The Most Underserved Time In a Woman's Life | Dr. Westgate | TCE Ep2

alex@cascaidhealth.com (Candace Westgate, Alex Galeazzi) — Mon, 4 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Most women have never heard of perimenopause. The ones who have usually don't realize it can begin in their late 30s, years before any change in their menstrual cycle. And the symptoms — sleep disruption, mood swings, weight shifts, brain fog, anxiety — are so wide-ranging that even physicians routinely miss them. In this episode of Cascaid Effects, host Alex Galeazzi sits down with Dr. Candace Westgate, a board-certified OB-GYN, to unpack one of the most misunderstood transitions in a woman's life. They cover: — What perimenopause actually is, and when it really begins — Why women experience three major hormonal transitions in a lifetime, and men experience one — The three earliest symptoms Dr. Westgate sees in her clinic before periods even change — The 2 to 3am awakening, and why it's not just about hot flashes — Hormonal chaos vs. hormonal flatline: the clinical difference between perimenopause and menopause — Why so many women see five, six, even eight specialists before getting the right answer — How a woman's pregnancy and postpartum history predicts her perimenopausal experience — Why Dr. Westgate calls the menstrual cycle a vital sign — Sleep as a superpower, and the difference between sleep quantity and sleep quality — Dr. Westgate's personal story: turning 40, a cancer diagnosis, and what she learned about her own body If you're a woman in your 30s, 40s, or 50s — or you love one — this is the conversation you've been looking for. — 🎙 Subscribe to Cascaid Effects — Cascaid Effects is produced by Cascaid Studios.

Muscle Span: The Longevity Metric You've Never Heard Of | Dr. Matt Jordan

alex@cascaidhealth.com (Dr Matt Jordan, Alex Galeazzi) — Tue, 7 Apr 2026 17:30:00 +0000

In this episode of Cascaid Effects, host Alex Galeazzi sits down with Dr. Matt Jordan,

performance scientist and researcher at the University of Calgary, to introduce a concept

that should be part of every longevity conversation: muscle span.

Dr. Jordan has spent 20+ years working with Olympic and professional athletes. What he's

learned applies directly to how all of us age — and whether we'll be able to live on our

own terms at 80.

TOPICS COVERED

[0:00] Introducing muscle span — why your muscles have a lifespan of their own

[7:59] The social barriers blocking access to resistance training

[11:41] Who should care about muscle health — a breakdown by life stage

[13:56] Early sports specialization and why kids today are weaker than 40 years ago

[19:40] It's never too late: resistance training outcomes in adults aged 94+

[26:18] Dr. Jordan's mother: reversing type 2 diabetes and deadlifting 100lbs in her mid-70s

[33:27] Muscle strength vs. muscle power — and why the difference determines your independence

[44:40] Mechanical biomarkers: what your blood panel can't tell you

[34:29] Lab tour: force plates, the robotic leg press, and the rapid force dynamometer

[56:57] Rapid force capacity — the metric that governs fall recovery and ACL ruptures

[1:01:46] Power across the lifespan: from peak output in your 20s to the threshold for daily living

[1:03:35] Plantiga: turning your gait into a vital sign

[1:07:02] Walking patterns as an early warning for cognitive decline and cardiovascular events

[1:08:41] Gabe Landeskog's comeback — how the lab helped an NHL captain return from injury

Dr. Matt Jordan — Performance Scientist, University of Calgary

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Cascaid Effects is produced by Cascaid Studios.

The Cascaid Effect

The Most Underserved Time In a Woman's Life | Dr. Westgate | TCE Ep2

Muscle Span: The Longevity Metric You've Never Heard Of | Dr. Matt Jordan