TMI Talk with Dr. Mary

Are you tired of not getting answers about your health? Are all of the tests, blood work and scans coming back normal? Then this episode is for you!

Dr. Arista Ip, who works with us at ResilientRx in Austin, Texas, joined us for this episode. She is an orthopedic and pelvic floor physical therapist. We will be talking about what is the root cause of chronic illness and understanding how to get to that root cause. 

We want to talk about this as well as the other things that can impact your health without you being aware of them because this is not a topic that’s commonly talked about in our current healthcare system. We will also dive into intuition versus anxiety, the importance of allowing yourself to slow down, how the societal expectations affect your health, alignment, cognitive dissonance, spiritual misalignment, and so much more! 

We hope that this episode will help you and your nervous system so you can achieve the best results for your health!  

Let’s talk about:  

• 0:35 – Introduction to today’s guest
• 1:16 – Introduction to today’s topic 
• 2:00 – The common thing about chronic illnesses and how your body is telling something’s wrong through your symptoms 
• 3:44 – How intuition affects chronic illnesses and the importance of advocating for yourself 
• 4:54 – How to listen to your intuition and learn to differentiate if it’s intuition or anxiety talking to you 
• 9:22 – How the society is set in success, business, and finance and how it affects us and our health 
• 11:30 – The importance of allowing yourself to slow down 
• 14:39 – Alignment: what it means, how will you know you are in alignment with yourself and with what you are doing, and what happens when you are not 
• 23:05 – The concept of cognitive dissonance and the importance of knowing yourself 
• 34:52 – Spiritual misalignment and nervous system regulation being tied 
• 37:37 – The piece that’s missing most of the time for people with chronic illnesses 
• 39:23 – Dr. Arista on why you don’t need to always listen to other people’s advice 
• 45:45 – What Dr. Arista practices when a negative emotion comes up and how she manages her anxiety  
• 48:11 – How to know who your authentic self is and getting over your biggest fear 
• 51:57 – What happens when you’re always in an agitated state or doing something that doesn’t align with your values
• 52:55 – What are chakras and how it affects chronic illnesses 
• 56:16 – How it feels when you know you’re doing things that you value 
• 58:44 – Conclusion: This episode’s takeaway per Dr. Arista

If you want to know more about Dr. Arista and the work she does, follow her on Instagram.

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

Have you heard of endometriosis before? It is often under diagnosis. It is a leading cause of ongoing pelvic pain. 

We have Dr. Deborah Ikhena-Abel, a reproductive endocrinologist at Kindbody here in Austin, Texas. Today, we will be talking about the treatment options for endometriosis. 

Let’s talk about what endometriosis is, what the symptoms are, how birth control can be helpful for treating endometriosis, non-birth control and non-medical treatment options for endometriosis, the relationship between endometriosis and infertility, and so much more! 

We hope that you find the information in this episode valuable. So please, give this episode a listen to empower yourself with knowledge regarding endometriosis! 

Let’s talk about:  

• 0:35 – Introduction to today’s guest
• 1:00 – What is a reproductive endocrinologist and what Dr. Deborah does
• 1:42 – What is endometriosis 
• 5:36 – The typical diagnosis for endometriosis 
• 6:50 – Painful periods as a symptom of endometriosis and how painful periods are normalized 
• 8:06 – Other symptoms of endometriosis 
• 13:01 – Some non-birth control options for treating pain from endometriosis 
• 17:33 – Why Dr. Deborah thinks birth control options are helpful for treating endometriosis
• 19:45 – How long can you stay on the different options for treating endometriosis and their side effects 
• 23:53 – Non-medical options for treating endometriosis especially for pain from endometriosis 
• 29:53 – Discussion on the theory that endometriosis is a form of an autoimmune disease
• 30:53 – Discussion on endometriosis and infertility
• 33:32 – How treatment goes for the patients of Dr. Deborah who are experiencing pain from endometriosis and wants to get pregnant 
• 40:54 – Discussion on patients who have blocked fallopian tubes 
• 42:49 – When does Dr. Deborah decide that surgery is the best option for treating pain from endometriosis and infertility
• 46:33 – Some helpful things to help with pain from endometriosis 
• 48:07 – Importance of looking at all other aspects to address different types of pain and how we feel in our body 
• 54:52 – Conclusion: Dr. Deborah’s take on why she thinks endometriosis is often misdiagnosed

If you want to know more about Dr. Deborah and the work she does, follow her on Instagram. 

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

In this episode, we have Dana Wicker, who we already had on the podcast in the episode where we talked about libido. This time, we will be discussing vaginal changes, specifically vaginal dryness, urinary leakage and urgency, UTI, and pain with sex, during menopause and the treatment options you can choose from. 

The information from this episode isn’t strictly for those who are in menopause. You can most definitely use the tips from this episode at any time of your life where you have low estrogen. 

Give this episode a listen so you can find resources outside of pelvic floor physical therapy! 

Let’s talk about:  

• Introduction to today’s guest
• Introduction to today’s topic
• Discussion on vaginal dryness: Its causes and why is it more prominent during menopause
• Vaginal Dryness treatment: E-String – What it is, how it works, the pros and cons of this treatment, and the cost
• Vaginal Dryness treatment: Creams – What it is, how it works, the pros and cons of this treatment, and the cost
• Vaginal Dryness treatment: The Mona Lisa Procedure – What it is, how it works, the pros and cons of this treatment, and the cost
• The importance of knowing what treatment works best for you and what are the emotional costs to you of each treatment
• The non-hormonal options and treatments for vaginal dryness 
• Treatments for vaginal dryness for cancer patients or post chemotherapy patients
• The other option to treat vaginal dryness: Using lubricants
• Discussion and looking into leakage and urgency, and the medications and treatments that Dana and her team usually prescribe
• Discussion on other treatments for leaking: Urethral bulking, pessaries, estrogen, and other treatments
• UTI in the older population, how it’s often overlooked as a symptom of underlying conditions, and the stigma with sex in older population
• Discussion on pain with sex and the change in sensation: Possible causes and treatments
• Discussion on pH level: Symptoms and treatments and discussion on vaginal hygiene
• Conclusion

If you want to know more about Dana and the work she does, follow her on Instagram.

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

Do you remember when we had the episode where we talked about medical gaslighting? We had an overwhelming response from that specific episode that’s why I am here again today to talk about advocating for yourself and your health when dealing with medical gaslighting. 

Medical gaslighting is something that’s ongoing and is hurting many people. Unfortunately, the majority of the people who are hurt by medical gaslighting are us WOMEN. Women suffer from many unknown symptoms and diagnoses that are not well understood in Western medicine thus the dismissal of whatever these women are feeling. 

Please listen to this episode to guide you on how you can continue advocating for yourself when other health practitioners can’t help you. 

Let’s talk about:  

• 0:35 – Introduction to today’s topic
• 3:38 – The three components of evidence-based medicine and what happens when you are being consistently denied
• 4:11 – How society silenced women and what is its impact to women
• 4:47 – Finding the right practitioner for you 
• 5:41 – Two things that are not being addressed in the healthcare system and how these affect one’s diagnosis
• 6:20 – Looking into my own experience and others’ and diving deep into the emotional stressors and one’s lifestyle and how it affects and manifests symptoms physically 
• 13:41 – How being true and authentic to yourself will align with the direction you’re going and with who you are as a human being
• 15:29 – Health and lifestyle: Why they go together and why you need to look into your lifestyle if you are not getting/feeling better 
• 17:20 – Some common diagnosis that are most commonly misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed that I find in the clinic and how you can start to address these misdiagnosis 
• 23:53 – How you can advocate for yourself and some suggestions on what should you do if you’re not getting any better and if you’re consistently being dismissed 
• 26:48 – Looking for the right practitioner and some insurance, plans, and payment term considerations 
• 36:56 – Conclusion 

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

Do you have irregular periods, pelvic pain, and maybe even high testosterone? These could be signs of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). 

We have Dr. Stephanie Chan joining us today. She is a pharmacist and also a women’s health coach.  Dr. Stephanie will be diving into strategies and tips on understanding PCOS.

In this episode you will learn more about PCOS, especially if you are concerned about having this but are unsure what to observe when you have this health issue. 

By learning about PCOS you can learn to understand what your symptoms are and how to manage them as long as you have the right information and healthcare team.

Let’s talk about:  

• 0:48 – Introduction to today’s topic and today’s guest 
• 1:29 – What is PCOS and how is it diagnosed 
• 2:53 – Correlation between PCOS and insulin resistance and what is insulin resistance 
• 4:39 – The struggles that women with PCOS face when seeking medical advice from doctors and the struggles with body image 
• 11:21 – Non-birth control options that are available for PCOS 
• 14:48 – Importance of tracking and making sure you consume enough protein throughout the day 
• 17:05 – What is cortisol and its response to the body when we’re not eating and exercising too much 
• 18:55 – How chronic stress affects a person despite eating and exercising right and why one’s overall health should be treated holistically 
• 20:08 – The importance of being in tune with your own body and realizing where your stress is coming from 
• 25:26 – Dr. Stephanie’s take on continuous glucose monitors
• 26:50 – The correlation between Hypothyroid and PCOS 
• 27:55 – The type of exercise program Stephanie recommends to someone with PCOS and more conversation on exercising
• 34:49 – Dr. Stephanie on weight loss medications and her take on using it as treatment for PCOS 
• 38:52 – Dr. Stephanie on PCOS and conceiving/pregnancy 
• 41:49 – Dr. Stephanie on her recommendations for women on what they can start doing today if they want to conceive 
• 44:30 – Conclusion: Dr. Stephanie’s reminder to anyone struggling with PCOS 
• 45:28 – Where you can reach Dr. Stephanie and a summary of her program

Check out Dr. Stephanie Chan on Instagram.  

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

Today let’s get into Medical Gaslighting with my guest Dr. Allie Day. She is a chiropractor, does acupuncture, and specializes in women’s health especially around pregnancy and postpartum. 

I have personally been gaslit in the medical community because of my health conditions. So let’s talk about what gaslighting is and how you may be experiencing it when you tell a healthcare professional about your health conditions and concerns. 

Know that what you are feeling in your body is something that you are not making up. You just need to find the right practitioner who can help you understand what is going on and offer you solutions for your health issues! 

Please listen to this episode so you can be empowered to advocate for your body and health!

Let’s talk about:  

• 0:35 – Introduction to today’s guest 
• 1:25 – Introduction to today’s topic: What is gaslighting in general and in the medical point of view 
• 4:04 – What we see, our experiences, and what we do dealing with our patients who have been medically gaslit
• 9:27 – My own experience being almost medically gaslit and how I advocated myself and trusted my own intuition 
• 12:54 – Dr. Allie on what she sees with patients who have chronic pain and how she deals with patients who sees her as a last attempt to feel better 
• 17:30 – My experience with Epstein Barr Virus and what happened to me 
• 18:14 – My take on evidence-based medicine and how I apply this when I’m seeing patients
• 18:58 – Importance of listening to your own intuition and knowing if it’s anxiety or your intuition 
• 20:33 – Why medical gaslighting happens specifically with patients who have pelvic floor issues and how there is no enough education and information when it comes to Physical Therapy and chiropractic practice 
• 24:41 – The somatic experience in women and how Allie incorporates it into treating her patients
• 30:04 – How diving deep and looking into emotions as women in the healthcare system are important
• 33:46 - My health issues through the years and how it stemmed from traumas throughout my life and how it manifested in my physical body 
• 37:50 – Our take on giving/using antidepressants 
• 38:44 – Dr. Allie’s Energy Mastery Certification and what chakras are
• 42:03 – The three reasons for misalignment according to Dr. Allie 
• 43:29 – The struggles of women in general 
• 46:44 – Diving deep into why medical gaslighting happens 
• 53:05 – What can you do to avoid being medically gaslit
• 59:18 – Conclusion 

Check out Dr. Allie Day on Instagram @lotus_atx or check her website at lotusatx.com. 

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

Today let’s get into how you can manage chronic pain and illness. There are many things that Western medicine cannot explain. For example, if you’ve had back pain for seven years and you go to a clinic or a healthcare professional, chances are they will ask you to have an X-ray, MRI, and some blood work. If they don’t find anything, you will continue to have symptoms and you will be dismissed. 

This is what I see in the clinic day in and day out when people come to me for help. With alternative treatments, we look into the mental health component and your lifestyle to hopefully help with your management for chronic pain and illness. 

I personally experienced going through chronic pain and illness that’s why I want to help you get through it the way that I did! Give this episode a listen to learn more about how physical therapy and other alternative treatments can help you! 

Let’s talk about:  

• 0:35 – Introduction to today’s topic        
• 0:54 – Some truth about western medicine 
• 1:46 – The components that are not often looked into for people who have chronic pain and illness 
• 2:41 – My own experience with going through chronic pain and illness and how it all started 
• 4:40 – What I find in majority of people I see that have chronic pain and illness and the effects of being in a fight or flight mode all the time 
• 7:01 – One of the biggest things that helped me with trauma that I went through growing up 
• 8:38 – When did my first symptoms of chronic pain and illness appeared 
• 9:24 – Gaslighting: What is it and how I was gaslit before 
• 11:48 – How a psychotherapist helped me and how it can help you too 
• 13:06 – Looking into the central nervous system: What happens when you’re in fight or flight mode, symptoms that you might be in that mode, why is it important to realize if you’re in this mode, and how you can get out of this mode 
• 17:39 – Looking into your nutrition and lifestyle: How food and lifestyle affects your chronic pain and illness 
• 22:21 – How does therapy actually help you: Breaking down the benefits 
• 24:21 – Therapy and medication: When does medication usually come into play 
• 27:30 – Looking into the people that you’re around with all the time, how they affect you, and how to bring back joy in your life 
• 29:36 – The importance of understanding how you’re talking to yourself day in day out and understanding what triggers your chronic pain and illness 
• 30:23 – Importance and benefits of tracking your period cycle 
• 32:06 – How can you support yourself once you’ve identified your triggers 
• 33:16– Why people with IBS tend to get triggered more 
• 34:43 – How will the emotional diary and tracking help you in managing your symptoms 
• 37:15 – Conclusion 

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

Today let’s dive into the question, “Why do I have to pee all of the time?” It’s a pretty common question but let me start by saying this is NOT NORMAL. 

This is a topic that is normalized by the society. People think that when they are over 30 or 40, they HAVE to run to the bathroom all the time, but that’s not the case at all. There’s a ton that we could do through Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy to help with that. 

What’s truer is that there’s a lot you can do on your own to help with this situation before seeking the help of a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist.  

So in this episode, I’ll share with you the reasons why you are peeing all the time, what the triggers and irritants are, and some tips to help you with this matter! 

Let’s talk about:  

• 0:35 – Introduction to today’s topic 
• 2:12 – The common misconception with women after having kids 
• 2:30 – The importance of looking into your bladder habits 
• 3:33 – The truth about waking up at night to pee and the correlation between peeing at night and ageing 
• 4:16 – Looking into the different causes of why you are peeing all the time and why you need to start recognizing these causes before taking any medication for your bladder 
• 11:13 – Other things to consider when you’re always feeling the urgency to pee 
• 13:58 – Importance of identifying what triggers your urgency to pee all the time 
• 20:39 – The correlation of bladder urgencies and stress urinary incontinence 
• 22:26 – Looking into how we deal with bladder triggers and irritants 
• 25:01 – When is it time to talk to your doctor about using vaginal estrogen to help with bladder urgencies 
• 26:43 – What to do if you’re in medication that irritates your bladder 
• 29:03 – Ruling out STI if you’re experiencing bladder urgencies 
• 30:10 – Conclusion 

If you're struggling with bladder urgency check out this free guide: https://resilient-rx.com/bladderdiary/

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

Hey there! This is another solo episode and today we will be discussing what is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. 

I don’t have anyone in particular who asked about this, but I hear this question often. Most people assume that when they go and see a pelvic floor physical therapist it’s because they are pregnant or are postpartum. 

However, there are so many other facets with Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. Everybody with a pelvis has a pelvic floor and there are issues or problems that are not even based on gender or age. 

So, if you are interested to know more about Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy, listen to this episode and empower yourself with knowledge and education that you can share to others, too! 

Let’s talk about:  

00:36 – Introduction to today’s topic (hello everyone)

00:52 – The common misconceptions on what Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy is

01:24 - The common symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction in men and women

02:40 – The different aspects where we can be of help to people with pelvic floor dysfunction

03:57 – What to expect when you go to a pelvic floor physical therapist 

29:16 – The most common questions people ask before seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist 

32:18 – Conclusion 

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.

This is a solo episode and today we will be talking all about prolapse. 

We received a question from Caroline, a 52-year-old woman from Seattle. She shared that she’s been complaining of symptoms of rectal prolapse and noted, “First of all, I have no idea what this means. I feel embarrassed and unclean because sometimes I have stains in my underwear even though I clean thoroughly after I poop. Is there anything besides surgery that I can do and can you explain what’s going on?” 

When people search about prolapse online, most of the things that they find aren’t true at all! You don’t have to avoid specific exercise forever if you have a prolapse that’s why I wanted to talk more about this topic because Physical Therapy can truly help with this issue! 

Give this episode a listen so you know what questions you can ask to your healthcare provider and advocate for yourself! 

Let’s talk about:  

0:35 – Today’s topic

2:35 – Introduction to today’s topic and question

3:15 – Understanding the pelvic floor and pelvic organs, how prolapse happens, and different reasons why weakening of vaginal wall happen 

7:59 – Understanding your core 

9:55 – What I always see with people with prolapse coming in, what I want you to do, and my take on fear-based approach in treating prolapse 

11:09 – A quick story on a patient of mine that came in with prolapse: her activities, what she was told to do, and what I would have done instead

14:43 – Common symptoms of prolapse

21:53 – How is prolapse tested, the different things we look into and do to treat symptoms of prolapse, and some potential triggers for prolapse 

42:43 – When should you have surgery for your prolapse 

46:31 – Other things we look into and do to treat symptoms of prolapse 

48:05 – Conclusion 

You may download the Bladder And Bowel Tracker HERE.

Want support for perimenopause that goes beyond hormones?

Whether you (or your clients) are taking HRT but still having symptoms, not ready for it, or can’t tolerate it...there’s more we can do.

I’ll be sharing practical tools from a movement and rehab perspective, focusing on the nervous system, fascia, lymph, viscera, and musculoskeletal system.

If you want updates on workshops, resources, and strategies to support this phase of life more fully, would love you to join my email list.

Subscribe to my email list here

I’ll see you in 2 weeks!

PS:

If you are interested in being a guest on the show, please fill out the form here.