Taz Bhatia, MD demystifies midlife and menopause in her latest book, The Hormone Shift .

Bestselling author and wellness expert, Dr. Taz PHOTO, BY WILLIAM TWITTY PHOTOGRAPHY

Board-certified integrative medicine physician and wellness expert Taz Bhatia, MD puts the spotlight on midlife and menopause in The Hormone Shift . With her latest book, Dr. Taz hopes to empower women with the holistic practices she uses to treat patients at her pioneering practice, CentreSpringMD (centrespringmd.com).“We don’t treat just one symptom or system; we treat the whole person,” says Dr. Taz. The holistic approach to hormone balancing means taking into account nutrition, gut health, detoxification capacity, genetics, emotions, trauma and lifestyle choices as a means to re-regulate and balance hormones.”Her personal journey into holistic and integrative medicine started with hormones. “As I navigated medical school, residency and working, I was not given a lot of options,” explains Dr. Taz. “And that story has played out in practice over the last 15 years at CentreSpringMD, as women of all ages come in and are desperately seeking answers, like me, on a variety of symptoms that are ultimately hormone-based.” According to her, people experience five key hormone shift s throughout their lives, oft en beginning as early as 13. She approaches these stages with her signature East-meets-West approach. “Each of us has a dominant hormone pattern that needs the right plan from a diet, gut, nutrient and mind-body perspective."

PHOTO, COURTESY OF GOOP PRESS

As celebrities ranging from Serena Williams to Drew Barrymore continue to bring attention to menopause and midlife, everyday women refuse to accept previous generations’ silence about these changes.

“There are so many women in their prime wanting to do a lot in life still but are not getting the information they need to feel good and have the energy for their responsibilities,” says Dr. Taz.

They also refuse to accept the old adage that they are getting old and medicine itself is changing, away from a patriarchal model to a more collaborative one.” Her book is helping to drive these critical conversations and empower women to take charge of their health.