Dr. Kara Episode 49: Prescribing Bioidentical Hormones using the DUTCH Test® with Dr. Lynne Mielke

In today’s podcast, I’m talking with long-time integrative medical clinician and anti-aging expert Lynne Mielke, MD about her approach to bioidentical hormones and why the Precision Analytical DUTCH is her go-to test for assessing HRT response. It’s her experience that the “gold standard” blood tests often lead to over-prescribing, and she commonly finds herself initiating tapers for those patients who come to her already on HRT. Learn how she uses the test and prescribes HRT (she’s started her own in-office compounding pharmacy!). And we spend some time on the topic of libido – Dr. Mielke is committed to helping women in her practice-particularly post-menopausal women- restore and maintain a healthy sex drive. Lynne also shares with us her journey to integrative medicine – as a psychiatrist, she faced the limitations of her training when her son was diagnosed with autism. As she puts it, she entered another world as she dove into integrative, biomedical treatments for autism decades ago: “Given the complexity of spectrum disorders, if you know how to treat them, you know integrative medicine.” From there, she leaped into anti-aging medicine, as parents of autistic children sought her care. Dr. Mielke shares her transition into practicing integrative medicine, and what her clinic looks like today.

In this episode you will hear:

• How Dr. Mielke uses the DUTCH test in her clinical practice
• Balancing estrogen with progesterone
• Go-to supplements for hormone metabolite patterns
• Methylation imbalance in estrogen detox: a sign of heavy metal toxicity?
• Topical hormone protocols- tissue, location matters
• Orgasms are essential: Using HRT and lifestyle medicine to ensure they continue into menopause
• Dr. Mielke’s journey into integrative medicine, her personal story
• Advice for practitioners transitioning into integrative medicine