Being a Woman is Hard and Here's the Science Behind it
I've never been a big podcast person, I've tried and tried but I cannot seem to ever gain enough interest to finish one. However, when it came to Huberman Lab's February 2023 episode "Dr. Sara Gottfried: How To Optimize Female Hormone Health For Vitality & Longevity" I was reeled in from minute one. As a woman going on 20 years, I do agree that being a woman is very hard, however, I have never heard real scientific evidence as to how dangerous and truly difficult it can be to be a woman. According to Dr. Sara Gottfried, a gynecologist from Harvard who specializes in hormone health, “Being female is a health hazard; we have twice the rate of depression, insomnia, we’ve got 3-4x increased risk of multiple sclerosis, we’ve got 5-8x the risk of thyroid dysfunction.” I find these statistics incredibly interesting because of the fact that they are not widely known to the general public. I mean, I feel like these numbers should be more publicized as a general caution to women of all ages in order for them to start taking preventative measures for these diseases more seriously. According to the podcast, these preventative measures could include, but aren't limited to, limiting use of alcohol, avoiding high levels of stress, keeping your body moving, and including highly nutritious foods in your daily diet.
Image Credits | Oftentimes, a hormone imbalance can leave women uncontrollably moody.
Moreover, this podcast has opened my eyes on how important it is to know your genetic history. A women's genetic history can often help them figure out when and how strong certain hormonal events will happen in their lives such as menopause and their first menstrual cycle. Knowing your genetic history can also help in conceiving a child as it can aid in planning future families as well as deciding the optimal age of fertility. Genetic hormonal history plays an important part in family planning as well due to the fact that hormones hold such a huge role in a women's ability to conceive a child. However, it was noted in the podcast that insurance cannot cover a hormone panel unless a woman is trying to have a child.
Finally, this podcast has really helped me understand the gravity that a woman's exercise routine holds. It is scientifically proven that cardio elevates cortisol levels, which is the hormone that responds to stress and calms the body down. Therefore, women who find themselves running often will need to have certain counterinfluencers that bring these stress levels down, therefore, lowering the cortisol levels. These counterinfluencers can include ashwaganda and Omega-3. High cortisol levels are related to a number of mental health issues, such as depression and a compromised immune system. Therefore, an optimal exercise routine would be one with 1/3 cardio and 2/3 resistance training.