Integrative Women's Health Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

“It’s important to look at food first before supplementation.” - Margie Bissinger

For most people, bone health is not a topic that comes into focus until later in life or when an issue arises. Bone health is strongly linked to quality of life, so it’s never too early or too late to start supporting strong and healthy bones.

Optimizing your overall health in areas like reducing inflammation, optimizing nutrition, and incorporating resistance training will also help increase bone density and the dynamic capacity of your bones. Anything you can do to help your clients improve their bone health sets them up for improving their lives in the future. If you're a clinician working with women of any age, you have the opportunity to prevent the 25% death rate that we have from osteoporotic fracture.

Today, I’m excited to be joined by Dr. Lisa Moore and Margie Bissinger for a fantastic roundtable conversation about bone health. They share their extensive experience and insights into bone health, osteoporosis, bone building, bone maintenance strategies, estrogen and breast cancer, and beyond. Our bones generally don’t give us any symptoms until we're at a life-threatening fracture level, so it’s our responsibility to reduce the risk or optimize recovery so that we can positively impact bone health in the long term.

In today’s episode, Dr. Lisa, Margie, and I discuss the importance of maintaining and building bone density through nutrition and exercise, strategies for those recovering from cancer, tailored exercise protocols, preventative strategies, integrating strength training and balance exercises, mindful movement to reduce the risk of fractures, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/strengthening-bones-osteoporosis-cancer-and-beyond-with-dr-lisa-moore-margie-bissinger/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“Our brain and our thoughts change our biology and chemistry in the body.” - Jane Hogan

When someone is diagnosed with an autoimmune disease or chronic pain condition, there’s a common pathway we tend to explore. It starts with conventional medicine and medications to suppress symptoms or stabilize the immune system. Then, going deeper to address the root cause, they’ll turn to a functional medicine practitioner who will help with nutrition plans and supplementation. Even with all that, most people will hit a wall where it’s hard to sustain the changes they’ve made. That’s where a coaching model that supports the deeper social and emotional piece comes in.

When it comes to chronic illness, healing must involve addressing the emotions, fears, and beliefs that no longer serve us. By changing the messages in our brain, we can change our physiologic functions and our biochemistry, even at the level of our labwork, and that’s empowering.

It’s not about doing things perfectly and never taking a break, but instead recognizing that by incorporating nervous system regulation work and brain retraining strategies, we can accelerate the healing potential of all the tools we’re already using.

To explore this further, I’m sharing a fascinating interview with Jane Hogan, The Wellness Engineer. After being diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis in her early 50s, Jane dived deep into the world of mind-body medicine. Recognizing that if we want a different output in the body, we need to change the input, she now helps her clients release chronic pain and empower themselves on their healing journeys.

In this conversation, Jane and I discuss her journey of healing from severe rheumatoid arthritis, the limitations of conventional and functional medicine, the importance of addressing emotional and psychological factors in chronic pain management, strategies and tools to address the mind-body connection, why we need a holistic approach to healing, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/how-to-use-neuroscience-to-heal-chronic-pain-with-jane-hogan/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“Even the smallest changes, if they are consistently applied, will result in something positive.” - Kirstin Nussgruber

Cancer isn’t something that just happens out of the blue. Like every other complex chronic illness, it’s influenced by various environmental and individual factors. As practitioners, we can help our clients optimize their health by supporting them holistically with everything from metabolic health and gut health to nervous system regulation and bringing more joy into their lives.

When we can empower our clients to take a proactive role in their health and to realize that working on their health is a lifelong mission, it becomes easier for them to push through the inevitable challenges and commit to their long-term health.

Today, I’m excited to introduce you to cancer nutrition expert, author, and speaker Kirstin Nussgruber, who has extensive experience working with women with cancer to prevent recurrence and to support them during the acute phase of cancer treatment for a more optimal outcome and to be healthier during their cancer journey.

In this conversation, Kirstin and I discuss her journey into cancer care and nutrition studies, the importance of individualized nutrition, proactive prevention, the role of lifestyle in cancer care, how practitioners can empower women dealing with cancer, practical steps to address fears, the critical role of maintaining joy and engagement in life, ongoing monitoring and proactive health management, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/delicious-nutrition-to-prevent-and-recover-from-cancer-with-nutritionist-kirstin-nussgruber/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“Reproductive health is the Wild West. You cannot protocol this; you must be willing to create it.” - Dr. Yeni Abraham

Reproductive care is some of the deepest work you can do in the human experience. You can’t go in without empathy, and you have to be prepared to bear witness to the highest highs and lowest lows in the lives of your patients or clients.

For black women in the US, the black maternal health crisis adds a significant layer of complexity to an already complicated experience. Systemic racism in healthcare has created an environment where black women are especially vulnerable during pregnancy and postpartum and are experiencing disastrous consequences.

As providers, we have a responsibility to develop our skills, deepen our relationships in our communities, and trust our instincts because our patients need us to be their advocates. If you’re willing to tune into what your patients need, you can make a significant impact in the fertility world.

Today, I’m excited to be joined by my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Yeni Abraham. Dr. Yeni has one of the most innovative practices in pelvic rehab and integrative medicine in the fertility space, and she's done a fantastic job of integrating manual and visceral therapies with holistic, mindful, and listening medicine.

In this conversation, Dr. Yeni and I discuss what inspired her to do this work, what she's doing to innovate the field of fertility education, the factors contributing to the black maternal health crisis, what we can do to help mitigate this crisis as women's health and wellness professionals, her insights into creating a fertility practice in your community, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/a-holistic-approach-to-infertility-and-the-black-maternal-health-crisis-with-physical-therapist-dr-yeni-abraham/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“As women transition through pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause, the physiology is dynamic. We have to check in regularly.” - Dr. Jessica Drummond

A whole-body approach is essential when working on complex cases involving multiple conditions. As a clinician, this is why the pillars of my seven-step protocol for navigating hormonal health are foundational.

In part two of my interview with Women’s Health Coach Aurélie Maire, we’re continuing our in-depth case study on her experience with endometriosis, perimenopause, and long COVID. Aurélie is a biochemist and nutrition scientist and an expert in endometriosis and using yoga to nourish the system with endometriosis.

Remember to check out our previous episode for part one of this conversation if you haven't already done so. If you or your clients are struggling with endometriosis, perimenopause, and/or long COVID, this is a really valuable and vulnerable case study for you.

In this conversation, Aurélie and I discuss the critical elements of a protocol for complex cases like hers, different modalities and practices for nervous system regulation, the importance of a balanced diet, supporting digestive, mitochondrial, and immune health, managing histamine reactions, the need for personalized recommendations for supplements and lifestyle changes, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/how-to-balance-hormones-in-perimenopause-with-endometriosis-and-long-covid-live-client-case-study-part-2/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“We have to hold two things gently together: working on optimizing your health while being mindful not to limit the key priorities of your life.” - Dr. Jessica Drummond

With endometriosis - even in cases where it’s very stable and well-managed - symptoms can change and even worsen when circumstances shift. This can be a result of stressful life events but also because of the hormonal shifts that come with perimenopause. In fact, for some women, endometriosis isn’t diagnosed until perimenopause because that’s when the symptoms start to be expressed for the first time.

Knowing this, it’s no surprise that for some women with endometriosis, long COVID can be a trigger for a change in endometriosis expression. Plus, when women are in a lower estrogen state, which can be the case with perimenopause, that alone puts them at higher risk for complications from COVID. For many, it’s the perfect storm of elements that can lead to long COVID.

Today, I’m interviewing one of our Women's Health Coach Certification graduates, Aurélie Maire. Aurélie is a biochemist and nutrition scientist and an expert in endometriosis and using yoga to nourish the system with endometriosis. If you or your clients are struggling with endometriosis, perimenopause, and/or long COVID, this is a really valuable and vulnerable case study for you.

Aurélie brings a wealth of tools from her perspective and her experience, and we are doing a deep dive into her experience of having endometriosis, being hit by long COVID in perimenopause, and a lot of other stressors in her life. This type of situation is not unique to Aurélie, and it’s common among people who are dealing with complex chronic illnesses.

With at least 50% of the US population and a very large percentage of the global population expected to be struggling with long COVID within the next five to six years, we must take a closer look at how we support our clients.

In this episode, Aurélie and I discuss her endo diagnosis, her journey with long COVID and endometriosis, the importance of nervous system regulation, how wearables and tracking have helped, adapting your lifestyle to manage energy limitations, the significance of yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness, finding joy amidst health challenges, why we need to make deliberate choices about our health practices, reconnecting with your body, and more.

We went deep and detailed in this conversation, so we split the interview into two parts. Be sure to tune in to next week’s episode, during which we’ll continue the live case study with Aurélie.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/how-to-balance-hormones-in-perimenopause-with-endometriosis-and-long-covid-live-client-case-study-part-1/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“My passion is to be able to change things for women. No one should be dismissed; no one should be told it's all in their head. We have so much catching up to do in women's health care.” - Heather Florio

When we work with complex chronic conditions, we have to become very integrative. In our practice, we take a multidisciplinary approach to helping women with bladder pain heal from the root causes by starting with a whole-system assessment.

When it comes to treatment, many of these cases cross systems and require us as practitioners to have a deep and well-understood toolbox to be able to work with these clients who have been struggling for years, if not decades. That toolbox will often include high-quality supplements, which, in many cases, can be safer and more effective than pharmaceuticals.

As practitioners, we need to ensure that the products we recommend to our clients are of good quality and efficacy and of high value for the cost. Today, I’m excited to explore this topic deeper with Heather Florio of Desert Harvest, who has been on the cutting edge of using aloe vera and other natural products for over 30 years.

In this conversation, Heather and I discuss the complexities of bladder pain, the use of aloe vera for managing conditions like interstitial cystitis, challenges with the diagnosis and treatment of complex bladder conditions, the role of diet and supplements in bladder health, the safety of long-term use of natural products, potential autoimmune aspects of bladder conditions, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/how-to-heal-bladder-pain-syndrome-and-interstitial-cystitis-with-top-quality-aloe-as-part-of-the-protocol-with-heather-florio-ceo-of-desert-harvest/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“In the last ten years, I really began to appreciate the gap between sports medicine and pelvic health.” - Dr. Ginger Garner

When you’re living with chronic pain and acute conditions, it’s easy to miss the potential interconnectedness of your symptoms. An appendix issue leads to appendix surgery, a gallbladder issue leads to gallbladder removal, and the list goes on. But what happens when there’s an underlying issue connecting these conditions?

In the conventional medical system, doctors will likely miss it because of the siloed approach to treatment. Even with a functional medicine approach, it gets tricky. Today’s guest, Dr. Ginger Garner, lived with endometriosis for decades with fertility challenges and a broad range of symptoms before being able to get an accurate diagnosis.

Ginger’s insights are particularly valuable since she has both the skillset and training to understand her journey from a practitioner’s perspective, as well as experience with her clients and as a patient herself. With that unique lens, she can look back at her story and show us, as women’s health professionals, areas that were missed and where we may need to change the way we screen for endometriosis.

In this conversation, Ginger and I discuss the potential connection between endometriosis and orthopedic health, the challenges of diagnosis and treatment, the importance of a holistic approach, endometriosis and infertility, the complexity of endometriosis symptoms, challenges with healthcare access in rural areas, the role of physical therapists, the need for legislative advocacy, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/when-multiple-hip-surgeries-is-a-sign-of-endometriosis-with-dr-ginger-garner/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

"It's really important to know that endometriosis is not always progressive." - Katie Edmonds

A healing journey can be a nourishing experience. When we stop thinking of food as medicine but instead as part of a bigger lifestyle shift with social connection and emotional support, we can see the transformative potential of a truly holistic approach to optimizing our health.

It’s not about finding the perfect endo diet. Start with eating whole foods and tuning into what your body tells you about what it needs. From there, you can start fine-tuning as you figure out what’s best for your unique body. Give yourself time to get familiar and comfortable and let go of rigidity. Nourishing every part of your body and soul at the same time is critical.

Today, I’m joined by endometriosis author, educator, and Nutritional Therapist Katie Edmonds to explore why nourishment is an essential part of bringing your endometriosis into symptom remission. Katie wrote the 4-Week Endometriosis Diet Plan and Heal Endo: An Anti-Inflammatory Approach to Healing From Endometriosis. She lives on the North Shore of Kaua`i next to the biggest mahogany forest in the United States (fun fact) with her loving husband and two wonderful “miracle” kiddos. She's absolutely passionate about helping women with endometriosis.

In this episode, Katie and I talk about why endometriosis requires a holistic approach, Katie’s struggle with endometriosis and fertility issues, the role of stress, the complexity of endometriosis, the impact of diet and lifestyle on symptom management, Katie’s three pillars of nutrition for endometriosis, the value of individualized care, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/hope-and-nourishment-for-people-with-endometriosis-with-katie-edmonds/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

“How can we better help ourselves and our clients with endometriosis or other complex conditions navigate perimenopause and menopause?”

Given some of the pervasive myths around perimenopause and menopause in the endometriosis community, many people are confused about the core challenges they may experience while navigating this transition.

As with everything when it comes to our health, what is needed are more nuanced conversations. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all fix that suits everyone. For example, for some people, hormone replacement therapy is a crucial element in their toolbox; for others, it’s a bad fit. As coaches and health and wellness practitioners, this is where we can guide our clients to find the best path forward for their specific needs.

In this episode, I’m doing a deep dive into the research and our unique approach to helping women with endometriosis and other complex conditions navigate this transition. I’m debunking common myths, discussing the importance of personalized treatment protocols, outlining the pillars of our seven-step protocol for navigating hormonal health during these transitions, exploring the interconnectedness of bodily systems, the role of lifestyle factors, risks and benefits of specific treatment options, and more.

Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!

Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/navigating-perimenopause-and-menopause-with-endometriosis/.

Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).

Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).