Why does one glass of wine leave you with a pounding headache, anxiety at 3 a.m., brain fog, or a racing heart—especially if it never used to?

In this episode, Dr. Emily Wheeler unpacks the functional medicine reasons alcohol can hit differently in your 40s and beyond. You'll learn how your liver, methylation pathways, histamine, hormones, and nutrient status all influence how your body processes alcohol—and why your symptoms may actually be valuable clues about your health.

Inside this episode, you'll discover:

• Why acetaldehyde—not alcohol itself—is responsible for many hangover symptoms
• The two-step detoxification process your liver uses to metabolize alcohol
• How methylation affects your body's ability to process alcohol efficiently
• Why histamine intolerance can trigger flushing, headaches, insomnia, and anxiety after drinking
• The surprising connection between perimenopause, estrogen, and alcohol sensitivity
• The personal California girls' trip experiment that changed how I understood my own body
• Why supporting your body's pathways—not masking symptoms—can make all the difference

Your symptoms aren't random. They're information.

Whether you've noticed your alcohol tolerance changing, wake up feeling awful after one drink, or simply want to understand what your body is trying to tell you, this episode will help you connect the dots through the lens of functional medicine.

Subscribe to Rise Above for practical conversations about functional medicine, hormones, metabolism, detoxification, and women's health—so you can better understand your body and take confident steps toward lasting wellness.

Connect with Dr. Emily Wheeler
🌐 DrEmilyWheeler.com
📸 Instagram: @DrEmilyWheeler

Episode 1: Welcome to Rise Above

Episode Description

Welcome to the very first episode of Rise Above with Dr. Emily Wheeler.

If you've ever felt like your body is changing but nobody can explain why, this podcast is for you.

In this introductory episode, Dr. Emily shares her unique journey from meteorology, aviation, and weather forecasting to functional medicine—and how learning to recognize patterns, anticipate change, and understand complex systems shaped the way she helps women navigate their health today.

You'll learn why she created Rise Above, what the name means, and what you can expect from future episodes as she helps women 40+ understand their bodies, restore their vibrance, and rise above the gaps in healthcare.

In This Episode

✓ Meet Dr. Emily Wheeler

✓ How a degree in meteorology unexpectedly prepared her for functional medicine

✓ Why pattern recognition matters more than symptom chasing

✓ The connection between weather forecasting and health forecasting

✓ Why women often feel dismissed despite "normal" lab work

✓ The mission behind Rise Above

✓ What listeners can expect from future episodes

Key Takeaways

☀️ Your symptoms are information, not inconveniences.

☀️ Health changes rarely happen overnight—there are often early signals long before a crisis develops.

☀️ Understanding your body's patterns can reduce fear and create clarity.

☀️ Functional medicine focuses on understanding the whole system, not just isolated symptoms.

☀️ You deserve explanations, not just test results.

☀️ The goal is not to fear your body's signals, but to learn how to interpret them.

About Dr. Emily Wheeler

Dr. Emily Wheeler is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Functional Medicine Practitioner with nearly two decades of experience helping women understand complex symptoms through a systems-based approach.

Before entering healthcare, she earned a degree in Meteorology with an Aviation Emphasis from the University of Oklahoma and became a licensed private pilot. Today, she combines her background in forecasting, pattern recognition, and systems thinking with functional medicine to help patients gain clarity and confidence in their health journey.

Topics Discussed

• Women's Health
• Perimenopause
• Menopause
• Hormone Health
• Functional Medicine
• Histamine Intolerance
• Fatigue
• Brain Fog
• Gut Health
• Stress & Resilience
• Health Forecasting
• Systems Thinking

Favorite Quote from the Episode

"Your body is always communicating. The goal isn't to fear those signals. The goal is to understand them."

Connect with Dr. Emily

🌐 Website: DrEmilyWheeler.com

📧 Join the Weekly Insights Email

🎙️ Subscribe to Rise Above

📱 Follow on Social Media: @DrEmilyWheeler

Subscribe & Share

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you know a woman who is navigating changing hormones, fatigue, brain fog, or unexplained symptoms, share this episode with her.

Together, we can rise above confusion and create a clearer forecast for our health.

☀️ Your body is always communicating. Let's learn how to listen.