Hi Dear Friend,
This week I’m thrilled to introduce you to Dr. Sara Gottfried (in case you didn’t already know about this women’s health champion!). Over the past year, Sara has become a friend and mentor of mine. Before I met Sara, I didn’t fully understand how much stress could throw off my hormone balance and affect my overall health. And I’m guessing that some of my readers are in the same boat. That’s why I filmed this interview for you. I hope our conversation empowers and helps you as much as it’s helped me.
Watch my interview with Dr. Sara Gottfried above or download it here and listen on the go. Note: To download the mp3 file right click (or Ctrl+Click on a Mac) on the link and “Save Link As” to save it to your computer.
Why am I blown away by Sara’s work? For starters, she’s a Harvard-educated physician, board certified gynecologist, speaker, yoga teacher, wife, and mom of two daughters. She’s also the kind of doctor that makes me cheer—a practitioner who’s getting to the root causes of health issues impacting millions of women. And she’s not throwing pills at her patients’ problems. Instead, Sara is teaching us how to address these challenges with an integrative approach. You know, all the stuff we love at KrisCarr.com—diet, lifestyle, holistic mental and emotional therapies and supplements.
I recently read Sara’s new best-selling book, The Hormone Cure: Reclaim Balance, Sleep, Sex Drive, and Vitality with The Gottfried Protocol and it really helped my daily wellness plan. With a couple tests and a few simple adjustments, I’m seeing major improvements in my energy levels, which had been less than ideal for a while. In this interview, Sara and I delve into a huge topic for most of us—stress!
Here’s a peek at the questions we covered:
- What’s runaway stress and how does it impact our hormones and health? Take Sara’s free quiz to begin exploring your hormonal health.
- What are some practical ways we can overcome runaway stress? Sara and I share our personal strategies (Sara loves the Inner Balance app).
- What’s the link between cortisol and challenges like depression, moodiness, chronic disease or gaining weight? Find out how Sara and I have measured and improved our cortisol levels.
- What’s public enemy #1 of our well-being? We all need to be aware of this priority and keep it in the forefront of our minds each day…
- What foods reduce stress in the body? You could easily start adding these foods to your diet today.
- How do carbohydrates impact our hormonal health and stress levels? Hint: they’re not your nemesis.
- For a green juice drinking yoga mama in our audience who’s rocking some of these tips already, what’s she NOT thinking about or addressing? You don’t want to miss Sara’s insider tips!
You two are just magnificent. You heal my soul and I’m so lucky to have you virtually in my life. Thanks for all you do!
I would love to know is Sara uses DIM with her patients who have too much estrogen in the body.
Thanks for always “going deeper”. I’m having a few challenges – chronic headache … Menopause …anxiety … I pretty much have myself dead and buried. This interview reminds me to not “abandon” myself. Words of wisdom that I learned from u kris carr
I have never heard of Dr. Sara Gottfried, but I am so glad you had her on and that I was able to hear her because I have been not feeling really well, and am going to the Doctor (a new 1) today And would really like to find out what’s wrong with me! Sorry to much 🙁 But she has gave me a lot to check into Have a great and healthy day <3
Very helpful video. I am saved again and hope many will be..
Wow wow wow,
Thank you both for such a rich conversation. Most of all, for making this information fun, as well as helpful; for coming from a love base vs fear base which is empowering. So great- I pass all this good stuff right on to my family, friends, and coaching clients. Totally inspiring mentors and beautiful role models, inside and out.
Hello, thanks for this video, so much new information for me re cortisol. As someone diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year I’m certainly going to take this further. One question I have relating to thyroid issues, I’m finding plenty of info relating to correcting thyroid problems, but little on living without a thyroid. I’m taking daily thyroxine and while I realise there may not be a healthy alternative to the drugs, I’d love to go deeper in understanding how I can support my body now it’s functioning without a thyroid. Any and all suggestions, links, info gratefully received.
One of the many and unexpected blessings of cancer has been finding this community, so happy to be here.
Rose
Dear Kris, I have so,so much to thank you for I don’t know where to begin. Kris I’m from Ireland & first followed your story when my little 7yr old niece, my precious Mum, my sister my aunt & godmother my mums youngest sister where all diagnosed with this crazy c this was back in 2006, sadly in 2007 my little niece my brothers only daughter lost her battle with brain c. Jemma was such a brave child & an inspiration to me to this day. My brother Trevor never recovered from her loss & passed away 2010, 6 mths later I lost my precious Aunt Vi to breast c and just 7 weeks later my most precious Mum passed with cervical c. Now if the pain of losing so many of my precious family wasn’t enough, on the day the dr told me my Mum had only two weeks to live 1 hr later I was given the devastating news that I have colorectal c. As you know Kris my world fell apart I had to go for my chemo / radiation assessment the day after my Mums funeral, rite back to the place where I took my niece,my mum,my Aunt for treatment and where just weeks before my Aunt Vi had passed away. As I was my Mums carer she lived with me, I believe it was pure stress not from looking after mum, or other personal things in my life but due to the immense stress my boss put me under at work that caused my cancer,I had been misdiagnosed for 8 mths I was told I had piles, a tear in my bowel ( fistula ) the pain was indescribable but after having been admitted to hosp for the third time they found it & I’m so glad I found you Kris I know we all have our stories its life and it sucks but I give thanks for people like you, you are my life saver Kris and my sisters who is now 7 yrs in remission . Sorry for the litany Kris but thank you & Sarah for lifesaving advice. Forever in your debt, Glynis x
is it possible to get a transcript of this video? I would love to hear about this since I think this would help with what I’ve been struggling for over a year and not sure if it is pre-menopause (I’m 44) or stress or other. I’d really appreciate it!!
Hi!
This was really interesting to listen to. I suffer from stressrelated disease, but I’m feeling much better now and I have gone to eat raw food instead of traditional meat, Chicken, fish and a lot of refined stuff. I feel this is the food My body has been longing for, so I’m quite happy about it.
I reacts on the thing about the omega you were taking about in the interview, why did you not mention the Chiaseeds. Are they not a good omega-3 source?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!! 🙂 🙂
Has anyone here ever heard of PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder)? This really hits the nail on the head for what I have been experiencing for years, and I wonder if there is a way that this can be remedied through the management of hormones via food, stress reduction, etc. Does anyone have any recommendations? I will DEFINITELY be picking up a copy of Sara’s book ASAP.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Do U remember me Kris ??
Attended your NY writers workshop
6/12 cues 1. Wore head scarf
2. Sat in front row (1st only)
3. Kissed Reis . . . on the cheek
( of course)
U C I balance mania & am a little
C R A Z Y
I would like permission to use your material in my “classes” BUT it’s ok if
U R too busy to respond / by doing so U have been more SUPPORTIVE than ever
( THANKS TO LOUISE L Hay & Dr. Lissa Rankin & my boyfriend – ROCKIN ROLLER
MATTHEW D Gilbert / GRAVEDANCERS
(Boston)
Thank U for offering a comment section
That was excellent Kris, thanks so much x
Thank you so much for this, Kris and Dr. Gottfried. I was just thinking about you, Kris, and how you realized you had to completely change your life in order to have a life. I’ve been struggling with OCD my whole life, but wasn’t diagnosed until 4 years ago. It’s not life or death, persay, but sure feels like it a lot. My body doesn’t like medications, so I decided that behavioral therapy was the only option. I have worked hard and long to find a happy place. Recently, I thought I’d be okay to pursue my dreams and go back to school (not that I needed school for it). Just today, I had to gather up my courage and for the first time quit something I was so committed to because it wasn’t right. I haven’t been this stressed and panicky in a long time, and I realized that all this time I wasn’t quite doing as well as I thought. It’s a really great thing to know, but my body is now ragged from it. I also realized that my dream of being on Broadway and in TV and film may not be the best thing for me. (At least getting there in the “normal” fashion) The anxiety it causes is great, and the consequences are now not ones I am willing to make. I know there are so many ways to perform and share my voice. But I have yet to find enough homeostasis in my body to make any real progress.
Dr. Gottfried, do you ever work with people who have anxiety disorders like OCD on how to level it all out? I have come to the conclusion with my husband that living in LA may not be the best for us anymore at this point in our lives. I’m starting to get okay with that fact, since really I just want to collaborate with other musicians and artists and have a community, which I don’t have right now. I have done a lot of different types of meditation, yoga (I’m actually a certified instructor), and all sorts of alternative medicine for the great amount of pain I’m always in. I eat the way most people do on cleanses because my body started reacting as if all food is an allergen and yet I still mostly feel anxious and crappy. Sorry this is so long, just wanted to know if you have any thoughts!
Great interview that just got me thinking about, not only cortisol, but things like, am I really doing my best to get my greens (I love them and am vegan but why aren’t I starting my day with green juice?) and am I really doing myself a service when I check my phone/email while I’m still in bed? (Noooo!) So, this morning I did ten minutes of yoga with my dog. 🙂
Also, having dealt with fatigue, depression and anxiety for a very long time, Sara’s book intrigues me!
Thank you!
Thank you, Very helpful, I’m going to get the book..I have a question, what about the men? where can they get help?
Nice video. I enjoyed it very much. You both have lovely, luminous skin.
It was driving me crazy trying to think of who Kris sounds like, and then it came to me. Kate Walsh! You sound like sisters 🙂
Thank you and I’ll look for the book!
As someone who suffers from endometriosis, anything around hormones and hormone balance/imbalance is definitely of interest to me. Since it’s such a hormone-driven issue, I’m always looking for anything I can do in my daily life to help keep it in check.
Can’t wait to read the book! Adding it to my Amazon wish list so I can purchase when I get paid :)!
Hi Candace
I suffer from that too. I’ve been out of pain and healed for 1,5 years now. Change of diet, breathing excercises (to get more oxygen in your body) and acupuncture helped me both to resolve the pain and the problem. I also commented below on two other great reads when it comes to hormones. Good luck! Xx
I loved the video! I’m always interested in learning more about hormones in the body as my disease is dependent on hormones. I look forward to reading the book which has been added to my list.
Thank you lovely ladies!! Sara your information is beautiful and Kris you are a divine soul. There needs to be more wonderful people like yourselves in our lives.