What is hormone replacement therapy and how can it significantly impact our quality of life? What measures can we take to promote longevity? If you’ve got the same question or similar questions to that one, then this episode is perfect for you! Dr. Stephanie Gray shares her knowledge and expertise to help us figure out some of the root causes of our health problems and the ways in which we can fix them. Visit https://holisticwellness.ca/podcast for complete show notes of every podcast episode Topics Discussed in this Episode: The house blueprint analogy to taking care of your body’s health The difference between synthetic hormones and bioidentical hormones The link between hormones and autoimmunity Where bioidentical hormones have the greatest impact Who should not use bioidentical hormones What monitoring your hormones look like The important areas we need to focus on in order to support our hormones naturally The different types of testing options and when to get them Key Takeaways: Just because someone has had a hysterectomy, it doesn’t mean she automatically needs to take hormones, especially high doses of hormones. There is a huge role for hormone replacement therapy in the autoimmune community. Studies show that the higher your hormone levels get, the more reduced your autoimmune symptoms will be. Progesterone is the most soothing, calming hormone. It is great for sleep, it is great for anxiety, and it is great for bone density. But it is the first hormone to decline and can start declining as early as our late 20s. Boosting the estrogen can help get rid of menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, and help with memory and cognition. Testosterone is just as important for women as it is for men and help with mood, motivation, drive, libido, and energy. You need a functional medicine practitioner to help you rebuild your body.   Action Steps: Get blood work done to assess your hormone levels. Depending on your situation, consider getting hormone replacement therapy. Make lifestyles changes by allotting time for meditation, yoga and/or deep breathing. Fix your nutritional deficiencies by taking supplements as needed. Focus on reducing your toxin exposure. Do a liver detox. Stephanie said: “Stress is your body’s biggest hormone hijacker. It’s going to rob you of your important hormones. So you’ve got to figure out the best means for you to reduce stress.” “We have to cut ourselves some slack and know that every day we can make changes to better our health, and we’re going to have those realizations. Ten years from now, we’ll still be uncovering new surprises, but the important thing is that we’re willing to change and we’re learning as well, and we understand it’s a journey.” Thanks for listening! As always, if you have any questions, you can ask me over on Instagram, @holisticwellnessfoodie, or submit your questions for future Q&A episodes over at https://holisticwellness.ca/contact/. Also, come hang out with me in my Holistic Wellness Private Community on Facebook. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes and leave us a rating and a review! Links to things we talk about in the show: Episode 12: How to Test for Hormonal Imbalances with Carrie Jones Genova Diagnostics “3 Tips to Boost Hormones Naturally” (free instant download right in the middle of the page at https://yourlongevityblueprint.com/ylb-bonus/) Save 10% off your purchases at www.yourlongevityblueprint.com (including the book). Use - Thanks10 - as the discount code. Your Longevity Blueprint - A book by Stephanie Gray If you purchase the book, you get 2 free pdfs (a quickstart guide and pdf of questionnaires to help you determine where you need to start) Sponsor Links: Natures-Source.com - enter code - HOLISTICWELLNESS for a 10% savings. Free shipping to Canada and the US with orders over $50. *You must create a free account in order to use the coupon code. Code cannot be combined with other discounts and offers. PureFeast - Save 10% off you