121: Seed Cycling and Women's Health with Two Moons Health

“We don't position seed cycling as a stand-alone intervention, and we'd probably be skeptical of any protocol that claims to do that.” - Terry ChangSeed cycling is one of the tools that comes up all the time in women’s health conversations. There’s a long history of using seeds and other plant-based approaches to support hormonal health, and plenty of women who feel better when they use them. At the same time, the conventional research on seed cycling is still relatively limited. As practitioners working across traditional, integrative, and conventional medicine, we need to be able to hold both of those things at once. We can stay open to tools that may be helpful while continuing to ask good questions about how they work, who they’re appropriate for, and what the research actually tells us.This doesn’t have to be an either-or conversation between seed cycling and something like hormone therapy. For some women, seed cycling can be another layer of support alongside nutrition, movement, stress regulation, and other foundational strategies. For others, it can offer a more natural option as they decide what they want to do next. There are also contraindications and times when it may not be appropriate, which is why understanding the physiology and the individual woman in front of us matters.In today’s episode, I’m joined by Terry Chang and Dr. Ulrike Kaunzner, co-founders of Two Moons Health, to take a deeper look at seed cycling and the emerging research behind it. We talk about how flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds may support different phases of the menstrual cycle, the role of nutrients, fiber, lignans, and chasteberry, early results from their clinical study on PMS symptoms, seed cycling through perimenopause, contraindications to be aware of, how practitioners can think about the current evidence, making traditional wellness practices more realistic for busy women, and more.Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!---Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/seed-cycling-and-womens-health-with-two-moons-health/.Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).