I was recently featured on episode 343 of the Stuck No More Voices podcast with Theresa Croft. Theresa opened with a line a lot of women will recognize: you've been told your labs are normal and nothing is wrong, but you still don't feel right.
I know that road personally. At 22, I had stomach ulcers and a double scope, and I was told my only options were surgery or medication for life. I said no to both, changed my diet, and started studying functional medicine. Years later, a stressful season crashed my adrenals and thyroid, and I gained 15 pounds in 10 days. That history is why I take symptoms seriously, even when the numbers look "fine."
The heart of our conversation was testosterone. It isn't only a men's hormone. Women need it too, just in smaller amounts. When a woman's level drops too low, I usually see exhaustion, irritability, slower thinking, and low motivation, not just low libido. With a bioidentical hormone at a small, carefully dosed amount, many women start feeling like themselves again.
We also talked about GLP-1s. They can be a great tool, but I like to lay foundations first: nutrition, sleep, stress, hormones, and thyroid. Once those are moving, a much smaller dose often works, and it's easier to come off of later.
My favorite part was explaining the "cup" approach. I plug the holes in your cup by addressing the root causes, like inflammation, poor sleep, toxins, and stress, while I refill what's depleted. That's how people go from waiting years to noticing a difference in a few months.
Listen the full episode
Want to go deeper? My book Where Faith Meets Medicine: A Woman's Guide to Health, Hormones, and Longevity walks through hormones, gut health, sleep, and more. Find it on Amazon or at CourtneyGarner.com.
