The Root Cause Medicine Podcast is created by Rupa Health, the best way to order, track & get results from 30+ lab companies in one place. In today’s episode, Dr. Carrie Jones is joined by Esther Blum, an Integrative Dietitian, Bestselling Author, and Menopause Expert. They discuss Esther's top tricks and hacks for perimenopausal and menopausal women that she has seen work over her many years of experience. Key Takeaways: Why Aren't Women Taught About Perimenopause and Menopause? When researching for her book, See ya later, Ovulator, Esther saw many past flawed research on menopause. Many doctors still rely on these outdated and ineffective practices. But recent research shows that when it comes to menopause, hormone replenishment therapy is safe for the long term and helps prevent the onset of chronic degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Furthermore, the medical school curriculum is not up to date on women's health, which has historically had poor representation in research studies. Perimenopause and Menopause Symptoms: The average age for menopause is 50 and menopause. Perimenopause usually starts in the forties. However, many women may have gone through it in their late twenties and thirties. Menopause is when you have gone twelve months consecutively without a period. The average age for menopause is fifty, and some symptoms include irregular sleep, anxiety, depression, changes in your thyroid function, food intolerances, or irritability. What Should You Know About the Thyroid Panel? When doing a thyroid panel, ensure you test TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), reverse T3, T4, TPO (thyroid peroxidase antibody), and Tg antibodies. Esther Blum’s Practical Advice: First and foremost, focus on your lifestyle, meditate, learn to manage your stress, and put your phone away at night. Secondly, start optimizing your protein intake. Thirdly, work with a good functional medicine practitioner. Esther Blum is a dietician and high-performance coach, which has helped thousands of women lose weight, eliminate the need for medication, lose stubborn belly fat, and reverse chronic illness. She currently maintains a virtual practice, is routinely quoted in the media and has multiple TV appearances. Esther is the best-selling author of "See ya later, Ovulator," "Cavewomen Don’t Get Fat," "Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous," "Secrets of Gorgeous," and "The Eat, Drink, and Be Gorgeous Project."