Episode 33: Hormones, Herbs & Hot Flashes: What Integrative Menopause Care Really Looks Like with Dr Suzanne Gilberg

What if menopause care didn't have to be a choice between conventional medicine and "natural" medicine? In this episode of **Heads & Tails**, Dr. Kate White and Jay White sit down with **Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz**, board-certified OB/GYN, integrative medicine physician, clinical Ayurvedic specialist, herbalist, breast cancer survivor, and author of *Menopause Boot Camp*. Together, they explore what menopause care can look like when we stop treating it as a one-size-fits-all problem. Dr. Suzanne reframes menopause as a developmental and physiologic transition—not simply a collection of symptoms to eliminate. She shares how she integrates conventional medicine with lifestyle interventions, botanicals, Ayurveda, mindfulness, and individualized hormone and nonhormonal options. They discuss:     •    Why perimenopause can leave women saying, **"I just don't feel like myself."**     •    Menopause as transformation rather than simply loss     •    What Ayurveda can teach us about individualized health and lifestyle     •    The difference between "natural" and automatically "safe"     •    Botanicals commonly discussed in menopause care, including chasteberry/Vitex, Siberian rhubarb, black cohosh, ashwagandha, and berberine     •    Why supplement quality, dosing, interactions, and sourcing matter     •    Hormone therapy—and why it should not be framed as the only tool available     •    Options for women who cannot or do not want to use systemic hormone therapy     •    Why sleep, exercise, resistance training, mental health, and stress regulation still matter even when using hormones     •    The changing gut microbiome in midlife     •    Why treatment sometimes requires experimentation, adjustment, and patience     •    How to find a clinician willing to listen, learn, and partner with you     •    Why trusting your own body can sometimes be lifesaving One of the biggest messages from this conversation: **you do not have to choose a camp.** Good menopause care can include evidence-based medicine, lifestyle, appropriate complementary therapies, curiosity, and shared decision-making. And perhaps most importantly: if something feels different in your body, keep asking questions. **Heads & Tails — where midlife gets a reframe.** Share this episode with a friend who is trying to figure out her own menopause toolkit, and send your questions to the Heads & Tails team. *This podcast is for education and entertainment and does not substitute for individualized medical or mental health care.*