The Balanced Dose Podcast Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:00:04 -0400 http://www.fireflymedical.net en-us © 2026 The Balanced Dose Podcast yes cc40c46f-ea2b-5e34-9070-5ed93aa72968 Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology) episodic true Join Dr. Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and Nichole Jackson-Lind, NP of Firefly Medical Group PLLC, as they navigate the complex world of hormones, health, and supplementation. In each episode of "The Balanced Dose Podcast," your hosts combines their expertise in bio-identical hormone therapy with cutting-edge research to help you understand how medications and hormones affect your well-being. Explore the latest advancements in functional medicine, uncover the truth behind Big Pharma, and learn how to achieve a balanced approach to health. Whether you're a healthcare professional or simply curious about the science behind your prescriptions, this podcast offers the knowledge you need to make informed decisions about your health. Tune in for expert interviews, case studies, and actionable tips to empower your wellness journey. This Podcast is education, not medical advice.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Hormone, therapy, wellbeing, quality of life, symptoms, aging, PCOS, menopause, weight loss, functional medicine, pharmacology, low testosterone Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology) https://storage.buzzsprout.com/75a73j3mtnfmp4dfxwp0pq4s6b82?.jpg The Balanced Dose Podcast http://www.fireflymedical.net Estrogen, Part 2: Estrogen Therapy — Benefits, Risks & How It's Done Estrogen, Part 2: Estrogen Therapy — Benefits, Risks & How It's Done Last episode mapped what estrogen does — this one is about how to replace it. We give an honest, practical guide to estrogen therapy: the symptom relief, bone protection, and cardiovascular benefits of estradiol, plus the oral-vs-transdermal question most people get backwards. Oral estradiol's first pass through the liver is what delivers the heart benefits, and the old clot and stroke warnings came from Premarin, not estradiol. We break down who therapy is really for, why oral is the default for most healthy women near menopause, and when transdermal makes sense — so you can stop assuming a patch is automatically safer and ask whether oral estradiol is right for you.

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 


@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Last episode mapped what estrogen does — this one is about how to replace it. We give an honest, practical guide to estrogen therapy: the symptom relief, bone protection, and cardiovascular benefits of estradiol, plus the oral-vs-transdermal question most people get backwards. Oral estradiol's first pass through the liver is what delivers the heart benefits, and the old clot and stroke warnings came from Premarin, not estradiol. We break down who therapy is really for, why oral is the default for most healthy women near menopause, and when transdermal makes sense — so you can stop assuming a patch is automatically safer and ask whether oral estradiol is right for you.

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 


@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology) Buzzsprout-19584387 Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500 2019 1 5 full true Estrogen, Part 1: The Whole-Body Hormone Estrogen, Part 1: The Whole-Body Hormone Estrogen was never just a fertility hormone. In Part 1 of our estrogen series, we reframe it as a whole-body, protective hormone — with receptors in your bones, brain, blood vessels, skin, joints, bladder, and beyond. We break down the three estrogens and their roles, what estrogen does throughout the body, and why low estrogen shows up as everything from joint pain and sleep changes to mood shifts and recurrent UTIs — symptoms that are so often misattributed. If estrogen only mattered for fertility, why does losing it affect so much? Tune in to find out, then join us for Part 2 on estrogen therapy.


#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Estrogen was never just a fertility hormone. In Part 1 of our estrogen series, we reframe it as a whole-body, protective hormone — with receptors in your bones, brain, blood vessels, skin, joints, bladder, and beyond. We break down the three estrogens and their roles, what estrogen does throughout the body, and why low estrogen shows up as everything from joint pain and sleep changes to mood shifts and recurrent UTIs — symptoms that are so often misattributed. If estrogen only mattered for fertility, why does losing it affect so much? Tune in to find out, then join us for Part 2 on estrogen therapy.


#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology) Buzzsprout-19584367 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:00:00 -0500 2140 1 4 full true The Truth About HRT: Safety, the WHI Story & What “Bioidentical” Means The Truth About HRT: Safety, the WHI Story & What “Bioidentical” Means Did HRT ever actually cause breast cancer? The Women's Health Initiative tested horse-derived estrogen (Premarin) plus a synthetic progestin, not the safer bioidentical hormones. That scary "26% more breast cancer" headline was a relative risk; in absolute terms it was about 8 extra cases per 10,000 women per year — under 1 in 1,000. The estrogen-alone arm of the same study actually showed roughly a 23% reduction in invasive breast cancer. "Bioidentical" means molecularly identical to the hormones your body makes — and Premarin isn't estradiol, just as a synthetic progestin isn't progesterone. The takeaway: don't rule yourself out of HRT over a study built on drugs most of us no longer prescribe — get an individualized assessment. Firefly Medical prescribes bioidentical estradiol and progesterone, never Premarin or synthetic progestins, with careful candidacy screening.  

 

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Did HRT ever actually cause breast cancer? The Women's Health Initiative tested horse-derived estrogen (Premarin) plus a synthetic progestin, not the safer bioidentical hormones. That scary "26% more breast cancer" headline was a relative risk; in absolute terms it was about 8 extra cases per 10,000 women per year — under 1 in 1,000. The estrogen-alone arm of the same study actually showed roughly a 23% reduction in invasive breast cancer. "Bioidentical" means molecularly identical to the hormones your body makes — and Premarin isn't estradiol, just as a synthetic progestin isn't progesterone. The takeaway: don't rule yourself out of HRT over a study built on drugs most of us no longer prescribe — get an individualized assessment. Firefly Medical prescribes bioidentical estradiol and progesterone, never Premarin or synthetic progestins, with careful candidacy screening.  

 

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology) Buzzsprout-19417199 Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0500 2378 full false The Menopause Transition: From Perimenopause Through Postmenopause The Menopause Transition: From Perimenopause Through Postmenopause #bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine #menopause #perimenopause #womenshealth 

She's 41, her periods are still regular, and her doctor says she's too young for hormone issues. She isn't — and most of what she's been told about the transition is wrong.In this episode, Dr. Nickie Lovat (MD, PhD, Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and Nichole Jackson-Lind, NP, map the entire menopause transition — from perimenopause through postmenopause — and clear up the misconceptions women hear at every stage. You'll learn why estrogen runs high in perimenopause (not low), why progesterone is actually the first hormone to fall, why FSH testing is unreliable and the diagnosis should stay clinical, and why hot flashes can paradoxically worsen when estrogen is added too early. We cover where HRT actually fits at each stage — including why perimenopause is often a progesterone story, not an estrogen one — plus the lifestyle and non-hormonal options that genuinely help.Wherever you are in the transition, help exists. If your symptoms started before 45, or it's been 12 months without a period, this episode is for you. This Podcast is education, not medical advice.

https://www.fireflymedical.net 
https://www.balanceddose.com 
@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> #bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine #menopause #perimenopause #womenshealth 

She's 41, her periods are still regular, and her doctor says she's too young for hormone issues. She isn't — and most of what she's been told about the transition is wrong.In this episode, Dr. Nickie Lovat (MD, PhD, Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and Nichole Jackson-Lind, NP, map the entire menopause transition — from perimenopause through postmenopause — and clear up the misconceptions women hear at every stage. You'll learn why estrogen runs high in perimenopause (not low), why progesterone is actually the first hormone to fall, why FSH testing is unreliable and the diagnosis should stay clinical, and why hot flashes can paradoxically worsen when estrogen is added too early. We cover where HRT actually fits at each stage — including why perimenopause is often a progesterone story, not an estrogen one — plus the lifestyle and non-hormonal options that genuinely help.Wherever you are in the transition, help exists. If your symptoms started before 45, or it's been 12 months without a period, this episode is for you. This Podcast is education, not medical advice.

https://www.fireflymedical.net 
https://www.balanceddose.com 
@fireflymedical

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology) Buzzsprout-19372686 Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0500 2082 1 2 full true Welcome to The Balanced Dose: Hormones 101 Welcome to The Balanced Dose: Hormones 101 Welcome to the very first episode. Hosts Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD and Nichole Jackson-Lind, NP introduce themselves, the work behind Firefly Medical, and the Balanced Dose philosophy — then give you a simple, working model of how hormones actually run your body. If you've been dismissed, under-screened, or told that feeling exhausted, foggy, and not-yourself is "just aging you have to accept," this episode is your starting point. We break down what hormones are (your body's messengers), meet the major players — estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, cortisol, and insulin — and explain why they work like an orchestra: one off-note affects the whole system. The lab guides the question, not the dose. We believe the patient over the number. 

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Welcome to the very first episode. Hosts Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD and Nichole Jackson-Lind, NP introduce themselves, the work behind Firefly Medical, and the Balanced Dose philosophy — then give you a simple, working model of how hormones actually run your body. If you've been dismissed, under-screened, or told that feeling exhausted, foggy, and not-yourself is "just aging you have to accept," this episode is your starting point. We break down what hormones are (your body's messengers), meet the major players — estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, cortisol, and insulin — and explain why they work like an orchestra: one off-note affects the whole system. The lab guides the question, not the dose. We believe the patient over the number. 

#bhrt #hormones #supplements #health #functionalmedicine 

https://www.fireflymedical.net 

https://www.balanceddose.com 

@fireflymedical

]]> Dr Nickie Lovat, MD, PhD (Pharmacology) Buzzsprout-19340908 Fri, 19 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0500 2192 1 1 full false