TRANSCRIPT

-

Hello everybody. Welcome back to the Alopecia Angel podcast. I've been super busy throughout these last couple weeks, podcasting and recording for other podcasts. But also, a year ago today I was giving a presentation at the Biohacking conference. So it's a beautiful time to think about, now towards the end of May, because that's actually when it happened last year in 2024. And I will be coming up in. A couple, prominent magazines, international magazines, and I'm very excited about this. So once everything is published, I will be sharing that with you.

I also wanted to go ahead and share with you that I will be having a free training coming up. This free training is all about hair loss, all about the different types of hair loss and how you can reverse it and heal naturally from the various types of hair loss, including autoimmune, including female pattern baldness, including traction, including scarring, and including alopecia in children, alopecia, in men. Which for those of you who don't know, alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. However, sometimes it can be interchanged and used as a reference for autoimmune alopecia. This in turn is the alopecia that I was referencing for both children and men is the autoimmune. However, in women, I help many women with different types of hair loss. And so I will have the link in the show notes if you are wanting to join me on June 11th, and I look forward to having you there live, so that I can answer any and all of your questions.

Today's topic, though, is about women's health, the lack of funding, menopause, and hair loss. And so these are the 3 topics that we'll be talking about today. Because they're very important, I actually find myself in this next stage and phase of life, and I want to be as better prepared as so many people go into this menopause, on a yearly basis. On a daily basis, 6,000 women in the US alone going to menopause daily. And it's something that officially happens after 12 months of not having a menstrual cycle, and there is not enough talk funding or research in regards to women's health. A significant lack of research and funding for women's health issues exist leading to underdiagnosis, undertreatment, and potentially harmful medical interventions.

This is a problem. This is why so many clients of mine come to me saying, I've seen doctors, I've had all the tests done, and they're saying everything is fine, when clearly they're not fine. They're seeing not just many symptoms and issues, but they're also having tons of hair loss. And so this is why they end up coming to me and they resolve not only their hair loss, but then also their menopausal symptoms and situations and health concerns because, part of this is, the undertreatment and the under diagnosis.

This gap in research results in a women's health gap where women experience poor health outcomes compared to men.

Only a small percentage of global research and development funding is allocated to women's health research, which is really upsetting and astonishing because we are 50% of the population on top of that. For example, in 2020, less than 1% of healthcare research and innovation was invested in female specific conditions beyond oncology. Sex-based reporting research, that does include women often fails to adequately report sex differences hindering the identification of important disparities in how diseases and treatments affect both men and women. Women are often underrepresented in clinical trials, particularly in areas of oncology, neurology, and immunology

This lack of research has implications for various conditions, including endometriosis, pelvic floor disorders, migraines, chronic fat fatigue syndrome, not to mention dementia, which has a link with menopause. We'll get to that in a second, and then also to autoimmune diseases. 80% of women are having and carrying the bulk of autoimmune diseases, whereas it affects only 20% of men. So this is also a staggering situation, that if you have an autoimmune disease, more than likely 80% of the time, it's gonna be a female over a male. And when it comes to dementia, 2/3 of the population are women who have dementia versus men.

This also ties back into our cycle to women's health, to underrepresentation, under research, and again, and not being educated, not being on top of things. For example, every pregnancy is different. How we all conceive is also gonna look different. Everyone's pregnancy, labor is also gonna look different. Everyone's time in menopause is also gonna look different. And so because of this, it's really hard to understand exactly what's going to happen to you because sometimes you just have to go through it, right? And if any of you out there are listening and are moms, you understand that even from the same mom, no two pregnancies are the same.

This is the key to really getting ahead is to really educating ourselves as much as possible. When I was pregnant and pregnant, not just pregnant, but pregnant in another country with another language and with so many other barriers to really understanding what was happening, what tests I need or didn't need, and what the possibilities were or weren't there. Because I don't know if but I got pregnant at the first time at 40, and this happened in the Netherlands, and I never had access to a doctor. I never saw a doctor throughout my whole time, and this was part of my, hesitancy

The situation was that if no one was educating me, then I needed to educate myself and take control of my own health and as much as possible, my own trajectory in my pregnancy and in the labor process. And so I actually created a Hormone and Thyroids masterclass so that you can get ahead at any stage of life, whether you're barely hitting puberty, whether you're trying to conceive, or whether you're in menopause or beyond at any stage of life, you're understanding the dynamics of hormones and thyroid. You're understanding the ins and outs of it.

So that you can be just as educated as your doctor or nurse practitioner or any other health practitioner that you're working with, and understanding the tasks, the diagnostics, what's needed, what's not needed, how this is gonna happen, what's going to happen. Because that's just another, situation is that many people don't realize that by the time you're 35 heading into 40, that there's certain hormones that are gonna take a dip. This is part of nature, it's gonna take a dip. And so it's not about, if they do, it's about when, because when they do take a dip, this is when things start to change.

I've started noticing, these things in me, but then also, of course, my clients. At the same time though, we need to be on top of our education and not wait for someone to educate us. And so this is part of the problem too, is that we are just. Many times just doing things day by day or as they come, waiting for that diagnosis, waiting for someone to tell us: Hey, you have hair loss. Or waiting for us to realize: Hey I'm not feeling good, and these are my symptoms and this is what's going on, and then having the runaround with the doctors.

I created Alopecia Angel, I created the Hormone and Thyroid Masterclass, I created the Hair N' Heal program specifically to tackle these situations so that we can be on top of the education that's needed so that we can ask better questions, so that we can get the proper testing, so that we can understand the pros and cons of each situation, and then of course, try to mitigate it. But being from a acknowledged and empowered state versus giving our power away and asking the doctor: Hey, I feel like this and that. Can I get a blood test? Can I do this? Can I do that? Instead of asking, if it's possible demanding what is possible and what's in your right, because it's your health.

No one's gonna be the CEO of your health except for you. And this is where I empower my clients, when we work together because it's so critical, not just for you, but as you the female that the person that you are. It's so important for you because this actually trickles down into every aspect of your life, whether you have children or not, whether you have a career or whether you're retired or whether you have a spouse or not. Like in every aspect of your life, this is having an effect. And so we don't want to have any negative effect. We wanna be vibrant, we wanna live our best lives. And so in order to do that, we need to be proactive, we need to be educated. And this is where working with me, I take you through all the steps that's needed for you to see those results.

If this is your first time listening to me, welcome, and if this is your first introduction, I really encourage you to come to my web website, grab the free downloads, come to the free training, and understand why this is so important for us to take control of our own health because I was in that same spot as you. I was diagnosed with alopecia. I lost over 50% of my hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, an inch of forehead, and it was earth shattering for me. This was all happening in my early 30s

And so because this happened in my early 30s and I was going around blind asking around: Hey, this doctor, that doctor, this practitioner and that practitioner, what can you do for me? What are the results? Like, how can you help me? This is really not the way. It's a waste of time and energy and money. And at the same time, once you have all the knowledge, once you have the understanding, then you can forge your own path and get your healing. And that's how I healed myself and that's how I've been helping people for over 7, 8 years now around the world.

So going back to menopause, we shouldn't be waiting for people to educate us. We shouldn't be waiting for our doctor to educate us. This is where we need to be proactive. It's just if you know you're pregnant, start getting those books from the library. Start buying books from Barnes & Noble in any other bookstore, and start understanding like how you can be more knowledgeable on the subject, because us expecting that from our doctors is almost absurd, only because in today's healthcare they have zero time for us and you already know that.

The problem is too, is that a lot of times they're not educated on it either. The trying to ask for your regular doctor's opinion on, labor and endometriosis and fertility and this and that. They're just gonna send you the runaround to different specialists. What we can do now is really harness and grab onto the education that's there and then be able to make that next steps protocol that we're looking for.

Closing the women's health gap could lead to significant economic benefits with investments in women's health research, potentially yielding high returns. The problem here too is that a 2013 study found that women with metal hip replacements were 29% more likely than men to experience implant failure. Potentially due to anatomical differences and in inadequate testing, women, another study showed that women with heart disease may be misdiagnosed, undertreated, and have poor survival rates than men.

These are the disparities that we are seeing between men's health and women's health. Funding is also lacking in terms of women's health. The prioritization is also less, and this is really astonishing. And so there is a gap, but to make matters worse, the menopause situation is a bigger thing that, again, no one's talking about. No one's talking about many issues and concerns that only focus on women, whether it's a miscarriage, whether it's conceiving, whether it's postpartum, or all these other factors that are so important, and yet no one's talking about.

That's why I try to bring on, specialists who are in the niche of menopause, in the niche of postpartum, in the niche of certain different things, including hormones or being fit over 50 or any of these nature, because it's so important to bring out and get out that information. So if you have somebody who could benefit, please share the podcast with them.

So let's look at the big picture of menopause. Menopause affects women in a huge and numerous ways, and it's not gonna look the same for any, for everyone, right? The vast majority will experience problems and symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, and trouble sleeping. Memory loss is another big one too. Physical changes happen, including the weight gain, bone loss, which if you are proactive, I would really highly recommend a DEXA scan, DEXA. Normally, practitioners, doctors are not gonna allow you to do this until the age of 60, but the thing is, with osteoporosis and any type of bone loss you wanna get ahead of it. And so actually doing it sooner would be beneficial for you.

So you under have a baseline, but then also understand how to improve it now before you're in your sixties, before you're in your 70s or in your 80s and you're potentially dealing with hip fractures or bone loss or anything else. My stance is really being proactive in our health and then also. For those of you who have hair loss currently healing and reverse it. And then also doing so for the long term. And you can do this, I've been more than 8, 9 years, alopecia free. You can also be alopecia free. You can also not have to deal with hair loss ever again. I'm in my mid 40s and I grow an inch of hair a month. I can track this because once you start growing a lot of hair each month, you have to go to the hair salon on a regular basis, and that's what I'm doing. I'm going to the regular salon on a regular basis because my hair is growing and the roots are coming in.

And so this is important to note, but at the same time, it's possible at any age and stage. I have clients as young as eight months to 80 years of age, so definitely doable. There are a variety of treatment options for managing symptoms and staying healthy. However, working and thinking about menopause is gonna look different for each person, and this is why, it's not ever gonna be a one size fits all approach.

I just read an article in a magazine about how menopause affects hair, but at the same time, they're recommending minoxidil, they're recommending supplements, they're recommending a bunch of one size fits all treatments and solutions for your hair loss. When in reality what we need is to shift the perspective. You are a unique being and so am I. And so is everyone else that is experiencing hair loss and this is why my framework of looking at the person in an individual and personalized way is the most effective way in order to regain your hair in less time, see that hair growth, and then also at the same time, relieve yourself of any ancillary symptoms or health concerns.

Because once you start upgrading your health, everything gets upgraded and. On the podcast, I have numerous testimonials of other people going through menopause at the same time, their hot flashes go away when working with me, their brain fog goes away. They feel better, they lose the weight that stubborn weight that hasn't moved in eons. And they're starting to look and feel better. This can happen for anyone, and it's just about really getting that tailored approach for you.

Fast facts about menopause. 75% of women experience hot flashes. 75% of women have night sweats. 2 in 3 women report sleep issues. 77% of postmenopausal women experience low sex drive. 1 in 2 women experience mood changes, that's 50% of women are gonna have a mood change. 1 in 2 women will develop osteoporosis after menopause. 82% of women experience memory loss. 87% of women have changes in body composition or weight gain, this is where that metabolism situation comes in. None of these things have to happen just because they're statistics out there. It doesn't mean that you have to be a statistic, right? Just like I can grow an inch of hair each month at the same time, if you were to do a quick internet search, it says on average it's half an inch. I like to be above average so I can grow more hair and so can you.

You don't have to be a statistic, so understand that being a statistic is a choice, growing or not growing your hair is a choice, and being able to thrive is also a choice. 6,000 women officially hit menopause each day in the United States. Define exactly one year from your final period, which means that 1.3 million women enter this important stage of midlife each year. This entire stage of life is often called menopause, as we mentioned, but really there are 3 distinct parts, and so I'm gonna go ahead and detail them for you here

Perimenopause is the phase leading up to menopause. It's the time when the hormones, estrogen and progesterone begin to take a dip, as I mentioned. But widely fluctuate along the way. Those fluctuations trigger the symptoms associated with menopause, like the hot flashes, mood swings, any irregular periods. Perimenopause typically starts in your mid 40s. This stage is four years on average, but it can last up to 10 years for some women.

Menopause is actually a single moment in a woman's life. They also call it the second puberty. When you've gone 12 consecutive months without a period on average, the woman is 51 years old when she hits menopause. This marks the end of your reproductive years. Post menopause is the rest of your life. Symptoms may persist well into this phage a well into this phase and this, these symptoms can persist for years and decades, including the hot flashes which affect over 50% of women vaginal dryness, which effect over 45% of women in PE and post menopause.

Most women approach menopause under prepared. 94% say they received no education about it in school, and of course they're not. It's gonna look so different and it needs to be really coming from, a good resource of education. Not just any book is gonna do it, not just any person is gonna do it. And so this is why it's so critical just to be essentially the nerd that you were during pregnancy to understand exactly any and all complications, any and all situations, any and all supplements, any and all ways to have a better, healthier baby. In the same token, we should be looking at menopause too, because the thing is, it's many people think about: Oh, after 40 your life is downhill from there.

I like to think the opposite. I like to think that it's actually getting better and better each year. For me, at least, this is the way I see it. This is the optimism that I have, and this is actually the way I feel it too. Why? Because my hair is actually better and growing and healthier now than it was in my 20s. I had alopecia in my 30s and I resolved it. It took me a good three, four years to resolve it naturally. But it made me better for it. And so now I know exactly what's needed, not only to grow the hair, not only to be my healthy bass, but then also to, be well into my eighties and nineties, vibrant, healthy, and understanding exactly what that looks like for me, because it's gonna look different for each person.

Just 49% of women in me in perimenopause have spoken to a health professional about it. With only 50% of women in post menopause bringing it up to their doctors, about half of women wait 6 months with life disrupting menopause symptoms before seeking care from a health professional. The thing is, it's like we're not talking about it, and I don't understand why women to women are not talking about it. Even when I was pregnant for the first time at 40, none of my friends, none of the females in my family ever said: Prepare yourself for labor or do this like no one, and nothing prepares you for labor, especially if it's a natural birth, but more so if you're using, extra, forceps or having a C-section or anything else.

So the thing is, it's no one is preparing us. And so we really need to take control of our own health and prepare ourselves as much as possible. And that's where the education comes in. One of the issues women run up against is getting the right care for menopause because of the lack of training among providers. So 80% of OB-GYNs are untrained in menopause. Over 80%, imagine that. Luckily there are resources and there are education, around menopause. And there are many numerous providers that, I love, enjoy, and love to read books from. But at the same time, doing our own research is really critical too.

At the end of the day, we are gonna experience menopause. All women will at some point, and at the same time, we can also be educated to start making changes now so that it's not so drastic later on. And on top of it, once we start making those changes, we start to see and reap the benefits, not just for now for the long term. I wanted to go ahead and mention dementia. There's new research that's come out that says that two thirds of women. Because of the onset of menopause, because of the fluctuation of hormones, because men do not have cycles and do not have cycles at all or fluctuations in hormones, is the reason towards why women in general are 2/3 more likely to have dementia versus men.

And the thing is, when I started going down this route of healing myself, yes, it was for the hair and it snowballed into upgrading my fertility and it snowballed into being so vibrant and healthy now. But at the same time, I'm always looking ahead. I'm always looking ahead, not just for menopause, but also for brain health. We don't want to get to our eighties and nineties or to a hundred and something. Forgetting our memories, forgetting our experiences, forgetting the people we love, and not being able to see them and not being able to really connect with our past and with what we lived and what we've experienced.

So to me, brain health is of the utmost importance. And so when working with me, you won't just be getting the beauty and the education of hair loss and hair growth, but also all these other things. 'cause I'm always looking ahead. It's so crucial to be on top of our health and it's so critical, for the longevity. Whether we're here for another 10 years, 15, 20, 30, or 50 years or more, we don't know. But at the same time, wouldn't you want to be the healthiest possible? Wouldn't you want to do things on your own terms? You know what I mean? Instead of having people take over and do things for you because you're incapable of doing that.

So really this all stems and goes back to how is it that you wanna live? How is it that you wanna thrive? How is it that you want your future to be and look like? I wanna be full of hair, curly, big hair, all the way till I'm dead. I want, to have the big Maine, I want to be, as healthy as possible, not just for my children, but then also for my grandchildren and beyond.

So I hope that this has inspired you to look more into your situation. I hope that it also inspires you to come join me on the free training that's coming up in about a week, and also understand that there's so much more that we can do, so much more that we can harness and so much more that we can be proactive in. I show you this in a very, seamless, simple, easy way so that you can get what you need and move forward.

So thank you so much. Please rate and review, my podcast and I look forward to speaking to you next time. Take care.