HRT, GLP-1s & the Health Misinformation Women Need to Know

What if your health is about more than your lab results? In this episode of SHE MD, Mary Alice sits down with Dr. Lucy McBride, physician and author of Beyond the Prescription, to talk about how women can become better advocates for their health while navigating an overwhelming medical system. They discuss HRT and perimenopause, GLP-1s, cortisol, alcohol, health misinformation, vaccines, AI, and how to know which medical information you can actually trust. Dr. McBride shares how to make the most of a 10- or 15-minute doctor’s appointment and why sometimes the most important health question isn’t the one you think you should be asking.

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What You’ll Learn

• Why your health is about more than what shows up on a blood test
• How to prepare for a short doctor’s appointment and advocate for yourself
• What Dr. McBride wants women to understand about HRT and perimenopause
• How she approaches GLP-1 medications and the growing conversation around “microdosing”
• Why cortisol has become a misleading catch-all explanation for women’s health concerns
• How to think about your relationship with alcohol rather than simply how much you drink
• How to identify misinformation and evaluate medical claims online
• How to use AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude more thoughtfully when researching your health
• What questions women should ask when thinking about preventive health
• Why finding the right doctor and building an ongoing relationship with them matters

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Key Timestamps

00:00 Welcome Dr. Lucy McBride

04:02 How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor's Office

07:33 What Women Need to Know About HRT

10:58 Testosterone in Women: Benefits, Risks & When to Consider It

12:20 The Truth About the "Cortisol" Wellness Myth

14:19 Alcohol, Women's Health & Your Relationship With Drinking

21:10 What Preventive Health Really Looks Like

23:51 The Pandemic & Why Dr. McBride Wrote Her Book

25:24 How to Navigate Health Information in the Age of AI

27:50 Spotting Misinformation & Finding Trusted Medical Sources

30:23 How to Use AI to Ask Better Health Questions

36:05 How to Read Medical Studies & Spot Misleading Headlines

38:24 Dangerous Wellness Trends & Medical Misinformation

39:39 Vaccines, COVID-19 & What the Data Shows

41:36 Understanding Long COVID

43:27 Dr. Lucy McBride's Three Takeaways for Patients

45:52 Final Thoughts & SHE MD Takeaways

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Key Takeaways

• How to advocate for yourself during a short doctor’s appointment
• Why your health is about more than your lab results
• What women should know about HRT during perimenopause and menopause
• How to think about GLP-1 medications and who they may be right for
• The truth about cortisol and chronic stress
• How alcohol can impact women’s physical and mental health
• How to spot health misinformation online
• How to use AI to ask better questions about your health
• What preventive health questions women should be asking their doctors
• Why finding the right doctor can make all the difference

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Guest Bio: Dr. Lucy McBride

Dr. Lucy McBride is a physician, author, and medical communicator whose public-facing work grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she began sharing evidence-based information and helping people separate medical facts from misinformation. She has written for The Atlantic, appeared regularly on MSNBC, and testified before congressional committees. Her book, Beyond the Prescription, draws on her own experience as a patient and more than 25 years of medical experience to explore a more holistic approach to health. She is also the author of the weekly Substack newsletter Are You Okay?, which focuses on cutting through medical noise and helping people better understand their health.