Women’s Brain Health

Women are far more likely than men to suffer from anxiety, depression, migraines, brain injuries, strokes, and even Alzheimer's disease. However, through the lens of women's health, women's brain health rarely gets addressed until symptoms emerge. This course gives women a roadmap to address the unique opportunities to promote protective factors of brain health and address risks of female brain illness. The course also introduces how women's brains age distinctly from men's, primarily due to the decline of a critical brain-protective hormone: estrogen. Throughout the course, students learn about multiple aspects of women's brain health, including depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, migraines, hormonal imbalances, brain fog, memory lapses, and the increased risk of dementia. The course introduces cutting-edge, evidence-based lifestyle approaches to protect the female brain, a self-care routine that includes a brain-healthy diet proven to work for women, stress reduction, physical activity, social wellness, positive psychology, and sleep. The course also examines the controversy about soy and hormonal replacement therapy; the implications of environmental toxins, including skin care, beauty products, anti-aging procedures, cleaning supplies, insecticides, and SPF; and the role of our microbiome. The brain-health implications of puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and perimenopause are still a black box to most doctors, leaving girls and women exasperated as they grapple with symptoms ranging from mood swings and hot flashes, to insomnia, brain fog, and potentially cognitive decline. Through this course, students understand that hormones impact brain health and performance and not just the reproductive systems—it is a neurological hormonal cycle that can be proactively supported through a brain-healthy lifestyle across the lifespan.