The Most Published Naturopath On The Thyroid-Cholesterol Connection, Menopause & Muscles | Dr. JD McCoy

WATCH THE FULL-LENGTH EPISODE HERE ON YOUTUBE! 

A few years ago, my clinic manager Andrea and I tried EMSculpt together, just because we're the kind of biohacker-curious people who can't resist a new medical device - and I still think about how unreal that experience was. So when Dr. JD McCoy, one of the most published naturopathic physicians in the world, sat down with me to actually explain the science behind it, I knew this was going to be a deep one.

We started with menopause, and Dr. McCoy made a point immediately that I think more people need to hear: it is not just hot flashes. It's brain fog, bone density changes, muscle loss, sleep disruption, and a whole cascade of hormone shifts that go way beyond estrogen and progesterone - testosterone, DHEA, pregnenolone, even your thyroid. We got into the labs that actually catch this (LH, FSH, and Dutch testing), and the quietly staggering stat that up to 70% of people may be subclinically hypothyroid, which drives an anemia epidemic almost nobody is tracking.

Then we went somewhere I didn't expect: the thyroid-cholesterol connection. Dr. McCoy laid out, very simply, how an unaddressed thyroid problem can be the real reason someone's cholesterol looks "off" - not a reason to reach for a statin. It's old physiology, not new, but it's been lost, and it's a conversation I have with telehealth patients constantly.

The part I want people to sit with most, though, is the muscle piece. Dr. McCoy's research on EMSculpt Neo and the EMSella chair isn't about aesthetics - his published postpartum study showed a 29% increase in core strength after six sessions, and 39% in women 65 and older. That's not a vanity number. That's someone's posture, their bladder control, their intimacy, their ability to get up off a toilet with ease as they age. And it connects directly to his other research on EXOMIND, a transcranial magnetic stimulation device where postmenopausal women responded more profoundly than any other group he studied - because building muscle and calming the brain turn out to be the same conversation about blood flow, energy, and decision-making. Stronger, not smaller, really is the whole philosophy here.

To learn more about BTL’s noninvasive solutions for the mind, body and pelvic floor, visit BTLHealthcare.com and click “Find a Provider.” You can locate a provider near you and schedule a personalized consultation to discuss your concerns, goals and which treatment options may be appropriate for you.

A few of my favorite things we cover in this episode: 

• The most published naturopathic physician in the world
• Why evidence-based and functional medicine aren't opposites
• Menopause is way more than hot flashes
• Perimenopause hormones beyond estrogen: testosterone, DHEA, thyroid
• Best labs for catching perimenopause early
• The quality-of-life questions that actually diagnose perimenopause
• Why one hormone lab snapshot can mislead you
• The six-minute doctor visit problem
• Up to 70% of people may be subclinically hypothyroid
• The iron-muscle-hormone catch-22
• Best iron labs and forms
• The thyroid-cholesterol-statin connection
• Why research funding decides what gets studied
• Muscle, not the scale, is the real "unit of longevity"
• GLP-1s + EMSculpt Neo: a published recomposition study
• EMSculpt Neo explained
• The EMSella chair's published postpartum study
• Pelvic floor dysfunction isn't just a female issue
• The muscle preservation plan
• The muscle-mind connection: BDNF and decision-making
• EXOMIND: FDA-cleared for OCD and teens 15-22
• Postmenopausal women's EXOMIND results
• Dr. McCoy's Art of Being Well rapid-fire

Products Mentioned:

• EMSculpt Neo (BTL Aesthetics) - https://bodybybtl.com/solutions/emsculpt-neo/
• EMSella chair (BTL Aesthetics) - https://bodybybtl.com/solutions/btl-emsella/
• EXOMIND (BTL Aesthetics) - https://bodybybtl.com/solutions/exomind/
• BTL / Body By BTL - Find a Provider - https://bodybybtl.com/find-a-provider
• Force of Nature (ancestral meat blends) - https://forceofnature.com
• Pluck (organ meat seasoning) - https://eatpluck.com
• Dr. Broda Barnes, "Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness" - https://bookshop.org/p/books/hypothyroidism-broda-barnes/8d3420b63db119aa 
• Dr. JD McCoy / Contour Medical - https://www.contourmedical.com/dr-jd-mccoy/

Episode Sponsors:

• To learn more about BTL’s noninvasive solutions for the mind, body and pelvic floor, visit BTLHealthcare.com and click “Find a Provider.” You can locate a provider near you and schedule a personalized consultation to discuss your concerns, goals and which treatment options may be appropriate for you.
• Go to seed.com and use code 25WILLCOLE to get 25% off your first order.
• If you want to try Momentous, head to livemomentous.com and use code willcole for up to 35% off your entire first order.
• EllaOla is offering my listeners 20% off your first purchase. Just go to EllaOla.com/WILLCOLE, discount applied automatically; No code needed.
• Use code BEINGWELL at Monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50.
• Head to http://bioptimizers.com/willcole and use my exclusive code WILLCOLE to get 15% off any order. You'll get great discounts, free gifts, and the peace of mind of never running out.

Happy listening, and we hope you learned a little bit more on the art of being well!

If you like what you hear, please rate and review the podcast, hit subscribe and pass it along to a friend.

In Health,

Dr. Will Cole