If you’ve ever wondered “why do I get migraines before my period?” or felt weirdly “allergic” to your own cycle, you’re not imagining things. You may be stuck in the estrogen histamine feedback loop, a biologic back-and-forth where hormones and immune chemistry keep poking each other until symptoms flare. This is the part that makes people feel dismissed: your labs …
If you’ve ever been told that heavy periods, worsening PMS, or debilitating cramps are just part of being a woman, this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show challenges that narrative. In this conversation, Dr. Jolene Brighten breaks down the three most common menstrual problems she sees in clinical practice—heavy bleeding, PMS that keeps getting worse, and severe period pain, and …
Low energy. Vanishing libido. Brain fog that makes you feel like you’re pushing through mud. Muscle that refuses to build no matter how hard you train. If you’ve ever been told this is “just stress,” “just aging,” or worse—all in your head—this episode is for you. In this powerful, no-fluff conversation, Dr. Jolene Brighten breaks down how to boost testosterone …
For years, dietary fiber has been framed as one thing: something you need “to stay regular.” But in this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show, Dr. Jolene Brighten sits down with registered dietitian Gabrielle Palmeri to unpack why that narrative is dangerously incomplete—especially for women. This conversation reframes fiber as a metabolic, hormonal, and immune regulator, not a digestive afterthought. …
Weight loss has always been a loaded topic, but in the era of Ozempic, it has become even more polarized. For some, GLP-1 medications feel like a long-overdue breakthrough. For others, they trigger fear, shame, or moral judgment. And for many women, they come with unexpected side effects, confusing outcomes, and the unsettling realization that losing weight doesn’t always mean …
If you’ve noticed more hair in your brush, shedding in the shower, or a widening part line, you’re in the right place. This episode breaks down the real reasons women lose hair and exactly what you can do about it. Because I promised in the episode that everything would be clearly divided into categories in the show notes, this page …
PCOS symptoms often intensify after 30 due to compounding insulin resistance, adrenal stress patterns, and brain–ovary signaling changes. As estrogen and progesterone begin subtle shifts in the mid-30s, many women experience more anovulatory cycles, higher cortisol responses, and worsening androgen symptoms. Dr. McCulloch explains how: This episode takes a whole-system view of PCOS across the lifespan and reframes the condition …
Have you ever felt like your body is running on the wrong schedule—wide awake at night, exhausted mid-morning, and wired by 10 p.m.? You’re not lazy or broken; you may just be living out of sync with your biology. In this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show, Dr. Jolene Brighten sits down with sleep and hormone specialist Dr. Elisa Sacal …
If your focus, mood, and memory seem to fluctuate with your menstrual cycle, or your brain fog worsened during perimenopause, you’re not imagining things. In this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show, Dr. Jolene Brighten sits down with ADHD therapist and educator Andrew Robinson, MSW, to uncover how hormones directly influence ADHD symptoms — and why so many women are …