In Episode 74 of The Holistic Nutritionists Podcast, Natalie Douglas, Kate Callaghan and their guest, Dr. Mariza Snyder (Women’s Hormone Practitioner, Author & Essential Oils Therapist) discuss the benefits of essential oils for hormone balance and increasing your hormone support with essential oils.

• Dr. Mariza’s background and how she came to specialise in women’s hormones
• The biggest contributor to hormone imbalance in women
• One thing women should do that will help with hormone balance, across the board
• Why Dr. Mariza incorporate essential oils into her personal and professional life
• How essential oils help with hormone health
• Top 3 essential oils for hormone health and how to use them
• The essential oils you use for hormone support pre and post hysterectomy  
• Recommendations for women dealing with PCOS
• Endometriosis thoughts
• Ingestion of essential oils 
• Dr. Mariza’s incredible book – The Essential Oils Hormone Solution
• Dr. Mariza’s incredibly upcoming Essential Oil Hormone Summit

Dr. Mariza Snyder
Women’s Hormone Practitioner, Author & Essential Oils Therapist
https://www.drmariza.com/

Intro 0:00  

Hello and welcome to The Holistic Nutritionists Podcast, with your hosts Natalie K. Douglas, Thyroid Healer, and Kate Callaghan, The Holistic Nutritionist. Nat and Kate are degree-qualified dietitians and nutritionists, certified fitness instructors, speakers, and authors. If you love unfiltered banter, unedited bloopers, and authentic heart-sharing, then we are your ladies! Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and get ready for our latest tips on living your healthiest life possible. 

Kate Callaghan 0:33  

Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Holistic Nutritionists Podcast. Today, I have the incredible Dr. Mariza Snyder. Hello, Mariza.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 0:43  

Hello, hello, thank you so much for having me.

Kate Callaghan 0:47  

Thank you so much for joining us. It’s absolutely amazing to have you here. I’ve been following you for a while now on Instagram, and you share so much incredible information, you are adding so much value to so many women’s lives and men as well. 

Dr. Mariza Snyder

That’s so true.

Kate Callaghan 

And I just have to, I have to thank you first and foremost for just giving so much and we’re going to really dive into not just that hormone information that you give to other people but on that greater scale what you’re preparing next week and to give back to women globally. It’s so so important. And we will dive into that a little bit later. But first, I would love to ask you what we ask all of our guests is, what did you have for breakfast today?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 1:31  

Oh, it’s such a great question. You know what? And I am so consistent. Girl, I love me some morning rituals. One of the things I had for breakfast was my matcha latte, which wasn’t, I didn’t eat it, but it was delicious. And then the other thing that I had was my green smoothie. And in the green smoothie, I had greens, I had lots of berries, all different kinds of berries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, I had a really healthy plant-based protein powder. I had a half of an avocado because what’s a smoothie without that? So, that was the book and I honestly, I kind of tried to chew my smoothies but you know, I mostly drink those two. So, lot of drinking my breakfast in the morning. 

Kate Callaghan 

And that makes you feel good?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 

Oh my gosh, I get so fueled up. I love, clearly I love all things green in the morning means my matcha and my green smoothie. Although my green smoothie more looks like mud. It doesn’t necessarily have a green color. It’s more of a brown-like color. Yeah, no, it’s they totally fueled me up. Lots of antioxidants, lots of fiber, lots of healthy fats, lots of lean protein, and the matcha it’s just such a beautiful ritual and it tastes so delicious and it, I always add cinnamon too on the top of my matcha latte and I do a little bit of collagen powder in my matcha latte as well. And then it’s unsweetened organic almond milk that I use and so it’s just all these little things that go into it that make it so special.

Kate Callaghan 3:01  

Amazing. Do you add any sweetener, any natural sweeteners to your matcha?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 3:05  

I do not like sweeteners. I don’t like, I don’t eat a lot of sweet stuff sugar and I don’t get along very well but and I do like sweet things but like, like I’ll indulge and like, you know, an organic, gluten-free dairy-free cupcake which sounds so not sexy. But like for my birthday, you know, so I’d say that I eat sweet things once every two months, quarter. It’s not very often.

Kate Callaghan 3:33  

Yeah. You’re more of savory girl.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 3:36  

I have no. I love, girl. I love me, love sweets. I love sweets. Don’t get it twisted. I just my liver doesn’t. 

Kate Callaghan 

Yeah.

Dr. Mariza Snyder

My liver and my brains like what are you doing to me? And because I do show up so much and I gotta be. Girl, I want that brain to be functioning and working, sugar just if I feel like sugar is like glue in my brain. So, and my brain doesn’t work that well.

Kate Callaghan 4:02  

And I mean, that’s the case for most people as well. We should all be really steering, steering clear of refined sugars as much as possible. Absolutely. So all right, let’s dive into more about you. Can you please tell us a little more about your background and how you came to specialize in women’s hormones?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 4:18  

Absolutely. So I’ll take it, I’ll take it way back. So when I was a little girl, we’re talking about little like a teenager, I knew I wanted to be of service. I wanted to be a practitioner because I dealt with chronic migraines for 15 years of my life starting at the age of seven, and being around 24 give or take. And I missed out on so much as a kid. Those migraines cost me so much. I was literally in a state of chronic pain all the time. I don’t have to pay for my health care. But man, I felt like I paid for it in so many different ways. And I was like, okay, how do I help kids or help people not have to live in that constant state of just misery. And so I knew that I wanted to serve at some level of capacity, was able to get my migraines eradicated after 15 years of being told I’d always have them. Shifted my paradigm around health and wellness and what it really meant to be well, because let me tell you that all the drugs and the etc. migraine that I had in my purse or my backpack wasn’t getting rid of the migraines. I just energy in them that way, and finally got rid of them. Throughout this time, though, as I’m managing that, and I’m going full-tilt because that’s the only way I’ve ever known how to be. I full tilt in myself right into the ground. Like it’s just like a, like a dying tornado. And so, I at that place on the ground, I just got into practice, I was taking care of women and realizing that a lot of women were coming in with symptoms that were really hormone-driven symptoms, they didn’t know it, and I hadn’t really been educated a lot in school about it. Not a lot a lot. And at the same time that was happening. It was happening to me, I was in it. I was living this, these same symptoms. I was living the same signs of what I call hormone felt like, it felt like hormone chaos is what it was. And I, when I went to the doctor, cuz even practitioners need to go to practitioners. We all need a support system and I didn’t necessarily know what was going on with me. So, I didn’t want to self-diagnose. I went to the doctor, we ran labs and sure enough, it’s messy. It’s a messy lab report, things are off. And it really is coinciding with how I feel and she offers me two medications. And I didn’t get to talk about this in my talk because it got crossed out. But one of the medications was birth control and the other one was Xanax. And I looked at this woman, I was like you have got to be kidding me because I already had a massive paradigm shift. I was so over medications. And I knew in my heart and I also knew in the research that this wasn’t the solution. And I was like tell me, this is not what you’re offering women every single day in your practice like this. Lie to me and tell me this is what you what you’re not, this is not what you’re offering. And so, I checked those to the wayside. And I was like, okay, I got to figure this out. I don’t know who’s going to help me on this journey but I know me and I know I’m a bulldog for research. I’m determined. If there’s anything I got inside of me it’s determination. And I’m like, I’m determined to figure this out. And I also at that moment knew that I cannot be the only woman in this place. I knew that there had to be other women and so I decided that this what this had, I just knew that this was my life’s work. I knew that if that no one was going up to bat for women, that I needed to be a part of that solution and not the problem. And I still feel that today, there’s still not enough people going to bat for women. And I feel more convicted than ever to be on this mission.

Kate Callaghan 7:54  

Amazing. And you’re so right. And still today, I have clients all the time who come to me with their hormones messed up, and they’ve been to the doctor. And that’s what they’ve been offered is an antidepressant and the birth control pill. And that’s all that they’ve got.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 8:09  

So, angry. I just and I try not to be fueled by anger. I tried to be fueled by hope and excitement and empowerment and awesomeness. And most of the time I am, but then I get women coming to me every day telling me their stories. And I just want to, I mean, that’s it’s a little, it’s a minor part of what fuels me. But let me tell you those stories, they keep me going every single day like I literally wake up and I’m like, all right, how are we showing up today? How are we putting the information out there? How are we shifting the way women feel about their bodies and what solutions they truly have at their fingertips? And it’s just, it’s a crusade they feel that I’ll never stop doing things.

Kate Callaghan 8:52  

Well, and you’re absolutely sharing it in an incredible way with so many awesome tips and realistic tips that people can apply straight away not crazy out there, unachievable, hard to do tips and suggestions that can be out there by some people, these are very simple to apply recommendations.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 9:13  

Ease and grace, it’s we’re busy enough, taking care of the world, all of us, you know, women, oh, I have so much reverence for women. I’m always so in. I’m such an awe of women every day. And the last thing I want to do is give them something that they can’t you know that just feels like extra, you know? So, that’s always and I’m always thinking, well, if I can do it, and my schedule, I’m not going to pretend like my schedule is always ease and grace. Let’s be real. And if I can do it, I’m like, okay, if this works for me, I am every woman. So, I know it can work for you.

Kate Callaghan 9:53  

Totally, totally. And I think the best way to share is when you go through something yourself. And I was speaking to another friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, and she said a term that I really love, make your mess your message? 

Dr. Mariza Snyder 

Oh, yes. Oh, yes. 

Kate Callaghan

So, powerful because then you have that understanding as well. You have that information, that knowledge that you can share with other people, but you have that understanding of what they’re going through because you’ve been there yourself.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 10:17  

Absolutely. I bet a good friend of mine. She’s known as The Betty Rocker on Instagram. And she talks about being flawsome, and how we all have our flaws, and we embrace them. And they are what make us awesome. So, she calls them to be flawsome. It’s that kind of same concept, right? Like, you just you’re going to gain so much from the messy and all the things that you are and being able to inspire people with that is so powerful.

Kate Callaghan 10:44  

I love that. Flawsome. So, what do you see as the biggest contributor to hormone imbalance in women these days? 

Dr. Mariza Snyder 10:49  

Oh, my gosh. I think the biggest contributor is the inner critic inside of ourselves, the lack of worthiness, I think that’s a big part of what’s driving hormonal imbalance. The second part that’s driving and hormonal imbalance is trying to be all things to everybody all the time, we go into a state of perceived stress many, many, many times throughout the day and not even aware of it. I surely wasn’t aware of how many times I was in a stress state. And that just fuels the fire of what else could be, you know, there could be some, some deep-seated root causes. But that stress is literally just fuel pouring on and that’s the one thing that is happening every day. But luckily, I’d like, it’s the one thing that we can really get a handle on too. So, I would say those are the big ones is stressors, no matter how they come in, oftentimes perceived stress, but physical, chemical, emotional stressors, that just adding up over time to kind of havoc on the way that our hormone pathways are functioning.

Kate Callaghan 11:51  

And what’s it actually doing to our hormones when we’re in this stress state?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 11:55  

Absolutely. We think about insulin deregulation, right? We think about how we can become sensitive to insulin receptor sites on our target cells, which is pretty much every cell in the body when it comes to insulin if we’re over, we’re constantly putting ourselves into a high glucose state inside of our inside of our blood. What’s happening here with stress is in its perceived stress, here’s the thing is our brain hasn’t, isn’t evolving fast enough to catch up with the times. And so, our brain is still very archaic in some ways, especially with the limbic system, that survival system. And here’s the deal. Our number one mode of operation is survival. I mean, at the end of the day, we are we’re animal species, right? We just have a lot of higher cognition but those deep-seated core drivers are the same core drivers as, as a dog or a cat like we literally are, like survival first. And anytime, whether anytime we’re feeling threatened by any way, whether we’re receiving a text message, or we’re getting an email, or somebody just kind of coming at us crazy, we’re going to, our brain re-registers that as a survival state circumstance and we have to, our bodies, our automatic stress mechanisms trigger in, and let’s say, you know, let’s say we do turn on we up regulate the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal access, well, then what happens is that we flood the system with stress hormones, whether it’s adrenaline, epinephrine, cortisol being that long standing, and then those hormones go out and they mediate massive change inside of the bodies on inside of cells, inside of organs, digestion, reproduction, metabolism, your thyroid, and everyone’s got to be is calls, it’s like a call to arms, and we start burning through nutrients, and we start gearing up the body for this moment, and all it was is that your mama just sent you a text message to tell you that your sister over here, you know, and she just gets you involved in some stuff that you didn’t ask for. And, and it’s just this huge thing that has to happen. And your body’s ready to like ready for fighting or fighting and in that requires so much energy. But over time we keep hitting that trigger, we keep pushing in on that perceived stress and keep up regulating those pathways, your body builds in mechanisms, defense mechanisms to protect itself. And by doing that, we shift the way that those pathways respond, we shift the way that receptors respond. And all of a sudden, we start to deregulate a lot of what’s going on inside of the body. And it’s just a way for your body to say, all right, I’m pretty sure this is not the real alarm. But we got to let you know, we got to give everyone some messages here and that begins to deregulate. And a great example of this is what we call the pregnenolone steal. So, let’s say that you are pumping stress hormones, and your body’s like, okay, okay, we gotta go, we gotta go. And your body’s like, oh, my gosh, we’re running out of this stress hormone. How do we make more because what if there’s another perceived stress that happens at eight o’clock tonight, and so your body then starts to steal other reserves. So the pregnenolone steal, pregnenolone is a mama bear precursor hormone that helps to make progesterone and estrogen and we can siphon it off to make more cortisol because again, cortisol is the chief, it’s the chief mode of operation we need for survival. So, we start to steal off our reproductive hormone assembly line in order to make more stress hormones. That’s just one little teeny example of this whole system at play.

Kate Callaghan 15:46  

Thank you for going into detail about that. That was spot on really great description of what’s going on in the body. And I love that you brought that pregnenolone steal because not many people know about that and you just really educated us that to us in an understandable way. So, thank you. So okay, so we’re all stressed in some way or another and I talked to people about it’s not necessarily about eliminating all stressors from your life, that would be very hard to do unless you are kind of lying in the Maldives, very chilled out with no phone.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 16:22  

By the way, we totally, you know, support it if that’s what you wanted to.

Kate Callaghan 16:28  

That’s the end goal.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 16:32  

If that’s where you’re at in your life. Oh, yeah.

Kate Callaghan 16:35  

Yeah. Totally go for it if you can. And so what can we do in our real-world real life, to help with hormone balance, and no matter what we’ve got going on, different women have different things going on, that can be different hormonal imbalances going on. Across the board, what is one thing that all women can do to help with hormone imbalance?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 16:56  

Absolutely. So, the number one thing that we can do with hormone balance is create foundation. That’s going to be number one, you know, because oftentimes, hormone imbalance isn’t the root cause. Your hormones are responding to something else. So, they’re responding to some other kind of root cause whether it’s stress. Stressor is definitely one of them, one of root cause. So, I think it’s having the foundation in place so that you are set up for success, no matter what that root cause may be. So for example, I got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune condition of the thyroid. And it was a devastating diagnosis for me. And I’m not going to go into all the ins and outs of that, but I remember getting it and I felt so much shame because it was around the time that we were gearing up for. We were in the middle of gearing up for the big hormone launch, the book launch. And it was last summer. And I was like, oh my gosh, I can’t even tell anyone. Like I have to hide this. It’s like this dirty little secret I was holding on to, but the first thing I had to ask was like, okay, why? What is going on? What is driving this autoimmune condition that is driving my thyroid to not function properly, right? And that first step, besides, you know, figuring out what it was, was getting foundational, like getting that locked and loaded. So, nutrition was the number one thing I tell people is making sure that you’re bringing in the hormone loving foods, and you’re clearing out the hormone sabotaging foods because that’s not only is designed to help support the liver, the gut, your cellular function, but also to ensure that your hormones have what they need to function. So that’s, that is always foundational, for me, making sure that you’re getting enough, you know, high-quality sleep, and making sure that you’ve got your self-care bookend in the morning and in the evening. And then making sure that you’re filling in those nutrient deficiencies if you have any. So, that foundation, I think is so important for whatever hormonal imbalance is going on because it’s getting deeper into what those roots are, those root causes. And it’s so much easier to actually figure out what the root cause is when you’ve cleared out all the preliminary foundation. So, we were able to figure out the root cause real fast when I was able to clean up a lot of the preliminary work. And I’m still following those protocols today. And I have Hashimoto’s. I’m completely in remission with Hashimoto’s now, but I know for a fact that it was because of the foundation I was able to lay that we were able to, I was able to move myself out of that so quickly.

Kate Callaghan 19:35  

That’s so amazing. And well done for getting yourself out of that. I mean, a lot of people think that they can’t actually put something like Hashimoto’s into remission. So it’s, I think it’s gonna be so inspiring for women to hear that that is actually possible with the lifestyle change and with diet change and having those foundations in place. You mentioned that there are staying away from the hormone-sabotaging foods. Could you tell us some of those hormone-sabotaging foods, please?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 19:59  

Absolutely. Yes, please. I will. So number one, I think that has got to. Honestly, when we, when I was cleaning a lot of it up. It wasn’t just gluten I got rid of, I got rid of all grains. Because I didn’t know necessarily, you know, I had definitely had gut dysbiosis. I had leaky gut. And so for me, eradicating all grains was a big part of it, but it could just be gluten. I just didn’t know what else I could have had a sensitivity to. Next probably the biggest heartbreak of all for me was eggs, eggs had to go from me clearing out. Eggs didn’t have, I mean, eggs have still continued to stay away, I’ve had to get rid of eggs. But sometimes you don’t have to get rid of eggs forever, but at least for like 30 days just to see what’s going on to reset the symptom. So grains, eggs, dairy, sugar, no surprise there. No surprise that sugars gotta go, alcohol and anything driving like any caffeinated drinks, especially coffee, so coffee had to go as well. Those were the big things for in terms of hormone-sabotaging foods that I believe aren’t necessarily serving us or worth getting rid of for a time. And just to see how our bodies respond. Red meat may be the case for some women, depending on the type of meat. And then clearly any processed foods are a big one or two.

Kate Callaghan 21:20  

Great tips. And I mean with the eggs as well. I hate telling people to get rid of eggs. But for some people, it can be a real game-changer. And as you said, it doesn’t necessarily have to be forever. Take it out for at least 30 days, see how you go to set those strong foundations. And I was the same with the grains as well, I had to initially cut out all grains across the board and to help heal my gut. And I had eczema as well, which was probably coming from my leaky gut. And all grains, dairy, all the things had to be eliminated before my skin and gut would heal. Now I can have some gluten-free grains, and like, quinoa, buckwheat. And I’m fine, but not as much as some people probably would. And I think it’s best to yeah, as you said, have that clean slate to start with.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 22:07  

Absolutely. And for some, some people it may even be more extensive. Those are the big ones. It could be nuts and legumes, it could be the nightshades. And it’s really just a matter of figuring out where you’re at. For my autoimmune condition I cut out all of that, it all left. I know it and it’s only there’s a lot left, but there really is. But I even got rid of nuts and legumes and I even got rid of nightshades and I love me some tomatoes. Thank goodness avocados were not on this list or I think I would have had to cut somebody.

Kate Callaghan

Yeah. And it’s worth it.

Dr. Mariza Snyder

Everything else. It was. I mean I got out of, I was in I went into remission. I mean, it was worth it. You know, but those those first first first ones for sure. I think any woman can really be served by and men too, my husband, oh my gosh, he’s on all of the chains. That man is on, all the hormone chains, all the everything chains, all the anti-inflammatory chain, you know, he’s so healthy because of me because I’m on this healing journey, so my husband, mind you, everyone’s always wondering, what about men? What about men? I’m like my husband, all the things you hear me talk about doing? He’s doing them. He’s doing all of them, you know, so just know that they really do serve men too. It’s just a matter of whether your man or your partner is willing to do it with you or not. Hopefully, they are.

Kate Callaghan 23:31  

Just tell them they’ll get man boobs and impotence if they don’t.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 23:37  

Yes.

Kate Callaghan 23:39  

Well, do it. Scare tactics. That’s such a healthy way to work.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 23:47  

Anywhere you fit in, right? Anywhere you fit in.

Kate Callaghan 23:51  

All right, let’s change paths just a little bit. I want to chat to you about essential oils because you work with them so much. Have you always worked with them? What made you want to incorporate them into your personal-professional life?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 24:03  

No, no, it was like this. The best kept secret. You know, I had no idea about essential oils. I mean, I had gone to, you know, get a massage or been to a spa. And they were there and they smell delicious. And I was like oh, these are nice. And it was like just that treat for that moment. And then you’d go back to your normal world. But I, one of the things that happened to me when I was, I had that really severe chronic fatigue about 10 years ago, is that I hadn’t, although I recovered a lot of a lot. I got back to my normality, but the one thing I couldn’t get back on track was my immune system. I was always sick. I was chronically sick colds, flus, strep throat, name it, I was a receptacle for opportunist. And so, I had gotten to a point where I was doing I mean, I was drinking all the nasty t-shirts. I was, I was so, I was doing everything I could and I still couldn’t kick this cold and I was missing out on patient care. So, a good friend of mine who just been introduced to doTERRA for about six months or so, she was using oils on her kids and her family and she had drink the Kool Aid. She was full in. And she basically sent me a bunch of oils because she was like, I’m so sick and tired of you being sick and tired. I think I have something for you. And I was like, bring it give it to me all of it. I don’t care. At this point, I will drink, I will bathe in stuff. I don’t care what it is. So she sent me oils, she sent me like citrus oils and OnGuard and Breathe. And I started using OnGuard all the ways. I mean, I think they use OnGuard in ways that one doesn’t use OnGuard like I just, I was I had no idea what I was doing. And I was drinking it 24/7, and I did not get sick that entire winter and then proceeded to not get sick without I mean, I’m not that I wasn’t trying. I feel like I’m always trying to get sick because of my schedule, and my flights and all this stuff but I did not get sick for three years. 

Kate Callaghan 

Wow. 

Dr. Mariza Snyder 

And yeah, it was I had spoken at 2014 convention. It’s my first convention talk. And I was getting married two weeks after convention. And that in-between that big old talk and my wedding, I kind of crashed and burned a little bit so but I was only sick for a couple of days, I got back on my OnGuard and everything. And I was back to the races. So, that changed everything. I was like what is in these bottles. And sure enough, you know, lo and behold they were antimicrobial, antiviral, antibacterial, I mean, name it, they are anti all the things. And I was looked into the research of OnGuard and saw that what is going down is these oils are going into the cells and stopping the replication of viral DNA into our mRNA. And I was like, what? And it was in dark field microscopy, and I used to be a biochemist, and I used to work in darkfield microscopy. And I was just so nerdy now on all of this. And I thought, oh, my gosh, what else can these oils do? And it was just this natural progression of okay, well, can they serve women? Can they help with hormones? Can they help with all of these ways that we really need to be supported? And lo and behold, they can.

Kate Callaghan 27:05  

Amazing. Now I do want to talk about. Oh, sorry, you go.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 27:08  

Oh, no, I just went full tilt. Like it was you know, like there was talking about your life before oils and your life after oils. That was literally me so.

Kate Callaghan 27:19  

I was also with OnGuard. I was the same. I was given it just before my first daughter was born. I had no idea how to use it and just use it very inappropriately. But she didn’t get sick for the whole first year of her life, which was incredible. 

Dr. Mariza Snyder 

Whoo.

Kate Callaghan

Now, you mentioned something in there, I’m going to kind of skip around a little bit because I know there’s going to be some people freaking out about something you said in there. And somebody over here, down under, in Australia or New Zealand, the whole topic of ingestion of essential oils is really controversial at the moment. I don’t know if it’s still controversial in the States. But it is yeah.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 27:54  

No. We got over it.

Kate Callaghan 27:55  

Yeah. It’s really controversial here at the moment. So, I know you’ve done your studies in Aroma therapy. I know you’ve studied biochemistry, I know you’ve done a whole lot of study. So, can you please, tell us what are your thoughts on ingestion and is it safe? Is it not? What’s the deal?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 28:11  

Absolutely such a great question. I’ve written a bunch of articles on this and one in which was in mindbodygreen website. And I’ve done a lot of research and doTERRA, thankfully have done a lot of research as well. And here’s the deal about essential oils is that it’s all systemic. It’s all systemic. So, if you choose to not use them internally, don’t you worry, girl, they are getting into your system one way or the other. They’re going into the bloodstream, they’re going into yourselves. So, when it comes to internal usage, I think that you know, encapsulating it is definitely one of the best ways to use them. I think it’s always good to be mindful about the power of these oils. I do not pretend like I don’t understand how powerful this plant-based medicine is, it is legit. And so, I think we should always be mindful of any medicine we’re using, whether it is topical or internal. I do think that if putting it into capsules and makes it easier for the digestive system to bring the oils into the system. And the, I know, the one of the biggest concerns is that, you know, with mucosal membranes, maybe it’s causing issues there. I honestly don’t think it’s that much of an issue. I would say the biggest concern I do have with oils internally is really the gut microbiome it’s just ensuring that we are not shifting the gut microbiome in such a way it’s so greatly influenced, it’s even greatly influenced by how mindful we eat our food, like the more mindful that you can be about consuming your food, taking the time, savoring it, and really enjoying all the flavors, that literally shifts the way that your gut absorbs those nutrients. And so, the one thing I would be mindful is just, you know, making sure that we’re helping to protect the microbiome. So, if you are using oils for cold or flu, or you’re using oils to manage a unhappy gut microbiome, that we just be mindful about it. But I think that oils taken internally, if they’re taking in a very conscious way, can really serve I just think, again, you should be very conscious about how you’re doing it. At the time, what I was truly trying to emphasize is I honestly had no idea what I was doing even as a practitioner, because I was just so desperate. And I was just told to do it. I was like, all right, well, I’ll just do the thing they told me to do. And I honestly don’t feel like I’ve had any negative repercussions because of it. Especially then if anything I got, what’s the word? I’m like I was positively reinforced because I was getting such great results by that. So, I don’t, I don’t know. You know, it’s this complexity where I know oils are safe. But we do have to be mindful about just, you know, being intentional about how we’re using them and when we’re using them. And then with internal just to be a little bit mindful about that microbiome is that worth taking care of it and loving up on it.

Kate Callaghan 30:58  

Agreed. Great advice. Thank you for clearing that up. All right, let’s switch back to hormone health. Tell us how can oils help with hormone health?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 31:08  

Absolutely. So, the biggest way, one of the things I always like to emphasize, make it really clear is that oils are not hormones. They’re not hormones, just like nutrition isn’t hormones, either, right? And so, but we use, we can use both of those things, these beautiful plant-based chemistry, whether it’s nutrition in our plant, like plant nutrition, or its oil, oil therapy, whatever it may be. You know, I just have such a reverence for plants too, because there’s, they’re really here on this earth to be medicinal for us. It’s just so incredible that they’re here. But so they can’t, they’re not actually hormones, but they can really help to support and navigate cell to cell communication, hormonal communication, they can help clean up receptor sites, and they can help really mediate what’s going on not only within our neurotransmitters but also within our hormones. How I really love for women to use them is that I want, I would ideally love for women to be using them to punctuate the self-care rituals and the lifestyle rituals that are so critical to our hormone health. That’s how I really love to speak to oils for our hormones is how we’re using them in lifestyle and how we’re implementing them throughout the day to create this beautiful, healthy body.

Kate Callaghan 32:24  

Awesome. And do you have some favorite essential oils for hormone health?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 32:29  

Oh, I have so many. I mean, oh my gosh, like.

Kate Callaghan 

What were your top three? Top three? 

Dr. Mariza Snyder 

Oh, just straight up oils. So, I would say top three that come to my mind. One, Clary Sage. I think Clary Sage is like the Beyoncé of hormone essential oils because it’s, she’s such a beautiful power player. She really wants to keep peace inside of the body. And so I love Clary Sage. The other one I love a lot is Geranium because she’s such a supportive oil, not only for the liver, but for our digestive system, for our skin. There’s just so many ways that Geranium shows up as well and it’s phenomenal. You know, our adrenals don’t need as much help as we think that they need but adrenals thought could use a little love. So, I love Geranium for adrenals as well. And then one of my other favorites which is going to be a surprise maybe it’s going to be Neroli. I love neroli, especially for menopause and perimenopause. It is just such a beautiful oil for mood support, for energy support, and for helping to mediate the transition of those hormones. 

Kate Callaghan 33:29  

I would not have guessed that. Neroli is one of my favorites. I love the smell of it. I love to what it is. One of my non-toxic perfume options. Smells amazing. Geranium, I like, not everyone likes the smell of Geranium but I also think it’s a powerhouse for hormones. And I agree with Clary Sage. How would you use Clary Sage and Geranium to support hormones?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 33:52  

So, I think topical in a blend is so great. And that’s just it. I don’t know how many people love straight on Geranium. It’s whoo, she’s like I came to slay, that’s what geranium is like to me. You know, she’s like, listen, I’m here I’m present. So, Geranium is really it’s, she’s a lot, she’s extra. And you just bring her into other blend that’s how you make geranium work. And that’s why I love my Superwoman blend so much is that there’s a good amount of Geranium in the Superwoman blend, but she’s so beautifully balanced by the other oils in there that she really. She plays nice with other oils. So, that’s the one thing I will say about Geranium. So, I love it topically. That’s how I love to use Clary Sage and Geranium more than anything because topical, there’s something to be said the ritual of applying oils on your skin and applying them in areas that really feel they resonate. They can be over the ovaries, they can be on the ankles, they can be inside the inner arm, they can be on the neck, whatever feels really great for you. Focusing on pulse points that we get them into the system. Those would be my favorite ways to use those oils.

Kate Callaghan 35:00  

Awesome. Thank you and we will link to that Superwoman blend. It’s an awesome blend that we can all start using right away. Where do you apply your Superwoman blend?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 35:09  

Oh my gosh, everywhere. No, I’m just kidding. So, I apply a Superwoman, like I gravitate to wrist and inner arm. I gravitate to neck and kind of like chest. And then, depending on what if I’m needing support, like ovary support, I’ll put it over the ovaries as well, but I know they’re going where they need to go. I really do trust that, that there’s an intuition and I trusted my body, knows there’s an intelligence that our body has that it knows what to do. So, I think that sometimes even just putting it on the inner arm, and on the wrists are such a great place to put it and I love to smell it because it makes me so happy. I am so very much the Pavlov response where like, that oil just puts me into that different zone of genius. Just by smelling that oil. I just I up level in such a really great way. My body just crave the Superwoman blend at this point.

Kate Callaghan 36:07  

That’s awesome. Can’t wait for everyone to start using that one. Now, we got a few questions from my social media community that I’d love you to answer if that’s okay. Now, the first one was, are the essential oils you use for hormone support the same after having a hysterectomy? And she also said her ovaries remain.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 36:27  

Hmm, such a great question. I think it really depends on when the hysterectomy happens. So, there’s a hysterectomy that can happen before menopause. And there’s a hysterectomy, that can happen after menopause. Before menopause, we know that those hormones or reproductive hormones in particular are still at play, right? They’re still, even if they’re transitioning, they’re still there. We aren’t into full and I don’t, I love, I’m going to find different language to prove it. But ovarian, you know, ovarian, decrease in ovarian function. And that’s the thing is that it’s a very natural process to have a decrease in ovarian function, here’s what I think about when it comes to menopause is that you just freed up more energy because it requires so much energy to get ready to potentially have that baby every single month. And now you just freed up all of this energy, your ovaries do not have to be doing all that work anymore. And that’s a really beautiful process. Now, if you have hysterectomy before that, note that, you know, those hormones that should be still doing their thing have been removed and we’ve got to be able to manage that. If it’s post-menopause hysterectomy, most likely those reproductive hormones are pretty on definitely in the menopausal phase, like they’re very, very low. And we’re not necessarily relying on them to do the thing that they were doing every single month when we were still in a reproductive phase. So, I think it depends on where we are in that journey. You know, when it comes to a hysterectomy post menopause, it’s really about managing inflammation and making sure that we’re supporting our overall body, our gut health, our liver health, our brain health. And we’re supporting ourselves on a cellular level, where before a hysterectomy, we do want to make sure that we’re being supported with those hormones. And you have a lot of different options depending on what you decide, whether you’re going to do bioidentical, whether you’re going to do hormones at all, or you’re going to use supplementation potentially like phytoestrogens and oils just to kind of help support the fact that you don’t have those hormones in the system anymore. Like as if you still have your ovaries, you’re still okay. So, I would say depending on where you’re at, so it gets a little bit more complicated in terms of the question. And then, I would still continue to use hormone loving oils throughout my entire life, because I think that those oils, not only are supporting hormones, but there’s so many side benefits. And you know, we have a lot more hormones than just our reproductive hormones that we need to be supported. So I think that using oils, no matter what phase or where you’re at in that journey is going to be important.

Kate Callaghan 39:07  

Awesome. So, there’s none in particular that you would use postmenopause or after hysterectomy postmenopause and before even differentiate?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 39:18  

So, postmenopause, just know that you’re designed to not have. I mean we do have trace amounts and we do still have estrogen that’s being created by the adrenals and we have progesterone that’s created by the adrenals but not in a phase when we’re trying to make babies anymore. So, you can still definitely use the Superwoman blend and Clary Calm, because those are both hormone loving, like oils. But just note that there, it’s not necessarily designed. We’re not really trying to bring back what we’re not supposed to have. Post hysterectomy, my biggest focus would be because here’s the question I have to ask myself is like, why did I? Why was the hysterectomy necessary to begin with? Like, what was the deal? And so often, that’s probably inflammation that’s driving, you know, you think about those root causes. So, that first question would be like, okay, well, why did I have to have a hysterectomy? What’s the root cause that’s driving that and work on helping to figure that out? Whether it’s a gut issue, or it’s a, if it’s some type of latent infection, or if it is stress, or if it’s toxins, like what’s the root cause of that issue, and address that head-on? That would be the biggest thing that I would be focusing on? Kind of like the same thing like, why did I get Hashimoto’s, like I really want to know what that is. And not that I wasn’t putting oils on my thyroid but putting oils on my thyroid wasn’t going to get me to the root cause of why my thyroid wasn’t functioning to begin with. So, that would be the big thing that I would focus on. And yeah, I would still use hormone loving oils but I think the real question needs to be, why was the hysterectomy a situation, like what’s going on in the body?

Kate Callaghan 40:56  

That’s so important, addressing that root cause. Absolutely. And so along similar lines, do you have any particular recommendations for essential oils for someone with polycystic ovarian syndrome or endometriosis?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 41:12  

Absolutely. I have why I’m actually writing a podcast right now for PCOS and oils. And I have an entire podcast episode on endometriosis and oils and talking about how endometriosis is potentially an autoimmune condition. And talking about basically the title was, What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About Endo and How to Treat it Naturally. And so, let me pull, let me just pull, I don’t have these all memorized. I do have a memory, I usually have a pretty great memory but I want to make sure I get these recipes right. So, let’s start with endometriosis. I have several blends in that podcast episode as well and it was Episode 108 on the Essentially You podcast but and so endometriosis discomfort blend. So basically, this blend is designed when you’re dealing with endometriosis pain. Also, the intention of me creating this blend as well was to reduce inflammation, because that’s so much of what’s going on is the immune system is responding to endometrial tissue. So, my endometriosis blend, discomfort blend is going to be a 10 mil roller and it’s going to be seven drops of Frankincense, five drops of Clary Sage, five drops of Cyprus, four drops of Geranium, and three drops of Neroli, and that’s optional. If you don’t have Neroli touch no worries, then just top it off with fractionated coconut oil, or jojoba oil, or whatever oil, carrier oil really works for your body. And you’re applying this to the ab, like lower abdominal area, the pelvic area. That’s going to be my endometriosis discomfort blend. For menstrual cramps and really severe ovarian cysts relief. That’s another 10 mil bottle and it’s going to be eight drops of Clary Sage, six drops of Frankincense, six drops of copaiba, and four to five drops of peppermint, and that’s going to be really just dealing with that pain but also because I love Frankincense, copaiba, and peppermint for as natural analgesics. And then I love Clary Sage as not only a hormone support oil but also to reduce some of that pain that’s coming through especially because it calms down the muscles, it calms down a lot of what’s going on in that area. So, those are big ones. Also, I think that when you’re playing these blends, what I really love is to use them with a castor oil pack and you can get those. I’m pretty sure you can get them anywhere but castor oil really allows. Not only is castor oil anti-inflammatory and its own right as well something to consider but it really allows those oils to be driven into the tissue. So, I find them to be like castor oil packs with these blends to be really really helpful and reducing a lot of the symptoms.

Kate Callaghan 44:01  

Awesome. And with your polycystic ovarian syndrome blend be similar?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 44:05  

It’s a little bit different. Let me just pull it up. I mean the first, the one I just gave you last, for menstrual cramps and ovarian cysts. So, that would definitely be my PCOS blend. And then what I written down because I’m not fully done with my PCOS protocols. I am finishing them up right now. I just had a lot of oils for them. So, like Clary Sage was a huge one. Not only I mean, it’s got so many benefits not only from helping to fight acne, relieving anxiety, and depression, and stress, boosting hair growth. It also helps work towards hormone imbalance and fertility. Geranium, not only to support the adrenals but to balance hormones, alleviate mood, mood support, improve focus. It’s also great for improving fertility and boosting progesterone levels. So, I love geranium. It’s also great for helping to balance out the oils in your skin to fight acne. Ylang Ylang and Jasmine, I think they’re phenomenal for supporting cortisol and supporting emotional well being. And then I had oils like DigestZen, TerraZyme, and PB assist for gut support. Slim & Sassy for blood sugar stabilization. And then my protocol that I had created would include DDR Prime, Lifelong Vitality, Clary Calm balance, and the Phytoestrogen supplements. And this was designed to help the not only the gut and the liver, move through estrogen metabolites, but also to ensure that you are getting enough of the right nutrients and cellular components to ensure that you are supporting yourselves in this process. So, those would be some of my biggest takeaways for PCOS.

Kate Callaghan 45:53  

Oh, my goodness, that was incredible. Thank you. I can really pick your brain all day on all of the wonderful things but we don’t have all day. But you do have an incredible book, The Essential Oils Hormone Solution. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 46:09  

Absolutely. So, the book 10 years in the making for sure. And the number one reason why I wanted to write the book is, I wanted women to really understand what was happening with their hormones. I feel like we don’t know enough about what’s going on with our bodies. And so the first step of this book was really to lay the groundwork for what is going on. And then recommend, you know, what I also find that women aren’t getting the type of testing that they need to really figure out what’s going on. So I, I got very clear on the type of like preliminary hormone testing that we deserve to get that we demand. So, you’ll find that as well in the book, then part two of the book is really getting just kind of tackling some of the biggest hormonal symptoms and providing solutions for every single one of them. From fatigue, to stress, to digestive issues, brain fog, and you name it, low libido, hormonal imbalances, all of that. And then part three of the book is the, is the game plan is the blueprint. Because I remember 10 years ago not having anything to be able to rely on it. I was so desperately just wanted the blueprint I wanted. Someone to just show me how to get started. So, I imagined myself 10 years ago, I even was writing this when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s so I not only imagined myself 10 years ago, but I also put myself in my shoes, like write that in there. And I actually rewrote a big chunk of part three, because I knew so many women were probably like myself, I mean, I probably was sitting with that autoimmune condition and the low thyroid function for a good year and a half, maybe even two years and had no idea. I just kept thinking it was stress. I honestly did. And I thought, oh my gosh, there’s millions of women out there who, who need a blueprint that actually even addresses liver support, brain support, reduces inflammation, and starts to address the hormones. And so when I built this 14-day hormone reset, it was really designed for not only a hormone reset but in inflammation reset, a liver reset, a gut reset, because so much of that would help clear out things that we may not even know we have going on in the body.

Kate Callaghan 48:16  

So, it’s basically a Bible that we all need to have?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 48:18  

Yes. Yes, it is. With blends and everything. I mean, I have to be mindful. I know that we get to have this conversation about endometriosis and PCOS but on written paper I still have to be really careful. So, because I am still a part, I’m still a representation of you know, of doTERRA. And so being really, I couldn’t just put those things in, in the new the next book that I’m going to be talking about, I’m going to, I’m going to do a better job of making sure like that kind of informations in there. I’m just figuring out a way to kind of dance through that. Yeah.

Kate Callaghan 48:56  

That’s a nice way to put it. Yes. Now on your website, over at DrMariza.com, you have so many incredible resources. And I will obviously link to your website for everyone to go and check it out. But you have an awesome event coming up your essential oil hormone summit. Now registrations are going to be opening this week when the podcast airs. Can you please tell us a little bit more about that?

Dr. Mariza Snyder 49:18  

Absolutely. Oh my gosh, I’m so beyond a place excited about this. You know, we did this last year, we did 50,000 women attending. We raised $150,000 for women all over the world for reusable menstrual supplies, hygiene, and reproductive healthcare, education. And we are, we’re just going bigger this year, we have I think about 32 presenters coming on including yourself, my dear, I can’t wait. We are, we get to have your interview in just a moment. But we are covering so much more because I learned so much last year about what you wanted and what you needed. And I made sure to find the people to bring that to you. And that’s what we’re going to be talking about. And so we’re covering menopause. We’re covering perimenopause because let me tell you, those are two different phases. We’re covering fertility, we’re covering your menstrual cycle, we are covering inflammation, we are covering brain fog. We’re covering breast cancer, we’re covering what it looks like to remove toxic breast implants. I mean, name it, emotional well being how to heal from trauma because we’re all dealing with it, we are getting in it. And we’re diving deep, I’ll tell you what, it’s not going to be a very compliant summit. But it’s really going to give you what you need. And that’s how we give you what you need. You know? And so we’re talking about gut health, liver health, I mean, name it, every aspect of women’s health, we’re really going to be covering, we’re talking about relationships and building community and what that looks like and how that fuels our soul. What I mean, we’re just really getting in it. And I’m so excited about this. It goes live, the registration is going to be opening, like you said, when this goes live if this actually the event goes live October 24 to 25th. And it’s free. But if you decide you want to own it, because you were loving everything, or you weren’t able to listen to all of it, know that the money is then going to be beautiful causes like Days for Girls, so that we can help women, we can literally pay it forward to these women who just do not have access to this. So, that they have basic human dignity and basic human rights.

Kate Callaghan 51:23  

I’m so excited about it. And there’s going to be so much incredible information for everyone. And I love, love, love that supporting Days for Girls. That really is a charity that’s close to my heart. And it’s something that we don’t often think about that there’s women in the world who don’t have access to menstrual hygiene products. And the work that Days for Girls are doing is just amazing. Providing these products for these women to as you said, Have that dignity and go about their lives, the things that we take for granted is so powerful. So, thank you for being that life.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 51:52  

Oh my god. Yes. Well, thank you to Days for Girls for doing this good work 130 million girls, 130 million girls. And you know what? This is what I know to be true. I know that by lifting these girls up, we change the world. This is how we change the world because they are the ones who are creating the communities. So, they’re the ones that are creating the societies. They’re the ones who’s nurturing the sons and the husbands. And that’s how we change this world. And that’s why the work is so important.

Kate Callaghan 52:22  

Yeah, amazing. Amazing. Thank you. And we will link to Days for Girls and we will obviously link to the Hormone Summit so people can register for that and help us to raise money for Days for Girls, so important. Dr. Mariza, thank you. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your time, sharing your wisdom, and so much incredible information. And it’s been an absolute honor to have you here.

Dr. Mariza Snyder 52:45  

Oh my God, thank you so much. It’s been such a pleasure. 

Kate Callaghan 52:49  

Thank you so much. I hope you have the most beautiful day and we will chat very soon.

Outro 52:52  

Thanks for tuning in to The Holistic Nutritionists Podcast. Remember, we love to make the show relevant to you. If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to discuss, just submit them to [email protected] and we’ll get them answered for you. Also, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on iTunes and share it with your friend. And if you’re looking for more info about how we can accelerate your journey to your optimal health, you can find me, Nat, over at NatalieKDouglas.com and Kate at TheHolisticNutritionist.com. See you next time!