UnabridgedMD

Why are you exhausted but still unable to fall asleep? And why do sleep problems become more common during perimenopause and menopause? In this conversation, Dr. Isabelle Amigues sits down with Dr. Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist and board-certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist, to discuss insomnia, women's sleep health, hormonal changes, and practical ways to improve sleep. Le...

Can you be metabolically healthy at a higher weight? Dr. Aryanna Amini joins me to discuss what metabolic health actually means. Weight is often used as a primary indicator of wellness, but is that always accurate? I sit down with Dr. Amini, a triple board-certified physician in Obesity Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Family Medicine, to look beyond the scale. We explore how metabolic health is mea...

What does it mean to keep hoping after decades of living with rheumatoid arthritis? In this episode of the UnabridgedMD Podcast, Dr. Isabelle Amigues sits down with Patty, who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at just 23 years old—one month before her wedding. Over the decades, Patty experienced severe symptoms, multiple treatments, cancer, heart complications, the loss of her husband, and a...

Is modern rheumatology missing something important? In this UnabridgedMD Live, Dr. Isabelle Amigues sits down with Dr. Anna Lafian, an integrative rheumatologist in Glendale, California, to discuss why caring for patients involves more than medications, lab results, and disease activity scores. Modern rheumatology has made remarkable advances in treatment and research. But people living with autoi...

Are you concerned about how the healthcare system influences your treatment? We examine the pressures doctors face today. Many patients worry that doctor incentives are shifting away from patient care. We look at the systemic pressures caused by insurance companies, which often force providers to manage high patient volumes just to keep their practices open. This environment can make it difficult...

What happens when severe inflammatory arthritis takes away the life you love—and you’re afraid to hope that things can get better? In this powerful patient story, Anna shares her journey from debilitating joint pain and years of uncertainty to a diagnosis of spondyloarthritis, treatment, and finally feeling like herself again. She went from struggling to hold her son to boxing, dancing, taking lon...

What happens when rheumatoid arthritis takes away the life you thought you would always have? In this powerful patient story, Dr. Isabelle Amigues sits down with Palmy, a former professional long-distance triathlete, to talk about her journey with severe rheumatoid arthritis , pregnancy, postpartum symptoms, treatment, remission, and finding her way back to the life she loves. Before her diagnosis...

Why does being a “good doctor” sometimes mean putting yourself last? Dr. Isabelle Amigues and Dr. Kristine Goins discuss physician burnout, boundaries, self-care, and why doctors may need more than individual coping strategies. They explore how creating more autonomy, flexibility, and options can help physicians redesign the way they practice medicine. You can love medicine without sacrificing you...

What is adult-onset Still’s disease , and how is it different from an autoimmune disease? Dr. Isabelle Amigues explains autoinflammatory syndromes , the symptoms to watch for, including recurrent fevers, rashes, joint pain, and high ferritin and why these conditions can be difficult to diagnose. If you’ve been dealing with unexplained inflammation or recurring symptoms, this is an important conver...

Back pain is common but that doesn’t always mean it’s normal. In this clip, Dr. Isabelle Amigues explains some of the signs that can point toward inflammatory back pain , including back pain that begins at a younger age, morning stiffness , symptoms that improve with exercise or movement , and improvement with anti-inflammatory medications. Inflammatory back pain can sometimes be associated with c...

What type of arthritis could be causing your joint pain? Not all arthritis looks the same and one of the first things a rheumatologist considers is whether joint pain is mechanical or inflammatory . In this Rheumatology 1-on-1 Live, Dr. Isabelle Amigues walks through several real-world clinical examples to explain how different types of arthritis can present, including: • Osteoarthritis and mechan...

Are you experiencing unexplained joint pain, morning stiffness, severe fatigue, or mysterious rashes? In this video, Dr. Isabel Amigue breaks down the critical warning signs that indicate it's time to see a rheumatologist—and why early diagnosis is the key to achieving full remission. Learn why autoimmune and auto-inflammatory conditions act like a fire in the body, why waiting can cause orga...

Can the way you see yourself actually influence how you feel and function? In this Rheumatology 101 live, Dr. Isabelle Amigues discusses the Counterclockwise Study and what it can teach us about the connection between the mind and body. The study explored what happened when older adults were immersed in an environment designed to make them behave as though they were 20 years younger. Dr. Amigues c...

What should you do when your treatment isn't working—or you're actually getting worse? In this Rheumatology 101 episode, Dr. Isabelle Amigues shares an important lesson from her clinical practice: when a treatment isn't working the way it should, sometimes the answer isn't simply increasing the medication. It's time to pause and reconsider what is really going on. Steroids...

What should you do if you have an autoimmune flare? Whether you have rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, lupus, or another inflammatory condition, a flare can be painful and discouraging—but it doesn't necessarily mean your treatment has failed. The goal in rheumatology is always full remission , and understanding your flares helps you and your rheumatolog...

Can you exercise if you have rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, or an autoimmune disease? In this Rheumatology 101 conversation, Dr. Isabelle Amigues is joined by pediatrician, running coach, and founder of Mindful Marathon, Dr. Michelle Quirk, to debunk one of the biggest myths about exercise and chronic pain. You'll learn: ✔️ Why exercise is one of the best treatments for inflammatory arth...

Could stimulating a nerve reduce inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis? In this video, rheumatologist Dr. Isabelle Amigues explains the science behind the newly FDA-approved vagus nerve stimulation device for rheumatoid arthritis and why this breakthrough could change the future of autoimmune treatment. Learn how the vagus nerve communicates with the immune system, why researchers have been studyin...

Receiving an autoimmune diagnosis can feel overwhelming—but it doesn't have to define your future. In this heartfelt message, rheumatologist Dr. Isabelle Amigues shares why she believes hope is an essential part of medical care. She explains how modern rheumatology has transformed, why remission is the goal, and why patients should never settle for simply "getting by." In this video...

Why do some people with psoriatic arthritis or inflammatory arthritis fail multiple biologic medications and still don't achieve remission? In this video, Dr. Isabelle Amigues explains how rheumatologists approach patients who have tried several biologics without success. She discusses why the diagnosis may need to be revisited, why other conditions like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, or gout...

How do we treat Lupus? A rheumatology 101 live with Dr. Amigues, a board-certified rheumatologist. What is the real goal of lupus treatment? Many people believe lupus medications are meant to be taken forever—but that's not always the plan. In this video, Dr. Isabelle Amigues explains why rheumatologists aim for full remission as quickly as possible, then work toward maintaining disease contr...

What if healthcare gave patients more time, more access, and more control over their treatment decisions? In this conversation, Dr. Isabelle Amigues discusses the power of direct care medicine and how removing insurance barriers can improve the patient experience. Direct care allows physicians to spend more time with patients, create personalized treatment plans, communicate directly, and make adj...

Could your sleep habits be making your autoimmune symptoms worse? In this episode, Dr. Isabel Amigues explores the powerful connection between sleep, inflammation, and autoimmune disease. Learn how poor sleep quality can increase inflammatory cytokines, worsen fatigue, contribute to joint pain, and even trigger autoimmune flares. Dr. Amigues also shares practical sleep strategies, including reduci...

Could your nervous system be affecting your ability to conceive? In this conversation, Dr. Isabelle Amigues and chiropractor Dr. Lisel Lewis explore the fascinating connection between the nervous system, stress regulation, fertility, pregnancy, and overall health. They discuss the role of the sympathetic ("fight-or-flight") and parasympathetic ("rest-and-digest") nervous system...

Did you know that fat tissue is metabolically active and can contribute to chronic inflammation throughout the body? In this conversation, rheumatologist Dr. Isabelle Amigues and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Lindsay Ogle explore the powerful connection between obesity, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, and metabolic health. They...

What happens when your labs are “normal” but your symptoms are very real? In this powerful conversation, rheumatologist Dr. Isabelle Amigues sits down with allergist/immunologist Dr. Kara Wada to discuss one of the biggest frustrations autoimmune patients face: being told that everything looks “fine” despite ongoing symptoms. Together, they explore the reality of seronegative autoimmune disease, M...