The Heavy Flow Podcast

Today I'm talking to Josh Gitalis, a clinical nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner, about how to understand our own blood work and why it's important.

• How Josh came to be a nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner
• What is functional medicine?
• Where to start when learning to read your own bloodwork
• The difference between lab ranges and optimal ranges
• How to talk to your doctor to request testing and blood work
• Using your knowledge about your own bloodwork to advocate for yourself
• Why figuring out what works for you is the best health advice
• Testing for thyroid issues and the test your doctor may be missing

Website Instagram Twitter Facebook

Register for the Magic of Menstruation Workshop – June 20th Why You Should Own Copies of Your Blood Work And How to Read The Results Lab Tests Online Your Blood Never Lies Grain Brain Brain Maker GrassrootsHealth Josh's Facebook live on thyroid health Advanced Clinical Focus Course: Hormones and Endocrinology Diagnosing UTI's a 'dog's breakfast' and it's affecting women

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

Today on Question Period Amy Sutherland, founder of Harlot, joins me to answer a listener question about how to manage the stress of making positive changes to support your hormonal health and fertility when stress is so detrimental to hormonal health and fertility.

• How period stigma and a lack of menstrual cycle education contributes to overwhelm when learning to chart
• Getting permission to not do all of the things
• Why pleasure and joy trumps everything else
• Using a journal to track how you feel + cultivate gratitude
• Learning to trust and listen to your own body
• Why making changes for your hormonal health is to play the long game

Website Harlot  Instagram Facebook Twitter

The Period Repair Manual WomanCode

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

Today I'm talking to Carinne Chambers-Saini, CEO and co-founder of Diva International. We talk about the business of menstruation, the challenges Carinne and her team faced growing Diva Cup, why mainstream distribution was so important to their vision and the role menstrual product manufacturers play in menstrual equity.

• How Diva Cup got it's start
• The challenges Carinne and her team faced growing Diva Cup
• Why being on-shelf in major drug-stores was integral to Diva's vision
• The importance of the environment and sustainability when it comes to Diva's mission
• The role of menstrual product manufacturers in menstrual equity

Website Diva Cup on Twitter Carinne Chambers-Saini on Twitter Diva Cup on Instagram Diva Cup on Facebook

Question Period: What are the best menstrual products to use?  Question Period: How do I choose a menstrual product?  Whitewash: Exposing the Health and Environmental Dangers of Women's Sanitary Products and Disposable Diapers Women Code 28 Days Lighter

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

Today on Question Period we're talking about Menstrual Hygiene Day and why simply handing out pads isn't enough when it comes to menstrual equity.

Menstrual Hygiene Day Episode 2 - Menstruating while homeless with Jana Girdauskas Episode 14 - Breaking Down India's Period Taboos with Aditi Gupta Episode 30 - Smashing Menstrual Stigma at Home and Abroad with Sabrina Rubli Menstruators need more than something to bleed on PeriodEquity.org Femme International The Red Tent Project The Period Purse

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

Today I’m talking to Tasha Jade, founder of Daily Magic, about her experience with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a condition that causes the vagina and uterus to be underdeveloped or absent. We discuss Tasha's MRKH experience, gender identity and wax on "what makes a woman?" 

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• What is Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome
• How MRKH shows up in Tasha’s body and how she was diagnosed
• Heteronormative treatment options for those with MRKH
• How being diagnosed with MRKH made Tasha question gender and sexuality
• The tension between Tasha’s Catholic upbringing and treatment; and how her diagnosis shaped her spiritual journey
• Gender-identity and what makes a woman?

Website Instagram Twitter Facebook

Heavy Flow Episode 17 with Bianca Sprague

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

Jessica Dixon, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, joins me to share what the hell adaptogens are and how we can use them to support our hormonal health. Plus Jessica shares a recipe for energy bites for happy hormones.

• What is an adaptogen and how do they work?
• The difference between adaptogens and adaptogenic herbs
• How adaptogens promote hormonal health by supporting the HPA-axis
• Why adaptogens are supportive and not a silver bullet for health and wellness
• Adaptogens for happy hormones: maca, ashwagandha, reishi, holy basil/tulsi, shatavari, he shou wu + shizandra berry
• How did get adaptogens into your daily rotation in smoothies, elixirs, bites and more
• Where to buy good quality adaptogens and how to store them

Website Instagram

Sun Potion Foursigmatic Moon Juice  Health Hut Harmonic Arts  Selected studies: ashwagandha, adaptogens + stress, ashwagandha + anxiety, maca, schisandra + rhodiola, adaptogens + the nervous system 

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

This week on the show I’m talking to Mary Wong, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and author of Pathways to Pregnancy. We talk about fertility, integrating conventional and holistic fertility treatments, the importance of being open and why Mary is a fierce advocate for fertility awareness. 

This episode of Heavy Flow is supported by bebo mia inc, a training and mentorship organization for women in the maternal health field. Register for their new Fertility Specialist Certification and save 25% when you use promo code HEAVYFLOW before May 30. 

• How listening to Mary’s story influenced my own work as a holistic nutritionist following my traumatic birth experience
• Mary’s path to becoming a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner
• How conventional and holistic approaches to fertility differ
• Mary’s personal fertility journey and how it changed how she approaches her work with clients
• The importance of the menstrual cycle in TCM
• Why we need to be open to options and avoid judging others on their fertility journey
• Why Mary is an advocate for fertility awareness

Website Alive Holistic Health Clinic Facebook Instagram Twitter Pathways to Pregnancy: Personal stories and practical advice for your fertility journey

The Magic of Menstruation Workshop Fertility Friday Podcast Episode 096 Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society American Society for Reproductive Medicine Lena Dunham on her decision to have a hysterectomy

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

This week I'm joined by Natasha Marchand, COO of bebo mia inc and Baby & Me Fitness, to tell us what a fertility doula is.

This episode of Heavy Flow is supported by bebo mia inc, a training and mentorship organization for women in the maternal health field. Register for their new Fertility Specialist Certification and save 25% when you use promo code HEAVYFLOW before May 30. 

What we discussed: 

• The differences between a birth doula and a fertility doula
• How a fertility doula can provide support during your fertility journey
• The changing conversation around infertility
• How to find a fertility doula or support person
• Reducing the stress and finding joy when facing fertility challenges
• How yoga can help your fertility journey

Website Instagram Twitter Facebook

FertilityMatters.ca

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

Today I’m talking to Sabrina Rubli, founder and executive director of Femme International, about menstrual health management in East Africa, and smashing stigma at home and abroad. 

This episode of Heavy Flow is supported by Lunapads, makers of smart, sustainable alternatives to disposable menstrual products. Visit Lunapads.com to find out why we love them and use code HEAVYFLOW for 15% off any order.

• How Femme International started as a pilot-project in college
• Why Femme takes an education-based approach instead of just handing out menstrual products
• The benefits of reusable menstrual products in East Africa
• How missing school because of menstruation affects girls
• The importance of educating boys and the community at large plays in Femme International’s work
• How menstruation unites women and talking about it opens up a safe space for girls to ask other questions about sex, reproductive health, assault and other important topics
• The menstrual myths we tell ourselves in North America

Website  Instagram Facebook Twitter

AFRIpads Heavy Flow Episode 14 - Breaking down India’s period taboos with Aditi Gupta  Padman Samantha Zipporah The Period Purse

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird

This week on Question Period, how to tell when you're in your fertile phase and ovulating.

This episode of Heavy Flow is supported by Lunapads, makers of smart, sustainable alternatives to disposable menstrual products. Visit Lunapads.com to find out why we love them and use code HEAVYFLOW for 15% off any order.

• When ovulation is likely to occur in your cycle
• How to look for signs of ovulation even if you have an irregular cycle
• The three main signs of fertility: cervical fluid, cervical positioning and temperature
• Pain during ovulation, known as mittlesmerchz
• Other symptoms that may signal a hormonal shift

Taking Charge of Your Fertility, Toni Weschler Fertility Awareness Method Workbook, Ashley Hartman Annis (she'll teach you charting too!) Vienna Farlow, the Cuntsultant Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, Fertility Friday Learn to chart using the Justisse Method

I receive an affiliate commission from some of the links above. This helps to support Heavy Flow at no extra cost to you!

If you're into Heavy Flow, please subscribe in iTunes and write a review - that's the best way to support the show and help others find this podcast!

Music Credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios Graphic Design: Rachel Laird