By Dr Anastasiia — Skills Beyond Pills

Dear friend, this newsletter is to share my joy and compassion for lifestyle medicine.

For nearly 15 years I have been a doctor, but if I am honest, I feel as though my true medical education has only just begun. Last weekend in Sydney, I graduated as a fully accredited Lifestyle Medicine Doctor. It was emotional, humbling, and deeply affirming. I finally felt like I had found my tribe — health professionals who see medicine the same way I do: not just disease-management, but true health creation.

And now, more than ever, I am hungry for knowledge.
More than ever, I feel a responsibility to guide women — especially those in their mid-30s, 40s, 50s and beyond — through one of the most confusing and poorly supported stages of life: perimenopause and menopause.

So this newsletter is a little different.
It’s not about hormones, sleep, muscle, gut health, or cold water (though I adore all those topics).
It is about why you can trust me as your doctor, your health educator, and your partner in navigating this stage of life.

Every week women sit in front of me and say:

This breaks my heart.

Because on social media, anyone can present themselves as an expert. You rarely know:

As a doctor trained in European medical school, then fully trained through the Australian General Practice system, and now certified in Lifestyle Medicine, I hold myself to a standard that is simple but strict:

If I cannot support it with science, physiology, clinical experience, or outcomes — I will not recommend it.

My passion is women’s hormonal health:

And while prescriptions absolutely have their place, I have learned that:

This is where Lifestyle Medicine becomes transformative.

I often explain it like going to the supermarket to buy pasta.

You walk into the aisle and suddenly you face:
wheat pasta, high-protein pasta, high-fiber pasta, gluten-free pasta, organic pasta, pasta imported from Italy, pasta made in Australia, pasta with a “5-star health rating,” pasta on discount, pasta shaped like corkscrews, bows, noodles…
SO many choices.

That is exactly what it feels like to be a woman in perimenopause today.

Too much information.
Too many options.
Too many opinions… or maybe none at all…
And no clear guidance on what is true and what actually matters for you.

Let me pause here and share something that astonishes many people.

If a 52-year-old man walks into a clinic with erectile difficulties, he has at least 10 treatment options.

Now imagine a 52-year-old woman who says:
“I’ve lost my libido. I don’t feel desire. I do it for my husband, but I feel nothing.”

And she is told by society, and often even by clinicians:

“It’s just your age.”
Or worse — “There is nothing we can do.”

This is devastating.

Because libido has physiology. Hormones matter. Testosterone matters. Emotional connection matters. Nervous system regulation matters. Sexual wellbeing is part of women’s health.

And yes:
Testosterone is legally approved in Australia for women with HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder).
But how many women are ever told this?

Supporting women in their intimate lives is one of the most meaningful parts of my practice. Sexual wellbeing is not a luxury — it is health.

At last weekend’s Lifestyle Medicine conference, I felt deeply connected.
These were health professionals who want to do more than prescribe — they want to:

Lifestyle Medicine is not “alternative.”
It is evidence-based.
It is holistic.
It is proactive.
And it finally fills the gap between what modern medicine offers and what patients actually need.

Lifestyle Medicine has three major components, and this is how I assess my patients:

Your health is shaped by:

These are not “soft factors.”
These are determinants of health.

Research and clinical experience suggest that a large portion of our mental life is repetitive — many of our thoughts reflect patterns, habits, worries or ruminations that loop day after day.
We are creatures of habit:

Behaviour change is neuroscience — not willpower.
Understanding habits is key to healing and necessary change.

These are the foundations I evaluate in every consult:

Whole foods, protein, fibre, fermented foods, metabolic health.

Movement, exercise, reducing sedentary time, building muscle.

Evaluating sleep disorders, insomnia, light exposure.

Resilience, coping strategies, trauma-informed care.

Connection, community, intimacy, meaningful engagement.

Alcohol, smoking, processed foods, workplace toxins, environmental overload.

Time in green and blue spaces, grounding, sunlight, reduced artificial light.

And yes — I felt overwhelmed in Sydney by the noise, traffic, and artificial light.
Did you know that excess urban light exposure correlates with higher cardiovascular disease rates?
Light pollution disrupts sleep and undermines health in invisible ways.

These are the pillars that guide every patient I see.

Because I have dedicated my professional life to understanding not just disease, but health.
Because I continue to study, learn, evolve, and remain humble.
Because I combine the strengths of traditional medicine with the power of lifestyle change.
Because I advocate fiercely for women — especially in the years where they often feel invisible and unheard.
Because I care. Truly.

And because I want to help you feel strong, clear, energised, confident, sexually alive, hormonally balanced, and emotionally connected — at 35, 45, 65, or 95.

Thank you for letting me walk this journey with you.

With warmth,
Dr Anastasiia
Lifestyle Medicine Doctor
Skills Beyond Pills