cortisol at the…

Hormone SERIES Elevated Thyroid 4 of 4

How common are elevated thyroid levels and what can you do about it?   While Graves disease…