Is The Next TikTok Health Trend Right For You?
The truth is, most health advice wasn’t made with women in mind. Here’s the backstory:
- Back in 1977, The FDA issued guidelines that effectively excluded most women of “childbearing potential” from early-stage clinical trials. This policy aimed to protect women and potential fetuses from unknown risks associated with new drugs, particularly in phase 1 trials.
- In 1993, the FDA reversed its 1977 guidance, officially mandating the inclusion of women in research.
- For nearly 20 years, research was conducted almost exclusively on male subjects, human and animal.
Though reversed in 1993, inclusion of women in research has lagged. Why? Women, who cycle monthly and cross major hormonal milestones across their lifespan, from puberty to pregnancy, postpartum and breastfeeding, perimenopause and menopause, are seen as too variable, too complex, and too expensive to study properly.
The tide is slowly turning, but the majority of health research still gets done on men. And the results get applied to everyone.
Intermittent fasting? Cold plunges? Low-carb diets? These trends show great results…in men. But for women, especially those who menstruate/cycle/produce hormones, these same practices can wreak havoc: fasting for more than 12 hours can disrupt hormones, impair metabolism, and worsen PMS. Carbohydrate restriction can spike anxiety and mood swings. Cold plunges may be ok at one point in the menstrual cycle, but not in another.
This isn’t about fear, it’s about discernment. You deserve to understand how your body works. The next time you stumble on a shiny and new TikTok health trend, ask yourself, “Does it apply to me?”
The Female Health Trifecta: Sugar, Stress & Sex
Speaking of things that apply to women, I’d like to acquaint you with the Triangle of Hormonal Health, or as I like to call it, the female trifecta of sugar, sex, and stress.
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This model highlights the interconnectedness of sugar (blood sugar and insulin regulation), stress (cortisol regulation), and sex (female hormone regulation) in maintaining overall hormonal balance. When one of these systems is disrupted, it can affect the others, leading to various health issues, including digestive and immune problems. This trifecta, when out of sync, can quietly erode vitality, intimacy, and emotional resilience.
Even focusing on just one, like glucose regulation, can change your life (and dare I say, potentially save your marriage). Balanced blood sugar alone can uplift moods, energy, and dramatically change body composition and weight. The path forward isn’t militant; it’s nourishing, practical, and can be quite joyful. When women begin to eat in a way that supports their biology and builds their awareness of their inner world, they stop looking forward to the end of the day and actually look forward to the day.
In the last couple of months, I’ve had a dozen female patients track their blood sugar levels using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and the insights have been sobering. We’ve identified links between erratic blood glucose levels and everything from migraines, to hot flashes, depressed mood, insomnia, worse back pain, anxiety, and lethargy. Nothing like real-time feedback to showcase how our choices influence how we think, feel, and behave.
Quote Of The Issue
“Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women” – Michelle Obama
