Our guest this week is Dr Carys Sonnenberg, a highly qualified and experienced GP and menopause doctor, with a passion for women’s health.Carys qualified as a doctor in 1996 and has been a GP for over 20 years specialising in women’s health and menopause. She runs a women’s health clinic in her NHS practice where she helps patients manage their contraception, PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, and menopause. Carys founded Rowena Health so that she could also provide top-quality care to more women and set up a clinic where she can practice at the highest standard.Last year we met Dr Carys Sonnenberg in Parliament Square at the Menopause Rally and instantly knew we wanted to have a longer Menopause chat for the podcast. Dr Carys wants women to live life to the fullest in menopause and tells us that our metabolic health is not something we can see and it’s not a sexy topic but it is very important for our future health. We find out that there are around 3.5 million women living with a heart or circulatory disease (including heart disease and stroke) in the UK. Heart attacks kill an average of more than 70 women every day and people from some ethnic backgrounds are more prone to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.So what is Metabolic syndrome?Have you ever been told that your body has become resistant to the hormone insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels?Are you concerned about High blood pressure?Has your waistline got bigger in menopause, is it greater than 80cm?Do you have unhealthy levels of blood fats ?These are a collection of ‘health risk factors’, and having three of these might suggest you have metabolic syndrome. Dr Carys explains what Metabolic Syndrome has to do with Menopause, what exactly insulin does and what insulin resistance is and how it affects us, now and longer term health. Plus what we can do about it, Metabolic syndrome is not to be feared but learned from. We also ask Carys about Statins and high cholesterol an more. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss. We continue with our Book Collective, Femina by Janina Ramirez and this week we chat about chapter 5- Polymaths and Scientists. We meet Hildegard a medieval nun who writes about orgasms, advocates for abortion and describes her Visions/menopause migraines? There’s a book heist too - it’s a humdinger of a chapter! One of our lovely collective has sent in a biscuit recipe for our Foodie Collective, Grantham Ginger Bread.Ingredients:100 grs butter or margarine. 350 grs caster sugar. 1 egg, beaten. 250 grs self-raising flour. 5 ml ground ginger.Method:Grease and line 2 baking sheets. Heat oven to 150°. Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg. Sift the ginger and flour into the mix work in with a fork to form a dough. Roll the dough into walnut size balls. Place on the baking sheets apart. Bake for 40-45 minutes. There’s a fantastic quote from Jinty and we meet the vigilante group of women from Enfield North London that are keeping their children safe on the streets. We look at the harmful chemicals in some sunscreens and the Gender Health gap of the week! It’s another episode brimming with chat, your comments, and all the usual shenanigans. So, settle in for this hour(ish) podcast full of meaningful chat. .To watch the full un-edited interview, go to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgmHLcdx28eco-XlkWYwUAOur campaign for a Menopause Clinic in Devon is moving closer but we still need signatures on our petition: https://www.change.org/p/wheresmyclinicOr to send your testimonials please email us: [email protected] finally, if you would like the templates to send to your MP or CCG please visit our website: https://menopauseclinicfordevon.co.uk Dr Carys Sonnenberg:W: https://rowenahealth.co.uk/author/carysadmin01I: @drcaryssonnenbergI: @rowenahealth_menopausecareF: Rowena Health Menopause--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/womenkindcollectivepodcast/message Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we look into drink spiking with the founder of Stamp Out Spiking, Dawn Dines. A 2022 a YouGov poll found that one in nine women and one in 17 men in the UK  have been the victim of drink spiking.Stamp Out Spiking are a charity dedicated to reducing drink spiking incidents in the UK and beyond through campaigning and educational work, along with their anti-drink spiking protective lids, StopTopps. Their vision is to educate people about the dangers of spiking and the fact it's never acceptable. They offer resources and solutions that will help people to stay safe until drink spiking is no more.In our chat with Dawn she tells us how her journey to Stamp out Spiking began in 1989 when she managed to escape a spiking incident by climbing through a bathroom window and how she knows first hand what it feels like to have your drink spiked. Dawn and her team, based in Exeter, Devon are committed to exposing the true extent of this appalling crime and make it clear that it’s utterly unacceptable. Dawn explains to us the dangers of spiking because if we are aware then we are better equipped to prevent spiking incidents from happening.Stamp out spiking is challenging the Police to make victims feel more welcome and remove any perceived barriers to the reporting of spiking incidents and Dawn has been campaigning to make Spiking a crime in itself since 2004(please sign the petition below)Dawn is passionate about empowering young people to keep themselves safe, and explains in this episode what her team does and how they run educational workshops on alcohol & drug awareness, knife crime & anti-social behaviour, cyberbullying and internet safety. She also works with local authorities, supporting children in care and in secure units.We ask Dawn about her drink spiking campaigning locally and around the world, she has a passion for travelling and this has led her see first-hand the effects of Drink Spiking globally.This is a great conversation with an amazing activist and campaigner who won’t stop until she has Stamped Out Spiking for good. In the Book Collective we continue with our book of the series, Femina by Janina Ramirez. This week we discuss chapter 4 Artists and Patrons, we learn the Bayeux Tapestry isn’t perhaps what you think it is……We discuss the nuns that embroidered large penises on the men and horses and learn that Queen Emma was the richest most powerful woman in England. There’s a fantastic quote from Lou and we discuss blood cancers and do you know the symptoms? Plus how a survey has revealed having a thyroid problem can cause low libido.Are you fed up with doing all the cooking in the house? We discuss this and so much more!It’s another episode brimming with chat, your comments, and all the usual shenanigans. So, settle in for this hour(ish) podcast full of meaningful chat. Our campaign for a Menopause Clinic in Devon is moving closer but we still need signatures on our petition: https://www.change.org/p/wheresmyclinicOr to send your testimonials please email us: [email protected] finally, if you would like the templates to send to your MP or CCG please visit our website: https://menopauseclinicfordevon.co.uk Stamp Out Spiking: Website: www.sosglobal.orgPetition to change the law: https://www.change.org/StopSpikingbeinganinvisibleoffenceNational Spiking Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7S27CQH A Victim's JourneyInstagram: @stampoutspikingFacebook: @sosglobal--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/womenkindcollectivepodcast/message Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.