On Health for Women

Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/natural-treatments-measles-symptoms/

Thousands of chemicals used in beauty products, a $70 billion a year industry, are governed by federal regulations that haven’t been updated in decades. The laws that govern the FDA's authority over the cosmetics industry are just two pages long and have not been updated since 1938, when they were first enacted. Such meager tools leave federal officials nearly powerless to regulate the makeup...

If nobody ever told you what a healthy vagina is supposed to smell like, join the club. But knowing is incredibly important because what makes a vagina’s odor healthy – or not – has an impact on your overall health. Listen to this episode of Natural MD Radio to learn all about the deadly douche story that never should have happen, how to sort out healthy scents from problem-signaling odors, and wh...

If you have decided it’s time to come off the pill, have no fear. Most women transition off it without much problem. You’re not doomed to a life of hormonal imbalances. With the targeted strategies I walk you through you can reset, your hormone balance so that you, too, have healthy, natural cycles. Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To le...

At a time when the pace of medical advances can be breathtaking, the rate of maternal death in the United States remains stubbornly high at 14 for every 100,000 live births. The United States is one of only two developed countries whose maternal death rate actually worsened between 1990 and 2015. Unfortunately, African American women have the highest infant mortality rate of any group in the...

Detoxification is something our bodies do naturally. Unfortunately, things are much different for us now than they were for our ancestors. While they were exposed to very few environmental toxins as little as 75 years ago, the same cannot be said for us today. We are simultaneously being overloaded by external toxins and undersupported by our diets because our diets are not balanced enough to keep...

Did you know that we are facing a continuing growing cesarean section crisis? The overuse of cesarean sections, especially in the United States, is not new, but it has certainly continued to become more prevalent globally over the past 15 years. Women's ability to give birth is not greatly dependent on geography, and yet many women in low-income countries do not even have access to this method of...

Today I talk with Joanna Kempner, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Rutgers, who is doing important work for gender politics and pain. In this episode of Natural MD Radio, we discuss the idea of a migraine personality, the historical concept of hysteria, and how this has all evolved to create a disparity in pain treatment for women -- especially women of color in the United...

Vitex earns a place in my Top 5 Favorite Herbs for Women and today, I want to tell you how this powerful herb can help with your hormones. Hormonal imbalances are one of the most common complaints I see in my practice, and include conditions like PMS (to which more than 150 symptoms have been attributed, and which affects millions of women, irregular menstrual cycles (menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, an...

If you're freaking out at a little (or a lot) at the thought of pushing a small cantaloupe sized head out of your vagina and also want to do everything you can to avoid unnecessary medical interventions at your birth, including cesarean, you’re probably here because you’re doing your homework ahead of time to learn what to do to make this upcoming passage into motherhood as short, easy, empowering...

You've heard me use the term 'food as medicine' in the past. Today, in the third episode in our series on detoxification, I'm going to talk about what that really means. While it's easy to think we need all kinds of supplements and fancy detoxes, food as medicine is not an abstract concept. Which foods are detoxification foods and how exactly do they help us? You'll learn about nutrients that are...

I am sure that you have all heard about trendy detox programs, but did you know that detoxification is different than the term 'detox'? Last week I shared just the tip of the iceberg on the dangers of environmental toxins in our bodies and in our surroundings. In the second episode in our series on detoxification, today I dive into how detoxification really works. I talk about detoxification,...

Every day it seems there is a new fad detox or cleanse program promising to help us get healthier. But what led us to believe that these programs were needed? The burden to detoxify the body has been placed on women and our diets, yet biological systems are already in place to do just that. So is detoxification real? Listen in to today’s episode where I discuss the environmental factors that we sh...

Cleanses, detoxes, and fasts have existed for centuries for various purposes and with varying degrees of scientific validity. It is more common than ever for people to be self-administering a detox, cleanse, or fast as a way to lose weight or regulate toxins. Some of these traditional healing practices can have merit, but when done to extremes they can cause health problems -- especially for...

Today I'm talking about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which affects over 5 million women in the U.S, and what natural approaches you can take to help. “You can reduce or eliminate any of the stresses that you don’t have to have. So stop saying yes to so many things - say no to things that you don’t have to take on.” - Aviva Romm. Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth o...

What is vaginal seeding and why is the infant microbiome so important? Two modern medical practices, antibiotic use and cesarean section, carry consequences even when used appropriately. Both practices have been recognized as being overused in recent decades. Studies have demonstrated that babies born by cesarean have a greater lifetime risk of obesity, type one diabetes, asthma, and celiac diseas...

Have you ever been to the doctor to ask about symptoms of adrenal fatigue – like fatigue, anxiety, weight gain, cravings, hair loss, hormonal imbalances, thyroid symptoms – only to be told: “You’re fine, there’s nothing wrong with you?" The dominate medical model has a tendency to overlook women's symptoms and tell us that it's all in our heads, but I have news for you: Your symptoms are not...

Even though you might not know it, Dr. Philip Landrigan’s work has directly impacted your life. Every time you are fueling your car or walking into your home and don’t have to worry that your child might be exposed to lead paint, it’s thanks to Dr. Landrigan. Dr. Landrigan was the first to document the effects of lead poising on American children, which led to the US government mandating the remov...

Laila Ali is a world class athlete, fitness & wellness expert, TV host, cooking enthusiast, founder of the Laila Ali Lifestyle Brand, mother of two, and daughter of the late beloved global icon and humanitarian, Muhammad Ali. In today’s episode, we dive into Laila’s story of how she discovered women’s health as her passion after she retired from her career as a four-time undefeated boxing...

There’s no doubt about it – antibiotics are a good thing. They save lives every day. But are they as safe as they are common? In today’s episode, we dive into the largest global public health threat facing the world today — antibiotic resistance. The overprescribing and inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics, and the overuse of antibiotics in the food industry, is creating resistant strains...

Lealah Henderson is a new mom with an empowering birth story to share. I had the pleasure of being part of Lealah’s home birth team, and am thrilled that Lealah is so generous in sharing her beautiful story with my Natural MD Radio community! In today’s episode, we discuss why Lealah decided to have a home birth, how she assembled her dream birth team, and she shares a detailed account of the birt...

Did you know that only about 26% of women have taken a close look at their own lady parts? Do you know the difference between a vagina and a vulva? Today we are going to go (down) there! I start by talking about terminology, how to define your parts, and why words are important. Then, in the second half of the episode, I’ll walk you through how to get comfy and take a look for yourself. If you’re...

Today I’m joined by Maya Dusenbery, a writer, the editor of Feministing.com, and the author of the new book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick, which explores how gender bias in the medical system is harming women. In this episode we discuss the unconscious biases against women that exist in medicine, where these biases come...

If you’ve been suffering from endometriosis, you know how much it can impact your life — and you might try anything to get relief from the pain. You also know that the only treatments doctors recommend include pain medications, hormonal therapies, and surgery. These treatments have big risks, and aren’t always effective. In this episode I share four supplements and herbs that have been scient...

For Dr. Frank Lipman health is more than just the absence of disease — it’s a total state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing. Dr. Lipman is a widely recognized trailblazer in functional and integrative medicine and the New York Times Bestselling Author of five books. In this episode of Natural MD Radio, Dr. Lipman joins us to talk about his new book How to Be Well...