What Dr. Martin Thinks

Q&A Episode 1739

“Are your probiotics soil-based?”

Good, better, best. He puts soil-based at the top, and the ones you keep in the fridge below it.

Read it → Q&A Episode 1733

“Can too much coffee cause leaky gut?”

“It is so much nonsense.” He has been defending coffee since the day he graduated.

Read it → Q&A Episode 1701

“Chronic constipation. What do I do?”

His first answer is coffee, which he calls the best fiber in the world, then a broad-spectrum probiotic.

Read it → Q&A Episode 1523

“What reduces painful acid reflux?”

He starts with digestive enzymes, not another medication. Most people struggle to digest, he says.

Read it → Q&A Episode 1855

“Why do some people bloat and some don’t?”

Almost invariably, he says, bloating points at one condition underneath it. He names it.

Read it → Compared Probiotics

Soil-based vs refrigerated probiotics

Soil-based, and he has said so for thirty years. Strains hardy enough, in his words, to take a torch to.

Read it → Article Probiotics

The Best Probiotic For A Woman Over 60, By Dr. Martin's Standard

The best probiotic for a woman over 60 is a broad spectrum one, at least 10 different strains.

Read it → Article Gut

Do Seniors Actually Need A Probiotic?

Dr. Martin's answer is yes, and not because of your age. He and Tony Jr. decided years ago to recommend a probiotic to everyone, every day.

Read it → Article Gut

Probiotics And IBS After 60

Dr. Martin looks for a broad spectrum probiotic in the billions, with strains hardy enough to get past the stomach.

Read it → Article Gut

What Is Really Behind Bloating After 60

The bloating that keeps coming back after 60 is, in Dr. Martin's reading, a yeast overgrowth in the small intestine rather than a bacterial one.

Read it → Article Gut health

Gut Health For Women Over 60: Where Dr. Martin Starts

Gut health after 60 starts with the bacteria, not with fibre. Dr. Martin says most of the body's bacteria live in the gut.

Read it → Article Digestion

Why Digestion Slows Down After 60 And What To Do

Digestion slows after 60 mostly because there is not enough stomach acid and not enough enzymes, not because there is too much acid.

Read it → Article Bloating

A Swollen Stomach After 60 Is Not Normal Aging

A stomach that swells after meals has a cause. Dr. Martin points at three things that change after 60: we absorb less, we make fewer enzymes, and we carry less stomach acid.

Read it → Article Bladder

Recurrent UTIs In Older Women: Why Dr. Martin Says They Keep Coming Back

Why Dr. Martin says a UTI keeps coming back after antibiotics, and the two steps he uses to break the cycle.

Read it → Article Yeast

Yeast Infections In Older Women: What Dr. Martin Says Sets Them Off

Dr. Martin on why yeast infections follow antibiotics, the other triggers he names, and the foods that feed candida.

Read it → Article Gut

Diverticulitis After 60: What Irritates The Pouches?

Dr. Martin on the pouches in your colon, the fiber advice he disagrees with, and how he settled the gut down.

Read it → Article Gut

Leaky Gut Symptoms In Women Over 60: The Signs Dr. Martin Looks For

Dr. Martin's signs of leaky gut after 60: autoimmune and thyroid, skin, allergies, joints, the medications behind it, and why it is not just digestion.

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Article Thyroid

The thyroid never acts on its own

It is a puppet with strings, he says, and in women the string is usually estrogen dominance.

Read it → Article Thyroid

Thyroid Symptoms In Women Over 60

The thyroid symptoms women over 60 bring Dr. Martin most are tiredness that sleep does not fix, cold hands and feet, thinning hair and eyebrows, brittle nails, constipation.

Read it → Article Thyroid

What Is A Normal TSH For A 60 Year Old Woman?

There is a standard lab range, and Dr. Martin's problem with it is how wide it is. His words are that it is an eternity between the low and the high TSH numbers.

Read it → Article Thyroid

Thyroid Issues For Older Women: What Slows It Down

The thyroid never works on its own, so what slows it in an older woman is usually somewhere else: long stress, estrogen dominance, and a liver loaded with sugar.

Read it → Article Thyroid

Hypothyroidism After 60: What Changes

What changes after 60 is that more symptoms pile up and the blood test gets read on its own. Dr. Martin calls the thyroid the most misdiagnosed organ there is.

Read it → Article Thyroid

Does A Slow Thyroid Make You Look Older?

Yes, in Dr. Martin's view. He says a thyroid that is not working properly shows up almost everywhere in the body, hair first.

Read it → Article Thyroid

Why Thyroid Problems Land On Women And Not Men

Dr. Martin's answer is the ovaries. He says there is a direct line from the ovaries to the thyroid gland.

Read it → Article Hair

Hair Loss In Women Over 60: Is It Your Thyroid?

Thinning hair after 60 is common, but Dr. Martin says it is not normal for a woman and looks at the thyroid first.

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Article Liver

It only takes a month of eating sugar to get fatty liver

You don’t get fatty liver from eating fat. One month of sugar is all it takes, and he calls it an epidemic.

Read it → Article Blood sugar

Insulin Resistance In Women Over 60: The Signs

The honest answer about the signs of insulin resistance is that it is quiet for years. Dr. Martin puts 90 per cent of the population in it, thin women included.

Read it → Article Blood sugar

What Should Your A1C Be After 60?

Lower than the number your lab calls normal, and never read on its own. Dr. Martin wants A1C sitting next to your triglycerides and your HDL.

Read it → Article Blood sugar

What Is A Normal Blood Sugar For A Woman Over 60?

Dr. Martin will not answer that from a single fasting glucose. He reads A1C, because it averages two to three months instead of one morning.

Read it → Article Blood sugar

Prediabetes At 60: What Dr. Martin Would Do First

The first thing Dr. Martin changes for prediabetes at 60 is the food, because he treats it as an insulin problem before it is a blood sugar problem.

Read it → Article Blood sugar

Can You Get Type 2 Diabetes After 60?

Yes, you can get type 2 diabetes after 60, and Dr. Martin says it is common. He is blunt that it is a food problem rather than an age problem.

Read it → Article Fasting

Intermittent Fasting For Women Over 60: The Doable Way

Dr. Martin's doable version of intermittent fasting: stop after supper, aim for 14 hours, then water before coffee.

Read it → Article Weight

Why Can't I Lose Weight After 60?

Eating well and the scale will not move? Dr. Martin names the four things that sabotage weight loss after 60.

Read it → Article Blood sugar

Why Do I Get Sugar Cravings After 60?

Need something sweet even after a meal? Dr. Martin on the blood sugar drop behind cravings and how to stop it.

Read it → Article Bread

Where Does Bread Go In Your Body After You Eat It?

Whole wheat or 12 grain, Dr. Martin says bread still turns to sugar, and insulin stores it as fat.

Read it → Article Breakfast

The Best Breakfast For Energy After 60

Cereal, toast and oatmeal crash your energy by mid morning. Dr. Martin's answer is eggs, bacon and a coffee with no sugar.

Read it → Article Keto

Keto Diet For Women Over 60: Why Dr. Martin Puts Protein First

Dr. Martin on keto after 60: why he cares less about ketosis than protein, why keto snacks miss the point, and where fruit fits.

Read it → Article Blood sugar

Type 2 Diabetes After 60: Does It Shorten Your Life?

Does type 2 diabetes shorten your life after 60? Dr. Martin says diabetes never ends well on medication alone, and the food change is what moves the outcome.

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Article B12

Why are people so low in B12?

Two reasons, he says. They don’t eat red meat, and they don’t have the stomach acid to absorb it.

Read it → Q&A Episode 1688

“Sublingual or the B12 shot?”

Under the tongue, every day. He explains why swallowing the tablet defeats the whole point.

Read it → Compared B12

Sublingual B12 vs the B12 shot

Sublingual, taken daily, is his pick. He likes the shot too, he just does not rate it above.

Read it → Article B12

Is B12 Worth It For A Woman Over 60?

Short answer, yes, and for most women over 60 Dr. Martin would say it is not close. The vast majority of people are already low, and the blood test most of us get is too wide to catch it.

Read it → Article B12

How Much B12 Does A Woman Over 60 Actually Need?

Dr. Martin's number is about 4,000 micrograms of B12 a day, taken as a sublingual that melts under your tongue.

Read it → Article Supplements

What Supplements Should A 65 Year Old Woman Take?

Three, not twenty. In fifty years of practice Dr. Martin says the same deficiencies came back without fail: vitamin D, B12 and magnesium.

Read it → Article Creatine

Should A Woman Over 60 Take Creatine?

You can. Dr. Martin says he likes creatine and has no objection to the powder. He would rather you ate it, because creatine is one of the Cs already sitting in a steak.

Read it → Article B12

B12 Deficiency Symptoms In Women Over 60

The signs of low B12 in a woman over 60 are the ones everyone dismisses. Short of breath going up a flight of stairs, yawning for air, heart palpitations, memory trouble.

Read it → Article B12

Tired All The Time At 60: B12 Or Something Else

If you are 60 and tired all the time, Dr. Martin checks B12 first. He says deficiency is far more common now than it was, that it hides behind a normal result.

Read it → Article Anemia

Anemia In Women Over 60: Low Red Blood Cells, Iron and B12

Dr. Martin on why red blood cells need heme iron, why normal bloodwork can still miss anemia, and where B12 fits.

Read it → Article Energy

How To Boost Your Mitochondria Naturally After 60: What To Feed Them

Dr. Martin on why your mitochondria run on the food you give them, and why steak beats bread for energy after 60.

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Article Inflammation

Inflammation In Women Over 60: Dr. Martin On Curcumin

Inflammation after 60 is not a diagnosis on its own. Dr. Martin treats it as a response to something, usually starting in the gut.

Read it → Article Inflammation

What Causes Joint Pain After 60?

Inflammation, and Dr. Martin's whole argument is that inflammation never turns up on its own. Apart from a physical injury, he puts the cause on sugar.

Read it → Article Inflammation

What Causes Inflammation In Women Over 60

Inflammation is not a mystery to Dr. Martin, and he has a named list rather than a shrug. Insulin resistance, sugar and crappy carbs, seed oils and the omega 6 load.

Read it → Article Inflammation

What Is The Safest Anti-Inflammatory After 60?

Dr. Martin does not name a safest anti-inflammatory, because his first move is not to reach for one.

Read it → Article Joints

Arthritis In Women Over 60: What Is Actually Happening In The Joint

The calcium and the inflammation in an arthritic joint are the body trying to stop you moving it while it heals.

Read it → Article Inflammation

The Inflammation That Helps You And The Inflammation That Does Not

Dr. Martin splits inflammation in two. The acute kind, a cold or a banged knee, is on your side and is doing a job.

Read it → Article Joints

Knee Pain After 60: What Is Wearing The Joint Down

Knee pain after 60 is wear and tear plus one thing most people never count. Dr. Martin's answer is glycation, sugar caramelising the joint and taking the lubrication out.

Read it → Article Bones

Osteoporosis In Women Over 60: What Is Weakening The Bone

Sugar, missing K2 and vitamin D, and the wrong exercise. Dr. Martin on what weakens bone after 60, and why it is never too late.

Read it → Article Vitamin D

Vitamin D For Women Over 60: How Much, And Is It Safe?

Most people run low, the sun never overdoses you, and toxicity takes far more than most think. Dr. Martin on vitamin D after 60.

Read it → Article Omega-3

Omega-3 For Women Over 60: Why Dr. Martin Wants DHA

Dr. Martin on the four kinds of omega-3, why DHA is the king, and the seed oils working against you.

Read it → Article Eyes

Macular Degeneration After 60: Where Dr. Martin Starts

Dr. Martin on circulation behind the eye, what sugar does to it, and the Navitol and DHA combination he recommends.

Read it → Article Eyes

Why Do I Have Dry Eyes After 60?

Watery eyes can be dry eyes. Dr. Martin on screens, sugar, the circulation behind the eye and high DHA oil.

Read it → Article Brain

What Causes Brain Fog In Women Over 60?

Brain fog after 60 is usually not Alzheimer's. Dr. Martin on water, diet, low D, B12 and DHA, the gut and hormones.

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Article Cortisol

What Causes High Cortisol In Women Over 60

High cortisol in women over 60 comes from a stress signal that never switches off and the broken sleep that follows it.

Read it → Article Cortisol

High Cortisol Symptoms In Women Over 60: The Checklist

The high cortisol symptoms Dr. Martin watches for in women over 60 are broken sleep, weight that sits around the middle, a thyroid slowing down.

Read it → Article Cortisol

Cortisol And Belly Fat After 60

Usually both at once. Dr. Martin says high cortisol raises your blood sugar, and when the blood sugar drops again you are drained and reaching for the quickest food.

Read it → Article Fatigue

Chronic Fatigue In Women Over 60: The Adrenals

Dr. Martin calls chronic fatigue adrenal exhaustion. He wrote his doctoral thesis on it off questionnaires from about 500 women.

Read it → Article Cortisol

How To Lower Cortisol After 60, Naturally

Cortisol is meant to be highest in the morning and sinking after supper, so lowering it is mostly an evening job.

Read it → Article Cortisol

When Is Cortisol Highest? The Daily Cortisol Curve After 60

Cortisol is highest in the morning and should be close to nothing by the time you go to bed. Dr. Martin says that is by design, because cortisol is not only a stress hormone.

Read it → Article Cortisol

Cortisol Levels In Women Over 60: Do You Need The Test?

You do not necessarily need a cortisol test. Dr. Martin is not against having one done, and he liked the old urine test.

Read it → Article Magnesium

Magnesium For Women Over 60: Why So Many Are Low

Why so many women over 60 run low in magnesium, why a blood test misses it, and the two forms he likes.

Read it → Article Magnesium

Restless Legs After 60: Dr. Martin's Circulation Answer

Dr. Martin had restless legs himself. He blames poor microcirculation in the legs, and says pine bark made his go away.

Read it → Article Magnesium

Muscle Cramps After 60: Water, Salt And Magnesium

Cramping after 60? Dr. Martin checks water first, says salt is not the bad guy, then looks at magnesium and potassium.

Read it → Article Heart

Heart Palpitations In Women Over 60: What Dr. Martin Checks First

Heart skipping after 60? Dr. Martin looks at magnesium first, then water and electrolytes, and says salt is not the villain.

Read it → Article Sleep

Why Can't I Sleep After 60? What Dr. Martin Looks At First

Dr. Martin on why sleep gets harder with age: cortisol that stays high at night, late meals, coffee and low nutrients.

Read it → Article Anxiety

Anxiety In Women Over 60: Where Dr. Martin Starts

Dr. Martin traces anxiety after 60 to cortisol that never switches off, and starts with sleep, sugar, deficiencies and the gut.

Read it → Article Sleep

Is Melatonin Safe For Seniors? What Dr. Martin Says

Is melatonin safe after 60? Dr. Martin on the side effect he names, why it stops working, and the four things he does first.

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Article Blood flow

Is Nitric Oxide Safe After 60?

Nitric oxide is not a drug you are adding to your body. It is a molecule your body already makes, and Dr. Martin says its job is opening blood vessels.

Read it → Article Circulation

How To Improve Circulation After 60

Dr. Martin puts circulation down to one compound, nitric oxide, which is what opens your blood vessels.

Read it → Article Blood pressure

Blood Pressure In Women Over 60: What The Numbers Mean

The top number is the pressure while your heart beats, the bottom number is the pressure between beats, and 140 over 90 is the line medicine draws.

Read it → Article Circulation

Are Beets Good For You After 60?

Yes. Dr. Martin says beets are good for you because they raise nitric oxide, and he says that plainly even though he does not like the taste.

Read it → Article Circulation

What Nitric Oxide Does For A Woman Over 60

Nitric oxide is a molecule made on the lining of your blood vessels, and its job is to open them up.

Read it → Article Heart

CoQ10 For Women Over 60: What Dr. Martin Says

Dr. Martin on where your body makes CoQ10, why statins drain it, and why your heart muscle needs it.

Read it → Article Hydration

Dehydration In Women Over 60: Why Your Body Won't Always Warn You

Thirst is a poor alarm after 60. Dr. Martin on why you can't wait for it and the two liters of water he wants a day.

Read it → Article Circulation

Circulation Exercises For Seniors: What Dr. Martin Recommends

Dr. Martin's circulation exercises for seniors: two minutes on a rebounder for the calves, short weight sessions, and a 10 minute walk after supper.

Read it → Article Blood flow

Nitric Oxide For Men Over 60: What Dr. Martin Says

Is nitric oxide good for men over 60? Dr. Martin on why it drops with age, what it has to do with blood flow and the little blue pill, and how he raises it.

Read it →

Article Hormones

Why Am I Still Having Hot Flashes At 60?

Because hot flashes are a balance problem, not an age problem. Dr. Martin says estrogen is sitting too high against progesterone.

Read it → Article Hormones

Should A Woman Over 60 Take Estrogen?

Dr. Martin's answer is not a yes or a no, and that is deliberate. He says a woman needs estrogen, but it has to be balanced against progesterone.

Read it → Article Hormones

Can You Still Be In Menopause At 70?

Strictly, no. Menopause is an event and by 70 it is long finished. But Dr. Martin's whole approach to hormones in a woman is balance rather than level.

Read it → Article Hormones

What Menopause Does To A Woman, And Why It Varies

Estrogen comes down. That part happens to every woman. What decides whether you sail through it or feel wrecked is what progesterone does at the same time.

Read it → Article Hormones

High Estrogen In A Woman Over 60: What Estrogen Dominance Means

High estrogen in a woman over 60 means estrogen sitting too high against progesterone. Dr. Martin measures the two as a pair, never one number on its own.

Read it → Article Hormones

Which Hormones Should A Woman Over 60 Get Tested?

Ask for a full thyroid panel rather than TSH on its own, and ask for estrogen measured against progesterone rather than estrogen by itself.

Read it → Article Hormones

Should A Woman Over 60 Take Testosterone?

Dr. Martin's answer is no. He says a woman is meant to run on estrogen and progesterone with only a little testosterone.

Read it → Article Hormones

When Do A Woman's Hormones Actually Change?

Dr. Martin names three hormonal events in a woman's life: her first period, having a baby, and menopause.

Read it → Article Hormones

Women's Health Issues After 60, and the Hormone Imbalance Behind Them

Fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, poor sleep. Dr. Martin traces the common health issues of women after 60 to one thread: hormone balance and the thyroid.

Read it →