In this week’s episode, I interview Urogynecologist Carolyn Best, about the treatment options available for women for various types of incontinence. Dr. Best sheds light on the many lifestyles, diet, and non-surgical options for reducing incontinence in women while shedding light on the challenges women face in being properly assessed and supported for this condition. This episode was produced in support of Dr. Best’s plant-based cookbook Spread the Health. 100% of the proceeds of the sales are being donated to the Canadian Food Bank to support families during the COVID crisis. 

Carolyn's Cookbook: https://thebellemethod.com/spreadthehealth/ 

In this episode I interview motherhood journalist Erin Pepler. Erin has written openly about motherhood and the pressures of the modern working mom in Today’s Parent, for Savvy Mom and other major women’s health publications. In this episode we discuss the pressures that mom’s face in today’s world, and connect these cultural pressures to the health of our women. We share our own personal experiences facing the guilt of parenting, and how we need to start the conversation about practical and sustainable motherhood for women to be their healthiest version of themselves.

Erin's wonderful writing on adulthood can be found at www.erinpepler.com or follow her on Instagram. 

In this episode I speak with the founder of the Canadian Fertility Show, Dr. Jodie Peacock. In this episode we cover some major access-to-care challenges in the world of infertility, and how Jodie’s goal of creating a safe space for couples to learn their options transpired into this wonderful event.

We speak on the specific issues women with PCOS face when navigating fertility care and the roles that other providers can have in improving fertility outcomes.

For information about the Canadian Fertility Show you can visit their website.

More information from Dr. Jodie Peacock can be found at the Enhance Fertility website.

In this episode Dr. Kara Dinisio ND and I discuss one of the most overlooked areas of women’s health – vaginal dryness and atrophy. This symptom doesn’t just show up in menopause, and can be a significant factor in loss of quality of life, impaired sexual health and a source of pain in women and can be easily treated with a practitioner that is interested in vaginal health (“Vagina Literate”).

We teach women all of the symptoms that are related to vaginal atrophy they may not even realize (such as frequent urination) and what they need to know about the difference between moisturizers, lubricants and treatment-based creams.

Dr. Kara Dinisio can be contacted at her clinic in Owen Sound Ontario or on Instagram.

In this episode I interview Dr. Katie Rothwell, a Naturopathic Doctor who has a personal and professional interest in thyroid health. We talk all about getting properly tested, how thyroid is often the ‘effect’, not the cause in a woman’s health and how we should be rethinking the silver-bullet pill approach to thyroid health.

Dr. Katie Rothwell ND practices in Barrie Ontario and can be contacted here or you can follow her on social media here.

In this episode I have a conversation with Dr. Kim Bretz ND, a gut-focused Naturopathic Doctor with a real focus on evidence based outcomes for women with IBS.

It’s common for women with IBS to either self-pigeon-hole their diet into very few foods, or to be led down a path of continuous restriction with their practitioner. But is this what the evidence suggests we should do? Kim sets us straight in this episode.

Dr. Kim Bretz ND practices in Kitchener Ontario and can be contacted here.

The power of community in medicine is an underestimated and undervalued tool, even though the research on isolation and illness is so strong.

Dr. Michelle Peris has created a Naturopathic Doctor facilitated community health program to bridge the power of knowledge in women’s health and the benefits of intentionally cultivated community for women which birthed the program called Rebel Tribe.

Our clinic in has adopted this program to support our women more deeply in their health care. In this episode we review the ‘cost’ of isolation in women and how women can reframe the importance of community as part of her care.

To add your name to the waitlist for our program, click here.

In today’s interview I discuss the impact of concussion on female hormonal health with Naturopathic Doctor, Nikole MacLellen. We talk about how often concussion is missed as part of regular assessment for women who are seeing cycle changes or other hormonal symptoms. We review what women need to look for in their own health and history in sport that they need to let their practitioner know.

Dr. MacLellen has her own podcast called The OffSeason which can be accessed here.

As a fitting first episode for Women’s Health Unplugged I interview Dr. Stacy Sims, an environmental Exercise Physiologist and Nutrition Scientist specializing in sex differences in response to exercise heat stress, recovery, and nutritional adaptations for health, body composition, and maximizing performance.

We talk all about energy deficit (dieting) and the effect of exercise on women and their menstrual cycle and how the research on exercising women needs to evolve to support the hormonal needs of women.

Stacy has a Tedx talk and a book Roar to learn more about this topic.