Perimenopause Rage & Dark Thoughts: What 40-60% of Women Never Talk About

Dr. Rebecca Hertel, DO, MSCP — an osteopathic physician and certified menopause practitioner who founded a telemedicine practice helping women navigate midlife with real answers instead of dismissal.

From estrogen fluctuations silently driving vertigo, tinnitus, and migraines to darkest-day thoughts that terrified her before she found real answers, this episode is packed with real clinical insight and practical tools to help you finally read your body's signals correctly.

Chapters and Time-stamps

01:24 Training Gaps In Menopause Care

02:22 Why She Chose Osteopathy

05:18 OMT In Real Practice

07:55 What Osteopathic Medicine Means

10:43 OMT Wins For Patients

12:54 Vertigo Tinnitus And Hormones

14:09 Her Perimenopause Wake Up Call

19:14 Symptoms And Dark Thoughts

22:04 Finding Help And Starting HRT

24:55 Gut Health Deep Dive

26:05 Hormone Tools Overview

26:39 Lifestyle Nonnegotiables

28:41 Longevity and Bone Health

31:31 Her Daily Routine

34:58 CGM and Blood Sugar

38:28 Zone Two Training Basics

41:27 Creatine and Collagen

43:22 Family Fitness Habits

44:55 Where to Find Her

Key Takeaways

🌪️ Perimenopause Can Look Like Rage, Not Just Hot Flashes

🌀 Vertigo & Tinnitus Are Often Estrogen, Not Aging

🧠 Brain Fog Can Steal Your Confidence at Work

🙊 40-60% of Women Have Mood Dysfunction — Nobody Talks About It

💉 Hormone Therapy Is Support, Not a Magic Fix

🩸 A CGM Can Reveal Blood Sugar Swings You'd Never Suspect

💪 Creatine Isn't Just for Muscle — It Protects Your Brain

🏃 Zone 2 + Sleep Are the Longevity Basics That Actually Work

Guest Details & Links

Guest: Dr. Rebecca Hertel, DO, MSCP

Specialty: Board-Certified Osteopathic Family Medicine Physician | Certified Menopause Practitioner | Midlife & Menopause Care

Background: Despite being a physician, Rebecca went undiagnosed through years of debilitating perimenopause symptoms — irritability, brain fog, migraines, vertigo, and even frightening intrusive thoughts — while being told it was "just aging" or she was "too young for this." That experience launched her deep dive into menopause medicine and led her to build the practice she couldn't find herself.

Education: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine; Family Medicine residency; trained under Dr. Heather Hirsch in menopause care

Certifications: Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP)

Past Work: Nearly 20 years in family medicine, incorporating osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT); developed an OMT clinic during residency; moonlighted and trained under leading menopause specialists before launching her own telemedicine practice

Turning Point: Her own undiagnosed, years-long perimenopause crisis — including dark, frightening thoughts and life-altering vertigo — pushed her to specialize fully in midlife women's health and hormone optimization

Known For: Founder & CEO of Osteopathic Midlife Health; Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at LECOM; host of Midlife Minute news series; blending hormone therapy, OMT, and lifestyle medicine for women in perimenopause and menopause

Offers: Telemedicine menopause care through Osteopathic Midlife Health; provider/community education and speaking

• 📷 Instagram: @DrRebeccaHertelDO
• 🎥 YouTube: Rebecca Hertel MSCP
• 🎙️ Podcasts: Dusty Muffins™, The Founder's Series
• 📺 News Series: Midlife Minute

About Your Hosts

Micah Yu, MD, MHA, MS, ABOIM, DipABLM, IFMCP

Dr. Micah Yu is a triple board-certified integrative rheumatologist who blends conventional medicine with holistic, nutrition-based healing to treat autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions. A patient himself, Dr. Yu brings a deeply personal perspective to his work, having reversed his own autoimmune arthritis through lifestyle and integrative medicine. He is certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, integrative medicine, lifestyle medicine, and functional medicine. As the founder of MyAutoimmuneMD and co-founder of Dr. Lifestyle Clinic, Dr. Yu empowers patients to address the root causes of illness and reclaim their health from the inside out.

Melissa Mondala, MD, MHA, MS, DipABLM

Dr. Melissa Mondala is a dual board-certified physician in Family and Lifestyle Medicine, with advanced training in Integrative Psychiatry and Integrative Medicine. As President of Dr. Lifestyle Clinic in Newport Beach—recognized by UC Irvine as a Public Health Site of Excellence—she pioneers a holistic, patient-centered approach to chronic disease. Dr. Mondala is a nationally recognized Lifestyle Medicine Intensivist, core faculty at Loma Linda University's Preventive Medicine Department, and a passionate advocate for plant-based nutrition, mental health, and women's wellness. A sought-after speaker and educator, she combines cutting-edge science with deep compassion to empower lasting healing, especially for those silently suffering from autoimmune, mental health, and long COVID conditions. She shares practical inspiration for healthy living and cooking at @drmelissaskitchen.

About AutoImmune Alchemy Podcast

Mission: Blending science with soul to transform autoimmune struggles into healing alchemy

AutoImmune Alchemy is a podcast dedicated to the autoimmune community, offering hope, validation, and evidence-based solutions for those struggling with complex autoimmune conditions. Hosted by the dynamic duo Dr. Melissa Mondala and Dr. Micah Yu, the show features expert interviews exploring root causes like hormonal imbalances, leaky gut, and inflammation that traditional medicine often overlooks. Each episode empowers listeners to take proactive control of their health through lifestyle medicine, nutrition, and integrative approaches.

Connect with AutoImmune Alchemy

• Website:MyAutoimmuneMD.com
• Dr. Lifestyle Clinic:www.drlifestyle.org
• Instagram: @myautoimmunemd
• Facebook: @MYAutoimmuneMD
• YouTube: @myautoimmunemd
• Email: contact@myautoimmunemd.com

Subscribe & Review: Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. If this episode helped you understand environmental toxins and autoimmune disease, please leave a 5-star review!