Integrative Women's Health Podcast

“Until we address our entire environment and culture, I think we're going to keep seeing complex chronic illnesses on the rise.” - Shefaly Ravula Overall health begins in the gut, and many of our clients dealing with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain also struggle with gut health challenges that can significantly impact their quality of life. Optimizing their gut health requires us to expand o...

“About 24% of the population has susceptible genetics for chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS).” - Jenny Johnson Health and illness are not binary. A healthy person can become sick in no time, and vice versa. Ultimately, health is a continuum on which, no matter how you’re feeling, there are small steps you can take to improve. The foundations of health are not supplements and medications...

“Weight loss resistance is never isolated. You never just have weight loss resistance and everything else is great.” - Dr. Phyllis Pobee For those of us dealing with the combination of hormonal changes postpartum or in perimenopause periods alongside chronic illnesses such as endometriosis or MCAS, our bodies, and especially our mitochondrial health, are under a heavy burden. When you layer that w...

“Homeopathy can be a phenomenally powerful tool to use, especially for people who are sensitive.” - Dr. Ginger Nash, ND Homeopathy is a tool well-suited to the complexities of modern life. It works at the intersection of the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems, each of which is unbelievably complicated by itself. Every practitioner knows that things are getting more complex, from the viral and...

“Even five days of preparation before surgery can make a difference.” - Dr. Rebecca Knackstedt Having surgery is a massive stress on the body, and post-operative healing is such a catabolic experience that it needs much more than your typical day-to-day nutritional requirements. Even people in great health can benefit from targeted supplementation in the preparation period. Knowing that lifestyle...

“It takes more than hormones to fix our hormones.” - Dr. Anna Cabeca When it comes to vaginal health, pelvic floor health, and incontinence issues, hormones play a critial role. From the type of hormones to oral formulations, injections, and topicals, there are a lot of options for hormone therapy, from the delivery vehicle to the forms of hormones used. At the same time, you can’t optimize hormon...

“Pelvic health physical therapy is the best-kept secret in medicine.” - Dr. Heather Jeffcoat While we’ve been seeing Super Bowl ads for erectile dysfunction for years, women’s sexual dysfunction is very stigmatized. The idea of women having the freedom to discuss sexual health and get their questions answered is a new concept that’s only started in the last decade or so. Sexual health is an import...

Women are juggling a lot at every age and stage, from engaging with exciting opportunities and caring for aging parents to raising kids and showing up for all the extras like bake sales and school events. With everything on our plates, it’s easy to miss the signs of stress and burnout. We keep pushing through until our bodies start to whisper (or shout) that something’s off, and for many women, it...

Chronic complex illnesses can be particularly difficult to treat with genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors converging to create a perfect storm, particularly during life stages such as perimenopause or postpartum. There are no simple, accessible tests to differentiate between viral activation, mold issues, gut issues, or any of a number of different possibilities. As clinicians, our first...

“I had two choices. Either give up what I love to do or look for a new path and figure it out.” - Dr. Carrie Pagliano From the newborn months to the teen years, modern motherhood is crazy busy for most of us. Juggling children’s needs, managing our careers, and carrying the mental load often means living in a state where we need not only physical rest, but activities that help with neurologic rest...

“Everything you do in your day-to-day life matters for your metabolic health.” – Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo Metabolic health is one of the critical factors behind every disease known to mankind. It’s the most common cause of cardiovascular disease and digestive imbalances, and it becomes more and more vital for women as we age. When it comes to supporting our clients as health and wellness professiona...

“Blood pressure is an important marker – the first red light on the dashboard that something is amiss.” – Dr. Ellie Campbell Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women. As practitioners, it’s crucial that we’re thinking about preventative care strategies and measuring blood pressure as a public health service to all of our patients. It’s the first signal that something is out o...

“We have to move our bodies to tell the brain that it's safe to access certain ranges of motion and interrupt whatever patterns we might be in.” - Julia Blackwell There’s always an emotional component to chronic injuries and illnesses. And part of what causes your body to hold on to these emotions is the feeling of not being safe or being fragile. As rehab and fitness professionals, we often see p...

Healthcare is very expensive right now, and the most profitable business models all rely on people being attached to a chronic illness model. How can we make healing through functional medicine more accessible? We’ve been asking ourselves this question at the Integrative Women’s Health Institute and it’s difficult to answer. Treating clients who have complex chronic conditions requires active part...

It's critical for women all over the world to have financial nourishment and independence, as well as physical health. It’s all connected. For women, one method of empowerment is through financial stability. That stability can come naturally as you gain more confidence and consistency in your work. Still, we often don’t pay enough attention to it because of the stigma and the feeling that we shoul...

When you’re just starting your career, there’s so much to learn and grow into. After the first decade or so - especially in a clinical setting - the pressure typically builds to a point where getting burned out becomes a problem. There’s the time, effort, and energy needed in your work, raising your kids or caring for aging parents, responsibilities in your community, and so much more. Especially...

“I joined thinking functional nutrition was going to heal me, and what I actually needed was the coaching.” - Dr. Rose Schlaff In the world of women's health and wellness, there's a lot of conversation about pelvic pain, sexual pain, and low libido, especially for women with complex chronic pain and those navigating the stages of life from postpartum to perimenopause. Despite that, the bar is usua...

“Women need a sacred space, where they are listened to and can be guided to find their own solutions.” - Mila Shwab Mindful listening is one of the best ways we can support our clients. In conventional medicine, there's so much focus on giving directives and instructions that women often feel as though their experiences of their health are pushed to the side. Through coaching, we help our clients...

What makes someone a successful women’s health coach? After 15 years of the Women’s Health Coach Certification program, I’ve seen thousands of students become coaches, and there are certain elements that our most successful graduates have in common. Whether they come from a clinical background, have a passion for helping a particular type of woman, or felt called to this career because of their pe...

As a medical professional, you’re trained in a model encouraging you to “solve” your patient's health problems. It’s one thing to be able to prescribe medication for your patients and move on and another thing to integrate that with the tools that allow you to work together to figure out the drivers of their illness. Health is a skill set that your patients have to learn to integrate into their da...

“I want my life to look different day-to-day and to solve different problems, and I want support and a way to do that sustainably.” - Stephanie Harrod A big part of being a healthcare provider is helping people and servicing those who need our skills. This is reinforced when we train in a conventional healthcare field, where we’re taught to work in a service model that focuses on becoming a resour...

The role of health professionals has had to shift significantly over the past 20 years. Patients have more tools than ever, from functional nutrition and lifestyle medicine to cutting-edge medical interventions and alternative therapies. Yet, even for those with access, it can be extremely difficult to navigate these resources and implement them sustainably over time. That’s where health coaching...

“I have a bigger connection with my patients than I ever have, and that even translates to working with other professionals on the care team.” - Dr. Maggie Roth, PT, DPT, ATC, WHC Integrating health coaching into our existing practices and skills can profoundly improve patient care and outcomes. In clinical training, we’re typically taught to measure success against a set of functional goals. It’s...

[TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal ideation] “Most of the things I did were not given to me by my practitioners because they had no clue what was going on.” - Dr. Madhu Bagaria Walking the path of complex chronic illness is a difficult one. Even when we’re highly motivated and have the technical understanding as practitioners, it’s never that simple. One specialist can’t solve everything, but that doesn’t...

“Healthcare professionals who are not trained in treating chronic pain but trying to treat chronic pain are actually detrimental.” - Monica Demitor When you’re living with chronic pain, accessing the services and care you need can be challenging. From identifying providers and treatments that have the right expertise to taking care not to make your diagnosis your entire identity, trying to navigat...