We’re coming up to my favorite time of the year:  vacation!  Millions of Americans plan new adventures for spring & summer, including travel for business or pleasure.  Many people with medical challenges are side-lined or even homebound.  But increasingly, traveling is still possible—and even enjoyable—with some advance planning.  In a nod to National Arthritis Awareness Month in May, my guests today are going to focus their comments on people traveling with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), but most of our discussion will be applicable to anyone who either has medical limitations or who is traveling with someone who does.  And both of them are experts in Rheumatoid Arthritis, one as a rheumatologist and one as a patient.

Dr. Drema Dial grew up living around the world where she learned to appreciate that people are amazing and complex creatures. As a Psychologist + Life Coach, Dr. Dial helps people figure out who they are, discover their passions and desires, so they can start taking action on the life they want. She moved to the south of France two years ago to pursue her dream of being location independent and enjoying the French culture.

And as tempting as it would be to talk with Dr. Dial about her world travels, we’re going to speak with her as a psychologist & “migraneur”—migrane sufferer—about the connection between stress or psycho-social factors and migraine.

Not only is breast cancer arguably one of the most feared diseases of all women, it is common. Each year in the US, more than 250-THOUSAND WOMEN -- a quarter of a million -- WILL be diagnosed with breast cancer. Until then, they may not know that breast cancer is not just one single disease, but that there are many different types of breast cancer which range in severity, aggressiveness, and responsiveness to various treatment protocols.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Denise Yardley: diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Hematology, and is also a recipient of the American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Career Development Award and Dr. Allison Fields: a veterinarian who diagnosed herself with an aggressive form of early breast cancer and decided to participate in a clinical study investigating how women with HER2-positive breast cancer responded to treatment after surgery. 

For more info:  www.LBBC.org

Today we’re talking about the liver health in women. Why? When’s the
last time you thought about your liver??? Or, Live-Her! The name “Live-Her” combines “liver” and “her” as the name of a new national photography campaign to raise awareness about primary biliary cholangitis (aka PBC).

Today, we have two wonderful guests to shine a brighter light on PBC.
They are our first mother-daughter pair to join us In The Ladies’ Room, but hopefully not the last! Our guests today are the fabulous lifestyle photographer (and Instagram star) Emily Blincoe, from Nashville TN, who shot the poignant images for the @LiveHerPBC campaign. Her mom, Debbie Parsley, is also with us: she has PBC and was also featured in the campaign. The fact that Debbie has PBC puts Emily at increased risk for the condition.

On today's episode, Jenny Wikoff joins us in The Ladies' Room to discuss what it's like testing positive for the BRCA 2 gene mutation. This gives Jenny an 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer and up to a 30 percent lifetime risk for an ovarian cancer diagnosis. We want to urge women to get all of your preventive screening tests, especially if you have a family history of any types of cancer. Getting tested helps you know your risks and your options.

Today we'll be speaking with Susan Kellogg-Spadt about the 5 best ways to reconnect with your partner sexually. If you don't have a partner, don't worry -- we talk about taking matters into your own hands! Making time to worry about your sexual health is important, you should practice self-love every day!

Dr. Harry Fisch is the first gentleman we have invited into the ladies’ room! Why? He is an expert in men’s sexuality and health, something we care a lot about in the ladies room! Dr. Fisch is a leading board-certified urologist, microsurgeon, and infertility researcher and a professor of urology and reproductive medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College and an international leader in the field of men’s health.

He is a frequent flier on lists of America’s Top Doctors and was the host of the first national radio talk show devoted exclusively to men’s health. BUT, more importantly for our audience, as Chief Commercial Officer of Veru Pharmaceuticals, he is one of the people responsible for the new improved female condom now widely available as FC2. And we’re going to learn all about it on today's podcast!.

Today we’re talking about “Taboo Topics in OB/Gyn” with Dr. Octavia Cannon: Co-owner of Arboretum Obstetrics and Gynecology in Charlotte NC and President-Elect, American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

We’ll touch on everything from how you really get bacterial vaginosis, to injuries during sex (yes, men, you can get a penile fracture), to the proper hygiene necessary if you switch from anal to vaginal sex. 

www.DoctorsThatDO.org

Today, we’re going to discuss another sensitive topic for many:  domestic violence.  Unfortunately, both my guest and I have way too much personal experience in this arena.  We are both willing to share our stories in the hopes that if it helps even 1 other person, it will have been worthwhile. 

Our guest, Krishelle Ochner, is the founder of ConsultingWithKrishelle.com and has worked in the childbirth arena for nearly 20 years helping women in labor as a Birth Doula and breastfeeding educator. She joins us In the Ladies' Room to share her experiences as a victim of domestic violence and as a victor over it. 

www.thekrishansen.com

At the pinnacle of her career; Lisa Belkin, the Senior National Correspondent for Yahoo News as well as the author of, Show Me A Hero, will be joining me in the Ladies’ Room for the first time! In this episode, we will dive into her current work, her personal life, and a health scare story particularly fitting for the Ladies Room. Tune in!