Your Hormones Aren't Broken—You're Missing This

In this episode of Take Back My Brain, Laurie Hammer welcomes cycle alchemist and East Asian medicine practitioner Adrienne Irizarry to discuss women's hormonal health, menstrual cycles, and perimenopause.Adrienne explains that many menstrual symptoms—including severe cramps, PMS, irregular periods, and emotional instability—are often signs of underlying imbalances rather than an unavoidable part of being a woman. She discusses how many women are dismissed when lab testing appears "normal," despite experiencing significant symptoms, and emphasizes understanding the body's natural rhythms instead of simply suppressing symptoms.The conversation explores the different life stages women experience through the lens of Chinese medicine, from puberty and fertility through perimenopause and menopause. Adrienne explains that perimenopause often begins around age 35, with early signs including declining stamina, disrupted sleep, brain fog, irregular menstrual cycles, and greater difficulty recovering from stress.Laurie and Adrienne also discuss the lack of body literacy in women's health. They explain that many women receive little education about menstrual cycle phases, hormone fluctuations, nutrition, movement, and cycle tracking, making it hard to know what's healthy and when something needs attention.Adrienne outlines the four phases of the menstrual cycle—menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase—each benefiting from different approaches to nutrition, movement, and self-care. She encourages warm, nourishing foods, maintaining body warmth, adjusting exercise intensity based on energy levels, and embracing rest as essential to hormonal health.The episode concludes with a discussion about trusting the body's signals. Rather than forcing productivity through rigid schedules or workout routines, Adrienne encourages women to develop greater awareness of their intuition, energy levels, and physical symptoms to better support long-term hormonal health throughout every stage of life.- - - - - Connect with Adrienne IrizarryInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonessenceme/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonEssenceME Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moonessenceme Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6rlwLrsSm0VLMT2wi6Rlg Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reproductive-rebel/id1612269919 Website: https://moonessence.life/ - - - - - Connect with Laurie HammerFacebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/takebackmybrain⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/takebackmybrain/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.lauriehammer.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@takebackmybrain9073⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-----PODCASTThank you for listening.Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://drtalks.com/podcast⁠⁠