The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler Grant

Breast implants are common at every age and getting more accessible every year — but almost nobody frames them as a medical device you're placing in your body, probably for the rest of your life, until something goes wrong. Schuyler Grant, Dr. Robin Berzin, and Dr. Mary Pardee bring in phone-a-friend Dr. Jon Kanevsky, a breast explant and fat transfer surgeon, for one of the most personal conversations of the season — including Dr. Berzin's own patient whose decade of unexplained migraines resolved completely after an explant. They discuss: A study of over 7,000 women in which 49% reported some level of breast implant illness — symptoms including headaches, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and immune dysfunction Why textured implants carry higher reported symptom rates than smooth ones, and what that means for anyone currently considering the choice What an explant procedure actually involves, and why it's a fundamentally different surgery than getting implants in the first place Why the panel couldn't build a clean rapid fire for this one — Dr. Pardee calls it a legitimate "agnostic yes or BS," because the honest answer is "depends entirely on the woman" The identity layer underneath the medical one: what it means to alter your body in midlife, what message it sends to your kids, and whether "loving yourself" and "wanting implants" can coexist without contradiction For any woman who's had implants for years and never quite let herself ask whether her symptoms might be connected — or anyone considering getting them for the first time. Catch more episodes, live events, retreats, and free master classes at luminescence.health. Presented by our sponsors: Genova Connect: Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit ⁠connect.gdx.net ⁠Stemregen:  Go to ⁠stemregen.co⁠ and use code LUMPOD for 20% off your next order. Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot with a 100-day return guarantee, and get a special discount for Luminescence podcast listeners at ⁠vivobarefoot.com/commune⁠. BiOptimizers: Go to ⁠bioptimizers.com/luminescence⁠ and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Metabolic health isn't really about weight, Schuyler Grant, Dr. Robin Berzin, and Dr. Mary Pardee argue — it's the single biggest lever available for healthspan, driving everything from brain function to bone health to the "four horsemen" of heart disease, cancer, and dementia. So they zero in on the two protocols Schuyler calls the most provocative in the whole metabolic conversation: intermittent fasting and continuous glucose monitors. They discuss: Why intermittent fasting only works if it actually reduces total daily calories — and why treating it as a magic fix on top of overeating doesn't hold up Who should avoid fasting protocols entirely, including anyone actively trying to conceive Dr. Berzin's own CGM story — how an incidental discovery while wearing one turned out to be genuinely life-changing, and where Dr. Pardee remains skeptical for healthy women A rapid-fire round: Zone 2 training (hard yes), berberine (a qualified yes — effective, but not first choice), ketogenic protocols long-term (BS), continuous protein feeding (BS — total daily protein matters more), glucose-disposal stacks like cinnamon and apple cider vinegar (BS), eliminating seed oils as a metabolic hack (BS), and methylene blue (BS) Why the panel keeps landing back on the same unglamorous answer: build and keep lean muscle mass For any woman drowning in metabolic protocol content who wants to know which two are actually worth trying. Catch more episodes, live events, retreats, and free master classes at luminescence.health. Presented by our sponsors: Genova Connect:Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.netStemregen:  Go to stemregen.co and use code LUMPOD for 20% off your next order.Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot with a 100-day return guarantee, and get a special discount for Luminescence podcast listeners at vivobarefoot.com/commune.BiOptimizers:Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Viagra was approved in 1998. It took another two decades before women's sexual health started being treated as a physiological issue instead of a mood problem — and most women still don't know there are three real prescription options for low desire. In this Season 3 premiere, Schuyler Grant, Dr. Robin Berzin, and Dr. Mary Pardee are joined by phone-a-friend Dr. Somi Javaid, founder of HerMD, to break down testosterone, Addyi, and Vyleesi — what each one actually does, who they're for, and why the female desire drugs work on the brain while the male ones work on blood flow. They discuss: Why sexual pleasure functions as a genuine health metric — orgasm's measurable effects on cortisol, cardiovascular health, oxytocin, and sleep-supporting prolactin Why roughly 80% of women lose meaningful natural testosterone production by midlife, and why some women mysteriously don't Addyi (flibanserin) — a daily pill that works on serotonin and dopamine receptors — versus Vyleesi (bremelanotide), an on-demand injectable, and the real-world data Dr. Javaid has published on both Off-label testosterone therapy in women — why it's not FDA-approved as a standalone product for women despite a global consensus statement supporting its use, and what nearly 80% success rates look like in the right candidate Combining testosterone with Addyi or Vyleesi, and how FSFI (Female Sexual Function Index) scores are used to actually measure whether treatment is working A rapid-fire round on saffron, erotic fiction, cannabis, red-light pelvic devices, the O-Shot, Vyleesi microdosing, and intranasal oxytocin — yes, BS, or "a hard maybe" For any woman who's noticed her desire quietly disappearing and assumed there was nothing to actually do about it. Catch more episodes, live events, retreats, and free master classes at luminescence.health. This episode is presented by: Genova Connect:Save 20% on testing with code COMMUNE20 so you can stop guessing and make adjustments to support what matters. Visit connect.gdx.netStemregen:  Go to stemregen.co and use code LUMPOD for 20% off your next order.Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot with a 100-day return guarantee, and get a special discount for Luminescence podcast listeners at vivobarefoot.com/commune.BiOptimizers:Go to bioptimizers.com/luminescence and use code LUMINESCENCE for 15% off.

Estrogen receptors are in nearly every organ in your body, so when estrogen drops, your whole body feels it. OB/GYN and menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver explains what that means for your bones, muscle, heart, brain, and belly fat. Recorded live at the Luminescence event in Texas. Medical school taught her that menopause meant one year without a period and maybe some hot flashes. Then she opened a menopause-only clinic and saw what it really looks like: symptoms most doctors never connect, and women told their labs are "normal" while they feel nothing like themselves. And while the wellness bros chase living to 120, she's after something else: staying strong, independent, and clear-headed for as long as she's here.In this episode: Why perimenopause can start as early as 35, and why no blood test reliably diagnoses it The "big six" silent changes after estrogen loss: osteoporosis, muscle loss, insulin resistance, visceral fat, dementia, and heart disease How a woman can be a "normal" weight and still be metabolically unhealthy, and why BMI is "a good predictor of shame, and that's about it" Her daily targets for protein, fiber, added sugar, and creatine, and why she'd get a bone density scan now instead of waiting until 65 Hormone therapy (HRT) and the window for heart benefits: before 60 or within 10 years of menopause Watching her grandmother and mother decline with dementia, and why she refuses that future for her daughters Find more episodes, live events, retreats, and master classes at luminescence.health.

Women lose up to 20% of their bone density during perimenopause, often silently, until a fracture makes it impossible to ignore. Dr. Vonda Wright, MD, an orthopedic sports surgeon and author of Unbreakable, explains the biology of bone loss, muscle loss, and menopause, and why women, the 51% who make most household and healthcare decisions, still receive only a sliver of research funding after age 40. Recorded live at Luminescence Los Angeles in February 2025. Here's what you'll learn: Why bone functions as an endocrine organ that influences the brain, metabolism, and more The biological drivers of aging: epigenetics, cellular senescence, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction Why lifting heavier weights and eating more protein matter more at midlife than moderate cardio Making hormone decisions based on evidence rather than fear This talk is for anyone concerned about bone density, osteoporosis risk, or building strength through perimenopause and menopause. Topics: bone density, osteoporosis prevention, perimenopause, menopause, strength training, women's health research