Check back often for newly added services, programs and talks….
First in the series of Aging Well & You: Why Fermented Foods? Click here to buy the Masterclass recording for $9.99. Bonus questions from the audience, as well as a section on migraines and its interesting connection with oral and gut health. Read 6/29/26 entry below about what further new information I’m adding to the master recording.
Second in the series of Aging Well & You: Peri- and Menopause, Unveiled is coming as an online talk Wednesday, September 30th 7 – 8pm Central time! See 8/31/26 entry below for details. Buy tickets here.
Podcast on migraines is here! Scroll to 8/14/26
Read about the podcast below on 7/30/26
Looking for the first migraine post? Scroll down to 3/28/26.
Looking for the second migraine post? A sample is below at 4/2/26.
The third migraine post is at 7/1/26.
8/31/26
The second in the series of Aging Well & You: Peri- and Menopause, Unveiled, is coming as an online talk Wednesday, September 30th 7 – 8pm Central time! I recently gave a talk to a women’s group about these two stages of a women’s life journey. I had 15 people show up online for my 20 minute presentation, and we ending up having a really great discussion for another 50 minutes. This discussion made me want to expand the talk and hold it for a larger audience.
There are so many mysteries about this time, and women from their 20s to 50s are confused, worried, dreading it, full of questions. Why did the last generation not tell us what we were going to go through? What is it about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and the (flawed) studies that warned women it was dangerous? What hormones do women make and why? What else does estrogen do in the body? What about progesterone? Do women make testosterone? What else can women do to help them ease into this time? How can they help their aging brain? What about their libido, gut health, mood, sleep? How can partners, boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses support during this time?
In this talk I will cover symptoms, common terms, how inflammation pays a part, lifestyle changes that help, what each sex hormone does – including the myriad processes they affect in the body, the hazards of estrogen dominance, the importance of the gut health and supporting the estrobiome, alcohol and other toxins to limit, my personal story and others, during both peri- and menopause, and also the latest research about this time.
8/14/26
Click here to watch the YouTube episode.
Thank you to Melissa King and her Wellness Abundance Podcast. The episode is called “Supporting the Aging Woman’s Brain; Lifestyle Help for Migraines.” I share my personal history with migraines, exploring the complex triggers, hormonal influences and lifestyle changes that can help manage and reduce migraine frequency.
7/30/26
Thanks to Melissa King and her Wellness Abundance Podcast! She is a Master Health Coach, who helps peri-menopausal women with fitness and lifestyle changes in order to lose weight easily. We recorded an episode yesterday (which should be coming out in the next few weeks). She had me on as a guest talking about my journey with migraines (covering a bit on what I’ve written about in my blog and newsletter, as well as new information).
In conjunction with this episode, I’m developing a new program that will specifically support women in peri/menopause, whose migraines are worsening, and who now realize they need some anti-inflammatory lifestyle changes to keep their brain happy and healthy. This program will work alongside their neurologists (it will not replace any prescription medication they are already taking). They will learn about: inflammation and how it affects the brain, lifestyle changes to support healthy aging, the gut, brain (and mouth) axis connection in migraine patients, education about gut health to support brain function, and also the best form of energy for the brain during their peri/menopausal times. This will be a two -three month program and I’m excited to be working on it! And for those of us with migraines, especially as we lose our protective hormones, we know we need as much help as we can get, just getting through the day in a somewhat productive and hopefully clearheaded fashion.
7/1/26
Tonight is another online talk about fermented foods! I think this may be the last one for a while, but hopefully I’ll record it (successfully this time) and if you didn’t get to see it live, there will be a recording you can buy, by the end of the month. Look above for the link to buy it.
In the meantime, I wanted to update about my migraines (part 3). I’d figured some issues out, and was doing pretty well, but started having chronic ones again recently (and no, I have not gone back to the prebiotic chocolate). I seem to have a very low threshold nowadays for getting them. I’ve always had a tendency towards them, but really since peri- and then menopause (with nutty hormone shifts and sudden drops in estrogen), they’ve gotten rapidly worse. And with more pain (before I mostly had silent ones).
I’m ever hopeful I’ll figure them out. After the last month or so, when I had to cancel plans with partners and friends alike, I’ve been working with my sister, and ND. Why is my brain so easily is triggered into a migraine? I can feel my neck stiffening up as a harbinger to an incipient migraine. As it tightens up, there is some kind of metallic sound in the air (not sure how to explain that). Then my eyes get really flashy with the aura (which is saying a lot at I have a lot of flashing lights anyway with the RP. What’s crazy about this is that I don’t have great peripheral vision on a good day because of the type of blindness I have, but yet can get a full-blown headache in minutes if a strong beam of light hits me in the side of the eye. Explain that to me !?!)
But before I get too doom and gloomy, I have been bouncing ideas off my sister, a doctor who also suffers from similar migraines (runs in the family). She’s on a pretty strict keto diet and has taken herself off most supplements for a while. I do take a number of supplements that affect my neurotransmitters, and maybe it’s just been too much for my brain. So I’ve stopped them for a bit (NAC and Stress Factors tp name a couple). I’m only taking ADK, magnesium threonate and progesterone right now. I’ve stopped taking three types of probiotics including a mood one. Instead I’m adding in more fermented foods, which may be more easy (and cheaper) to handle anyway. I do a cranberry extract once in a while, but really cut way back on other supplements. Instead of popping a supplement when I feel badly, I work on adding fermented foods, thinking about my stress and sleep habits, drinking more water with electrolytes. etc.
My keto journey progresses; I’ve gone really low carb in the past week or so (20-50 g/ day) and that seems to be giving my brain a different form of energy – ketones – instead of dirty-burning glucose. It could simply be that my menopausal brain can no longer run on glucose anymore. Per a 2021 study done on peri/menopausal women, research shows that brain is looking for new fuel besides glucose, as it can longer use this source. Estrogen previously used to help metabolize glucose as energy for neurons in the brain. (That is why the brain has the most dense amount of estrogen receptors in the body). Without the glucose energy source, the brain is rewiring and looking for a new fuel source (hence the brain fog, losing words. hot flashes from the hypothalamus). Ketones, a byproduct of fat burning, is the other fuel source the brain can use.
So far my brain has been using ketones well, and no migraines have been triggered from lack of an energy source and inflammation in my brain. I still feel some flashes of a beginning of an aura, a stiff neck (the first sign) but nothing that has turned into a migraine (yay!). I did go away to Pittsburgh to see family, which included a very loud baseball game, flying, a few parties (though no alcohol, a neurotoxin and trigger for migraines) and general stress of families. Nothing too bad happened in my brain, and nothing that debilitated me. For the baseball game I wore my migraine glasses – I live in those – they block light spectrum that triggers the pain receptors in your brain (480-520 nm), ear plugs and a baseball hat and I was good to go.
I’m also doing some red light therapy for my hip pain right now and I’m wondering if it’s helping boost mitochondrial function all over my body, not just in the local area. To be continued….
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6/29/26
Thank you, my wonderful audiences! I’ve been presenting my series, Aging Well & You, focusing on the importance of fermented foods, both in person and online this summer. In order to keep it interesting for both me and my returning audience (you know who you are!), I’ve added a few new topics for both 6/23 and 7/1 talks. A brief mention about the 6/23 talk; it went really well, we had a lively discussion, lots of raised hands and great questions from the audience – love it . The one SNAFU that happened was I i didn’t end up recording this talk.
So I decided to do the talk again, which will happen this Wednesday (ticket link at the top of the page). Besides the basic structure I’ve introduced before in May’s talk, (see blog post of 3/30/26 below), I will also be adding the following new topics for people’s interest:
-Appendectomies and what happens to the gut afterwards,
-A new run-down of foods we’re tasting, highlighting a specific bacteria in one of the foods and it’s role in helping to remove microplastics in the gut,
-More details about histamine response and the gut,
-A new study about weightlifters and muscle development,
-How the brain creates an energy shift in menopause, and why women have brain fog, memory loss and hot flashes (hint, your system isn’t failing),
-Your gut/brain axis, skin/brain axis and other axes that have a bidirectional communication with the gut.
As you can read, I go into many different topics. They all help you learn about the importance of fermented foods as you age, and what practical tips you can do every day right now to help your body.
Reviews from 6/23 talk:
“I learned so much that I can apply right away! When is your next webinar?” – Melissa K
“The expanded thinking around the microbiome was most enjoyable for me! The other axes; the mouth, the skin, were (ones) I hadn’t heard of before.” – Jessica W
Click to buy the recording.
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5/12/26 – Fermented Foods Workshop @Eco Cafe in Ravenswood neighborhood, Chicago
We sold 19 out of 20 tickets and about 16 people showed up. While there were a few technical difficulties (when are there not?), the audience seemed rapt and I got some very positive feedback afterwards. I think many people are diligently eating their fermented food every day, as they understand how much it helps them today and into the future.
Some responses were,
“It was a great experience. You were very informative and I loved the intimate setting.”
“Great information! I will now go back to (Eco Cafe) with a jar and get their sauerkraut.”
“I really enjoyed the talk! I didn’t realize that tempeh is a fermented food.”
“I learned a lot! I’ve been adding fermented foods almost everyday since.”
“I was particularly impressed by your talk about oral health and its strong impact on overall health, especially as we age. Wow!”
There will be another talk at Eco Cafe in July (exact date TBD) about fermented foods. I’m also going to have an online talk on Tuesday, 6/23 from 7:00pm – 8:15pm for those who aren’t in the area. Prices will be less than $20. Ticket link. If you can’t attend at that time but are still interested, ticket holders will be sent a link to watch the recording.
For an outline of what will be covered, scroll to 3/30/26.
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5/11/26
It’s the eve of my first Aging Well & You series; Why Fermented Foods? The power point is done, I’ve fully rehearsed it twice (thanks, Beth, for you helpful pointers), so am feeling pretty good. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets – we’re close to being sold out! it’s exciting. See you lovely folks tomorrow.
And I’m having another talk in June, but the date is being changed. I should have a new date this Friday. [Note, I don’t have one yet but hope to be doing a workshop in person sometimes in Jully.]
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4/2/26
Migraine Stories: Part 2 (Sample)
(Part 1 synopsis: In the last episode, our heroine has discovered the root cause – or at least a running theory – of her unrelenting migraines. She is now planning her attack to safely kill off the pathogenic bacteria now reproducing in her gut and brain. )
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Back at the coffee shop, while doing research into what bacteria Choc Zero fiber fed, I was also waiting for a friend to drop by. As soon as I realized that I’d been feeding the bad guys, and my brain health was progressively deteriorating, I decided to go to the a local pharmacy. There I would buy Florastor aka S. Boulardii, a really great probiotic.
My friend, L, showed up just as I was leaving, and I told her probably rather incomprehensibly what was happening. I was torn; should I go to the store immediately, or wait ’til after we hung out? I couldn’t stop thinking of all the pathogenic bacteria reproducing exponentially in my gut and brain, as the pain and fog got worse. Each hour waiting could be closer to the tipping point of the bad guys vs good guys in my gut, brain, eyes, etc. Possibly to the point where I couldn’t be able to easily reverse this balance.
Along with eating a prebiotic fiber that fed pathogenic bacteria, I had recently run out of some key targeted probiotics that I usually take. Besides the the Florastor, the other probiotics were for women’s health, but they work in the rest of the gut as well. They do more great things than even has space on the supplement bottle. So besides feeding the bad guys consistently with this fiber, I had also taken away billions of good guys, who actually suppress and keep the bad guys manageable. (This characteristic is called bacteriocin, and tends to be in Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. Not accidentally the majority of probiotics on the market contain these two important genus).
So off to the pharmacy I went…
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3/31/26
Here are two programs that my Aging Well & You series talks are based on; 28 Day Reset + Gut Health Program and 30 Day Gut Health Deeper Dive (Click on the Other Programs button for the latter),
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3/30/26
Did you know that fermented food helps with gut health and restores good bacteria? It is crucial to thriving in our modern world, especially as we age. Yet many people don’t eat it regularly, per a 2021 Stanford study.
I will be giving two IRL workshops on Tuesday, May 12 from 7-8:30pm , and a Saturday in July from 8:15am – 9:45am at the Eco Café , 4754 N Rockwell in Chicago. Buy tickets for May 12th online.
The online talk will be on 6/23 from 7-8:15, and tickets will be available soon.
This is part of my series Aging Well & You series, called Why Fermented Foods? This workshop is based upon two programs I offer – My 28 day reset + gut health program, and my 30 day gut health program (click on other programs button for the latter.)
In this workshop, Aging Well & You: Why Fermented Foods, you will learn the importance of fermented foods in modern human health, especially in the aging process. There will be a tasting (optional), and in-depth discussion of what the benefits are of these powerful foods. This workshop will contain a basic overview of gut health terms. What fermented foods are, what are the benefits, along with an optional tasting. The workshop will then go into why these foods are a crucial part of supporting a healthy gut microbiome, and overall human health, especially as we age. There will be practical suggestions of day to day easy things to do, to prepare your body for aging well.
Outline of the Aging Well & You Series; Why Fermented Foods?
-Overview of gut health terms
-Overview of fermented foods and its health benefits
-Fermented foods in store optional tasting
-Aging concerns in this toxic modern world and the importance of a healthy gut.
-Easy takeaway ideas for day to day things to do to incorporate these foods into your life
(Disclaimer: I am a Certified Master Health Coach, not a doctor. This workshop is for informational purposes only and not to be construed as medical advice or diagnosis. Consult you doctor for any medical advice.)
3/28/26
Do you have a tendency towards Migraines? (Part 1)
Be careful of the fiber food scientists have extracted and put in food. Not all fiber is created equal – read your ingredient labels carefully.
A Cautionary Tale:
As friends and family know about me, I’ve been struggling with some really horrible migraines these past few months. I left a Christmas party early, couldn’t go to a galentine’s day event, as well as canceled many other fun social activities. It’s also been really hard to work when my brain is constantly hurting.
When I did show up to places, I couldn’t sit facing any outside light, had to wear a baseball hat (I even did so at home) and sunglasses, as any little light trigger could spark a debilitating migraine. I especially had to be careful of any peripheral light coming in at a side angle into my eyes, as that would immediately trigger pain and nausea really intensely. My photophobia (light sensitivity) has been ridiculous recently as well, and I’ve had a hard time going into any place with strong LED lights (think supermarkets and pharmacies).
As a health coach, I’m constantly learning, studying, figuring out body systems (and how they talk to each other) and diving into root causes. I was determined to figure out why these migraines were so bad and why they seemed to be worsening. Health Coach, heal thyself 🙂
Some health factors I’ve looked into:
*Genetics? Yes, I have migraines in my family, but generally had silent ones -no pain – over the years. I’ve had migraines since I was a teenager.
*Head trauma? I did have a bad concussion in my twenties but why take 30 years to make the migraines so bad? It doesn’t really make sense.
*Hormone fluctuations? Yes, definitely in my menopausal years migraines have gotten worse, more painful and more debilitating , but upping both estrogen and progesterone per my doctor’s recommendation did not seem to change anything significantly. Plus the timeline doesn’t make much sense to me.
*Inflammation? I try to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and diet (and all my programs are based on this approach) but have been having some gut issues recently, plus some cuts that aren’t really healing, fighting off an infection, sneezing, some asthma; minor cues in my body that shows something is off. And the migraine is a strong sign of neuroinflammation. But what’s the root cause? Something to look deeper into.
So what has changed in my lifestyle, in my diet, in my life overall in the past few months? Well, after having a few more sweet treats than normal around Christmas (it happens), I’ve been trying to cut down on sugar, mostly expressed in the form of chocolate. I’ve been exchanging the high quality milk and dark chocolate that I usually eat with a sugar free keto chocolate. This chocolate I’ve been steadily upping since Christmas to calm down the dopamine response that I was getting with regular chocolate that contained sugar.
I remember being introduced to this chocolate about a year or so ago and seeing that it had resistant starch. Cool, I’ve studied that – for my Gut Microbiome certificate – and it’s a type of carb that our small intestines don’t readily absorb. Instead, it travels to the colon where it feeds the good bacteria. This carb/starch/fiber is very important for human health, to keep the good guys happy and fermenting short chain fatty acids like butyrate. Studies show we need about 20 grams a day, so I prioritize eating that, through a combination of whole foods, and powders or sodas.
But I digress….
This resistant starch was something new for me, something I hadn’t studied. It wasn’t inulin or chicory root, FOS or Jerusalem artichoke. I did some research into this resistant dextrin, aka soluble corn fiber, when I first started eating it. I realized it maybe was feeding some bacteria that wasn’t great for my retinitis pigmentosa (degenerative eye disease I’ve been managing half my life). A mouse study showed an overgrowth in the Bacteroides Caecimuris species in the gut, a pathogenic species. This overgrowth was was directly linked to worsening degeneration of the disease, through the gut/eye axis. After I realized this, I slowed down on the chocolate for a while, then promptly forgot about my findings.
Skip forward a few years ahead: as I was reviewing this idea about maybe the resistant destrin wasn’t great for my health, I thought, let’s look into what bacteria this resistant starch is actually feeding. Good guys? Bad guys?
The first AI google dive was about how it feeds commensal (good) bacteria. And I thought ok. (The screen shot is not uploading – hmm).
Well, I’ll quote, then. Thanks, Google, for covering your butt.
“Positive Gut-Brain Signaling: Consumption of SCF (soluble corn fiber aka resistant dextrin) has been linked to increased levels of Parabacteroides, a bacteria associated with improved gut barrier function, which may reduce systemic inflammatory responses.”
But, as mentioned, I’ve studied the gut microbiome, and Parabacteroides triggered something in my brain – wait, is this a good guy?
Digging deeper –
“Studies indicate that SCF specifically increases the abundance of Parabacteroides and Bacteroides, which is shown to increase calcium absorption.”
Ok, now I’m not buying it, food scientists, as I know Bacteroides can be a pathogenic bacteria.
Digging deeper into actual sited studies –
“Research suggests a significant link between the gut bacterium Parabacteroides and migraines, with studies indicating that an elevated abundance of this genus associated with a higher risk of developing migraines.
“Positive association with migraine risk: Mendelian randomization studies have identified a statistically significant causal link. “
It goes on to say that migraine sufferers have a higher level of abundance of Para- in the gut microbiome compared to the health subjects in this study.
“Parabacteroides is a gram negative anaerobic bacterium (basically the worst of the worst in pathogens) that contributes to neuro-inflammation, a key component in migraine pathophysiology…”
And it’s P. Merdae that has been specifically shown as being an overgrowth in migraine sufferers, as well as pathogenic Bacteroides species. I have been feeding and letting them overproduce for months. No wonder I’ve had the worst migraines of my life. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12758293/
After reeling from the news that I’ve been feeding the really bad guys that directly cause neuroinflammation and trigger migraines, I masochistically look further into the Bacteroides family.
“Soluble Corn Fiber generally increases the Bacteroides Fragilis group…”
Oh no, B. Fragilis? This is one I’ve studied in my gut course as being a terrible, opportunistic, antibiotic-resistant pathogen. It’s found in hospitals and can lead to bloodstream infections.
What do I do now?
To be continued….
3/1/26
New functional lab consultations available now!
Had labs done, they came back normal, but you still feel off?
Confused about what labs are important on your path to aging well?
I’m happy to give you guidance and direct you to the most cost effective labs. These consultation usually range from one to three calls.
2/28/26
Coming Soon:
Announcing Aging Well & You series talk and SymptoCoach health assessment report coming soon…
Aging Well & You local talk around town:
Stay tuned for an announcement of my series Aging Well & You talks around town (first one is 5/12 called Why Fermented Foods? click here for tickets.
This talk is about the importance of fermented food and aging well, one of the four Rs (Restore) in my gut health program.
I’ll cover why fermented foods are so beneficial, especially those who are ages 40+.
Do this one thing: next time you drink a kefir, kombucha, prebiotic soday etc, look to see if there are any healthy bacteria listed on the bottle (ex. L. Cremoris). I did a quick google search on some the other day, and here are some of their health benefits (besides overall gut health):
-actively kill bad bacterial like E.Coli or C.Diff,
-improve lactose tolerance,
-heal dermatitis,
-help modulate blood sugar
– improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients,
-suppress tumors,
-lower overall triglycerides,
-reduce anxiety,
-remove heavy metals in fish,
-improve sleep quality,
-prevent bone loss, accelerate healing,
-provoke oxytocin production,
-improve libido, testosterone, collagen levels.
I’ll be explaining the importance of having a diverse microbiome, a brief overview of terms important to gut health, what are good fermented foods to eat and suggestions of how much to eat. (Scroll up to blog post 3/29/26 for more details).
Stay tuned for dates and locations!
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SymptoCoach: a new Health Assessment, based on your reported symptoms, is coming to you mid-late April.
Symptoms are your body’s way of communicating with you. Energy, digestion, sleep, cravings, mood; they’re not random. They tell a story about how your body is responding to your diet, lifestyle, stress, sleep and environment.
I start by listening to these symptoms. This assessment isn’t a medical test, nor a diagnosis; it’s a structured way for you to tell me what your body has been experiencing lately. I can then meet you exactly where you are.
This detailed report will help us map the road to wellness together.
Keep watching this blog and IG posts (@hannahmachealth). I’ll be launching this offer with special pricing mid-late April.
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Sugar reset program: A specific 14 day program for the newly sober. Many newly sober people report very strong sugar cravings and some weight gain once they stop drinking. Besides dopamine cravings being strong in the newly sober brain – alcohol had hijacked this neurotransmitter while you were drinking – there are many other brain chemicals in play. Learn about these, as well as practical steps every day to calm these cravings and get you on the path to health,