Empowering Midlife Wellness with Dr. Susan Dr. Susan Hardwick-Smith

Have you been as confused as me about all the controversy that you hear about which fats are the healthiest? Which ones we should avoid and which we should consume more of? What does MUFA, PUFA, trans fat or saturated fat mean? Is a low-fat diet healthy or should we aim for 30% fat or higher? Today I'll go through a basic introduction to the types of fat that are available in foods, which ones appear scientifically to be the most healthy, and which ones we should avoid.

Last month my video with Dr. Antoniewicz (@drleahatoz) started the discussion about the importance of diagnosing and treating insulin resistance, not only for weight management but for lifelong health and disease reduction.
Today we are digging more into this really important and complex topic, and highlighting some more details about what IR is, why it’s important, how we diagnose it and how we can treat it with simple concepts surrounding Nutrition, Movement, Rest and Stress (emotional and physical) management.

If you didn’t catch Part 1, you can find here! If you struggle with your weight, sugar addiction or just feel stuck, as Dr. Leah says, "you are not a bad person trying to get good, you are a sick person trying to get well”. While up to 40% of American women suffer with IR (largely undiagnosed) only a small fraction are getting the help that they need. My hope is that the information you will hear today will inspire you on your wellness journey, and we are here to help you. The recipe for success in healing IR is clear, it works for our patients, and it can work for you too!

Today I'm discussing a fantastic option for dealing with one of the most difficult problems that we experience in menopause, which is vaginal dryness and pain, as well as decreased sexual sensation. While hormone therapy is the mainstay for restoring vaginal health, vaginal laser therapy is another tool in the toolbox that is safe for patients who cannot take estrogen due to current or recent breast cancer, or even for patients like myself who just want a little extra boost! This week was time for my annual laser treatment and I will be taking you to the office to watch my laser treatment done live by Dr. Leah. Along with the Juliet vaginal laser, I am having an o-shot with umbilical-derived growth factors, and I will walk you through the pros and cons of all of the options and show you what the experience is like for a real-life patient!

I am delighted to see more attention paid every month to issues regarding menopause and perimenopause, with articles popping up in every magazine and newspaper, often with celebrities talking about their experiences. We're finally starting to have a voice in the world about this critical time in life. While this is a fantastic development, one of the dark sides is that it has opened up a market for companies to sell products that claim to help with menopause symptoms, but have no scientific backing.



This is particularly worrisome because it preys on women in a very vulnerable time in life who may be experiencing truly devastating symptoms that have serious future health ramifications.



Marketing products that are not proven to be helpful, is not only unethical, but is harming women. Today I'm talking about the business of supplements sold to improve menopause symptoms, and discussing the fact that not one single supplement has any scientific backing to support the claims that menopause symptoms are reduced. In the meantime, bioidentical hormone replacement has been rigorously studied and shown not only to be safe, but to have very important health benefits that should not be ignored because of unfounded fears.



Each of us can make her own decision but today I'm inviting you to think and be smart, and not let people pray on our vulnerability, or assume that we are not smart enough to understand scientific studies. While the ingredients in many menopause symptoms products are very good for numerous things, none of them has been shown to help with the symptoms of menopause.



This is an invitation to be very careful and not to believe everything that you are told by celebrities who are being paid to deliver a message that is potentially harmful.

Every day I am asked several times if the HORMONE REPLACEMENT causes WEIGHT LOSS, and the answer is a little bit complex - but generally YES! The important thing to know is that it is not the hormone replacement itself that causes weight loss, but the different ways in which it increases your energy, improves with sleep, improves mental outlook, muscle mass, physical strength, and all of those things that we need in order to move more and stick to our healthy nutrition plan.
Apart from ovarian hormones, it's also critical to optimize thyroid and cortisol, which are both hormones that dramatically affect our ability to lose weight. Overall, it's absolutely true that optimizing hormones can help with weight loss - by helping us to stick to our healthy nutrition, exercise, and sleep protocols ....which ultimately are the cause of weight optimization.

Discover the untold story of testosterone in women and join the call for equitable healthcare options. This video describes how testosterone occurs naturally in women, how to safely replace it, and some curious history of how testosterone replacement for women has been overlooked.
💡 Why is testosterone treatment for women overlooked? Uncover the biases & advocate for change. Learn about crucial hormonal health and why we need FDA-approved testosterone therapies for women now more than ever—especially for those over 50. Insightful, empowering, and a real eye-opener!