Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

What if the painful periods, irregular cycles, unexplained weight gain, acne, and fertility struggles so many women experience aren't something they should simply learn to live with?
Too often, women are told their symptoms are normal, their lab results look fine, or they're just stressed. But conditions like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and endometriosis can go unrecognized for years, leaving women without answers while their symptoms continue to affect their health and quality of life.
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Thais Aliabadi, her patients call her Dr. A, an OB-GYN with decades of experience in women's health, for an eye-opening conversation about two of the most commonly misunderstood conditions affecting women's hormones, metabolism, and reproductive health.
We break down the signs of PCOS and endometriosis, why these conditions are frequently overlooked, and how earlier recognition and individualized treatment can make a meaningful difference.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The warning signs of PCOS, including irregular periods, acne, facial hair, and unexplained weight changes
Why women can have PCOS even if they're lean or don't have ovarian cysts
How insulin resistance, testosterone, and inflammation are connected to PCOS
Why severe menstrual cramps and chronic pelvic pain deserve further investigation for endometriosis
How PCOS and endometriosis can affect ovulation, fertility, and ovarian health
What AMH testing can—and cannot—tell you about ovarian reserve
The roles of birth control, metformin, GLP-1 medications, and lifestyle changes in PCOS management
How endometriosis is evaluated and the treatment options available, from hormonal therapies to surgery
We also explore the connection between hormone health and mental well-being, the challenges women face when seeking a diagnosis, and why listening to patients is one of the most important parts of preventative medicine.
Your symptoms deserve to be taken seriously. Whether you're struggling with painful periods, irregular cycles, infertility, or unexplained hormonal changes, this conversation will help you better understand what may be happening in your body—and what questions to bring to your healthcare provider.
Learn more about Dr. Shah: 
Website: drshah.com
Clinic: next-health.com
Instagram: @darshanshahmd and @extend_podcast
Learn more about Dr. Thais Aliabadi: 
Website: draliabadi.com
Instagram: @drthaisaliabadi
Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Momentous: Head to livemomentous.com and use my code DRSHAH at checkout for up to 35% off.

We spend so much time thinking about exercise, nutrition, and performance—but I believe recovery may be one of the most overlooked pieces of longevity.
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Jason Wersland, chiropractor and founder of Therabody, whose own experience with debilitating pain after a motorcycle accident ultimately led him to invent the Theragun.
But this conversation goes far beyond muscle soreness.
Jason and I explore what recovery actually means, why it isn't just for athletes, and how the way we regulate our nervous system can influence pain, tension, sleep, performance, and how we feel every day. Whether you're training intensely, sitting at a desk for eight hours, standing all day at work, or simply dealing with chronic stress, your body still needs opportunities to recover.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• Why recovery should be part of your daily longevity routine—not just something you do after exercise
• How the "pain gate theory" helps explain why different forms of stimulation can temporarily change how we perceive pain
• Why sitting all day can contribute to hip, lower-back, neck, and shoulder tension
• How percussive therapy can affect pain, muscle tension, range of motion, and blood flow
• Why nervous system regulation matters for recovery and performance
• How shifting into a parasympathetic state may help you wind down before sleep
• Why HRV and heart rate can provide useful feedback about recovery
• How small "recovery snacks" throughout the day can help you take better care of your body
We also discuss massage, breathwork, movement, compression therapy, biofeedback, sleep, and practical ways to build short recovery "pit stops" into even the busiest schedule.
One of my biggest takeaways from this conversation is that recovery is not a luxury reserved for professional athletes. Your body is responding to physical, mental, and emotional stress every day. If we want to perform well—and stay healthy for decades—we have to give it opportunities to recover, too.
Learn more about Dr. Shah: 
Website: drshah.com
Clinic: next-health.com
Instagram: @darshanshahmd and @extend_podcast
Learn more about Dr. Jason Wersland: 
Website: therabody.com
Instagram: @drjasonwersland
Thank You to Our Sponsor:
IM8: Try IM8 with a 30 day money back guarantee. Get 10% off your first order with code DRSHAH at checkout im8health.com/drshah

Hormones influence far more than reproductive health. They affect your sleep, mood, metabolism, muscle, bone health, brain function, stress response, and how you age—yet hormone health is still often reduced to a handful of numbers on a standard blood test.
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Pamela Smith, a physician who has spent decades practicing and teaching personalized medicine, to break down what women and men need to understand about hormone replacement therapy, healthy aging, and disease prevention.
We explore estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, thyroid hormones, insulin, and one hormone many people have never even heard of: pregnenolone. More importantly, we discuss why hormone optimization should never be one-size-fits-all.
Dr. Smith explains why two people of the same age may need completely different approaches, why testing before treatment matters, and how hormones interact with everything from gut health and methylation to toxins, blood sugar, bone health, and cancer risk.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why hormone replacement therapy should be personalized to the individual
The roles of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, thyroid, and pregnenolone
What women should understand about hormones and breast cancer risk
Why hormone metabolites and methylation may matter
How gut health and environmental toxins can influence hormone health
Why fasting insulin can reveal metabolic dysfunction before diabetes develops
How stress and cortisol affect blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and bone health
Why genetic and advanced testing are changing personalized and preventative medicine
We also discuss PCOS, menopause, micronutrients, glutathione, environmental toxins, therapeutic plasma exchange, genetic cancer screening, exercise, and the emerging tools that may help us identify disease risk earlier.
The biggest takeaway from this conversation is simple: optimal health isn't about giving everyone the same protocol. It's about understanding your individual biology, measuring what matters, and intervening before dysfunction becomes disease.
Learn more about Dr. Shah: 
Website: drshah.com
Clinic: next-health.com
Instagram: @darshanshahmd and @extend_podcast
Learn more about Dr. Pamela Smith: 
Website: centerforprecisionmedicine.com
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Next Health: Your destination for cutting-edge health optimization - from IV therapy and peptides to hormone balancing and TPE. Explore more at next-health.com
Timeline: Timeline, powered by Mitopure, just dropped in price! Check it out using the link shop.timeline.com/DRDARSHANSHAH for 20% off when you subscribe!

What if AI could change the way we understand, manage, and optimize our health?
In today's episode, my guest is Rajeev Kapur, a leading AI advisor, educator, speaker, and author who helps non technical leaders understand how to turn artificial intelligence into practical, actionable results.
We dive into AI in healthcare, personalized health, health optimization, and the ideas behind our co authored book, Your New Health OS. We explore how artificial intelligence could help move healthcare beyond simply treating disease and toward a more proactive approach focused on understanding the individual, connecting health information, and optimizing long term health.
In this episode, we learn:
• How AI could transform the future of healthcare
• The difference between disease care and true health optimization
• How AI can empower patients to better understand their own health data
• How artificial intelligence can connect insights across different medical specialties
• How AI could improve communication between doctors and patients
• Why learning how to effectively interact and prompt AI matters
• How AI may influence chronic disease management, drug discovery, and biological research
• What AI could mean for personalized healthcare and medicine
• How artificial intelligence could change the way we think about longevity
• What the concept of longevity escape velocity could mean for the future of human health
Rajeev brings a practical perspective to one of the biggest technological shifts happening in healthcare today. Together, we explore an important idea: AI isn't simply another tool for healthcare professionals. It could fundamentally change how we understand health, make decisions, and take responsibility for our own health journeys.
Listen to this episode for a fascinating conversation about AI in healthcare, personalized medicine, health optimization, and longevity, and discover how your own "Health OS" could change the way you approach your health in the years ahead.
Pre-Order Dr. Shah and Rajeev Kapurs book, Your New Health OS, today at amazon.com/Your-New-Health-OS-Healthier
Learn more about Dr. Shah:
Website: drshah.com
Clinic: next-health.com
Instagram: @extend_podcast and @darshanshahmd
Learn more about Rajeev Kapur:
Website: https://rajeev.ai/
Book: AI Made Simple
Instagram: therajeevkapur
Thank You To Our Sponsor!
Next Health: Your destination for cutting-edge health optimization—from IV therapy to hormone balancing. Explore at next-health.com
Momentous: Head to livemomentous.com and use my code DRSHAH at checkout for up to 35% Off!

What if your gut health is the missing piece behing your hormones, energy, metabolism, and how you feel every day?
Today, I sit down with Dr. Cassie Smith, a double board-certiied endocrinologist and internal medicine physician who has taken a deeper look at the connection between gut health, hormones, thryoid function, metabolism, and overall health.
We talk about why "normal" lab results don't always mean optimal health, how gut health can influence hormone metabolism, the role of stress and inflammation and why understanding your individual biology matters when it comes to feeling your best. 
In this episode, we learn:
The connection between gut health and hormones
Why gut health matters for thyroid and metabolic health
The differnce between "normal" and optimal hormone levels
How stress can affect the gut, hormones, and inflammation
What women should know about hormones during perimenopause and menopause
The role of fiber, nutrition, and daily habits in gut health
How stool testing and the GI Map can provide insight into the microbiome
Simple strategies for supporting gut and hormone health
Dr. Cassie is also the author of Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Hormones, a resource designed to help people better understand the relationship between their gut, hormones and health.
Listen to this episode for an eye-opening conversation about the gut-hormone connection, women's health, and why looking beyond a single lab result may change the way you think about your health. 
Learn more about Dr. Shah: 
Website: drshah.com
Clinic: next-health.com
Instagram: @extend_podcast and @darshanshahmd
Learn more about Dr. Cassie Smith:
Website: modern-endocrine.com
Instagram: @modernendocrine_
Thank You to Our Sponsor! 
IM8: Try IM8 with a 30-day money back guarantee. Get 10% off your first order with code DRSHAH at im8health.com/drshah