Ep. 300 Women’s Hormonal Health Through Ayurveda and Modern Medicine | Dr. Sheila Patel

What changes when we listen to women’s hormonal health through more than one lens?

In this episode of *Buddhist Biohacker*, host Lisa M. Gunshore (Sundara Rishika Devi) welcomes Dr. Sheila Patel for a conversation about menstrual health, perimenopause, menopause, and the years beyond. Together, they explore how Ayurveda and modern medicine can inform one another, why symptoms deserve to be understood in the context of a whole life, and how food, movement, sleep, stress support, and mind-body practices can become meaningful parts of daily care.

Lisa also brings her experience in Ayurveda health coaching and functional testing to the conversation, including the question of when hormone testing offers useful insight and how to turn information into sustainable practice.

About Dr. Sheila Patel

Dr. Sheila Patel is a board-certified family physician and Ayurvedic health educator with more than 30 years of experience in primary care. She serves as Chief Medical Officer and faculty at The Gaja Collective, where she teaches Ayurveda and helps students apply its principles in contemporary life. She also maintains a family medicine practice and offers Ayurvedic lifestyle consultations.

Dr. Patel’s work brings together modern medicine, Ayurveda, meditation, and yoga. She previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Chopra Global and Medical Director of the Mind-Body Medical Group in Carlsbad, California. She is a volunteer clinical instructor in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and has taught clinicians, students, and wellness practitioners in a range of settings. She has participated in research on meditation and Ayurvedic practices and is a co-author of *Awakened Sleep*.

Learn more about Dr. Patel: https://www.drsheilapatel.com/aboutdr...

Continue learning with Dr. Patel

Dr. Patel’s Ayurvedic Women’s Health Mentorship begins October 10, 2026. This four-session, live small-group program explores hormones and healthy menstrual cycles, perimenopause, and menopause through Ayurvedic and medical perspectives. Participants can ask questions and explore practical approaches involving food, movement, herbs, and mind-body practices. Recordings and learning resources are included.

Mentorship details and enrollment: https://www.thegajacollective.com/cou...

A free resource from Lisa

If you are navigating this transition yourself, download Lisa’s free Perimenopause Roadmap At-a-Glance as a starting point for reflection and further conversation about the support you need:

https://buddhistbiohacker.com/officia...

Explore Lisa’s Ayurveda health coaching and functional testing work:

https://buddhistbiohacker.com/work-wi...

About Buddhist Biohacker

Buddhist Biohacker is a podcast about what happens when spiritual insight becomes embodied practice. Hosted by author, teacher, and mystic Lisa M. Gunshore, also known as Sundara Rishika Devi, the show explores the meeting place between ancient wisdom and modern life. Through conversations with teachers, artists, healers, scholars, and spiritual innovators, it asks how what we have lived can become material for awareness, healing, and creative transformation.

Discover more: https://buddhistbiohacker.com

Get her book Awakened Sleep on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/153876931X