Menopause! It’s So Much More Than Hot Flashes!

0:00This is Carrigan & Company. Banking shouldn't feel transactional. It should feel personal. At Rockland Trust Bank, we take the time to get to know what matters for your business. So we can support what comes next, not just today, but for years to come. Because when you have a banker who knows your business, understands your goals and sees your vision, that partner can make all the difference. Come bank where your relationship matters. Rockland Trust Bank, where each relationship matters. Go to RocklandTrust.com for more information. Member, FDIC. Mint applause. It's so much more than hot flashes and we're talking all about it on this episode of Carrigan & Company. Carrigan & Company is here for you. Just Carrigan & Company is here for you. Hi everyone and welcome to Carrigan & Company. Great to have you with us this week and this week we're talking about a very important subject. The subject of Mint applause.

1:00This is a stat that is actually very surprising and I think you'll be surprised to hear this too. By the year 2030, one billion women, one billion with a B, will be in Mint applause. It is one of the top five hashtags on social media and Google says it's one of the top five searches on Google. So, Mint applause is out there and you're going to find out over the course of this show that we have a number of experts who are saying Mint applause is real. And if you're someone who is Perry Mint applause or you are in Mint applause or maybe you live with someone who's going through Mint applause, there are symptoms and women are truly facing those symptoms. And there can be issues that bring on brain fog. There can be issues that change your body size. There's all kinds of things and we're going to address all of those today.

2:01We're going to get started by talking with our first guest. I don't have a co-host with me today but I do have a first guest. And it's Bill Beckman and Bill is a compound pharmacist. He owns the custom medicine in Beverly and it's great to have you here, a man who has been in the sun, obviously not New England. We can attest to that here in New England, right? But it's great to have you here. Thank you so much for taking some time. You'll be able to be here. I want to explain to everyone. I think immediately they probably thought my first guest and I was going to say it's a doctor or someone. You're not a doctor. You're a pharmacist. No, I went to pharmacy school before the doctorate of pharmacy was required so back in the dark ages. Well, that's okay. That's for sure. First off, tell everybody about a compound pharmacy. Explain exactly what that is. A compounding pharmacy is a pharmacy. It is a community pharmacy. Just like any typical independent store. We're independently owned, not chain stores. True. But the difference between us and a traditional pharmacy

3:02is that we actually make all the medicines we're dispensing. Whether we're making a pediatric dose of an adult drug, we're doing a hormone treatment. Many different types and approaches to that therapy. Veterinary medicine, pain treatments, surgical treatments. These are all drugs that are not available commercially. At least in the US. Some of them are ones that have been discontinued. Some are available internationally. But the majority of them are patient-specific medications. So they wouldn't be able to pick it up at a chain store. Sure. And Bill, are these medications that doctors have prescribed in one way or another? Absolutely. Everything we dispense is pursuant to a prescription written by a physician, nurse practitioner, P.A. Yes. So I have you here today because we're talking about menopause. And the reason is because you are someone who I think is... And I know we're put words in your mouth.

4:03I want you to tell me. But HRT exists out there, which is hormone replacement therapy. And there's bio-identical hormones, which I want you to explain what all of this is. But this is something that a lot of women who reach menopause age do explore, but it's had a bad rep for a long time. So the first thing I want to do is just explain what hormone replacement therapy is and what bio-identical hormones are. Sure. Hormone replacement therapy is truly that. It's replacement of hormones that have been discontinued. The body stopped manufacturing them. This typically happens anywhere from the mid-40s to the mid-60s and affects many people differently. But what hormone replacement is to offer supplementation for those hormones that are not there. The big difference between traditional HRT and what sometimes... Which is FDA-approved. Correct. Which, versus what's sometimes called the bio-identical HRT,

5:07is that it's supplementation of the same hormones that the body makes. Any one of the three human estrogens, progesterone, or testosterone, or even some of the other analogs at DHA, another human hormone, our goal is to offer low-level supplementation to help minimize symptoms, but also maintain physiologic function. Okay. What, in your estimation, HRT, for a lot of women, is a very positive thing? It's a very appropriate thing. Physiologically, it makes huge sense. Nobody's going to say, you know, you're 55, you really don't need that thyroid hormone anymore. That insulin, you're getting older, you probably don't need that. That would be preposterous. Yet they're going to every other physician is going to be saying, yes, those are just sex hormones, you don't really need those.

6:07That's pretty narrow-minded. These hormones are hugely important and key to reproductive health, but they also have so many significant physiologic functions that have nothing to do with reproduction. Sure, absolutely. What did hormone replacement therapy get such a bad wrap for such a long time? The biggest problem hormone therapies had in recent history was secondary to a study that was done, the Women's Health Initiative. It was a study funded by the pharmaceutical industry that wanted to show how wonderful their synthetic hormones are. So the primary drugs tested were one was an estrogen. It was a conjugated equine estrogen drug called premerin, which is conjugated equine estrogen means it was from horse, it's actually derived from horse urine, and still is to this day.

7:07The secondary part of that was a progestin, which is a progesterone-like substance. They thought their study was going to show how wonderful these hormones are, but they found after two or three years into the study that the incidence of breast cancer was increased by, upwards of 26%, among other things, and a lot of the suggested benefits actually weren't. They did not help cardiovascular health, as they said. They did not reduce a lot of fractures and situations like that. So compounded bio-identical replacement therapy. What makes those replacement hormones different from the ones you've just described? What we're doing is giving the original hormones that the bodies manufactured. So they're recognized throughout the body

8:07in all of the tissues. The body knows how to use them. The body knows how to metabolize and eliminate them. How do you produce those? What we do, we manufacture them by purchasing the raw material, the purified, there are three human estrogens. Most folks will work with just estradiol, or sometimes a secondary estrogen called estriol, which is an estrogen of pregnancy, usually it's a lot of of that. Those are created in the laboratory. They're derived from all things variant of a YAM. They take this core molecule from this YAM-like product, purify it, and then add a couple of things to it. They might put a hydroxy group or another form, change it chemically to be identical to human estradiol, human estriol, human progesterone, or human testosterone.

9:07And they purify that, and I purchased those purified products from that. These are all lefty certified laboratories where we're purchasing from. Right. And then because your pharmacy is a compound pharmacy, and you've already explained to us, so that's individualized medications, then I'm assuming that if I came in there, and I might have spoken to my doctor, and my doctor spoke to you, you could make that exactly the level exactly what is right for Kim Carrigan. That's precisely what we do. And it's not big doses. They're just modest supplementation. Our goal is not to have super physiologic doses above a normal level. Some people do. You are on the West Coast, and they do that. Our approach, primarily what we see more so in the Northeast, is low level supplementation across the board to maintain physiologic function. But there are certain groups that will want to cycle estrogens and progesterone in very high doses

10:11to the point where people in their 70s are still having their periods. We never felt that that was necessary or an improvement. So tell me if I were to come in and take that low level replacement therapy, what would that do for me? Every patient is different, and so that's really what also sets us apart. We find out a couple of different things. We want to look at your labs. Look at your labs and see where you're at. If everything is in the basement, we need a certain amount of supplementation. We also want your history to find out if there are any problems in the past, or just any other concerns medically. And the third thing we want to do, which is very unique, is actually talk to the patient and find out what's going on. Ask them. What is your problem? What is your problem? Let's treat that. Yeah. And that really is one of the arts of the whole bioidentical HRT,

11:12is treating the patient and not the laboratories. So Bill, is it going to take away hot flashes? Is it going to help a woman sleep? Is it going to take away or help with that midsection issue? Is it going to clear brain fog? These are some of the symptoms that women are dealing with. Absolutely. And different hormones act differently, but also work in conjunction with each other to help normalize these things. Hot flashes are the body's response to noticing a decrease in the level of estrogen. So actually, if your levels fluctuate a little bit, you might not notice it, but when they go from here to here, that's when your body signals a hot flash. Sure. And the truth is, it's not necessarily a signal of low estrogen. Usually it is, but there are times when it is not. So that's one of the other reasons we like to look at levels. Supplementation with progesterone is hugely important.

12:13Progesterone is the complement to estrogen. Estrogen is going to promote growth and stimulation. The progesterone is going to promote development. So if you have growth with development, you get orderly rates and types of growth, which is really what we're looking for. Plus, if you have significant stimulation from estrogen, not just in tissues, but also in the brain as well, you can have irritability, anxiety, mood swings. So the in-and-the-ang is offering the progesterone in conjunction with that. Progesterone will help normalize sleep patterns, and decrease it as a natural anti-anxiety, and as a natural anti-depressant. So what we see very commonly is, you know, women who are entering menopause, they're very menopause, they're having fluctuation of levels, and their levels of progesterone have dropped. But the first thing that happens is their estrogen levels stay high while the progesterone levels drop. So this is when they start to notice irritability, anxiety,

13:15and some of the mood swings, and sometimes sleep disorders, and even depression. They go to the doctor, because they know that's not normal for them. And sadly, you know, through much of the recent history, the doctor says, I know it's wrong with you. You're suffering from a pro-zact deficiency. Our goal is to help normalize the system, not treat a symptom. Right. So we found that by normalizing progesterone, people have better sleep. By normalizing or offering modest estrogen supplementation, there are no hot flashes. Also, both of these are going to help support bone health. If your levels are very low, we'll also supplement testosterone. It's not just a male hormone. Just a male hormone. It's a hugely important hormone, women. And honestly, in the past five years, there's been a significant change in the medical world out there. They're really starting to recognize it more and more. However, there are still aren't any commercial products, specifically for women, using testosterone.

14:16But it's a muscle. It is an anabolic steroid, and does support muscle growth. But it's not just biceps and quadriceps. Sure. It's postural muscles, muscles of elimination, including muscles internal musculature that controls the valves. We don't have very low levels of testosterone. You use a lot of the sphincter control, which can lead to all kinds of mishaps. Absolutely. Sneezing and subsequent, yes. Yes, absolutely. Wow. Gosh, you know, this just makes total sense. By the way, it makes total sense. You've sort of talked about this a little bit. But we talk about symptoms. And then there's also the issues that are just as women age. And when you lose these hormones, you are susceptible to more disease, including heart disease. So are you finding that women who are taking this kind of hormone replacement are staying healthier in their lives?

15:18Well, as a rule, yes. Can I say specifically heart disease? I mean, there isn't dramatic data showing that biomedical hormone replacement normalizes cardiac function, et cetera, and improves heart disease. But by and large, yes. For a number of things, you're getting a better blood flow. Progesterone is important in normalizing bloody blood oxygen levels and blood mineral levels. And also, you know, normalizing the hormones can also help normalize your blood glucose levels. So all three of them are going to a certain degree, going to help normalize that. If we are offering testosterone supplementation, all of a sudden, a woman who's losing muscle mass is able to gain muscle mass, which includes cardiac tissue. But just, I mean, but the organ that really helps that doesn't get talked about a lot,

16:18is normalizing glucose levels and mood is hugely important, is muscle, is muscle. And so, when there's no testosterone, it's difficult to gain muscle even with exercise. So normalizing those levels plus testosterone does support a sense of well-being. It's very common for women to say they just feel better. When we normalize their testosterone, the candle was put a finger on exactly what it is, it does support libido. But as does the progesterone and even the estrogen. So all three are important in that. Who is a candidate for hormone replacement? I've got candidates. My youngest candidate was 16 that I've ever had. And the oldest I've got a patient right now who just restarted on HRT at 82. She's a competitive pickleball player and plays four times a week, yes.

17:20The 16-year-old was a young lady who we found. She was in mid to end-stage Lyme disease, so she was having severe pain reaction, but was always based around her cycle. We took levels of her progesterone. Her estrogen levels were plenty high, but her progesterone levels were kind of insufficient. So what we did with this patient is help normalize progesterone and offer it on a cycle dose so they take a modest dose the first two weeks, bump it up for two weeks, then stop for a few days till the period starts again. And after three months of this, the patient was no longer missing school or taking high levels of opiates to manage her pain associated with her Lyme disease. Wow. Wow. Parymentopausal women, again, I mentioned the progesterone is the first thing that happens. So sometimes just supported progesterone can help normalize the cycle for two, three years, but also decrease a lot of the irritability anxiety and help normalize sleep. Wow.

18:20So it sounds like to me your best bet if you're a woman who is listening and maybe you're wondering, questioning whether this would be for her, would be to talk to your doctor about it. Well, yes, talk to your doctor about it, but also talk to someone who's qualified in it. There are still, unfortunately, decidedly few who are very fluent in the whole treat. It is no longer taboo. I've had physicians who wanted nothing to do with it in the earlier years. When I opened 22 years ago, reaching out to me in the past couple of years saying, let's talk about this again. What's the change? Well, my wife just turned 60 and that was one of the response. That was me. And she said. And she said, I don't want to say I'm hempecked because my wife said I can't say I'm hempecked. This is fascinating. And it's such great information for women. You know, I actually was with a group of my dear friends

19:21and we were all sitting around a table and everybody was talking about this and people wondering, is this safe? Is this something that we should all be exploring? So I think you've answered a whole lot of questions today and I have a lot of friends who will be listening. I know a lot of people who are going to glean a lot of information. But do check with your doctor and I want to remind you again, if they wanted to come and talk, sit down and chat with you, they could do so, right? Absolutely. This is Bill Beckman, everyone. And again, you could find him at custom medicine in Beverly. That's on Cabot Street, correct? It was on Cabot Street. Oh, okay. You've recently moved to Rand Tool Street. Okay. So custommedicine.com, you can reach us there, or Google us and you can give us a call. We're happy to help you find a provider in your area so if you're on the South Shore, we can probably set you up with someone who you can work with in that area or anywhere in a country. Great. Bill, thank you. This has been such great information. My pleasure. Thanks for the opportunity. Absolutely. When we come back, everybody, we're going to talk about diet and exercise and how that can impact women going through menopause.

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21:23This segment of Carick and a Company is brought to you by Alour Matchmaking. You're forever after is waiting for you. Find them through Alour Matchmaking.com today. Welcome back everyone to Carick and a Company. I'm so glad that you could be with me today for a very important subject. Obviously we just heard from the pharmacist talking about HRT and some different ways in which the medical world might come into play when dealing with perimenopause, of course, and menopausal symptoms. But I wanted to talk to my next guests. Number one, because I love that they approach this subject with humor, but know that there's a very serious side to it. And I love that about them. They've written a book, The Menopause Diet. I'm thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Ward, who is with me right here to my left, and then all the way over Hillary Wright. It's great to see you ladies. Both of them, by the way, are registered dietitians. It's nice to see you both. Nice to see you, Dan. Thanks for having us. And I worked together long ago, and it's so lovely to see you again. It's been a long time.

22:23I know, very long time. So terrific to have you here in the studio with me. The book, by the way, ladies, is great. I told you, I made my way through it, and I am somebody who, all my life, for everything that I've ever done, I've sort of approached it through exercise diet. It's just been important to me. I'm not a great pill taker. I'm not, you know, I'm just one of those people. So I was thrilled to read the book, and there was a lot of things in there that I took away from it. And some ideas and that kind of thing. But I would like to ask both of you, what was the impetus behind the book? Let Hillary start. She's good at telling it our story. There you go. I mean, so we've been friends since college. We got together as organic chemistry partners and the rest of the history. But, you know, throughout as we all do, right? Yes, exactly. But as we age together and had children, I have three sons. She has three daughters. And we always said that we wanted to do, first it was going to be a radio show together.

23:23And then, you know, we kicked the can down the road that radio really wasn't it. We said, we're going through menopause. What are you feeling? What am I feeling? We were both kind of late in the trajectory. Is this normal? And we realized between the two of us, there was a lot that we didn't know. So we had arrived at a time when our kids were grown and we're like, maybe this is our project. Yeah. So a way we went. And how's it been received? It's been very well received. Because we were one of the first, or probably the first, menopause book written by registered dieticians that was science-based, you know, that was, we used the evidence to actually translate what women should do to help themselves feel better and to support their health. And as Hillary said, we were mystified by it. And we are dieticians. And so we said, let's do the research. And we did the research. Let's write a book. This is our project. It's our time to work together. Well, I want to state this because we talked about this off the air before we get any further. We've obviously just talked about the medical ways

24:24in which to address some of these symptoms and some of the issues that women face. It's not that the two of you are against that idea. Oh, no. Not at all. Right. It's just that this can be an enhancer possibly or maybe for some women who are suffering from maybe lesser symptoms. This can really be an answer for them. And the diet and lifestyle piece and the hormone replacement therapy, if that's appropriate. Often the menopause hormone support makes the diet and lifestyle things easier to accomplish if you're not being woken up several times a night with night sweats and you're not exhausted all the time. Your energy level is better because you're eating regularly. We all know that women are chronic overrestrictors and that has its own consequences to quality of life. So we really try to come at this from a positive angle so much about menopause as like it's the end of the world. Right. And it's not. But it is an opportunity where people can maybe embrace stuff that they want to get serious about

25:25but they maybe haven't to that point. Okay, so ladies, I'm going to ask you. Hot flushes are real. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. And weight gain in menopause is real. Yes, it is real. But the thing about weight gain in menopause and we have this discussion all the time, it's very difficult to disentangle what's going on because of aging and in menopause. Okay. So what happens and what we find with our, the people who follow us, they gain weight in their belly and they say, oh, that's menopause. Well, yeah, it is because a drop in estrogen when you gain weight it tends to gravitate towards your belly. But you need to look at what you're eating. Are you as active as you used to be? And I don't mean going to the gym. I mean like the all day activities that we talk about, right? We, you know, running around after three children, shopping all the time, you know, cooking, things like that. That burns calories. And if you look at the statistics, women aren't as active as they used to be in their 40s and 50s

26:28and so that can contribute to weight gain. But with the hot flashes, 80% of all women experience hot flashes. Absolutely. Yeah. So let me go back. So when reading the book, which by the way, I'm going to hold this up, the menopause diet plan, which by the way, get this book. I just want to say that. Where can you get the book? Amazon. Everywhere. You guys were kind enough to send it to me, but okay, get the book. Yeah. So you talk about the two different kinds of diets that are really successful for women, you know, a Mediterranean diet, right? That's one of them. And the second diet is, and I've forgotten. The dash diet. The dash diet. Explain what the dash diet is. So when we talk about the Mediterranean diet for starters, it's just the world's most studied plant-forward diet. So there are many plant-forward diets around the world from Latin American cultures, Asian cultures. But the Mediterranean diet and the dash diet, which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension, is again, a plant-forward diet.

27:29So in our experience, there are many people that eat plant foods, fruits and vegetables, for example. But maybe not at the volume that we think can really start to make a difference in how your body functions. You know, not at the volume that can really get your dietary fiber up in take-up that we now realize is incredibly important. So plant-forward diets don't mean you have to be a vegetarian, but they do tend to emphasize more seafood and poultry and plant sources of protein. You know, some lean meats, not dairy is perfectly fine. But you know, really getting serious about the, you know, consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, not seeds, legumes, that people might kind of kind of practice around the edges, but not necessarily get the volume that we want to see them eat. Sure. Not to mention the fact that I think every woman finds that, you know, I could... I hear so many people say this. I could eat anything I wanted to when I was in my 30s, and now I can't... And it seems so stubborn, and I can't get this to... So it's... We talk about a diet, but really it's not necessarily...

28:31You're not pushing a diet, you're pushing a lifestyle, correct? Yes. They think the operative word in the title of our book is plan. Yes, exactly. I like that. It's a plan. And you know, as we were talking about earlier, every woman's different, and so you need to find what's right for you, but there are some guiding principles, of course. I mean, calories... Everyone has a calorie allowance. I mean, it's kind of like the 800 pound gorilla, that same as in the room. Yes, in the room. Nobody wants to talk about calories. They count. We have to talk about calories, because as we get older, our metabolism slows down, and we cannot eat. So when you're good at that... That's 1700 calories. Maybe now you need 15 reels. Well, people say, well, I've been doing what I've always done, and now I'm gaining weight. Well, that's kind of the point, because you can't really continue to do what you've always done, particularly if part of that picture has been no consistent regular physical activity, because we know as you get older, and your estrogen levels drop, it gets more challenging to build and maintain muscle. You know, muscles are important, and part of what they do is chew a lot of calories.

29:33So there's a lot of moving parts. Yeah. And a lot of this too... Okay, so let's just face it. A portion of this is vanity, right? It's bad enough that you're 40, 50 years old, and you're starting to see small wrinkles around your eyes and all of these kinds of things, and you look at your roots, and you realize you have to have them done more frequently. So all of these things are happening, right? Yeah. But you also are entering a part of your life where heart disease, and a lot of other diseases, are more prevalent. Yes. So this is really important, this diet... It is. And Manipause changes that for women. Manipause increases the risk for heart disease in women, because we're protected by estrogen. So as we get older, and Hillary and I have both experiences, even though we eat right and exercise, and don't smoke, and do all the things we're supposed to do, are LDL cholesterol, are all the bad cholesterol, are both of our shot way up after Manipause, and we had to do something about that from a dietary standpoint.

30:33Right. And it's extremely common to... It's very common. Yes, absolutely. It's kind of a norm. Yes. It is the norm, and it's not... It's something that gets ignored, because women don't think of themselves as having heart disease. That's a guy's disease. But osteoporosis is another issue with it's specific to Manipause. Of course, most of the women in the world, in this country, that have... Most of the people that have osteoporosis are women, and estrogen is protective against osteoporosis. So what are you going to do with your diet and exercise regimen to counteract that? Sure. Absolutely. Can you counteract your... your... your lessening of hormones through diet? You... You can't build hormones back up through diet. So there... There is some limited evidence that if you have hot flashes, for example, and you eat a couple of servings of soy foods a day, which have plant-based estrogens that we call phytoestrogens, and some people, it may moderate their hot flashes.

31:34But you can't build, you know, significantly build your estrogen levels back up. You can make your body more resilient to the risks that come along with aging things like diabetes by, again, paying more attention to your diet. By seeing these things coming and focusing on them, you know, a lot sooner than menopause. That's one thing that Liz and I really was a real eye-opener. Like women really need to start thinking about this like in their early 40s, right? Right. Absolutely. Yeah. So what can my change in diet, I'm just specifically talking about diet right now, what can a change in diet... Let's say I didn't start in my early 40s, and now I'm starting to have these symptoms of perimenopause and then ultimately leading menopause. What can a change in my diet do for me to change my situation? So it all depends on where you're starting, you know. And, you know, we don't expect perfection. We just, you know, are hoping that women would consume, you know,

32:35like five servings of fruits and vegetables every day to get the fiber they need. You know, whole grains reduce the saturated fat in their diet to help lower their risk for heart disease. Make sure they're getting enough calcium-rich foods and really, you know, making sure we're getting a lot of plants in our diet. As Hillary said, that doesn't mean that you can't have animal foods. I mean, we both eat a very plant-forward diet with, you know, chicken and, you know, other poultry and also seafood as protein sources and getting enough protein is very, very important. Absolutely. I also think I just want to add to that that when sometimes we don't pay enough attention to how we feel when we eat a certain way. And when people are tending to their nutritional needs, more consistently, you know, particularly over the day, like I always say to Liz, this hurt me, says a thousand times, and women are great dieters until about 430. Yeah. When your brain just gives up because it has no fuel. Right. People generally will experience, you know, more energy, better ability to focus if they're not over-restricting all the time.

33:36Right. Absolutely. You know, you have life. Yeah. And again, that's a plan. That's not a diet. I think diet, you know, people, when you think you're on a diet, you think that you're sacrificing something. And that's something that I loved about the book. To me, this is a plan. There are some really great suggestions and ways to go about living a lifestyle that is healthy like that that's going to help you. Let's talk about the exercise component, if we could, for just a moment. I loved what you said. I think a lot of women get confused about the idea that they're not moving as much as they used to, just by virtue of the fact that their lifestyle has changed. And maybe that's where you have to start with your exercise plan, right? Just looking at your lifestyle. Yes. And maybe what's changed? Yes. I mean, I think women can get overwhelmed at this stage of life in many ways. And then to think that they have to do all this exercise on top of everything else that they're going through is daunting. I mean, the goal is 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week,

34:38which is 30 minutes on about five days a week if you want to split it up that way. And, you know, two times a week of strength training. And, you know, they hear all these messages you need to lift heavy in order for that to be, you know, this is just not true. And so starting small, you know, starting by taking three, ten minute walks every day and working your way up to those recommendations is the best idea. Because really exercise is not optional. And it's not just because you're a man of puzzle woman. Right. Right, absolutely. Particularly the strength training piece is critically important. And most women are not doing it. And, you know, we don't live on the prairie anymore. And we're not carrying babies around. And, you know, I had a really strong left arm when my kids were little. Sure. Modern life, you know, telehealth and, you know, commuting from home. It really has suppressed everybody's needs, activities. It's non-exercise activity thermogenesis. It's just the moving. You're not doing it. Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, one of the worst things that's happened to us,

35:38I think, is that we're working from home. Oh, yeah. And some people aren't on the second floor. You're not even going out there. You're not even going out there. It's right. You're working in the kitchen. Right. That is not going down. It's all movement counts. Right, right. Yeah. Well, I'm avid. You know, I feel really strongly about exercise. I've been to somebody who's been an exercise or all my life. I think that if you can get past, and again, I agree with you. You don't have to be, you know, you're not going to the gym with all the, you know, the gear heads, you know. That's not what you're trying to do. But I think that once you get past that initial, oh gosh, I'm dragging myself there, or I'm trying to do this, then it becomes something that you need. You start to notice that difference, you know. And again, even that's just walking outdoors. If you're walking on a regular basis, if you just get out, I think you start to notice that you need it desperately. So I love the book. I have to tell you, ladies. I really do. And I hope a lot of people will buy it because it's got, again, great ideas and great recipes. We do this thing. It's called Fast Five. And unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask you, ladies, to do it.

36:40I hope you're going to. I know. I know. Fast Five is brought to you by Rockland Trust Bank, where each relationship matters. Is it your nearest branch or you can go to RocklandTrust.com to learn more? All right, ladies, are you ready? Sure. Are you going to answer the first one? Sure. Here we go. What's worse? Hot flashes are brain fog. Hot flashes. You're ready. Best food to snack on when you're trying to lose weight during menopause. I'm going to say, at a mom, they've roasted. How many times a week should a woman older than 50 work out? However many days she needs to to accrue those 150 minutes of cardio and two episodes of strength training. And that's a very individual approach. Best exercise for women? Any exercise at all. I'd like both of you to answer this. Your favorite advice to give women who are in menopause? That you're not broken. It's not the end of the world.

37:41There's a lot of liberation and freedom that comes with this phase of life. It may be a time that now is your time to really focus on your self-care. And that there's a lot of quality of life advantages to that. And also don't suffer with your side effects. If you're not getting the answers, then keep looking. Absolutely. I think that was cheating. The last question I want to ask the two of you is this. I think a lot of times women aren't taken seriously when they talk about these kinds of things. Because women laugh about it because that's a way to mask the idea that if you bring it up then automatically, you're categorized as, oh wow, you're older. You're old because you're suffering from these things. But menopause is real. And so what is your advice for women dealing with people around them who don't necessarily take them seriously because of these issues?

38:41So this is a stage of life, much like puberty or pregnancy is. And I think the more we talk about it, like we're doing now, the more it's out there in the open and we cannot feel, we don't have to feel shy about talking about it. And you know what swept under the rug when my mother was going through it and everyone else's mother too. And it's not now, it's out there. And I think the more we talk about it, the more we are actually educating people about it without the drama. Right, right. Absolutely. Yeah, I think that women are accused of being so dramatic about it. I don't think women are dramatic. I don't know anybody who's dramatic about it. Women are not the only one whose bodies and minds change with age. It just happens to have this precipitous kind of decline that has these side effects at a very attention getting. Right. You know, I live around a lot of guys and I'm not the only one. Right, that's brain fog. Or belly fat. Yes, exactly. Exactly. 100%. Yeah, it won't hurt them to get on this diet either.

39:42No, this is for everyone. Absolutely. Again, the name of the book is the Minimba's Diet Plan. And you can get this book. Can you go to Amazon? Amazon on any online bookseller. Yeah. Fiat store. Ladies, congratulations. You've done a great thing here. Thank you. Thank you so much. And thanks for taking time to come and see us. It was really appreciated. We'll take a break, everybody. This is Carragon and Company. If you're tired of endless swiping superficial chats and first dates that go nowhere, it might be time for something different. Allure matchmaking offers a refined, confidential and human-centered approach to finding love. For more than two decades, executive matchmaker Jill Vander has coached and personally hand-selected matches for successful discerning singles. No dating apps, no public profiles, just curated meaningful introductions with people who truly align with your goals, values, and lifestyle. If you're ready to meet someone of your echelon, visit allurematchmaking.com and level up your dating life.

40:45Here's a word from Sienna aesthetics. My name is Dr Howard Kesselman. I'm the medical director and Sienna aesthetics, medical spawn, Beverly Massachusetts. I'd like to discuss with you three benefits of GLP beyond those of weight loss, which I think many are familiar. Number one is very favorable and protective effects on the heart. Number two is very potent anti-inflammatory effects. Number three, kidney disease, very protective against progression of chronic kidney disease. For a free GLP-1 consultation, go to siennaesthetics.com and book today. I want to welcome everybody back to Carragon and Company. I am so glad that you could be with us for this very important edition of Carragon and Company. Obviously, we have talked about hormone replacement therapy as it relates to menopause. We've talked about exercise and diet as it relates to the issue. Now, we want to talk about a little bit more of the mental side of this, if you will.

41:45Amazingly enough, there are a number of women who are going through menopause and are really going through it alone. These women, as a result, are making huge sacrifices in their lives to try to either cover it up or to try to continue to move forward and, again, do it on their own. That stat that I threw out at the top of the show, I want to just say this again, a billion women in menopause by 2030. So we're talking about a lot, a lot of women. Again, one of the top hashtags in the Contragons social media, and Google says it's one of their top searched words. So we're talking about something that's affecting a lot of people, and it is real, and we've proven that here today. Our next guest is somebody who is working with women who are doing what I said before, are making sacrifices that they don't necessarily need to be making. This is Caroline Lord, and I am so glad that you are here with me, and it's great to meet you.

42:51You are organizing and holding conferences and talking with women in an effort to make sure that they recognize they're not alone, and that there are ways to deal with this, and you don't have to sacrifice quite as much as some are doing. Absolutely. First of all, thanks for having me. It's an important topic, as you said. I'm thrilled that there's a lot of awareness that's being raised currently. You know, you have guests on your show. I doubt that we would have had this same conversation five, ten years ago, right? There's so much awareness currently in the market, and it's good news. And while we're talking a lot about the physical symptoms, which are important, there is a little bit less conversation that is happening around the repercussions in the workplace and the repercussions in women's quality of life as well. So when you're dealing with a variety of different symptoms, as I'm sure you're aware of, it's hard afterwards to have a really good performance at work or to show up the way that you used to five, ten, fifteen years ago.

43:58Well, Caroline, I was talking to one of my other guests, and I was saying that even to this day as much as we are all talking about it, you know, we've stated how many women and talked about how it's Googled all the time. So people are really, you know, they're talking about it, but there is still a stigma associated with it. And that stigma, I think, immediately is, wow, if you're a woman who's going through this, then you must be getting old. Yes, absolutely. There's still a lot of stigma. It's like we don't want to talk about women getting old for some reason. And there's that that I found interesting. There's over 60% of women that don't feel comfortable talking about their symptoms in the workplace. So it's like these symptoms don't happen at a vacuum. They don't just happen at home or they're happening while you're relaxing on the couch. They are happening in the workplace. And there's so many women in the workplace that are going through this in silence. And there needs to be more advocacy and more awareness in the workplace because these women have 20, 25 years of experience in the workplace.

45:07So they are very knowledgeable leaders and they might be stepping back because they doubt perhaps that they can actually do the work anymore, that they're still on their A game, that they're still able to perform at the levels that they used to before. So if we don't want to lose our leaders in the workplace, it's important that we have these conversations. Well, let's talk a little bit about the women that you're talking to. What are what are some of the things that they're fearing? You know, what's happening to them in the workplace and then what is their fear? So there's a fear of not being relevant anymore. So as you know, things are moving at a rapid pace. You know, when we're talking about social media and we're talking about there's so much happening in the workplace currently. So a lot of these women are either doubting their capabilities or they're wondering, am I still in my still relevant in my field? Because obviously they're seeing the younger women come in who are bright and sharp and on their A game.

46:08So it might be difficult for for women to say, OK, well, I've still got it. I've got years of experience underneath my belt. So there's a lot of self doubt and there's a lot of confidence that needs to be worked on for these women who are still in the workplace. It's some of this Caroline Caroline. The result of maybe a lack of sleep and you know, is it symptomatic that is causing some of this self doubt? Well, what you have to remember is the average women will have will deal with about seven different symptoms in perimenopause. So if you're dealing with hot flashes, you're dealing with sleep disruptions, you're dealing with memory issues, brain fog. Well, obviously it's going to have repercussions in the workplace, right? You might not be on your A game every day when you're dealing with this. Also to remember is the women that are in their forties and their fifties, they also are dealing with they have their home life as well.

47:11They're obviously most of them are the CEOs of their homes, but they also have growing family responsibilities. Oftentimes there's aging parents to take care of. I certainly had to deal with that with my dad when he would he had Alzheimer's disease. So obviously you're dealing with a high pressure career, you have your home life, you have your parents to take care of. So it's really it's almost a perfect storm and it's no wonder that women are struggling in the workplace currently. Yeah, I know you have a stat about a number of women who make the decision that they're going to step away as a result of this. And that's that's a lifelong decision to make. It's a lifelong decision to make and when you think about it, it's got repercussions as well. I mean, it's a salary that they might not have access to, so it's financial independence that they might not have access to anymore. Or it's some women upwards to 50% will adjust their careers in terms of reducing their hours or the responsibilities or even avoiding promotions because they feel either they won't be prepared or they won't be able to cope with the symptoms.

48:22So it is a problem that we're seeing in the workplace. Yeah, sure is. So let's talk about what the answer is here because I can't imagine that very many of these women are going to walk in and say, hey, listen, I just need you all to know that I'm going through minipause. That's just not going to happen. I just don't see that. No, and you're right. So what I like to say is there are things that you can control. There are things you can control. And there are things that you can advocate for in the workplace. So things that you can control might be those physical symptoms. You might not be able to get a hand on them every single day. The things that you can control. Well, it's the way in which you perhaps prepare for a meeting. I know I was nervous this morning. I was like, how am I going to be able to show up to to this conversation with you, Kim. I've been dealing with brain fog the last few days. So I have my notes ready. I'm good. If there's something my brain, I can go, I can go to my notes. So there's different ways. There's different coping, but it also was important to see the symptoms that you are dealing with currently so that we can adapt.

49:29And then there's advocacy. It's important to advocate for yourself. It's important to go into the workplace. And as you say, you may not open the door and shout everybody, I'm having a hot flash right now, but you may go to your manager and ask for perhaps some flexibility. Perhaps if you are working in an open space environment, for example, maybe you need a closed door once in a while. Maybe you need to work from home once in a while as well. So there are different ways. So I do help women to see, first of all, to realize that these are symptoms that are perfectly normal that they're going through. And if their confidence is affected, well, it's not a result of them not being high performers. So we look into different ways that they can deal with that and that they can still perform at the level that they're used to. Carolyn, what about employers? I mean, do you ever approach this from that point of view? What is the responsibility of an employer in some of these situations?

50:29Absolutely. That's a very good question. And what I'm I'm very pleased about. There's a lot of there's a lot of new data in the workplace. There's a lot of insurance companies that are looking at the symptoms and their effects in the workplace. So I think more and more we are going to see organizations step up and say listen, this is an important part of our workforce and we need to take care of them. So obviously the first the first way is to bring awareness bring awareness to to different levels of of your organization to make sure that they do they are aware that they do see it. There's different ways to go about it as well to see if your your workforce is being affected by it. A survey is a good way to go about it because it's anonymous. So you're not asking every woman to raise their hand and saying, I'm going through this currently. So there's different ways to go about it. It's not easy. But I would encourage every organization that has that have women in their workforce to look into it for sure.

51:32Absolutely. You know, we've talked about over the course of the show that while a lot of the symptoms may be the same for women, every woman's situation is different. What's your feeling about women getting together to talk about this or these leaders getting together with other leaders to talk about it? Is group therapy a good thing for this kind of situation? Well, I'm not qualified to talk about group therapy, but obviously more women, we know when women get together, they're forced to reckon with. So I do believe that, you know, we're seeing a lot of social media action. We're seeing a lot of celebrities getting in on to the action as well. It's important that they raise awareness on this issue. And as you were referring to before, this shouldn't be taboo. It affects every woman in their life. So it shouldn't be taboo. And I think the more awareness and the more we talk about it openly,

52:34the better we all are going to be as a society. Yeah, absolutely. If we have people who are listening and watching and they'd like to chat with you, how do they go about that? So they can go on my website. I just launched Instagram so they can go on Instagram, Carolina Lord. And so I do work with women and I also work with organizations. Which is really, I love that, that you know, I hope you're bringing awareness to some of these organizations, because I think you know, we've got a lot of men who are running these organizations and maybe they need some discussion, right? I want to make sure that everybody knows that Caroline is spelled C-A-R-O-L-Y-N-E. Caroline Lord, thank you so much for joining me today. Really appreciate your time. And I appreciate you raising awareness on this issue, Kim. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Continued success. We're going to take a break, everybody. We'll wrap things up on the other side. This is Karen, a company.

53:34If you like rum, you're going to love rumsens rum. New England's most award-winning rum brand. Rumsens creates distinctive and savory flavor profiles by hand-selecting and marrying the finest barrel-aged Caribbean rums. The spirits have then blended and finished in the New England rum house. Choose from rumsens gold, spiced, grand reserve, or coffee rum. Find rumsens at liquor stores or ask for it at your favorite restaurant. Learn more at rumsens.com. That's rumsens.com. Rumsens. Life lived. Life enjoyed. This segment of Carrigan & Company is brought to you by Sienna Aesthetics Medical Spa. Take years off your face with the very latest technologies at Sienna Aesthetics in Beverly. Well, that's going to do it for the special edition of Carrigan & Company. And I hope that you've gotten some information from today's show. I know that I have. And I hope you'll share it with someone who maybe needs to hear more about this subject. As Carolyn said, Caroline said, rather, you know, awareness and having a conversation is the perfect place to start.

54:37So I hope that you'll do just that. If you're watching us on YouTube, be sure that you subscribe. And if you're not following us on social media, I sure hope you will. Thanks again for being with us and we'll see you again next week. Thanks everybody for listening to Carrigan & Company to find out who will keep me company and be my co-host on the next episode. Be sure you follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok. Carrigan & Company is recorded at the Big Night Studios at the TD Garden in Boston. You can view the podcast on YouTube and listen to it wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure you tell a friend. The executive producer of Carrigan & Company is David Thompson. And our social media managers are Grace Carrigan, Colby Thompson and Riley Thompson. See you next time.