Is estrogen really the problem? Jay Feldman breaks down what’s actually driving your midlife symptoms

In this deep-dive episode, independent researcher and Energy Balance Podcast host Jay Feldman walks Hotflash inc founder Ann Marie McQueen through his bioenergetic approach to health, exploring how modern life disrupts our energy systems and misleads us around hormones.

Jay explains why perimenopause symptoms aren’t necessarily signs of estrogen deficiency, what progesterone’s underrated role is, and how metabolism, stress, and gut health all converge to influence the midlife transition.His work has been instrumental in helping Ann Marie connect the dots between her own thyroid, gut health, fatty liver, and hormonal changes. If you're curious, overwhelmed, or stuck between conflicting advice – this one’s for you.

Highlights:

Why the mainstream medical model didn’t cut it for Jay
How energy production impacts reproductive hormones
The cultural lie of “eat less, move more”
Seed oils, PUFAs and what they’re doing to your metabolism
Sunscreens, toenail polish, and endocrine disruption
Why low estrogen blood levels don’t tell the whole story
What your liver and gut have to do with your hormones
Why estrogen replacement might be a band-aid, not a solution
Progesterone as the overlooked hero hormone
A breakdown of the research around hormone therapy and prevention
What’s missing from the Women’s Health Initiative findings
The testosterone-for-everyone trend: risks and realities
Small shifts that support your hormones naturally
How the carrot salad really works
Alcohol, slow motility, gut health and estrogen clearance
The liver support and herbal options that actually help
A loving reminder: there is no magic pill

Sponsor: Shoutout to our sponsor MenoLabs – makers of MenoFit, a science-backed probiotic designed to relieve hot flashes, night sweats and more. Hotflash Inc listeners get 20% off with the code HOTFLASHINC20.

Guest bio
Jay Feldman is a health coach, independent researcher, and the host of the Energy Balance Podcast. With a background in neuroscience and exercise physiology, he takes a bioenergetic approach to health that focuses on restoring cellular energy and dismantling modern myths around nutrition, metabolism, and hormones. Jay’s personal mission is to help people heal by reconnecting them with their bodies and understanding how modern life throws off our internal systems. 

Work with Jay & explore more

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Dr Lara Briden unpacks what really matters in midlife