Show Notes
Most people can’t name five menopause symptoms beyond hot flushes and the biggest problem might start with the word itself. In this episode, Dr Karan Rajan speaks with Dr Louise Newson, a hormone and menopause specialist, about what’s actually happening biologically, why symptoms get missed or mislabelled, and how evidence, guidelines, and real-world prescribing shape care. In this conversation, we cover: Why “menopause” as a label can obscure the underlying hormone biology The three-hormone framework: Oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone Why symptoms like brain fog, mood changes, and gut symptoms can be misattributed Bioidentical vs synthetic hormones (and why molecular structure matters) Osteoporosis risk, prevention, and what “healthy ageing” should include Dosing and absorption: Patches vs gels, and why some people need higher doses Why “guidelines” are a guide and where personalisation matters most 🎬 Chapters 01:22 – Most people can’t name five symptoms beyond hot flushes 01:56 – The definition problem: “A year without a period” doesn’t explain biology 02:59 – Back to basics: oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone 04:24 – Is menopause “just ageing” or a treatable deficiency state? 06:21 – Misdiagnosis: IBS, brain fog, depression and missed hormone deficiency 08:40 – Why “hard to measure” symptoms got ignored in research and guidelines 09:04 – Hormones and inflammation: metabolic risk shifts in perimenopause 10:32 – Osteoporosis risk and prevention: Why this matters clinically 11:22 – Sponsor: Loam 12:14 – Bioidentical vs synthetic hormones: The “key and lock” explanation 14:59 – Contraindications and breast cancer conversations 17:12 – Guidelines vs optimisation: Why safe does not always mean best 18:31 – How to read guidelines: Who wrote them, conflicts, and cited studies 20:18 – Dosing: “lowest effective dose” and why needs vary 22:25 – Louise’s own dosing story: Symptom improvement within days 24:14 – Absorption science: Skin variation and patch placement differences 26:01 – When to consider hormones: Symptoms and quality-of-life impact 27:18 – PMS and PMDD: Severe pre-period symptoms and hormone strategies 28:58 – The timing hypothesis and what WHI got wrong 31:04 – The “stop at 60” myth, synthetic-hormone data, and fear headlines 32:26 – The risks of not taking hormones 34:07 – Sponsor: Throne 35:11 – Gut microbiome and hormones: Reflux, bloating, and symptom shifts 41:29 – Outcomes and personalisation: The metric is quality of life 42:15 – Mental health outcomes discussion and clinic data 💩 Head to https://loamscience.com/products/loam-prebiotic-fiber-formula?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=drkaranexplores to try LOAM - and get an additional 10% with code POD10. 💊 Get my free weekly newsletter filled with easy to action health tips, interesting facts and science to fill your curiosity: https://drkaran.beehiiv.com/subscribe 🚽 Discover Throne's incredible new smart toilet device at http://thronescience.com 📘 For more useful science for your everyday life, grab my best selling book "This Book May Save Your Life": https://geni.us/DrKaranBook 📕 Get my new book, This Is Vital Information, here: https://linktr.ee/ThisisVitalInformation 🤖 Discover my digital twin here: http://DrKaran.ai 🧬 Sign up for my Microbiome Course waitlist: https://drkaran.kit.com/microbiome-course-waitlistAbout Dr Karan:Dr. Karan Rajan is a doctor, author, and educator dedicated to making health and medical science accessible to all. Through evidence-based analysis, he addresses topics such as gut health, brain health, and healthy lifestyle choices, while dispelling common medical myths with a touch of dark humour. His content provides reliable, research-driven insights designed to inform and empower viewers to better understand their health.📱Connect with me:Instagram: / drkaranrajanFacebook: / drkaranrTikTok: / dr.karanrX: / drkaranrajanWebsite: www.drkaranrajan.com
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What role does gut health have to play in the menopause? In this episode I speak to Cynthia Thurlow, author of The Menopause Gut, who explains how a woman’s microbiome shifts during menopause - and why understanding this can dramatically improve health outcomes. Timestamps (0:00) Intro - Why gut health becomes so important during the menopause (05:16) Why menopause feels like accelerated aging (13:34) The role of fibre in managing changing hormones (20:45) Understanding the estrobolome (26:44) Are we missing a whole treatment avenue for perimenopause? (31:04) Common gut signs when going through perimenopause (33:31) The gut-brain axis and its impact on anxiety and brain fog (36:42) Does menopause gut advice differ from normal gut advice? 🦠LOAM Science The world's first invisible fiber blend with a clinical trial! Get 10% OFF LOAM with code DRKARAN10: https://loamscience.com/products/loam-prebiotic-fiber-formula?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=drkaran 📧Get my free weekly newsletter filled with easy to action health tips, interesting facts and science to fill your curiosity: https://drkaran.kit.com/subscribe 📕 This Book May Save Your Life The No.1 Sunday Times bestseller packed with evidence-based advice to improve your health. https://geni.us/DrKaranBook 📕 This Is Vital Information Order my new book covering everything you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor but really should. https://linktr.ee/ThisisVitalInformation 🤖 Dr Karan's Digital Twin Ask my AI twin your health questions anytime. http://DrKaran.ai About Dr Karan: Dr. Karan Rajan is a doctor, author, Founder of LOAM Science and Chief of Science at Throne Science, dedicated to making health and medical science accessible to all. Through evidence-based analysis, he addresses topics such as gut health, brain health, and healthy lifestyle choices, while dispelling common medical myths with a touch of dark humor. 📱Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKaranR/ Website: www.drkaranrajan.com X: https://twitter.com/drkaranrajan
Microplastics are everywhere - in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the environment around us. But how much do we actually know about what they are doing inside the human body? In this episode I speak to microplastics researcher Dr Stephanie Wright to discuss everything from the difference between micro and nanoplastics, how particles interact with cells and the immune system and how researchers even measure plastic in blood and tissues. Timestamps (0:00) Intro - Are microplastics actually harming us? (0:51) What do we actually know about the health effects? (2:00) What animal studies can - and can't - tell us (4:16) Should we be more concerned about nanoplastics? (5:52) How could microplastics cause harm inside the body? (7:50) Microplastics, the gut and the immune system (9:03) How do we measure microplastics in the body? (12:06) Microplastics in the brain - what was wrong with the research? (14:19) How much microplastic are we actually exposed to? (15:40) Can microplastics be removed from the body? (17:01) The biggest sources: heating plastic, tea bags and tyre wear (19:16) Which foods contain the most microplastics? (20:37) Can plants absorb nanoplastics from soil? (21:45) Microplastics in the placenta and fetus (24:00) Will microplastics accumulate as we age? (25:50) Are we blaming microplastics for too many health problems? (27:00) The 'exposome' - why your whole environment matters (30:58) How dangerous are microplastics compared with other pollutants? (32:14) Can fibre help remove microplastics? (38:50) What we still don't know about microplastics 🦠LOAM Science The world's first invisible fiber blend with a clinical trial! Get 10% OFF LOAM with code DRKARAN10: https://loamscience.com/products/loam-prebiotic-fiber-formula?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=drkaran 📧Get my free weekly newsletter filled with easy to action health tips, interesting facts and science to fill your curiosity: https://drkaran.kit.com/subscribe 📕 This Book May Save Your Life The No.1 Sunday Times bestseller packed with evidence-based advice to improve your health. https://geni.us/DrKaranBook 📕 This Is Vital Information Order my new book covering everything you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor but really should. https://linktr.ee/ThisisVitalInformation 🤖 Dr Karan's Digital Twin Ask my AI twin your health questions anytime. http://DrKaran.ai About Dr Karan: Dr. Karan Rajan is a doctor, author, Founder of LOAM Science and Chief of Science at Throne Science, dedicated to making health and medical science accessible to all. Through evidence-based analysis, he addresses topics such as gut health, brain health, and healthy lifestyle choices, while dispelling common medical myths with a touch of dark humor. 📱Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKaranR/ Website: www.drkaranrajan.com X: https://twitter.com/drkaranrajan
Why does your body fight so hard to keep you at the same weight - even if it’s an unhealthy weight? In this episode I speak to Dr. Simon Cork, an expert in appetite and gut hormone physiology at Anglia Ruskin University. He explains why our hormones trick our body into weight gain and what GLP-1 medications actually do to your gut and brain. Timestamps (0:00) Intro - Why it’s so tough to shift our weight from baseline (3:14) If weight “set points” exist, why is everyone gaining weight? (5:22) What leptin is really doing for your hunger (8:31) The gut-brain axis and the role of the vagus nerve (10:31) How long does it take to know you’re full from eating? (14:01) Can you resensitise your leptin signals? (17:11) Does vagus nerve stimulation work to reduce hunger? (19:24) Can you maintain the effects of GLP-1s without taking them forever? (23:23) Can GLP-1s be used effectively outside of weight loss? (31:43) Why some people are non-responders to GLP-1s 🦠LOAM Science The world's first invisible fiber blend with a clinical trial! Get 10% OFF LOAM with code DRKARAN10: https://loamscience.com/products/loam-prebiotic-fiber-formula?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=drkaran 📧Get my free weekly newsletter filled with easy to action health tips, interesting facts and science to fill your curiosity: https://drkaran.kit.com/subscribe 📕 This Book May Save Your Life The No.1 Sunday Times bestseller packed with evidence-based advice to improve your health. https://geni.us/DrKaranBook 📕 This Is Vital Information Order my new book covering everything you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor but really should. https://linktr.ee/ThisisVitalInformation 🤖 Dr Karan's Digital Twin Ask my AI twin your health questions anytime. http://DrKaran.ai About Dr Karan: Dr. Karan Rajan is a doctor, author, Founder of LOAM Science and Chief of Science at Throne Science, dedicated to making health and medical science accessible to all. Through evidence-based analysis, he addresses topics such as gut health, brain health, and healthy lifestyle choices, while dispelling common medical myths with a touch of dark humor. 📱Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKaranR/ Website: www.drkaranrajan.com X: https://twitter.com/drkaranrajan
When broadcaster Jamie East got diagnosed with leukemia, he documented his whole journey and made a podcast about it. During his search for answers he discovered a world of horrendous cancer misinformation - and it made him furious. In this episode Jamie talks about his cancer journey in a frank and honest way - the subject of his new podcast ‘Bad Blood’. Timestamps (0:00) Intro - When Jamie found out he had leukemia (2:05) The symptoms (7:00) How it feels for doctors delivering bad news (11:48) Why leukemia symptoms go unnoticed (14:04) Should you use Google to look up your diagnosis? (18:01) The misinformation Jamie discovered (23:02) The tricks grifters use to spread misinformation (26:46) The sugar and cancer myth (29:49) Why we need to stop blaming cancer patients (32:08) The “fighting” language around cancer (36:33) How some cancer drugs impact your life 🦠LOAM Science The world's first invisible fiber blend with a clinical trial! Get 10% OFF LOAM with code DRKARAN10: https://loamscience.com/products/loam-prebiotic-fiber-formula?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=drkaran 📧Get my free weekly newsletter filled with easy to action health tips, interesting facts and science to fill your curiosity: https://drkaran.kit.com/subscribe 📕 This Book May Save Your Life The No.1 Sunday Times bestseller packed with evidence-based advice to improve your health. https://geni.us/DrKaranBook 📕 This Is Vital Information Order my new book covering everything you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor but really should. https://linktr.ee/ThisisVitalInformation 🤖 Dr Karan's Digital Twin Ask my AI twin your health questions anytime. http://DrKaran.ai About Dr Karan: Dr. Karan Rajan is a doctor, author, Founder of LOAM Science and Chief of Science at Throne Science, dedicated to making health and medical science accessible to all. Through evidence-based analysis, he addresses topics such as gut health, brain health, and healthy lifestyle choices, while dispelling common medical myths with a touch of dark humor. 📱Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKaranR/ Website: www.drkaranrajan.com X: https://twitter.com/drkaranrajan
Most of us only pay attention to the fat around our bellies or our hips, but there’s a hidden fat we’re just ignoring. You can’t see visceral fat, but too much of it is dangerous - even slim people can have harmful levels without even knowing. In this episode I speak to visceral fat expert Professor Jimmy Bell to find out what it’s doing in our bodies when there’s too much - and why you shouldn’t be worrying about weight if you want to stay healthy. Timestamps (0:00) Intro - The role of fat in your body (4:16) Why fat is actually a good thing (8:18) Visceral fat vs subcutaneous fat (11:37) Thin on the outside - fat on the inside (19:43) Why you shouldn’t chase scale weight (22:28) Differences between where men and women store fat (27:25) Do genetics affect baseline levels of visceral fat? (32:25) How weight loss injections are impacting visceral fat (37:03) The role of fast food in visceral fat accumulation (42:31) Is the gut linked to fat gain? (44:18) What should you do to reduce visceral fat? 🦠LOAM Science The world's first invisible fiber blend with a clinical trial! Get 10% OFF LOAM with code DRKARAN10: https://loamscience.com/products/loam-prebiotic-fiber-formula?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=drkaran 📧Get my free weekly newsletter filled with easy to action health tips, interesting facts and science to fill your curiosity: https://drkaran.kit.com/subscribe 📕 This Book May Save Your Life The No.1 Sunday Times bestseller packed with evidence-based advice to improve your health. https://geni.us/DrKaranBook 📕 This Is Vital Information Order my new book covering everything you're too embarrassed to ask your doctor but really should. https://linktr.ee/ThisisVitalInformation 🤖 Dr Karan's Digital Twin Ask my AI twin your health questions anytime. http://DrKaran.ai About Dr Karan: Dr. Karan Rajan is a doctor, author, Founder of LOAM Science and Chief of Science at Throne Science, dedicated to making health and medical science accessible to all. Through evidence-based analysis, he addresses topics such as gut health, brain health, and healthy lifestyle choices, while dispelling common medical myths with a touch of dark humor. 📱Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkaranrajan/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.karanr Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKaranR/ Website: www.drkaranrajan.com X: https://twitter.com/drkaranrajan