Comfort Is Not Evidence - SSRIs, Hot Flushes, and the Perimenopause Anxiety Trap

What if the thing that makes you feel safest… isn’t actually helping you?In this episode of On the Mones, Kate unpacks a deceptively simple idea with enormous consequences: comfort is not evidence.It starts with a respectful but confronting comment thread on a debunking video about naturopathy, vulnerability, and communication. From there, the conversation widens into something much bigger: why women in midlife are so often sold reassurance instead of rigour, validation instead of verification, and how “feeling heard” has quietly become a substitute for clinical outcomes.Kate explores:Why warmth, charisma, and simplification can be persuasive, but dangerous, in healthcareThe lack of regulation around naturopathy and why “my clients love me” is not a defenceReal-world harm, including Australian regulatory cases involving banned health practitionersHow wellness culture targets women, especially during hormonal vulnerability, and why that mattersFrom there, the episode pivots into a clear, evidence-based deep dive on SSRIs:How SSRIs actually work in the brain (and what they don’t do)Why they’re sometimes prescribed for hot flushesAnd how perimenopausal anxiety is frequently treated with antidepressants when estrogen deficiency may be the real driverThrough a clinical lens and a personal story, Kate makes the case for better questions, better context, and fewer lazy defaults when women in their 40s and 50s present with anxiety.This episode also features a Wellness Woo of the Week takedown of “adrenal fatigue”, why it isn’t a diagnosis, why it feels comforting, and how it turns complex physiology into fast food.If you’ve ever been told:“At least she listens”“It can’t hurt”“It makes people feel better”This episode is your pause button.Because feeling cared for matters, but only evidence protects you.Whether you are in perimenopause, approaching menopause, or simply trying to understand your hormones, I've got you. Read more about this episode at Medication Clarity Clinic - Kate's own medication education and telehealth consulting site: https://medicationclarity.com.au