Sandy K Nutrition – Health & Lifestyle Queen

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Vitamin D, sun exposure and the risk nobody talks about.

I’m in the running for the 2026 Top Host competition, and winning would help me bring this show to even more people. It’s free, and you can vote every day: https://tophost.org/2026/sandy-kruse

You’ve been told to avoid the sun from all these influencers. And dermatologists selling you their sunscreen on social media. Or those who are only about skin health and aging skin. Cover up, stay in the shade, sunscreen every single day. But what if hiding from the sun carries a risk of its own, risks that are rarely talked about? 

In this episode I get into the research that rarely makes it into the conversation. A 20-year study of nearly 30,000 women and what it found about the ones who avoided the sun. What sunlight does for your heart that no supplement can. Why the country with the highest skin cancer rates in the world changed its own rules. And whether getting a little colour is really doing the damage you’ve been warned about.

Then I get into vitamin D itself. Why your levels can stay low even when you take it every day. What magnesium really does, and it’s not what you’ve been told. The common medication that may be quietly working against you. How vitamin D connects to autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s and menopause. And the blood test that can tell you you’re fine when you’re not.

No fear tactics. No all or nothing. Just balance.

Support the show

I'm Sandy Kruse, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, credentialed & long-standing host of Sandy K Nutrition Health & Lifestyle Queen, and a solo, independent podcaster who has been doing this passion-over-profit for 6+ years. Mostly me now in 2026, chasing the truth about health and wellness. If this episode gave you something, the most powerful way to support shows like mine is free: hit subscribe and leave a quick review with a few kind words wherever you're listening. Those little reviews are how independent voices actually get found - they help this show reach the next person who needs to hear it. Thank you for being here. Oh, and please share this with a friend.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sandyknutrition/
Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/sandyknutrition
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@sandyknutrition
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIh48ov-SgbSUXsVeLL2qAg
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyknutrition/
Substack:  https://sandykruse.substack.com/
Podcast Website:  https://sandykruse.ca

Send me a text! I'd LOVE to hear your feedback on this episode!

I have a guest today, it's Dr. Scott Sherr. To get in touch with his practitioners, go to https://troscriptions.com/pages/team/dr-scott-sherr?srsltid=AYCX9vIeALJf3WjuftzpourLqe6MALlrNUcPbEZPvtE08DYmkhLa3ZWiW

Vote for me to win Top Host with Ryan Seacrest! https://tophost.org/2026/sandy-kruse

We connect midlife stress, brain fog, and sleep problems to nervous system flexibility and the body’s ability to recover. Dr Scott Sherr explains why chronic sympathetic activation drains mitochondrial energy and how practical tools can help you downshift into real healing. 
• sympathetic versus parasympathetic basics and why modern life keeps stress turned on 
• recovery as the clearest signal of overload after sleep loss, workouts, and hard days 
• HRV as a useful data point when it supports what you already feel 
• mitochondria as the energy link to cognition, mood, and performance in midlife 
• menopause hormone shifts including progesterone effects on GABA and anxiety 
• choosing the right intensity of exercise based on your current reserve 
• meditation and breathwork as skills that get easier once you can access calm 
• GABA system support and why direct GABA can be misleading for some people 
• sleep as a multi system process beyond melatonin alone 
• hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a recovery accelerator when timed appropriately 
Be sure to share it with someone you know might benefit. 

Support the show

I'm Sandy Kruse, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, credentialed & long-standing host of Sandy K Nutrition Health & Lifestyle Queen, and a solo, independent podcaster who has been doing this passion-over-profit for 6+ years. Mostly me now in 2026, chasing the truth about health and wellness. If this episode gave you something, the most powerful way to support shows like mine is free: hit subscribe and leave a quick review with a few kind words wherever you're listening. Those little reviews are how independent voices actually get found - they help this show reach the next person who needs to hear it. Thank you for being here. Oh, and please share this with a friend.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sandyknutrition/
Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/sandyknutrition
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@sandyknutrition
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIh48ov-SgbSUXsVeLL2qAg
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyknutrition/
Substack:  https://sandykruse.substack.com/
Podcast Website:  https://sandykruse.ca

Send me a text! I'd LOVE to hear your feedback on this episode!

Stay-at-home mom or back to work? It’s one of the biggest decisions a woman will ever make, and most of us make it without the full picture.

Does staying home actually help the kids? I break down the biggest studies ever done on this, and the two windows when your presence matters most aren’t the ones you’d expect. I also look at why Gen X latchkey kids, sent outside until the streetlights came on, grew up so resilient, and what that says about parenting today.

Please vote for me to win Top Host with Ryan Seacrest!  It's free to vote & it would mean so much!  https://tophost.org/2026/sandy-kruse

Then the other half nobody talks about: what happens to the woman. How identity slips away so quietly you don’t notice. What it really costs a brilliant woman to step out of her career. How her voice at home can shrink without a word being said. And the woman in every social circle whose status is borrowed, and why she targets women with substance.

For the young mom deciding right now: how to stay home without disappearing, and work you can do from home that keeps you growing.

For women over 50: why your 50s may be your prime, what menopause does to the caretaking drive, and why you are far from done.

Share this with your daughter, your daughter-in-law, and keep it for you.

Support the show

I'm Sandy Kruse, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, credentialed & long-standing host of Sandy K Nutrition Health & Lifestyle Queen, and a solo, independent podcaster who has been doing this passion-over-profit for 6+ years. Mostly me now in 2026, chasing the truth about health and wellness. If this episode gave you something, the most powerful way to support shows like mine is free: hit subscribe and leave a quick review with a few kind words wherever you're listening. Those little reviews are how independent voices actually get found - they help this show reach the next person who needs to hear it. Thank you for being here. Oh, and please share this with a friend.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sandyknutrition/
Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/sandyknutrition
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@sandyknutrition
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIh48ov-SgbSUXsVeLL2qAg
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyknutrition/
Substack:  https://sandykruse.substack.com/
Podcast Website:  https://sandykruse.ca

Send me a text! I'd LOVE to hear your feedback on this episode!

I walk you through how to understand menopause blood work in a way that actually matches your symptoms, especially if you are on HRT or BHRT. I connect the dots between hormones, metabolism, thyroid, iron, and even the deeper “science and soul” layer that labs cannot measure. 

• functional lab ranges versus standard ranges and why “normal” can still feel awful 
• how to time hormone testing and why consistency matters for tracking trends 
• estradiol basics, common target ranges, and signs it is too low or too high 
• compounded Biest ratios, estriol versus estradiol, and why dose changes can hit fast 
• progesterone versus progestin, unopposed estrogen risks, and why ratios matter 
• bleeding after menopause on HRT, what it can mean, and why it must be checked 
• FSH and LH as feedback signals that can reveal whether estrogen is “landing” 
• testosterone, SHBG, free versus total, and how raising estrogen can lower testosterone 
• prolactin as a clue for sore breasts alongside estradiol 
• fasting insulin as an overlooked marker for belly fat and future risk 
• thyroid markers beyond TSH, plus ferritin, iron, and vitamin C links to energy and hair 
• the “soul side” of menopause, including stress, anxiety, trauma, and meaning 
• uterine cancer risk factors, what progesterone protects against, and how to be proactive 
• a practical lab checklist and tracking approach to bring to your practitioner 

And if this show resonates with you, please follow, rate, review, and share it. 

Support the show

I'm Sandy Kruse, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, credentialed & long-standing host of Sandy K Nutrition Health & Lifestyle Queen, and a solo, independent podcaster who has been doing this passion-over-profit for 6+ years. Mostly me now in 2026, chasing the truth about health and wellness. If this episode gave you something, the most powerful way to support shows like mine is free: hit subscribe and leave a quick review with a few kind words wherever you're listening. Those little reviews are how independent voices actually get found - they help this show reach the next person who needs to hear it. Thank you for being here. Oh, and please share this with a friend.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sandyknutrition/
Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/sandyknutrition
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@sandyknutrition
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIh48ov-SgbSUXsVeLL2qAg
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyknutrition/
Substack:  https://sandykruse.substack.com/
Podcast Website:  https://sandykruse.ca

Send me a text! I'd LOVE to hear your feedback on this episode!

I break down how midlife friend groups can quietly pressure you to betray your own marriage, then punish you when you stop playing along. I share the research, the “Iron Gate” mindset, and the practical rules that help us choose peace, privacy, and real loyalty over group approval. 

Vote for me for the next Top Host with Ryan Seacrest!

https://tophost.org/2026/sandy-kruse

• the Iron Gate concept, where access is earned through behaviour not history 
• the fun girl tax, where invites come at the cost of boundaries and self-respect 
• alcohol as social glue and why drinking spreads through networks 
• the boys’ club dynamic and how old loyalty tests show up in public 
• why mixing friends and business can drive wedges into a marriage 
• counter moves and what to expect after you close the gate 
• why women with boundaries get iced out, including black sheep effect and do-gooder derogation 
• silence as a vote during hard seasons and how the body tracks who is safe 
• research on friendship turnover, smaller circles with age, and longevity benefits of strong ties 
• the nervous system cost of frenemies, exclusion, and chronic bracing 
• the marriage and friendship rules I use to protect privacy, health, and connection 

Please follow, rate, review, and share it. 
Share this podcast with one person. 
Go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and rate and review with a few kind words. 
I would greatly appreciate your vote. 
Email me sandy at sandyknutrition.ca 

Support the show

I'm Sandy Kruse, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, credentialed & long-standing host of Sandy K Nutrition Health & Lifestyle Queen, and a solo, independent podcaster who has been doing this passion-over-profit for 6+ years. Mostly me now in 2026, chasing the truth about health and wellness. If this episode gave you something, the most powerful way to support shows like mine is free: hit subscribe and leave a quick review with a few kind words wherever you're listening. Those little reviews are how independent voices actually get found - they help this show reach the next person who needs to hear it. Thank you for being here. Oh, and please share this with a friend.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sandyknutrition/
Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/sandyknutrition
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@sandyknutrition
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIh48ov-SgbSUXsVeLL2qAg
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyknutrition/
Substack:  https://sandykruse.substack.com/
Podcast Website:  https://sandykruse.ca