The Precision Health with Mirthe Podcast

A Functional Medicine approach to female health & hormone issues

In this first part of a Masterclass on Female Health and Hormones, Functional Medicine practitioner Mirthe Eckl addresses common female issues like PMS, painful periods, PCOS, recurring vaginal infections, anxiety, endometriosis, cysts and fibroids, bloating, a sluggish metabolism and perimenopause chaos like hot flashes and weight gain around the middle - that many of us have been told to ‘just live with’ (or go on the pill to suppress symptoms). She dives into the underlying biology of hormone imbalances like estrogen dominance, low progesterone and high testosterone levels, such as from chronic inflammation, food intolerances, gut and vaginal microbiome imbalances, chronic infections, nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress, blood sugar spikes and more. If you are interested in learning more on how to address these imbalances with simple dietary and lifestyle tweaks with maximum effect to support the natural cycle and hormones, what supplements to take, and also which testing to do to dive a little deeper and get to the root cause of what is going on, then reach out to me via mirthe@functionalmedicine.me.uk to access the full Masterclass.

How stress messes with female hormones

In this episode I dive into how stress can mess with our hormones and cycle. Stress, and being in constant fight-or-flight, also called 'The Rushing Woman Syndrome' often is the missing link to why hormones are in chaos despite trying to eat well, exercising, etc. Learn how stress is linked to estrogen, progesterone, ovulation, fertility, having purpose, and what to do about it.
 
Join me for an 8 week hormone reset, live on zoom (with recordings for those that cannot make the live sessions!) - January 31st - March 20th, 2024. Learn how and when to eat, fast, implement keto and carb cycling, sleep, manage stress, move, and more such as how to implement saunas, clean up your body care products, and more. To find out more or sign to, head to https://functionalmedicine.me.uk/nad/

The Must-Know Facts On Supplementing & Testing Vitamin D

Why you may not be getting enough even if you are supplementing, why it matters, and how to fix it.

Is drinking diet coke still safe? The facts on aspartame & other sugar substitute’s impact on health

To drink Diet Coke or real coke - or should there be a third option?Aspartame, the zero-calorie sugar substitute used to sweetened Diet Coke, but also many other ‘diet’ and ‘sugar free’ products on the market, has just been classified as a type 2B carcinogen (=possibly contributing to the development of cancer) by the @whoI have done a dive into the research on how aspartame (and at what dose!) can affect your health, beyond its possibly carcinogenic effects, plus those of some other sugar substitutes and sugar itself.Listen to it in this episode, or read the details in my latest blog post here: https://functionalmedicine.me.uk/2023/07/15/sugar-and-aspartames-impact-on-health/I’d love to hear your thoughts - will you still drink diet coke?

6 Simple Steps To Improve Your Health & Extend Your Life

While much has been done to achieve a longer life span in the recent decades, and average life expectancy now being much higher than just a century ago, research has only just started to catch up on improving the quality of life in those years.
 
While age-related illness such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes have become so common that they are almost accepted as a ‘normal’ part of ageing, research in the past years has shed light onto a new fascinating area, called ‘health span’ and anti-ageing. Health span research looks into how best to keep one healthy as we get older, as to enjoy a high quality of life, void of ill health, for as long as possible.
 
One of the leading researchers in that field, Professor David Sinclair from Harvard Medical School, has become known for his team’s discovery of the ‘9 Hallmarks of Ageing’ (1) describing what underlies age related decline, including mechanisms like ‘zombie cells’ (senescent cells) accumulating and more. In easier words, it is damage to our cells that accumulates, and our renewal capacity not being able to keep up with housekeeping and repair, that, once it builds up, contributes to our bodily decline.
 
But what does that all mean in practical terms? What is one to do to extend one’s health span, and prevent age related illness and decline?
 
I am summarising the top 6 most important strategies to prevent age related decline and to optimise health in this video. To read it, head to my latest blog post: https://functionalmedicine.me.uk/2023/07/07/simple-steps-to-improve-your-health-extend-your-life/ 

5 surprising tricks to live longer better

While we have made tremendous leaps over the past century in extending how long we live and increasing our lifespan, we are living in an epidemic of chronic disease, with those added years not necessarily coming with good quality of life and health, also called health span.
 
Recent years has brought attention to the topic of health span, and how we can make sure we make the most of the years we have, and optimise health to be able to fully thrive. And while there are some advanced drugs and tools out there that take this to the next level, there are some simple tricks you can add to your daily routine that will make all the difference.

A Functional Medicine approach to stress, burnout and cortisol

Listen in to learn about the different stages of stress, such as being wired yet tired, and how it can progress to burnout. I will dive into the effects these can have on our health, but also how inflammation, nutrient deficiencies and gut issues can contribute to mental health concerns. 
 

The run down on sugar spikes’ effect on health, and what to do about it

Chronic high sugar intake has long been recognized as a risk factor for many diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. But even long before, acute blood sugar spikes from your daily toasty with jam, or mid afternoon chocolate bar, can inflict damage on the body, even if you are seemingly healthy and slim.

Health benefits and pitfalls of ketosis

Ketosis has many great health benefits, if done in the right way, and intermittently. In this episode I share some of the research on its benefits, but also on its pitfalls if done excessively (and there are many!). 

Health Benefits & Pitfalls of Intermittent Fasting - and how to best time it

Intermittent fasting has become all the rage, and for good reason. In this episode I share some of the great health benefits of intermittent fasting, but also some potential negative effects if it is overdone or at the wrong time of the day.