Conversations with Dr. Victoria Andarcia is a podcast about women's health, hosted by a board-certified physician who treats the gaps most women fall into.
If you've been told your labs are "normal" but you don't feel like yourself, this show is for you. Dr. Victoria Andarcia, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine, a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and a fellow of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. She explains what's actually happening in your body: perimenopause and menopause, hormone therapy, fertility, gut health and more, with evidence first and the whole person in mind.
In solo episodes, she breaks down the questions she hears in her office every week. In interview episodes, she sits down with specialists in pelvic floor therapy, nutrition, psychiatry, fertility, functional neurology and beyond, for honest conversations you won't get in a rushed appointment.
New episodes regularly. Educational content only, not medical advice.
HRT Creams vs. Patches vs. Pellets: Which Hormone Method Is Best?
We should also take the posting days into account. The top two shorts were posted on the weekend, let's track the days and the results over time to see what works best when
Tried hormones and didn't feel better? It might not be the hormones. It might be the method. In this short episode, Dr. Victoria Andarcia breaks down the three most common ways to take HRT and who each one tends to work best for.
- Patches: steady levels, FDA-approved and easy to find, plus why she prefers estrogen through the skin over oral estrogen
- Creams and gels: flexible dosing and easy to combine with testosterone, but absorption varies and you need to avoid skin-to-skin transfer
- Pellets: placed under the skin and released over a few months, so there's nothing to remember. Who they're great for, who should skip them, and the trade-offs.
Just because one method didn't work doesn't mean hormones are out. The best option fits your body, your symptoms and your lifestyle.
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🎧 Enjoying the show? Follow Conversations with Dr. Victoria Andarcia on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating. It helps other women find it.
▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia (https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia)
🔔 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia?sub_confirmation=1)
💌 Newsletter: https://drvictoriaandarcia.riverside.com/ (https://drvictoriaandarcia.riverside.com/)
🩺 Work with Dr. Andarcia at Reveal Vitality (Sarasota, FL): https://revealvitality.com/get-started/ (https://revealvitality.com/get-started/)
📸 Instagram: ＠drvictoriaandarcia
Dr. Victoria Andarcia, MD is a board-certified internal medicine physician and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) practicing integrative medicine in Sarasota, Florida.
This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your own healthcare provider before making changes to your care.
5 Oct 2026
What the Heck Is HRT? Estrogen, Progesterone & Testosterone Explained
"My friends are on HRT. They feel amazing. I want HRT." Dr. Victoria Andarcia hears this all the time, so in this short episode she breaks down what hormone replacement therapy actually is.
- Estrogen: hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sleep, focus and bone protection
- Progesterone: why you need it if you have a uterus, and how it helps with sleep and anxiety
- Testosterone: muscle, bones, energy, mood, brain clarity and drive, plus what early research says about breast health
- Why perimenopause and postmenopause are treated differently
- Why she layers hormones in one at a time
Your friend's HRT plan might not be your HRT plan. Hormones are not one size fits all.
—
🎧 Enjoying the show? Follow Conversations with Dr. Victoria Andarcia on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating. It helps other women find it.
▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia (https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia)
🔔 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia?sub_confirmation=1)
💌 Newsletter: https://drvictoriaandarcia.riverside.com/ (https://drvictoriaandarcia.riverside.com/)
🩺 Work with Dr. Andarcia at Reveal Vitality (Sarasota, FL): https://revealvitality.com/get-started/ (https://revealvitality.com/get-started/)
📸 Instagram: @drvictoriaandarcia
Dr. Victoria Andarcia, MD is a board-certified internal medicine physician and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) practicing integrative medicine in Sarasota, Florida.
This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your own healthcare provider before making changes to your care.
28 Sept 2026
5 Things Doctors Told My Patients That Aren't True (Menopause & HRT)
"That's just part of getting older." Women hear it every week, sometimes from their own doctors.
In this solo episode, Dr. Victoria Andarcia breaks down five things her patients were actually told this month, and what the research shows instead:
- "Vaginal estrogen doesn't do anything": why it does far more than relieve dryness, including helping prevent recurrent UTIs
- "Joint pain is just aging": why it's often hormonal
- "Being tired all the time is normal": how progesterone, estrogen and testosterone affect sleep, energy and motivation
- "Hormones cause cancer": what the Women's Health Initiative actually found, and why the type of hormone matters
- "Weak bones are just aging": bone loss after menopause, strength training, and why she recommends a DEXA scan in perimenopause
Book mentioned: The Menopause Moment by Dr. Kelly Casperson
(00:00) Real things patients heard this month
(01:15) Myth 1: Vaginal estrogen
(05:25) Myth 2: Joint pain
(07:10) Myth 3: Fatigue
(11:10) Myth 4: Hormones and cancer
(17:35) Myth 5: Bone health
(22:05) Recap
—
🎧 Enjoying the show? Follow Conversations with Dr. Victoria Andarcia on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating. It helps other women find it.
▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XWqM6O06Rwo (https://youtu.be/XWqM6O06Rwo)
🔔 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@drvandarcia?sub_confirmation=1)
💌 Newsletter: https://drvictoriaandarcia.riverside.com/ (https://drvictoriaandarcia.riverside.com/)
🩺 Work with Dr. Andarcia at Reveal Vitality (Sarasota, FL): https://revealvitality.com/get-started/ (https://revealvitality.com/get-started/)
📸 Instagram: @drvictoriaandarcia
Dr. Victoria Andarcia, MD is a board-certified internal medicine physician and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) practicing integrative medicine in Sarasota, Florida.
This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk with your own healthcare provider before making changes to your care.
Who has been a guest on Healthful Roots
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Lara Aceyman
Jessica Simone
Alissa
Nicole Lanni
Dr. Laila Contractor
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
2,812
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 40 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
30
Social presence
0
YouTube
74
Engagement
51
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