If you've tried keto, fasting, or cutting carbs and felt like your body just won't cooperate the way it used to, you're not broken and you're not doing it wrong. You may just be missing the piece that makes it sustainable: flexibility.

In this episode, Dr. Shivani Gupta sits down with returning guest Ben Azadi, FDN-P, New York Times bestselling author of Metabolic Freedom, to talk about his newly revised book, Keto Flex. Ben explains why keto isn't a diet at all, but a metabolic process nearly all of us are born knowing how to use, and why most people, especially in midlife, have simply forgotten how to access it. They dig into why the real question isn't "how do I lose weight," but "how do I lower inflammation and insulin," and why that shift changes everything.

This conversation is for anyone who has felt like a walking science experiment with their own body: trying a plan, watching it work for a while, then hitting a wall with no clear reason why. Ben and Dr. Shivani talk through what makes this approach different for women, especially in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal years, and how to build metabolic flexibility gently instead of forcing it.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why keto is a metabolic process your body already knows, not a diet you have to force

The real question to ask instead of "how do I lose weight": how to lower inflammation and insulin first

The four-pillar framework (adapt, fast, phase, flex) and why the last pillar is where true customization begins

Why fasting is a stress on the body, and how to tell if you're adapting to it or being harmed by it

How anti-nutrients like oxalates, tannins, and phytates can quietly block progress, even in "healthy" keto foods

Why women in perimenopause and postmenopause need a different approach than men, and what to track along the way

RESOURCES MENTIONED
The Inflammation Code (book)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/140199699X?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true
Fusionary Formulas Supplements (use code CODE15 for 15% off your first order)
https://fusionaryformulas.com/?utm_source=Show+Notes&utm_medium=Show+notes+&utm_campaign=Podcast+promo&utm_id=The+Inflammation+Code+Podcast
7-Day Inflammation Detox Challenge
https://www.7dayinflammationdetox.com/
Work with Dr. Shivani — Free Discovery Call
https://shivanigupta.com/

ABOUT BEN AZADI
Ben Azadi is a leading authority on metabolic health and the New York Times bestselling author of Metabolic Freedom. His revised book, Keto Flex, releases July 21, 2026. Learn more and access free bonuses at ketoflexbook.com.

CONNECT WITH BEN AZADI
Website: benazadi.com
Instagram: instagram.com/thebenazadi
YouTube: youtube.com/@KetoKamp

CONNECT WITH DR. SHIVANI
Instagram: @dr.shivanigupta — https://www.instagram.com/dr.shivanigupta/
Website: https://www.shivanigupta.com/

SHARE THIS EPISODE
If you've been feeling stuck in your own metabolism, share this episode with a friend who needs a gentler way in, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps more women find this message. 🌿

You know that feeling when you're at the end of your rope, but you push a little further anyway because you assume there's more fuel left in the tank? In this solo episode, Dr. Shivani breaks down why that instinct, so common in women, is quietly setting the stage for burnout, hair loss, and even autoimmune disease.

Using the story of her friend Rima, whose autoimmune diagnosis showed up right after a devastating divorce, and her client Amy, who lost half her hair with no dermatology treatment able to reverse it, Dr. Shivani explains the Ayurvedic concept of ojas, your body's vital reserve, and why running on empty for years eventually forces the body to shut down non essential systems one by one.

This episode also gets personal. Dr. Shivani shares what happened to her own body after a mold exposure, a book launch, and a TEDx talk collided in the same season, and what her acupuncturist told her that changed how she thinks about resilience.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why women wait until they hit empty to refuel, while men stop at a quarter tank, and what that pattern costs the body over decades
• What happens physiologically when you run on fumes for too long, using the exact mechanics of a car's fuel pump as the analogy
• Why the body deprioritizes hair, skin, gut function, hormones, and libido when it senses depletion, and why that is not random
• The real story behind Rima's autoimmune diagnosis and why it appeared exactly when it did
• Why Amy's hair loss could not be solved with dermatology treatments alone, and what actually needed to happen instead
• What ojas, rasa, and agni mean in Ayurveda, and why they matter more than any supplement or treatment
• Why vata season in midlife requires you to slow down right as your body is asking for more support, not less
• The moment Dr. Shivani's own acupuncturist reframed what resilience actually looks like
• Why rhythm, not more effort, is what rebuilds a depleted system
• The simple, low cost daily practices that begin restoring your reserves without adding anything to your to do list

The Inflammation Code

https://www.amazon.com/dp/140199699X?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true

Use code CODE15 for 15% off your first order

7-Day Inflammation Detox Challenge

https://www.7dayinflammationdetox.com/

Work with Dr. Shivani / Free Discovery Call

https://shivanigupta.com/

Most women have felt it.

You bring your symptoms to a doctor, you leave without real answers, and somewhere between the waiting room and your car, you start wondering if you are the problem.

You are not.

In this episode of The Inflammation Code Podcast, Dr. Shivani Gupta sits down with Meghan Rabbitt, award-winning health journalist and author of The New Rules of Women's Health, written for Maria Shriver's imprint after 100+ interviews with all-female medical experts.

What they unpack together is both sobering and genuinely useful: the systemic research gaps that have left women without answers, and the practical tools to close that gap for yourself right now.

In this episode:

• Why women were not included in NIH-funded clinical trials until 1993 and how that research gap still affects your care today
• Why the 40 to 60 window is the most critical period for preventive health and why most women fall off during exactly this time
• How hot flashes work in the body and why they matter for long-term heart health
• Why two thirds of Alzheimer's patients are women and what brain researchers are uncovering about estrogen and cognitive health
• How pregnancy complications like preeclampsia may be early warning signs for heart disease risk decades later
• The "don't bury the lead" advice that could change how your doctor appointments go
• How to use a lifetime breast cancer risk calculator to advocate for the testing you actually need
• Why getting the care you deserve is, as Meghan puts it, a radical act of self-love

If you've ever been told your symptoms are fine when you knew something was not right, this conversation is for you.

The Inflammation Code

https://www.amazon.com/dp/140199699X?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true

Fusionary Formulas Supplements

Use code CODE15 for 15% off your first order

https://fusionaryformulas.com/?utm_source=Show+Notes&utm_medium=Show+notes+&utm_campaign=Podcast+promo&utm_id=The+Inflammation+Code+Podcast

7-Day Inflammation Detox Challenge

https://www.7dayinflammationdetox.com/

Work with Dr. Shivani / Free Discovery Call

https://shivanigupta.com/

Summer can quietly dismantle the health routine you worked so hard to build. Travel, heat, later nights, celebrations, and disrupted rhythms all ask more of your body than regular life does.

In this solo episode, Dr. Shivani Gupta explains why summer can increase inflammation through the Ayurvedic lens of Pitta season and Vata disruption from travel. She shares the three priorities that help protect your practice through the season: cooling, grounding, and protection.

You’ll also learn Dr. Shivani’s “minimum viable practice,” a simple morning and evening rhythm that keeps your anti-inflammatory routine intact even when your full ritual falls apart.

This episode is not about perfection. It is about protecting what you have been building and investing in the woman you are becoming.

What You’ll Learn

• Why summer is Pitta season and what that means for inflammation, digestion, skin, sleep, and mood
• How travel activates Vata and disrupts your nervous system, gut health, and circadian rhythm
• Why summer can make skin flares, redness, heat rash, and eczema feel worse
• The three Ayurvedic priorities for summer: cooling, grounding, and protection
• The simple cooling foods, herbs, and habits that help balance summer heat
• Why your anti-inflammatory practice matters more in summer, not less
• The minimum viable practice Dr. Shivani uses to stay consistent through travel and disruption
• Why protecting your summer practice is an investment in your future self

The Inflammation Code

https://www.amazon.com/dp/140199699X?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true

Fusionary Formulas Supplements

Use code CODE15 for 15% off your first order

https://fusionaryformulas.com/?utm_source=Show+Notes&utm_medium=Show+notes+&utm_campaign=Podcast+promo&utm_id=The+Inflammation+Code+Podcast

7-Day Inflammation Detox Challenge

https://www.7dayinflammationdetox.com/

Work with Dr. Shivani / Free Discovery Call

https://shivanigupta.com/

Could Hashimoto’s be the missing root cause behind your thyroid symptoms?

If you have been told your thyroid labs are “fine,” or you are taking thyroid medication but still feel exhausted, foggy, inflamed, or not like yourself, this conversation will help you understand what may be happening underneath the surface. Hashimoto’s is not just a thyroid problem. It is an immune system condition that can keep attacking the thyroid when the deeper triggers are never addressed.

Inna Topiler, CNS, MS, is a Certified Nutrition Specialist who has navigated her own Hashimoto’s journey for over 25 years. She is the host of Thyroid Mystery Solved: Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroidism Revealed, and the creator of Thyroid Love, a 26-nutrient supplement formulated specifically for thyroid autoimmunity.

In this conversation with Dr. Shivani Gupta, Inna explains the immune confusion behind Hashimoto’s, why thyroid medication alone does not calm the immune attack, and what it really takes to support thyroid health at the root.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why levothyroxine supports the thyroid but does not address the immune attack causing the damage?
• How to ask for a real full thyroid panel, and why TPO and TG antibodies matter
• The four root cause buckets behind immune confusion: food, infections, toxins, and stress
• Why gluten can trigger an immune attack on the thyroid through molecular mimicry
• The truth about iodine supplementation with Hashimoto's, and why it often makes things worse
• How selenium and inositol support thyroid hormone balance and immune regulation
• Why zinc deficiency can be generational and how high copper compounds the problem
• What a thyroid supplement designed for autoimmunity should and should not include

The Inflammation Code

https://www.amazon.com/dp/140199699X?tag=usalinktagdefault-20&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true

Fusionary Formulas Supplements

Use code CODE15 for 15% off your first order

https://fusionaryformulas.com/?utm_source=Show+Notes&utm_medium=Show+notes+&utm_campaign=Podcast+promo&utm_id=The+Inflammation+Code+Podcast

7-Day Inflammation Detox Challenge

https://www.7dayinflammationdetox.com/

Work with Dr. Shivani / Free Discovery Call

https://shivanigupta.com/

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in the last couple of years, you’ve heard about Ozempic and GLP-1 drugs. You’ve seen the before-and-afters. Maybe a friend asked if you should try it too. And if you’re like most of the women Dr. Shivani works with, you may feel confused. The results look real, but something feels off. Are we treating a symptom? Are we missing something deeper?

In this episode, Dr. Shivani Gupta tells the story of Veronica, a client who came to her terrified after a bad experience with GLP-1 medication, but still wanting to lose weight, reduce inflammation, and feel like herself again.

Through Veronica’s story, Dr. Shivani breaks down what GLP-1 actually is, why so many people have a weakened natural GLP-1 response, and how Ayurveda has been supporting this same pathway through agni, bitter foods, gut health, and daily rhythm.

You’ll learn:

• What GLP-1 actually is and why your body already makes it
• Why GLP-1 drugs work on inflammation, not just appetite
• Why processed food, stress, sleep, and gut imbalance can blunt your natural GLP-1 response
• The Ayurvedic concept of agni and how it connects to GLP-1 biology
• Natural ways to support your body’s GLP-1 pathway using food, herbs, and rhythm
• What GLP-1 drugs may be helpful for, and what Dr. Shivani wants women to understand first
• How Veronica rebuilt her foundation naturally

You've tried supplement after supplement. You followed the trends, bought what the influencers recommended, spent real money on the latest ingredients, and still felt nothing change.

If that sounds familiar, it's not because natural remedies don't work. It's because many of the products built around them were built for the market, not for you.

In this solo episode, Dr. Shivani Gupta draws on her Ph.D. research in turmeric to expose how trend-driven supplement formulation actually works, and why it keeps failing women.

With more than 17,000 peer-reviewed papers on turmeric and curcumin, plus years of firsthand testing of commercial supplements, Dr. Shivani breaks down what happens when a 60-to-90-day launch cycle skips every step that actually matters.

This episode is for any woman who has ever wondered why a supplement she trusted did nothing. You'll leave with a clear lens for evaluating everything in your cabinet and a practical framework for choosing what actually belongs there.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why the 60-to-90-day trend cycle skips dose validation, absorption testing, and ingredient interaction research
• How Dr. Shivani's Ph.D. research revealed that one major brand had 85% of its curcumin completely unavailable for absorption
• The core difference between formulating from market demand and formulating around a specific woman's real needs
• Why peptide protocols, NAD boosters, and mushroom blends often fail to produce noticeable results for patient
• How Ayurvedic synergy — herbs working in combination — accomplishes what no isolated trending ingredient can do alone
• Three diagnostic questions to ask before spending another dollar on any supplement

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
The Inflammation Code (book)
Fusionary Formulas Supplements — use code CODE15 for 15% off your first order https://fusionaryformulas.com/?utm_source=Show+Notes&utm_medium=Show+notes+&utm_campaign=Podcast+promo&utm_id=The+Inflammation+Code+Podcast
7-Day Inflammation Detox Challenge
Work with Dr. Shivani — Free Discovery Call

If you've been eating well, exercising consistently, and still watching your body change in ways that don't make sense, this episode is for you.

Karen Martel is a Certified Hormone Specialist, Certified Thyroid Specialist, and host of the globally ranked Hormone Solution Podcast. She went through early menopause at 42, rebuilt her health twice, and has spent the last decade helping women understand what's really happening during perimenopause, and what to do about it before symptoms steal years of their vitality.

In this candid, science-forward conversation with Dr. Shivani Gupta, Karen breaks down the most common myths around HRT, explains why women are being undertreated, and makes a compelling case for why perimenopause, not menopause, is the critical window for hormonal intervention.

What You'll Learn

• Why testosterone pellets aren't the right starting point for most women, and what to use instead
• How a genetic variation common in women of Asian descent affects testosterone metabolism and can cause unexpected side effects
• The real difference between oral and transdermal progesterone — and why sensitivity to one doesn't mean you can't benefit from the other
• Why most practitioners are wrong to wait until menopause before addressing estrogen
• The glycan age study: women aging 9 to 20 years faster internally during perimenopause without estrogen, and what stopped it
• How cycling progesterone preserves estrogen peaks and supports tumor suppression
• Over-the-counter hormone options, estrogen face cream, progesterone melatonin oil, and vaginal moisturizer, and how women are using them when they can't get prescriptions

Your body isn't failing you. It's asking for something most doctors haven't offered yet. This episode gives you the language, the knowledge, and the options to ask better questions, and get better answers.