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Sara Gottfried MD
  • Home
  • About Dr Sara
    • Media
    • Contact
  • Books
    • Women, Food, and Hormones
    • Younger
    • Brain Body Diet
    • Hormone Reset Diet
    • The Hormone Cure
  • Upcoming Events
  • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Women’s Health
    • Hormones
    • Weight Loss
    • Cleanse
    • Stress Management

Oakland Bioidentical Hormones

Thyroid Math: What Those Numbers Mean (and What Your Doc Probably Forgot to Tell You About Hypothyroidism)

By Sara Gottfried, MD | April 12, 2014 | 2
Thyroid Math - What Those Stats Mean (and What Your Doc Probably Forgot)

You may have low thyroid function, also called HYPO-thyroidism, and not know it. But let’s face it… thyroid numbers are often counterintuitive and confusing. When you combine hypothyroidism with the common…

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My Memory Sucks! Dr. Sara's Top 3 Tips (+ 1 from Tim Ferriss)

By Sara Gottfried, MD | January 25, 2012 | 1

Memory is your ability to store, retain, and recall information at will.  But sometimes, if you’re like me at age 44, you send the signal and… nothing happens. Blank. I…

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My Top 5 Hormone Superheroes: My Genius Bar. My Peeps. My Go-To’s.

By Sara Gottfried, MD | January 18, 2012 | 2

Here are the Best of Class in Hormonal Health, Peace + Love. Thought leaders, change agents, supersmartypants, Malcomb-Gladwell-types of women’s health and longevity, nutritional radicals, early adoptors, cultural creatives, and,…

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Bioidentical Hormones: Yes or No? VOGUE Magazine Wants to Know

By Sara Gottfried, MD | September 29, 2011 | 3

Here’s a great question from a member of our community named Amy Fleischer, pictured here on the beach with her husband. Amy’s question popped up in response to the September…

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Why the Weirdness with Doctors + Thyroid? Talking Shop with Gena Lee Nolin & Mary Shomon Next Week

By Sara Gottfried, MD | September 16, 2011 | 5

It happened again this week. I saw a patient who is 48 and came to me a few months ago because she felt flat sensually and sexually. Let’s call her…

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Feelin' Testy (Testimonials, That Is)

By Sara Gottfried, MD | February 25, 2011

Thought I’d post a few testimonials, since we women are famous for not seeing the bigger story to our story. Indulge me with a little shameless promotion since I’m short…

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PRAISE

“For the first time in my adult life I feel that I have gained control over food. I feel healthier, look better and have gained an interest in making sure that what I am putting into my body is the best it can be. And I lost 10 pounds in all the right places.”

– Janice Lunde, Dr. Sara’s Detox Challenge Participant

“Dr. Sara is the height of excellence! She is incredibly knowledgeable and gives very generously of her time. I feel so blessed to have been able to work with her.”

– Yvonne Varah

“You don’t have to settle for being stressed out, binging on sugar and chocolate, and aging prematurely. Stop blaming yourself and step into sacred action. It’s your birthright. You can have the joyous, mission-driven life you want, and Dr. Sara is here to show us how.”

– Marci Shimoff, New York Times Bestselling Author of Happy for No Reason and Love for No Reason

“Dr. Gottfried offers powerful and effective tools for addressing the most difficult health issues facing women and men today. She is warm and kind and has so much experience to draw upon, it’s inspiring. Thank you Dr. S!”

– Cassandra Mick

“Dr. Sara Gottfried is a modern-day healer goddess if ever there was one, and she also happens to be a Harvard Medical School graduate and rigorous physician-scientist.”

– Christiane Northrup MD, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

“Dr. Gottfried’s book and detox came at a time when I was ready to give in to old age. Hot flashes, low energy and libido, weight gain, increasing blood pressure and cholesterol levels were unacceptable to me. I now know that hormone levels and what I eat are a huge influence on how I feel and look. To now be able to control something that was out of control is empowering…”

Cheryl V., Dr. Sara’s Detox Challenge Participant

“My health coach told me about your book and I took the [hormone] test, and lo and behold, I found I was a mess, hormonally speaking. Now I’m getting on track and I love your videos and your book. I feel like I’m getting my life back again, when not long ago I truly thought I was losing it!”

-Tracy, Registered Nurse

“You don’t have to accept the hormonal hell of being tired, stressed, overweight, and never in the mood for sex as you grow older. In her fabulous new book, the brilliant Dr. Gottfried gives you an effective, easy-to-follow plan to balance your hormones and become lean, energetic, and loving life again. Stop settling and reclaim your sexy!”

–JJ Virgin, Author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy and The Virgin Diet

“I lost 10 lbs., reset my hormones and metabolism and eliminated my sugar cravings! I have also found that I respond to stress much differently, I feel it, notice it and move on from it. Stress no longer has a grip on me. Dr. Sara’s conference calls and detox information was invaluable. I am so grateful for this program. Thank you Dr. Sara!”

–Sophia, Dr. Sara’s Detox Challenge Participant

“The Hormone Cure is the playbook for your mojo, your mind, and your bootie. With every chapter I thought, ‘So THAT’s how that works.’ I wanted to call every girlfriend and give them the goods on how to glow… now and always.”

-Danielle LaPorte, Author of The Fire Starter Sessions and The Desire Map

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When women are between the ages of 35-50, many fee When women are between the ages of 35-50, many feel like they are losing it. I certainly did. When I found myself in my 30s with two young kids, I finally understood the it’s-the-end-of-a-long-day-and-I-desperately-need-a-drink-to-unwind thing, to deal with the growing difficulty coping with your life as you know it—full of bills, children that deserve your attention, a demanding boss, and a spouse who feels equally spent. A glass of wine seems like just what the doctor ordered. Not this doctor. I have faith that you can discover ways to cope with the mounting stress without resorting to methods that slow your metabolism, soak up your good will, and raise your potentially risky estrogens. Carl Jung M.D. said that a “craving for alcohol was the equivalent, on a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God.” He continues: “Alcohol in Latin is ‘spiritus’ and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison.” I agree. Let’s create wholeness and union with a Higher Power. Start by replacing “I must have a glass of [fill in the blank]” with an alternative, such as “I’m going to try a different strategy that deeply nourishes me.” I love the idea that my yoga teacher training taught me about samskaras, our conditioned patterns that create a groove in the mind. The more you repeat your habituated ways of thinking, the deeper the groove. Samskaras can be good or bad; it just depends on what you repeat. When you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you are making a new groove. This idea is reflected in the science of neuroplasticity, which basically says the same thing: neurons that fire together, wire together. My personal favorite exercise is to “take in the good,” which I learned from neuropsychologist @rickhansonphd author of Hardwiring Happiness. Scroll through the slides to learn this practice of self-directed neuroplasticity. You are rewiring your brain for pleasure that is not linked to alcohol. Make it a habit by practicing it daily for 30 days. I would love to hear about your experience if you try this.
What does gratitude do to the brain? Why is giving What does gratitude do to the brain? Why is giving thanks good for the body and mind? If you are thankful for something, you acknowledge that you are happy about it. Therefore fostering gratitude means cultivating happiness, which is associated with astounding benefits for our health. Gratitude interventions have been shown to result in improved sleep, more frequent exercise and stronger cardiovascular and immune systems. Gratitude begets gratitude, in part because it releases the hormone dopamine, the brain chemical correlated with reward, pleasure, and satisfaction. Once you have the feel-good benefits of gratitude, you’ll want to keep feeling it. I think of dopamine as the “Oh, do that again” drug that your body makes, and in this case, the more you’re grateful for, the more you’ll want to feel grateful. Gratitude interventions create a positive feedback loop. One of my favorite gratitude practices is to write my 4Gs on a daily basis: ▪Gratitude list: What I’m grateful for ▪Good things that happened in the past 24 hours ▪Glitches that occurred, and ▪Goals for the next 24 hours Let me know your favorite gratitude intervention. Has it helped your mental state? . . . #gratitude #gratitudejournal #gratitudeattitude
I used to think recovery meant when my body wasn’t sore from yoga or running or weights. Or it was 24 hours after my last fitness spree. ⠀ ⠀ Turns out that I didn’t know the first thing about recovery, because it’s more about galvanizing the full arsenal of repair mechanisms in your body: The official definition of recovery is your ability to ▪repair tissues damaged during exercise ▪rebuild muscles ▪provide functional restoration of the body such that you prevent injury ▪rejuvenate emotionally and psychologically ▪feel prepared to meet or exceed performance the next time.⠀ ⠀ Recovery allows you to heal from oxidative stress, which you may or may not feel as fatigue and muscle soreness. But recovery runs deeper; in a larger sense, it’s about paying attention to the messages of your cells, your inner voice, and not letting ego run the show. My ego tells me to overexercise and under-recover, which is a recipe for injury, spasm, and weak mitochondria. Don’t let that happen to you. ⠀ ⠀ Recovery is also about tuning into the messages your body is sending you. For me, for example, the ache in my left sacroiliac joint is a sure sign that I’m heading toward spasm and need to activate my release rituals. If I had to recommend just one thing for you to heal your brain and body generally, it would be to rest more. Most of us need more time for rest and recovery to counter the impact of stressful lives, yet it’s the overlooked factor. Rest builds resilience. The right dose of rest varies person to person, but most women I know tend to cut corners, whether it’s the active unwinding that we need every day, or the earlier bedtime that we know is a good idea. Nearly half of Americans wake up exhausted at least once per week. That translates into less attention, stamina, strength, and performance because you’re less effective at repairing and rebuilding your brain and body. What is your ego telling you to do this holiday weekend? . . . #brainbodydiet #theyoungerbook
People who struggle with anxiety often have a stuc People who struggle with anxiety often have a stuck nervous system—also known as autonomic nervous system inflexibility—whether stressed or unstressed. They have a higher heart rate, less slowing of heart rate with deep abdominal breathing, and lower heart rate variability. When stressed, they fail to increase their heart rate, and they recover more slowly when the stress has passed. The goal is to improve autonomic flexibility. How? Guided visualization, walking meditation, and yin yoga are tools I use to stop stress and high cortisol from hijacking my calm. Over many years, I’ve taught myself how to measure my stress and tame it instead of indulging thoughts about the problem or shutting it off with comfort food, shopping, or a glass of wine. I used all of these in the past, especially during my 30s when I was an overwhelmed, overstretched, working mother of two small children. There are many great apps with guided meditations. Drop your favorite in the comments below so others can see ⬇️ I know from working with patients that sitting still in a comfy chair every morning, measuring your HRV and visualizing a recent beach vacation—doesn’t resonate with some. If that sounds like you, a walking meditation can be a better option. See the carousel above for my recommendation on to practice it, adapted from #jonkabatzinn Pick one of these tips and stick with it at least 4 times per week to see a change in your HRV. For some people, taking supplemental magnesium is another strategy to raise HRV. Like, save, and share this post😍 . . . #hrv #heartratevariability #brainbodydiet #theyoungerbook
SOAR More than 2500 years ago, the Yoga Sutras ex SOAR More than 2500 years ago, the Yoga Sutras explained that yoga is the key to longevity, especially with expert use of the bandhas (energetic locks) of the body. The idea is that mastering the locking and unlocking of the bandhas can slow down aging. Even if that concept doesn’t land, bandhas are a helpful energetic tool. Practicing bandhas is one of the best ways to release chronic holding, myofascial tension, and even embedded trauma. My favorite is the abdominal lock called uddiyana bandha; uddiyana means “to fly up or soar.” The practice is to pull the abdominal muscles upward toward spine after exhalation, and to hold the exhale as long as possible. Avoid in pregnancy or if you have any of the following: high blood pressure, heart disease, hernia, glaucoma, gastrointestinal ulcers. Here’s a primer on uddiyana bandha, performed in a seated posture. ➡️Get a feel for uddiyana. Sit comfortably with knees bent. Inhale and exhale deeply. Round your torso forward. Pause at the end of exhale, lips closed; tuck chin toward chest, and contract abdominal muscles upwards toward thoracic spine. Hold as long as comfortable, from ten seconds to one minute. Then release chin lock and abdominal muscles, soften belly, and gently inhale. Repeat a few more times. 
 You can practice uddiyana in other poses, such as bridge pose. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Inhale and lift tailbone, low back, midback, and upper back into bridge pose. Spread the ribs and take a full inhale and exhale. Pause and hold after the exhale, lips closed and chin tucked toward chest. Lift your belly wall and organs toward your midback. It should feel like you’re creating a vacuum in your belly. Hold the exhale for as long as you can, from ten seconds to one minute. Gently release chin lock and abdominal muscles, and inhale. 
 Do you practice uddiyana? Drop a 🫶 or let us know about your experience….
Improve your inputs to help de-age your brain whil Improve your inputs to help de-age your brain while boosting your healthspan. A few non-negotiables: ▪Sleep 7 to 8/12 hours per night. Nap if you get less. ▪Exercise four to six days per week for at least thirty to forty minutes at a moderate pace in order to raise BDNF, prompt neurogenesis, and lower blood sugar. ▪Flossing 2x/day and brushing 3x/day helps to prevent cognitive decline ▪Eat more vegetables to improve mitochondrial function and replete antioxidant stores ▪Take vitamin D and fish oil daily Dietary choices directly affect brain function and help stave off the brain enemies of diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Here are 5 foods to boost your brain health: 1️⃣ Cashews are rich in magnesium (which may help sleep and prevent muscle tightness) and zinc (which may help memory). Add a handful as an appetizer daily or throw ten into a green shake as a meal replacement 2️⃣ Quinoa is an ancient seed that is another great source of zinc and folate, which may help prevent dementia. Include it in at least two meals this week 3️⃣ Tumeric root is anti-inflammatory; chop and add to quinoa in at least two meals this week. If you can’t fnd turmeric root, use turmeric powder sprinkled on food 4️⃣ Coconut oil. A single serving of medium-chain triglycerides (the primary fat found in coconut oil) improves cognitive function in patients with memory problems. 5️⃣ Eat probiotic-rich foods such as kefir, yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, and miso in at least two meals this week 👉Bonus Tip: Skip the restaurant and takeout this week. Eating eleven to fourteen of your meals at home reduces your risk of diabetes and obesity, which clobber the brain! What will you commit to today? . . . #theyoungerbook #brainhealth
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DR. SARA'S Guide to Tracking Your Blood Sugar

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