Chronically Living and how to make the most of it

This week I have the amazing Marisa Bozarth, who has struggled with multiple chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases. She is also an incredible musician who serenades us with a beautiful cover of a Norah Jones song.
In this episode we discuss:

• the effects of multiple illness on physical and mental health
• the healing power of music
• how to stay positive when life isn't easy

Guest bio:

Marisa describes herself as a collector of diseases and pyjamas. She is a music teacher and total chronic illness warrior.

You can find her on Instagram: @autoimmusical
And on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/marisabozarth

Dr. Steph is back for part 2 of my interview with him. This week we focus on the benefits of having a chiropractor as a member of your healthcare team, and some of the cool things chiropractors do!
In this episode we talk about:

• what chiropractors do
• the spine
• stories from Dr. Steph's experience: chiari malformation, chronic headaches, autoimmune disease, Raynaud's syndrome, discoid lupus, constipation, and more
• well-rounded healthcare

Guest Bio:

Dr. Steph grew up in chiropractic. He is one of over 40 chiropractors in his family and knows first hand the benefits of living the five essentials for a lifetime. He has been adjusted since birth, is Webster Certified, and has thrived without ever needing a medication.He is passionate about educating patients about the power of chiropractic and how the power that made the body heals the body.

Instagram: @drsteph_
Email: [email protected]

My friend and doctor of chiropractic, Dr. Steph stops by for Part 1 of this 2 part interview to tell us about the essentials of health.
In this episode we talk about:

• Dr. Steph's background and entry into chiropractics
• The 5 Essentials to Health
• The health care systems in the U.S. and Canada

Guest Bio:

Dr. Steph grew up in chiropractic. He is one of over 40 chiropractors in his family and knows first hand the benefits of living the five essentials for a lifetime. He has been adjusted since birth, is Webster Certified, and has thrived without ever needing a medication.He is passionate about educating patients about the power of chiropractic and how the power that made the body heals the body.

Instagram: @drsteph_
Email: [email protected]

Grief comes in all forms, including grief about illness and the loss of abilities that comes with a chronic illness and diagnosis. It's important to grieve, and it's important to accept. 
In this episode we discuss:

• what is grief?
• loss of loved ones
• loss of friendships
• loss of health
• the "Stages of Grief" and why they aren't accurate
• body-mind connections when it comes to grief and health

If you're not already following me on Instagram its @janeversuspain and on Twitter @janevspain!

My co-worker Adil Lalani hops on for a chat about his diagnosis with asthma 5 years ago and how it has affected his life since.
In this episode we discuss:

• what an asthma attack physically feels like
• the emotional experience of an asthma attack
• puffers versus air chambers
• having a respiratory illness during the Covid-19 pandemic
• the amazing things you can still do when you have a respiratory illness

Guest Bio:

Adil Lalani was born in Canada and raised in Tanzania. He works at Best Buy and is studying to take his real estate license exam. 

Follow Adil on Instagram @adillalani.

Since it's literally impossible to not talk about your illness when you have a chronic one, this episode focuses on how, why and with whom we should be doing so.
In this episode we discuss:

• why we should talk about our illness
• who needs to know what
• celebrities who have talked about their illnesses
• getting real vs. giving facts
• remembering that we are more than just our illness

Self-acceptance and illness acceptance are so important in order to lead a fulfilling life, yet they can be extremely difficult to accomplish when living with a chronic illness.
In this episode we discuss:

• what self-acceptance is
• why self-acceptance is important for our mental health
• why self-acceptance is important for our physical health and how it ties into illness acceptance
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs
• where self-acceptance and illness acceptance fit into the hierarchy
• ways to improve our self-acceptance and illness acceptance

This week's episode has a special guest, chiropractor Dr. Frank Nhan, who lends some insight on chiropractic treatments for chronic pain and chronic health conditions, as well as the benefits exercise can have on chronic pain management!

In this episode we discuss:

• which health conditions can benefit from chiropractic care
• why exercise is helpful for chronic pain management
• what kinds of exercise chronic pain warriors should be doing
• at home tips from a chiropractor's perspective
• the body-mind connection

Guest Bio:

Dr. Frank Nhan is a practicing Doctor of Chiropractic in Toronto. He holds a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. Dr. Nhan is in certified Bio-Medical Acupuncture, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He is also a part-time clinical instructor at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. Dr. Nhan's unique interests lay in sports related injuries, exercise rehabilitation, as well as nutritional and lifestyle management.

Follow him on Instagram @dr_nhan

My friend Nikki, who works as a script supervisor in the film industry, joins me this episode to discuss her severe allergies to dairy and gluten, as well as the other allergies she's had. 
We discuss:

• how and when she realized she had these allergies
• what it's like to live with food restrictions
• what lifestyle modifications she's had to make
• travelling with allergies
• and much more!

The bread Nikki mentions that is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and soy-free is:
The cookbooks she talks about are:

• Allergy Free and Easy Cooking by Cybele Pascal (on Amazon)
• The Allergy Free Pantry by Collette Martin (on Amazon)

Guest Info:

Follow Nikki on Instagram @zombienikki
Check out her IMDB page to find out all the great movies and shows she's worked while she's making the most of it.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5542115/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

It's so easy to think we suck when we have a chronic illness. But the truth is, we don't suck, our illness does.
In this episode we discuss:

• The differences between thoughts and feelings.
• Why we get these thoughts and what feelings they lead to.
• Alternative thoughts for ourselves.
• How to get ourselves out of this feeling.