Episode 127: All of Your Hormone Questions ANSWERED with Lauren Papanos
Episode 127: All of Your Hormone Questions ANSWERED with Lauren Papanos
Lauren Papanos is a Registered Dietitian and Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics who helps women balance their hormones naturally after birth control, put an end to PMS, and eat for strength - rather than deprivation - so they can feel like queens, inside & out. In her clinical work with Olympic athletes and overseeing sports departments at UCLA and Texas Tech, Lauren kept running into active, high-achieving women who were dealing with a host of hormonal conditions including stubborn acne, PCOS, Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (missing periods), and low energy. As a lifelong gymnast and top-tier college cheerleader, Lauren knows the hormonal struggle first-hand. She tried every allopathic and integrative doctor and ultimately became a functional RD so she can help active women tap into their strength - physical, mental, & emotional - to access their highest potential in life.
In this conversation we talk about:
Lauren’s personal body image story: growing up a competitive cheerleader, how the pressure to lose weight impacted her relationship with food, & her path from rigid eating to a flexible relationship with food.
The 3 fundamental root causes of most hormone issues, and how to take a proactive, non-obsessive approach to your health.
How eating disorders influence hormone issues later in life and the best ways to heal in the present.
The intersection of hormone preoccupation triggering eating disorders + disordered eating and the best way to take a more balanced approach to awareness.
The complexities of stress and how our immune system plays a role in hormone health.
Defining & expanding the nuances of PCOS, Endometriosis, Hypothalamic amenorrhea, infertility, digestive issues & more from a hormone + holistic perspective.
Why weight loss is not the answer for solving most hormone-related issues, and what we should be focusing on instead.
How to approach body shame & live a more empowered life while healing.
What to do if “something feels off” in your body, but nobody can give you an answer.
The importance of connecting with any provider you choose to work with when seeking help.
Connect with our guest!… https://functionalfueling.com/
The Strength in Hormones Collective is Lauren’s women's only membership to help women achieve hormone healing and strength in their bodies. Doors open every first of the month to join. Every month inside SIH you get access to recorded trainings, fresh hormone-nourishing recipes, hormone workout programming, a Q+A call with Lauren and the community group. You can learn more and join the waitlist at: www.functionalfueling.com/sih-waitlist.
Ready to feel more comfortable in your skin?
TRANSCRIPTION Episode 127: All of Your Hormone Questions ANSWERED with Lauren Papanos
Katelyn:
All right, Lauren Panos. Hi. Welcome to the show.
Lauren:
Hi, thank you so much for having me.
Katelyn:
Thank you for being here. I cannot wait to hear your story. And I'm just so inspired by what you're doing right now. And as I just mentioned, I have so many questions because I have just enough information about the incredible work that you're doing in this world to pique my interest, and I can't wait to hear even more about your work and who you are, and all the things. So let's get rocking and rolling. The first question that we ask everyone on the show is your first body awareness moment. So what did that look like for you, Lauren? That moment where you realized I'm in a body, and apparently this means something in the world that I'm living in? And then how did that moment impact your relationship with yourself? Whether it was your relationship with food, or your body image or mental health, anything? Just share your story?
Lauren:
Yeah, totally. So I would say for me that it happened at a pretty young age, because I grew up as a gymnast, and then from gymnastics, transitioned over to competitive cheerleading. So body image was always very evident, because you're in a very small outfit, and you're getting comments on it from your coaches and your teammates. Right. So it was always something that I was very aware of. And I don't know, I mean, I can think back to maybe 12 years old, right, like starting to think about that, which is sad to think about, but then it definitely was even more highlighted when I was in college because I was on our you know, competitive cheerleading team, I went out to college on a cheerleading scholarship. And so, you know, I was cheering in front of 20,000 30,000 fans per night. And you know, just being in a crop top, like being in a small skirt, right? And having to do your like athletic skills in front of that many people. It's, you're gonna think about your body and a situation like that, right?
Katelyn:
Totally. What was the environment like for you? I'm always fascinated by cheerleading culture, because I was never one, I will say, I went to cheerleading camp, because I dance, but I never actually joined a team or a squad or anything. So in terms of body image, and just your cheerleading peers, what was the Body Talk like, or anything along those, those lines.
Lauren:
I don't remember it ever being negative when I was younger, or maybe it just never fazed me. But definitely in college, it was very evident, because it was just, it was just such a competitive environment, I was a liar. And so for anyone who's watched this show, cheer, that was essentially what I did, I tumbled and flew. But you know, there's a certain weight that was required for me to be out to be able to fly. And I remember my freshman year, I was just at like, a natural, healthy weight based off of just eating and exercising like a normal human does, right. And, you know, I was told by one of my teammates that was a male, because it's co Ed, that I waited too much. And if I just lost weight that I would be able to fly next year. And so of course, you're like, Well, this is my sport. It's my passion. I'll do what you told me to do, right? And then I think from that, it just creates kind of an obsessive behavior around trying to fit into the box other people want to put you in.
Katelyn:
Yeah, so how did that impact your relationship with food when you were kind of striving for this new goal in your life?
Lauren:
I think that it made me more of a perfectionist when it came to food, and that I very much had a lot of rigidity. I was very structured and very, like goal focused. And so there was not a lot of but a lot of flexibility or a lot of intuitiveness when it came to the way that I ate or exercise, because I knew what I needed to do. I understood the formula. And I just did it day in and day out. You know, I didn't ask any questions
Katelyn:
Totally. And I hear you loud and clear. And just like that control and rigidity and perfection and preoccupation. So how did you notice that impacted the other parts of your life, if anything?
Lauren:
Well, I think that it made me a lot less present in life. And it may be always hyper focused on food. And that's something that I even work with clients nowadays on is, you know, letting food just be what it is right? And like letting it kind of be in the background of like, yes, we're focused on it. Yes, we're using it, you know, medicinally as a tool, but not letting it overcome your life to where you're literally making plans based off of what you can eat or what your when your next meal is going to be. And I think for me, that's how it really impacted things was that I was always so focused on it. It was always such a forefront of on my mind
Katelyn:
When Did it become a problem like when I imagine, this is a huge goal for you, I mean, this is what you've worked your entire life for. And so to have somebody just give you a very clear new goal to focus on in terms of lose some weight, and you'll be a better flyer. And then kind of finding the backlash through getting to that point, when did it really start to become apparent that it was actually a struggle or an issue or a problem in your life?
Lauren:
I think when I met my now husband, I realized his relationship with food, and my husband's very healthy and very, like health conscious. But in a very healthy way, like very intuitive, very flexible, like, I eat to nourish my body. But if there's something that is calling to me, or there's a social event, let's do it, you know, like, there's no boundaries with it, right? And so I just realized, like how healthy his relationship was, and that he still was able to, like, be athletic and be healthy and feel great. And I was like, why can I be that way? Like, why is there so much rigidity all the time, like, I can still nourish my body, but also have flexibility?
Katelyn:
Mm hmm. What were some of the things that you shifted when you started to identify that for yourself in this new relationship? I think that's so interesting. You mentioned your husband, I hear this a lot. And truthfully, I, I can identify with this as well, too, there's something to be said about just having an example of a really intuitive, just flexible eater around you all the time, that kind of shows you a different way. So what were some of the things that you started to just shift in your relationship with food by way of being around him.
Lauren:
So just allowing myself to do things that weren't perfect, like honestly, just trying new things, you know, and this is something that I've worked with clients on all the time. And I, you know, do this because of how I implemented in my own life and saw that it was so powerful, but it's like, doing micro adjustments. So like, micro challenges, right, where you maybe don't say, I'm gonna have an entire bowl of ice cream, initially, but you maybe have like, half a bowl of ice cream with everything else that you feel comfortable with. So it's like you take an ounce of uncomfortableness and you pair it with something you're comfortable with. And then kind of reflecting on it and journaling on it, whatever that looks like for you. And then realizing that nothing negative happened. And so it was a lot of those like micro exposures that added up over the summer of time where I continue to expose myself to these things that were uncomfortable in small pieces, and saw that like, nothing happened. Like I'm still just the same person that I was before. Right? And from that was able to gain trust in my body and in like my mindset around it, that I could have this level of flexibility just like he did.
Katelyn:
Mm hmm. So I'm going to address the elephant in the room here. And I want maybe it's not an elephant. It's just kind of something that's coming to my mind right now. But what what was holding you back, like, what was your fear? Because you mentioned that you initially started changing your relationship with food to lose weight to be a flyer, and then kind of maintaining that rigidity. What was your wish, worst case scenario in your mind, even through these micro exposures?
Lauren:
Well, I've had a lot of health conditions since I was, I don't know, 19 years old, that have all stemmed from hormonal imbalances and digestive issues. And so I've kind of always been treating things to some degree. And so I've always been very worried since those things started to happen that if there if I was too flexible, and I didn't have like that rigidity of what I knew work that I was going to take steps back with those health conditions that I had corrected. And I also and this isn't something that is active for me anymore, but when I was in that like acute, you know, state with things when I was younger, I dealt with a lot of inflammation, I dealt with a lot of unexplainable weight gain, with acne with all these issues. And so it was so I was so worried. It's like, I if I give myself any flexibility, things are just going to get worse, they're not going to get better. Right? Like, that doesn't make any sense. Why would I be more flexible and expect my body to heal? Right? And so I mean, you know, through time, my body did heal through, you know, other tools. But you know, that I think was a huge stopping gap for me was just like being so worried about by having that flexibility. How is my body going to improve like, how was it not going to decline with that?
Katelyn:
Mm hmm. And did you have any awareness around hormones at this time? Or did this come later in your story when you were kind of loose? During the rains on the the control that you were having over food in your body and kind of managing it from the inflammation that you were talking about before, was this, like, during your education at the same time having that awareness? Or did that come later on down the line?
Lauren:
Yeah, so I was already in school to become a registered dietitian at that time, like I was just starting. So you know, I was going through all of my, you know, biochemistry, organic chemistry classes. So I was like, very aware of like how the human body worked. But, you know, even in school, it's like, you learn these things at a surface level, right? Like you learn what you need to like, pass an exam, but you don't really fully like, comprehend how it all fits together. So I think that I had awareness over it, but I don't think I truly understood, I didn't really understand how to like, even help myself, let alone help other women heal their hormones until I was, you know, multiple years out of being a registered dietitian, because I, you know, then trained myself and did do training to be able to recognize that. So I think that there was a baseline awareness at that time, but there was no dots connecting between like body image diet and hormones at that point.
Katelyn:
And that's what you specialize in now, right? Hormones for women. And tell us a little bit more about what you do. Because this is, this is such a trendy topic hormones in general right now. And so I'm curious why we why you think it's trendy. And I'm also interested in kind of debunking some myths around hormones with you as well, too. But why is hormones such a trendy topic right now? And what is kind of? What's the problem with that also?
Lauren:
Yeah, I mean, I think that women have been kind of kept in the dark in terms of how their bodies work and the complexity of the female body for so long. Like, I know that when I was growing up, you know, I knew that I was going to have a menstrual cycle. But I didn't understand anything beyond that, you know, I didn't know we oscillate. I didn't know the support basis, the menstrual cycle, I knew that your thyroid impacts weight, but I didn't know what to do about the thyroid, like I didn't understand anything of that sort. Right. So I think that women are starting to become more educated, which is amazing. And, you know, through science, through technology, we've been able to gather more data. I think there's also been a lot of increase in infertility, which has also increased awareness, because women have, you know, maybe dealt with those issues. And so they've been become more curious in terms of understanding, like, is there something hormonal that could be driving this that could be could explain this, right. So I think it's more I think it's awareness more than anything, because the human body has always had hormones, right, that's never changed. It's not like it's a new thing in the body. It's just more people understanding it. But I think that the issue with it is that because it's just like, I always say when it comes to diet is that because everyone eats, because everyone, every woman has hormones, everyone thinks that they're an expert in it, right. And that's where it can become really dangerous. Because a lot of people out there that are talking about this, they don't have any of the like, scientific understanding of how the human body works. They haven't, you know, taken biology and physiology and chemistry to understand truly like how all of this works. And so, you know, hormones are extremely complex. And they hormones are not the root cause, like they are not the reason they're not what has to be treated. It's more that when there are hormonal imbalances, we have to ask the bigger question as to why. And that's what we're the beauty really comes when it when we're talking about healing hormones, is asking the bigger question as to why there's hormonal issues, you know why estrogen is out of range, progesterone, you know, why the thyroid is low functioning, and then fixing those issues. And that's really how we change hormone expression.
Katelyn:
So I know this is so complex, and I'm going to ask this question, and I really want everybody in this community listening to be extra sensitive, this is not so that you can self diagnose and start doing all the things but I am really curious, what are some of those big issues, some of those big driving root causes that you see the most often that we can just at least start paying attention to, even on a proactive basis?
Lauren:
Sure. So I think there's a few things I see that are most glaring. There is a lot just from industrialization. And I think that this is a lot of why there's so many health issues that have spanned the last, let's say, 2050 years, whatever it's been right. But there's a lot of chemicals that we're being exposed to. And a lot of people don't know, you know, anything that's making something, you know, softer, it's making it prettier. It's making it smell butter that naturally does it has a chemical and those chemicals are endocrine disruptors. And this was something that I didn't believe for a really long time because in school, you know, both my Bachelor's master's degrees, I never learned about endocrine disrupters. But there's so much research that there is if you really dive into it, and those are a huge issue, and it's not just even the endocrine disrupting chemicals, it's also other chemicals like heavy metals that are in a lot of our food or air in like supplements that, you know, the supplement industry is so big, so many people are taking unregulated supplements all the time, right? Things that are in our environment, right pollution, mold, all of these different types of like toxins that are coming from the environment that are so impacting us, hormonally. Now, a second thing is that a lot of people are having issues with one is eating the nutrients that are needed to be able to build and convert hormones, but secondly is absorbing them. And part of that is because of such a high stress low that so many people are under. And when we're in a stress state, our body is not digesting, our body is also burning through minerals at a much higher rate. So just eating well becomes not enough anymore, because your body is utilizing those so much faster that you can put them into the diet. And so that's also an issue is just that burn rate of minerals, our body getting enough to the diet, and also absorbing enough through the gut. A third thing is also just the state of people's nervous system. I think that with technology with Instagram, social media with, you know, people working so much throughout the day, and constantly being it's like constantly being stimulated, right? Like we're always stimulated. I know like today I was getting my hair done. And I didn't have my phone on me for like 15 minutes and literally was like feeling stressed. And I was like, This is not something that's stressful at all, like, why can't you just relax, it's like, you're just so drawn to like constantly having an external source of stimulation, because it's just what we always do. And that is really heightened into our nervous system. And our nervous system controls all of our hormonal signaling. So you know, if our nervous system is feeling like it's in fight or flight mode all the time, it's going to send signals to our brain. And our brain is then going to impact how it communicates to our thyroid, to our ovaries to our adrenal glands, right, and all of the hormonal system is going to become impacted. And so I mean, those are just three of the most common things I see out of everything else that there could be.
Katelyn:
So interesting. And endocrine disrupters, stress and nervous system, which kind of ties into stress as well too, but in a different ways. So proactively, if we're looking at this, and let's just say somebody is, is fine, like, they're not really experiencing a lot of hormone symptoms, or anything, but they're becoming more aware of this information, even from this conversation and thinking like, okay, what can I do just to really build a sustainable foundation for myself so that I don't run into these issues down the line? What's a proactive, non obsessive approach that somebody can start taking to really just take care of themselves, and especially, especially with bonus culture, I know Lauren and I were talking about this just before we hopped on here, but there are so many different ways that this information can be skewed and just blown out of proportion, and especially in environments and communities where people are really susceptible to eating disorders. How do we do this more mindfully without becoming fanatical about it?
Lauren:
Yeah, totally. So I think the first thing is becoming more heart centered, and also really expressing gratitude and doing gratitude practices. I think that by us really focusing on all of the good things in our life and being grateful and, you know, making decisions and thinking from our heart rather than constantly thinking through like our brain, which I think sometimes really can be stressful for us, right? I think that in itself is really healing to our nervous system. Of course, there's a lot of other things you can do for your nervous system. And it really is just what works for the individual. But, you know, that can include like getting outside more, I think that, you know, like sunlight is so powerful, because the sunlight outside is what tells our brain to start making hormones. So like going on a walk every day, in the morning time just trying to get natural sun exposure, you know, decreasing electronics in the evening time. That's huge. You know, meditation, you know, if you are someone that works out often like really working on finding a good balance between intense exercise and rest and recovery, because that also can be really stressful to the nervous system. In addition to that, really just becoming aware of all those things that aren't just coming, you know, that you're eating but also that you're being exposed to and I always tell people like that can feel sometimes overwhelming and you can become obsessive in a way with that. Because when you start to look at all these elements, you're like, oh my gosh, it's around me every single where I go like everywhere I eat everything I do, right? There's chemicals everywhere, but that's really not what the goal is. The goal is for us to really be able to do our best right And let that be enough and to find better options. So you know, I'm not someone who's ever going to tell someone, you can never eat that ever in your life or you can never use tide to go pen. Like, that's just not my, that's not my forte. Like, that's not the way that I approach things. It's like, how do we do that, but also come at it from a place of an inclusion. So rather than always looking at things from a place of like, exclusion of what do we need to remove? What should we stop doing? How about we shift the tone to like, what can we do more of, and then when we do more of those things, the things that maybe we shouldn't be doing as much of they kind of take a backseat
Katelyn:
I love that I am a huge fan of this philosophy as well to adding in versus taking out initially, and I just, it's been so transformative for me and I use this often in my practice. And I really appreciate you saying that, especially. Especially when we're talking about something that is kind of scary right now. I mean, there's a lot of fear mongering around hormones, at least from my vantage point. And there's a lot of confusion as well, too. And we're also talking about our bodies and our life. And so kind of like fatality in all of this as well, too, that we don't really speak openly about is, is just like a source for anxiety and stress, which is kind of driving all of this, as you're saying. So I think that's such a helpful approach to take that you're offering just really focusing on what you can do and adding in and being really mindful about all of these things. I'm curious, where you see the intersection of eating disorders and hormones. And I know that you've worked in eating disorder clinics before and have a lot of experience with this. And so we're where do you what do you want our community to know about that? What what is? Why is there a direct intersection? And what are some of the some of the most common causes from people who have struggled with eating disorders or severe disordered eating?
Lauren:
Yeah, that's a great question. So you know, I mean, there's a couple of different things that come to mind initially, you know, one of them is that a lot of children struggle with eating disorders, or a lot of times this is happening during the time of puberty, when you are developing and you are going through menarche, you're having your first menstrual cycle, and there's disordered eating, where you're not giving your body the nutrients that it needs to be able to energetically even do the demands of having a menstrual cycle plus everything else it's needed for the heart, the brain, the lungs, so on and so forth. Right. So I think that just during that time, there's a lot of eating disorders that prevalent see, and so that really does impact how hormones are expressed the rest of someone's lifespan because of that impact that happened at those pivotal years during puberty. And also when someone is dealing acutely with an eating disorder, it's going to impact hormones, you know, it's going to impact not just your menstrual cycle, you know, that is common that a woman might lose their menstrual cycle, but it's also going to deactivate the thyroid hormones, you know, we see as a protective mechanism by the body, you know, we stop converting as many active thyroid hormones to be able to, you know, conserve energy. We also see hunger hormones are impacted. And so you might not have correct hunger or fullness cues, because of the lack of you know, digestive need, because there's not as much food coming in through the digestive tract, right. But then also, we see a lot of changes within the bacteria. And that that because you maybe aren't eating enough fibers in the diet, because maybe there's carbohydrate restriction that's happening. And those bacteria in the gut are what help us make hormones. So I mean, there's so many different impacts that YouTubers can have on hormones, right. But you know, if you've kind of flipped the coin you look at from other perspective, too, I think that sometimes I find people strive so much for perfection, like so much for these perfect hormones, that that in itself can create a little bit of a disordered relationship with food, or just with their body with their health even right, or they're like trying to keep labs or, you know, keep their cycle perfected. And I think it's really important for women to know that, like, yes, there are maybe things that you can do to improve your hormones. But at the end of the day, let that be enough, like you cannot Chase perfection in any of these areas. Because the body is ever evolving. You're constantly exposed to new stressors, new environmental stimuli every single day. And so because of that hormones are ever changing. And there's you're just never going to be able to achieve perfection in these areas. So if we try to strive for that, we're always going to come up short.
Katelyn:
Yeah, I'm so glad you said that. And that is something I'm really sensitive to because I I see this often, it's so unfortunate and I am, I went through this myself to, you know, this really put me through an ortho Orthorexic rabbit hole, which is another eating disorder that's not in the DSM right now. But it's, of course, I'm sure you know this, Lauren, but for anybody who doesn't, it's an unhealthy obsession with healthy food and ingredients and things like that. And so it is, I hear you loud and clear. And I completely agree, I think it's so important because being hyper aware of healthy hormones can create eating disorders as well, too, and kind of counteract exactly what you're trying to do for yourself, because then it disrupts the hormones and all of these things. And so, yeah, it's it's a, it's a vicious cycle. And I love your approach where it's really just balance and gentle and nourishing and adding in and all of these things, can hormones damage be reversed it, let's just say that somebody did struggle with an eating disorder as an adolescent, and they are experiencing repercussions as an adult, can that be healed to a point where you're not experiencing the symptoms anymore, or just at a normal state?
Lauren:
It absolutely can. But I find that it has to come not just from a biochemical standpoint, if you will. So there's such a, there's such a nervous system, there is such a psychological working through like subconscious patterns, that has to happen, because I do think that having an eating disorder at a young age is a form of trauma, when it comes to the brain, and how the brain perceives that. And the hypothalamus, which is a little area within the brain, that is what communicates down to all of our endocrine system, you know, our ovaries, our adrenals, our thyroid, that's very much impacted by stress and by trauma, and by the nervous system. So I think that there has to be a lot of work that's done on more of like, the energetic and psychological point paired with the biochemical and physical healing.
Katelyn:
I'm so glad you said that. What are some ways that that can be done? And I'm sure that somebody who is experiencing that would benefit greatly through from working with a professional, like yourself, but what, what are some other avenues that people can take to really begin addressing that?
Lauren:
I think that it's really, one is first identifying, you know, what is the the limit? What's the block right? Within the psychological and the nervous system component, because this might look different for everyone. Some people really benefit from talk therapy, right? Some people might benefit more from maybe just like, even changing their habits and behaviors, right? Like, I know, for myself, I used to be someone who I lived off of coffee, I only did high intensity exercises, I thought rest was for the week, like, I would wake up at 5am Every day, you know, it's like all of that, like, I was just constantly going 100 miles per hour. And now it's like, I'm almost the opposite. Like I do not drink caffeine, I sleep nine hours, and I half the time my workouts are like me meditating, right? So it's like, finding that shift for you of what your nervous system needs, I think is so valuable. And finding that middle ground, you can still do a little bit of the same, you know, stimulating things. But you need to also be incorporating things that are really working on that parasympathetic nervous system, which is that rest and digest state, acupuncture can be really helpful for some women, I've had that be really helpful. And you know, I also really like doing meditations. And there's so many different forms of meditation that you can do. But you know, really just like working through the brain and journaling and, you know, working through some of those subconscious patterns, I think can be so helpful.
Katelyn:
Those are all great. And I think it's, I think it's so problematic and so interesting. Talking about this with you, because as you're saying all this, and we're talking about eating disorders, one of the things that I find is often really confusing with this, and I'd love your take on this, Lauren is it is so hard for women, specifically, but people in general, but for so many women to escape growing up in diet culture, there are so many women who just aren't even aware that they had an eating disorder. And maybe it wasn't a diagnosable eating disorder, but enough disordered eating from diet culture that I'm sure impacts hormones on some level. And so along the lines with the other things that you mentioned, stress, nervous system regulation, the endocrine disruptors, all those things. NGS, I would also, I would also be interested to see if that is an impact as well to just if this is so imperative from an adolescent standpoint, and people are dieting at a young age and putting it putting their bodies in those stress states at a young age, if that's impacting the hormonal development, without even really giving any thought to the, the eating disorder piece, because maybe you want your whole life and thought I never had one, and maybe you didn't have a classically defined one. But if if you're that impressionable, at a young age to kind of go through that, if that has an impact at all later on in life,
Lauren:
I think it absolutely does. And there was one research article that I read a few years ago that showed that if you had irregular menstrual cycles when you were in the first couple years after monarchy, so after that first menstrual cycle that it affected you for, I think it was like 10 years after that. And so I know for me, like I that was me is that I had a very irregular menstrual cycle, because of me being so focused on body image, and I didn't, I wasn't consciously doing it. But I do think I was under eating when I was in high school, because I was so active, and, you know, also was, you know, are my early years of puberty at that point. And I do believe that that's what caused so many issues with my hormones once I got in, you know, when I was 19 years old, and so forth. Right. So I think it has a profound impact. And I also know that a lot of this can start even when we're in the womb, when we're in our, you know, mother's belly. Because if the if our mom is being exposed to a lot of endocrine disrupting chemicals, or our mom is having issues with maybe her hormonal signaling during pregnancy, that it does predispose us to hormonal conditions, especially things like PCOS, when you are in your teen and you know, young adult years, so it can start even beyond, you know, before even childhood right before you're even born.
Katelyn:
It's so interesting. I want to talk about to two things that I hear so much in our community that I feel like there are so many questions around and I know that you are an expert and can really shine a light on an explanation for this for us. But endometriosis and PCOS, I feel like these are two diagnosis that we see so often right now. And I'm curious, your take on it. Why, you know how this relates to our conversation that we're having right now. And also the symptoms for each of these things. And what that means for from a lifestyle perspective, too.
Lauren:
Hmm, sure. Yeah. So PCOS stands for polycystic ovary syndrome. And it's extremely common, like I mentioned, because a lot of it can go back to when we were in the womb, and maybe our mom was dealing with gestational diabetes or had some issues with blood sugar control, because during pregnancy, there is more insulin resistance issues that happen because of the baby developing and also because babies utilize majority of fuel coming from ketones during pregnancy. It's like extremely complex of what's happening when you're growing a child. But that can really impact that risk factor for PCOS. I do find that although a lot of women are being overdiagnosed for PCOS and a lot more women I find maybe actually have hypothalamic amenorrhea and hypothermic amenorrhea typically goes hand in hand with disordered eating or an eating disorder. Because hypothermic amenorrhea comes from energy deficiency. So it comes from not eating enough compared to how much you're exercising or how much energy your body is utilizing. That's typically what causes hypothalamic amenorrhea. So a lot of times women will have irregular menstrual cycles. And so they might get diagnosed with PCOS. But truly, to be able to confirm this PCOS, you need to have three diagnostic criteria and that has to include a regular menstrual cycles, high androgens, which would be things like testosterone and DHEA as well as polycystic ovaries. So you need to have three of those to really confirm and a lot of women aren't being tested for all of that they're just kind of being like thrown this diagnosis and then trying to figure out what that means. You know, with that though, when you do have PCOS, you know, you are typically going to have irregular cycles, you maybe won't ovulate so you might still bleed every month but you're not actually ovulating. And that's why PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility because you need to ovulate in order to get pregnant. There also a lot of women will have issues like hirsutism facial hair growth, hair loss on the head, acne, maybe a regular you know Weight gain that they don't really understand why that's happening. So it looks very different than what the symptoms of hypothermic amenorrhea do. But because there's an overlap of the irregular cycles, a lot of times there is some confusion.
Katelyn:
That's so interesting. And the first thing that came to my mind that I think is so important to express in this conversation is, I don't know if you see this in your practice a lot. But I think that there's so much stereotype around this where it's so discriminatory around, while I'm not a certain body size, so it couldn't possibly possibly be one or the other. And I mean, from an eating disorder perspective, this is where I have to get on my soapbox and just say that eating, you know, eating disorders, don't discriminate from body size perspective, disordered eating doesn't either, you know, and so I think that can be so confusing. And do you find that at all in your practice when working with clients where they kind of just discount themselves by way of body size for one of those, one or the other?
Lauren:
Totally, yeah. And I mean, I, you know, my first couple years of being a dietitian, I worked with elite athletes. And this is happening with the most elite athletes that you are seeing on social media that you think have the perfect body, the perfect health. And they have a hormonal condition like this, but they don't look, they don't fit the look, right, I'm doing air quotes right now. And because of that, that there is confusion around it right, or, because someone is, you know, lean, they maybe don't think that they have PCOS. But we know that there is PCOS that can happen. That's called Lean PCOS. So you don't always have to have the classical symptoms to be able to fall into one of these categories. And I even I get so frustrated too, when, you know, doctors tell patients that the only way to correct something like PCOS is to lose weight, because I have so many patients that I see who they do not need to lose weight, they are at a healthy weight. And although that might not be the doctor standard of what they think should be their healthy weight, that person is at their healthiest way. And so it's just it's so frustrating when we judge a book by its cover because it tells us so little about what's actually going on internally.
Katelyn:
And I want to talk about this, I want to elaborate on this because I think it's so important. And it's something that I hear in my line of work as well, too, from my clients where it's just this idea of well, I need to lose weight and then that'll reverse the symptoms and will reverse just the hormone imbalance or at least be a catalyst to doing that. And so why, why is that not the answer?
Lauren:
Well, a lot for a lot of women there. It's actually the opposite. Like you know, even in PCOS, right, a lot of women have adrenal PCOS. There's multiple different types of PCOS. It doesn't always come from the ovaries producing the androgens our adrenals, which is where stress hormones come from can produce androgens. And I see adrenal PCOS a lot more than I see ovarian, PCOS. And if we're under eating, if we're going hypoglycemia, because we're skipping meals throughout the day, or we're not eating enough carbohydrate for our body's needs, that's all going to drive that cortisol production. And that's going to then worsen the hormonal condition. So it's not always that it's most often not that you need to lose weight, or that you need to eat less to be able to kill your hormones. Most of the time, it's actually we need to optimize the diet and eat more or eat more of the right foods for you to be able to balance out where these hormone imbalances are happening.
Katelyn:
And I love that. Did everyone hear that? Like, we need to make a billboard and just like last year it across the entire United States? Okay, let's get into endometriosis. What what is this? What do we need to know about it? What are some classic symptoms that you see in this area? And how is it related to some of the things that we've been talking about in the conversation so far?
Lauren:
Yeah, so within endometriosis, we're finding that it's actually a lot more of a immune related condition. And there's preliminary research, it's not 100% confirmed yet that it could be more of like an auto immune response. It's happening and endometriosis. And with endometriosis, some of the common symptoms are extremely painful periods. Really bad bloating. You know, I've had patients before that I've worked with where they are just in so much pain, there's so much inflammation that's going on within the body. And, you know, for a lot of women, this actually comes back to the immune system and really understanding like what is driving the immune system. A lot of times there's also a gut component where there might be some bacteria imbalances within the guy will be called dysbiosis that are driving this or there might be issues of high estrogen levels, because, you know, maybe we are not eating enough fiber in the diet and or we're constipated. And so estrogen is going back into research. circulation. We know though that things like those endocrine disrupting chemicals as well, as, you know, having an inflammatory diet, they've even shown that women who switch over to more of a plant based diet, where they are incorporating more plants into the diet doesn't mean that they're only eating plants, but that there's more plants in the diet, that that seems to alleviate some of those symptoms. So, like I said, you know, it's there's a little bit of some, I guess, I wouldn't say confusion, but some answers, that's still we're still waiting on to really fully understand why endometriosis happens. And you know, what's really driving endometriosis, but we know that there's definitely a huge inflammatory component that can help alleviate a lot of the symptoms.
Katelyn:
You mentioned the immune system. So what what would be driving the human immune system in this case.
Lauren:
So if there is if there is an autoimmune component, such as you know, there's antibodies that are being made that in any type of autoimmune condition, right, the immune system is attacking that certain organ, so the immune system is attacking the endometrial lining. And that's what's driving that immune system, that immune response where those antibodies are being made. A lot of times I find with autoimmune conditions, we know that in autoimmunity, there's typically three things that cause an autoimmune condition, one being genetics, so there's someone in the family that has a autoimmune condition doesn't have to be endometriosis, but another autoimmune condition. We also know that intestinal permeability, where the lining of our gut is impaired, which can happen a lot from stress, or it can happen from just dietary triggers that can cause that that that can also be another leading factor. And then we also know that a stressful life event also triggers an autoimmune condition to develop. So it's usually a combination of all three that will cause this to happen. And it's kind of just like your maybe already had a pre a predisposition, and then something pulls the trigger on it happening.
Katelyn:
So interesting. I'm curious how you support clients, or just what you are observing in terms of any kind of body shame in this work, because as you are hitting on, this doesn't just come out of nowhere. And so I, I've seen this in our community some times and, you know, I've experienced this myself as well, too, but really just holding space for ourselves compassionately, without thinking about what we could have done differently, or what we should have done, especially as it relates to adolescence, and any behavior that might have happened around food or bodies or, or anything in life that was just kind of out of our control, or perhaps within our control that we handled a certain way that we can't really go back and fix. So what are your what are your ideas for just letting go of that shame and being in the moment and taking care of ourselves as we do this work?
Lauren:
I think it's always coming back to who do you want to be like, Who is that? Who is that person that you want to become? Or? That's like the higher version of you, right? I think that a lot of times, I find with women that we focus a lot on who we used to be right? I see a lot of women I work with votes, like I used to weigh 15 pounds less or when I was in college, I was this body size, or I X, Y or Z right? It's like we're always focusing on the past. And that really robs us of the joy of the present, right of focusing on not, hey, that was the past. That's maybe who you were, it has nothing to do with who you are currently. And what can you do in this current moment to make yourself the best version of you. Right, and that's holistically so that's not just your health, it's all your not just your physical health. It's also your spiritual, your mental, your emotional health, that all goes into that. And so I think by us really trying to center and that's why I love like taking a heart centered approach with things where we're always coming back to it's like in our heart like what what do we want, like what making decisions out of our heart, right? Making decisions from our heart, rather than making decisions from like, who we were in the past or what our brain sometimes is telling us to think. So I think that that's really important is focusing on the present moment. And then I think it's also knowing that what is the best that you can do so what is who is the best person that you can be and being okay with that being enough? I think that sometimes we're always we are doing our best but we're always striving to do more and to be more to be fitter to look differently to do this better to go to the gym one time more per week. Like there's always something we can do better. And yes, it's great to have goals and to want to become better every single day. But at some point, you have to find a place where you're just doing enough like you're doing the best that you can and just being okay whatever that looks like for you, like whatever body that puts you into whatever mindset that puts you into just being enough with where you currently are.
Katelyn:
I love that Lauren, it's so powerful. Thanks for sharing all of that. And it's, it's so helpful to whether you're struggling with hormones or just being a human being in the world today, right? I think that so many of us compare ourselves to the former version of ourselves. And we think that comparison is something that is only allotted for ourselves to other people. And it's, it's certainly not and just like you said, It robs us of our joy. And it really holds us from stepping into our power and the people that we're meant to become. So echoing all of that. One thing that you mentioned on your website that is so genius, because it's so true. And I feel like it's just you reflecting back what so many women are saying right now, but it's something along the lines of I know, something is wrong with me, like I just know it on this intuitive level, but nobody's able to give me the answer. And a doctor doesn't really understand all of these things. I hear this from so many parts of my work and my life. And I just think it's so common right now. And so, first of all, I'm curious, what are some of those things like when people step into your office? What are some of the biggest symptoms that they are expressing to you that they feel like they just can't get an answer for? And what's the next best step for most people, if they're feeling hurt right now with what you're sharing?
Lauren:
Yeah, so it's funny, because I was just before this, I was on a appointment. And she was one of my best friends, actually. And I was, you know, kind of going through all her labs with her. And I was asking her, like, you know, what's going on? And she just kept saying, I just don't feel like myself. She's like, I just feel like, I just feel off, you know, and I hear that so often, it's like, yes, there's these actual tangible symptoms that a lot of women are experiencing when they work with me, but ultimately, it's like, this just isn't me. Like, I just don't feel like me. And it's really helping them identify why they don't feel that way. Right. And a lot of times it is physical, as well as, you know, mental and emotional that comes with that. But, you know, I mean, most commonly within that a lot of times for women, it's feeling like they are having some digestive issues. So maybe feeling like food just isn't working for them in the way that it used to, or the way that they feel like it should, whether that means, you know, bloating and feeling, you know, constipated having loose stools, heartburn after eating specific meals, feeling like their diet has to be really restricted, because of some of these issues with digestion, which I always explain is it's that's not the answer, right? The answer is never to take out more foods, it's to figure out why those foods aren't responding well in the body. So a lot of times, it's that as a component. Other women, it might be that they're having a lot more of like the hormonal symptoms of, you know, they're having acne that they don't understand why they're having hair loss, or having hirsutism, facial hair growth, they're having irregular cycles, or having infertility troubles. You know, a lot of those types of symptoms that they're identifying is there's probably some type of hormonal condition or imbalance, it's happening. But ultimately, I think every woman that comes to me, they really just want to understand how to eat to thrive, they want to understand they want answers, they want to understand why they don't feel like themselves, they want to understand why they maybe aren't able to really step into like that higher version of themselves, right, like what's holding them back. And so it's really giving them those answers. And I do that through testing and really in depth assessments, but then also helping them find that balance within their lifestyle, right. So it's like, okay, we do things for a period of time to be able to heal. So a lot of times, we might use specific modalities therapeutically. but alongside that, we're doing a lot of work around like their relationship with their body, their relationship with stress and exercise and the way that they eat, and all of those things that come along with that, because as I mentioned, you know, especially because my specialty is hormones, a lot of the women that I work with, they really need to work on their nervous system and they really need to work on like finding more balance within all of this, rather than continuing to just like load them with more things to do.
Katelyn:
What are some of your favorite stress management techniques? I know that you mentioned getting into sunlight and just like getting in fresh air and some of the other things that you shared at the top of the episode but what are some other just like really handy go to easy to access techniques that you can offer around stress?
Lauren:
Yeah, I think stress is so multifactorial, right because our body really doesn't know the difference between psychological stress like I'm stressed because of work overwhelm or the stress of having a parasite in our gut or, you know, having low food intake, right? So it's like, we have to identify where are those sources of stress on the body, and then, you know, find the balance within those. So for me, you know, what that looks like is one is finding balance, like I have really good boundaries within my day. And that's not something that I've always had. But I think the boundaries are so important is like, knowing what you need to be able to feel amazing every day. So like, my boundaries are that the first two hours of my day I spend outside with my dog and exercising, like every single morning, there's just you're not going to skew me on doing that, right. And I also always set a boundary on what time I go to bed every night, I set a boundary that an hour before I go to bed every night, I spend some time either like taking a bath in the sauna reading like doing something for myself, right. So I think just having those boundaries are so huge, because otherwise, there's so much of like a spillover effect that happens where you're constantly in like this fight or flight mode, you're constantly doing things for other people. And, you know, we do things for other people all day long. A lot of us, that's the profession that we're in. And so we have to also find time within that to also be able to pour into us and do things for ourselves. And sometimes that means like, nourishing our body with better food, that food that like makes us feel really good. That makes us happy. That excites us that we're thrilled to be able to eat right, or spending time in nature or taking some time to like reflect on our day, right? I think all of those are so much more powerful than we sometimes make them out to be when it comes to reducing stress.
Katelyn:
Love. So great. And I think that stress is just one of these never ending topics that we could really talk about. But I love that you're bringing in the physical, mental and emotional components of stress. Because I think that it's it's often overlooked and kind of just very black and white in our culture right now. And I think it's so important. My ears perked up when you said, just like food restriction, you know, God, I think that is so important to talk about just really making sure you are eating consistently, and enough food and enough variety of food throughout the day. That is a precursor for so much stress. So hear you loud and clear. Let's talk about one other thing before we wrap today that is so important, and also something that I'm hearing about so much in our community. And that's infertility. And I know that stress plays a role in this as well, too. But beyond stress alone, what are you seeing from a hormone perspective? As it relates to the conversation that we're having today? I mean, we I know, we've talked about so many things, but what's your pulse on infertility right now and what you want our community to know about it? If anybody who's in a position where they're struggling with this, or know somebody who is or, you know, could be struggling with it down the line?
Lauren:
Yeah, I mean, if someone is listening to this, and is dealing with infertility, I mean, first and foremost, I'm sending you my thoughts and my hugs, because I know that it's not an easy thing to go through. And that you know, when you want something like so badly, and you want to, you know, really be able to like pour into someone else and you know, create life that it's, it's just so hard when you feel like your body isn't responding in the way that you want it to, right. And that can be such a frustrating feeling when you feel like mentally you're there. But physically, things aren't also responding. So sending my thoughts to you. And to also remember that it's so complex, like there's so many factors that go into this. And I think that a lot of women put so much pressure on themselves that it's just them. But you also have to remember that like, you know, it takes two to tango, right. And there's dual components in this. And, you know, there's a lot of male infertility issues that also can drive this. And so, you know, to take some of that pressure off yourself and know that, like I said earlier, sometimes you're doing everything that you can, right. But when it comes to some of the factors that I see for women, I see that those endocrine disruptors, those toxic chemicals really, in really impact fertility. And the reason for that is because, you know, the way that I always explain it is like if we have issues with detoxification, you know, we have toxic compounds in our body that are at higher levels and our body's able to remove, or we have something like a pathogen within our gut, right? That's like a red flag to our brain, it doesn't feel like a safe place for our brain to be able to carry a life, right? And so we have to make sure that we're always focused on like, how can we put our body into a place where it feels so incredibly safe? And that's not just physical that's also emotional and spiritual, right? Where we have to do some of that in our work because I find that for a lot of women that I work with, when I asked the bigger question as to like, do you feel like you are capable of this like, do you feel like your body is safe? Like do you feel safe in your body? A lot of times They don't they do not feel safe in their body. And that can be something that started back, you know, years ago and childhood, for example, right. So it's like, we have to unravel why there's an issue with safety, and really work on that both from a physical and a psychological perspective. But from a physical perspective, those toxic compounds, that gut can have a really big impact. Outside of that, you know, knowing your hormones, like understanding your cycle is so important, because I think for a lot of women, and I used to fall into this boat, as well as where I thought that just by bleeding every month that that meant you could get pregnant, right. But we actually really need to be ovulating in order for pregnancy to happen. And for a lot of women there are and ovulate Tory cycles where you are having a menstrual cycle, but you are not ovulating. And that can be for multiple different reasons. But most commonly, it's because there are high cortisol, thyroid issues, or there's high androgens, and those are all coming from high stress response, you know, nutritional deficiencies under eating right. And they're coming from maybe issues with like I said, estrogen and like getting enough fiber in the diet. So we have to understand why there's no ovulation happening. And one of the biggest things that's going to make the biggest impact for ovulation is eating enough for your body's needs. And finding a balance between the way that you stress your body with intense exercise and stressful habits that you do throughout your day and a balance with that parasympathetic nervous system, which is that resting digest and that relaxed mode. So I mean, those are two of the biggest things I would say, that are most important. And I think that all women can, you know, start to understand their menstrual cycle more just by tracking it. That's a really helpful tool I typically will teach a lot of women I work with to use a method called basal body temperature tracking, where you simply just take your body temperature every morning, it's the most accurate way it's more accurate than ovulation test strips to be able to identify when you are ovulating. And from that information, then if you're seeing that you're having an auditory cycles, we can ask the bigger question as to like, what are the causes of the anticipatory cycles?
Katelyn:
Amazing. Lauren, you are a goldmine and an angel. And I cannot thank you enough for all of the wisdom that you just dropped into our conversation today. I am so grateful. And I, I'm just so grateful for you doing this work because like we were saying at the top of the episode, unfortunately, the the hormone space is becoming so disordered. And you're doing such meaningful, authentic, heart centered work with this and evidence based as well, too. And I'm just I'm really impressed and grateful and so glad that you're you're here with us today. So thank you, and where can everybody connect with you and get in your world and work with you if they're feeling called to all of the things?
Lauren:
Yeah, I mean, thank you so much for having me. And let me share this message. It's truly like my heart's passion and desire. And, you know, I just feel like, like you said, you know, there's so much more than just the physical component that goes into this. And so I just want women to be able to experience like physical and, you know, full body well being right. In terms of learning more, my website is functional fueling.com. And that has all the different you know, methods in terms of social media and different services that I offer her and such. And then my Instagram is at nutrition with low if you want to go follow me over there. And then I also have a podcast called The strengthen hormones podcast. So it's another way that I also share information, I think it's so hard to share some of this too, just through like, Instagram, or social media or website, right, like, it's really hard to depict all of the different like elements that go into it. And I'm sure that you experienced this as well. Of like really getting to, like know a person and really understand them at more than just like a service level. And not surface but service level. Right. So like, I always encourage people to like, just reach out and you know, start the conversation because I want you to know that like, it's not just about like, what offers I have, right? Like it's really more than that I have so much deeper
Katelyn:
I'm so glad you said that there's so much nuance and I think you'll agree with me when when I say that this type of work is so personal. And it is depending on you feeling safe with the person that you are being treated by. And you know, even if it's a even if it's an amazing person, like it really is just feeling that connection in the relationship for somebody who's guiding you and so I'll speak for myself and it sounds like you're this way to Lauren, but if anybody ever comes to me on a console and I feel like they're Somebody else who'd be a better fit to guide them or I it's just not a match. It's just so important in terms of really building that trust and the integrity of the relationship to really help get the client the results that they are looking for. So I I'm just really grateful that you see and that you're aligned with that type of message from an ethical standpoint as well, too. It's so important because it is so nuanced.
Lauren:
Yeah, totally. I mean, I know I feel as all the time like when you work with a healthcare professional or someone else, it's like, do you really care about me as a person? Or like, do you just care about like, the results that you're going to get for me or like you for some, like, I don't even care about that. Like, please care about me as a person more than anything else, you know, and I just think that's so important when you're like working with someone is to feel like they actually care about you as a human more than anything else.
Katelyn:
Yeah, definitely. It's so important. I'm so glad that you said that. Okay, thank you so much. Everyone will link all of this goodness in the show notes so that you can connect with Lauren easily and I just can't thank you enough. You are incredible and I am so glad to know you.
Lauren:
Likewise. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
