Dr Lauren Keller, DC

04/20/2026

I need to address something that has been bothering me for a long time.

There is a pervasive narrative online that menopause destroys a woman's ability to build muscle. That estrogen loss is catastrophic for lean mass. That without hormone replacement therapy, postmenopausal women are fighting a losing battle. You have seen it from influencers, from supplement companies, and unfortunately from some clinicians who should know better.

It is wrong. And we now have the data to say so with real confidence.

Isenmann et al. (2026) just published the largest systematic review and meta-analysis ever conducted on resistance training in females across the lifespan. This is not a small study. This is 126 studies and 4,019 women. What did they find? Premenopausal and postmenopausal women gained strength at virtually identical rates. The standardised mean differences were 1.50 and 1.46 respectively, with a p-value of 0.520. Functional mass increased and fat mass decreased in both groups. Menopausal status made no difference to either outcome.

Let me say that again. No difference.

Now, what about hormone therapy? If estrogen were truly essential for maintaining muscle, then replacing it should produce a measurable effect. The Javed et al. meta-analysis looked at exactly this question across 12 randomised controlled trials and 4,474 women. The result? Menopausal hormone therapy added 0.06 kg of lean mass compared to placebo. That is sixty grams. The weight of a single egg. And it was not statistically significant (p = 0.26).

So where does the idea come from that menopause causes muscle loss? It comes from observational studies showing that postmenopausal women have 2.5% to 5.7% less lean mass than premenopausal women. But when you do the arithmetic, normal age-related muscle loss runs at 0.4 to 0.7% per year, and the menopausal transition spans roughly 7 to 10 years. That gives you an expected loss from aging alone of 2.8% to 7.0%, which fully accounts for the observed difference. There is nothing left over to blame on estrogen.

I wrote an editorial on this recently. The conclusion is straightforward. Women lose muscle as they age for the same reason men do. They get older, and they stop training. Blaming estrogen is not just scientifically unsupported, it is actively harmful. It tells women that their situation is hopeless without pharmaceutical intervention. It discourages them from doing the one thing that actually works.

Resistance training is the most effective intervention for maintaining and building muscle at any age. That is not opinion. That is what 126 studies and thousands of women tell us.

If you are postmenopausal and you have been told you cannot build muscle, you were told wrong. Pick up the weights. The evidence is on your side.

References:
Isenmann et al. (2026) J Sci Med Sport: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244026000964
Currier et al. (2026) ACSM Position Stand, MSSE: https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003620
Phillips (2026) Editorial, J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.70248
Javed et al. (2019) JAMA Netw Open: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2749051

04/17/2026

Are you a parent of a Neurodivergent child or teen?

Maybe you feel like you're on your own little island trying to parent your ADHD, autistic, PDA or OCD child.

You've probably heard the words "self care" shouted from the roof tops while you feel youe roof is falling in.

You are not alone.
We see you.

And we can't wait to gather, connect, and share the highs and lows of parenting a Neurodivergent child.

Registration: https://bit.ly/4ciQeo4

04/13/2026

Google analytics is a funny thing...
For instance, I never would have guessed that 1,400 people would not only search for, but click on a blog about q***fing last month. It is a GREAT reminder that if you have va**nal farts, you are definitely not alone. If you're looking for ways to minimize q***fing, this blog is for you. And as always...if you need more support, I'm here.

“Why do I q***f when I work out?” “Why do I q***f after sex?” “Why does my va**na feel like it’s farting?” To Q***f:: to release air that has been trapped in your va**na. The first thing to know is that q***fing on its own does not mean something is wrong! It simply means there was a g...

04/10/2026

Have you ever wondered how acupuncture can help with fertility? This blog takes a look at how acupuncture can support your whole body.

How can acupuncture help with fertility? Can acupuncture help with hormone imbalances? Tell me more about acupuncture…is there a special fertility treatment? Fertility journeys are often full of highs and lows…the emotional rollercoaster of meticulously tracking your cycle, getting excited for o...

04/08/2026

Anyone else LOVE books? Anyone else raising a Neurodivergent child and love books? If so, this one's for you.

Let me know if you have any other favorites I should add! 💗

⭐️⭐️Also, now is a great time to remind everyone that any TX resident can apply for a FREE online library card through the Houston Public Library. If you're looking for an autism related book, the Organization for Autism Research also offers free access to a ton of books on Libby. ⭐️⭐️

Google doc with Neuroaffirming books:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_I8jm7YN9DlDEcZA2gZUfDwUxJekt78PbmCZ1ytsfb4/edit?usp=drivesdk

04/02/2026

This is a HUGE part of what we work with when it comes to potty training, constipation, withholding and encoporesis. It isn't "refusing" or "ignoring" their body as much as it is trying to FEEL safe both physically (sensory and motor) and emotionally.

A brand new study published in Research in Autism explored what's going on underneath demand avoidance in autistic children and teens - more specifically, whether sensory processing and intolerance of uncertainty (not knowing what to expect, not knowing how long something will take, etc) play a role, and whether that looks different depending on the child's profile.

So here's what that all means and what they found.

How they did it:

Parents and caregivers of 795 children total aged 4–17 completed an online questionnaire covering demand avoidance traits, autism traits, anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and sensory processing patterns.

The kids were grouped into three categories: autistic children with a PDA profile (475), autistic children without a PDA profile (171), and neurotypical children (94).

** If you're not familiar with PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance, or as many in the neurodiversity community have reframed it, Persistent Drive for Autonomy) it's a profile within autism where a person experiences intense anxiety and distress in response to everyday demands and expectations. Things like getting dressed, brushing teeth, transitioning between activities, or even things the child genuinely wants to do can feel overwhelming. The avoidance isn't willful defiance or opposition, it's a nervous system response.

What they found:

Across ALL THREE groups, higher levels of anxiety and autism traits = more demand avoidance. That was consistent regardless of group.

Basically, autism traits exist on a continuum in the general population everyone has *some* level of traits that are associated with autism (like preference for routine, sensitivity to change, social communication style). The neurotypical kids in this study aren't autistic, but within that group, the kids who had relatively more of those traits also showed more demand avoidance.

BUT what was happening underneath the avoidance looked DIFFERENT depending on the group.

For autistic children with a PDA profile, "sensory reactivity" (particularly tactile sensitivity and sensory seeking but not only those things) was a unique predictor of demand avoidance, even AFTER accounting for anxiety and autism traits.

That means the sensory experience these children are having appears to be a significant factor in why they avoid certain demands.

But for neurotypical children, intolerance of uncertainty was what predicted demand avoidance. And for autistic children without a PDA profile, neither sensory reactivity nor intolerance of uncertainty added anything beyond anxiety and autism traits alone.

Why this matters:

When an autistic child with a PDA profile is avoiding a demand, their sensory environment may be playing a much bigger role than most people realize.

The researchers suggest that support for these kids should take environmental sensory demands into account - what does the space feel like, what textures or sensations are involved, how much sensory input is happening at once - rather than focusing only on the avoidance itself (which to be fair, is something that should be taken into account for all kids anyways)

However, this reframes demand avoidance as something that can make a lot of sense from the child's perspective. A child pulling away from a task may be communicating something important about what their nervous system is experiencing in that moment.

Understanding that better helps us shift our focus from changing the child's behavior to changing what the environment is asking of their body.

03/17/2026

Next month is Cesarean Awareness Month. When it comes to birth we talk a lot about getting ready for baby...make sure you have all of the essentials. In recent years we've finally started talking about postpartum care. Even though we have made major improvements, we still don't talk about preparing for a cesarean birth nearly enough. We don't talk about making sure Mom has access to a toilet (they could be too high or too low) and a safe place to sleep (hello tall beds that mom can't safely get into). So in preparation for Cesarean Awareness Month I want to step back and help mamas actually prepare their homes and bodies for just that.

This blog is specifically for Moms who are planning a cesarean birth, want to go into labor prepared for all outcomes or moms who are doomscrolling in the hospital after a c-section wondering what to do next. We are looking at support for the first two-ish weeks. Let's walk through how to support yo

03/16/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1PCCHMnPFP/

03/09/2026

Has your little one hit the "why" stage?

I remember when my oldest was in this stage and asked "why" for everything. A stranger stopped us to say how much he loved that I answered ALL of her questions.

The truth is, I'm as much of a why person as she was/is.

We want to know why things work.

We want to know how one change might impact another.

We don't listen when things don't make sense. (Yes, that's a double negative. 🤣)

We only listen when we understand the meaning behind things.

This showed up for my then-3-year-old as "we don't run into parking lots because a driver might not see you and hit you".

As a pelvic floor provider, that shows up as "I don't think a child will stand to p**p for ships and giggles."

I once had a child that would only stand up, leaning over the counter/island to p**p. (First picture)

Their pediatrician said this was a choice...that the child was refusing to use the toilet. And the parents just needed to be more strict.

It led to a power struggle.

It led to constipation and encoporesis (f***l smearing).

It led to more stress rather than less p**p accidents.

Because the child wasn't trying to be defiant...they were trying to p**p in a way that wasn't painful for their body.

During our exam I noticed the child was hypermobile and had a tight pelvic floor.

We started out by doing everything wrong...we didn't follow the textbook and instead followed their body.

We questioned why they would only p**p standing up.

Instead of jumping straight to requiring the child p**p on the toilet, we focused on decreasing the stress and pain around the toilet.

We let them p**p standing up.

And instead of "fixing it" we looked at why they did it.

Once we got them p**ping again, we moved to the toilet. But this time we met their body's needs.

We used a step stool turned sideways to support the hip that needed to be closer to the chest (picture 2).

We had them use their arms to press against their thighs for more support.

We helped them p**p in a way that worked with their body.

And outside of the bathroom we worked to help their hips move easier and we worked to build core strength so they didn't NEED to p**p standing up.

That's why we're different.

We aren't going to accept "because I said so" as a solution.

If you need a provider that will take a deep dive into why you're having bowel issues, I'm here.

-Dr Lauren, chiropractor and p**p detective 💩🤓

03/08/2026

Frozen shoulder.
Hip pain.
TMJ dysfunction.

Do you know what all three of these have in common? They frequently show up during pregnancy or immediate postpartum and perimenopause.

You can't foam roll your way out of pain.

Strength training only helps relieve some of the pain (although it's still very much needed for bone strength).

You follow all of the sleep hygiene protocols and still can't sleep because you can't get comfortable.

That's because the pain isn't just about the hip/shoulder/TMJ structure. Instead, insulin sensitivity, thyroid, estrogen, cortisol/stress hormones) frequently play a role in all of these common pains.

When people say pains require a whole-body approach this is a prime example.

It's about making lifestyle changes to support your body (eating healthy and making sure you're eating enough, strength training, sleep, support regulated blood sugars, managing stress)
AND
taking supplements and/or HRT.

If you need support for your hip or pelvic pain, TMJ, or frozen shoulder, I'm here to help. I'm also here to make sure you have all members of the team you need to thrive.

Most people assume a frozen shoulder comes from “tight muscles” or “wear and tear.” That’s only part of the story.

Emerging evidence shows that frozen shoulder often signals metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, insulin resistance, and tissue remodeling that affect the shoulder capsule itself. In other words, the problem isn’t just mechanical; it reflects how your body’s internal systems are functioning. Next is menopause and the tendon changes that occur from the loss of estrogen. Lastly is the thyroid. People who are hypothyroid also develop a frozen shoulder more often than a normal population.

This explains why some people with a frozen shoulder don’t improve with stretching alone. The joint isn’t “lazy” or “weak.” It’s a tissue responding to systemic stress, and ignoring the metabolic side only prolongs stiffness and pain.

Addressing thyroid levels, seeing a menopause specialist, and managing blood sugar, inflammation, and overall metabolic health, alongside movement and rehabilitation, can accelerate recovery and prevent future episodes in other joints.

03/03/2026

🔥NEW BLOG🔥
Sleepless nights.
Gas that makes your baby wither in pain.
Constant crying (from both you and the baby) that breaks your heart.
Watching your baby in pain, not knowing how you can help.

Having an infant with reflux can be hard and not knowing what your next steps to help them can be even harder. Let's break down the many causes of reflux. Hopefully you can get your little one to a provider who can help both of you take the next steps forward to helping your little one.

Are you looking for Infant reflux treatment in Corpus Christi? The key is to find the root cause of why your baby has reflux and hasn't responded to PPIs.

02/26/2026

Thank you Jacklyn of .path.counseling for introducing me to Saucy Mamas. The pesto mushroom pizza was amazing. 👩‍🍳 💋