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Chief Medical Officer at Central DuPage Hospital Dr. Tom Moran joins Bob Sirott to explain when you should take Advil versus Tylenol. He also talks about who should be taking vitamin A supplements and what we should know about the measles vaccination.
“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” —Martin Luther King Jr.If the term Brave Women at Work were in the dictionary, (why isn't it? LOL), Robyn Malone would be part of the definition. I met Robyn through a dear friend and colleague, and we hit it off pretty quickly. As you will learn during our show today, Robyn has done some scary things, including:Following her heart and leaving her established community in New York City to be with her now husband in Chicago.Re-establishing her entire personal and professional community after the move while maintaining her community in New York.Recognizing that even though she didn't plan on being an entrepreneur, a business was building itself around here, so she took note and build a thriving boutique PR agency.Not being afraid to be a truthteller in her industry because she has decided to stick to her values.And more!Robyn was a like a jolt of motivation to my system and a beautiful reminder that we can do things that scare us. I'm now wondering how I'm going to stretch myself next! Anyone want to go with me to Bali? Just kidding. Well, maybe not.Here is more about Robyn:Robyn Malone is the EO & Chief Partner Officer of RJ Communications, a boutique health, tech, and wellness PR agency. Robyn's communications career includes experience across various sectors, industries, therapeutic areas, and brands. Her passion for health, however, led her to focus on work that has the potential to impact lives. A storyteller at heart, Robyn spent her career in healthcare PR and communications, launching familiar healthcare brands and partnering with global powerhouses like Pfizer and P&G. Robyn has worked extensively in corporate and brand communications in the consumer health and pharmaceutical sectors – often managing large, multinational, and multi-regional teams to develop and execute successful campaigns that deliver tangible business results. These include "You Don't Know Jack About MS," – a public awareness campaign featuring newly diagnosed MS patient Jack Osbourne, and "Relieve My Fever," – a children's contest featuring Angie Harmon to re-launch Pfizer's Children's Advil. The integrated, communications-led effort garnered more than 135 million media impressions in top-tier print and broadcast media, including Fox & Friends, The Rachael Ray Show, Parade, and People. Today, RJ Communications works with a range of clients ranging from tech startups to large, well-established multinational companies, using our experience in all things health to tell health stories and grow healthy brands. A native NYer turned Chicagoan, Robyn marries heart, head, and humanity to tell the stories that compel people to action.If the Brave Women at Work Podcast has helped you personally or professionally, please be share it with a friend, colleague, or family member. And your ratings and reviews help the show continue to gain traction and grow. Thank you again!Also, if you haven't yet downloaded my freebies from my website, check them out at www.bravewomenatwork.com.
Ethan Suplee is thrilled to sit down with Dr. Stephen Gundry on the American Glutton Podcast to explore the alarming decline in America's health since the 1970s. Together, they dive into the gut microbiome's crucial role in regulating hunger and supporting weight loss, examining how antibiotics, glyphosate, and processed foods have severely disrupted this delicate system. Dr. Gundry offers practical solutions—such as incorporating prebiotic fiber and fermented foods—to help restore balance. The conversation also tackles the downsides of quick-fix drugs like Ozempic. This eye-opening episode challenges conventional health wisdom and offers real hope for sustainable change.SHOW HIGHLIGHTS00:00 - Introduction to Dr. Stephen Gundry 01:11 - The Health Decline Since the 1970s 02:25 - Ultra-Processed Foods and Their Origins 03:06 - Impact of Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics 04:22 - Glyphosate's Effect on the Microbiome 05:39 - Dangers of NSAIDs like Advil 07:34 - Obesity Trends and High Fructose Corn Syrup 08:01 - Restoring the Gut Microbiome 12:21 - Three Steps to a Healthy Microbiome 19:07 - Gut-Centric Theory of Hunger 23:35 - Challenges of Getting Enough Fiber 25:23 - Efficiency and Modern Food Access 27:47 - Weight Loss Drugs and Their Risks 33:38 - Importance of Fermented Foods 36:11 - Reintroducing Beneficial Bacteria 40:48 - Overcoming Bacteriophobia 43:20 - Final Thoughts and Takeaways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's like taking Advil for a skin infection...Wrong pill for the wrong symptom.That's how many owners and sales people try to fix the problems they are facing… I see this mistake all the time.So I made this video to walk you through a 5-step process to fix any sales or business problem in 10 minutes or less.This process has worked in my business, my personal life, and for dozens of RSRA Members.And I know it'll work for you too.So share this one with your team right now. P.S. Imagine having your own advisory board to help you solve every problem you'll face - today and in the future. That's what our community inside RSRA is all about. We don't think like typical roofers. We think like advanced entrepreneurs who are serious about growing bullet proof businesses. If you're interested in joining us, read this letter I wrote you: https://www.rsra.org/join=============FREE TRAINING CENTERhttps://theroofstrategist.com/free-training-centerJOIN THE ROOFING & SOLAR REFORM ALLIANCE (RSRA)https://www.rsra.org/join/ GET MY BOOKhttps://a.co/d/7tsW3Lx GET A ROOFING SALES JOBhttps://secure.rsra.org/find-a-job CONTACTEmail: help@roofstrategist.comCall/Text: 303-222-7133FOLLOW ADAM BENSMANhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSVx5TWX-m2dl6yuUVF05Dwhttps://www.facebook.com/adam.bensman/ https://www.facebook.com/RoofStrategist/ https://www.instagram.com/roofstrategist/ https://www.tiktok.com/@roofstrategist https://www.linkedin.com/in/roofstrategist/#roofstrategist #roofsales #d2d #solar #solarsales #roofing #roofer #canvassing #hail #wind #hurricane #sales #roofclaim #rsra #roofingandsolarreformalliance #reformers #adambensman
Imagine your gut as a security gate, carefully controlling what enters your bloodstream. Now, picture that gate with broken locks—allowing harmful toxins, undigested food particles, and bacteria to slip through. That's leaky gut, and it could be the hidden reason behind your bloating, brain fog, autoimmune issues, skin problems, and chronic fatigue. Your gut lining is supposed to act as a protective barrier, but when it gets damaged, it no longer filters properly. This can trigger widespread inflammation, worsen allergies and asthma, contribute to autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's and psoriasis, and throw your hormones out of balance, leading to issues like PCOS. Even your mood and mental health are deeply connected to what's happening in your gut. On this episode of Medical Disruptor, we're breaking down the truth about leaky gut—what it is, why it's causing more than just digestive issues, and how stress, antibiotics, NSAIDs like Advil and Motrin, sugar, alcohol, and processed foods could be fueling the damage. We'll also explore how gut health directly impacts your skin, hormones, and brain function, plus the foods silently making it worse—and what to eat instead. If you've been struggling with unexplained symptoms and haven't found the answers, this episode could be the breakthrough you need. Tune in and learn how to take control of your gut health once and for all.
Pain relief without the harsh side effects? In this episode, Ellen and innovation & strategy expert Nicole Brown explore how cannabis is helping people manage everything from menstrual cramps to hangovers to post-surgery recovery. They share personal stories, clarify misconceptions, and explain how cannabis can be a safer alternative to traditional painkillers, without taking you out of your day. If you're wondering how cannabis helps with pain or just want a clear, honest take on it, you're in the right place. And stick around until the end, where Ellen and Nicole swap favorite movies, shows, and books to help you find your new favorite! If you enjoyed this episode, we recommend Episode 250. Runner's High is Real: Weed & Workouts, Part 1 Hosted by Ellen Scanlon Sign up for Ellen's newsletter on Substack at https://dothepot.substack.com/ or at dothepot.com Thank you for supporting our sponsor! Try Potli's Dream Good Night Chews, and use code DOTHEPOT for 20% off Follow on IG: @dothepot / FB: @dothepot / X: @dothepot
Dr. Mitch Shulman can be heard every weekday morning at 7:50 on The Andrew Carter Morning Show.
A caller moves away from his home country in Poland to live a bohemian lifestyle in a cave on the Canary Islands. After that I talk to a film industry worker dealing with the uncertainty of his gig, and a caller and I discuss why 27 feels older than 31. It is time to take an Advil. I am a gecko. Send an email to therapygeckomail@gmail.com to maybe have it possibly read on the show potentially. SUPPORT THE LIZARD AGENDA: therapygecko.supercast.com FOLLOW ME ON GECKOGRAM: instagram.com/lyle4ever GET WEIRD EMAILS FROM ME SOMETIMES BY CLICKING HERE.Follow me on Twitch to get a notification for when I’m live taking calls. Usually Mondays and Wednesdays but a lot of other times too. twitch.tv/lyleforeverSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week's ep. kicks off with a Fashion Report about fake Adidas from Target. Amy is wracking up the frequent flyer miles. Amy describes the free-for-all that is the Southwest experience. She's also headed to New Orleans, and Maya suggests doing some “witchy stuff” and a “ghost tour”. The ladies take a deep dive into this season of Love Is Blind. Turns out that Love is Bland in Minnesota. Fun fact: Amy's former co-worker is on LIB. Monica, we love you, but what the hell is a sock bin? Also, the guy that was “addicted” to Advil? Amy's dog ruined the dog park with her runaway ways. Damn Sadie! Let's be clear, reading a book or wearing headphones are a definite social cue to leave me the eff alone. Next up, the ladies recap the Oscars. Conan did the most! Approved/Denied: Starbucks plus AC/DC Thunderstruck.
Hosts Pastor Robert Baltodano and Guest Pastor Troy Warner Question Timestamps: Andrew, NJ (3:06) - Jesus says that ”only the Father knows,” but isn't Jesus also God? Shouldn't he know too? Brielle, NY (6:39) - If Jesus is God, and he was praying to God, how was he praying to God? Jay, MA (10:05) - Can you explain Isaiah 6:10? Tammy, AK (14:39) - Was Jesus just speaking in a parable when he said that “only the Father knows?” Martha, NY (19:24) - When Jesus returned to the Father, did he return as “fully God and fully man?” Why does the human part of Jesus still exist in heaven? What angels are we supposed to judge in heaven? Mary, NY (23:11) - We are supposed to forgive all of the time, but does that mean the relationships will always be restored? Wilson, MA (33:55) - What advice can you give me for interacting with my daughter's mom as we co-parent, but she is combative? Is it okay to take Advil during a juice or water fast? Kezz, TX (39:06) - If Jesus isn't the Father, why does Isaiah 9:6 call him the “everlasting father?” Melinda, MA (40:42) - Could you pray for me because I feel distant from God? Patty, NJ (46:44) - Is there a connection between Exodus, where the first borns have to keep things tied to their hands or on their heads, and Revelation, with the Mark of the Beast? Ray, NJ (51:05) - Am I condemned for not following the Sabbath on Saturday? What do I do approaching dating and marriage in today's culture? Ask Your Questions: 888-712-7434 Answers@bbtlive.org
Put on your puffy vest and pristine hiking boots and please give a warm Argestes welcome to Jesse Armstrong (he's exceedingly easy to get.)If we got kissy, might he share plot details of ‘Frat Baby 2'? Could a Cobb salad ever be worth $75? And would he like an Advil and a handjob?It's a culture hike, and we're listening quite aggressively.We hear for you: fuckoff@firecrotchandnormcore.comWe're a big fan of, uh.. all your money: https://www.patreon.com/THEYLIKETOWATCHHow is this entertainment? https://sohotheatre.com/events/sara-barron-anything-for-you/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You're at the end of your rope, so you head to the pharmacy for the help you so desperately need to sleep. But wait, you aren't sure if it's safe, if it works, and if there's a better way. Stay tuned to learn about the benefits, side effects, and risk of sleep aids. I'm Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you're ready to take control of your health, you're in the right place. I'll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you. This is episode 159, Sleeping Pills and Potions. What works and what doesn't. You know that poor sleep is associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, immune dysfunction, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, fatigue, irritability, and good grief, I could go on and on. So, taking something to help you sleep sounds like a good idea, right? Today, we'll discuss what you need to know before you go and get a prescription, supplement, or over the counter sleeping aid. Look, we have to sleep. Our very lives and health depend on it. But the struggle is real. Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms people go to the doctor or health care provider for treatment. And what if I told you that good sleep is possible without medications? Well, it is. In fact, the first line treatment recommended to treat insomnia is not medication. The standard recommendation for managing insomnia is to eliminate things that go bump in the night and keep you awake. Or, to treat underlying diseases that disrupt sleep. It's not recommended to start with behavioral therapy or medications until these other things are maximized. Ha! But good luck with that. If you go to your primary care provider and you don't get a prescription, I'll buy you a cup of coffee and we can both stay awake. And, if you think you need to see a specialist, then you'll probably get to spend the night in a sleep lab hotel hooked up to a bunch of wires and you may get answers, like, a CPAP, and that's important if you have sleep apnea, but if not, you might not even hear from them. No wonder you're looking for a good solution to sleep. And though medications are not the first line recommendation, that is the topic of today's episode. So let's get to it. We're going to start with prescription medications, then we'll talk about over the counter medications and wrap up with supplements. There are three classes of drugs approved to treat insomnia. Benzodiazepine receptor agonist, histamine receptor antagonist, and melatonin receptor agonist. Listening to all that medical jargon may be sufficient to put you to sleep. But wait, let me explain. You'll understand more after we go to mini medical school today and learn about receptors. These are made up of proteins and they receive chemical signals that produce a response. Let me give you this analogy. You've got a lamp sitting on an end table, but it's not plugged in, so there's no light. And when you stick those two prongs into the socket, behold, now you can sit and read. And that's kind of how a receptor works. The plug fits into the plug in. So an agonist is like the plug. It fits. It turns it on. It lets the electricity flow. But, if you had a toddler in the house, you might want to plug in one of those little plastic things so he doesn't stick a butter knife in there and get shocked. So that would be an antagonist. Okay, now wake up and pay attention. We've got three classes of drugs to look at. Benzo receptor agonist and melatonin agonist. That plug in and histamine receptor antagonist that block the plugin. And then there's another category called other. We'll just call that the clapper, you know, clap, clap. And the light comes on, clap, clap, and the light goes off. There are eight drugs in the benzodiazepine receptor agonist family. And the first five are about my age, you know, born in the 60s. They are Estazolam, which is Prosom, Florazepam, which is Dalmane, Quamazepam, which is Doral, Temazepam, which is Restoril and Triazolam, which is Halcion. Now the millennials aren't benzos, but they're still benzo receptor agonist. And you know, this generation got way more complicated spelling their kids' names, so I'm probably gonna have to sound them out like a first grade teacher on the first day of school. Eszopiclone is Lunesta, Zaleplon is Sonata. Zolpidem is Ambien. Those older drugs are crankier and cause more dependence although Restoril is the nicest in the category. There are other benzos which are technically prescribed for anxiety and some people do use them to help them sleep. Do they work? Here's what the data says for the old guys. They help you fall asleep faster. A whole whopping 10 minutes faster. And they increase total sleep time by half an hour to an hour. That's it. What about risk? Well, they make you sleepy, which is kind of the point, but also they can make you dizzy, which can make you fall if you get up and go to the bathroom during the night. And if you mix them with opioids, the reaction can be fatal. Now, the younger guys function about as well as the older ones, but they have shorter half lives, so their effects don't wear out their welcome so much with daytime grogginess. And they aren't so deadly when socializing with opioids. But rarely, they do some bizarre things like compel you to shop or gamble in the middle of the night. All for 10 minutes faster to go to sleep and half hour to an hour longer sleeping. Okay, clap on, clap off, let's talk about the other drugs. These are dual orexin receptor antagonists. Affectionately known as D O R A or Dora. The first one is Suvarexant, which is called Belsomra. The next one is Derodorexant, which sounds a lot like deodorant to me, and that's exactly what I'm gonna call it because the brand name is Quviviq. And finally, there is Limboxerant, which has a really cool brand name, Dayvigo. What? You've never heard of any of these? Well, that's probably because they're slightly less effective than the other drugs. They help you go to sleep seven minutes faster. But the main side effect is sleepiness, and people generally say they slept better. The next topic in pharmacology class in mini medical school is the histamine antagonist. You know, the little plastic thing that goes in the wall socket so your toddler doesn't. Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant that functions this way, and even in low doses it causes the desirable effect of drowsiness. So, it's approved for the treatment of drowsiness deficit. Unfortunately, there are some drugs it doesn't play nice with. But, it does increase sleep time by Drum roll please! 25 to 30 minutes. Womp, womp, womp. And, it helps people stay asleep toward the end of the sleep cycle. And I think this underscores why one size does not fit all and prescriptions should be customized for individual needs. The last class of drugs approved for the treatment of insomnia makes a lot of sense. Ramelteon is a melatonin receptor agonist and the brand name Rosarem, get it? REM, R E M, as in rapid eye movement sleep. It's got a good mechanism of action, a good name. Problem is, it doesn't work any better than placebo. So, you can skip the potential for fatigue, nausea, and worsening of liver disease and just take a sugar pill. So, am I saying it doesn't work at all? Of course not. Why would it be approved if it didn't work? Well, it's not in Europe, but it does work to lengthen sleep time by a grand total of seven minutes. And I don't know about you, but it's going to take more than seven minutes to get rid of the bags under these eyes. So that's the gamut of drugs approved for the treatment of insomnia in the United States. But wait, there's more. Just because the FDA doesn't approve something for a particular indication, that doesn't mean that doctors can't prescribe it. And sometimes, off label prescribing is a really good thing, though it's a set up for a knock down, drag out fight with your insurance company for coverage. In addition to using the antidepressant Doxepin, many doctors prescribe other antidepressants for sleep. Things like Amitriptyline and Trazodone, even though the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises against it because of side effects and no data showing that it works. Now, I always recommend that you consult with your health care provider regarding your medications. Always, always, always. But, I also recommend that they consult with up to date society recommendations and guidelines. That's just fair. And while they're at it, they should look at the potential adverse reactions. So, now maybe you've decided to skip the copay and just help yourself to the sleep aid aisle of the pharmacy. You could even ask the pharmacist to guide you, and I recommend that. There are two over the counter medications approved to treat insomnia. They are diphenhydramine, commonly known as Benadryl, and doxalamine, commonly known as Unisom. Side note, over the counter medications are regulated FDA, And both of these drugs are histamine blockers. Therefore, all of the fun side effects that come with that, like dry mouth, GI distress, dizziness, trouble emptying your bladder, and of course, sedation, which is the desired side effect. These medications are often combined with things like Advil or Tylenol with an added P. M. at the end, so you know what's in store for you. And here's what's in store for diphenhydramine. 8 less minutes to fall asleep and 12 more minutes of sleep. And for doxylamine, there's no data available. That's it. That's what we've got. So, maybe now you've decided just to take matters into your own hands and look for a supplement. And because you've listened to my previous podcast episode about dementia, you're gonna skip right over the Prevagen, right? Promise me. Now, in the supplement section, you're going to walk in understanding that claims, concentrations, and ingredients are not guaranteed. They're not regulated. They are, generally speaking, considered safe and ineffective. You heard that right. Safe. And ineffective. But what about melatonin? You swear it works, but does it? Maybe. It is sedating in about 10 percent of people and in everyone else, it shifts the sleep phase. So, there is a place for that such as jet lag, and I have an episode on jet lag in the show notes. But even though it may help you drift off to sleep, it probably isn't going to help you stay asleep. The half life is less than an hour, and in some people it causes stomach cramps, irritability, and even depression. It's best used in combination with other things that regulate your circadian rhythm. More to come on that. But a big one is light. And so this probably would be a great time to tell you about some exciting news I have for you. I have an upcoming series of live webinars to talk about six hidden things that keep you tossing and turning at night. And soon you'll have access to an online course called Unlock the Secret to Sleep, your personal sleep solution. I have been working so hard on this for so long that I cannot wait to share it with you. I want to help you reset your sleep and get your Z's. Now there are other supplements labeled as sleep aids and most of them again are safe and probably not effective. The exceptions on safety are kava and valerian root. Both of those have been associated with liver damage. Now it's rare, but it's very serious. Other things you might find on this aisle are chamomile, Glycine, Gryphonia, Hops, , Kava, L theanine, Lavender, , Passionflower, Nightshade, Skullcap, Strymonium, Tryptophan, , and Wild Jujube Seeds. They're all equally effective and work every bit as well as a sugar pill, but hey, sugar pills can have powerful placebo effects. And one last thing I want to mention, and that is cannabis. Bottom line is there's not enough research to say one way or another, whether it works. It does have the potential for addiction and it's not legal everywhere. So there's that. But also it's a problem that if you quit, you'll likely experience sleep disturbances that can last for several months. The bottom line is, I want you to know that you shouldn't have to choose between serious health consequences of poor sleep and the side effects and risk of sleeping pills and potions. If you suffer from insomnia, I do encourage you not to stop any medications without medical supervision and to have an honest conversation with your doctor. And if they want access to my resources, just give them my email address. I'm happy to share and they're 100 percent legit, but if good sleep eludes you, I want you to know while there's no magic pill for perfect sleep, there is a proven path to natural, restorative rest that can transform your life. Imagine waking up energized, focused, and ready to tackle your day without relying on sleeping pills or potions. Are you tired of tossing and turning at night? Desperately wishing for deep, restful sleep? I'm hosting two exclusive live webinars where I'll share my evidence based approach to achieving consistent quality sleep. Join me on March 3rd or March 5th to discover how to fall asleep naturally. and wake up refreshed, practical strategies to boost your energy and mental clarity, and solutions to common sleep challenges that keep you awake at night. Plus you'll get a chance to ask your most pressing sleep questions during a live Q& A session. So don't miss this opportunity. To revolutionize your sleep. Click the link in the show notes to save your spot now. Registration is required. And make sure you're on my email list to receive exclusive pre webinar insights and special bonuses. Your journey to better sleep starts here. Sign up right now and let's transform your nights and supercharge your days. Because good sleep is crucial for good health and healthy looks great on you. RESOURCES: FREE, live sleep masterclass registration Jet Lag Does Prevagen work? Why doctors prescribe a pill Meet Aunt Edna - Your holiday survival stress guide
This week! Gym joining, tendinitis, the AARP, nervous traveling, a new favorite retinal serum, the best lip balm, plus listener questions and more!You can find us on Patreon: patreon.com/everythingisfineYou can find Kim on her Substack: kimfrance.substack.comYou can find Jenn on her Substack: jennromolini.substack.comConcerns? Critiques? Suggestions? Just want to say "hi"? You can email us: everythingisfinethepodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“She's young, she's in college, and she's got a killer schedule—literally!” This week on Horror Café Podcast: Happy Death Day! One unlucky student gets stuck in the ultimate “live, laugh, die” loop. Who needs midterms when you're solving your own murder before breakfast? Can she crack the case, or will she just keep dying to meet expectations? (Spoiler: she's gonna need a lot of Advil.) Join Eryka and Jackie as they break down the time loops of this slasher with a side of snark. Tune in now—because reliving the same day has never been this deadly… or this much fun!
Getting Through the Tough Times Oh the nights are so tough! Have you been there? Have you laid in the utter darkness and the quiet is deafening, the pain is unbearable, and you feel like you will ever get through this moment of phantom pain? Yep, the reality is, we all go through it at some point or another, to varying degrees. The last two nights, for me, have started great, I feel asleep and wasn't feeling anything in the way of phantom pain. However, as soon as I shift, the sensations would start and the I couldn't shut them off! It's almost unbearable. To sit in the dark, feeling like your body is screaming out loud, and no one else knows. My husband, laying right next to me, has no idea what I am feeling or that I am even going through this.... and he won't know until morning. Have you experienced this? How about when you are out and about in a crowded store or venue, and your limb is on fire, or a sore within your socket is rubbing raw and stinging? And no one knows the pain you are feeling as you stand in line at the grocery store? Such is the life of an amputee. It comes and goes. Most of the time there is no warning, it just comes at you. So how do you deal with this, seeing as this is your life now? First off, we all deal with pain differently, what works for one person won't work for another. As you experience these "episodes" you will learn what works for you (oh, and for added fun, what worked last time for you might not work the next). You can only prepare yourself for the mental battles ahead. Communicate. Let the people around you know how you are feeling and what you need. They can't see what's happening within you and not everyday, all day is bad. Make sure you speak up and not assume they understand. Build mental toughness. Use positivity and positive self-talk to get through hard times. You can redirect how your brain process what you are going through by the way you address it, internally and out loud. Try not to fall back on medications every time you feel "out of sorts". This goes for people dealing with the average phantom sensations/pains. I do not know what you've been going through and what you have been prescribed, so you need to do what you need to do but I will tell you that I will only use Tylenol or Advil once in a blue moon, when all else fails and when I can't take anymore. There is no right way to handle an episode, but if you can stay away from prescription medication, and start leaning on your own devices to handle the mental situation, then do it. You'll be stronger in the long run and your body will thank you. These moments are truly times to develop your mental toughness. Sometimes we just need to hit them head on to become a stronger version of ourselves so we are ready for the next battle. Finding time for myself to breathe and let go, helps me thru hard times Don't forget you were made to fight, and survive. You are a Warrior, you just need to unleash its within you and believe that you are strong enough to handle it. Rise up, Warrior, and face your battles with inner strength! You can do it, and you are not alone! I pray you have a wonderful week ahead, And as always, Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be YOU!!! Much love, Remember: You are Beautiful, so just Be-YOU!
In this episode, we're diving into the world of natural remedies for period pain, moving away from NSAIDs and quick fixes like Tylenol. Many of us have experienced the vicious cycle of relying on these medications for pain relief, only to face short- and long-term side effects like gut issues and ovulation disruption. It's time to take a closer look! For those with endometriosis or severe period pain who feel they need NSAIDs for immediate relief, we completely understand and honor your choice. Pain management is deeply personal, and relief is essential. Our goal here is simply to raise awareness about the potential negative side effects of these medications and highlight the importance of addressing the root cause of inflammation. Instead of just masking the pain, we're here to help you build a holistic pain relief toolkit that supports your health. From turmeric lattes to magnesium lotions and even heating pads shaped like uteruses (yes, really!), we're exploring natural remedies that manage pain, reduce inflammation, and support your hormones—without the negative health side effects. TOPICS COVERED ➡ The hidden risks of ibuprofen and NSAIDs for women ➡ Why addressing the root cause of period pain matters ➡ Ginger (teas, capsules, pastes) ➡ Turmeric + black pepper for better absorption ➡ Magnesium (lotion, sprays, and supplements) ➡ Omega-3 fatty acids ➡ Red raspberry leaf tea ➡ Heat therapy: heating pads and warm baths ➡ Red light therapy and its benefits for uterine health ➡ CBD products for period pain ➡ Herbal tinctures like cramp bark for muscle relaxation ➡ Building a proactive, holistic approach to hormone health EPISODE RESOURCES ➡ Wenatal Omega 3 DHA+ www.wenatal.com/balancedbeyars ➡ Paleo Valley Superfood Golden milk latte and Turmeric Supplements https://www.paleovalley.com/?pc=pvpartners&oid=26&affid=897 ➡ Tinctures ➡ Tradicional Medicinals Red Raspberry Leaf Tea https://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/products/raspberry-leaf-tea?srsltid=AfmBOootxGWYvUamBFehejGPwN7BITLeWkE-wNHQbJF1HBClMyefg5pH ➡ Cured Nutrition Salve for Relief https://glnk.io/p996x/alaina-carly-julie code BALANCEDBEYARS ➡ Red Light Therapy https://www.biolight.shop?sca_ref=2845809.39bKHsD3TY code BALANCEDBEYARS ➡ Hummingway Cycle Soother Patches https://ourhummingway.com/product/cycle-soother-patch ➡ Thorne Phytoprofen (Swapped for IBuprofen or Advil) https://www.thorne.com/u/balancedbeyars ➡ Boiron Cycle Ease Line (Homepathics) https://www.boironusa.com/product/cyclease-cramp/?srsltid=AfmBOoqdsJxCWsSxEtLKhDgtNiDp7CnL-I0eYQ4g6vHmMHNazcQub0CU ABOUT US We're Carly, Alaina and Julie Beyar- Three sisters, certified in Fertility Awareness and Hormone Health, helping women transform their menstrual health, fertility, and mindset. Naturally. Holistically. Sustainably. And with a healthy dose of humor. From fertility to postpartum, and everything in between, join us every Wednesday for candid conversations, empowering insights, and the occasional dose of laughter. SUBSCRIBE NOW for a journey through the phases, where we keep it real, relatable, and always entertaining...and don't forget to RATE US & REVIEW ⭐ We appreciate YOU! LET'S CONNECT ➡ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/balancedbeyars/ ➡ Join our weekly newsletter https://www.balancedbeyars.com/subscribe-now ➡ Website https://www.balancedbeyars.com
When you're doing IVF, it's important to be prepared. I want you to have the best outcome possible, and for me that includes making sure you have everything you need on hand to support your physical, mental, and emotional health as you go through the process. Do you have questions about IVF, and what to expect? Click here to join Dr. Aimee for The IVF Class. The next live class call is on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 4pm PST, where Dr. Aimee will explain IVF and there will be time to ask her your questions live on Zoom. Today on the podcast, I'm sharing my top 10 things you need when you're embarking on IVF: 1. Get your electrolyte rich drinks ahead of time 2. Stock up on a protein powder+shake that you love 3. Consider scheduling a food delivery service 4. Prepare for a poop emergency: stool softeners are your friend 5. Purchase panty liners because you can spot and that's considered normal after an egg retrieval and waterproof underwear helps with the discharge too 6. Egg Whisperer fertility pants 7. Grab that Tylenol or Advil ahead of time and a heating pad too for aches and pains 8. Take precautions against Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) 9. Build your fertility TEAM 10. Get your TUSHY checked I know that's a lot of info to pack into a single post here - so you can get all sorts of details and additional information over at the website, where you can also listen to the whole episode. What I want most for you is to feel comfortable, and prepared as you take the next step on your fertility journey, and so that is why I'm sharing the essential must-haves that my patients have found to be helpful in making their experience and recovery more comfortable. Read the full show notes on Dr. Aimee's website Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh is one of America's most well known fertility doctors. Her success rate at baby-making is what gives future parents hope when all hope is lost. She pioneered the TUSHY Method and BALLS Method to decrease your time to pregnancy. Learn more about the TUSHY Method and find a wealth of fertility resources at www.draimee.org. Other ways to connect: Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more fertility tips Join Egg Whisperer School Subscribe to the newsletter to get updates
Annabelle Gets Played. Vanessa Makes Her Move.Based on a post by DustinMidnight, in 9 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Gizzy laid there snoozing on the couch with a controller in her hand as she had a blanket covering a part of her body. Dan listened to how she snored. And gave a light kick on the blanket. It was rather funny, as Dan moved over and pushed the blanket over her, even covering her breast. She grunted,“Burn baby burn, he he he!” Gizzy mumbled in her sleep. Dan flat out wasn't sure what she meant by that and probably didn't want to know. He sighed and began heading over towards the bedroom. He noticed a bit Bast wasn't around. Normally she'd sneak up and try to bug him or make a snarky remark. But for the most part. Dan imagined that she might've just gone to bed or was having a night in the town. Cat's are weird, so why wouldn't a Cat goddess, be just as weird.“Well as long as she isn't causing trouble or puking in my shoes.” He sighed and started heading towards the bedroom. He groaned and called out,“Annabelle I'm home!” He reached over and opened the door. He turned the light on and what he saw shocked him. His heart had practically stopped right there. His eyes turning into a dinner plate, as he almost heard the sounds of something snapping. Annabelle was laying there naked in bed, her arms around someone. Her body holding them closer, as she had a smile. Sure she was asleep. But the person her arms were wrapped around was another man.Dan didn't know who he was, as he felt his hand tightening up into a fist, a part of him snapping, as he popped his neck. Anger rising over him, as he wanted to grab the fucker, grab him, and throw him in the wall.Who the fuck is he!? Why is he in my bed! Dan felt his mind racing as he tried to find the right words something, anything. But when he opened his mouth the only things that came out of that hole he called a mouth were simply.“What the flying fuck is this!” His voice was a lot higher than it was supposed to be. Though suddenly Annabelle woke up practically jumping out as she looked over towards Dan with a smile, as she was still half asleep.“Hey honey, ready for another round already?” Though Dan wasn't paying attention to her.“Dan what are you doing over there?” Though Dan growled in annoyance as he thought he heard something else. His blood boiling more, though pushing the anger as much as he could as he watched the stranger on the other side of the room.“What am I doing here Who the hell is that!” He pointed over as Annabelle turned her head. She didn't recognize the person either. It was a strange man laying there his head on the pillow. Long dirty blonde hair. Slightly tan skin. Heck, he had a few various Tattoos on his back. Though The goddess didn't recognize her. Her mind went blank as she was realizing what was going on. She turned to overlook towards Dan as she called out.“Dan this isn't what it looks like! I Can Explain!” She reached over pulling herself out of bed. Revealing she was completely naked under the bed,“I'm sure you can explain I'm sure, But what the fuck! Was everything a lie?”“Dan none of this is a lie. I love you I swear I never would've slept with anyone without you!” Annabelle yelled out, but she saw the anger in his eyes– No there was more to it than anger, sadness- Broken.“Really none of its, a lie. You're the goddess of Lust and Death, you can do so much I mean, did I even break up with Vanessa, Did you mess with it!” He grunted hard as he watched Annabelle remembering what Liesmith had told him. It was there Annabelle looked hurt, as she looked away. Tears in her eyes.“I did, I screwed with your previous relationship… a bit on purpose, but I'm so sorry I never told you. I didn't want to hurt you but Dan I swear I Love you, I wanted to be with you. So, I just made a small suggestion to her. It was wrong but… I wanted you so much.” She sniffed hard as she was getting ready to cry, her face turning red. As she tried pushing the tears away.Dan's face was turning even redder, It was as if something else snapped. As he was feeling his blood boiled more. He wanted to scream yell at The very Goddess he called his wife. He felt betrayed felt as though nothing mattered. He was trying to ignore that curious part that forced him to ask the question. Dan wanted to ask more questions but he just turned around and walked out of his bedroom.Annabelle watched him walk out of the room as she ran to the door, screaming out.“Dan please don't go we can talk this over! I'm sorry!” She felt herself crying more– Though soon it turned to rage. Not for Dan but for whoever dared lay in her bed. It was clear they weren't human, She knew that whoever she slept with was Dan, or at least looked like him. But it was clear now that was a Lie. As she began to engulf herself in flames. Those flames would be blown out by a chilling wind as Annabelle stood there, her black suit on a scythe in the other. As she looked towards her bed,“Who are you!” she growled in anger ready to strike him down, The natural order be damned if it meant that she could take the soul of the bastard who dared, trick her in bed, and mess with the love of her eternity. She would deal with the trouble later on. Though when she looked for the stranger. The bed was empty and whoever it was, had vanished without a trace. Annabelle screamed in anger as she swung the weapon hitting a dresser draw. The Dresser was cut in half. Before it dissolved into ash.Dan began driving off, Driving far faster than he should have. But at that moment he needed to let off a lot of steam. Passing random Cars, Dan grunted his head starting hurting though took a deep breath trying to get relaxed“So, she broke your heart huh.” A male's voice said causing Dan to swerve to the side, as he felt his heart racing faster.“What the fuck!”“Oh don't be surprised it's me Liesmith, Now Was I right she broke your heart.” The god said while putting his feet on the dashboard. Not even wearing a seat belt.“Should you put your seat belt on?” Dan asked gritting his teeth, as he was feeling annoyed. Though Liesmith shook his head,“Don't matter I'm a god, as long as I'm here you won't get hurt or in a wreck.” Liesmith's smirk widened while snapping his finger and a small drinking glass appeared an umbrella sticking out as he took a drink.“Hmm Martini, stirred not shaken.” Lindesmith joked while taking a drink.“So, what do you want? Still trying to fuck with my life.”“Hey, I didn't do anything, though about this. There's a bar over there. I'll do you a nice favor. Go in there and I'm sure that you'll feel better, especially after some Jack Daniels.”“What the hell do you…” Before Dan could finish his sentence Joe Liesmith was gone. Dan only sighed as he decided to head right into the bar. Maybe he did need a drink.Dan would make a turn towards the bar. A Neon sign that read. Bag of Bones. The light giving a soft glow even flickering. Dan gave a huff as he parked and began going inside.Annabelle wasn't sure what she was going to do. As she walked back and forth in the living room.“What am I going to do? Should I go out there, and find Dan to explain what's going on… Fuck– Maybe I should call the other gods. What the hell is going on!” Annabelle was freaking out since she wasn't sure what was even going to happen. She didn't want to lose Dan. But she was worried she might push him away. It was then she saw Bast strutting on in and bouncing on the couch. She sat there tail swishing before she started transforming into a more humanoid being. As she stretched out.“What a wonderful night… Annabelle is there something wrong?”“Yes, something happened, I slept with someone I thought was Dan, and he wasn't Dan came in and he thinks I cheated on him.”“Oh boy… That sucks, Though hey give him time, he'll come back and you guys can talk about it.”“Maybe, but I worry. Somethings happening. I wasn't able to tell who it was I slept with. It narrows it down. We're dealing with a god. But why, what would they get from hurting my marriage to a mortal?” Annabelle sighed as she sat down looking down at her hands simply wondering who it might have been. A part of her wishes she was holding Dan, She was feeling emotional.“Hey, it'll be ok,” Bast said her eyes looking wider almost adorable as she turned into a kitten and cuddled up into Annabelle. Annabelle simply responded by petting behind Bast's ear as she sat there for the time waiting, and hoping that Dan might come back. GIzzy was still asleep on the other side of the couch snoring away. Just not a care in the world.The bar was quiet, soft music playing. Though whatever they were playing Dan didn't care– he wouldn't say anything, as he felt numb. He took a seat at the barstool and ordered a drink. The bartender nodded dropping down a shot of whiskey.“Yep gonna need one of these maybe more.” Dan, grabbed the shot glass, taking a small drink. While trying to get far more comfortable than he needed to be.“Dan is that you,” a voice came in. The voice was soft barely registrable from the music. But Dan still turned around to see who it was when he saw her. It was Vanessa. She looked disheveled, hair wild. Not compared to the neat and nice look that she had when they broke up. Dan sighed looking down at his drink for a moment, as he muttered,“What are you doing here Vanessa, I figured that you'd be off at a fancy wine party or trying to move up in life from little old me.”“Dan I'm sorry, I never wanted to hurt you, something came over me. I swear.” She moved in sitting by him Though Dan scooted over.“The fact is you did. The thing is it still hurts, I know it's been months but seeing you, opens the wounds.”“It was a mistake, seriously, I don't think I'll ever do it again. Here let me order you another drink.” Vanessa raised her hand and bringing another drink for both of them, the bartender nodded while pouring them a drink. Leaving bigger glasses for each of them imagining that they would be having a long conversation. Hell, the Bartender left the bottle.Vanessa and Dan drank throughout the night pouring drink after drink. Not talking. It was clear they were drinking their problems away with a long sigh, Dan drinking a little more than Vanessa had. Though the young man didn't care, the numbing feeling buzzed over him.Dan groaned hard as he looked towards Vanessa, as he looked towards her she was nice looking, even though she looked as if she was going through the wringer. Maybe the drink helped her looking even better. Hell Dan was even feeling himself open up as he moved in closer.“You are so Perdy.” Dan muttered his speech slurred, Though a part of him. That slim part of his conscious that cared for Annabelle pushed on. He wanted to push it away, but it kept on persisting like a fly buzzing in your ear.“Thank you, I'm glad you think I'm Pretty.” Vanessa giggled, though it was a nervous one. While she moved in closer, giving a light smile.“Um, I'm wondering, do you wanna come back to my place?” Vanessa gave a smile, though there was desperation in her eye, Even Dan as drunk as he was could see it. He didn't like it, even Annabelle was coming back to his mind, how she smiled and giggled. It felt genuine. Then what was that she said before why are you over there, or did she say? Why are you here?Dan grunted some as he began thinking about Annabelle how she made him feel alive. How he felt like a better person. Though he looked at Vanessa and felt nothing. No desire no need, Just the idea of Annabelle.I wanna be with Annabelle. He thought as he muttered,“Nah, I don wanna, I wanna go home to me WIffe.” He slurred out more drunkenly. Though Vanessa looked more offended.“I mean we could go back, I could even su-”“Ma'am he said no, We don't need any trouble here.” The Bartender pointed to the sign,No, means no– No excuses for anyone.“Yesh– Now leave, I wanna drink more! Drink till I can go home and see, me wife!” Dan muttered giggling like a goober, as he suddenly began spinning on the chair, Vanessa looked nervous as she was being watched by the bartender. She knew she needed to leave with him. Maybe get him home– Then do what? She couldn't just sleep with him while he was this drunk. It would be wrong. She would be raping him. It felt as though 20 lbs of lead was falling on her stomach.“I think you should go home,” Vanessa muttered, damn Liesmith, Damn that God who was more like a monster. She wouldn't stoop so low. While Dan who giggled more and nodded,“Ahh right, Ya'll go and do thats!” He giggled as he was about to jump out of his seat. But when he did he began wobbling as if he was walking around like a newly born horse.“Sir I don't think you'll be well enough to drive, I'll call you a cab.” The bartender said as he cleaning the counter up.“Okay doky, artachocky. Ha hah ha!” Dan snickered as he took a seat down. Vanessa giggled some. Dan was a goofy drunk. Almost childish, Though clearly a goofball. She was tempted to get him in bed and tuck him up.“I know where he is, let me get you the address,” Vanessa said, with a long sigh before she moved back over. The bartender watched her suspiciously though nodded, handing her a piece of paper and pen.Vanessa would write down his address. In a way, she was tempted to write down her own. But she knew that wouldn't be right. Her heart ached as she felt like shit– She even had a feeling that the bastard was gonna hurt her for failing. But in a way, this was a good fuck you, to Liesmith. Then the fact it wouldn't be a burden on her soul.“Yeah, he better get home, he's got a wife to see. I think I need to just go, maybe see the world. Maybe do something else.” She muttered under her breath– In a way she was jealous of this Wife of his, she hoped that they were happy together– In a way she hoped Liesmith failed. The fucker was a monster. She only hoped that she would get as far away as she could. Maybe she could visit her sister and her husband.Dan would eventually get home, the driver taking him up towards the Address given, while they would carry him up the apartment. Still, the last bit of kindness most people would give as they knocked on the door. Before leaving. The Bartender had agreed not to have Dan's car towed and put it off in the back so it could be picked up the next day. Though for now, it wasn't on anyone's mind.Dan stood there giggling and laughing more, a Red face over him as he knocked on the door more. As before long, it would be opened by none other than Gizzy.“Danny boy, what are you doing here? We thought you ran off?” The Gremlin said rubbing her eyes as she yawned.“Gahh Gizmo you, Gremlin you's so perdy, and adorable.” Dan muttered as without warning he picked the gremlin up and began giving it a great big o;' bear hug.“Who are you! What have you done with Goddess Husband!” She screamed practically trying to escape the bear hug, But Dan was holding her down as they walked over. Annabelle laid on the bed still asleep with Bast curled up with her as a Kitten still Sleeping while Dan walked off into the bedroom eventually falling asleep with the Gremlin in his arms like a teddy bear.Dan grunted. His head hurt. He wasn't sure what happened or even where he was. He felt as though his head was close to splitting in half. Truly it was a sign that he needed to quit drinking. It never seemed to end well, and it normally ended up in an odd situation. He opened his eyes up and began looking around. The room was much darker, the shades closed, unlike the last time he got drunk. No, this time it was a little better. He looked down and realized that there were teeth marks on his arm, clotted with blood. Dan sat up a little further and soon saw the gremlin lying there snoring away.“What happened last night?” he muttered. “Fuck, my head – or my arm. Fuck, it still hurts.” He dragged his aching body to the bathroom and grabbed some Advil, pouring a few extra out of the bottle. He also grabbed some peroxide, pouring it on the wound. It stung slightly, though that only lasted a few seconds.That was when it suddenly hit him – everything that happened last night. His argument with Annabelle, him leaving, him coming back home drunk off his ass. He wasn't sure how he got home, but he remembered he was at a bar, one not too far from here. He thought he could walk over there or even get an Uber. He shuddered and decided he would get to it at some point during his weekend off. For now, he needed to see someone – he needed to apologize to someone. That's what mattered.He walked into the living room where Annabelle was sitting watching a movie. She was watching… well, it didn't matter what she was watching. Dan just stood there for a second looking exhausted, his head pounding, before he finally found the words he was looking for.“Annabelle – I – I wanna say –” But before he could finish his sentence, his voice stammering, he felt the goddess slamming into him as she hugged him as tight as she possibly could.“I'm sorry I got mad at you, Annabelle,” Dan said with a sigh of relief.“It's fine. I'm not mad at you.” Annabelle said, her voice sounding as if she were rather depressed as she looked away,“No – I have to ask, what happened? Who was he?” Dan muttered, rubbing her cheek, wanting to know the truth.Annabelle sighed as she muttered,“I don't know, Dan. I honestly don't know who that was. But he looked like you. I should've known he wasn't you, but I was excited and wasn't thinking. He took advantage of me. When you left, I was so close to killing him or beating him to within an inch of his life. But he was gone. I never meant to cheat on you or hurt you.”Annabelle's tears rolled down her cheeks. Dan only responded by rubbing them off tenderly, a slight smile on his face.“It's all right. It's not your fault. You're a victim. I swear, I wish we knew who he was. I'd kick his ass to next Sunday.” Annabelle giggled at that, finding it cute, and nodded as she grinned.“Sounds nice. Wanna go out, maybe get some breakfast?” She nudged her head slightly, indicating Bast yawning and stretching on the couch with a grunt.Dan answered, “Sure, though we still have a lot to talk about. Just, please, I want you to promise me you'll tell the truth. I won't be angry.” He looked towards her trying to look as sincere as possible. Annabelle watched him, and he noticed her eyes flashing a light gold before she nodded.“I can do that. I've never lied to you, and I won't start now. That's what partners are for.” She smiled, her voice calming as she gave off the same relaxed tone. It reminded him of an old friend who he could walk with side by side, truly a person to whom he could be comfortable laying out all his problems. In many ways, she was perfect – perfect for him, that is.“All right, well, I need to pick up my car from the bar where I left it first.” He turned over to look at the cat goddess.“Bast, make sure Gizzy doesn't burn down the house,” he ordered.“Whatever,” was the response, “though bring me a fish when you get back. Otherwise, I might join her.” Bast jumped down from the couch and started walking off, tail flicking as if she were annoyed and grouchy at Dan. He shrugged, figuring he would never understand her.He and Annabelle walked the few blocks to the bar where his car had been left, and then the
Dan gets played by Annabelle.Based on a post by DustinMidnight, in 9 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.She glanced at the license and asked the usual question,“Do you know how fast you were going?”“I was going 40…?” Dan ventured a guess, though he cursed under his breath because he hadn't paying attention, with the combination of the unfamiliar muscle car and the sexy hitchhiker fantasy that had been occupying his brain. He couldn't help checking out Annabelle the cop as she looked over the car registration. The buttons of her uniform shirt looked to be straining against her breasts. That was when he noticed that her badge and the silver insignia on her collar read “HPD.”He wondered what the “H” stood for. Some random town in the middle of wherever this was supposed to be?“You were going 50 in a 35,” Annabelle informed him. “I'll have to write you a ticket. But I need to check something first.” She turned around, revealing that she was wearing a very tight pair of leather pants, and her uniform shirt was short enough that he could see the waistband of a black pair of panties. Her round ass jiggled slightly as he watched her walk back to her squad car. Dan sighed and rubbed his temples.“Annabelle, whatever you're planning, he groaned. "Well, this is something.” He closed his eyes and got comfortable, leaning back into the driver's seat. Within seconds, though, there was a tapping on the side of the car. He looked to see Annabelle standing there, arms crossed, which somehow made her breasts look slightly bigger.“Please step out of the vehicle, sir.” Her voice was demanding, like she was ready to bust a few heads. As she tipped her sunglasses down, the annoyed look in her eyes told him that she meant business. Dan did as he was told, stepping out. He stood there, still taller than the goddess/cop, though she didn't seem to care. She grabbed him by the arm, forcing him onto the hood of the car.“You're under arrest for being horny!” she declared. She slapped a pair of cuffs onto Dan's wrists, and. His face twisted into pure confusion.“Wait, what? What do you mean, I'm under arrest for being horny?” he protested.“Yes, I saw your erection while you handed me your license. Under the power vested in me by the Horny Police Department, I have the right to bring you in for up to ninety days. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you and your body parts do can and will be used against you in a court of law.”“Come on, this is ridiculous. Annabelle, is there any way I can get out of this?” Dan tried to move, but his wrists chafed against the cold steel cuffs.“That's Officer Allnight. First name Luvin'.” She growled and pointed to her “L. Allnight” name tag, then pushed him back down onto the hood. Her arm reached around and suddenly groped him.“Hey, what's the big deal?!” Dan called out as he grunted. She squeezed his balls. The kind of squeezing that hurt, yet at the same time felt really good.“I'm assessing your hidden weapon, and preparing a statement for the chief,” she growled while continuing to squeeze Dan couldn't help but moan lightly.“Come on, there has to be something I can do! Can't we talk about this?” Dan exclaimed as he felt her moving hand against his jeans, really getting a feel of his cock.A smirk appeared on the face of Officer Allnight. “You're willing to do anything, huh? Well, I might have an idea. Get in the back of my cruiser. I think I know what you can do for me, fucker.” Her voice was demanding as she showed pure control. Dan couldn't help but feel turned on by this. She was being so much different from her usual self; more demanding, more in control. She wasn't holding back.“I'll do anything,” Dan muttered, while biting his lips. Yes, this seemed to be exactly what Annabelle wanted to hear. Her hands reached down and squeezed his ass as she muttered,“Get in my squad car, unless you want indecent exposure and ‘horny in public' charges.” She laughed as she grabbed his shoulder, dragging him off. It was clear he didn't have much of a choice in the first place.Officer Allnight shoved him in the back seat of the police car, slammed the door, then moved to the front, got in, and made a big show of slowly putting on her seat belt. She had the rear-view mirror at a perfect angle for Dan to see how her breasts jiggled as the strap slid between them. He groaned, realizing her scent had permeated the inside of the car. She smelled so good, like honeydew on a warm summer morning. He felt his cock tighten against his pants. Whatever the goddess wanted from him, she would get it. Dan was truly string around her finger. The Impala would be abandoned on the side of the road, but really, was that a bad thing? Would anyone really notice? Probably not. That was how life went sometimes. The police car siren wailed, the lights flashing, brightly and they were soon off.Officer Allnight drove them to a neon-accented motel, looking much like the one Dan had fantasized about earlier.She pulled into a parking space in front of a room door and ordered, “Wait right here. I'll come and get you,” she said, as if Dan had a choice. She crossed the parking lot to the motel's front office, eventually coming back brandishing a room key. She opened the door to the police car and dragged Dan out by his shirt collar. He grunted, trying to move, but she held on tight.“You better be a good boy and not tell anyone about this,” she warned.“I won't lose my badge over you being such a horny boy!” She got the motel room door open and pushed him inside. Dan stumbled a few feet across the carpet until he fell onto the bed. The door closed behind him, and he struggled to turn over, finally managing to do it and looking up to see Officer Allnight standing over him.She growled, “Get your pants off.” She ripped her own uniform top off, buttons flying. It revealed a dark blue bra, her breasts being pushed up invitingly. Dan got his pants off as best he could with the handcuffs on, and the officer leaned over to efficiently finish the job, then ripped open his shirt the same way she'd handled her own. He sat on the bed in only his boxers. Annabelle, or Luvin Allnight, gave a sultry smirk as she took a deep breath, inhaling the musty odor of the air conditioner that was struggling to cool this cheap motel room.“Hmm, good boy. Now turn around and get comfortable,” she purred. Dan gulped and nodded as he turned around, getting as comfortable as he could on the bed, propping himself on the pillow. He heard her walk over, then felt her getting on the bed behind him. She grabbed his ass, firmly spanking it. Dan grunted as she smacked his ass pretty hard.That's gonna leave a mark, he thought as he felt her slap him again. She moved over, her body pressing against him, as she muttered,“Hmm, such a wonderful ass. And are you going to be a good boy?” Luvin licked the back of his neck as she rubbed her firm breasts against his back.He croaked, “Yes.”The Goddess cop moaned and said,“Hmm, oh, yes, you'll be fine, you naughty boy. Now I'll teach you about being so horny.” She moved away, kissing his back. Dan groaned as he felt her under him, squeezing and lick his balls. Her tongue was wet, making tiny circular licks on his right testicle while massaging the other one. Fuck his cock, was feeling even harder. He wanted to buck back and forth, but Luvin had grabbed his hip, holding him in place. Dan was in the palm of her hand with no way of escaping.Suddenly Dan felt a pressure against his ass, as he looked back as best he could.“Annabelle!” he called out, realizing that she was pushing her middle finger against his ass.Her smirk grew wider.“That's Officer Allnight to you, naughty boy.” She giggled as she pushed her finger against him. Dan groaned, feeling her finger penetrate him. She moved it back and forth while getting in closer to lick his shaft. Dan grunted harder as he felt his anus being fingered. The teasing way she twirled it and moved around as she sucked on the side of his cock felt like torture.“Oh, relax, naughty boy. It's like a prostate exam. I'm just gonna get the feel of your insides.” She winked and began slipping in a second finger.“Oh, Goddess!” Dan groaned. It hurt like hell, but somehow he liked the feeling. Luvin was arching her finger, really poking against his prostate.“Yeah, I bet you like that, huh? Don't you, you naughty boy?” She chuckled, giving his ass cheek a slight kiss and biting it. Dan groaned and pressed his face against the pillow while feeling her biting down on him.“Garrh,” Dan muttered as she sucked harder. Dan felt his balls and cock aching more, as she was pushing and rubbing his prostate.That was when he heard her say,“Now, you're gonna be such a good boy, and let the good officer do what she needs, and if you do as I ask, I'll even let that dirty horny cock off with only a warning.” She chuckled more.Dan suddenly felt himself handcuffed to the headboard his face to the wall as he felt her slapping his ass once more.“Wait, what are you? Hello!” Suddenly Dan let out a loud scream as he felt something bigger than fingers penetrating his ass. He felt it, long and hard, slide down into him and then begin pulling back. He turned around and saw Officer Allnight wearing what looked to be a long purple strap-on. Her hands were on his hips as she began to thrust, her hips moving back and forth as she let a sadistic smile run across her face and moaned.“Oh, yes! Who's the bitch now? Fuck,” She moaned, her hips slammed against his as she began taking him. He groaned hard as he felt his anus spread. His ass tried pushing her out, but it was no use as she kept pounding into him.Officer Allnight chuckled as she slapped his hips, leaning down as she began humping his ass, her clit rubbing gently as she groaned hard. Her breasts rested on his back as she moved her right arm around, grabbing his cock and squeezing it gently before moving it back and forth.“Hmm, so, fucking hard. That's right, take my big fat cock, baby. And as a reward, I'll let you return the favor,” she growled, pounding harder as she bit her lip.“Jesus! Fuck, this hurt, but it feels amazing!” He grunted, his eyes closing tightly as he pushed back. Her hand was soft as her thumb started rubbing the head of his dick. Officer Allnight pushed faster as she moved faster. She was beginning to feel good. The bed under them was creaking louder while Dan was fighting off the upcoming orgasm.“Fuck, Annabelle! I'm; I'm gonna.” He groaned harder, sweat running down his brow as he grasped the headboard that he was handcuffed to.“Gahh, you like that! I bet you wanna?It had been over a month later, as Annabelle was cleaning up. The fact was It was quite calming. Nothing had happened especially for a goddess. It seemed as though there would hardly be any deaths. Annabelle hadn't even needed to deal with them, except for a few in the early hours.So Annabelle was cleaning some things up. Particularly the tools, Gizzy had left behind a monkey wrench and a few sockets as she placed them in the draw. Rolling her eyes."Gizzy I swear if you weren't so adorable I'd yell at you.” She muttered while moving on. Dan had gone off to work, and here she was cleaning up. Though in a way she was happy. Ruffling her feathers. It was days like this she felt mortal. Not sitting around doing nothing as worshipers did all the work. Oh how she was young, She couldn't help remembering how she would take a few souls of men that she liked and had them serve her.In a way she was thankful it was a phase, Those souls were quite boring. Doing this, just cleaning cooking, is just enjoyable. It was different. Hell ever since she married Dan her life had felt more fulfilling.Yet, something was wrong. She didn't know what it was– but something just didn't seem right. It was a bit in the back of her mind that told her that the world wasn't right. In some ways, she wished she was a goddess of knowledge or secrets. Maybe she would know why she was getting these feelings. But for now, she would have to go with the flow.She sighed as she remembered the conversation with the other goddess over a month ago“So, it seems that someone is messing with the natural order. Someone has been stopping people from dying.” Annabelle said while looking towards the other goddess.“How? I mean isn't their ways to stop things like that from happening?” Aphrodite said while leaning on the couch, her fingers moving around in hearts.“I honestly don't know, but I'm getting weaker, so they're aiming for me specifically, the souls I'm supposed to collect. But it's slow, maybe one or two souls, So I can't find them.”“Do you think it could be another god? I mean someone who might be challenging you?” Kali said as she watched the younger goddess.“Not likely if they wanted to challenge me they would've come to me personally. Most wouldn't dare to mess with the natural order, we know what happened with Loki when he overstepped his bounds.” Annabelle shook her head. Not even sure what could've been happening.“Though it could be, But Loki's not the only Chaos gods, hell it could even be Titans, Aphrodite has you're Pantheon been having trouble with them?”“Not lately, plus With the gods in the underworld they would've warned us. But still, With them we never understand. But I don't think it's them they haven't stirred for the last ten thousand years. ” Aphrodite sighed while pulling a bag of tea out, and began taking a long drink.“So nothing. But it's not right– Do you think it's him?” The Japanese goddess wondered.“No– it's just weird. Thanks for coming over, maybe it's not what I was hoping to hear. But I'm sure something will pop up. Keep an eye out.” She leaned over while wondering.“If I knew who it was I would destroy them.” Kali said a ball of flames appearing in her hand.“ It was then Bast snickered.Though at the end of it Annabelle didn't get an answer. Though by this point she was feeling much better. Sure she had to spend a few nights stripping, feeling the eyes of other men watching her drooling over her with lustful want. Other times she had to have her husband fuck her like no tomorrow. But she managed to gain her ability. Her body shudders more as she finished sweeping up. There she sat back getting nice and comfortable."I should get started on dinner, I might try and make ribs. Does Dan like ribs?” She wondered and was excited as she was about to run into the kitchen and begin cooking something right up. Suddenly there was a knocking on the door. Annabelle slouched her shoulder and headed off towards the door. With a slight wave of her palm, the door began turning transfusive. For a second she saw Dan standing there. Taking a step around waiting for her to answer the door.Annabelle couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat. The way she saw him, in many ways he was just a simple mortal. But in others he was perfect. A goofy weirdo that knew how to make her feel better. Feel almost human, though something was off he should've been at work. Yet it was clear he had at least another four hours till he would be getting off.The goddess reached over and opened the door.“Dan you're home early?” she watched him for a second. Her eyes gently glowing as she was making sure he wasn't a demon in disguise as a shifter.“Yeah, well they let me off work. You know how it is sometimes they let us off if we don't have enough work. So, I figured I'd surprise you. Heck, I got you something.” He reached over pulling out a small black box. He opened it. A small necklace with a gold chain, with a small diamond charm on the bottom. It was more stunning. As she reached over covering her mouth in surprise.“Dan, you didn't.”“I could now come on let's get inside. The night is young.” He gave a slight smirk as he reached over slapping Annabelle right on the ass. It caused her to bounce into the air as she nodded, Giving a light giggle before they would eventually begin heading off inside.Annabelle couldn't help squealing in delight. as she felt him pick her up over his shoulder, heading straight towards the bedroom, for what might have been a fun night.Dan sighed as he began climbing up the stairs, It had been an extremely long day, and was running late. Since it was around two in the morning. Feeling exhausted as he was having a bad day. Some dick head had hit and ran his car, and cause the cameras weren't working at his work, No There was no evidence so he would have to call the insurance company tomorrow. A report was filled out, though who knows If they would find the bastard. The charger was going to need to repair the passenger side's rear.This only added to the annoyance. Then add to the fact he had been running around his part of the factory. Going from inspecting, and even helping on the mainline, cause people decided not to show up. Sure, most people could consider it nothing more, but for him, it was just aggravating. Though Dan was just ready to get home, maybe get into bed and curl up with Annabelle. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day. A light groan, as he walked right inside.Gizzy laid there snoozing on the couch with a controller in her hand as she had a blanket covering a part of her body. Dan listened to how she snored. And gave a light kick on the blanket. It was rather funny, as Dan moved over and pushed the blanket over her, even covering her breast. She grunted,“Burn baby burn, he he he!” Gizzy mumbled in her sleep. Dan flat out wasn't sure what she meant by that and probably didn't want to know. He sighed and began heading over towards the bedroom. He noticed a bit Bast wasn't around. Normally she'd sneak up and try to bug him or make a snarky remark. But for the most part. Dan imagined that she might've just gone to bed or was having a night in the town. Cat's are weird, so why wouldn't a Cat goddess, be just as weird.“Well as long as she isn't causing trouble or puking in my shoes.” He sighed and started heading towards the bedroom. He groaned and called out,“Annabelle I'm home!” He reached over and opened the door. He turned the light on and what he saw shocked him. His heart had practically stopped right there. His eyes turning into a dinner plate, as he almost heard the sounds of something snapping. Annabelle was laying there naked in bed, her arms around someone. Her body holding them closer, as she had a smile. Sure she was asleep. But the person her arms were wrapped around was another man.Dan didn't know who he was, as he felt his hand tightening up into a fist, a part of him snapping, as he popped his neck. Anger rising over him, as he wanted to grab the fucker, grab him, and throw him in the wall.Who the fuck is he!? Why is he in my bed! Dan felt his mind racing as he tried to find the right words something, anything. But when he opened his mouth the only things that came out of that hole he called a mouth were simply.“What the flying fuck is this!” His voice was a lot higher than it was supposed to be. Though suddenly Annabelle woke up practically jumping out as she looked over towards Dan with a smile, as she was still half asleep.“Hey honey, ready for another round already?” Though Dan wasn't paying attention to her.“Dan what are you doing over there?” Though Dan growled in annoyance as he thought he heard something else. His blood boiling more, though pushing the anger as much as he could as he watched the stranger on the other side of the room.“What am I doing here Who the hell is that!” He pointed over as Annabelle turned her head. She didn't recognize the person either. It was a strange man laying there his head on the pillow. Long dirty blonde hair. Slightly tan skin. Heck, he had a few various Tattoos on his back. Though The goddess didn't recognize her. Her mind went blank as she was realizing what was going on. She turned to overlook towards Dan as she call
Dan Fremont finds himself married to an actual Goddess.Based on a post by DustinMidnight, in 9 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Chapter 1Dan Fremont grunted. His head was pulsing with unrelenting pain, and it was the kind of pain that might have killed a small Animal. Gradually, he realized it was nothing more than an intense hangover. It was pulling him away from his dreamless slumber, which annoyed him, thank you very much.He grumbled as he pulled himself out of bed, throwing the sheets over as got up to walk towards the bathroom. He kept his eyes closed tight, not wanting the dreaded sun coming through the window to hit him. So he shuffled along, Every sound seemed amplified with serious annoyance as he sought an end to his pain.Though admittedly wanting stuff to end was what got him in this situation, Dan admitted as he grunted, his eyes slowly opening as he reached the bathroom, even the dimmed room feeling too bright.Where's that Advil at? He wondered as he shuffled through the medicine cabinet. He eventually found some Ibuprofen, at least a five-hundred milligram. Version. He was tempted to take the whole bottle at that moment, though he settled on six capsules, that would surely be enough to get him through the day. He tried remembering what happened last night but it came across to him as a blank.Fully racking his brain, all he could remember about what happened last night was that he had been off at Succubus, a local strip club his friend Dave took him to. It had been a way of washing his troubles away and, as his friend put it,“‘Get you out there, see some good tits, and just let you forget all about Vanessa.'He shuddered more as he moved to turn on the water. He waited till it finally warmed up before he began running his fingers under it, then leaned down to splash the water in his face. The warm water brushing against his face was really waking him up as he moved his neck back and forth, resulting in a nice loud pop.“Gahh, fuck, that feels good,” he mumbled to himself. Dan stood up and looked into the mirror for a minute, staring at himself. He was a shaggy haired man with lightly tanned skin, heavy blue eyes, his eyebrows a little wild-looking. He wasn't the most handsome man, but he was decent.. He looked down at his thin body: barely any muscle, with hints of fat around his gut. That was when he noticed something. There was an object on the third finger on his left hand. When he looked closer, he realized it was, in fact, a ring..“The fuck?” he muttered as he reached over with his right hand, trying to pull it off. He found he was unable to. He looked again at the golden band, then reached over, grabbed some soap, and lathered his finger. That didn't work, either. It seemed clear that the ring wasn't coming off.“Fuck, what the hell!” he muttered. The ring wasn't tight; hell, he barely noticed it. It looked like it would just fall off if he let his hand down. But somehow it was sticking to him like it was actually glued to his finger. This was quite annoying.“I'll figure this out later, maybe get a grinder,” he grunted as he began heading back into his room. He didn't think much of the ring, assuming it was a joke, something Dave had done to him. Dan stepped back into his room, and suddenly, he saw her.She was lying in his bed, the covers over her body. She had pale skin, almost like a porcelain doll, soft cheekbones with ruby red lips that somehow reminded Dan of blood. Her dark hair was short, falling to just below her ears. She was gorgeous, the type of beauty that Dan had never seen before. He quickly assumed that she was way out of his league.The woman stirred and let out a light moan, soft and tender as she lifted herself up on her elbows. The blanket slipped off her, revealing a pair of ample breasts with dark nipples. The newly visible skin looked as smooth as her face, without a flaw — no, wait, Dan looked closer and saw a smattering of freckles on her chest as she began raising her arms and yawning.Her eyes were opening and closing quickly as she woke up, giving Dan a good look at them. They were storm grey, like thunderclouds. She examined him for a minute, and her eyes softened as she licked her lips.“Hmm, hello, darling. Did you sleep well, my handsome husband?”Dan's eyes widened as he wondered why this woman was calling him her husband. He didn't even know who she was.He tried his best to remember who she was, but when he attempted to come up with a name, he came up blank.“Um, hi there,” he said tentatively as he looked towards the stranger.“Hey, darling, how's your head? We were drinking quite a bit last night.” She let out a bubbly giggle.. “It's fine, just hurts a little, But — I'm sorry, but who are you? What happened last night?” He groaned a bit and leaned against the wall. The light coming through the windows was burning his eyes. The stranger giggled again.“You don't remember? Well, I guess I can tell you, sweetheart. Last night you proposed to me, and I said yes. We went off and got married. As for who I am, well, I guess you can call me Annabelle, though the name I was using last night was Diamond.” She giggled more as she got out of bed, revealing she was wearing a white G-string that simply looked erotic on her. Wide hips were showing off a plump ass and long legs that went on nearly endlessly.Dan admitted that if his head didn't feel like it would crack open, he might have been turned on.“Diamond… isn't that kind of a stripper's name?” he asked without thinking, immediately regretting it. Wincing, he didn't even notice that the bed was instantly made as she walked over.“Hmm, yes, it's a bit of a stripper name, as you mortals call it, but I found it very nice when I chose it. Plus, you didn't seem to mind using it last night, now did you, sweetie?” She kissed his neck softly and tenderly. Dan shuddered, feeling as though lightning was passing through his spine.“I kind of wish I remembered everything,” he mumbled He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to soothe the hangover that was still coming at him like an army taking a battering ram to the door that was his skull.“Here, let me help you with that.” Annabelle smiled as she moved closer, kissing the top of his head. It was almost as if the pain was being sucked away. It quickly turned from a shooting pain to nothing but a dull ache. Dan grunted as he watched her pull away,“There, now that's better. The pain's all gone, right?” She sounded more chipper, as though she was about to bounce around. Dan felt even more confused about what the hell was going on.“Um, yeah, though I think that's just from the Ibuprofen I took, not the kiss.”“Well, it helped a little, but I used some of my magic to help you out more.” She winked while Dan just got more confused.He raised an eyebrow as he muttered, “Magic?” He couldn't help but think he had run into one of the crazy ones. If that was the case, he might be in big trouble. It was one thing to get a stranger in bed. It was another if they were crazy. That was when your ether had to call the cops or the cops got called on you.“You're not crazy, honey buns. I used magic. After all, I'm a goddess.” She giggled slightly as she turned around, showing off her amazing ass cheeks. Dan Was starting to freak out at the red flag.“Okay, I think I might need to go get some food, or..” He tried thinking of an excuse, but he heard the bedroom door click shut and the sound of a lock turning as he turned around. He hadn't touched the door, and it didn't even have a lock. He grabbed the knob and tried pulling, only to find that he couldn't even turn it, much less open the door.“You don't believe I am a goddess,” Annabelle said.Dan chuckled as he shook his head, “No, please, you're not a god. Fuck, I'm an atheist.” He tried to think rationally. Annabelle didn't seem to be kidding, the expression on her face now serious.“I can prove it if you desire. I have no qualms if you are an atheist, my dear husband. But I can prove I am a goddess.” Her voice was somewhat calming, even though she seemed highly annoyed. Dan shrugged. “Sure, prove it.” He crossed his arms for a minute, waiting for proof that she was a goddess thinking that nothing she could do would convince him, short of an utter miracle.“Give me a second. There are limits to what I can do as a goddess.”“Aha, so you're not some goddess, then, since a god could do whatever they want,” Dan said, overly confident, crossing his arms as he looked at her. Annabelle or Diamond, whichever one she wanted to call herself, just shook her head.“It's not that simple. Most people think we gods are like the God of the Bible. That's simply not true. Each god has a dominion we rule over. There is no such thing as a single god who is omnipotent. That would simply be dangerous.” She sat on the bed and made a show of putting a hand to her chin and casting her eyes skyward.Dan watched, admiring her form, and soon asked, “Well, what kind…”
Are you a people-pleaser who struggles to say “no” without that lingering guilt? Get ready to meet Suzanne Culberg, "The Nope Coach," who's here to help you set boundaries and reclaim your time with confidence! In this conversation, she dives into her bold journey of starting a podcast and the adventure of recording 100 episodes in 100 days. Spoiler: it's no easy task! Suzanne shares her refreshingly honest approach to content creation, recording straight from Zoom without worrying about fancy editing or scripts. If you're feeling uninspired in your business or struggling with burnout, this episode is a fun reminder to stay authentic, let go of perfection, and bring more “you” into everything you create! In this episode, you will hear: The term "business period" to describe cycles of self-doubt and reevaluation in business. Setting firm boundaries and saying no without guilt can prevent burnout and focus on their goals. How Suzanne's informal, unscripted approach helped her connect more authentically with her audience. The value of experimenting in business without overthinking or perfecting. Prioritizing action over perfectionism empowers entrepreneurs to share their ideas and develop essential skills.
Growing up in Northern California, Jacob Rosenberg developed his passion for video and film as a skateboarder in the early 1990s, making acclaimed videos for Plan B Skateboards under the mentorship of the late founder Mike Ternasky. Upon his graduation from Emerson College, Rosenberg began his professional career directing music videos, short films, and commercials where he has directed and produced talent names such as LeBron James, Quincy Jones, Snoop Dogg, and Latto. Rosenberg served for a decade as a partner at the independent studio Bandito Brothers, spearheading forward-thinking digital workflows as their CTO and in-house director. He contributed expertise to productions such as Avatar and Act of Valor as well as numerous documentaries including Shine A Light and S.O.P.. In 2012, Rosenberg's directorial debut, Waiting for Lightning, premiered at SXSW, going on to be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The documentary feature painted an intimate portrait of childhood friend and skateboard legend Danny Way, who in 2005 attempted to jump the Great Wall of China on a skateboard. With a penchant for telling deeply human stories, Rosenberg's documentaries range on subjects from land speed racing to skateboarding, photography, technology, and the world of magician Franco Pascali. His award-winning broadcast work has included campaigns for Ford, INFINITI, HUMMER, NBA, MLB, Royal Caribbean, Burger King, Beats, Advil, Intel, and countless others. Rosenberg's latest works include co-curating a first-of-its-kind museum exhibit on the emergence of skateboard videos in the 1990s at The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, as well as his first photo book RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES, documenting a decade of Bay Area hip-hop and skate culture. The book focuses on Jacob's story, coming up as a filmmaker for Plan B and then a photographer for the rap collective Hieroglyphics—which culminated in filming, editing, and directing their first group music video “You Never Knew” in 1998. Topics Discussed In This Episode: Jacob speaks about his new book, Right Before My Eyes (00:09:32) Magic, childlike curiosity, and the film “The Red Balloon” (00:13:19) Jacob shares his experience creating “Waiting For Lightning,” a documentary about skateboarder Danny Way (00:18:51) Jacob reflects on how creative pursuits helped him navigate childhood trauma (00:22:08) Finding acceptance through skateboarding (00:29:52) Jacob opens up about childhood trauma and how it fostered his ability to empathize with others (00:38:14) Yoshino shares how teaching boxing to kids highlights their natural embrace of diversity, connecting it to skateboarding's cultural inclusivity (00:40:42) Jacob reflects on how childhood influences like Star Wars and Public Enemy shaped his creativity (00:52:09) Jacob recounts meeting his mentor, Mike Ternasky (Co-Founder of Plan B and H Street Skateboards), at a skate camp in 1988 (00:58:04) How authenticity and small acts of kindness create meaningful connections (01:04:56) The conversation explores empathy as a counter to divisiveness in politics and mass media (01:07:46) Yoshino reflects on experiencing racism while traveling (01:18:15) Jacob discusses creating Plan B's iconic skate videos: Questionable, Virtual Reality, and Secondhand Smoke (01:21:54) Jacob highlights a museum exhibit celebrating 1990s skateboarding videos as cultural and documentary art (01:32:10) Joan Scheckel and her embodied storytelling technique (01:35:36) The importance of open-hearted living and artists staying fearlessly present during turbulent times (01:41:53) Yoshino and Jacob admire the subtle storytelling in Wim Wenders' Perfect Days (01:51:07) Jacob discusses his book Right Before My Eyes, chronicling his growth as a filmmaker and skateboarding's evolution from 1988 to 1998 (01:58:28) Yoshino and Jacob explore how modern technology overwhelms and disconnects, emphasizing slowing down and finding grounding in nature and analog experiences (02:03:57) artistdecoded.com jacobrosenberg.tv/shop instagram.com/jacobrosenberg
Karen Read, charged twice in the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, has opened up about her ongoing legal battle, strained personal life, and unyielding quest for justice in an interview with *Vanity Fair*. Speaking to reporter Julie Miller, who was granted unrestricted access, Read shared insights into her life since O'Keefe's death and the impact of her highly publicized case. In what Vanity Fair described as a series of candid, in-home interviews, Read, 44, invited Miller to her former Mansfield residence in August. Read opened up about her relationship with O'Keefe, her pending retrial, and the toll her legal battles have taken. Miller reported that Read, who has been staying with family and friends, chose her previous home as the setting for the interviews. She was joined by a volunteer security guard, described by Miller as someone “who looks like John Cena and has a license to carry.” Facing an uncertain future, Read has prepared for the possibility of another arrest, keeping a Ziploc “go bag” on hand with essentials: Advil, melatonin, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush, lipstick, and foundation, as well as her lawyer's phone number. “I'm not backing down now,” Read told Vanity Fair, despite the looming prospect of a life sentence if convicted. According to Read, she won't entertain the idea of a plea deal, even under the risk of severe penalties. “As scary as a potential conviction is, I will go to jail for something I didn't do before I plea out. I will never give them that win.” Read, a former Fidelity Investments analyst and Bentley University finance professor, has assembled a team of criminal defense attorneys, but the cost of her legal defense has been steep. She has sold her home to offset expenses and is now living off the remains of her 401(k), accruing more than $5 million in legal fees. “If I can get the entire truth of this case out in the public forum, that, to me, is priceless,” she said. At the core of her defense are allegations that O'Keefe, her boyfriend of two years, was the victim of a violent cover-up involving other Boston police officers. Prosecutors argue that Read deliberately ran him over in her SUV after an evening out on January 29, 2022, a claim her defense refutes, asserting that O'Keefe was beaten by others. In July, her case resulted in a mistrial, and her legal team has appealed to Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court to dismiss two of the charges ahead of a scheduled retrial in January. Reflecting on her relationship with O'Keefe, Read described challenges in their dynamic, with disagreements over his role as a disciplinarian for his niece and nephew, who lived with him. According to Read, O'Keefe struggled to mourn his late sister, the children's mother, and remained hesitant about seeking therapy. “I think that's part of his stock,” Read told Vanity Fair, “this Irish Catholic, south-of-Boston, rub-some-dirt-on-it, drink-through-your-problems mindset.” In detailing the night of O'Keefe's death, Read recalled attending a gathering at the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton, after which she and O'Keefe joined others at an afterparty. Feeling uneasy upon arrival, she sent O'Keefe inside, only to leave after he didn't return. She admitted to a fleeting thought that he might be “screwing around,” explaining, “I didn't think he was physically incapacitated.” She left him multiple voicemails before heading home. Prosecutors, who highlight Read's flirty exchanges with O'Keefe's acquaintance Brian Higgins, argue that these interactions hint at motives for the crime. In response, Read openly admitted to seeking validation from Higgins. “I knew Higgins found me attractive,” she said, “It helped me emotionally validate myself, which is embarrassing to admit.” Amid the stress of her case, Read has remained steadfast about her innocence. Addressing rumors that she implicated herself in texts, she explained to Vanity Fair that she and her attorney, David Yannetti, only began communicating after police seized her phone. She said she initially told her parents, “If I did anything in any way, I'll pay my dues. That's how this should work. I want to know the truth — good, bad, ugly.” Read's retrial is set to bring her story back into the public eye, with high stakes and public scrutiny on both her legal and personal lives. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
Karen Read, charged twice in the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, has opened up about her ongoing legal battle, strained personal life, and unyielding quest for justice in an interview with *Vanity Fair*. Speaking to reporter Julie Miller, who was granted unrestricted access, Read shared insights into her life since O'Keefe's death and the impact of her highly publicized case. In what Vanity Fair described as a series of candid, in-home interviews, Read, 44, invited Miller to her former Mansfield residence in August. Read opened up about her relationship with O'Keefe, her pending retrial, and the toll her legal battles have taken. Miller reported that Read, who has been staying with family and friends, chose her previous home as the setting for the interviews. She was joined by a volunteer security guard, described by Miller as someone “who looks like John Cena and has a license to carry.” Facing an uncertain future, Read has prepared for the possibility of another arrest, keeping a Ziploc “go bag” on hand with essentials: Advil, melatonin, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush, lipstick, and foundation, as well as her lawyer's phone number. “I'm not backing down now,” Read told Vanity Fair, despite the looming prospect of a life sentence if convicted. According to Read, she won't entertain the idea of a plea deal, even under the risk of severe penalties. “As scary as a potential conviction is, I will go to jail for something I didn't do before I plea out. I will never give them that win.” Read, a former Fidelity Investments analyst and Bentley University finance professor, has assembled a team of criminal defense attorneys, but the cost of her legal defense has been steep. She has sold her home to offset expenses and is now living off the remains of her 401(k), accruing more than $5 million in legal fees. “If I can get the entire truth of this case out in the public forum, that, to me, is priceless,” she said. At the core of her defense are allegations that O'Keefe, her boyfriend of two years, was the victim of a violent cover-up involving other Boston police officers. Prosecutors argue that Read deliberately ran him over in her SUV after an evening out on January 29, 2022, a claim her defense refutes, asserting that O'Keefe was beaten by others. In July, her case resulted in a mistrial, and her legal team has appealed to Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court to dismiss two of the charges ahead of a scheduled retrial in January. Reflecting on her relationship with O'Keefe, Read described challenges in their dynamic, with disagreements over his role as a disciplinarian for his niece and nephew, who lived with him. According to Read, O'Keefe struggled to mourn his late sister, the children's mother, and remained hesitant about seeking therapy. “I think that's part of his stock,” Read told Vanity Fair, “this Irish Catholic, south-of-Boston, rub-some-dirt-on-it, drink-through-your-problems mindset.” In detailing the night of O'Keefe's death, Read recalled attending a gathering at the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton, after which she and O'Keefe joined others at an afterparty. Feeling uneasy upon arrival, she sent O'Keefe inside, only to leave after he didn't return. She admitted to a fleeting thought that he might be “screwing around,” explaining, “I didn't think he was physically incapacitated.” She left him multiple voicemails before heading home. Prosecutors, who highlight Read's flirty exchanges with O'Keefe's acquaintance Brian Higgins, argue that these interactions hint at motives for the crime. In response, Read openly admitted to seeking validation from Higgins. “I knew Higgins found me attractive,” she said, “It helped me emotionally validate myself, which is embarrassing to admit.” Amid the stress of her case, Read has remained steadfast about her innocence. Addressing rumors that she implicated herself in texts, she explained to Vanity Fair that she and her attorney, David Yannetti, only began communicating after police seized her phone. She said she initially told her parents, “If I did anything in any way, I'll pay my dues. That's how this should work. I want to know the truth — good, bad, ugly.” Read's retrial is set to bring her story back into the public eye, with high stakes and public scrutiny on both her legal and personal lives. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
Karen Read, charged twice in the death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, has opened up about her ongoing legal battle, strained personal life, and unyielding quest for justice in an interview with *Vanity Fair*. Speaking to reporter Julie Miller, who was granted unrestricted access, Read shared insights into her life since O'Keefe's death and the impact of her highly publicized case. In what Vanity Fair described as a series of candid, in-home interviews, Read, 44, invited Miller to her former Mansfield residence in August. Read opened up about her relationship with O'Keefe, her pending retrial, and the toll her legal battles have taken. Miller reported that Read, who has been staying with family and friends, chose her previous home as the setting for the interviews. She was joined by a volunteer security guard, described by Miller as someone “who looks like John Cena and has a license to carry.” Facing an uncertain future, Read has prepared for the possibility of another arrest, keeping a Ziploc “go bag” on hand with essentials: Advil, melatonin, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush, lipstick, and foundation, as well as her lawyer's phone number. “I'm not backing down now,” Read told Vanity Fair, despite the looming prospect of a life sentence if convicted. According to Read, she won't entertain the idea of a plea deal, even under the risk of severe penalties. “As scary as a potential conviction is, I will go to jail for something I didn't do before I plea out. I will never give them that win.” Read, a former Fidelity Investments analyst and Bentley University finance professor, has assembled a team of criminal defense attorneys, but the cost of her legal defense has been steep. She has sold her home to offset expenses and is now living off the remains of her 401(k), accruing more than $5 million in legal fees. “If I can get the entire truth of this case out in the public forum, that, to me, is priceless,” she said. At the core of her defense are allegations that O'Keefe, her boyfriend of two years, was the victim of a violent cover-up involving other Boston police officers. Prosecutors argue that Read deliberately ran him over in her SUV after an evening out on January 29, 2022, a claim her defense refutes, asserting that O'Keefe was beaten by others. In July, her case resulted in a mistrial, and her legal team has appealed to Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court to dismiss two of the charges ahead of a scheduled retrial in January. Reflecting on her relationship with O'Keefe, Read described challenges in their dynamic, with disagreements over his role as a disciplinarian for his niece and nephew, who lived with him. According to Read, O'Keefe struggled to mourn his late sister, the children's mother, and remained hesitant about seeking therapy. “I think that's part of his stock,” Read told Vanity Fair, “this Irish Catholic, south-of-Boston, rub-some-dirt-on-it, drink-through-your-problems mindset.” In detailing the night of O'Keefe's death, Read recalled attending a gathering at the Waterfall Bar & Grille in Canton, after which she and O'Keefe joined others at an afterparty. Feeling uneasy upon arrival, she sent O'Keefe inside, only to leave after he didn't return. She admitted to a fleeting thought that he might be “screwing around,” explaining, “I didn't think he was physically incapacitated.” She left him multiple voicemails before heading home. Prosecutors, who highlight Read's flirty exchanges with O'Keefe's acquaintance Brian Higgins, argue that these interactions hint at motives for the crime. In response, Read openly admitted to seeking validation from Higgins. “I knew Higgins found me attractive,” she said, “It helped me emotionally validate myself, which is embarrassing to admit.” Amid the stress of her case, Read has remained steadfast about her innocence. Addressing rumors that she implicated herself in texts, she explained to Vanity Fair that she and her attorney, David Yannetti, only began communicating after police seized her phone. She said she initially told her parents, “If I did anything in any way, I'll pay my dues. That's how this should work. I want to know the truth — good, bad, ugly.” Read's retrial is set to bring her story back into the public eye, with high stakes and public scrutiny on both her legal and personal lives. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
Hoo, boy, here we go. It's an internal monologue movie showdown between 1987's Raising Arizona and 2005's The Weather Man! Coens vs Verbinski! Cage Dancer John vs actor, Alec Wilson. Get your day started by boofing some pralines and loose Advil. Let's get into the placental logistics of quints, the pros and cons of the two penis problem and find out if Sean can remember what movies we actually watched! This is Cage Match.Intro music by: Bill Panks
Hey friend, Are you dealing with body aches and joint pain that don't go away, no matter what you do? Has your chronic pain and inflammation started to impact your mood, your relationships, or even your everyday activities? (Meanwhile, your doctor insists your symptoms are just “part of the aging process"?) If you've been popping Advil lately like their M&M's just to get through the day, you are not alone! According to the latest research, nearly 100 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 64 suffer from chronic pain. And, up to 70% of all chronic pain sufferers are women. (
I am thrilled to have one of my practitioner certification graduates and fellow acupuncturist, Dr. Melissa Levy. Dr. Levy is a practitioner with a passion for health, wellness, and fertility. Originally from the Philadelphia area, she ventured to Florida to pursue her education at the University of Tampa. A personal health journey changed the course of Dr. Levy's life. Facing health issues that Western medicine couldn't address, she discovered holistic practitioners who listened and considered the full body as a unit. This holistic perspective helped her understand her body better and manage her hormonal imbalances through acupuncture. This transformative experience inspired her to become a Doctor of Acupuncture and Functional Medicine Practitioner. Dr. Levy holds numerous certifications, including Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Certified Health Coach, and Certified Fertility Coach. As a board-certified diplomate of Oriental Medicine by NCCAOM and a licensed Acupuncture Physician in Florida, she founded the Integrative Wellness Center (IWC) in 2019. Her vision was to create a healing sanctuary for individuals, especially those who have lost hope. Her evidence-based practice model combines patient values, the best research evidence, and her clinical expertise to offer exceptional care. Initially, her onsite clinic in Jacksonville allowed her to help only local patients. Realizing the need to reach more people, she created online programs and coaching services to share her knowledge with individuals in different locations. Dr. Levy's goal is to provide the best comprehensive care to those who need it and are willing to make changes to better their health and lives. She aims to change how healthcare is delivered by providing exceptional, holistic care. Her mission extends beyond treatment; she strives to educate all her patients about the advantages of living a holistic life. Each encounter is an opportunity for her to positively impact her patients' lives, and she approaches this with unwavering dedication and care. Dr. Levy offers in-person appointments at her clinic in Jacksonville and provides virtual functional medicine consultations for Florida residents and functional health coaching for individuals everywhere. Websites: https://www.healthbymelissa.com https://www.iwcjacksonville.com Instagram: @dr.melissa_levy For more information about Michelle, visit: www.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ Transcript: Michelle (00:00) Welcome to the podcast, Dr. Melissa Levy. I'm so excited to have you on. Melissa Levy (00:04) Yes, I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to this, being able to talk with you again and just dive into what I do and the world of fertility. Michelle (00:12) Yes, and I'm so I was lucky enough to work with Dr. Melissa Levy and she was one of my students for my fertility practitioner course. I have to say, I just have to say this. Well, she's kind of stands on her own anyway. Yes, she got an extra certification, but she's like just a phenomenal like knows what she's doing type of practitioner and I mean, you really like went into everything like no stone unturned. I just love your motivation, your passion. Like, and it was it's legit. I just want to say that. Melissa Levy (00:46) Well, I think we even talked about this, like we're kind of just a lifetime learner. even though, you know, when I saw this course that you had, I was like, well, why not learn a little bit more? You know, I'm always diving into something, learning something new. And it just, the field that we're in, it's just kind of never ending of things you can learn and kind of better your education and further it. So it was great to just learn a little bit more and then the more you learn, the more you're open to and the more people you meet. So it was a great experience. So thank you. Michelle (01:13) Yeah, and I feel like you were already well versed. I mean, you stand alone on your own. So it was just awesome working with you. But I would love for you to share your background and how you got into wanting to do this Melissa Levy (01:26) Yeah, of course. I just remember being, I think most people have a similar story is like growing up, you're not really taught anything about your cycle. I had issues with my cycle. It's probably about 16 and I really didn't get my cycle yet. So I just remember going to the OB and they're saying, oh, all right, well, here's birth control. And I'm thinking in my head, great, now I'll be normal and... you know, have a normal cycle. And so I didn't know any better and most people don't. So from the age of 16, I was on birth control to help regulate my cycle. And then also having ovarian cyst, I had surgery, I believe my junior year of high school for like a big ovarian cyst, which they thought was endometriosis. So, you know, I'm 16 and they're telling me, hey, you've endometriosis without even looking, you know, looking at anything, just throwing names out there, which I think is something that happens a You know, people just kind of throw diagnoses and needs out there without really having an idea of exactly that's what it was. So being young thinking, I've endometriosis. What is this? You know, looking it up, being scared, and then getting surgery and them telling me it was a dermoid cyst, which is completely different, which was still kind of weird. But so that was just my first experience. And I just never had normal cycles really ever. And then going. Michelle (02:32) Wow. Yeah. Melissa Levy (02:41) into my college years. I was always an athlete, so I was personal trainer. I was working a lot, really stressed, a lot of stress on my body. So I just didn't feel good. I ended up getting Bell's palsy, which would not get better. And I was just on antibiotics and steroids for about a year or two years, just seeing tons of different doctors. Michelle (03:00) wow. Melissa Levy (03:03) not getting any answers. I think the thing that really frustrated me the most was going to a neurologist that I drove two hours to see and saw him for maybe five seconds. So it was just taking medicine, being on birth control, being on prednisone for that long, you feel terrible. So my gut health, my skin health, acne, hormones, nothing felt right. And I look back at pictures of myself from those years and Michelle (03:14) Wow. Melissa Levy (03:29) thinking I was healthy because I was a trainer and constantly working out and I had a lot of stress in my life as well. Looking back, I just looked unhealthy. I looked puffy and just all the medicines that they had me on, I didn't know any better until I got into the world of more holistic healing and learning more, being in that fitness and health. I was a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, yoga. I always wanted to help people and I think... Michelle (03:42) with her. Melissa Levy (03:54) this experience really helped me want to understand the body more and I know there's a better way of healing. So I was introduced into more like holistic health and acupuncture. And then from there, I just kind of fell in love with the medicine. when I started acupuncture school, as a student, you're able to get, you know, like $5 treatment. So we were getting treatment constantly and I was actually able to get off birth control and regulate my cycle, which took a little bit going off birth control. skin was... a hot mess, probably because being on the antibiotics for so long, not even thinking twice about it. But I think within like the three months of just Chinese medicine, herbs, and getting acupuncture pretty consistently, I was finally able to get at least a regular cycle and, you know, just been working on it and haven't really had too many hormonal issues, you know, since then, but it's just a lot. You learn a lot about yourself, I think. And in a way, it's a good thing because then it brought me to where I'm and I can have a lot of empathy for my patients and saying, hey, you I've been there, you know, I had the horrible migraines, I had the horrible skin and all things I just were told were normal. And last thing I'll say, I'll never forget. I remember I went, I was in acupuncture school. So I was learning a lot, as you know, you start learning things, you know, things that, you know, maybe aren't right that doctors sometimes may tell you. I remember I went to the OB and I was like, hey, you know, I was told I had, I had an ultrasound done and the tech told me, Hey, it looks like you PCOS. Once again, just throwing things out there. And I was like, so I brought it up to my doctor. was like, I had an ultrasound. said it looked like I had something called PCOS. She's like, no, you don't. You just probably have endometriosis. take some Advil and birth control. And that was my conversation. I, I just left and I was like, what in the world? was because I knew better at that point. And I just left. Michelle (05:21) Wow. my god. Wow. Yeah, so you could recognize, yeah, that wasn't cool. Melissa Levy (05:43) Never going back to this doctor again and not saying everyone's like that. But I think for women, just, we're so, we're just, we're told that, you know, that's just normal, you know, having pain from menstrual cycles, having hormonal balances, all that stuff's normal. you know, Advil and birth control are the solutions to everything. the more I learn and especially getting into functional medicine now, you know, having the acupuncture practice for several years, I've got more into functional medicine and I think that really connects the dots a lot for me too. I'm getting in hormone health and know, detoxification. So there's so much that as women that we're not even taught about our cycles or so I think just spreading the awareness, I think more women are wanting to know more and Michelle (06:28) Yeah, for sure. I know one of the things that really struck me when I was going to school. Of course, I had a very similar situation as you or story where I was given birth control pills as well. I think our stories are actually very common. A lot of people go through this. Yeah, I was so many. I've had so many guests, just guests tell me this, but then I've also had patients come to me and say that they've been put on birth control for this, that and the other. Melissa Levy (06:42) Really? Michelle (06:54) that had nothing to do with like their actual like root cause. Yeah, it's crazy. It really is crazy. being told, you know, or believing that certain menstrual cycle irregularities are normal. I think that that was the biggest aha for me when I was going to school is that certain things that we thought were normal, like having diarrhea if you have your period or constipation before or breast tenderness Melissa Levy (06:59) That's crazy. Mm -hmm. Michelle (07:20) PMS or even cramps that it's actually common. So we think it's normal, but it's actually not normal. So, so what are some of the things that kind of like you saw that you felt like, my God, like I can actually resolve Melissa Levy (07:26) Yeah. Yeah, I think a lot of it was just the mood stuff too. Like I would turn into like just a different person. Like along with that, just hormonal stuff like PMS, just all that stuff that we're told is just normal. I just like dread it heading my cycle all the time. And so I think it gets to a point where it might not always be perfect. know, things happen, whether it's stress induced, you know, if you're having a month, you know, maybe some of those symptoms pop up and it's a way of your body telling you like, Hey, maybe, you know, check in with yourself, check in with your hormones. What's going on this month that some of these symptoms came back. And I think what you said is definitely true is I'll even do my interviews with my patients and I'll say, so how's your menstrual cycle? it's like perfect. It's normal. Okay, good. So what's that like? Tell me like, do you have PMS? yeah. Yeah. I always have PMS. had My breasts hurt so bad. I get really moody the first day and cry. I'm like, you know, so that we're told that that's still normal, which is still a thing, but yeah. Michelle (08:24) Mm Yeah, it becomes almost like a background thing that's just like, oh, that's just that. Like it's normal, it's okay. And I think another thing too is just having that something I frequently see, oh, I have a perfect 28 day cycle like textbook, so everything's perfect. But then you start to really dig in like, when are you ovulating? You know, is it early or you know, nobody really knows because they'll either just do LH or not really look into Melissa Levy (08:35) Yeah. Michelle (08:59) if it's confirmed ovulation, because you could still get a bleed. So there's a lot of those little intricacies that you often don't find in mainstream medicine. Melissa Levy (09:08) And I think that's another thing is like we're never taught to really understand our cycle. So when I am working with fertility patients, I'm saying, oh, are you ovulating every month? Yeah, on day 14. Okay. Are you checking your basal body temperature to see that rise in progesterone? No, no. Like I just, on day 14, I just ovulate. know, so it's, some people don't even understand that there are signs that our body tells And it's not just day 14 that we ovulate, which could really impact fertility because then we could be missing our fertility windows. So there's just that lack of education and how we need to understand. we're never taught, I mean, no one ever taught me that. I had no idea until I got into this medicine that, day 14, or what is cervical mucus? Am I having that? And sometimes I ask women, do you have cervical mucus? Oh, I have no idea. One of those things that were never, I mean, no one's taught me. And I just think there's not enough time, obviously, in appointments and with your regular OB. So I think that definitely impacts fertility for sure. Michelle (10:05) Yeah, I often find too that people don't even really know much about their blood because they use tampons the whole time. That's another thing that I often talk about because it is, first of all, I don't love shoving anything up there. When your body's trying to release, you're basically putting a stopper in a sense. I mean, of course it doesn't stop, it absorbs, but still it's not quite the same. Melissa Levy (10:12) Mmm, yeah. Yeah. Michelle (10:29) as really letting it out and letting it flow and letting that gravitational pull release, whatever, not stagnate it. But if you have to, if you must, I'm not saying everything's 100%, but seeing what the blood looks like actually can tell you so much about your period or tell your acupuncture so much, but even you, there's a lot of information out Melissa Levy (10:36) Yeah, of course. Of course, mean, once again, lot of my patients, unless they've been coming to me for a while, they know to look. Otherwise they're like, you said, I have no idea. I use a tampon. Are there clots? I have no idea. know, it's those things that, know, until, unless you've had acupuncture, you're probably not looking for it. And it tells us. a lot. Our body gives us these signs and symptoms, the tongue, the pulse, the color of the nails, the skin. So all those things give us lot of information, especially the blood. What does it look like? How many days are you bleeding? Are you clots? it spotting? Are you bleeding a lot? Little, is it scanty? So definitely that's a great point. And same thing with the tampons. It's a really good point about stopping and not stagnating the blood. Michelle (11:34) Yeah. And I think that because our life is so busy, it's like, you know, it's almost like too busy and really kind of, it's important to allow yourself that rest if you can, with the menstrual cycle. I think that we don't really get that accommodation often just in the world. But yeah, you know, so you see a lot of those kinds of things just from asking people questions and how did you decide you wanted to work with fertility? What was your your initial pull. Melissa Levy (11:59) Yeah, so I was. pretty much a general seeing a little bit of everything. And I still do, but I think women's health is something that I've always had that love for just because there is such a lack of it and such a need for it. And then I think once I had my son, it kind of gave me that extra like fuel and that like just to learn more and more to, because it's such an amazing love to be a mom. And I want to be able just to give that to as many people and help as many women as I can. So I think that is the thing that really kind pushed it to kind of dive all into fertility. What all can I learn? How many people can I help? And what is going on? And why is our fertility issues seem like it's kind of becoming more common. And it's one of those things where like cycle issues are an issue or they're prevalent. But now it seems like same thing fertility. It's just like, yeah, I'm having trouble getting pregnant. So it seems one of those things that's just becoming a normal common thing, which I think is sad. Michelle (12:51) Yeah, yeah, for sure. What are some of the things that you see just clinically? Like what are some of the things that you notice that might be contributing to people having trouble conceiving? Melissa Levy (13:03) Yeah, definitely. So I see stress, definitely, as you probably know. know, we've been, acupuncture has been saying for thousands and thousands of years, the connection between our uterus and our shin, which is our mind. So most women, we have a lot of responsibility. Michelle (13:06) Mm -hmm. Right, and just if people don't know, the heart houses the mind. So the heart houses Shen, which is kind of like the spiritual aspect. Well, spirit, mind, combined. Melissa Levy (13:26) Mm -hmm. Yeah, and it's so we've known this for about 3 ,500 years or more. But I think nowadays women are living in a more stressful environment. There's so many responsibilities that we have. Some women have multiple kids already and they're juggling work and family and. just the pressure. So there's definitely a lot more stress. And if your body's in that fight or flight, you know, it's not going to prioritize, you know, reproduction. If your body thinks, my gosh, I'm in immediate danger. Your body's not like, okay, well it's great time to get pregnant. So I think definitely stress is something I see. I see gut health definitely. you know, so many things come down to our gut and they say, you know, they talk about, you know, our Michelle (13:51) Yes. I want to talk about that. That's a good, yeah, it's important. Melissa Levy (14:10) hormones or our body kind of being like that bathtub analogy where, you know, our gut is kind of like that sewer line kind of taking everything out. And if things are clogged up and backed up due to underlying gut infections, which I see very common and, you know, from a Chinese medicine perspective, we look at that as the dampness, the spleen. So the other thing I find so cool and interesting is, you know, Chinese medicine has been talking about all this stuff for 3500 years. And then when you learn like more of the conventional and functional medicine, it's the same stuff, you know, just in different terminology. So gut health is so important for fertility. And then from a Chinese medicine perspective, we talk about the spleen and the stomach, and it has a huge relationship to our fertility and our overall health. So that's deficient. And we've known that forever. So it's one of those things where I think gut health is so common and such a big topic right now. But it's not a new thing. I think it's something that we've known for so long, Michelle (14:53) Yeah. Melissa Levy (15:04) Now we're recognizing, wow, our gut is really, important. And so I think that's huge. Michelle (15:10) for sure. I will say too, like the gut mind connection, also that's spleen and stomach, they govern thoughts. So literally our thoughts can impact our digestion. Like if there are stressful thoughts, overwork, overworrying, that can impact our digestion. But now they're seeing it's fascinating because I've been researching it, the enteric system, which is your gut nervous system. And then the CNS, which is essential nervous system, which is connected to the brain. Melissa Levy (15:17) Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Michelle (15:36) And so how your thoughts can impact your via the vagus nerve, like there's this back and forth bi -directional communication. And it's fascinating how like Chinese medicine has been saying this forever. And now we're like literally seeing that they're seeing that people with certain types of mental disorders have a different gut microbiome than... Melissa Levy (15:49) I know. Mm -hmm, so interesting. Michelle (16:00) It's fascinating. And then also they're saying that people that meditate for a long time have a different gut microbiome that's more diverse and more rich, enriched. Melissa Levy (16:10) Yeah, I mean, our mind is, I you talk about that so much, and it's like, how much can we stress it? It plays a big role in, it's sometimes not something that's easy to overcome, and it takes sometimes time to maybe make some lifestyle changes or be able to do things that, sometimes you obviously can't change your environment around you if it's situational, but do things for your body that can kind of offset some of that stress. And then also, working with the gut. Michelle (16:34) Yes. Melissa Levy (16:36) going to be really important. it's kind of like that vicious cycle of, if your guts impaired, then it can affect your mind and your mind is going to affect your gut. So it kind of just rotates through. So, you know, when we talk about holistic medicine, we're talking about not just singling in on one thing. We're looking at everything. We're looking at the gut, right? Because if you just want one, you know, you're forgetting about everything else and everything is so connected. So you have to look at everything. Michelle (16:54) Yes. Yeah. It is, without a doubt. It's a, cause you were just mentioning two like major things, which is stress and then the gut. But those things are interconnected. They're like pieces of a puzzle. And that's, that's really the beauty I think of Chinese medicine is that, and also functional medicine is that it looks at things holistically, like in all the different parts. And I love that you also do functional medicine and testing. And because I think it's really important to really look beneath the hood. and see what does your gut microbiome look like. So what could people get from like say a gut testing? Melissa Levy (17:37) so much. So your whole gut microbiome, can tell us so much. So what I see a lot is I'll have a patient come in and they'll say, hey, you know, I'm not feeling good. My hormones are a mess. I can't get pregnant, but my blood work, everything looks fine. So then, you know, I look at it. Yes, everything looks fine. Yeah. And then as an acupuncturist, we take two seconds. We look at their tongue and pulse and we can say, whoa, there's definitely a lot going on. And Michelle (17:53) So then they get the unexplained infertility diagnosis, right? And then they come to you. Melissa Levy (18:04) I like to order things like the GI map, which definitely is my favorite test by far, because it doesn't just say yes or no, you have something. It will give you the value. So it's qualitative PCR. So it looks at all the gut microbiomes, looks at parasites. It looks at H. pylori, which is so common. Yeah, so our gut microbiome. And it's not even like looking at... know, what can we do to fix it? So sometimes I've had patients, looks at beta glucuronidase. It looks at calprotectin levels. it looks at so many different things to see if there's any gut inflammation in the body. is there dysbiosis? Is there maldigestion? Maybe you're not absorbing all the nutrients. So there's definitely a lot. And, if people even have cycle issues, I've had patients who have irregular cycles and we don't do anything else, but do a GI map and heal the gut. And their cycle regulates by itself on that. So there's so Michelle (18:53) That's amazing. Melissa Levy (18:54) much if you have someone that can actually read the GI map and knows how to understand it and what the patterns are, it is so beneficial. So I really love the GI map. It could tell us so much about the gut. Michelle (19:04) Amazing. And so what are some of the things or implementations and just to kind of give us examples of different conditions. And clearly this is not a one size fits all, which is why you have to test. Cause you could see like what's going on specific to the patient. Melissa Levy (19:10) Yeah. Of course. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, so I mean, I would say some things that I see a lot on the, just on the GI map, for example, like I'll see H. pylori a lot. And then with H. pylori, you'll see things like strep and staph infections as well in the gut. And what that does a lot of times is cause hypochlorhydrial low stomach acid, which is sometimes called things like parasites. You're not killing off things if you have low stomach acid and then maldigestion issues. So just doing things like mindful eating. So taking time and chewing your food, digestive. enzymes are really important. And then I love antimicrobials like olive leaf and oregano. They're really great. Olive leaf is antioxidant. It's antimicrobial, antiparasitic, anti -yeast. So that's something I use a lot with my patients that have any type of dysbiosis or overgrowth or opportunistic growth in their GI map. Michelle (20:08) Have you heard of Mastic for... Yeah. Rachael. Melissa Levy (20:10) Yeah, mastectomy. Yes, that's really common. And usually if you have, it depends like what bacteria or overgrowth you have. For example, like H. pylori typically means at least like three types of urge to kill because it is very stubborn. So usually using mastectomy, leaf, oregano, black cumin seed oil is amazing. And that is good against H. pylori. It also helps regulate blood sugar, which is another huge thing I see with fertility issues is blood sugar regulation. That's another thing that can affect our cortisol levels and our hormones. So I put a lot of people on black cumin seed oil as well, and that's antioxidant as well. So those are things that I definitely recommend for things, but it really depends on what bacteria, what overgrowth, what patterns you're showing. But just common things I see is like hypochloridia, low stomach acid. I see a lot of like dysbiosis, leaky gut, and then really just taking the measured measures and really just putting it into phases what can we do, remove the gut infections and then build up that gut wall and build up that diverse microbiome again. So it takes time. It's not something that happens overnight. But then I also think looking at why, why do we have this in the first place? Why do we have these gut infections? Why is it stress? it our diet, environmental things as well? Michelle (21:19) Right, right. Yeah, you think of like Sleen Yang deficiency because the fire, know, that digestive fire really is in Ayurvedic medicine, Agni, fire is really what kind of kills off all of those opportunistic bacteria and infections. But if we don't have that digestive fire, all the things that we learn about don't eat ice cream, don't have ice cold drinks, because what you're doing is you're actually diluting that fire. Melissa Levy (21:28) Yeah, exactly. Mm -hmm. Yeah. Yeah, no, I love that. never thought about that as like the that looking at that as like the stomach acid and that's such a great, great way to look at that. And that's the thing I always come back and find these awesome like relationships between Chinese medicine and conventional or functional medicine. It's like, it's all the same stuff. We just called it different things in a sense. it's, and now that we've all this research that shows and validates everything we've known for a long time. So I do like, you know, combining the two of those in such a great. Michelle (22:06) Yeah. Yes. Melissa Levy (22:17) great practice to be able to do Michelle (22:18) Yeah, no doubt. when it comes to certain conditions, have you had people where you suggested, okay, you you'd need antibiotics for this because it is kind of like really strong where they sometimes they need a stronger one. And then with that kind of help to navigate and kind of work it out with probiotics. Melissa Levy (22:38) Yeah, so I haven't had to really refer out for any antibiotics because most herbs and supplements usually are. There's research that shows that they are pretty good at eradicating most things and they have multiple functions and a more broad spectrum. But then, yeah, then adding in the probiotics and different types like espilarity is really good at helping with H. pylori and then doing, that's another thing I love about the GI map is it'll let you know like what's overgrown, what's deficient. So let's say you're a Michelle (22:49) Mm -hmm. Mm Melissa Levy (23:04) huge overgrowth of lactobacillus because of maybe hypochondria, right? You're not breaking down the food, so then it starts fermenting and you get that overgrowth patterns, which we see a lot. Then you probably might not want to take lactobacillus probiotic. You probably want to do something a little bit more diverse. Michelle (23:22) Right, or maybe a spore -based, right? A spore -based. Melissa Levy (23:24) Yeah, or like a school -based probiotic, which are getting more popular now. But then another thing I see a lot too, which I've been seeing a lot more recently is there's something called acromantia. And I see a lot of people that have none detected at all in their gut. And that's a really good thing. And that helps with our gut mucosal lining. And also they show that people have low acromantia, have more things like insulin resistance and obesity. And that's something I keep seeing a lot is there's... Michelle (23:38) wow. Wow. Melissa Levy (23:52) like zero detected in the gut. Michelle (23:53) Wow, that's so interesting. You know, I have learned a lot that some of the ingredients that we see in processed foods actually shift the gut microbiome dramatically. And I wonder, I mean, if it's like that or toxins that we're exposed to, I mean, there are things that are really literally like we don't even realize have a role or play a role in our Melissa Levy (24:04) Yeah, I believe it. Yeah. And I think another thing is like we, that I see a lot too, is we get into like routines of food and we'll eat the same food over and over again. And I remember like Chinese medicine school, they talk about that. They say your body doesn't want to eat the same thing over and over again, like mix it up. Don't eat, you know, chicken and broccoli for every, you know, every lunch the whole week, because your body wants that diversity. And now we see that with the gut microbiome is like the more diverse you eat, the more different foods you're eating, the more diverse your gut microbiome. You don't want to keep eating. Michelle (24:34) Yeah, it's Melissa Levy (24:44) the same seven foods all week long, you and I know some people kind of get into that routine of things is that's all they eat. Michelle (24:48) Yes. Right, and they talk about eating for seasons too, because during that season, whatever that weather or the climate, your body's reacting and what will grow around you, the food that grows typically is there to balance that Melissa Levy (24:54) yeah. Mm -hmm. Yeah, like the seasons and that's something I mean, I think a lot of people don't do as well as eating up the seasons and it's one of the things we don't think about. Michelle (25:06) fascinating. you don't think about it because you don't even know because everything gets shipped from everywhere. So you're like, I don't know what's growing now, like here, you know, and I think that that that's like another thing that that and also the endocrine disruptors, all these things that you have to do a little more homework for, but it's not as intimidating as it originally sounds. It seems a lot worse. This is actually why I will say worth hiring a fertility coach. because you have a lot of that extra time, like all of that is done for you. And, you know, that's the benefit. Melissa Levy (25:44) Yeah, for sure. And I also think, like everything's so individualized too. Like what might be good for one person, you know, isn't the main focus that someone else needs. There's so much and it can definitely be overwhelming. Like when you start to think about it, like detoxification and basal body temperature and ovulation, the food, it's like, sometimes that stresses people out and it's like, we don't want this to be stressful. And I also have had patients that'd be like, Michelle (26:00) Yeah. Yeah. Melissa Levy (26:07) you know, they're like, well, this person get pregnant and they're not eating, you know, super, super healthy, but everyone's bodies are different. You know, we have epigenetics and different stress and everyone's bodies can handle things differently and like that toxic load. And so it's hard to compare yourself to someone else, which is never a good thing to Michelle (26:14) Right. Yeah. It's true. no, absolutely. somebody might be less tolerant for one thing, but more tolerant for another. And that might be completely opposite from the next person. So you just never know. You really need to like honor your own like body's personality type, I like to kind of say, because it has its own signature, its own personality. Like everything is unique, you know, even though we have the same makeup, you know, we all have like the same organs Melissa Levy (26:34) Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Exactly. Michelle (26:53) of but each person responds differently really to food, environment. I love the saying, one man's is another man's poison, it's could be something incredibly healthy, but one person could be allergic to it and have a horrible reaction to Melissa Levy (27:02) yeah. Yeah, exactly. even going, I always go back to Chinese medicine, but no, it's like food therapy and you know, I have patients come in and they're like, I look at their tongue and pulse and I'm like, well, you shouldn't be eating these foods. They're like, yeah, but they're so healthy, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, they are healthy foods, but not healthy for you at this time of what you have going on in your body. If you've got a heat and inflammation and you're eating spicy, hot, warming foods, you're going to feel a little worse, right? Versus someone who's maybe a little bit more deficient. Michelle (27:35) bright. Melissa Levy (27:37) and really needs more of that warming food. it always comes down to individuality, whereas everything similar is yes, we want to make sure we have a good healthy gut and blood flow and mind, but everyone's situation is going to be a little Michelle (27:50) totally. Like it makes me think of like the somebody who's really thin and like super cold all the time, but all they want to eat is raw foods and salads and like juice. You know, all of that has such a cold nature. You're just exacerbating like the symptoms and making it worse. Melissa Levy (28:06) yeah. Yeah. It's not as people don't want to hear that. I'm like, well, stop juicing. And I'm like, well, it's so wealthy. going eat a little bit more soups in it. And it's not like you can ever do it, but it's all about balance. And I think, you know, things always come back to balance. And we live in a world now where everything's such an extreme, we're either completely vegan or completely keto or completely, you know, one thing and it's, we're working out so hard and won't do anything or we're not working out at all. So it's how can you find that balance Michelle (28:17) Yes. Right, yeah. Melissa Levy (28:34) eating a whole diet and maybe doing more yin or calm or exercises during certain part of the cycle and then doing more intense if you want. everything comes back to balance, which is something I think is hard. Michelle (28:47) Yeah, no doubt. But it's an art. then once you figure it out, because I think that we're primed for it, we're designed for balance, our bodies know, and our bodies communicate with us when things are out of balance. If we're too hot to want to cool down and vice versa. So it knows what to do. It's always communicating. Sometimes we want to ignore that communication. Over time, we stop hearing it, but it's kind Melissa Levy (29:03) We have. Michelle (29:11) coming back to it is a lot easier than I think a lot of people think because we're primed for it. We're designed to be connected to that. So I know that you work with a lot of people online. So you're able to basically have consultations with people and do testing of all kinds, like different functional testing based on that either customize, but also that you have a program for people who may not commit to like Melissa Levy (29:35) yeah. Michelle (29:37) a one -to -one, but they can also just take your course as Melissa Levy (29:41) Yeah, of course. So, yeah, so I wanted to try to make a course that was like great for like good for anyone, right? So it's easy to understand, but it kind of covers a little bit of everything. A lot of education, like I said, a lot of it is sometimes women don't understand their cycles or even know when they're ovulating. So there's modules that talk about cycle education. How can we, you know, increase our sperm or egg qualities to talk about the man and the woman talking functional tests. So if you're like, hey, I want to get some testing, but I don't want to work with someone or I don't know anyone or my doctor won't run these, you can go online to our Rupa store and just put in your own order. You know, I always recommend obviously going over with it with a doctor, but I give you the option, the option of like functional ranges and the standard ranges, which are going to be different. Functional ranges are like optimal where we want you to really be. And we talk about yoga, mindfulness. supplements. So we talk about a lot in the program. It's self -paced, which is so nice. So had people say, I love it because I can go back and listen to it over and over and over again. And so it was a really fun to make and I love being able to provide that information to people. Michelle (30:50) Awesome. And I actually got to see behind the scenes, look at it and it is really, really very thorough. It has a lot of information, really, really well done. I have to say, I really admire you as a practitioner. think you are amazing at your craft, like truly. Really so honored to have been able to work with you and like get to know you, but you really are amazing at what you do. I think that part of it Melissa Levy (30:58) Thank you. Michelle (31:15) just being really passionate, but also having that drive to keep learning and learning and learning. And I think that that's what keeps us going as practitioners. Melissa Levy (31:23) Yeah, definitely. thank you. So sweet. Yeah. We love what you do. You just want to keep learning and it's fun. Michelle (31:30) It is fun, right? Well, that's what you want to find. You want to find a coach or has fun doing what they're doing because that's that's ultimately it's a good sign that they love what they do and they're good at it. So, Melissa, such a pleasure having you. If people want to find you, how can they find you? Melissa Levy (31:37) Yeah. Yeah, of Yes, thank So I actually have a clinic in Jacksonville. Then I also work online with people with Health by Melissa .com or Integrative Wellness Center of Jacksonville .com. do virtual and in -person visits. Michelle (32:01) Awesome. Melissa, thank you so much for coming on. was such a pleasure talking to Melissa Levy (32:04) Yes, thank you. Thank you.
This week we are joined by Helen Laser! Helen is an Audie Award Finalist and multiple Audiofile Earphones Award winner. Her commercials have aired on TV, radio, and online/social media, including commercials for Tide, Advil, Annie's Homegrown, Dunkin Donuts, IHOP, and many more! Helen narrates for Audible Studios, Penguin Random House, Hachette, Simon and Schuster, Deyan, Podium, Tantor, Harper, Macmillan, Blackstone, Brilliance, Dreamscape and for a variety of clients in podcasts, e-learning, and more. Make sure to check her out!In this episode, we discuss voicing different characters from a young age, being silly and self conscious, performing in regional theater, having encouraging parents, being a late bloomer, union vs nonunion actors, and so much more. You don't want to miss out on hearing Helen's Broadway Chicken character. Give this episode a listen!Recommendations From This Episode: www.helenlaser.comAudible - Helen LaserThe Singer SistersBehind Every Good ManNetflix Presents: The CharactersThank You For ListeningThe Last Five Years Follow Helen Laser: @hlaserwolfFollow Carly: @carlyjmontagFollow Emily: @thefunnywalshFollow the podcast: @aloneatlunchpodPlease rate and review the podcast! Spread the word! Tell your friends! Email us: aloneatlunch@gmail.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What can I take instead of antibiotics or ibuprofen? How can I prevent cognitive decline? On this episode of Vitality Radio, Jared introduces four new natural products at Vitality Nutrition that address these questions. You'll learn about propolis extract and its many uses and benefits, and a PEA formula as an alternative to opiates and OTC drugs like Advil and Tylenol. You'll also hear how Red Ginseng and Greek Mountain Tea with Bacopa are so useful for cognitive support, neuroprotection, and energy!Terry Naturally Products:Propolis ExtractGreek Mountain Tea + BacopaRed GinsengPEAVisit the podcast website here: VitalityRadio.comYou can follow @vitalityradio and @vitalitynutritionbountiful on Instagram, or Vitality Radio and Vitality Nutrition on Facebook. Join us also in the Vitality Radio Podcast Listener Community on Facebook. Shop the products that Jared mentions at vitalitynutrition.com. Let us know your thoughts about this episode using the hashtag #vitalityradio and please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Thank you!Please also join us on the Dearly Discarded Podcast with Jared St. Clair.Just a reminder that this podcast is for educational purposes only. The FDA has not evaluated the podcast. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The advice given is not intended to replace the advice of your medical professional.
Season 9 Episode 464 “Sunglasses And Advil” by EverydayMedia
Save $100 using code ZACKPOD on the Limitless Program here (risk free, 30 day $ back guarantee!) Overcome your pain, today! Have questions? Get in touch with us here. Zack's story: "I wish I'd found Whealth before back surgery—I believe it could've saved me. After an unsuccessful microdiscectomy and 2 injections, Limitless finally healed me 100%, ending 3.5 years of sciatic & back pain. In 2020, my MRI showed three 6mm herniated discs (L3-L4, L4-L5, L5-S1) as I felt severe pain shooting down my left leg. For 6 months, I saw chiropractors, doctors, and PTs 5x/week and did everything they told me, but my pain worsened. I became depressed & stopped lifting, surfing, & golfing. This was devastating as my athletic identity was stripped away. For 2.5 years, I relied on 8 Advil/day to numb the pain. Desperate for relief, I consulted top surgeons in LA, but they dismissed my pain saying I was too young for back surgery & it couldn't be that bad.. So I was prescribed 6 more months of PT. PT still didn't work despite my adherence and pain persisted, so I finally underwent lumbar surgery (microdiscectomy) on L4/L5/S1 hoping for my life back. Unfortunately, post-surgery, my pain GOT EVEN WORSE and daily life was a struggle- I became more depressed, fearing I'd never enjoy activities like surfing, golfing, and running again. While searching online for rehab programs, I discovered Whealth- skeptical but desperate, I committed to the Limitless Program in April 2023. The progress was slow & humbling, but it offered the first glimmer of hope I had in years. Within 2-3 weeks, my pain reduced noticeably and I stopped taking advil. 6 months into the program, my back pain and strength had improved significantly and I was golfing again. I felt a renewed sense of life. Within 9-12 months, my back and nerve pain was fully gone. Today, I am lifting, golfing, surfing, traveling, & put back on 20 lbs. Limitless transformed my life, giving me back my mental health, confidence, and happiness. I'm forever grateful for their guidance and support. If you're struggling with back pain, I highly recommend trying the Limitless Program before considering surgery or other medical interventions. It truly gave me my life back."
C&R, with Tuesday fun! Rich tries to kill Covino with generic Advil. A doctor calls the show! There was a Francisco Alvarez walk-off homer for the ages. Over the top celebration? Caitlin Clark is in the news again & Flores responds to Tua. They find the perfect actor to portray the great John Madden! There's an interesting survey of what hobbies most women find to be unattractive in men. The guys discuss & laughter ensues! Plus, 'LAST ONE STANDING' & the Packers committee of nice wideouts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
C&R celebrate National Radio Day! Rich tries to kill Covino with generic brand Advil in the medicine cabinet. what's the correct dosage? A doctor calls the show! There was a Francisco Alvarez walk-off homer for the ages. Over the top celebration? The crew disagree! Caitlin Clark is in the news again & Flores responds to Tua. Plus, casting the great John Madden!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello to you listening in Cordoba, Spain!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.Is my Origin Story work positioned as a Vitamin or an Advil? "Vitamins are nice to have but not urgent. Whereas if you're in pain you want an Advil - and fast!" These wise words came from my dear friend and colleague, Anke Herrmann (Strategic Partner, Author, Podcast Host & Dog Lover). To answer that question I need a little sounding board help because, as Anke says, “How do you expect to read the label when you're sitting inside the jar?”This much I know: each of us needs a sounding board. Perhaps I can be that for you.This is what else I know about how I can help:✓ Stories have shaped you and brought you to this point but you might need help to find the words you didn't know you had.✓ You came into the world with a voice. Your voice is your power. Your story is an expression of your power; but you might lack the awareness or confidence to express yourself or tell your story. ✓ Your Who + Your Why + Your How - in that order - sets you above the noise in the marketplace; but how do you get there? ✓ Much contemporary storytelling focuses on content at the expense of context; if you're telling just the facts you're missing the emotional story.✓ Stories must engage us with imagination, sensory images, and memories to be meaningful; I can teach you to teach yourself to be that storyteller. Question: What stories do you, your clients and audience need right now to ease pain, heal, and transform?CTA: It's time for you to take those steps to relieve the pain of confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and lack of confidence about using your voice to say what you mean and mean what you say in any personal or professional setting, to nail that interview, clarify your ideas, and influence your listeners while transforming the lives of those you serve. Arrange for a Discovery Chat with me today: DM me on LinkedIn or e-mail me at info@quartermoonstoryarts.net. Sound me out! You're always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe and spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Get in touch with me today to arrange your no-sales Discovery Chat, and✓ Stay current with Diane on as “Wyzga on Words” on Substack and on LinkedInStories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.
Well, today was supposed to be a lovely day with beautiful weather and the fact that we are one step closer to another weekend. However, Angi decided to upend all of this by getting real disgusting by opening her mouth and unleashing a truly gross Daily Discussion Topic. For reasons I have yet to understand, we decided to look at the most disgusting things people have put in their mouths. Now, I know your mind went right into the gutter but we were skipping the obvious dirty answers and looked more toward edible and inedible objects. For example, remember when parents used to stuff soap in their kids mouths when they sounded like the studio does when we're off air. Mike understood that all too well as he once got the soap as a kid as did one of the survey respondents who was drunk and thought a soap sample outside a store was food. Other offered options included chewing on an Advil liquid gel cap, having a seagull poop into their mouth, accidentally drinking windshield wiper fluid as a kid and having a cockroach fall into their mouth when they were drinking out of the bathroom faucet. It gets worse still though, like the cat who sneezed into its owners mouth when they yawned, a sleepwalker eating half a bowl of potpourri thinking it was cereal and let's never forget the horror that is Chinese century eggs. If you don't know what that is Google it but don't blame me if you do. Disgusted yet? I sure am and it only keeps getting worse as we got the studio examples. Angi was at a party in high school and she drank out of a beer bottle that she thought was hers but turned out to be one filled with chew spit. Before we got to Marris' actual example, there was food mentioned in coconut sparkling water and durian fruit which he could actually attest to as not being so bad. He said that durian actually tastes decent if you can get past the smell. As for his example though, he once had a baby puke in his mouth which is just lovely. As for Mike, when he was a kid, he ate dog poop which clearly means his spirit animal is Divine. Adding in my own, I once licked an orange push pop straight from the freezer and it was fuzzy. Now, if your stomach is still intact, let's move to the Request Line to see if we can make your breakfast/lunch/dinner come racing up. Rob thought he saw a Whopper on the ground of his house when he was a kid but when he popped it in his mouth, it turned out to be a tick that had come off the dog. (I lost it over that one, I'll never be the same again.) Head Roadie Bob saved his choking daughter and got a mouth full of iron supplement for it. Tony drank a Coke with a bee in it and it ended up stinging his tongue. Weirdly enough, Mike also had that happen to him. Angi took a moment then to readdress her fear of bees because she has never been stung by one and just assumes it would make her blow up and die if she was. Ashley had a nose picker kid who shoved a finger full into her mouth. Katie is a medical assistant and while swabbing a kids throat, ended up getting a mouth full of wet cough. Lastly, Head Roadie Tom had his son spray pee into his mouth when he was changing him as a baby. If you are looking for more roadie thoughts or have your own, hit up our Facebook group (Angi Taylor Show) and drop us a comment.
Live Event Guest Pass Application! Over the course of almost 3 years, I've worked with hundred of rehab chiros and have tons of lessons to share. In this episode I break down the three most prevalent lessons I've learned. Here they are: -If you feel stuck making $20K, audit your calendar. The cheapest activity you should be doing is treating a patient. Anything else, including admin work is a waste of time -The universe will not give you what you fear. So if you fear money, then you are going to be broke -The evidence informed crowd are the worst offenders of not evidence based care. They end up becoming order takers, not doctors. They are just a human version of Advil and wonder why they get price shopped If you haven't signed up yet, click below for a Guest Pass: Live Event Guest Pass Application!
This week, Alissa gives Kristi a full-face makeover, and the rest of us are treated to a makeup tutorial. But while we watch, Kristi tells how a routine ENT procedure led to a staph infection, multiple surgeries, and extensive reconstruction on one side of her face. She endured years of surgery and recovery. Some people are quick to see a scar or a blemish, without knowing the back story. Characteristically, Kristi describes the emotional and physical toll of endless visits to specialists and surgical procedures, with her unique sense of humor.STORIES00:00 - Start 00:04 - Checking that "vulnerability box"00:35 - Everybody's so quick to see a blemish00:58 - Almost 20 years ago, I got an infection, and fought it for 4-5 years02:20 - I got staph one one side of my face, constantly fighting nose bleeds03:46 - "The man keeps rubbing on my ears" - where to go if we have to rebuild04:45 - In Los Angeles, they replaced my cheek05:55 - You have a two year old girl at home and the infection is growing06:45 - 13 hours of surgery08:00 - Bone v Cartilage08:23 - "I had 2-thousand stitches inside my mouth"09:35 - Judgment on social media10:02 - The lip: "It's lumpy and it just lives there"12:05 - My doctor in California said: "I put people back together"13:03 - I woke up, and I looked like the Elephant Man14:03 - Mashed potatoes and broth 16:47 - Everything they built has become infected18:05 - I had a picc line every evening for nine months21:11 - Trust me, fat lips were not fashionable 22:02 - Were the years of antibiotics a factor in your strokes? 22:45 - Makeup tips and tricks from Alyssa25:05 - Foundation26:09 - Everyone says don't use talc28:00 - Makeup for the bride29:00 - Take pics of your feet and make some money
Sport-bike racer, track & field All-American, multi-patent holder, biometric lab creator, The Wall Street Journal's Marketers That Matter Visionaries, and Adweek's 50 most important people are just a few of Walter Geer's self-earned epithets. Currently the Chief Creative Officer of Innovation at VML, he has developed commercials, ad experiences, products and implemented creative strategies for brands including Progressive, Advil, and Google. In his conversation with Ryan, Walter shares his surreal and harrowing experience of surviving a stroke, the life-saving decision to take an experimental drug, and the pivotal role his wife played in his survival. They two also explore his groundbreaking work as a founder of Blackweek, an inclusive conference and economic forum driving opportunities for diverse businesses and professionals. Tune in to this episode to discover Walter's insights on the evolving role of creative leadership and the fearless approach required to make meaningful change.
Take two Advil and call me in the morning. Wretched Radio | Air Date: August 06, 2024 https://media-wretched.org/Radio/Podcast/WR2024-0806.mp3 Segment 1 What’s the Word? Presuppositions. You can’t bring your filter into the meaning of the text in the Bible. The meaning of the text informs your filter. Segment 2 Do you have a disease of the […] The post THREE CHRISTIAN DISEASES appeared first on Wretched.
SERIES 2 EPISODE 203: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:40) BULLETIN: The New York Times has called for a candidate to drop out of the presidential race after his performance in a debate - a debate which has IMPROVED his standing against his opponent in several polls. No, President Biden is not dropping out. And that wasn't a family oligarchy intervention Sunday at Camp David to tell him to. It was an offing photo shoot. There are no indications (and let's not fully exhale; we don't know if the impacts might appear long-term) that the debate had any significant impact on the presidential race. CBS-YouGov polling released Sunday says even in the wake of the understandable blunt-force trauma we all went through as we watched, 55% of the Democrats have NO interest in changing horses while after the same debate 54% percent of EVERYBODY says TRUMP should drop out. “I am finishing my second battleground state poll post-debate,” writes the Democratic pollster Geoff Garin, “and both surveys show the same thing: the debate had no effect on the vote choice. The election was extremely close and competitive before the debate, and it is still extremely close and competitive today.” Morning Consult and Data For Progress polled right after the debate, the percentages of those who think Biden should drop out went up like four points, but the Biden-versus-Trump match-up… Biden went UP a point. In Survey USA he went UP THREE points. Translation: yeah, maybe he should drop out but if he doesn't, I'm still voting for him. The almost negligible impact on Biden's poll numbers may be as transitory as whatever it was that impaired the president during the debate, because his health and age is baked-in to the voters' perception of him. There was nothing before the debate, nothing in his grueling international travels to the G7 and Normandy and elsewhere that was as bad as what he did during the debate. He was clear the day before and the next morning. And there is a plausible and intuitively satisfactory possible explanation for what CAUSES something like that in an 81-year old man. If the President had a cold – and I don't know about you, but I'll admit it: I'VE had colds in my life, and his hoarseness, it sounded to me like a cold – if he had a cold, did he take cold medicine? You know, like just Tylenol. Cold medicine. The Yale School of medicine professor, cardiologist and head of outcomes evaluation at Yale New Haven Hospital Center Dr. Harlan Krumholz wrote a piece for Newsweek: “Biden's symptoms are consistent with someone suffering from temporary drug-induced cognitive impairment. Most people believe common over-the-counter cold medications such as Dayquil, Tylenol, or Advil to be harmless. While generally well tolerated, these medications have well-documented side effects and can cause reduced alertness, diminished attention, poor memory, and reduced reaction time, especially in older individuals. These impairments are transitory but can appear consequential and alarming. Every experienced clinician has seen this effect thousands of times…" The real illness right now may be in our media. NBC News got the Camp David thing utterly wrong. The Times made fools of its editorial board and top columnists and based on something a staffer wrote there is every reason to suspect that it acted as it did because if Biden were to drop out it would prove the Times wasn't a fatally broken organization that put its thumb on the scale because he wouldn't give them a one-on-one interview. Regardless: the breaking news is - nothing's broken.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Did you know the over the counter pain killers like Advil, Naproxen and Asprin are literally destroying your gut one layer at a time? Not only that, but they can even affect your brain, leading to leaks in the blood brain barrier, creating cognitive issues and mental health concerns. In thos short episode, we're exposing these extremely dangerous drugs for what they really are. TOPICS DISCUSSED: How NSAIDS like Ibuprofen work The true dangers of them, and how they destroy your gut and your brain What diseases they are well known and documented to create Who should avoid them Alternative options for pain relief Join the Community: Click here to learn more about how to reverse IBD inside our community! Contact us: reversablepod.com/tips Leave us a Review: https://www.reversablepod.com/review SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram Facebook YouTube
Our friend, Kelsey, shares with us today what giving birth is like in Canada. From moving and traveling between provinces, Kelsey had experienced different models of care and when it came time to prepare for her VBAC, she was very proactive about choosing a birth environment where she felt safest. From a scary Cesarean under general anesthesia to an empowering unmedicated VBAC in a birth center, Kelsey's journey is entertaining, beautiful, and powerful. We love hearing the unique details of her story including giving birth at the same time as her doula just in the next room over! The personalized care she was given during her VBAC is so endearing and heartwarming. As her husband mentioned, it should be the gold standard of care and we agree! The VBAC Link Blog: Assisted DeliveryFetal Tachycardia in the Delivery RoomIs There Still a Place for Forceps in Modern Obstetrics?Forceps Delivery ComplicationsNeeded WebsiteHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details 07:36 Review of the Week09:27 Kelsey's stories11:47 Logistics of giving birth in Canada14:38 A normal pregnancy17:50 Arriving at the hospital21:37 Stalling at 7 centimeters26:22 Asynclitic and OP positioning29:31 Kelsey's Cesarean under general anesthesia34:50 Second pregnancy and VBAC prep41:07 Switching to midwives46:14 Beginning of labor51:07 Driving to the birth center54:49 Pushing baby out in two pushes1:00:24 Differences in care1:02:11 Enterovirus1:08:02 Risk factors for forceps and vacuum deliveriesMeagan: Hello, Women of Strength. We have our friend, Kelsey, from Canada. Is that correct? Kelsey: Yes. Yeah. Meagan: She's sharing her story with you guys today. Something about her first story of her C-section that stood out to me was that she had a forceps attempt that didn't work out. Sometimes that happens. I want to talk a little bit about forceps here in just a minute before we get into her story. Kelsey, I wanted to ask you that this is something that in our doula practice we will ask our clients. If it comes down to an assisted birth with forceps or a vacuum, what would you prefer? It's a weird thing because you're like, Well, I'm not planning on that, but a lot of people actually answer, “I would rather not do those and go straight to a C-section.” Some people are like, “I would rather do every last-ditch effort before I go to a C-section.” Did you ever think about that before? Had it ever been discussed before as their style? That's another thing. Some providers are really vacuum-happy. Some are really forceps-happy. I know it's a random question, but I was just wondering, had you ever thought of that before going into birth? Kelsey: So no. I didn't think about whether I wanted a C-section or a forceps delivery. However, I was really staunchly against having a C-section. That was primarily nothing against it, it was just that I have a really huge fear of awake surgery so with my forceps attempt, the OB who was there because it wasn't my provider. That's not the way Canada works. The OB who was there who was called in said, “Are you sure you want to do forceps? You could tear.” I told her, “I would rather tear than have a C-section.” That was just a personal preference for me because I was so terrified of having a C-section. Meagan: Yeah. I think that is very common and very valid to be like, “No, I would rather try this.” Kelsey: Yeah. Meagan: So I did. I wanted to go over just a little bit. I mean, I have seen a couple of forceps and they are not happening as often these days, but there was an article that said, “Is there still a place for forceps delivery in modern obstetrics?” I'm trying to say obstetricians and obstetrics. We're just going to stop. Kelsey: We know what you mean. Meagan: You know what I mean. There was an article and I was like, That's a really good question, because I think a lot of people think they shouldn't be done anymore or a vacuum shouldn't be done anymore either. It talked a little bit about the background. it says, that nowadays we are seeing a decrease in instrumental deliveries and a continuous increase of Cesarean rates. That makes me wonder if we were to increase vaginal and help instrumentally if that would decrease, but one of the things that I thought was interesting is that it says, “The prevalence of forceps delivery was 2.2% and the most common indication for a forcep delivery was fetal distress.” It is very common where it's really, really close, baby is struggling. Baby is so low and let's get baby out. That's 81.6% which is crazy. It says, “Among mothers, the most frequent complication is vaginal laceration,” which means we have tearing at 41% and third and fourth-degree perineal tears were noted. It says, “Regarding neonatal APGAR scores, around 8 around the first and the fifth minute,” which is around 91.2% and 98% of newborns which is pretty great. An 8 APGAR is pretty great. I think a lot of people worry about that. It says, “8.8% experience severe birth injuries like hematomas and clavicle fractures.” Those are probably shoulder dystocias. That's probably why they were having. It says, “Although fetal distress is the most common indication for forceps delivery, the vast majority of newborns were actually in good condition and didn't require NICU care.” That's something that was kind of cool. Obviously, there are a ton of more studies and deeper studies on that. This was just one, but it was kind of interesting. It was like, all right. That is a good question to ask as we are preparing for VBAC is hey, if for some reason a forceps or a vacuum is necessary, that's something to think about. What do we want to do at that point? I love how you were like, “Yeah, I didn't want a C-section. I feared that more than I did that.” Anyway, getting off that topic now so we can get this review and get on to your story but I think it's a topic we don't talk about and it's not something that we are thinking about so as you are preparing, Women of Strength, for your VBAC, it might be something that you want to discuss and learn more about both vacuum and forceps and discuss with your provider what their tool of choice is and just have that in the back of your mind. 07:36 Review of the WeekMeagan: Okay, so onto today's review. It is from laurenswat and it was back in 2023. It says, “Thank You.” It says, “I listened to as many episodes as possible when preparing for my VBAC. The stories on here were so encouraging to me and Meagan is so knowledgeable and reassuring. I am happy to say that I had my unmedicated hospital VBAC last week and I caught my own baby before the doctor even got in the room.” Oh my gosh, that is awesome. Seriously, catching your own baby is so amazing. I loved it personally myself as well and highly encourage it to anyone that is sort of interested because it is a really cool feeling. Thank you for your review and as always, we are looking for reviews. It is what helps people find this podcast. It helps us grow as a community. You can leave it on Apple, Google, email us, or whatever but we are so grateful for your reviews. 09:27 Kelsey's storiesMeagan: Okay, Kelsey. Kelsey: Yeah? Hi. Meagan: Hello. Welcome to the show. Kelsey: Thank you. I'm super, super excited. Meagan: Me too. Me too. I would love to turn the time over to you. Both of your babies were born in Canada. That's correct, right? Kelsey: Yes. Yeah. Meagan: Tell us the story. Kelsey: Yeah, so basically my husband and I got married in November 2019. Just prior to that, we had actually been living in New Brunswick. Just prior to getting married, we decided to move back because we are from Ottowa. We moved to Ottowa. We were living with his parents, his dad, at the time. We went to Mexico for our honeymoon and on our honeymoon, we decided to start trying to have a baby. We decided to start trying but not preventing it because we weren't sure how long it was going to take and there was no indication that it could take a while but my husband is actually an IVF baby. It had taken 7 years for his parents to conceive him. Meagan: 7 years, wow. They are amazing. That's a long time. Kelsey: He was actually their last attempt. When his mom got up to say our wedding speech, she was like my 1 in 7 or something like that and I was just bawling. So because of that, we decided to start trying and not preventing but there was nothing indicating it would take us a while. We started trying in December of 2019 and it just wasn't happening for us so around the year mark, we had a lot of friends who started trying around the same time as us and were getting pregnant really, really quickly. I was going to so many baby showers and crocheting baby blankets that just weren't for my baby. Actually, the year mark rolled around and I got my period the day of. My best friend gave birth the day of. I was trying so hard to be happy and stay positive and whatnot, but it was devastating. 11:47 Logistics of giving birth in CanadaKelsey: We ended up being referred to a fertility clinic. They did a full work-up on both of us and there was nothing. They didn't come up with anything. So they said, “You could keep trying or we could start IUI.” My husband and I said, “Let's do 3 more months of trying on our own, and then we will try for IUI.” Our fertility clinic was in Ontario and we ended up moving to Gatineau, Quebec in July 2020.The way it works in Canada is you have your healthcare which covers. You can go inter-provincially and give your card unless you are from Quebec. If you are from Quebec, it's kind of like living in another country. If you have a RAMQ card, you actually have to pay for your care in Ontario. The Quebec government will reimburse you but only for 30%. It's super weird. If you are from Ontario and go to Quebec, the Ontario government will cover you in Quebec. Meagan: What? So weird. This world is so weird. Kelsey: I know. It's super bizarre. So essentially we moved to Gatineau because the housing market was a little less expensive. I was working in Gatineau at the time as a teacher. I was extremely stressed out in my job especially once COVID hit. We were sent back to the classroom before any of the other provinces were. Anyway, I was extremely stressed out in my job and I decided to switch to the Ontario side because you can go between the two. Where I lived, you cross a bridge and you can get to Ottawa so you are in Ontario. Essentially, we went through the fertility clinic. They said that nothing was going on but because the Gatineau government will cover you for IVF and any fertility treatments up to a certain price so we had to be referred back to Quebec for IUI. The month that we were referred back to Quebec for IUI, it was the day before my appointment that I found out I was pregnant. Meagan: Oh my gosh, yay! Kelsey: Yeah, on our own. It super just happened and some weird funny things happened. The day before, my husband and I went for a walk around our neighborhood. I found a quarter and was like If pennies are lucky, then quarters must be super lucky. I picked up the quarter and put it in my pocket and the day after, I found out I was pregnant. These weird things kept happening. My pregnancy made me oddly psychic too which I'll get into after. 14:38 A normal pregnancyKelsey: I got pregnant in March. I was due November 28th. I had a super easy pregnancy. I was nauseous for the first little bit. I was working for a virtual school in Ontario so I didn't have to go into the school which was really nice. I just got to hang out in my basement and yeah. I mainly had nausea as a symptom but I was also extremely anxious because it had taken us so long to get pregnant. It felt like it was so long. It was about 15 months. I was super anxious. I had heard so many stories of miscarriage and whatnot, but luckily, we were followed by the fertility clinic because we were with them so we had a scan at 5 weeks and we had a scan at 8 weeks and then at 12 weeks once we graduated which was really nice. It was a really, really normal pregnancy. I ended up going back into the school in September and I was working as a French teacher. I went off work at 36 weeks. It was pretty normal. The reason I say that I was psychic during my pregnancy is that I kept saying all of these things about my baby. I had this gut instinct that he was a boy and sure enough, it was a boy. Mind you, it's because my husband's family only really has boys but then with certain things, people would say, “When do you think he will be born?” I'd be like, “Oh, I think December 4th.” I would make off-hand comments like, “Oh, he's going to have really dark hair.” My husband and I were both born at 5:00. I was born at 5:00 at night. He was born at 5:00 in the morning. I said, “Wouldn't it be funny if he was born at 5:00?” I said, “He's going to be over 9 pounds. I can just feel it. He's going to be 9 pounds.” Then the other weird thing is that I said he would be born December 4th, but someone told me, “No, you don't want him to be born on December 4th. He will share a birthday with your cousin.” I was like, “Okay, December 3rd.” December 3rd rolls around and I am 5 days past my due date. I wake up in the morning to go to the washroom and my water breaks. I had not been well-informed about birth. I was just going into it like, Yeah. Everything is going to be fine. I had a bunch of friends who just had babies and everything was smooth sailing. The only time I had heard of a C-section was when my aunt had two C-sections because she had a breech baby and a special scar and then they didn't give her an option for a C-section. I was like, Oh yeah. It's going to be fine. My provider told me, “If your water breaks, go straight to labor and delivery.” Meagan: Many do, by the way. Kelsey: Yes, I do know that. Meagan: It's a very normal thing for people to say, but we don't have to do that. Kelsey: Exactly. Meagan: I did the same thing, the same exact thing. 17:50 Arriving at the hospitalKelsey: Yeah, so we went into labor and delivery. Actually, we went slowly. My husband was like, “I'm going to take a shower.” I was under the impression that baby was going to be born in a couple of hours. I was like, “We've got to go.” He was like, “No, no. I've got to take a shower. First impressions are important.” I was like, “All right.” Then we went and we got Tim Horton's because I was super hungry. I figured This will be the last time I eat.We got to labor and delivery. They monitored me for two hours and I didn't have a contraction until 6:00 right as I was leaving and I was only a centimeter dilated. She was like, “Come back in 12 hours or sooner if your contractions get intense.” So I went home. I decided to go to sleep but I was having irregular contractions. I woke up probably around noon and I was starting to get uncomfortable. My contractions were starting to get closer together and they were more intense. I could feel them in my back and in my bum. I learned a lesson. Anyway, I'll get into that after. I could feel them mostly in my back and in my bum. My husband was like, “You look like you're really uncomfortable. We need to go to the hospital now.” He was afraid of getting stuck in traffic because I ended up giving birth in Ontario even though we lived in Quebec. The reason is the hospital I gave birth at actually takes your RAMQ card, the Quebec healthcare card so we weren't going to be charged for it or anything. The Gatineau hospitals are not known for being super well-equipped for much so we preferred to give birth in Ontario. We drove to Ontario which was a 30-minute drive so not super terrible, but traffic can be bad going across the bridge sometimes. The whole way there, I had really uncomfortable contractions. We got to the hospital and the doctor had me in the waiting room for 30 minutes, not terrible. The doctor meets with us and immediately, I just was not into him. He just put me off. He made an off-hand comment about nurses. He was like, “I see pain. Do you want pain medication? Do you want Advil or Tylenol?” I was like, “Whatever you can give me, I don't know.” I told him, “One of the things going into it is that my husband would really like to catch the baby. Can we do that?” He was like, “Well, do you think you can handle it?” I'm like, “Well, he was a firefighter so he's pretty okay with that kind of stuff.” Yeah. I can't even remember the comment now, but he made an offhand comment like, “Well, that's what nurses are for,” or something like that. I just was super put off by him. We went into our room and I didn't know at the time that maybe I could have asked for someone different or whatever. We go into our room and we get set up and they were like, “We have to monitor you for a little bit.” I was like, “I'd really like to labor in the tub. Can I get in the tub?” They said, “We need the monitor on you for an hour.” I'm like, “Okay.” They monitor me for an hour. They give me a shot of Demerol or whatever. I was under the impression and my mindset going into it was that when you give birth, you use pain medication as pain management. I hadn't researched anything else. I was just like, “I want the epidural as soon as I can get it and whatever you can give me for the pain is great.” 21:37 Stalling at 7 centimetersKelsey: I was monitored for about an hour and they let me get in the tub. For two hours, I laid in the tub and that's my best memory of my birth with my first. I laid in the tub and listened to music. My husband and I were in the dark. It was very calm, soothing, and relaxing. When I got out, the doctor was like, “We need to check you.” He checked me and I was at a 1 but he could stretch me to a 3. He said, “If you want your epidural, you can have it now.”I didn't know any better so I said, “Yeah, okay. Give me the epidural.” Overnight, I was progressing 2 centimeters every 2 hours. We got to 3:00 in the morning. I told a nurse, “I feel a lot of pressure in my bum.” I said, “I feel like I have to push.” She checked me and she was like, “No, no. You're only at a 7.” 5:00 AM rolls around. My nurse comes in again and she checks me and she's like, “Oh, you're at a 9.” Another nurse comes in right after and she says, “She's not at a 9. She's at a 7.”The two of them were like, “We need to get a doctor in here to confirm.” It's 5:00 AM. The doctor didn't show up until close to 7:45. He's like, “I'm not going to check you because the changeover will happen in 15 minutes and the new doctor is going to check you. I don't want to introduce any more bacteria.” The new doctor came in at 8:30. She checked me and she goes, “No, you're still at a 7. You've been stuck at a 7 for a few hours. We really need to start talking about a C-section.” It was the first time she had seen me. I had been lying in a bed now for almost 12 hours. They gave me the peanut ball for 2 hours and then they took it away I think because my son's heart rate had started to go funny or they lost it or something like that but he was doing fine. They lost it because he moved or whatever. They took the peanut ball away and nothing showed that he was under any distress at all but she was like, “You've been stuck at 7 for a while so I want you to talk about it with your husband.” I was in tears because again, the whole time, all I said to my own provider was, “I don't want a C-section. I don't care what happens. I don't want a C-section.” So I'm in tears. She's like, “Talk about it with your husband.” She comes back an hour later and we were like, “We want to wait a little bit longer.” She goes, “Okay, what we're going to do is put you on the highest dose of Pitocin.” She was like, “We're going to start you on Pitocin and every 5 minutes, we're going to increase it until you're at the highest dose. Then we'll wait 2 hours, check you again, and if you haven't gone anywhere, you'll have to have a C-section.” I didn't know any better so I was like, “Okay.” They started me on the Pitocin but I'm having intense pain and pressure in my bum. I'm like, “I feel like I have to push. My body feels like it is pushing.” I knew that if you pushed too soon, your cervix would swell. That's one of the few things I did know. They put me on Pitocin and I was crying because I was panicking. My husband was having to push my bolus every 15 minutes when it came on because I could feel everything through the epidural. The nurse was not super kind about it. She was like, “You need to stop pushing. If I check you now and you're not an 8, then you're going to have a C-section.” She just was not overly compassionate or anything. Well, finally, she suggests, “Why don't we put you on your hands and knees?” She put me on my hands and knees and I felt immediate relief. Something changed in baby's position. I sat there and I was able to talk. I was comfortable and I was fine. I think we got to an hour and a half and then they checked me because what happened was they put me on my hands and knees and my feet lost circulation and turned purple and went numb. Yeah, so then they put me on my back again. They checked me and they were like, “Oh, you're at a 9.5.” I'm like, “Yes.” I progressed. 26:22 Asynclitic and OP positioningKelsey: Finally, we got to 10 centimeters and I was a typical you push on your back type of thing. The doctor said, “We cannot wait to let baby descend. Your water has been broken too long.” Then she checks me and she's like, “Oh yeah, and baby's OP.” I should have learned. Had I done my research, I would have known all that pressure was my OP baby. So she said, “Baby is OP. We're going to start pushing.” I was so frustrated by her because she would leave the room and then she'd come back and she'd sit there just with her hand inside of me and checking her watch and stuff. She was just waiting for the hours to pass. I'm doing everything I can. Once they told me that I could push, I was like, “Yes. Let's get this baby out.” I pushed for 3.5 hours and then they said, “We'll give you 30 more minutes and if you cannot get baby out in 30 minutes, we'll try forceps but we'll need an OB to come in because if forceps fail, you will have a C-section.” I decided to push for 30 more minutes and the nurse came in and said, “Let's flip you.” They flipped me again and I lost all of my progress. They had also told me that not only was baby OP but he was asynclitic so his head was tilted to the side. They said, “That's probably what's happening.” But when I flipped, I lost my progress. There was a new nurse who couldn't figure out how to get the monitor on me so I couldn't push in that time. They were like, “Well, we're going to stop pushing because whatever.” 30 minutes passed and I had lost all of my progress. They're like, “Okay, we're going to get the OB in.” She comes in and she says, “You could tear.” I said, “I would rather tear than have a C-section. I don't want to have a C-section.” Then I said, “What are the chances that this will work?” She said, “I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it would work.” As she tried to get the forceps on, I could feel my body pushing. I'm like, “Can I push? Can I push?” She's like, “No, don't push right now.” My body is doing it for me and she can't get the forceps on so she's like, “I can't do it.” As she was trying to put the forceps on, baby started getting tachycardic so they said, “Things are going to get really scary for a minute because this is an emergency C-section. A lot of people are coming in here and we have to turn on alarms in the hallway because we have to get you to the OR really quickly.” Meagan: Wait, so baby's heart rate is high not low, and just because baby's heart rate went a little high, they treated it as a true emergency. Kelsey: Yes. Meagan: Okay. 29:31 Kelsey's Cesarean under general anesthesiaKelsey: They start throwing clothes at my husband. There were people piling in. I'm in a hospital that is French-speaking. I can speak French but not medical terminology. Nobody is talking to me. They're all just talking around me and they're rushing me down the hallway. I'm bawling and I'm like, “I don't want this.” I have no idea where my husband is. They're trying to push my legs together but baby is so low that it hurts to do that. I'm telling them to stop and whatnot. We get into the OR and I was inconsolable because I was terrified. They gave me my spinal which didn't take. They gave me the pinch test and I was like, “I can feel it. I can feel it.” I'm crying, “Please just put me out. I don't want to be awake for this. I'm scared.” They're not talking to me and that's the last thing I remember is saying, “I can feel that,” and they put me out. I was under general anesthesia and I woke up 2 hours later in recovery by myself. It was COVID. It was in December 2021. My husband couldn't be there. I asked where he was and they said, “Oh, he's in your room with your baby. Everything is fine.” I was sobbing. The first thing she said to me was, “Everything went great. You are a great candidate for a VBAC.” That stuck with me. The whole way back to my room, I was staring at the ceiling. I couldn't look at anyone. I was just devastated by how everything had gone. I didn't think I could ever look at my husband or my baby ever again. I was just like, What happened?I hear my husband. He is like, “You need to see. Our baby is here. You should see him. He is so beautiful. He has the most beautiful eyes.” He came around to my bed and he passed me my son and nothing mattered. None of it mattered. He was 9 pounds, 8 ounces so I was right. He was born on December 4th which I had said at 5:11 PM. Meagan: Oh my gosh. Kelsey: Yeah. He had a full head of dark hair. He was born in a snowstorm. That was the other thing. I said, “He's going to be born in a snowstorm,” because my husband and I were both born during a snowstorm and he was born during a snowstorm. Yeah, he was perfect. He was huge and he was chunky and he looked exactly like me. Normally, they look like their dads is what I've heard but he looked exactly like me and was so beautiful. Throughout my pregnancy, I don't like being pregnant because I don't like sharing my body I've learned. Throughout my pregnancy, I said, “I don't want another. I don't think I want another.” When he was born and I held him, I was like, “I will do this again in a heartbeat.” 34:50 Second pregnancy and VBAC prepKelsey: Postpartum was good. I ended up starting therapy 5 days after my C-section. He latched and he did not have breastmilk for his first feed which makes me really sad. I was devastated from the C-section because I didn't get to see my baby be born. I didn't get to hear his first cry. I didn't get to touch him first and my husband wasn't there. He wasn't allowed to be in the room. Postpartum was fine. I was seriously anemic. I was incredibly swollen. I had no knees because I was on fluids for so long and getting around was awful, but I just focused on our baby. He was perfect. He was so easy and 6 weeks rolled around and I was like, “Let's have another.” But we waited. We decided around 9 months to start trying again and loosely trying because again, we were wondering how long it would take. Meagan: Right. Kelsey: We ended up trying got 6 months and I got pregnant in April of 2023. My due date was December 29th. Again, super, super easy pregnancy throughout. Immediately after my C-section, I decided to look into VBAC because that stuck in my head. I had been listening to a different birth story podcast. I searched for VBACs and there weren't many and then I searched VBAC in general on Spotify and came across you guys.I started listening to VBACs before getting pregnant and I started doing lots of research about it. I learned about the cascade of interventions and how my case was really typical. I started learning about OP babies and how the pain I was feeling correlated with that. I wanted to try for a birth in a birthing center. Now, when I got pregnant with my second baby, I was living in Gatineau but we had a bunch of stuff happen. My mother-in-law ended up splitting up with her husband. We said, Hey, let's buy a house in Ontario together and we'll move in. I found out I was pregnant about 2 weeks before we put in an offer on a house and we moved in in July when I was 15 weeks pregnant. At the time, my GP was my provider for my first and I started off with her with my second as well. The thing was when I found out I was pregnant, I went to her. Sorry, I should have said. After my C-section, I went to her and said, “I was told I was a good candidate for a VBAC.” She said, “Yes, but you cannot go over your due date. We're going to monitor your baby to see how big it is because you had a big baby before. You cannot be induced. You need to have 18 months between pregnancies.” Typical. Meagan: All of the red flags. Kelsey: Yeah. This was before I started listening to your podcast. Then I started listening to your podcast and when I went in to see her when I found out I was pregnant before I had gone into a birthing center, I said to her– and I'm not an outspoken person. I struggle to advocate for myself. I said, “I want to try for a VBAC, but I do not want you to put limitations on me.” I said, “I know that I can safely have a VBAC even if there is less than 18 months between my pregnancies. From birth to birth, it was 2 years and a bit so it didn't matter. I said, “I know that big babies are 10 pounds+. That is macrosomia. I know that.” I said, “I know that I can't be induced.” In Canada, they generally don't do Pitocin for VBACs at all. They don't generally induce for VBACs at all. I said, “I do know that there are safe ways to induce though and I do know that I can safely go past my due date.” She said, “I believe in informed consent and if you understand all of this, I think that you are well prepared and we can move forward with a VBAC.” I said, “Great.” I had applied for birthing centers prior to this but it is really hard to get into them here. I ended up being able to get into one in Gatineau. I was concerned about moving over cross-provinces again. It ended up working out. I did stick with my GP until I was about 20 weeks pregnant just in case. It didn't work out with the birthing center after my move. What happened was, she was super, super supportive, but she would say things like, “Do you want me to book you an appointment with an OB just in case?” or “Do you want me to book you a C-section at 40 weeks just in case?” I was like, “No, I don't want you to.” She said, “Okay,” but around 20 weeks, my midwife was like, “We can keep you on even though you live in Ontario. It's no problem.” I said to my GP, “My midwife will keep me on.” My GP said, “You sound like a really good candidate so go ahead. I really hope it works for you. I hope that it's everything that you want.”Meagan: That's good. Kelsey: She was very supportive of it so I felt really good about it. 41:07 Switching to midwivesKelsey: I switched to the midwives full-time. My pregnancy was super smooth again, but there were little hiccups. I didn't pass my one-hour gestational diabetes test. They said, “If you have gestational diabetes and it can't be managed, we will have to transfer care.” Around 37 weeks, I started measuring large and they said, “We think we want to send you for an ultrasound just to be sure of how big baby is.” I said, “I know that those ultrasounds aren't super accurate so I'm not sure that's what I want.”I ended up getting a doula through The VBAC Link. I found a doula. Meagan: Yay!Kelsey: Yeah, what was funny about the doula is she was pregnant too and her due date was a week after mine and we found out that we were giving birth at the same place. Meagan: Oh my gosh. Kelsey: So she was like, “I'll keep you on and I'll do your prenatal appointments, but I probably won't be at your birth. I have a partner who is a nutritionist.” She ended up being amazing. My son was in daycare. I got sick a lot and I couldn't take anything for it so she would help me find natural ways of dealing with a cough. I think I had pregnancy rhinitis for the last trimester. I was constantly congested. I had terrible acid reflux. She originally had prescribed chest openers, but my midwife ended up putting me on medication for it because of the trigger to cough. She was afraid that my cough could trigger my water breaking too early. I couldn't give birth at the birth center if baby came before 37 weeks. I had to make it past 37 weeks. Yeah, so pregnancy was smooth. I was extremely nauseous in the beginning. It was really hard with a less-than-two-year-old. I kept him home because I'm a teacher. I'm home over the summer. I kept him home over the summer and it was rough because he just is needy and my 9.5-pound baby continued to stay in the 99th percentile for height and weight. He wanted to be carried everywhere but he is so heavy and he is still so heavy. I was a lot more active during this pregnancy than I had been prior. I tried really hard to walk and whatnot and do lots of stretches. Around 30 weeks, baby was still breech and I started to panic a little bit. I started doing Spinning Babies exercises and lots of inversions and whatnot.When I first met with my doula, I talked with her about everything. I was able to just spit out facts that I had learned from you guys. She was like, “I've never met someone who is this prepared or who knows this much.” She was like, “I have all of this stuff to go over with you, but you already know it.” She ended up as well becoming certified in HypnoBirthing so I took a HypnoBirthing class. I was really concerned about doing an unmedicated VBAC because I didn't know if I could handle the pain of it. I had originally wanted to VBAC in the hospital, but I watched– what is that documentary with Ricki Lake? Meagan: Um, okay, hold on. Kelsey: The Business of Being Born. Meagan: Yes, that's all I could think of was Born. The Business of Being Born. Kelsey: My entire perspective on birth completely changed. My husband watched it with me and he was blown away by it. He was just like, “I want that. I want that for us. I want to be a huge part of this. I want to help you through it and be an active participant. Let's do this.” We did the prenatal classes with my doula. He learned all of the pain management techniques. He was so excited for counterpressure and he wanted to be active. He was fully supportive and he wanted to catch our baby. This time around, we didn't find out the sex of our baby. We wanted it to be a surprise. I was 100% sure it would be a girl. I didn't even pick out a boy name. Anyway, we get to December 21st. I get checked and she can't even reach my cervix. It was so posterior. I was super discouraged, in tears discouraged because I was afraid of going past my due date and they were afraid that this baby was going to be so big because I was measuring large. 46:14 Beginning of laborKelsey: Overnight, I started to have contractions. They were kind of regular, but they were manageable. December 22nd rolls around and I'm still having contractions on and off and I start feeling sick. I had pulled my son out of daycare to prevent getting sick. I started to get a cough and I was really congested. I wasn't feeling well at all. I was supposed to go to Costco with my mom that day. I texted her in the morning, “I'm having contractions. Not feeling great. Let's cancel,” but because my son was home, things started to slow down with the contractions. I said, “You know what? Never mind. I need something to do today.” My mom picks me up and my husband and her are joking that I'm going to go into labor at Costco. We walked the entirety of Costco as I was having contractions. My 18-year-old brother is in the back of the car. I'm breathing through them and he's like, “What is happening right now?”I get home. I started timing them and they were 6 minutes apart. My husband decides that he is going to take our son. He was kind of off work so he took over care of our 2-year-old. I ended up going and taking a bath and all of the contractions stopped. That night, they started again and then on the 24th of December, they were still pretty inconsistent but my doula was suggesting things like, “Oh, if you're comfortable, have sex, then take a shower. Sit on the toilet and do nipple stimulation for 15 minutes on each side and see if that gets things going.” We had sex and then it all stopped. We kept trying things and then my doula was like, “I just think that maybe your body needs to rest and relax so let's try resting and relaxing.” Well then, the 25th is Christmas Day and I decided to host Christmas. Meagan: Because that would be a really good distraction. Kelsey: Yeah, I was like, “It's going to be fine.” My mother-in-law was like, “I'll cook Christmas dinner.” Prior to that, I had all of these ideas. I'm going to make bread by myself. I'm going to make all of these desserts. I'm going to make puppy chow. I'm going to wrap all of my kid's Christmas gifts. I'm going to put together his Pikler Triangel we got for him and wrap that. Just all of these things that I wanted to do for Christmas. By the 24th, I was so exhausted from the contractions that I didn't bake anything. There was no way. But I did host Christmas dinner and everyone told me, “Why? Why are you doing that?” I was like, “Well, it will be easy,” because my husband and I are both from divorced families. We'll just have everyone over for Christmas, and then we won't have to worry about going to anyone else. We had my mom and my brothers came over and his step-mom came over and my step-dad came over. It just was not great. Meagan: Like Christmas Vacation where the door keeps opening and all of the family members keep showing up. Kelsey: I know. I was still having contractions. I couldn't stand up or sit down without having a contraction. I was just exhausted and uncomfortable and felt huge. People are like, “How are you doing?” I'm like, “I'm surviving. Right now, I'm just surviving.” So anyway, finally Christmas Day is over and Boxing Day, I wake up at 7:30. I had a weird contraction. I went to the washroom and I had my bloody show. I was like, “I'm just going to try to go back to bed,” because my son and my husband weren't up but my back started to hurt. I was like, “Okay, I'm actually just going to get my son up and go downstairs.” My husband got up with me. We go downstairs. We started getting my son ready. I'm like, “I'm going to get in the bath and see if my contractions stop because I'm really uncomfortable.” I called my midwife from the bathtub and I said, “They are 5 minutes apart and they haven't stopped, but I'm scared to come in because what if this isn't real?” She said, “If you're in the bathtub and they are still going, this is real labor. You need to get here now.” 51:07 Driving to the birth centerKelsey: We get all of our stuff in the car. It was a 50-minute drive to the birthing center. Meagan: 50? 5-0?Kelsey: 5-0. Meagan: Okay. Kelsey: The good part was that they were regularly 4 minutes so I could look at the clock and know that I was going to have a contraction and I could breathe through it. I was managing pretty well at that point, but before we had left, my mother-in-law decided to stop me at the door. She was like, “So where are you feeling them?” I'm like, “I just need to go. Please just let me go. I can't talk to you right now.” My husband is trying to get me out the door too because he knows. We get to the birthing center. It was nice because I could choose the color of my room. They had options for the color of your room so I chose purple. I get into my room. It's now 10:00. I could hear in the next room a woman screaming, literally screaming. I start panicking. I can hear her yelling, “Get out of me already!” Meagan: Aww. Kelsey: My vagina is on fire! I'm panicking. My midwife says, “I need to monitor you for a little bit, so can you get on the bed? I'm going to monitor your baby's heart rate and then I'm going to monitor your contractions.” She could get baby's heartbeat and she couldn't get my contractions on the monitor. At this point, I'm starting to panic because I can still hear the woman screaming. My husband's like, “I'm going to get you your headphones.” He gets me my headphones. Meagan: Very good call. Kelsey: He gets me my headphones and puts on my birth playlist. I'm laying there and things start getting really intense really fast. I was panicking that the same thing that had happened with my son was happening again. But I started getting irate and my midwife still couldn't get the contractions on the monitor. I remember flinging my headphones off and just being like, “I need to go to the bathroom. Let me up. I can't lay here anymore.”She's like, “Okay. If you need to go to the bathroom, go to the bathroom.” I'm sitting there on the toilet. I'm crying and I'm telling my husband that I can't do this. In the back of my head, I know what that means, but I couldn't ration with myself at that point. My midwife hadn't checked me yet at all so she goes, “I really want to check you because we haven't done that.” I had to get off the toilet. I didn't want to and as I was getting off the toilet, I was so hot. I'm flinging my clothes off. I get to the edge of my bed and I'm like, “It's not me. It's my body. I'm pushing.” I saw my stomach contort. It was just like my whole body was not me at all. It was so wild to me. My midwife gets me on the bed finally and she checks me and she goes, “You're at the 7th centimeter.” She said, “You're a second-time mom so if your body feels like it, it remembers. You can start pushing whenever you want.” It was such a different experience from being told in the hospital, “Do not push,” when I'm at 10 centimeters to my midwife being like, “If your body is pushing, it's fine.” 54:49 Pushing baby out in two pushesKelsey: So she put me over a ball and then she called in the assistant midwife because she was like, “This is happening very soon.” The assistant midwife comes in and that was funny because she goes, “My name is Gabrielle.” I had a friend who had gone to the birth center who had Gabrielle. I turned to her and said, “You know my friend, Kelly.” She was just like, “Yeah.” I'm like, “I heard you're really good.” She's like, “Okay, let's–.”So over the ball, my husband tried to do counterpressure on me and I was like, “Don't. Don't do it.” But he pressed my tailbone down and that made a huge difference and I just kind of let my body do its thing. They had to flip me a couple of times and I ended up being put on my back to push for the final little bit because they needed to keep monitoring baby's heart rate. It kept going down every time I had a contraction so they were a little concerned. At one point, they said, “Don't panic, but we are going to call an ambulance just in case just because we keep seeing this. We're going to call an ambulance just so that they are here.” Yeah, so I pushed on my back for a while and I remember at one point, she said, “The head's right there. If you reach down, you can touch it.” I was like, “I'm going to have my baby vaginally.” My husband was like, “Yeah, you are.” I was just so excited. In one push, his head came out and she goes, “Ope, he's OP.” He was sunny-side up. My husband was like, “He's looking at me.” Well, sorry. That's a spoiler. “They're looking at me. I can see the baby. Their eyes are open. Their mouth is going.” And then she said, “Okay, next time, one really big push,” and he came out on the second push. My husband caught him and put him right on my chest. I was like, “What is it? What is it?” It was another boy, so spoiler alert. We didn't have a name. I got to hold him on my chest for 2 hours. We did delayed cord clamping. My doula made it in the last 15 minutes and she said to me, “I think Victoria is in the next room having her baby.” Meagan: Nuh-uh. I wondered when you were saying that. I was like, I wondered if that was her doula. Oh my gosh. Kelsey: Literally, our babies were born 2 hours apart. Meagan: Oh, that's so cool. Kelsey: We were in the birthing center at the same time which was wild. I got to see her on my way out which was really nice. Meagan: That's so special. Kelsey: Neither of us knew what we were having and we both had little boys. They weighed him and my super big baby was 8 pounds, 3 ounces. Meagan: Perfect. Kelsey: Perfect. Yeah. People were like, “That's a good-sized baby.” I'm like, “My first was 9.5 pounds. He's tiny.” My husband got to tell me the sex of the baby which was another thing I really, really wanted. We did delayed cord clamping. We had the golden hour. We just got to sit there and compared to my prior experience, I just felt so cared for. I remember a midwife putting a cold cloth on my head and I thanked her. Her response was, “I know you are grateful. Save your strength.” She was just like, “You don't need to tell me thank you at this moment. Just don't talk at all. I know you are thankful.”Meagan: Enjoy. Kelsey: Yeah, I was given water in between pushing. My doula sat there and rubbed my eyebrows so I wasn't tense because I learned about the fear/tension/pain cycle. My husband got to be a huge part of it and he got to cut the cord. He didn't get to do that with our first. He got to hold our baby. He touched him before anyone. It was just– my husband and I talked about it for a while afterward and he was just like, “You know, why is this not the gold standard for birth? Why is this not what we do every time? This is the most incredible thing.” We recorded the entire thing. Meagan: Yay. If you decide you want to share, post it in the community. Kelsey: There is a 30-minute video out there because my son was actually, so my first birth was 38 hours total. My second birth, I had my first real contraction at 7:30 AM. My son was born at 12:38 PM. There were 5 hours. Meagan: Another five, by the way. Kelsey: I know, so weird. I was not psychic for this birth because I had a boy. I was so convinced I was going to have a girl but he was a little boy and he was baby no-name for four days. We ended up naming him Oliver. 1:00:24 Differences in careKelsey: Yeah, I just felt so cared about and looked after. There were differences like my husband had to go out and search for food after I gave birth after my first. He was so exhausted, he couldn't get out of the parking lot so my mother-in-law had to drive in to bring us food. I ended up scarfing down Popeye's but I had been intubated and my throat hurt so badly. I ate the world's driest biscuit and thought I was going to choke and die. But with my second birth, they had a postpartum doula who was there. She offered me lentil soup and a grilled cheese so that was my first meal. Meagan: So much better. Kelsey: Yeah, lovely lentil soup and grilled cheese. My son had been placed on my chest but I still had my bra so they washed it for me before I left. Just small things like that, I felt like I was cared for. Meagan: Yeah, absolutely. Kelsey: We ended up leaving at 5:00 PM. We were home in time to eat dinner at home. Meagan: Yeah. Yeah. Kelsey: That postpartum experience was incredible. We literally, I was able to get up and walk and I wasn't dizzy or anything. I barely felt like I had a baby. I did have a second-degree tear but for some reason was just completely unbothered by it. My midwife came to me postpartum which was really lovely. 1:02:11 EnterovirusKelsey: However, one thing I did want to touch on was I had a cold during labor and this is something I wanted to mention because it is not something I knew about. I had a cough and five days postpartum, on New Year's Eve, my doula came. Not my doula, my midwife. As they do, she temped my baby and he was measuring a little hot. She temped him a second time and he was normal. Around 4:00 AM on New Year's Day, I realized he was very warm. I temped him and he had a fever. I only know Celsius but it was 39.9 which is really high. I temped him a second time and he was 39.2. Anything over 38 is a fever. I ended up having to take him to the hospital and I didn't know what the protocol was if your baby gets a fever below two months. We were pretty much admitted on the spot. He had the full workup. He had bloodwork done. He had a lumbar puncture done. He didn't have a birth certificate and had to have a lumbar puncture done because the problem was that they were looking for infections. When they did his lumbar puncture, they did find something. He had a virus called an enterovirus. In adults, it's just a common cold, but if you get it while you are pregnant, you can pass it through your placenta to your baby just before you deliver and your baby can be born with the virus. It can just present as a fever, but it can also progress to viral meningitis. Meagan: Oh, scary. Kelsey: My son was kept in the hospital for two nights. Because of the fever, he stopped nursing. He was super sleepy and they make you stay for two nights even if they perk up and are nursing and everything seems fine. They will keep you for two nights because they are looking for things to grow on the lumbar puncture. If a fever indicates an infection and because the blood/brain barrier is so thin, infections can spread super quickly to the brain. Meagan: Scary. Kelsey: He ended up being okay. He didn't have viral meningitis and I had the most incredible angel nurse while I was there. I was so grateful for her. I forgot my Peri bottle at home and she made me one. She did everything she could to prevent my son from being put on an NG tube while still getting the fluids he needed. She managed to get him nursing enough that we didn't have to switch to an NG tube. We didn't have to switch to bottle feeding. He continued to nurse. She stuck up for me when a resident came in and was like, “Well, what's his urine output like?” I was like, “I don't know. I have no idea.” She was like, “All of that is in his chart if you just check it. She's obviously very tired. Leave her alone.” I had a lovely angel nurse but it is something I wanted to touch on because I had never heard of enterovirus. I did know what to do if your baby got a fever, but it definitely is that you take them right to the emergency room. Generally, they will admit you for two days. But yeah, otherwise, my postpartum experience was night and day compared with my C-section. I was up and moving and I did experience baby blues with my first. I cried for weeks. With my second, I was just so over the moon. But yeah, that's my VBAC. Meagan: I love it. Thank you so much for sharing that. I had actually never heard of enterovirus.Kelsey: Enterovirus.Meagan: Enterovirus. I was like, What the heck? That's actually with an E. I didn't know that. I just Googled that so it's really, really good to know that's a thing. It does look like it's pretty rare but it's something to take seriously. Sorry, my dog was barking in the background. He's got something to say too.I'm so happy for you and I'm so happy that you could see that it was a very similar situation with an OP baby and things like that and you were still able to deliver vaginally. Maybe it was a little bit of that asynclitic position that maybe made it a little harder to get under that pubic bone. It sounds like in ways they were willing to help you, but they also didn't help you too much either. Kelsey: No. Meagan: Yeah. I just love that you were able to prove to yourself too. Not that we have to prove anything to ourselves or anybody, but it is definitely nice when you are like, This is the same situation and look, I did it. Yes, my baby was a little smaller, but it probably wasn't the size more than it was just a slight bit of position and probably the cascade. I love that.1:08:02 Risk factors for forceps and vacuum deliveriesMeagan: Okay, so before I let you go, I wanted to touch a little bit more on those risk factors for forceps and vacuum because we talked about that in the beginning and tearing. Tearing is definitely a risk. You even said with your VBAC baby that you tore a little bit which is really common with a posterior baby coming out vaginally too just to let listeners know. Tearing can happen. It can happen with any baby. We can get rectal pain. Posterior babies, oh my gosh. Amazing to not only labor with one but push one out. It is hard work. You did an amazing job. Yeah. It may have a lower chance or a higher chance of coming out vaginally just in general. For baby, that bruising to the head or even nerve damage. It's really rare but it is a thing. Temporary swelling, skull fractures– again, it's rare but it is a thing so these are all things to take into consideration. For vacuum, we've got weakened pelvic floor, tears as well, possible even larger tears weirdly enough so that's a thing and then yeah, for baby, the suction can pop off and need to be replaced or cause hematomas there. Just all things to take into consideration. In the show notes, I know this wasn't a complete forceps delivery, but because it was something within your story, I wanted to touch on that today and make sure we included links. If you guys want to learn more, check out the show notes. Also, I just think it's so fun that you and your doula were at the birth center at the same time giving birth at the same time. There are so many fun things about this story. Amazing support it sounds like from your husband, from your family, and from all of the things. I just loved your story and appreciate you so much. Kelsey: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Meagan: Absolutely. It's been such an honor. ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Our Sponsors:* Check out Dr. Mom Butt Balm: drmombuttbalm.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
The big marathons including Boston and New York are ubiquitous on social media - but do they live up to the hype? We take a different format in our episode today and provide you with a nuanced hot take (as paradoxical as that sounds) on the most popular marathons. First, we answer a listener's question about taking Tylenol or Advil before a race. Then, we dive into a hot take: are the World Marathon Majors, including the Boston Marathon, overhyped on social media? Discussion points include: How Boston may have oversaturated running news over the past year Why Boston should keep spots for charity runners Should Boston change their entry process/qualifying standards? Is it too easy for women to qualify for Boston? Why are the World Marathon Majors (New York, Chicago, etc) so special? Why you should embrace your own running journey no matter which races you run References: PMID: 37075050
Synthesis, a process that may sound complex, is actually quite common in our daily lives. From the production of everyday items like Advil, organic milk, citric acid, to the creation of vitamins A and D, and multivitamins, synthesis is a key player.Why does this realization often provoke a negative reaction? Perhaps it's because there's a desire for clean, safe, and consistent natural products, especially when they originate from plants.Surprisingly, synthesis enhances our ability to deliver such products.This week, we're joined by Shane Johnson to delve into the following topics: How minors are manufactured, synthetic vs. biosynthetic Upcoming Minors to keep an eye on Novel APIs & AnalogsAbout Dr. Shane JohnsonDr. Shane Johnson's career has focused principally on offering strategic business advisory services to companies in the biotechnology and healthcare sectors. His work has included guiding regulatory strategy, product portfolio assessment and valuations, and product development and launch strategies for companies including Biogen Idec, Amgen, and Genentech. Shane was a Principal at Hamilton BioVentures (a Life Science venture capital firm), an Engagement Manager at L.E.K. Consulting (an international strategy consulting firm), and held operational roles in several early stage companies. For the past 4 years, Shane's work has been focused on the cannabis and cannabinoid science space, and he has developed a strong working knowledge of clinical opportunities in the sector. He is currently on the Board of Directors of several cannabis-related companies, and is a co-founder of one of Nevada's leading cultivators and producers of premium cannabis products including a patented lozenge. Shane holds a B.A. in Studio Art and a B.S. in Neuroscience (with honors) from Brown University, an M.D. from the Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a Fulbright Scholar.Guest Links https://www.baymedica.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanejohnson3/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-XRZ0FMzcWgFL_mqdAOPRwhttps://twitter.com/BayMedicaFollow us: Our Links.At Eighth Revolution (8th Rev), we provide services from capital to cannabinoid and everything in between in the cannabinoid industry.8th Revolution Cannabinoid Playbook is an Industry-leading report covering the entire cannabis supply chain The Dime is a top 5% most shared global podcastThe Dime is a top 50 Cannabis PodcastSign up for our playbook here:
Leading fertility expert Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, also known as The Egg Whisperer, discusses common fertility myths, challenges, and how to best care for your reproductive health. The REAL reason why infertility is increasing Busting the biggest myths around fertility Who SHOULDN'T freeze their eggs The specific at home male and female fertility tests Dr. Aimee recommends The fertility testing protocol everybody should be asking their doctor for The pros and cons of having kids at different ages How conditions like PCOS and endometriosis can impact fertility and exactly what you can do about it The impact of hormonal birth control on fertility The most common reason for infertility in men The potential risks to conceiving through IVF What you can do if you're in a location where access to IVF is being threatened by local laws How you can best support a friend or family member who is dealing with infertility How things like breast implants, hair dye, non-organic food, vegan diets, chemicals in beauty products and cleaners, cell phones in pockets, antidepressants, Advil, antihistamines, hot tubs, period underwear, and retinol impact fertility And so much more At-home fertility tests Dr. Aimee recommends: Prove, Fellow, Path Fertility, Legacy, Evvy, Juno.Bio, and Novel Infertility For more from Dr. Aimee, you can follow her on Instagram @eggwhisperer or her website, www.eggwhisperer.com. You can listen to The Egg Whisperer Show on your podcast platform of choice or on YouTube. To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order my new book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! This episode is sponsored by: AG1: visit drinkag1.com/lizmoody and get your FREE year supply of Vitamin D and 5 free travel packs today. Shopify: sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/lizm. Puori: go to puori.com/LIZMOODY and use promo code LIZMOODY for 20% sitewide. Previous episodes referred to in this episode: Why We Have No Work/Life Balance + How To Fix It Tools For Tackling Money Fears & Building Your Best Financial Future With Farnoosh Torabi The Health Effects of Alcohol: Hormones & Brain Health with Dr. Aviva Romm & Louisa Nicola The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy. Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
We can't wait for Inside Out 2 and party Advil!
Hidden sources of stress — and how to beat them. Also: the myth of normal, the necessity of being disillusioned, and the disutility of comparing your suffering.Description: There's so much to be grateful for in modern medicine. We can all agree that we would not do as well in a world with no Advil or dentistry. And yet, our guest today, who is a renowned doctor, says modern medicine is overlooking something crucial: the pernicious impact that modern living has on our minds and bodies. In other words, we are surrounded by these hidden societal and structural sources of stress and we aren't thinking about how to treat and prevent these factors that are degrading our happiness and our immune systems. Dr. Gabor Maté is a bestselling author with an expertise on everything from stress to addiction to ADHD. His latest book is called, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic CultureContent Warning: This episode has mentions of child abuse, sexual trauma, suicide and addictionIn this episode we talk about:What he means by “the myth of normal”How diseases, such as autoimmune conditions, are an “artifact of civilization”How to begin to tackle what Dr. Maté calls, “the social sources of illness” His definition of trauma and the difference between “big T traumatic events” and the trauma of “wounding”How trauma in society is so normalized that we don't even recognize itWhether the term trauma is overusedWhy comparing suffering is a fruitless endeavor What he means by “the necessity to be disillusioned” The power and possibility of psychedelics Why he thinks we should incorporate shamanic medicine into our western medical frameworkAnd what he means by “undoing self-limiting beliefs” and how these beliefs show up in our everyday livesFull Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/gabor-mate-archiveWhere to find Gabor Maté online: Website: drgabormate.comSocial Media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTubeBooks Mentioned:The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic CultureWhen the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease ConnectionScattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit DisorderIn the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than PeersOther Resources Mentioned:The Wisdom of Trauma Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated with Increased Risk of Ovarian Cancer: A Prospective and Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort StudyDecrease in depression symptoms is associated with longer survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer: a secondary analysisMarital Status, Marital Strain, and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease or Total Mortality: The Framingham Offspring StudyGeorge EngelHow spanking may affect brain development in childrenThe Trauma of Everyday Life by Dr. Mark EpsteinIntraConnected: MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of Self, Identity, and Belonging by Dr. Dan SiegelA. H. AlmaasSign up for Dan's weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier online bookstoreSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular EpisodesAdditional Resources:Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/installSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Willie Nelson releases a new song defending the Border Patrol, the liberal Washington Post thinks Kamala Harris should step down for the good of the country, and Advil's new campaign argues that pain is racist. Click here to join the member exclusive portion of my show: https://utm.io/ueSEl Ep.1448 - - - DailyWire+: Get 10% off your Mayflower Cigars here: https://bit.ly/3Qwwxx2(Must be 21+ to purchase. Exclusions may apply) Leftist Tears Tumbler is BACK! Subscribe to get your FREE one today: https://bit.ly/4capKTB Get your Yes or No game here: https://bit.ly/3X6tlKY - - - Today's Sponsors: ExpressVPN - Get 3 Months FREE of ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/knowles PreBorn! - Help save babies from abortion: https://preborn.com/Knowles - - - Socials: Follow on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3RwKpq6 Follow on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3BqZLXA Follow on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3eEmwyg Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3L273Ek
- Fani has to fire her boyfriend. - Haitian illegal immigrant commits rape, and it looks like there's more trouble coming. - Joe Biden still isn't allowed to take questions. - Advil launches campaign to achieve equity through pain. Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Listen Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media: • Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB • Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter • Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG • YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV • Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX • Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax • TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX • GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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