Podcasts about HCG

Join us for a deep dive into the IVF patient journey with special guest Kelly Gonda, a passionate pharmacist and Fertility Nurse Practitioner. In this episode, we explore how pharmacists can improve safety, outcomes, and access to fertility treatment by understanding the science of in vitro fertilization and the medications involved.

In this month's Fertility & Sterility: Unplugged, we take a look at articles from F&S's sister journals! Topics this month include: efficacy of hCG in restoring spermatogenesis in men using non-prescribed androgens (1:31), assessing prediction models for the risk of OHSS in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (13:51), utilization of a 3D in vitro co-culture system to characterize embryonic mechanisms associated with implantation (25:09), and a look at TikTok's growing influence on supplement advice for patients with PCOS (33:38). F&S Reports: https://www.fertstertreports.org/article/S2666-3341(25)00050-9/fulltext F&S Reviews: https://www.fertstertreviews.org/article/S2666-5719(24)00043-4/abstract F&S Science: https://www.fertstertscience.org/article/S2666-335X(25)00022-9/abstract  Consider this: https://www.fertstert.org/news-do/tiktok-replacing-doctors-rise-pcos-supplement-advice-online View the sister journals at: https://www.fertstertreviews.org https://www.fertstertreports.org https://www.fertstertscience.org  

High Deca Low Test Cycle for Strength and Size - Steroids Podcast Episode 75#bodybuilding #TRT #Muscle #Contestprep #bodybuildingpodcastMy Book:ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ROIDS #1 BOOK ON TRUTH IN THE HISTORY OF BODYBUILDING Link -⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bodybuilderinthailand.com/ultimate-guide-to-roids/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daily Text Msg Training 99/month and 1 Hour Phone Call Consult 59 Send Email to inquire about personal training to steroidspodcast@gmail.comBodybuilder in Thailand on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bodybuilderinthailand/⁠⁠⁠⁠My Other Podcast: Grab the Bull Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/X6SzfCrN4NY?si=Ho2T9WIVxLjXo_AE⁠Time Stamps:0:00 Simple Low dose cycle for maintaining a social media influencer friendly, Instagrammer look5:20 Trenbolone on the Brain in the Gym6:48 High Deca Low Test 10:00 What makes muscle grow12:14 Tren Side Effects 150mg EOD Making Muscle Gains and Leaning Out - What Being on TREN FEELS LIKE - Cosmetic Effects of TREN - TREN COUGH17:50 Using Dianabol Effectively20:12 Basic Guide to Managing e2 estradiol on cycle22:10 First Cycle 500mg test 50mg Anavar with HCG for PCT - Reconstituting Peptides24:57 Unusual Side Effects, Possible Steroid Flu29:00 Blood Pressure Monitoring tips for Bodybuilders30:25 Titrating Up in Dosages with Test E and Equipoise32:12 Long Term Cruise + for Guy at 50 years old - Effects of AGE and Steroids37:12 Quad Injections39:50 Test Prop 400 Tren Ace 400 with Retatrutide Cutting Cycle42:14 Troubleshooting when Bodyweight is Resisting Going down during a Cut43:50 Stacking Alot of Steroids Together versus only running 1 or 2 at a timeThis Podcast is for entertainment and conversational purposes only. Serious Injury and Death can occur from utilizing chemical performance enhancement. This author does not support the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs. If any substances mentioned in this video are illegal in your country do not use them. The purpose of this podcast is not to glorify the use of PED's but to bring to light the reality of what athletes are doing privately. Consult a doctor before beginning any exercise or supplement routine. Do not take anything mentioned in this video as advice. It is simply conversation, not advice.

Are testosterone injections destroying your hair—or your sex drive? In this no-nonsense episode of Hart2Heart, Dr. Mike Hart welcomes back men's health coach Ali Gilbert for a deep dive into testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), estrogen panic, and what's really driving results in men's health. They explore the truth about DHT and Finasteride, the emotional and physical effects of HCG, the difference between injections vs. creams, and the most common mistakes men make when trying to optimize hormones. Plus: how your cardio might be more anabolic than you think. Ali also shares her personal journey through breast implant illness and recovery, offering a cautionary tale about intuition, inflammation, and medical gaslighting. Whether you're navigating hormone therapy or just trying to feel better and think clearer, this episode is packed with gold. Ali Gilbert is a men's health expert and founder of Silverback Coaching, specializing in concierge fitness and hormone optimization for men. With over two decades of experience, Ali has become known as the "Queen of Men's Health" for her integrative approach to training, TRT education, and lifestyle management. She's a speaker, educator, and creator of the Silverback Summit—a conference devoted entirely to cutting-edge men's health practices. Follow Ali Gilbert: Instagram: @thealigilbert Website: Silverback Coaching Silverback Summit: Event Site Show Notes: 00:00 Welcome back + introducing Ali Gilbert 01:00 Breast Implant Illness: Ali's personal story 07:00 Symptoms and recovery from removal 10:00 The thyroid link and post-op results 12:00 Educating partners on TRT 14:45 Estrogen, aggression, and calming effects 16:30 The DHT misunderstanding 20:00 Injectable vs cream testosterone 22:00 Frequency, compliance, and optimal protocols 26:00 The truth about HCG and testicle size 30:00 Estrogen panic and Arimidex overuse 35:00 Why high estrogen symptoms are misunderstood 38:00 Aromatase in fat tissue + insulin resistance 41:00 Androgen receptor sensitivity and testing 44:00 The hype and limits of injectable l-carnitine 47:00 Zone 2 cardio and why it's anabolic 51:00 How to train for longevity, not ego 55:00 Weak handshakes, posture, and presence 58:00 Flat benching: the shoulder destroyer? 59:00 Final thoughts and Silverback Summit info   Follow Dr. Mike Hart: Instagram: @drmikehart Twitter: @drmikehart Facebook: Mike Hart   Thank you for listening!  

Ep. 188: In this episode, Greg and I are finally sharing the full story behind my pregnancy—from our IVF journey and emotional HCG scare to what it felt like watching the embryo transfer in real time. We talk about stepping back from social media, what I learned from two months offline, and how that reset helped my mental health. We also answer your questions about body image, relationship shifts, and how we're preparing for birth, parenting, and life as a growing family. This one's deeply personal, wildly honest, and full of moments we'll never forget. Come listen in—I'm so excited to share this with you. Leave Me a Message - click here! For Mari's Instagram click here! For Pursuit of Wellness Podcast's Instagram click here! For Mari's Newsletter click here! For Greg's Instagram click here! Sponsored By: Get $100 toward Function Health — the most advanced at-home lab testing. First 1000 only: functionhealth.com/pow Get 20% off Foria's all-natural Relief Melts & Salve at foriawellness.com/POW or with code POW at checkout. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/POW and get on your way to being your best self. Sleep deeper & wake refreshed with Dream Recovery. Get an exclusive discount at dreamrecovery.io using code PURSUIT15 at checkout. Get $30 off your first Wildgrain box—plus free croissants in every box—at wildgrain.com/POW or use code POW. Skip the grocery store markup—shop Thrive Market for 30% off your first order plus a free $60 gift at thrivemarket.com/POW. Buy 4 cartons of David Protein Bars, get the 5th free—exclusively at davidprotein.com/POW. High protein, no sugar, no junk. Show Links: For a human-safe approach to home cleaning, support friend-of-the-show Branch Basics. Support digestion, fight bloat, and boost energy with Bloom Greens & Superfoods—38 ingredients packed into one delicious daily scoop. Topics discussed: 00:00:14: Mari back in the studio 00:00:55: Two month hiatus for social media 00:05:35: Embryo ranking 00:06:48: Embryo transfer 00:07:42: Finding out they're expecting 00:12:18: Can the animals sense the pregnancy? 00:13:17: The pregnancy doesn't feel real 00:14:50: How has your relationship evolved throughout the pregnancy? 00:23:07: Any reason for having to go through IVF? 00:24:00: Body image and pregnancy 00:26:54: Do you recommend IVF? 00:27:43: Baby's nursery 00:29:34: Where's Lulu? 00:30:02: Pregnancy cravings 00:32:41: Will you do IVF for future babies? 00:33:16: Biggest lesson learned giving up social media 00:36:42: Sharing your baby online 00:42:07: How thinking has shifted since expecting 00:43:37: Eating liver 00:44:09: How Mari's workouts have changed 00:45:19: How many kids do you want? 00:45:43: How did we find out the gender 00:47:02: Birthing plan 00:48:23: Still a firm believer in pomegranate juice and seeds? 00:48:41: Home birth? 00:49:08: Transfer success advice 00:51:06: Progesterone shots 00:52:03: Due date 00:52:05: Bloom prenatal?

Bryan Moskow: MS Organic & Biochemistry UCF/GT, PhD Student at Georgia Tech, Offseason/Prep Protocols & Hormone OptimizationThe Bodybuilding-friendly HRT Clinic - Get professional medical guidance on peptides AND optimizing your health as a man or bodybuilder:[ Pharma Test, IGF1, Tesamorelin, Glutathione, BPC, Semaglutide, Var troche, etc]https://transcendcompany.com/patient-intake-form/?ls=Nyle+NaygaWatch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ihq4tIzyS8&t=5618sRP Hypertrophy Training App: rpstrength.com/nylePlease share this episode if you liked it. To support the podcast, the best cost-free way is to subscribe and please rate the podcast 5* wherever you find your podcasts. Thanks for watching.To be part of any Q&A, follow trensparentpodcast or nylenayga on instagram and watch for Q&A prompts on the story  https://www.instagram.com/trensparentpodcast/Huge Supplements (Protein, Pre, Defend Cycle Support, Utilize GDA, Vital, Astragalus, Citrus Bergamot): https://www.hugesupplements.com/discount/NYLESupport code 'NYLE' 10% off - proceeds go towards upgrading content productionYoungLA Clothes: https://www.youngla.com/discount/nyleCode ‘NYLE' to support the podcastLet's chat about the Podcast:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trensparentpodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transparentpodcastPersonalized Bodybuilding Program:  https://www.nylenaygafitness.com00:00 - Intro01:47 - Steroids and PEDs in Bodybuilding  02:59 - Podcast Setup and Audio Talk  03:41 - Science Without an Agenda  04:22 - GLP-1 and GLP-300008:19 - Insulin, Diets, and Brain Health  10:26 - Berberine and Supplement Bioavailability  13:04 - Beta-Alanine and Sodium Bicarbonate  14:59 - Citing Studies and Research Quality  17:32 - Natural Alternatives to Pharmaceuticals  19:34 - Esters and Compound Solubility  21:29 - Brian's Bodybuilding Journey  24:56 - Steroid Protocols and Half-Lives  30:34 - PCT and Fertility Strategies  38:44 - HCG and Male Contraception  41:53 - SARMs and Their Risks  46:08 - GHB as a Supplement  47:40 - GHB Risks and College Stories  50:32 - Prescription GHB and GABA Dangers  51:48 - Long-Term Effects of Sleep Meds 

Ep. 187: I've been holding onto this news for what feels like forever, and I'm finally ready to share—I'm pregnant. In this solo episode, I'm walking you through how I found out, the emotional whirlwind that followed, and what it's been like living with a 1% chance of success. From the embryo transfer to the first ultrasounds, I'm taking you behind the scenes of the journey so far, including what I've been doing to stay grounded through it all. If you're going through something uncertain or hoping for your own miracle, I hope this conversation makes you feel a little less alone. Leave Me a Message - click here! For Mari's Instagram click here! For Pursuit of Wellness Podcast's Instagram click here! For Mari's Newsletter click here! For Pursuit Network's Instagram click here! Sponsored By: Shop non-toxic cookware at carawayhome.com/MARI or use code MARI for 10% off. Enjoy free shipping, easy returns, and a 30-day trial. Save 15% at boncharge.com with code PURSUIT and experience science-backed beauty with the Red Light Face Mask. Get better sleep, skin & hair with Blissy. Use code POWPOD for 30% off at blissy.com/POWPOD. Start your summer side hustle with Shopify. Build your brand today at shopify.com/mari—your business, your way. Sleep better with Eight Sleep's Pod 4 Ultra. Get $350 off with code POW at eightsleep.com/pow. Get $100 toward Function Health — the most advanced at-home lab testing. First 1000 only: functionhealth.com/pow Show Links: Learn more about the Pursuit Network and how to join here Build strength, balance & self-love with The EMPWR Podcast Explore peak performance & brain health on The Neuro Experience Find joy, healing & real talk on For the Healthy Hoes Support gut health, immunity, and glowing skin with Bloom Colostrum—a 3-in-1 blend of colostrum, collagen, and probiotics. Topics Discussed 00:00:09: Welcome  00:04:51: Starting a podcast network 00:06:12: Embryo transfer 00:09:44: Two week waiting period 00:16:11: Finding out I'm pregnant 00:19:38: Low hCG 00:22:21: 1% chance of viable pregnancy 00:24:06: hCG rising 00:29:48: First ultrasound 00:32:21: Graduating from IVF clinic 00:39:09: Pregnancy symptoms 00:42:32: Exercise and nutrition

Olympian, 6x IFBB Pro Champion, & best of all Chris Bumstead's brother in lawThe Bodybuilding-friendly HRT Clinic - Get professional medical guidance on peptides AND optimizing your health as a man or bodybuilder:[ Pharma Test, IGF1, Tesamorelin, Glutathione, BPC, Semaglutide, Var troche, etc]https://transcendcompany.com/patient-intake-form/?ls=Nyle+NaygaWatch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ihq4tIzyS8&t=5618sRP Hypertrophy Training App: rpstrength.com/nylePlease share this episode if you liked it. To support the podcast, the best cost-free way is to subscribe and please rate the podcast 5* wherever you find your podcasts. Thanks for watching.To be part of any Q&A, follow trensparentpodcast or nylenayga on instagram and watch for Q&A prompts on the story  https://www.instagram.com/trensparentpodcast/Huge Supplements (Protein, Pre, Defend Cycle Support, Utilize GDA, Vital, Astragalus, Citrus Bergamot): https://www.hugesupplements.com/discount/NYLESupport code 'NYLE' 10% off - proceeds go towards upgrading content productionYoungLA Clothes: https://www.youngla.com/discount/nyleCode ‘NYLE' to support the podcastLet's chat about the Podcast:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trensparentpodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transparentpodcastPersonalized Bodybuilding Program:  https://www.nylenaygafitness.comTimestamps:00:00 - Intro  03:02 - Switching to Patrick & European Secrets  11:03 - Back-to-Back Competing  20:18 - Minimal Water Manipulation & Sweating on Stage  22:35 - Nick and Derick  39:57 - Iain on Rebounds  49:51 - Iain Almost Quitting Bodybuilding and Meeting Melissa  1:05:04 - TREN  1:12:51 - Iain's Relationship with Compounds Throughout His Career  1:16:49 - Different Training Methods & Iain's Opinion  1:34:58 - GLP-1s  1:48:51 - How People Look vs. Their Personalities  2:00:27 - Coaching Chris Bumstead  2:14:53 - Iain's Best Body Part  2:26:46 - Breakup Advice for Bodybuilders  2:27:56 - Bodybuilders' Fertility  2:31:57 - HCG for Fertility  2:34:21 - Growth Hormone  2:39:45 - Iain's Best Offseason  2:44:31 - Offseason Gear Discussion  2:52:13 - Most Bodybuilders Having Girls & Iain's Preference&

Shannon tried Fen-Phen, the Ideal Protein Diet, Noom (twice), and even did the HCG Diet w/ the HCG shots. Did she lose weight? Yes. Did she regain it? Oh yes.At one point, Shannon lost 110 pounds, was scared to even sniff a cookie, and realized she really wasn't enjoying her life at all. She said she was always trying to cram her life into some diet, all while battling anxiety, perfectionism, and people pleasing. And then she finally realized all that just wasn't working and something had to change. In this episode, Shannon shares her story and where she is now. I guarantee you'll identify with what she shares and walk away encouraged and inspired!ANTI-DIET CLASS: https://AntiDietClass.comFREE MENOPAUSE DOWNLOAD: http://coreylittlecoaching.com/menopauseTRANSFORMATION TRINITY CLASS: https://EverybodyHatesDiets.com

Karen is 65 years old and has tried justabout every diet you can think of – The Scarsdale Diet, Atkins and keto diets, Weight Watchers, Noom, the Cabbage Soup, Healthy Inspirations, grapefruit diet, Whole30, Slim-Fast, South Beach, Green Smoothie Diet, Nutrisystem, hCG – if you've heard of it, Karen probably tried it!   Some of these diets brought Karen temporarysuccess, and others caused her to gain weight or slow her metabolism.  None of them were sustainable, and the weightalways crept back. One day in the summer of 2020, Karen was perusing Facebook and saw a photo of her sister-in-law, Dedra Campbell.  Karen thought Dedra had posted a “Throwback Thursday” photo, as her sister-in-law looked young, slim, and glowing.  Karen was shocked to learn the photo was recent, so she immediately called her sister-in-law to find out what she did to lose weight and seemingly age backwards.  Dedra told her the secret was IntermittentFasting brought up negative thoughts and feelings in Karen.  In Karen's mind, fasting = deprivation and hunger.  However, with her sister-in-law's encouragement, she listened to the basics of the program and bought the book she recommended, “Fast.Feast.Repeat.” by Gin Stephens.  Karen read the book and said she would try it for one day to see how it went.  On August 13, 2020, Karen did a clean 18/6 fast, found it to be effortless, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Karen was invited to Graeme's group, The Fasting Highway, by Dedra after another IF guru closed her Facebook group and moved to another platform.  Karen had been fasting for not quite a year when she joined The Fasting Highway.  Karen had only lost 10 pounds by this time, but was encouraged and inspired by Graeme, his book, and fellow group members to stay the course and trust the process. Karen realised that her weight loss journey was her own, and she could not compare herself to others. Karen is 5'5” and her highest weight ever was 208 pounds.  She could not bend over to tie her shoes at that weight and was always out of breath.  She also suffered from sleep apnea.  Karen's IF starting weight was 175.4 pounds, and she set her goal weight at 160 pounds (because she didn't think that at herage, being post-menopausal, having T2D, and being insulin resistant, she could get below that weight).  However,on July 3, 2023, Karen weighed 149 pounds, a weight she hadn't seen in almost 20 years.  Best thing – there wasno struggle to get there!  Yes, it did take almost 3 years to lose the weight, but the point is – she lost it withintermittent fasting when nothing else worked! It's now been almost 5 years since Karen started intermittent fasting, and her current weight is 142 pounds.  She sometimes gets as low as 138 pounds, bouncing between that number and 142 pounds.  Karen went from a size 12 (US) to wearing sizes 4 and 6.  Intermittent fasting gave Karen theconfidence that she would never have to lose weight again – and for the first time in years, she doesn't have 5 different clothing sizes in her closet.  She donated all her “big” clothes to charity, knowing she'd never need them again.  Another personal win is that Karen decidedto embrace her greys and, as a result, cut all the hair colour out.  She would never have had theconfidence to do this at her higher weights!To join the Patreon Community. Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway or visit the website www.thefastinghighway.com for more information.To book a one-on-one support session with GraemePlease go to the website, click " get help" and " get coaching " to book a time .DisclaimerThe views expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guest only and should not be taken as medical advice.

Hello Bravo Bosses and Happy Monday! You can watch this episode on ⁠YouTube! Today on our Monday Reality Roundup I am joined by the HILARIOUS Chanel Omari to get into a TON of reality tv stories from all our fave shows including: Summer House Lexi Wood has been doing her media rounds including Chanel in the City and The Viall Files. Chanel and I talk Jesse's manipulation, isolating Lexi from the other girls, Lexi's boundaries and strength, and what we hope to see for the future of Summer House! RHONY So first we heard RHONY was on pause. Then we heard it wasn't. Then we heard filming and casting is happening soon! Chanel, as a Bravo insider and bestie of Jessel Tank, gives us all the tea! 4 New Bravo Shows The Real Housewives of Rhode Island - Chanel gives her take on this small but rich town! The Valley Persian Style - Do we want to see Reza, GG and MJ on our screens again? Ladies of London - Chanel says this show is the shit so I'm sat for this one! Wife Swap Real Housewives - We are tentatively hopeful lol. The Bachelor The woman who falsely claimed Clayton Echard impregnated her with twins is being indicted and good! What a trash human! Plus we have BREAKING NEWS about the HcG injectables the police found in her home! VPR/The Valley Lala and Kristen Doute make up and Chanel and I discuss how proud we are of Lala for having some accountability! Lisa Vanderpump has been telling the media that maybe those who have benefited from her shouldn't bite the hand that fed them but Chanel and I talk about how proud we are of the people who are standing up against her! Follow Chanel on Instagram and check out Chanel in the City Podcast! Love you BBs! Please leave me a 5 star written review on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ and you will get FREE stickers from ⁠⁠@colorusbravo⁠⁠! Make sure to include your Instagram handle in the review so I can find you to give you the stickers! Thank you BBs!  You can purchase my new RE-BRANDED The Bravo Investigator Merch ⁠⁠here⁠⁠!  Subscribe to Hurrdat Entertainment's ⁠⁠YouTube Channel⁠⁠ for full length video episodes!  Follow me on Instagram: ⁠⁠@thebravoinvestigator⁠⁠  Follow me on Tik Tok: ⁠⁠@thebravoinvestigator⁠⁠  Email me your questions or suggestions: ⁠⁠Brunchandbravo@gmail.com⁠⁠  This is another Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network by going to HurrdatMedia.com or the Hurrdat Media YouTube channel!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#210 Melissa and Jam dive into the science of home pregnancy tests. They explore the process in which these tests detect the presence of the hormone HCG, which signals a positive pregnancy result. The episode explains the roles of capillary action, antibodies, and enzymes in the test's operation and discusses the specificity needed to avoid false positives and negatives. The hosts also share personal anecdotes related to pregnancy tests and offer gratitude to their supportive community. This episode offers a fascinating look at how everyday chemistry impacts our lives in important ways. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel ★ Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife 00:00 Introduction and Personal Experiences with Pregnancy Tests 00:17 Curiosity and Chemistry in Everyday Life 04:18 Acknowledging the Community and Supporters 05:09 The Science Behind Pregnancy Tests 06:33 How Pregnancy Tests Detect Hormones 13:19 Ensuring Accuracy in Pregnancy Tests 22:56 Introduction to the Blue and Yellow Balls Analogy 24:12 Understanding the Antibody Mechanism 26:45 Biotin and Its Impact on Test Results 29:33 Personal Stories and Fun Facts 32:06 The Benefits of the Pee Style Device 37:29 Conclusion and Listener Engagement References from this episode: https://www.acs.org/pressroom/reactions/library/how-do-pregnancy-tests-work.html https://www.compoundchem.com/2018/11/09/pregnancy-tests/ https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/technical-documents/technical-article/clinical-testing-and-diagnostics-manufacturing/ivd-manufacturing/intro-horseradish-peroxidase-hrp-applications?srsltid=AfmBOorCr6_j7sKr8ZBm3jQa4Rz-PdxyabPLY4OO-KtQJZESFXpdRe19#lateral-flow-assays https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555922/ https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/protein-biology/protein-biology-learning-center/protein-biology-resource-library/pierce-protein-methods/overview-elisa.html#:~:text=The%20most%20commonly%20used%20enzyme,an%20HRP%20or%20AP%20conjugate. Thanks to our monthly supporters Vince W Julie S. Heather R Autoclave Chelsea M Dorien VD Scott B Jessie R Ciara L J0HNTR0Y Jeannette N Cullyn R Erica B Elizabeth P Sarah M Rachel R Letila Katrina B Suzanne P Venus R Lyn S Jacob T Brian K Emerson W Kristina G Timothy P Steven B Chris and Claire S Chelsea B Avishai B Hunter R ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel ★ Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Watch our episodes on YouTube Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

In this episode, I recap the wild premiere of TLC's "PolyFamily," a closed poly quad where two couples navigate their unconventional relationships while raising kids together. I share my astonishment at the bizarre dynamics, including bedroom swapping and unexpected romantic connections between the women, and I can't help but wonder if this setup will lead to drama or harmony. I also provide an update on Meri Brown from "Sister Wives," who seems ready to move on from the show while confirming they are filming for Season 20. Additionally, I share some positive news about my own fertility journey, including my HCG levels and plans for an egg donor baby transfer this summer, reflecting on the challenges of trying to conceive at 43. Join me as I explore the chaos of reality TV and my personal life! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction to the Podcast and Sister Wives Update00:05:10 - Recap of the new TLC PolyFamily Show00:10:21 - Parenting Challenges in the Quad00:11:02 - Exploring Sexual Boundaries and Relationships00:22:20 - Meri Brown's TikTok Live Insights00:34:02 - Conclusion and Upcoming Shows Get Tickets To Our Virtual Live Podcast show May 1st at 7pm EDT. Here's the link for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/david-yontef-sarah-fraser-virtual-live-show-ask-us-anything-51-7pm-tickets-1276780297239?aff=erelexpmlt  MY Go Big Podcasting Courses Are Here! Purchase Go Big Podcasting and learn to start, monetize, and grow your own podcast. USE CODE: TIKTOK20 for 20% OFF (code expires April 30th, 2025) **SHOP my Amazon Marketplace - especially if you're looking to get geared-up to start your own Podcast!!!** https://www.amazon.com/shop/thesarahfrasershow Show is sponsored by: Horizonfibroids.com get rid of those nasty fibroids Nutrafol.com use code TSFS for FREE shipping and $10 off your subscription Prolonlife.com/tsfs 15% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Nutrition Program! ● Try their detox that has REAL FOOD and WORKS! Rula.com/tsfs to get started today. That's R-U-L-A dot com slash tsfs for convenient therapy that's covered by insurance. SkylightCal.com/tsfs for $30 OFF your 15 inch calendar  Quince.com/tsfs for FREE shipping on your order and 365 day returns Warbyparker.com/tsfs make an appointment at one of their 270 store locations and head to the website to try on endless pairs of glasses virtually and buy your perfect pair Follow me on Instagram/Tiktok: @thesarahfrasershow   ***Visit our Sub-Reddit: reddit.com/r/thesarahfrasershow for ALL things The Sarah Fraser Show!!!*** Advertise on The Sarah Fraser Show: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Got a juicy gossip TIP from your favorite TLC or Bravo show? Email: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, I recap the wild premiere of TLC's "PolyFamily," a closed poly quad where two couples navigate their unconventional relationships while raising kids together. I share my astonishment at the bizarre dynamics, including bedroom swapping and unexpected romantic connections between the women, and I can't help but wonder if this setup will lead to drama or harmony. I also provide an update on Meri Brown from "Sister Wives," who seems ready to move on from the show while confirming they are filming for Season 20. Additionally, I share some positive news about my own fertility journey, including my HCG levels and plans for an egg donor baby transfer this summer, reflecting on the challenges of trying to conceive at 43. Join me as I explore the chaos of reality TV and my personal life! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction to the Podcast and Sister Wives Update00:05:10 - Recap of the new TLC PolyFamily Show00:10:21 - Parenting Challenges in the Quad00:11:02 - Exploring Sexual Boundaries and Relationships00:22:20 - Meri Brown's TikTok Live Insights00:34:02 - Conclusion and Upcoming Shows Get Tickets To Our Virtual Live Podcast show May 1st at 7pm EDT. Here's the link for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/david-yontef-sarah-fraser-virtual-live-show-ask-us-anything-51-7pm-tickets-1276780297239?aff=erelexpmlt  MY Go Big Podcasting Courses Are Here! Purchase Go Big Podcasting and learn to start, monetize, and grow your own podcast. USE CODE: TIKTOK20 for 20% OFF (code expires April 30th, 2025) **SHOP my Amazon Marketplace - especially if you're looking to get geared-up to start your own Podcast!!!** https://www.amazon.com/shop/thesarahfrasershow Show is sponsored by: Horizonfibroids.com get rid of those nasty fibroids Nutrafol.com use code TSFS for FREE shipping and $10 off your subscription Prolonlife.com/tsfs 15% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Nutrition Program! ● Try their detox that has REAL FOOD and WORKS! Rula.com/tsfs to get started today. That's R-U-L-A dot com slash tsfs for convenient therapy that's covered by insurance. SkylightCal.com/tsfs for $30 OFF your 15 inch calendar  Quince.com/tsfs for FREE shipping on your order and 365 day returns Warbyparker.com/tsfs make an appointment at one of their 270 store locations and head to the website to try on endless pairs of glasses virtually and buy your perfect pair Follow me on Instagram/Tiktok: @thesarahfrasershow   ***Visit our Sub-Reddit: reddit.com/r/thesarahfrasershow for ALL things The Sarah Fraser Show!!!*** Advertise on The Sarah Fraser Show: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Got a juicy gossip TIP from your favorite TLC or Bravo show? Email: thesarahfrasershow@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lots of Advanced Bodybuilding Protocols - The Steroids Podcast Episode 74#bodybuilding #TRT #Muscle #Contestprep #bodybuildingpodcastMy Book:ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ROIDS #1 BOOK ON TRUTH IN THE HISTORY OF BODYBUILDING Link -⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bodybuilderinthailand.com/ultimate-guide-to-roids/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daily Text Msg Training 99/month and 1 Hour Phone Call Consult 59 Send Email to inquire about personal training to steroidspodcast@gmail.comBodybuilder in Thailand on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bodybuilderinthailand/⁠⁠⁠⁠My Other Podcast: Grab the Bull Podcast:⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/X6SzfCrN4NY?si=Ho2T9WIVxLjXo_AE⁠TABLE OF CONTENTS TIMSTAMPS:0:00 Taking 500mg testosterone enanthate per week for 2 years and now using tren 350mg4:50 Weight Lifting progression prime importance 5:52 taking 750 test e for 16 weeks and taking superdrol 30mg and getting Gyno, liquid coming out of nipples10:50 HGH and Clenbuterol and Thyroid in women and their anabolic male hormone use for gym. 16:41 Are there any stronger steroids that don't put you in a bad mental state?20:45 Deca and Primobolan Mentality23:55 Injectable Winstrol is White26:54 Does HGH always need to be kept in the Refrigerator what happens if its Left at Room Temperture28:22 Vascularity, Veins, Angiogenesis32:49 HCG and Testicle Size and Sperm35:40 PCT in the middle of a big push in bodybuilding39:11 Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis Dysfunction - Stress Response System43:30 DHEA is this tablet needed or beneficial for TRT and STEROID USERS47:06 A Hardcore Bodybuilder using Insulin asks for Opinion53:00 Acromegaly in Bodybuilders, Details of how it develops56:26 Libido Dropped off after near the end of Tren Cycle and Coming Became ImpossibleThis Podcast is for entertainment and conversational purposes only. Serious Injury and Death can occur from utilizing chemical performance enhancement. This author does not support the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs. If any substances mentioned in this video are illegal in your country do not use them. The purpose of this podcast is not to glorify the use of PED's but to bring to light the reality of what athletes are doing privately. Consult a doctor before beginning any exercise or supplement routine. Do not take anything mentioned in this video as advice. It is simply conversation, not advice.

In this raw and revealing episode of Find A Way with Dusty, I take you back to one of my most extreme weight loss attempts — dropping 40 pounds in just 30 days using HCG drops and a 500-calorie-a-day crash diet. Spoiler: it didn't end well. I gained all the weight back (plus more) and developed gout from the damage I did to my body.This episode dives into the long-term consequences of fast fixes, the mental traps of “just 20 more pounds,” and why sustainable change always beats short-term wins. I also unpack how to mentally prepare for setbacks, and how asking “What if this doesn't work?” can help you make smarter choices now.PLUS: Quick updates on my cookbook launch, skin surgery fundraiser, and a heads-up about Legion's sleep aid — spoiler: it works too well.

In this episode of Got Her Back, Carrie and Meg are diving headfirst into the chaotic world of weight loss fads-  from Dr. Pepper addictions to “hot works” horror stories, they keep it real about all the gimmicks they've tried chasing that summertime bod. The duo spills on everything from HCG drops and bootcamp boot-outs to their love-hate relationship with Ozempic, and the sneaky side effects nobody talks about. Plus, they're naming red flags (and waving them high), all while reminding us that every body—and every journey—is different. Grab your walking shoes and get ready for a heart-to-heart that's as hysterical as it is honest.   Tune in for laughs, girl chat and simple, tangible advice with your besties because we always have your back! Watch episode on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6sOJxIJ-U0XDJnLYkrR5N4nMeSwplBoT&si=SOqklgdZv7k7Z6X0 Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/got-her-back/id1726769772 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gotherbackpodcast?igsh=OWx2ajlmbXFraDBv&utm_source=qr Follow us on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@gotherbackpodcast?_t=ZP-8tOjiUz0Ro7&_r=1 Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/15hZm16v7B/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Take a sneak peek at this month's Fertility & Sterility! Articles discussed this month are:   01:47 Puberty progression in girls with Turner syndrome after ovarian tissue cryopreservation 14:55 Optimal Restoration of Spermatogenesis following Testosterone Therapy using hCG and FSH 27:58 Human embryos with segmental aneuploidies display delayed early development: a multi-centre morphokinetic analysis 39:56 Neurodevelopmental or behavioural disorders in children conceived after assisted reproductive technologies: A nationwide cohort study 45:23 Efficacy and safety of estetrol (E4) 15 mg/drospirenone (DRSP) 3 mg combination in a cyclic regimen for the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea: A multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study 51:13 Ovulation trigger versus spontaneous LH surge on live birth rate following frozen embryo transfer in a natural cycle: a randomized controlled trial 60:29 A Cost Analysis of Clomiphene Citrate, Letrozole and Gonadotropin with Intrauterine Insemination using Outcome Data from the AMIGOS Trial   View Fertility and Sterility at https://www.fertstert.org/

Hear "The Buck Belue Show" every weeknight from 6-8pm on 680 The Fan ad 93.7 FM, the 680 The Fan App available on Apple and Android, with your Smart Speaker by saying Alexa or wherever you get and listen to your favorite podcast! Get the latest on Georgia sports, newsmakers, and more! Heath Cline in for Buck Belue today as Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended by MLB for 80 games after testing positive for the banned substance hCG, and moves involving the Braves bullpen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hear "The Buck Belue Show" every weeknight from 6-8pm on 680 The Fan ad 93.7 FM, the 680 The Fan App available on Apple and Android, with your Smart Speaker by saying Alexa or wherever you get and listen to your favorite podcast! Get the latest on Georgia sports, newsmakers, and more! Heath Cline in for Buck Belue today as Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended by MLB for 80 games after testing positive for the banned substance hCG, and moves involving the Braves bullpen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trying to conceive (TTC) and looking for ways to naturally support your fertility? Understanding your hormones—especially progesterone—is key to improving implantation and increasing your chances of pregnancy. In this in-depth guide, we cover everything you need to know, from at-home fertility testing to sperm health and common mistakes that could be delaying your conception journey.Joining us today on this episode is Amy Beckley who will talk about Progesterone & Fertility: What You NEED to Know When TTC. Amy Beckley has a PhD in hormone signaling and founded Proov after her personal battle with infertility and recurrent miscarriage. Amy was given the diagnosis of "unexplained infertility" and told IVF was her best chance at conception. She had her son after 2 rounds of IVF. She then used her science degree and discovered her infertility was due to a simple progesterone deficiency. After having her daughter with just a low cost progesterone supplement, Amy decided to invent a way to test for progesterone at home. Proov was born and now Proov is the most comprehensive at-home system to monitor your whole cycle and discover of there are red flags that could be preventing conception.What You'll Learn in This Video:✅ Why Progesterone is Crucial for Pregnancy – What it does, when it should be high, and what happens if levels drop too soon.✅ How to Track Ovulation at Home – The best methods, including LH strips, BBT tracking, and cervical mucus monitoring.✅ At-Home Fertility Tests: Which Ones Actually Work? – Covering FSH, LH, PDG (progesterone metabolite), estrogen, and HCG pregnancy tests.✅ Sperm Health & Male Fertility – Why it's just as important to test male fertility and what makes a high-quality sperm sample.✅ Common Causes of Infertility – From hormonal imbalances to blocked tubes, PCOS, endometriosis, and more.✅ IVF vs. Natural Fertility Support – What to try before jumping into costly treatments and how to work with your doctor for personalized care.✅ How to Improve Implantation Success – Nutritional tips, supplements, and lifestyle changes that can help prepare your body for pregnancy.✅ Debunking Fertility Myths & Common Mistakes – Avoiding misinformation and understanding how your body truly works.Fertility Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy:✔️ Diet & Nutrition for Optimal Hormones – Mediterranean diet, seed cycling, and key vitamins for progesterone support.✔️ Exercise & Fertility – How movement, blood flow, and stress reduction improve conception rates.✔️ Acupuncture & Alternative Therapies – Can acupuncture really improve fertility outcomes?✔️ Mindset & Emotional Well-Being – Coping with TTC stress, miscarriage, and fertility struggles.Follow Amy on:https://www.facebook.com/groups/121476308499019proovtest.comDon't miss out on this in-depth episode filled with practical advice and inspiration to help you on your fertility journey.Let's chat! I want to hear from you! Send me a voice memo with:

In this episode of the Boost Your Biology podcast, Lucas Aoun and David from AlphaGels delve into the intricacies of hormone optimization, focusing on testosterone and DHT. David shares his extensive knowledge on the significance of DHT, its functions, and the benefits of transdermal application. They discuss the importance of maintaining a proper testosterone to DHT ratio, the potential of DHT in treating gynecomastia, and the relationship between thyroid function and androgen receptor sensitivity. The conversation also covers practical advice for those considering hormone supplementation, including the use of HCG alongside DHT and the implications of transdermal testosterone use. In this conversation, Lucas Aoun and David delve into the complexities of hormonal health, focusing on thyroid function, the role of DHT, and the implications of SSRIs on mental health. They discuss the importance of understanding hormonal interactions, the misconceptions surrounding DHT and prostate health, and the significance of quality supplements. The dialogue emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to men's health, addressing both physical and mental well-being.Relevant links:David's Twitter / X: https://x.com/AlphaGels Buy Lucas' NEW Herbal Supplement Here: https://www.inb4supps.com/ Disclaimer:The information provided in this podcast episode is for entertainment purposes and is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. If you have any questions about your health, contact a medical professional. This content is strictly the opinions of Lucas Aoun and is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult with their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Lucas Aoun nor the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this content. All consumers of this content especially taking prescription or over-the-counter medications should consult their physician before beginning any nutritional, supplement or lifestyle program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Neeraj Agarwal and Dr. Peter Hoskin discuss key abstracts in GU cancers from the 2025 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, including novel therapies in prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer and the impact of combination therapies on patient outcomes. TRANSCSRIPT Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Hello, and welcome to the ASCO Daily News Podcast. I'm Dr. Neeraj Agarwal, the director of the Genitourinary Oncology Program and professor of medicine at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, and editor-in-chief of ASCO Daily News. Today, we'll be discussing practice-informing abstracts and other key advances in GU oncology featured at the 2025 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. Joining me for this discussion is Dr. Peter Hoskin, the chair of this year's ASCO GU Symposium. Dr. Hoskin is a professor in clinical oncology in the University of Manchester and honorary consultant in clinical oncology at the Christie Hospital, Manchester, and University College Hospital London, in the United Kingdom. Our full disclosures are available in the transcript of this episode. Peter, thank you for joining us today. Dr. Peter Hoskin: Thank you so much, Neeraj. I am very pleased to be here. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: The GU meeting highlighted remarkable advancements across the spectrum of GU malignancies. What stood out to you as the most exciting developments at the ASCO GU Symposium?  Dr. Peter Hoskin: The theme of this year's meeting was "Driving Innovation, Improving Patient Care," and this reflected ASCO GU's incredible milestone in GU cancer research over the years. We were thrilled to welcome almost 6,000 attendees on this occasion from over 70 countries, and most of them were attending in person and not online, although this was a hybrid meeting. Furthermore, we had more than 1,000 abstract submissions. You can imagine then that it fostered fantastic networking opportunities and facilitated valuable knowledge and idea exchanges among experts, trainees, and mentees. So, to start I'd like to come back to you for a second because the first day started with a focus on prostate cancer and some of the key clinical trials. And congratulations to you, Neeraj, on sharing the data from the TALAPRO-2 trial, which we were eagerly awaiting. I'd love to get your thoughts on the data that you presented. Could you tell us more about that trial, Abstract LBA18?  Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Yes, Peter, I agree with you. It was such an exciting conference overall and thank you for your leadership of this conference. So, let's talk about the TALAPRO-2 trial. First of all, I would like to remind our audience that the combination of talazoparib plus enzalutamide was approved by the U.S. FDA in June 2023 in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer harboring HRR gene alterations, after this combination improved the primary endpoint of radiographic progression-free survival compared to enzalutamide alone in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-cohort phase 3 TALAPRO-2 trial. In the abstract I presented at ASCO GU 2025, we reported the final overall survival data, which was a key alpha-protected secondary endpoint in cohort 1, which enrolled an all-comer population of patients with mCRPC. So, at a median follow-up of around 53 months, in the intention-to-treat population, the combination of talazoparib plus enzalutamide significantly reduced the risk of death by 20% compared to enzalutamide alone, with a median OS of 45.8 months in the experimental arm versus 37 months in the control arm, which was an active control arm of enzalutamide. This improvement was consistent in patients with HRR alterations with a hazard ratio of 0.54 and in those with non-deficient or unknown HRR status, with a hazard ratio of 0.87. In a post hoc analysis, the hazard ratio for OS was 0.78 favoring the combination in those patients who did not have any HRR gene alteration in their tumors by both tissue and ctDNA testing. Consistent with the primary analysis, the updated rPFS data also favored the experimental arm with a median rPFS of 33.1 compared to 19.5 months in the control arm, and a hazard ratio of 0.667. No new safety signals were identified with extended follow-up. Thus, TALAPRO-2 is the first PARP inhibitor plus ARPI study to show a statistically significant and a clinically meaningful improvement in OS compared to standard-of-care enzalutamide as first-line treatment in patients with mCRPC unselected for HRR gene alterations. Dr. Peter Hoskin: Thank you, Neeraj. That's a great summary of the data presented and very important data indeed. There was another abstract also featured in the same session, Abstract 20, titled “Which patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer benefit more from androgen receptor pathway inhibitors? STOPCAP meta-analyses of individual participant data.” Neeraj, could you tell us more about this abstract? Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Absolutely, I would be delighted to. So, in this meta-analysis, Dr. David Fischer and colleagues pooled individual participant data from different randomized phase 3 trials in the mHSPC setting to assess the potential ARPI effect modifiers and determine who benefits more from an ARPI plus ADT doublet. The primary outcome was OS for main effects and PFS for subgroup analyses. Prostate cancer specific survival was a sensitivity outcome. The investigators pooled data from 11 ARPI trials and more than 11,000 patients. Overall, there was a clear benefit of adding an ARPI on both OS and PFS, with hazard ratios of 0.66 and 0.51, respectively, representing a 13% and 21% absolute improvement at 5 years, respectively, with no clear difference by the class of agent. When stratifying the patients by age group, the effects of adding an ARPI on OS and PFS were slightly smaller in patients older than 75, than in those younger than 65, or aged between 65 and 75 years. Notably, in the trials assessing the use of abiraterone, we saw very little OS effects in the group of patients older than 75, however there was some benefit maintained in prostate-cancer specific survival, suggesting that other causes of death may be having an impact. The effects of the other ARPIs, or ‘lutamides' as I would call them, were similar across all three age subgroups on both OS and PFS. Therefore, the majority of patients with mHSPC benefit from the addition of ARPIs, and the benefits/risks of abiraterone and other ‘amides' must be considered in older patients.  Dr. Peter Hoskin: Thanks, Neeraj. Another great summary relevant to our day-to-day practice. Of course, there's ongoing collection of individual patient data from other key trials, which will allow robust comparison of ARPI doublet with triplet therapy (including docetaxel), guiding more personalized treatment.   Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: I agree with you, Peter, we need more data to help guide personalized treatment for patients with mHSPC and potentially guide de-escalation versus escalation strategies. Now, moving on to a different setting in prostate cancer, would you like to mention Abstract 17 titled, “Overall survival and quality of life with Lu-PSMA-617 plus enzalutamide versus enzalutamide alone in poor-risk, metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer in ENZA-p (ANZUP 1901),” presented by Dr. Louise Emmett? Dr. Peter Hoskin: Of course I will. So, ENZA-p was a multicenter, open-label, randomized, phase 2 trial conducted in Australia. It randomized 163 patients into adaptive doses (2 or 4 cycles) of Lu-PSMA-617 plus enzalutamide versus enzalutamide alone as first-line treatment in PSMA-PET-CT-positive, poor-risk, mCRPC. The interim analysis of ENZA-p with median follow-up 20 months showed improved PSA-progression-free survival with the addition of Lu-PSMA-617 to enzalutamide. Here, the investigators reported the secondary outcomes, overall survival, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). After a median follow up of 34 months, overall survival was longer in the combination arm compared to the enzalutamide arm, with a median OS of 34 months compared to 26 months; with an HR of 0.55. Moreover, the combination improved both deterioration-free survival and health-related quality of life indicators for pain, fatigue, physical function, and overall health and quality of life compared to the control arm. Consistent with the primary analysis, the rPFS also favored the experimental arm with a median rPFS of 17 months compared to 14 months with a HR of 0.61. So, the addition of LuPSMA improved overall survival, and HRQOL in patients with high-risk mCRPC. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Thank you, Peter. Great summary, and promising results with Lu-177 and ARPI combination in first line treatment for mCRPC among patients who had two or more high risk features associated with early enzalutamide failure. Before we move on to bladder cancer, would you like to tell us about Abstract 15 titled, “World-wide oligometastatic prostate cancer (omPC) meta-analysis leveraging individual patient data (IPD) from randomized trials (WOLVERINE): An analysis from the X-MET collaboration,” presented by Dr. Chad Tang?  Dr. Peter Hoskin: Sure. So, with metastatic-directed therapy (MDT), we have a number of phase 2 studies making up the database, and the X-MET collaboration aimed to consolidate all randomized data on oligometastatic solid tumors. This abstract presented pooled individual patient data from all the published trials involving patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer who received MDT alongside standard of care (SOC) against SOC alone. The analysis included data from five trials, encompassing 472 patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer, and followed for a median of 41 months. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either MDT plus SOC or SOC alone. The addition of MDT significantly improved PFS. The median PFS was 32 months with MDT compared to 14.9 months with SOC alone, with an HR of 0.45. Subgroup analyses further confirmed the consistent benefits of MDT across different patient groups. Regardless of factors like castration status, receipt of prior primary treatment, stage, or number of metastases, MDT consistently improved PFS. In patients with mHSPC, MDT significantly delayed the time to castration resistance by nine months, extending it to a median of 72 months compared to 63 months in the SOC group with an HR of 0.58. In terms of OS, the addition of MDT improved the 48-month survival rate by 12%, with OS rates of 87% in the MDT+SOC group compared to 75% in the SOC alone group. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Thank you, Peter. These data demonstrate that adding MDT to systemic therapy significantly improves PFS, rPFS, and castration resistance-free survival, reinforcing its potential role in the treatment of oligometastatic prostate cancer. So, let's switch gears to bladder cancer and start with Abstract 658 reporting the OS analysis of the CheckMate-274 trial. Would you like to tell us about this abstract?  Dr. Peter Hoskin: Yes, sure, Neeraj. This was presented by Dr. Matt Milowsky, and it was additional efficacy outcomes, including overall survival, from the CheckMate-274 trial which evaluated adjuvant nivolumab versus placebo in patients with high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer after radical surgery. The phase 3 trial previously demonstrated a significant improvement in disease-free survival with nivolumab. With a median follow-up of 36.1 months, disease-free survival was longer with nivolumab compared to placebo across all patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, reducing the risk of disease recurrence or death by 37%. Among patients who had received prior neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy, nivolumab reduced this risk by 42%, whilst in those who had not received chemotherapy, the risk was reduced by 31%. Overall survival also favored nivolumab over placebo, reducing the risk of death by 30% in all patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer and by 52% in those with tumors expressing PD-L1 at 1% or higher. Among patients who had received prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy, nivolumab reduced the risk of death by 26%, whilst in those who had not received chemotherapy, the risk was reduced by 33%. Alongside this, the safety profile remained consistent with previous findings. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Thank you, Peter, for such a nice overview of this abstract. These results reinforce adjuvant nivolumab as a standard of care for high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer, offering the potential for a curative outcome for our patients. Dr. Peter Hoskin: I agree with you Neeraj. Perhaps you would like to mention Abstract 659 titled, “Additional efficacy and safety outcomes and an exploratory analysis of the impact of pathological complete response (pCR) on long-term outcomes from NIAGARA.” Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Of course. Dr. Galsky presented additional outcomes from the phase 3 NIAGARA study, which evaluated perioperative durvalumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The study previously demonstrated a significant improvement in event-free survival and overall survival with durvalumab compared to chemotherapy alone, with a manageable safety profile and no negative impact on the ability to undergo radical cystectomy. Among the 1,063 randomized patients, those who received durvalumab had a 33% reduction in the risk of developing distant metastases or death and a 31% reduction in the risk of dying from bladder cancer compared to those who received chemotherapy alone. More patients who received durvalumab achieved a pathological complete response at the time of surgery with 37% compared to 28% in the chemotherapy-alone group. Patients who achieved a pathological complete response had better event-free survival and overall survival compared to those who did not. In both groups, durvalumab provided additional survival benefits, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 42% and the risk of death by 28% in patients with a pathological complete response, while in those patients without a pathological complete response, the risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 23% and the risk of death by 16% when durvalumab was added to the chemotherapy. Immune-mediated adverse events occurred in 21% of patients in the durvalumab group compared to 3% in the chemotherapy-alone group, with grade 3 or higher events occurring in 3% compared to 0.2%. The most common immune-related adverse events included hypothyroidism in 10% of patients treated with durvalumab compared to 1% in the chemotherapy-alone group, and hyperthyroidism in 3% versus 0.8%. At the time of the data cutoff, these adverse events had resolved in 41% of affected patients in the durvalumab group and 44% in the chemotherapy-alone group. Dr. Peter Hoskin: Thank you, Neeraj, for the great summary. These findings further support the role of perioperative durvalumab as a potential standard of care for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: I concur with your thoughts, Peter. Before wrapping up the bladder cancer section, would you like to mention Abstract 664 reporting updated results from the EV-302 trial, which evaluated enfortumab vedotin in combination with pembrolizumab compared to chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with previously untreated locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma? Dr. Peter Hoskin: Yes, of course. Dr. Tom Powles presented updated findings from the EV-302 study, and in this abstract presented 12 months of additional follow-up for EV-302 (>2 y of median follow-up) and an exploratory analysis of patients with confirmed complete response (cCR). The study had a median follow-up of 29.1 months and previously demonstrated significant improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab. This is now the standard of care in global treatment guidelines. Among the 886 randomized patients, enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 52% and the risk of death by 49% compared to chemotherapy. The survival benefit was consistent regardless of cisplatin eligibility or the presence of liver metastases. The confirmed objective response rate was higher with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab at 67.5% compared to 44.2% with chemotherapy. The median duration of response was 23.3 months with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab compared to 7.0 months with chemotherapy. A complete response was achieved in 30.4% of patients in the enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab group compared to 14.5% in the chemotherapy group, with the median duration of complete response not yet reached in the enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab group compared to 15.2 months in the chemotherapy group. Severe treatment-related adverse events occurred in 57.3% of patients treated with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab compared to 69.5% in the chemotherapy group, while in patients who achieved a complete response, severe adverse events occurred in 61.7% of those treated with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab compared to 71.9% with chemotherapy. Treatment-related deaths were reported in 1.1% of patients treated with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab compared to 0.9% with chemotherapy, with no treatment-related deaths occurring in those who achieved a complete response. These findings clearly confirm the durable efficacy of enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab, reinforcing its role as the standard of care for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, and no new safety concerns have been identified. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Thank you for this great summary. Moving on to kidney cancer, let's talk about Abstract 439 titled, “Nivolumab plus cabozantinib (N+C) vs sunitinib (S) for previously untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC): Final follow-up results from the CheckMate-9ER trial.” Dr. Peter Hoskin: Sure. Dr. Motzer presented the final results from the phase 3 CheckMate-9ER trial, which compared the combination of cabozantinib and nivolumab against sunitinib in previously untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma. The data after more than five years follow-up show that the combination therapy provided sustained superior efficacy compared to sunitinib. In terms of overall survival, we see an 11-month improvement in median OS, 46.5 months for the cabo-nivo versus 35.5 months for sunitinib and a 42% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death, with median progression-free survival nearly doubling – that's 16.4 months in the combination group and 8.3 months with sunitinib. Importantly, the safety profile was consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual medicines, with no new safety concerns identified. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Great summary, Peter. These data further support the efficacy of cabo-nivo combination therapy in advanced renal cell carcinoma, which is showing a 11-month difference in overall survival. Dr. Peter Hoskin: Neeraj, before wrapping up this podcast, would you like to tell us about Abstract 618? This is titled “Prospective COTRIMS (Cologne trial of retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in metastatic seminoma) trial: Final results.” Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Sure, Peter. I would be delighted to. Dr Heidenrich from the University of Cologne in Germany presented the COTRIMS data evaluating retroperitoneal LN dissection in patients with clinical stage 2A/B seminomas. Seminomas are classified as 2A or B when the disease spreads to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes of up to 2 cm (CS IIA) or of more than 2 cm to up to 5 cm (CS 2B) in maximum diameter, respectively. They account for 10-15% of seminomas and they are usually treated with radiation and chemotherapy. However, radiation and chemo can be associated with long-term toxicities such as cardiovascular toxicities, diabetes, solid cancers, leukemia, particularly for younger patients. From this standpoint, Dr Heidenrich and colleagues evaluated unilateral, modified template, nerve-sparing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection as a less toxic alternative compared to chemo and radiation. They included 34 patients with negative AFP, beta-HCG, and clinical stage 2A/B seminomas. At a median follow-up of 43.2 months, the trial demonstrated great outcomes: a 99.3% treatment-free survival rate and 100% overall survival, with only four relapses. Antegrade ejaculation was preserved in 88% of patients, and severe complications such as grade 3 and 4 were observed in 12% of patients. Pathological analysis revealed metastatic seminoma in 85% of cases, with miR371 being true positive in 23 out of 24 cases and true negative in 100% of cases. It appears to be a valid biomarker for predicting the presence of lymph node metastases. These findings highlight retroperitoneal lymph node dissection is feasible; it has low morbidity, and excellent oncologic outcomes, avoiding overtreatment in 80% of patients and sparing unnecessary chemotherapy or radiotherapy in 10-15% of cases. Dr. Peter Hoskin: Great summary and important data on retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy in metastatic seminoma. These findings will help shape clinical practice. Any final remarks before we conclude today's podcast? Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Before wrapping up this podcast, I would like to say that we have reviewed several abstracts addressing prostate, bladder, kidney cancers, and seminoma, which are impacting our medical practices now and in the near future. Peter, thank you for sharing your insights with us today. These updates are undoubtedly exciting for the entire GU oncology community, and we greatly appreciate your valuable contribution to the discussion and your leadership of the conference. Many thanks. Dr. Peter Hoskin: Thank you, Neeraj. Thank you for the opportunity to share this information more widely. I'm aware that whilst we have nearly 6,000 delegates, there are many other tens of thousands of colleagues around the world who need to have access to this information. And it was a great privilege to chair this ASCO GU25. So, thank you once again, Neeraj, for this opportunity to share more of this information that we discussed over those few days. Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Thank you, Peter. And thank you to our listeners for joining us today. You will find links to the abstracts discussed today on the transcript of this episode. Finally, if you value the insights that you hear on the ASCO Daily News podcast, please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Disclaimer: The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.  Find out more about today's speakers:   Dr. Neeraj Agarwal    @neerajaiims    Dr. Peter Hoskin Follow ASCO on social media:      @ASCO on Twitter      ASCO on Bluesky  ASCO on Facebook      ASCO on LinkedIn      Disclosures: Dr. Neeraj Agarwal: Consulting or Advisory Role: Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Nektar, Lilly, Bayer, Pharmacyclics, Foundation Medicine, Astellas Pharma, Lilly, Exelixis, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Merck, Novartis, Eisai, Seattle Genetics, EMD Serono, Janssen Oncology, AVEO, Calithera Biosciences, MEI Pharma, Genentech, Astellas Pharma, Foundation Medicine, and Gilead Sciences Research Funding (Institution): Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Takeda, Pfizer, Exelixis, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Calithera Biosciences, Celldex, Eisai, Genentech, Immunomedics, Janssen, Merck, Lilly, Nektar, ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Crispr Therapeutics, Arvinas Dr. Peter Hoskin: Research Funding (Institution): Varian Medical Systems, Astellas Pharma, Bayer, Roche, Pfizer, Elekta, Bristol Myers  

Send us a textThe two-week wait after fertility treatment can feel endless, but what if a single blood test could give you insight into your pregnancy's future? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, we break down the science behind hCG levels at 16 days post-ovulation and how they predict pregnancy outcomes. We'll discuss the role of hCG beyond just a pregnancy test, how it rescues the corpus luteum to sustain early pregnancy, and why progesterone supplementation changes how miscarriages present in fertility treatments. Plus, we analyze a key study from Fertility & Sterility (2000) to understand how different hCG levels correlate with pregnancy success or loss. Whether you're in the midst of an IVF cycle or just love diving into the science of fertility, this episode is packed with valuable insights. Tune in to learn what your hCG levels really mean and how to interpret them with your doctor!Thanks for tuning in to another episode of 'Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday' with Dr. Mark Amols. If you found this episode insightful, please share it with friends and family who might benefit from our discussion. Remember, your feedback is invaluable to us – leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred listening platform. Stay connected with us for updates and fertility tips – follow us on Facebook. For more resources and information, visit our website at www.NewDirectionFertility.com. Have a question or a topic you'd like us to cover? We'd love to hear from you! Reach out to us at TBFT@NewDirectionFertility.com. Join us next Tuesday for more discussions on fertility, where we blend medical expertise with a touch of humor to make complex topics accessible and engaging. Until then, keep the conversation going and remember: understanding your fertility is a journey we're on together.

In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain how to optimize hormones—particularly testosterone, estrogen, and related sex steroids—to enhance fertility and overall well-being. I discuss the sources of testosterone and estrogen and how their levels fluctuate with age in both males and females. I also cover how behaviors such as exercise, cold and heat exposure, light exposure, illness, and breathing patterns affect hormones. Additionally, I examine specific supplements and replacement therapies, highlighting important precautions to consider when adjusting hormone levels. Huberman Lab Essentials episodes are approximately 30 minutes long and focus on key scientific insights and protocol takeaways from past Huberman Lab episodes. These short episodes will be released every Thursday, while our full-length episodes will continue to be released every Monday. Read the show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Huberman Lab Essentials; Hormones 00:01:15 Testosterone & Estrogen Sources & Age, Adrenals 00:03:34 Sponsor: Eight Sleep 00:05:05 Competition, Males & Testosterone; Dopamine 00:09:27 Testosterone Decreases, Expectant Fathers, Illness 00:11:30 Sleep Apnea, Testosterone, Estrogen, Cortisol, Tool: Nasal Breathing 00:15:57 Sponsor: AG1 00:17:00 Dopamine, Cortisol, Fertility, Tool: Light Viewing Behavior  00:19:31 Heat, Cold & Hormone Levels 00:21:14 Resistance & Endurance Training, Testosterone, Tool: Exercise Order 00:23:26 Estrogen, Menopause, Hormone Therapy 00:25:07 Sponsor: Function 00:26:54 Vitamins, Opioids, Supplements, Tongkat Ali, Cancer Risk 00:31:26 Luteinizing Hormone, hCG, Fadogia Agrestis, Tool: Blood Tests 00:36:00 Recap & Key Takeaways Disclaimer & Disclosures

Sara-Jayne Makwala King speaks to Tania Rix a registered nurse and owner of the Serona Health practice in Parklands, Cape Town, about HCG injections and associated dietSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peptides help the body function properly, working a lot like hormones. Some, like Sermorelin and Ipamorelin, support natural growth hormone production for anti-aging and healing. Others, like BPC-157 and TB-500, are great for brain, gut, and joint health. GLP-1 peptides can help with fat loss, but they need to be used correctly to avoid issues like muscle loss or mood changes.There are also peptides with more specific benefits, like HCG, which can help restore fertility, and Melanotan II, which boosts tanning and may protect the skin. The key takeaway is that peptides can be really effective, but they need to be used with the right knowledge and approach to get the best results.Highlights of the Podcast00:05 - Peptides Overview01:48 - Growth & Healing Peptides04:46 - GLP-1 Peptides & Fat Loss09:08 - HCG & Fertility10:38 - Melanotan II for Skin12:25 - Optimizing Peptide Use

Send us a textA positive pregnancy test, rising HCG levels, and all the symptoms of early pregnancy—yet no embryo ever forms. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, we unravel the mystery of blighted ovums. Why does a pregnancy start but not develop? Is it a genetic issue or a developmental failure? Why do some women not realize there's an issue until their 12-week ultrasound, while fertility treatments catch it much earlier? We break down the science, the common misdiagnoses, and what this means for future pregnancies. Tune in as we separate fact from fiction and bring clarity to one of the most misunderstood early pregnancy losses.Thanks for tuning in to another episode of 'Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday' with Dr. Mark Amols. If you found this episode insightful, please share it with friends and family who might benefit from our discussion. Remember, your feedback is invaluable to us – leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred listening platform. Stay connected with us for updates and fertility tips – follow us on Facebook. For more resources and information, visit our website at www.NewDirectionFertility.com. Have a question or a topic you'd like us to cover? We'd love to hear from you! Reach out to us at TBFT@NewDirectionFertility.com. Join us next Tuesday for more discussions on fertility, where we blend medical expertise with a touch of humor to make complex topics accessible and engaging. Until then, keep the conversation going and remember: understanding your fertility is a journey we're on together.

Chrissie always dreamed that the birth of her babies would be the happiest days of her life. But with her first two births, they were among the worst. In today's episode, Chrissie expresses the heartbreak she felt after doing everything to prepare for a VBAC and not get it. Though she wasn't sure how her third birth would go, the healing, research, and advocacy she did made all the difference in her experience. She called the shots, listened to her intuition, and ultimately saved her baby's life by being so in tune with herself and her body. And finally, the birth of her third baby was the most beautiful, joyful, and happiest day. Coterie DiapersUse code VBAC20 at checkout for 20% off your first order of $40 or more.How to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details Meagan: Hello, Women of Strength. We have a CBAC after two Cesareans story coming your way today. This is a story that we felt we should share because it is so important to document our CBAC stories as well. Even though there are a lot of things that are going to unfold within our guest, Chrissie's story, it's so important to see how much she has grown and healed over each experience. Listening to her, a few things came up in my mind as I was listening. It was intuition. We've said it for years, honestly since 2018 when this podcast began. Intuition is so powerful, and sometimes it's hard to turn into and understand what your intuition is or what fear is, but I challenge you right now to start tuning into that. When you're getting the feelings, is it your intuition? Really, really connect with that intuition because it is so powerful. Another thing that I felt was a big takeaway from her story was how much she researched and gained knowledge of her own rights and her own ability to say no or to say, “Not now, not yet. No, thank you.” Women of Strength, I know it's hard, and it's really hard when we're in labor. I know it. But you always have the right to say no. You can always say no. Chrissie really did such a good job at researching and educating herself and arming herself up with the knowledge that she needed to so she could confidently say no when she needed to but also confidently say, “Hey, this is something that needs to change,” and stand up for herself in that time. I do have a Review of the Week, so I want to jump into this, and then turn the time over to Chrissie. Okay, this review is hseller. Hseller, I think is how it is. It says, “Life-changing. I don't even know where to begin. This podcast has honestly been life-changing. I am currently 9 months postpartum after my first Cesarean birth, and I've already binged every episode. I honestly believe The VBAC Link should be a resource for every birthing person, not just VBAC, on how to prevent a Cesarean to begin with. This needs to be part of basic birth education.”Oh, girl. I am with you on this. I am with you on this. It says, “I have shared this podcast and the blog with every friend of mine who is expecting because I wish I would have known about it before my first birth. Listening to the podcast reminds me that I'm not alone in my experiences and that this is possible and to have an amazing, empowering birth is possible. Julie and Meagan deliver facts, stories, and inspiration in such a wonderful way. Hearing their voices when an episode comes on puts me in a happy place. My husband and I have already been talking about baby number two. I can't wait to share my next birth story because with an education and support I now have, I know it will be beautiful and healing regardless of the outcome.”Thank you so much, hseller, for your review. You guys, these reviews really do mean so much. It is now 2025, and we do need updated reviews. You never know. It may be read on the next podcast. We are switching things up this year with educational pieces and topics of reviews and things like that, so you never know. But please, please, please leave us a review. It means the world to us. Meagan: Okay, you guys, I'm seriously so excited. It's always so fun to have multiple people on the show and cohosts, but it's also really fun to have doulas sharing the story or listening to the story with their clients and giving their tidbits. So Chrissie, I'm going to turn the time over to you and then of course, Sarah will be hearing from you, I'm sure along the way as well.Chrissie: All right. Hi, I'm Chrissie. I live in Greenville, South Carolina and I'm going to tell you about my three birth stories. All VBACs and repeat Cesarean stories start with your first C-section. Julian was our first C-section.He was conceived during my husband and I's fourth month of dating. My husband and I both knew marriage and kids were our desire with each other almost instantly, but it was still crazy to think about how fast it happened. Everything was going fine until about 30 weeks when I started to be measuring about a week behind and was scheduled for a growth scan which we couldn't get into until about 32 weeks.During that scan, it was confirmed that Julian was measuring close to the lower 10th percentile and that I, from that point, would be scheduled for regular non-stress tests every week for the rest of the pregnancy. His check at 36 weeks was non-reactive which is not what they like to see. I was sent for a biophysical profile. He was graded so low that I was told to immediately go to labor and delivery and not eat or drink anything, which as a nurse, I know that means they were assuming I may have surgery in the very near future.I was planning to go to work right from my original appointment, so I reported to work, but then went right upstairs and burst into tears of fear. I was given fluid, and he woke up because of the scare. But because of the scare, I was scheduled for an induction at 39 weeks and because I didn't know any better, I was just excited to meet him a week early.On the day of my induction, I showed up bright and early, ready to get things going. I had done no preparation, assuming that my high pain tolerance and grit would serve me well. I wasn't against pain medication, but I was ready to test my limits. Julian passed the non-stress test, so they started Pitocin, and he was doing fine, so they decided to insert a Foley bulb to speed things up.When they inserted it, my water broke, so that kind of put me on the clock. Once I got to about 4 centimeters 12 hours later, I was somehow feeling discouraged and tired and asked for the epidural. My husband said as he was holding my hunched over body that a huge teardrop fell out of my eye as the needle went in and the zing sensation went down my leg.I, was already giving up, but had no idea what I was setting myself up for.Over the next four hours, Julian's heart rate would drop with every contraction while Pitocin was going. They would turn it off, and he would be fine. And then when they restarted it, he would have the non-reassuring heart tones again. I was not explained to why I needed to wear oxygen or keep flipping from side to side or what low heart tones meant. All I know is that at 1:00 AM, they called for a C-section because we were getting close to the 24-hour rupture of membranes.If I had known then what I have learned since then, I would have tried to steer my birth in so many different directions. Unfortunately, birthing people are not given this kind of information upfront, which is. Why I think The VBAC Link is so important for any pregnant person as it could potentially help 1 in 3 women who end up consenting to a C-section to this day. I was devastated. I never thought the dramatic push and bringing baby to my chest at long last was something that wouldn't happen for me, let alone I would mourn missing out on it. I was wheeled into the OR. My arms were strapped down to either side of me. My arms were shaking and pulling uncontrollably to the point that when my Julian was given to me, I was too scared to hold him thinking I would drop him since my arms felt like Jell-O. I've since learned that because my epidural was converted for the C-section that I would feel extremely unpleasant sensations of my innards being pushed and pulled out of my body. All I could think about was my dad saying, "It was the happiest day of my life when you were born," and somehow this was feeling like one of the worst days of my life. I felt a double loss. It took me a long time to get over feeling like a sham for not giving birth the real way, but on the table, they said we gave you a double stitch so you can VBAC the next time. Over the next five and a half years that became an overwhelming objective and purpose in my life. When Julian turned 1, I had my IUD removed. I still had not gotten my period back but was hopeful it would return soon since had started to wean him from breastfeeding. When it did return, it was not normal. I would be spotting for weeks afterward and had a strange dull pain on and off constantly. I was so desperate to get pregnant so that I could get my VBAC thinking that all the horrible feelings I was having would go away. Or so I thought.After what felt like the longest four months ever, I did conceive our daughter, Ellie. It was January 2020. To this day, there are so many songs, books, and kids' shows that I cannot watch because they remind me of the early days of the pandemic. My son and I both got flu A and flu B during the first three months of the year, and it was terrifying to be relieved by a positive flu test.As an ER nurse, I was put on furlough since no one was coming into the ER, and many of us were sent to New York City and hard-hit areas to help where help was needed. I had to tell my manager earlier than I would have liked that I was pregnant and scared to be around some of the symptomatic COVID patients because we did not know what would happen. Sometime in the spring when people couldn't stand quarantine anymore and were going out and socializing again, the patients in the ER spiked, and I went back to work at six months pregnant. Even though it was terrifying, I was glad to be out of the house with somewhere to go and have a purpose.Those winter and spring months were some of the most depressing and hardest to get through in my life up to that point. I spent a lot of the time doing all the things that you can do to achieve a VBAC. I took a mindful birthing course over Zoom because they weren't doing any in-person things at that point.I read several books, did Spinning Babies exercises, hired a doula, etc. The thought of finally getting my VBAC was at times my only motivator to get up and do the things some days, other than the bare minimum to keep my one-year-old and me alive as horrible as that sounds.When I reached 37 weeks, I went into quarantine, and the waiting game began. I walked miles and miles and practiced mindfulness techniques to get through the pain. I was scared that the epidural had led to my son being in distress. So by this point, Ellie had passed all of the extra growth scans. She was head down. Everything looked perfect. By 40 weeks and five days, I became extremely stressed out. I had an induction scheduled for 41 and three days that was making me so nervous. My husband and I attempted to speed things up, breaking my water in the process.As soon as I felt the gush of fluid, I felt my heart sink and was overcome with fear and regret. It was starting just like the first birth I did with the premature rupture of membranes and what I believed would be an inevitable cascade of interventions that would lead to a repeat C-section.The rupture occurred around 3:00 PM, and I decided I should try to rest and wait for things to ramp up. By 10:00 PM, things were regular but not painful. I decided to try and go to sleep, but because of my trauma from the first birth, I wanted to make sure that she wasn't having issues with deceleration. I got my stethoscope out and listened to her heart rate as I had done several times before that point. It sounded normal and I listened to it through a few contractions.Every time, I could hear her heart rate slow very noticeably. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to go to the hospital because I knew what they would say. I didn't want to tell my husband because I knew he would want me to go to the hospital, but I was genuinely concerned for her. So I let my husband listen, and he started getting dressed immediately to go. I knew it was over.When you arrive at L&D, they ask for a reason for you being there. As a nurse, I knew what I was about to say was going to sound insane, but I said, "I think my baby is having distress. I heard her decelerations on my stethoscope at home."I could see the amusement in the triage nurse's eyes as I said this. But she said, "Okay, let's get you hooked up and see what's going on." Sure enough, she was already having category 2 decelerations, and I was only 1 centimeter dilated. The resident said that my contractions were only about 5 minutes apart, but that because of the decelerations, she would be admitting me right away.She said we could try fluids and some position changes, but it was looking like the C-section was going to be the only safe way to get her out since I was so far from 10 centimeters.Before she left the room, she said, "I know this is going to be very disappointing for you since you wanted to VBAC, but you may have saved your baby's life by coming in when you did. It's amazing that you knew to listen and could interpret what you heard."Long story short, nothing worked, and I was prepped for the C-section. My COVID test was negative, so my husband was going to be allowed to come into the OR. Tears were streaming down my face the whole way. I walked into the OR and sat myself on the table for the epidural. I was still in the clothes I had walked in wearing. That's how fast things were going. The epidural was placed, and they started prepping me after a few minutes. They still had the fetal monitor attached for some reason, and we heard her heart drop into the 70s and not come back up. I could hear the sense of urgency on the other side of the drape. And suddenly, I felt several sharp pricks across my abdomen. I was lying there with so many thoughts running through my head. But thankfully, one of those thoughts was, "I wonder why they just poked me like that. Oh, I guess they're checking to see if I was numb. Wait, I felt that."I yelled, "Wait, I felt that."And they were like, "What? Was it dull or sharp?" I yelled, "It was sharp." They poked me again and again, and I kept saying, "It's sharp." We could all hear her heart rate in the background getting slower and slower, and I yelled, "Just put me out. Just put me out."The pre-oxygenation mask went right onto my face, and the last thing I heard before I went out was, "Someone page the STAB team," which is the group of medical providers they call when they're assuming that a newborn is not going to be doing well. I woke up in a daze when I realized where I was and what had happened. I burst into tears again and asked, "Is she okay?"And she was perfect.They actually said she was screaming before they even pulled her out of me fully. Very strong and healthy baby Ellie. But another day that was supposed to be the happiest day of my life which instead was a day even worse than my first birth. I felt completely defeated, hating myself for all the time, effort, money, worry, hope, and mind space that I had put into something that I still didn't get. A few minutes after I woke up, the surgeon came up to me and said, "Your original scar did not heal right. It was defective, and because of the urgency of the situation, we had to cut through a higher area of your uterus so we wouldn't accidentally cut any arteries because the anatomy was obscured by the first scar. We realized while repairing the uterus that it was in the contractile tissue, and you will never be allowed to VBAC again."I didn't really care because I thought we were done having kids, or so I thought. But it made me feel really bad about myself hearing the words "defective", "obscure anatomy" and "not allowed" hung with me for a long time. I wanted to get out of that hospital as soon as I could. All I could think about was my failure and how all the feelings that were supposed to be fixed by this birth were only made worse at my follow- up appointments. At the 6-week check and the 12-week for IUD insertion, I had to actually be let out the back door both times so that the people in the waiting room wouldn't see me hysterically crying. I honestly didn't even want to go to these follow-up appointments because they just further cemented to me that I had failed. And I'm not someone who can be told that I can't. Even though I was for sure believing we were done having kids, I joined the Special Scars group on Facebook just to see if anyone had had a similar scar as mine.I didn't think we would have more kids, but I still wanted to know if I could. Unfortunately, over the past few years, I've only spoken with one other woman who had a similar scar as mine. The fact that it was so uncommon made me hate it even more because I couldn't find any answers about what it meant for me. I did seek counseling following these events, and eventually, I felt better but I still thought about what happened daily and could not stand to hear anything related to birth.Several months later, I started having pelvic pains. I went to be evaluated for an ovarian cyst, but when they didn't find one, they did see how crazy my first scar had healed. Because of the pain, they had agreed to do an exploratory laparotomy surgery to repair the scar thinking it could be the source of my pain and definitely a reason for the spotting I'd had between cycles. During the surgery, they found a large surgical hernia as well that they had to remove momentum from and recommended surgery to fix it in the future. Whatever the reason for the pain was the scar or the hernia, my pain was gone following the surgery and two weeks later we moved to Greenville, South Carolina. Everything seemed fine.Trying to settle into a new house that needs lots of fixing up with a one and a three-year-old takes time. I knew I didn't have an IUD in at that time, but my period hadn't come back yet since my one-year-old would not take to the weaning and I was still nursing her. I wasn't that worried.In August, my period did come back, and I decided to use ovulation strips to see how long after ovulating I was spotting to see if I could figure out if my cycles were in the normal range again. Strangely, the first strip showed up very dark along with the next several strips I tried and I was like, "Oh great, things are out-of-whack still." But that's when I remembered people sometimes interpreting ovulation strips for pregnancy since LH and HCG are such similar-shaped molecules. I decided to use one of the pregnancy strips that comes with the ovulation pack and sure enough, it was also darkly positive. I was inexplicably excited, and I sheepishly told my husband who was also very excited. We went to our eight-week appointment, and there was nothing on the ultrasound. My HCG was high, but the progesterone was low and they called it a blighted ovum. I eventually did pass whatever was in there. This left my husband and I with a new resolve to a third child and crossed the bridge of a third C-section when we got there. I started listening to The VBAC Link again-- something I had to erase from my memory in the past as it was another reminder of my failure to VBAC and not getting to submit my story of healing and success. There was an episode I got to where I really liked what one of the guests was saying. She was a doula named Sarah, and believe it or not, she was based out of Greenville.I knew that if we conceived again, she would be my doula.A year later, after a chemical pregnancy and a loss at 10 weeks, we conceived our second daughter, Leah. I had established care with the midwifery practice for the first few months until they saw my surgical records and transferred me to the OB practice across the street. Additionally, because I was 37 years old at this point, I was sent to maternal-fetal medicine for my 20-week anatomy scan to double-check that everything was looking normal, which it was.At my first appointment with the OB group, the doctor sat down across from me and said, "Well, your anatomy scan looks great. We will also do a growth scan at 32 weeks and 36 weeks because of your previous history of IUGR."And I said, "Sure, that's fine."He went on to say, "So you understand why the midwives transferred your care to us and that you're not allowed to have a vaginal birth, right?" By this point, I'd done some research on my birth rights, special scars, and hospital regulations, and answered calmly, "Actually, you can't tell me I'm not allowed to let something happen on its own. You're not allowed to force me to have a surgery that I do not consent to."He responded, "Well, I'm not sure anyone in this practice or any practice would be comfortable allowing you to VBAC."And I said, "Well, I'm not comfortable just going straight for a C-section at 36 weeks and not at least seeing how things go." I left the appointment pretty upset and even more determined to decide my own fate. As the appointments went by, each OB would say, "You understand that we would like you to schedule a C-section?"And I said, "Yes, but I'm not ready to make that decision yet. I'm still doing my research. What I have found is that the highest estimated rate of rupture after a classical scar is around 15%, but other studies estimate it to be much lower. Additionally, some studies don't distinguish between true rupture and dehiscence. Furthermore, most ruptures are not catastrophic, meaning loss of life, permanent disability, hysterectomy, and so on. Only about 2% of ruptures end this way, and they're often caught through monitoring or other symptoms before they can progress to anything beyond the risks of a typical C-section." Having done this research on my own, I became more confident in my decision to continue on the path of letting my body decide what it was going to do. Sarah, my doula, gave me more confidence. I had told her everything that had happened in my past and she said I had valid feelings and thoughts, and had made logical decisions based on my research.She sent me along her usual workbooks and resources for creating a birth plan, birthing positions, pain management, Spinning Babies, tea dates, etc. I told her I appreciated it, but I'm not going to do those things. I had done all those things and more and that had ended up being one of the hardest parts of my first repeat C-section having realized it made no difference at all. The last thing I wanted to do was spend time trying to be mindful and stretching instead of being mindful with my kids and family who were already there.This ended up being a decision I was very thankful to have made and Sarah was on board and fully understood my reasoning.Weeks went by. At every appointment, the OB would say, "It looks like you've been counseled on this before, and there's no need to go over everything again. Are you ready to schedule your C-section yet?" And I would say, "No, not yet."Looking back, they really didn't go over anything with me. All they said was because of my special scar and lower segment surgery, I was too high risk and not allowed to VBAC.I had done my own research and there are no actual numbers on a high transverse scar which is just above the lower segment, in the upper segment, or on the lower segment scar resection, which is what they classified my surgery as. I feel it's important to get these numbers as C-section rates continue to rise, more versions of special scars will occur and more people could possibly end up with scar revision surgeries before they're done growing their family.At my 37-week appointment, with some encouragement from Sarah, I finally got an OB who would talk to me about my options. She said, "I know we can't make you have surgery that you don't want. You're right. You're in a gray area. We don't really know the numbers for your kind of situation. I think it's reasonable for you to see what happens. If you show up in labor, we will admit you." And I was overcome with relief. Finally, someone was being honest with me. She knew I had done all my research and was overly informed of my rights. I told her that I just didn't want to be harassed or threatened if I came in because that would discourage me from coming in when I would have liked to which is right when labor started. She said I could come in as soon as I thought anything was going on and I would be treated with respect. Circling back to what I learned about EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, it basically says if a hospital wants to receive reimbursement from Medicare patients, they may not turn away anyone seeking treatment regardless of their citizenship, legal status, or ability to pay.If a pregnant person arrives in active labor, they must be treated until the delivery is complete or a qualified medical personnel identifies that she's experiencing false labor.Furthermore, the person in labor can only be transferred if there's a hospital that can offer a higher level of care. The hospital I was going to was equipped to deliver VBAC and had a NICU. So I knew they were equipped to handle uterine ruptures, which they do about once a month, I've learned.I did agree to schedule a repeat C-section at 40 weeks and four days. At 40 weeks and one day, I got anxious and tried a half dose of what's recommended for kickstarting things with castor oil. It definitely kickstarted some things, and within about six hours, I was having contractions every four minutes.About two hours later, I was getting anxious to go to the hospital because they just didn't feel right. I felt them from my belly button down, and they didn't feel the same way. I remembered with the Pitocin, they weren't really crampy. They're more burning and sharp. I suddenly started feeling an urgency to get to the hospital so they could do the C-section. I texted Sarah to say, "We're going, but don't worry about coming just yet." My answer for why I had come to the L&D department was painful contractions. I already couldn't talk through them. I was hooked up to the monitors, and we could see that Leah was already having Cat 2 borderline Cat 3 decelerations.It's determined by how much the heart rate drops as a percentage of the baseline heart rate when not in a contraction. We tried some position changes, but I had already felt at peace with the idea of going back for a C-section, and my intuition told me it was time. I was extremely nervous to be strapped down, shaking uncontrollably, and not being able to enjoy my baby again.To my surprise, the spinal worked amazingly. I was calm, my husband was next to me, and I got to make all the decisions. I didn't feel pulling or pressure or tugging at all. It was the first time that I got to cry tears of joy after seeing my baby for the first time. I was informed that I'd had a small rupture and I had a very thin lower segment-like tissue about halfway up my uterus, which is not normal. I ruptured. It wasn't a big deal. We caught it. I knew something was wrong, and I had made the decisions that healed me, and I got my baby here safely. After my second was born, I remember sadly walking around our neighborhood, lost in the thought that I'd met all the important people in my life already and something was not sitting right with that. Never would I have ever imagined that a third C-section would heal everything.What I want people to take from my story is that you have to accept that you might not get your VBAC and work that into the process of attempting a VBAC. You can't put all your eggs in one basket for working towards that VBAC and ignoring the basket that needs some attention in case it doesn't happen.Making your own decisions and being confident in your reasoning makes all the difference. Yes, I did have a third C-section, but I know there's nothing I could have possibly done any differently that would have changed the outcome. I encourage people to do their own research, not just on rupture rates but on birth rights and patient rights.You cannot let your provider decide for you what they think is best for most patients because you're an individual and sometimes there isn't a perfect box to put you in.Your fate should not be determined by a doctor wanting to check a certain box and use that to make decisions that make themselves feel comfortable.Of course, ideally, you can find a supportive provider, but if you cannot, that does not mean that you can't call all the shots. You may rupture it, but it's not always, in fact, not usually some dramatic event. My most dramatic birth was before my special scar and surgery. So keep an open mind. Use the knowledge that you gained to instill confidence in yourself. Not getting your VBAC as a disappointment, but if you go in with the right mindset, it can be beautiful and meeting my third daughter was finally the happiest day of my life.Meagan: Oh, my goodness. I love hearing that. That whole end, I just closed my eyes and can hear you speak. And I was like, yes, all of these things are so, true. And I love that you point out that yes, you had a third C-section. Was it what you wanted in the beginning? Would you have wanted a vaginal birth? I'm sure you did. But, this is what I felt and you followed your intuition yet again. I feel like, along the story, but all stories of, intuition, intuition, intuition. And then hearing that you can have a healing experience. I think that is so important to point out that it can be healing. It can be absolutely healing. And I love that it was for you. I love that you were able to have your husband there and look back and be like, "No, I'm amazing." And you should be really proud of all the work you did, all the research you did advocating for yourself. It's not very easy to advocate for yourself. And I love the message that you gave to the other Women of Strength. Like, learn and advocate for yourself. Know the patient's rights.Chrissie: Yeah. Sarah: I think that's what was so unique and so awesome about your story, Chrissie, because even from  us starting to work together from the beginning, you just knew what you wanted, and you weren't afraid to say that. And you told me kind of like, "Hey, look, this is fine." Like you said, I gave you my packet and all of my welcome stuff for my normal clients. And you were like, "Look, I've done this before, and I know exactly what I want, and I know how I want to go forward with this birth." You were just so empowered and confident on your own, and I was just so excited to be along with you. And obviously, like, every birth doula wants to be there for the physical birth, but we also have to listen to our clients and respect their choices and decisions. When you were like, "Hey, we're going to the hospital, but don't come yet," it's hard to hear that. I was like, "Okay," but you knew exactly where you stood and what you want it. And, you know, I think that's just really awesome and amazing to have clients like you who are totally aware of, like Meagan was saying, your intuition and how you were feeling. So, you know, I think you have such an empowering story, and our stories can really go a long way, and you're gonna be that voice for people who are feeling so similar.Yeah, absolutely. It's hard to hear sometimes. Cause you're like, "That sounds so amazing. I would want to do that, but it can't." I think that's how a lot of people think. "Oh, that's good. She must have a strong personality." You don't have to have a strong personality to stand up and advocate for yourself in a lot of ways. I think a lot of it stemmed from you being informed along the way. You were informed. You knew your rights, you knew the evidence along things. I mean, here you are talking about them, and that's super important. It comes down with that education, because I do feel like the education is what helps us feel empowered enough to stand up and say what we do and don't want.Chrissie: I really don't have a strong personality at all. I was always very intimidated, trying to pump myself up for the next week of whatever week it was, visiting the OB practice, like, "Oh God, who am I going to see today?" But I just approached it with full knowledge of everything that's out there, as far as I know, because I've been researching it for a long time and just knowing my rights, I guess, I know that they know what they can and can't do to me.You can't force someone to have surgery if they're not ready for it. A C-section is a major surgery so I just knew to stand my ground in a polite and respectful way. Eventually, at the end of the wire, someone stood up for me in the practice, and I was very grateful for her because she gave me the last final push I needed to just wait for things to happen.Meagan: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you should be so proud of yourself and I'm so happy for you.And how was this postpartum? How's it been?Chrissie: It's been like, nothing.I mean, I have a third newborn, but I don't for some reason with me, subsequent C-sections, the debilitating pain is not there from what I experienced with the first one. I don't know if there are just so many nerve endings that are not there anymore or I don't know why. It's been super busy. So I don't even have time to think about what could have been or any feeling or thoughts. Thoughts about how I wish I could be feeling differently. But, yeah, very busy with the third and just so happy to have her with us today.Well, I'm so happy for you. Congratulations. I'm glad that even though you maybe didn't have Sarah during your birth, you had her along the way because I truly do feel like having that sounding board in that doula and that support along pregnancy can really impact and motivate people to learn how to trust that intuition and learn what they need to do and what's right for them.Chrissie: Yes, and she's actually helped me since birth because I didn't ask her to come during it. She has come and hung out with my kids and me so I could do certain errands or tasks. Our kids are actually obsessed with each other now, so it's kind of nice. Yeah.Sarah: Yeah. We bonded even more postpartum and now our daughters are movie night buddies, and they all like to play together.Meagan: That is so fun. I love hearing that. That is something that I tell my clients when they hire me. I'm like, "Hey, listen, you do not have to be my best friend, but I want you to know that I'm your lifelong friend." I feel like that just right there sums it up. Like, really. No, not everybody's going to be having their kids play together but I love that relationships can form and create in this manner.Sarah: Yeah. Yeah.Meagan: Okay, you too. Well, thank you again so much for being with us today.Chrissie: Thanks for picking my story.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.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Welcome back to Healthful Woman for a round of "What Does the Fox Say?" with host Dr. Nathan Fox. Today, we cover questions specifically about HCG and progesterone levels when becoming pregnant, tips to help with nausea during pregnancy, whether there are risks to the baby in the womb if the mother contracts influenza, and more.

In this episode of The Wholesome Fertility Podcast, Dr. Amelia Kelley @drameliakelley , a trauma-informed therapist, discusses her journey and insights into high sensitivity, coping mechanisms, and the impact of trauma on mental health. She explores the differences between empathy and compassion, the importance of understanding one's nervous system, and shares her personal fertility journey, highlighting the integration of holistic approaches such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. In this conversation, Dr. Amelia Kelley and Michelle explore the complexities of pregnancy loss, trauma, and the role of the nervous system in fertility. They discuss the importance of letting go of control and embracing spirituality, as well as the dynamics of being a highly sensitive person (HSP). The conversation delves into the benefits of body awareness and how it can aid in healing, while also addressing the challenges HSPs face in relationships and daily life. Ultimately, they highlight the adaptive nature of high sensitivity and its prevalence in the population, encouraging listeners to embrace their sensitivity as a gift rather than a burden.   Takeaways   Coping skills should be viewed as a lifestyle. High sensitivity is a genetic trait, not a flaw. Empathy can have negative health effects. Highly sensitive people require more alone time for regulation. Generational trauma can impact reproductive health. Understanding one's nervous system is crucial for coping. Holistic approaches can aid in fertility journeys. Stress and nervous system balance are crucial for fertility. Highly sensitive people (HSPs) experience the world differently. Body awareness can enhance healing processes. HSPs often respond more positively to therapeutic interventions. High sensitivity is an adaptive trait found in many individuals. Embracing sensitivity can lead to greater self-awareness and compassion.   Guest Bio:   Dr. Amelia Kelley is a trauma-informed therapist, author, co-host of The Sensitivity Doctor's Podcast, researcher, and certified meditation and yoga instructor. Her specialties include art therapy, internal family systems (IFS), EMDR, and brainspotting. Her work focuses on women's issues, empowering survivors of abuse and relationship trauma, highly sensitive persons, motivation, healthy living, and adult ADHD.    She is currently a psychology professor at Yorkville University and a nationally recognized relationship expert featured on SiriusXM Doctor Radio's The Psychiatry Show as well as NPR's The Measure of Everyday Life. Her private practice is part of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at the Kinsey Institute.    She is the author of Powered by ADHD: Strategies and Exercises for Women to Harness their Untapped Gifts (whichhas a corresponding online support group!), Gaslighting Recovery for Women: The Complete Guide to Recognizing Manipulation and Achieving Freedom from Emotional Abuse, coauthor of What I Wish I Knew: Surviving and Thriving After an Abusive Relationship, as well as Surviving Suicidal Ideation: From Therapy to Spirituality and the Lived Experience, and a contributing author for Psychology Today, ADDitude Magazine, as well as Highly Sensitive Refuge, the world's largest blog for HSPs. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, Yahoo News, Lifehacker, Well + Good and Insider.   You can find out more about her work at https://www.ameliakelley.com.   Follow her on Instagram @drameliakelley   https://www.instagram.com/drameliakelley/   https://www.facebook.com/DrAmeliaKelley   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drameliakelley/   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-your-corner       For more information about Michelle, visit: www.michelleoravitz.com   Check out Michelle's Latest Book: The Way of Fertility! https://www.michelleoravitz.com/thewayoffertility   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 Amelia.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (00:02) Thank you for having me. It's good to see you again.   Michelle (00:04) It's so good to see you. So Amelia's had me on her podcast, the sensitivity doctors in the past, and I would love for you to share your background. I am really interested and very intrigued by what you do because it's something that we spoke about. I totally relate to. I love the fact that you've authored so many books and have such an interesting background. So I would love to have the.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (00:26) Hehehe   Michelle (00:30) audience hear you.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (00:32) Sure. Well, I'm currently in my office. So I'm a trauma informed therapist, professor, and podcaster, which is how you and I met. And I've been in the field for 20 years now. I primarily work with trauma of various forms, but a lot of it is interpersonal trauma, relationship trauma, some issues with sexual abuse, some instances where I also work with per...   a lot of first responders, so cops, doctors, and also folks from the military. So I'd say that my work is kind of an intersection. I sometimes call myself an integrative therapist because just before our session, I was doing a yoga therapy session. I do everything from EMDR, brain spotting, yoga therapy, art therapy is actually my background, sand play therapy.   Michelle (01:02) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (01:27) I'm so into the brain too. I mean, I'm not, I would not say that my practice is comprehensive in neurofeedback. We do some minor interventions, but I love referring my clients to practitioners in the area to make sure that their brain health is on par too. And I also love referring to Carolina Clinic of Natural Medicine is my favorite in the area, but they do things like acupuncture and.   Michelle (01:40) Hmm.   Mm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (01:54) kind of holistic health, which I know really aligns with what you do. So, yeah.   Michelle (01:59) it's interesting because as you start to do anything, you start to find out how many different layers and different ways and methodologies that certain people respond to better than others. there's just so many different methods. And I think that some people just respond better to some.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (02:10) Right.   Right.   yeah. I think that's a great thing about coping skills. First and foremost, I love the idea of obliterating this idea that a coping skill is like work or that it's something that you only do when you're struggling. I think it's more of a lifestyle. And everyone is going to respond differently. Like I know I personally...   Michelle (02:35) Yes.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (02:41) water is very big for me. Like if I'm really stressed or I'm dysregulated, getting in hot water or cold water is very regulating for my nervous system. Whereas I have clients who the last thing they want to do when they're stressed or dysregulated is shower or get in water. It's actually one of the first things that they stop wanting to do.   Michelle (02:51) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (03:04) So it's so interesting seeing how we all respond differently, I think, in our own unique nervous system when we're under stress.   Michelle (03:11) Yeah, definitely. I find that also with my patients. mean, some people, be much more open to like things like meditation, other people, there's other ways to self soothing, which I call it, because ultimately, that's really what it is. So yeah, it definitely isn't work. sounds like work.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (03:20) Mm   Mm-hmm.   Right.   Michelle (03:30) but it's not work. think the biggest work is really the strategy and kind of figuring it out. But ultimately it's really there to soothe you at times that you feel overwhelmed.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (03:35) Mm-hmm.   Absolutely. I couldn't agree more.   Michelle (03:44) So let's talk about the sensitive person because I've always felt that that was something that I can describe myself as when I was younger. It was something that I felt I found myself more overwhelmed by noises, by certain people's energy than other people. And people would just be like, you're too sensitive or you focus on things too much. And   Dr. Amelia Kelley (03:52) Mm   Okay.   Michelle (04:08) It was something that I realized, as I met other people like me. I was like, wait, this is kind of a thing. And then when I learned about it, that it really is a thing, I found it really interesting. And it also, I found it very comforting. So it's like, okay, I'm like, I'm not abnormal. Like this isn't crazy. Yeah. So I would love for you to talk about that. So I feel like a lot of people can relate.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (04:14) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Right, Mm-hmm.   Definitely, and I know my aha moment was a big deal to me. It was years ago now. I stumbled upon Dr. Elaine Aaron, who is kind of the pioneer of some of the modern research on high sensitivity on her documentary, Sensitive, the Untold Story.   And it was one of those light bulb aha moments that made so much of my life make sense. Interestingly though, when I dug a little deeper, she was not the of the originator of this. It was actually research done in the 80s on babies and their responses to different stimuli. Things like they had...   Michelle (04:59) you   Mm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (05:17) auditory stimulation with like a creepy face making sound. had light stimulation, physical stimulation. And what they found was that the babies who were more reactive, they were calling high reactive babies, you know, which down the road became high sensitivity. But the really interesting thing is that the researchers went and followed up with these babies who are now in their midlife, you know, they're in their   I'd say probably 40s at this point, 30s and 40s. And they're finding that those high reactive babies still are more reactive adults. And so this doesn't mean someone who's highly emotional or can't control their temper when we think of reactivity. It's more, what is your reaction to sensory input? And certain brains, it is genetic.   Michelle (06:07) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (06:10) So it's a predisposition. It is a genetic trait. It is not a diagnosis. It is not something to fix. It is rather something to learn from and grow with and manage and live life in that way. And so it's highly genetic. And for that reason, I'm not surprised I have kids who are definitely highly sensitive. And high sensitivity can express in so many different ways. It can look like   Michelle (06:10) you   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (06:39) hypersensitivity to medication, sensitivity to light, to sound, to being rushed to other people's emotions. That's a big part. The empathy piece is very strong. I think it's really important to understand the difference between empathy and compassion when we consider highly sensitive people. you, like when I say that, does that make sense to you? Do you want me to unpack that?   Michelle (06:52) Mm-hmm.   It does. mean, so what I'm perceiving in that is that empathy is kind of like almost giving more of your own personal energy to something versus just feeling compassion and understanding that another person's emotions or perspectives without almost taking it on. I'm not sure if I'm on or not.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (07:08) Mm-hmm.   Well, mean, I think that's we can all define it differently, but I guess if I was going to scientifically define compassion and empathy. So empathy is our ability to feel what someone else is feeling. We all tend to know that definition. However, the interesting thing is that empathy has a negative impact on your immune health and it increases inflammation. Right. And so when we consider the fact that highly sensitive people   Michelle (07:34) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Well, that's interesting.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (07:56) have more active mirror neurons, which means the areas of their brain designed to plan social interactions, problem solving around social interactions, and even something as simple as, as a highly sensitive person, one of my ways to decompress is to watch like trashy reality TV at night. And so I will find myself as I'm watching these dating shows, smiling with the contestants.   Michelle (08:15) Yeah   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (08:23) or frowning with them. Sometimes I kind of laugh when I catch myself doing it. As a highly sensitive person, those areas of the brain are so much more active. And so it does make us have higher levels of empathy. But when you consider the fact that that can negatively impact your body, if you don't have enough boundaries around them, empathy is pro-social. It helps us get along, but also too much can be draining.   Michelle (08:32) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (08:50) And so compassion is actually kind of the anecdote to empathy because compassion is centered around the desire to act or help. And so this, when we think of self-compassion, the act of speaking to yourself kindly is an act. So you empathize for yourself, I feel bad today because I made a mistake. Just thinking of an example. The compassion is,   Michelle (08:50) Right.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (09:18) I'm going to choose to speak to myself kindly and with love because that will be curative for me. Whereas if you stay in an empathy response, you just continue to feel bad about whatever mistake you made, right? And so for highly sensitive people, it's exponentially important to lean into compassion and we can't all go out and save the world all the time. So sometimes this looks like well-wishing meditation.   Michelle (09:24) Done it.   Got it.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (09:46) processing with other like-minded people, those can be ways to express compassion that doesn't all have to be going out. And I remember, do you remember the movie Free Willy?   Michelle (09:58) yeah, but I don't remember if I saw it or I don't remember the actual movie. wait, though. It was the one with the whale, right? Yes. Yeah.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (10:06) Right, it was fiction, obviously, but as an HSP or an HSC at the time, a highly sensitive child, when that movie was over, I was destroyed at the thought of all these whales in the world who need help. And so my gracious parents who encouraged my sensitivity helped me find an organization where could adopt a whale. So it's like, and I mean, who knows what's happening. We probably paid $20 and...   Michelle (10:29) that's cute.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (10:34) I've adopted a whale, who knows, but it was the act of taking my empathy response and putting it into action with compassion that was curative for my little highly sensitive child heart.   Michelle (10:34) Yeah.   Hmm.   That's beautiful. actually really love that. And it also makes you feel like there's more purpose in the feelings that you're having. You're kind of taking the feelings and creating purpose with it.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (10:57) Absolutely. That's such a way of putting it.   Michelle (11:01) And one thing too, that I was thinking about when you were talking about being highly sensitive, which I could tell you right now, I 100 % am self-diagnosed. The nervous system, I think to myself about the nervous system and possibly that having something to do with it, just having a more heightened sensitive nervous system.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (11:09) Mm-hmm   Mm-hmm.   Michelle (11:22) Besides obviously the antidote and kind of like using or acting or doing, to translate the empathy, but as one part of regulating the nervous system, learning to manage the nervous system, doing things like you said, like when you get home, take a shower, do something that really connects with your nervous system, I feel like is a really great tool. And figuring out what that is, is that something that you often look into?   Dr. Amelia Kelley (11:49) Absolutely. Because if you think about just a handful of the questions that I was posing that help you identify if you're highly sensitive, a lot of them have to do with nervous system response. highly sensitives are more responsive to caffeine, drugs and alcohol, pain tolerance, hunger cues even, are more, you know, felt more intensely. So with HSPs, the nervous system, specifically the limbic   system is more active. And this is something that can be seen on actual scans of HSP brains. It is. It's wild. so I was having a really interesting conversation with Michael Allison, who is one of the instructors for the Polyvagal Institute. And he was talking about, I don't think if he really fully bought into the HSP thing, I think he sees everything through the Polyvagal world.   Michelle (12:20) Mm-hmm.   That's so interesting.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (12:48) And which I totally appreciate. There's different ways to look at our nervous systems. But he said something when we were talking about highly sensitive that really struck a chord to your point about the nervous system. He was saying when our nervous system alerts danger and for him that means the vagal break is off and the vagus nerve is overactive, the heart rate is up, fight flight. When we're not feeling safe.   It's usually because we're attending to something we think we need to attend to because it's out of sorts. And so the highly sensitive person, a look on your face could alert danger to me. Like someone seeming off or upset or concerned could signal that. And so for the highly sensitive person,   Michelle (13:23) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (13:42) They need more time and research has shown up to two hours of unstructured alone time per day is most quote prescribed for highly sensitive. And so the reason being is that our baseline is higher all the time. And so we need more things to regulate the nervous system so that sounds and things and emotions aren't pulling us out of our safety zone so quickly.   Michelle (13:49) Mm-hmm.   Right.   Mm-hmm.   my God, that makes sense on so many levels. I always felt like I needed, I need alone time. Like after a while, I just need to be by myself. need quiet. I need peace. And I totally understand what you're saying. And then also what's interesting is I remember when I was younger, always being afraid, like if somebody was mad at me or like, I would kind of feel a tone of like, my God, are they mad at me? And I get like really upset. And now I had to like learn to   Dr. Amelia Kelley (14:19) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Yes.   Michelle (14:42) just be like, okay, it's not that big of a deal. Maybe they were having a bad day, you know, sort of speak to myself on that, but that makes sense. And then I noticed that with my daughter, if sometimes I'll be busy and I won't respond with like a, you know, a full response, I'll be like, okay, okay, we'll talk later or whatever. Are you mad at me? And I always tell her, believe me, I would tell you I'm pretty clear about like what I'm happy about and not happy, you know.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (14:52) Mmm.   Hmm.   Right.   Michelle (15:07) And, but it's interesting. She'll kind of read between the lines with me. And she's like me, she just took after me. So it's kind of, yeah, so she's 19.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (15:12) Mm   How old is she, I ask? OK, so she's older. I was going to say, I know a great workbook, but it's for younger kids. yeah, she definitely, especially if you are too, it wouldn't surprise me that she would also be highly sensitive because it is so genetic.   Michelle (15:23) Yeah.   And she got like that more as she got older when she went to college than even before, for some reason. I don't know if maybe because she has a lot more going on or, she's starting to regulate on a different level, her nervous system. Cause I think that coming from home, things shift and change.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (15:39) Mm-hmm.   Right.   Totally. mean, think it's research has shown that some high sensitivity traits, you know, can be very present in childhood, but then there's other different types of traits that become more expressed later in life. But   Michelle (16:04) Mm-hmm. Yeah.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (16:06) I also beg to say, let's look at the external factors. You look at someone who is a highly sensitive child who didn't have to raise children, work a job, manage a home. So when you just keep adding more to your exactly, that can make those traits become more expressed too, I believe.   Michelle (16:16) Yeah, right.   Yep, responsibility. Yeah, for sure.   So I want to actually take this into your own journey, because I know you've had your fertility journey, because a lot of listeners, are going through the fertility journey. And I know a lot of people just based on my own clients and patients that are very sensitive and highly sensitive as well.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (16:38) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Michelle (16:48) I work a lot with them on, I don't know if you've ever heard of the NADA protocol. It's really good for PTSD. NADA, it's used, it's, yeah, yeah. So NADA, and it's a protocol that they use on the ears. it's like a, it's a series of ear points that we use like altogether.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (16:54) No. I love learning new things. Tell me. NADA. I have nothing to write on. Okay.   Michelle (17:12) And it works on regulating the nervous system. And it actually works amazing on it's even had published studies on working with vets, people with PTSD, like really major PTSD. Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's, it's really, really interesting. And, and also interestingly enough,   Dr. Amelia Kelley (17:23) I need a pen. Let me just grab one.   Do you use the mustard seeds or is it actual needles?   Michelle (17:33) So you could use the seeds. I use needles. I use needles. then some people, no, no, they're not mustard seeds, but they're seeds. And then some of the studies that were published, I think they even added electric stimulation. And what's interesting is it's not just really great for   Dr. Amelia Kelley (17:36) They're probably not called mustard seeds. I forgot what are they actually.   Mm-hmm.   cool.   Thank   Michelle (17:51) PTSD, but it's also really good for addiction. And interesting, if you think about the two, like what do they have in common? They're kind of like, it runs, they run on a loop. You know, it's this repeated either thoughts or behaviors. And it seems to kind of have that in common. Obviously it's two different things, but sometimes can cross over.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (17:56) wow.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   I love that. It's funny. It looks like you're on my podcast right now. So I'm like, let me take notes on what you're saying. You're so smart and knowledgeable in these areas. I love it. I will definitely check that out. I would be so curious if that's something that there are, like I said, a lot of veterans and addicts that I work with. And so I'm definitely going to look into that.   Michelle (18:16) So.   No, no, I know. It will...   I feel the same about you. it makes for a great conversation.   Yeah, definitely look into the studies. I think that that's, seeing the studies and seeing the numbers really makes a difference. And so that aspect of it is amazing. And also Joe dispense does work a lot of what he does helps tons of people with PTSD, like, they do scans and study the brains. It's pretty impactful. Yeah. Yeah. So back to you though, I would love to talk to you about how you feel, your nervous system.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (18:47) Mm-hmm.   That's really neat.   Michelle (19:10) Like how were you able to figure out a way to balance yourself through the journey, knowing what you know, and how do you think it's impacted you on that nervous system level and like the trauma, because I know that it can be very traumatic, even though people don't often talk about it like that. It should be, it should be highlighted in that way so that more people have awareness around it because it really is a very difficult process.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (19:16) Right.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Michelle (19:37) has even been compared to a cancer diagnosis. It's really significant.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (19:41) Wow. Well, and I actually have something about my story that integrates the two. So I think when I really look now and I understand my nervous system better, I think that the generational trauma that I was carrying with me into my reproductive years that I didn't understand that I didn't understand my high sensitivity. I didn't have a name for it. I didn't realize that that's what that was. I just thought.   I just felt too much all the time. What I think that was doing was that when I was ready to try to start having a family is that I had been in flight mode. And when people think of flight mode, they think of like running the coop. I had been in flight mode being overly productive. And I laugh because I'm still overly productive, but it's in a different energy now. It's in a completely different energy than it was then. But.   Michelle (20:34) Yeah.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (20:39) This flight mode, think what it was doing is it was putting my nervous system in a state, like you said on my podcast, where it was never able to rest. It was never able to replenish. so my cycle was totally dysregulated. I ended up, I don't know how detailed you want me to get, but I'm happy to share. OK, OK. So I started off, we had tried to get pregnant for a couple of years and it wasn't working. And at the time, I think about it,   Michelle (20:58) you can get as detailed as you need.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (21:09) I was in my doctoral program. I was working at a women's clinic and the methadone clinic and trying to start my practice all at the same time and just live life and be like a normal adult. And so we went the route of Western medicine at first. I love my doctor and he worked with me through the whole journey, but we tried Clomid and I got pregnant. But I think now that I know what I know about egg quality, thank you, Rebecca Fett. She's amazing.   Michelle (21:19) Bye.   Yeah, she's phenomenal. I know I've tried, but she like, she wasn't really doing them. Maybe she is now, but let me know if you get her. She's great. Yes.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (21:40) my gosh, I need to get her on my podcast. Let's like.   We're going to like, we'll just go not tap, tap, tap. Come on. now that I understand what I know now about egg quality, I think that the clomid forced an egg that really wasn't ready to be fertilized. And so we miscarried that baby. And that was the first miscarriage and definitely the most shocking and painful miscarriage. From there, did my, one of my, I think healthier   trauma coping mechanisms is research. And so I just dug in and I created this kind of like wellness plan for my husband and I had like printouts. What I didn't realize is that I was basically creating what Rebecca Fett recommends without realizing what in the world I was doing. And so I had us on a laundry list of vitamins and supplements and all these things. We got pregnant again, very.   Michelle (22:33) and   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (22:45) very luckily with our daughter, who is now nine. And then that was the end of that. was like, OK, that went OK. Maybe it was just like that first miscarriage. Lots of people have it, statistically speaking. Then we were trying for our second child. And I feel like that's when I really got introduced to the world that you're in, which is the Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, because we   I think I had already started working with my acupunctures at that time. again, we were having a hard time getting pregnant. And so they put me on like the most disgusting tea, but it was some sort of tea regimen and these herbs. And I was doing really cool acupuncture to your point with like the little electrodes and all of that. And I did get pregnant again, but that time ended up being a molar pregnancy.   Michelle (23:26) Yeah.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (23:42) which you know what those are assume or I don't know if you're listeners.   Michelle (23:46) Yes, I remember learning about it. haven't had any of my patients have that, but I remember learning about it actually in school.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (23:54) Right. So the trauma of the first miscarriage was, would almost call that like acute trauma, whereas the trauma with the molar pregnancy. So a molar pregnancy, for anyone listening who doesn't know, is when the sperm and the egg join and the DNA markers are not turned on. So no actual baby starts forming, but a mass starts to form. And your body thinks you're pregnant, and so it spikes your HCG actually above kind of average levels.   I thought I was pregnant with twins. was so sick. So I go in and I'm, I want to say eight, seven, eight weeks at that point that I thought and they scanned and there's no baby, which felt like a miscarriage, but it wasn't. But what happened after it was that I still had to do a DNC and then I had to do monthly HCG tests to make sure that my levels were dropping because if your levels of HCG go up at any point, have to   Michelle (24:26) Mm-hmm.   Right.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (24:52) do chemo. So this was this chronic six month period where we couldn't try again. And every month I was going in afraid for my health.   Michelle (25:00) Mm-hmm.   my gosh.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (25:05) Right. So that was a totally different type of trauma. And then we got pregnant again. And that one we lost at 10 weeks because it was a little boy with downs. And then we finally got pregnant with our son that we have now. But I would say during that journey of those miscarriages, that was when I really dug deep into   Things like I was saying, like really taking everything serious with Chinese herbalism, looking at what I was putting in my body, looking at what was around me, my stress level, mean, meditation, really anything I could to balance my nervous system. And to your point, I think the nervous system played a role finally in us getting pregnant with our son because I think when you were on my podcast, I told you that   Michelle (25:47) Yeah.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (25:58) I was doing all these things, it wasn't working, and then finally I did that, quite essential, fine, I give up. I'm not doing this anymore. I went to my acupuncturist and I said, just do stress this time. Don't do any of the fertility treatments, please. I just don't want to even think about it anymore. And then it's so obnoxious to say, but three weeks later we got pregnant.   Michelle (26:04) Mm-hmm.   It's not, it is, it's something that I'm, well, I'm not just, know why you're saying that because people are like, what the heck? Like, it's kind of like the just relax kind of thing. saying just relax is not helpful. That's why people are like, okay, well then how, you know, that's the how, like, how do I relax? so actually let's talk about that. Cause that, that is a big thing. That's a big thing.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (26:32) Right, right.   Right. Well, I I let go of the outcome. Yeah, I think for me, it was letting go of the outcome. And I think that allowed my nervous system to get back to a safer baseline. To your point about asking about high sensitivity, I think what used to be the stress was work and school. The stressor became the goal.   Michelle (26:52) Yeah.   Yes. You know, I just hadn't, an aha, but if you want to continue, I did, I just had an aha. It's like you're taking on the responsibility of the goal. You think that it's all up to you and you're taking that weight on your shoulders. And I think that that's what it is is, and, I'm kind of thinking back cause I had Dr. Lisa Miller. I don't know if you've heard of her. She's yeah, she's amazing. You would love her. And I think she would be great on your podcast. So put her down as a   Dr. Amelia Kelley (27:06) Which, what? Ooh, no, I wanna hear it.   Mmm.   Mm-hmm.   I've heard that name.   and a jotter down.   Michelle (27:32) as an option or somebody. She went through the fertility journey, but separately from that, she's also a professor in Columbia. I think you would love talking to her because you're a professor as well. And she's a psychotherapist and she is studying spirituality in the brain.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (27:41) good. Yeah.   that's interesting. Okay.   Michelle (27:50) It's fascinating. And so they found looking at, scans of brains and how they're functioning, where they're lit up, that spiritual people who are spiritual have different brains, their brains look different. And this could be the same brain of somebody who used to not be spiritual and then became spiritual. It doesn't matter. And what's interesting is, so this is my, as you were talking, not to interrupt, hopefully you're trained a thought, but   Dr. Amelia Kelley (28:05) Interesting.   Mm-hmm.   Michelle (28:18) can come at life taking on the responsibility of every single part of our outcome and like fully micromanaging ourselves and bearing that weight or when we're spiritual, that means that we believe in a higher power or some kind of higher intelligence. We're relying on something else and not carrying all the weight. So we're just basically giving our intention out there, but, but also feeling safe enough. Like you said, safe, word safe.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (28:28) Thank   Mm-hmm.   Yes.   Michelle (28:46) to let go. So that was kind of my heart just came out.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (28:48) Hmm, absolutely. No, I love it. mean, the connection makes so much sense because and it kind of makes me think of why it doesn't have to be quote religion that someone leans into. It doesn't. It can literally be if you're someone listening who is an atheist and staunchly does not believe in a higher power, it could be energy. I mean, we can't there's no denying scientifically there's energy. mean, even   Michelle (29:01) Mm-hmm. No, no, it doesn't have to be religion.   Right?   True.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (29:18) plants have been proven to grow better when we speak to them because of the energy and probably the carbon monoxide, but like you're a carbon dioxide, but not monoxide. I'm not breathing carbon monoxide, but you can't deny energy. even if someone is not religious or I would say, I would want to ask her actually, does this hold true for someone who's not quote spiritual, but   Michelle (29:25) Yeah, yeah, yeah, dioxide. Totally. understood. Yeah.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (29:44) who gives up things to the idea of energy. I want to ask her that.   Michelle (29:48) That's a great question. when you do have her on, let me know, because I'll be listening to the podcast.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (29:53) for sure. For sure. Thanks for the tip for the, I'll definitely check her out and reach out.   Michelle (29:57) Yeah, but it's fascinating. And I think to myself, I think that that might be that trusting in something else, trusting in an outcome or kind of releasing or relinquishing that burden and that responsibility. And that I guess that that was the aha is like taking on that responsibility of really trying to, take on the outcome, like as if you really have all of the responsibility and how it turns out and that burden and that feeling and that blame.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (30:06) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Now I'm having an aha. Well, yes, I'm having an aha because high sensitivity. So I was talking about the mirror neurons earlier and the empathy overload with highly sensitives. Highly sensitive people, we do tend to naturally take on the responsibility of other people's emotions. And we also, even one of the questions that Dr. Aaron poses is,   Michelle (30:29) Tell me. This is great. We bounce off each other really well.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (30:54) Do you know how to make people comfortable in a room? Like things like changing the lighting and the volume and the temperature in the room. I think even as a highly sensitive person, we kind of naturally take on the responsibility of the environment. And that's why some HSPs who are not high sensation seekers, who are just, you know, kind of more of the traditional introverted expression of it, they really get overwhelmed in social settings and they don't love hosting.   Michelle (31:19) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (31:23) because it's too much to micromanage. I'm a high sensation seeking HSP, so I do enjoy hosting and having people over at my home. However, the hours leading up to the event, I need quiet and calm. I've got like a hairpin trigger nervous system leading up to inviting people in my space, even though I love it. It's like this weird.   Michelle (31:24) you   Mm-hmm.   Hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (31:52) dichotomy. yeah, letting go of responsibility, think, releases the nervous system of a highly sensitive person as well.   Michelle (32:00) Yeah. And it's so interesting that you're saying that because like, I look back at my childhood, I was a really good imitator. And that just makes sense because you pick up on the little details of people's behavior and energy and you mirror that like literally.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (32:09) Mmm. Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I'm so curious and envious because I'm terrible at accents. Like, terrible. Really? Mm-hmm.   Michelle (32:26) Yeah, I used to, I would do it even when I wasn't trying. I would start to take on like, I would do it on purpose and when I wasn't trying, like I would just pick up on like certain behaviors or certain like tones and things. And I would kind of like take on like the energy of friends that would have very specific ways of talking. And I would almost be like, like I would catch myself. like, that's weird. I don't want to do that.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (32:35) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   You're like, I don't want to look like I'm really imitating them. This might get awkward.   Michelle (32:55) For sure. But it's just so fascinating. and then you're talking also highly sensitive persons that they could also have glucose sensitivity. You were saying you were talking about the physical sensitivity, right? Like that sometimes it could be allergies or other things and it's not just emotional.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (33:06) Mmm.   Mm-hmm. Well, so if you think about, it's not that they're going to have more unstable blood sugar from a technical medical stance. It's that the highly sensitive nervous system can sense peaks and valleys more than someone who is not highly sensitive. So they might respond more to hunger cues and may feel more   Michelle (33:29) Mm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (33:39) panic or anxiety or stress in the state of hunger. So they may be more likely to be the person that reaches for something to re-stabilize glucose. But then you can see how depending on someone's metabolic health, that might not fit well into whatever their health goals are. So I think of my non- he's actually quite highly sensitive now, but my husband- I'm going grab water.   Michelle (33:43) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Got it.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (34:08) Sorry. My husband, who is a little bit less sensitive and has a more stable metabolic system, when he's hungry, it doesn't cause as much distress.   Michelle (34:08) Sure.   Got it.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (34:20) If that makes sense.   Michelle (34:21) a body awareness thing. because HSPs are probably much more aware of how their bodies feel because a, immediately feel it. And then that impacts their emotions or how they feel mentally. Cause a lot of emotions get processed and they're really felt in the body. think, a lot of times people don't realize that it's why somatic.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (34:39) Mm-hmm.   Michelle (34:43) work can be so beneficial. Have you looked into somatic work?   Dr. Amelia Kelley (34:48) I do offer some forms of somatic work. I am not a somatic-experiencing practitioner. That takes a full, it's almost like a whole separate degree. But I actually find what you're saying very important to highlight, too, because HSPs, while anyone listening might think, goodness, OK, I'm highly sensitive. Now what? Does this just mean that I'm in for it? Everything's going to be harder?   Michelle (34:57) wow.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (35:14) The good thing, the hopeful thing is that HSPs also respond more to positives. So they feel more positive sensation from things like a massage or acupuncture or homeopathy or different aromatherapies. They're really going to benefit from it. I think that's why   Michelle (35:20) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (35:39) My HSPs tend to stay in therapy longer. So HSPs are kind of a stronger ratio in therapy, not only because the world can feel more traumatizing at some points for HSPs, but because they just get so much out of it. I think it also leads to things like food can taste even better. Music can sound even more beautiful. Movies can be even more moving. So there's these...   Michelle (35:58) Mm-hmm.   There's benefits.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (36:09) Yeah, there's this, I wouldn't give it up. I wouldn't want to be less sensitive just because it would make me a little bit less likely to reach for a snack in the afternoon. So there's this yin and yang to it.   Michelle (36:14) brain.   Yes.   For sure. I actually like just from my own journey based on that, what I offer a lot of my patients and I always talk to them about it when I perceive that they get overwhelmed by stimulation. That was really how I saw it. I would say that it's not about changing that it's a gift actually, cause it could also teach you to be very aware of other people's feelings and   Dr. Amelia Kelley (36:40) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Right.   Michelle (36:50) And that can be a great thing for healers, to be honest, because you're a lot more likely to be able to understand the people that you're working with. It's not about changing. It's more about managing, kind of figuring out ways to stabilize so that it works for you.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (36:53) Mm-hmm.   Right.   Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Right.   Absolutely. And I think that's the whole key of identifying whether or not you're one and why it's important. I've had clients who come in with a laundry list of diagnoses from other practitioners, usually because what's going on is trauma and it's being misdiagnosed as many other things, just my clinical opinion. But when I say maybe you're also highly sensitive, sometimes they just throw their arms up like another thing. And it's like, no, no.   Michelle (37:36) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (37:37) This is a key. This is a huge level of insight that can inform everything from your fertility journey for people listening, from trauma, from navigating. Anytime something stands in your way of getting where you want to be, if you know, well, I'm highly sensitive, so I will be more likely to succeed at this thing or accomplish this thing or feel better about this thing if I take my sensitivity into account.   Michelle (38:01) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (38:07) Perfect example, I had a very heavy day yesterday. had, I think, eight clients, a podcast, an interview, and a class. It was too much. It was a heavy, heavy day. I get home and my husband had managed to fix the voice-changing microphone toy that my kids have that had been broken that I wasn't rushing to fix. so I come in the house. They run to me. They're so excited to see me, so I'm excited to see them.   Michelle (38:17) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Ha ha ha!   Dr. Amelia Kelley (38:35) and then they start in on this microphone. The last thing I wanted was to hear that microphone. But I know I didn't want to ruin their fun. So I know about me that I am going to be sensitive to sound when I'm overstimulated. So I went into my bag. I got my loop earbuds. If no one's ever heard of them, they're great for dampening noise around you, but you can still hear people. Popped my earbuds in. I didn't feel like I had to mask the issue of being sensitive to the noise.   Michelle (38:56) Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (39:03) My family knows this about me. It wasn't anything against my kids. It was just, I'm going to pop these in so you can still have fun, but I can feel peaceful. And that's, think, a compassionate way to care for yourself is when you know these things about yourself, you can do things to help you still integrate and feel happy and peaceful in your life, but not have to push away what really is true.   Michelle (39:17) Mm-hmm.   I love that. actually really love that. It actually, the idea of highly sensitive, I don't mind it. Although I do think that there's definitely a lot of labels. I don't see this as one because the reason why I'm saying this, it reminds me of human design where you find out your strengths and sensitivities.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (39:42) Yes.   Michelle (39:47) and I think that once you know those, so it's not like a disorder, you know, cause we, think we hear all these different labels. think of it as like all these disorders. It's not no. And so that's the thing with this. I feel like it brings a lot of clarity. I, as a sensitive person   Dr. Amelia Kelley (39:54) Mm-hmm. It's not even a diagnosis.   Michelle (40:05) it really makes me understand myself more and manage it more. Just like you said, and I think that that is the key rather than getting frustrated with my husband who likes to really over explain. And sometimes I'm like, okay, my brain is like just on fire right now. And I have to explain that to, like, I know to explain that to him, like, it's not you, it's just me. He like right now I'm overloaded with information. I need a little quiet.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (40:10) Mm hmm.   Mm-hmm.   my gosh.   Yes.   Right.   Mm-hmm.   Michelle (40:33) So I think that when you do that, you'll also come at explaining things in a way that's more compassionate and easier to communicate rather than getting frustrated because you'll understand yourself better. And you understand sort of the situation that somebody else might not have that level of sensitivity and you do so they may not realize it. And I just feel like it really puts so much clarity to the situation.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (40:41) Right.   Right.   Right.   absolutely. if you happen to have kids or if you're on this fertility journey and in the future you're blessed with kids, the likelihood of them maybe being sensitive is quite high. And so you will be able to model for them. I joke one day, my daughter was probably three or four at the time, and she kept asking me for things in the bathroom. like, what is she doing? I walked in and she was laying in the tub with a book and a cup.   Michelle (41:17) Yes.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (41:30) and a towel over her face. And I'm like, what are you doing? She goes, I'm being mommy. I know, but it made me really proud too, because I'm like, OK, great. So this has been modeled for her. And you know, one thing we didn't even mention that we probably should have mentioned at the very beginning, high sensitivity is not abnormal. It's an adaptive trait. And it is a third. Up to a third of the human population is highly sensitive.   Michelle (41:35) That's really cute.   Yeah.   you   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (41:59) And there are ranges. So you have high sensitivity, medium sensitivity, and there are actually people who are low sensitive as well. Like their nervous system takes a lot of stimulation to be activated. And you might notice if you start learning this about yourself, you'll be able to start reflecting on people in your life and how you respond to them. And there might be people you can get to depth with a little bit more easily. Those might be your other co-HSPs.   Michelle (42:12) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (42:29) And this is not just humans. The research shows this is in hundreds of animal species, even bugs. So it's everywhere. It's part of nature. It's part of nature, essentially.   Michelle (42:38) Wow, that's fascinating. That's so interesting. It's wild. You know, and I think to myself, like one of the things that I noticed, and it's so interesting that you said this, because I noticed that my patients, One of the things that I really observe is how they respond to treatments. Not everybody responds as quick.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (42:52) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Michelle (42:58) Some people take a little longer. so I can come up with like my first protocol, but then I realized I need to shift it a little bit, depending on how they do, or sometimes I'll even use baby needles on people who are very, very sensitive. Cause I don't want to overdo it with their nervous system. They don't need the strong needles. They don't need the strong stimulation cause they feel it already. And the people that have that body awareness   Dr. Amelia Kelley (43:04) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.   Mmm.   Right.   Right.   Michelle (43:22) is that when they have that body awareness, I feel like they respond to treatment a lot faster.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (43:28) Mm hmm. Yep. You're right. Just like we were saying that you'll get more good out of the good.   Michelle (43:31) Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. So interesting. I can talk to you for hours. I really enjoy our conversations. It's a lot of fun. I'll come back and then I'll have you back because I'm sure we can come up with like all kinds of things to talk about.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (43:37) I know I have to have you back now.   Well, and you know the funny thing, so I'll tell your listeners my podcast is The Sensitivity Doctor, and I have folks on all the time to talk about different topics around sensitivity. Do you know I have not had an episode literally just talking about what it means to be a highly sensitive person? I would love to have you on to have a chat about what it means to another highly sensitive person, and we can just unpack it. Because we talk about it extraneously around it, but I'm like,   Michelle (44:04) really?   Let's do it. Let's do it.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (44:16) Yeah, we should just unpack what that means. So I would love to have you back.   Michelle (44:20) That would be great. I really enjoy talking to you. can just like totally pick your brain. You're so interesting to talk to. I got really, and I love your energy and you're also the way you approach it in such an empowering way. I love that. Like I think it's just amazing. yeah, yeah, this is fun. I'm really excited. I actually met you.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (44:26) thank you. You too.   Mm-hmm. Thank you.   Yeah, it was a good it was a good meeting   Michelle (44:41) it was definitely a great meeting. So I would love for you to share for people listening and if they want to learn more, if they want to read your books, how they can reach you and how they can work with you.   Dr. Amelia Kelley (44:47) Mm-hmm.   Sure, so as I was mentioning, I do have my podcast that comes out every Thursday. But if you want to learn basically anything that I have to offer, it's on my website at AmeliaKelly.com, and that's Kelly with an EY. And I have links to my Psychology Today blog. It's called In Your Corner. I've got meditations on Insight Timer on there. There's a couple different quizzes, like if you want to figure out if you're in a...   trauma bond, if you want to learn if you're a highly sensitive person, I have an assessment on there. I also offer what I think to be the most important tools from some of my books that I want to make available to everyone for free, like the safety plan of how to get out of domestic violence situations, suicide safety plan, gas lighting checklist, like some of the things that I feel like everyone really should just have. You don't need to go buy the book.   Those are available too. So you can also find links for all my books and I also have a group that I meet every Tomorrow actually it's meeting. It's every other Thursday It's called powered by ADHD and it's for women with ADHD and sometimes we have guest speakers on which we're gonna have tomorrow night so I'm excited about that and I love that because it's a resource that women anywhere in the world can reach out You don't have to be in the state of North Carolina where I'm licensed. So   virtually anyone who is a woman or identifies as a woman can join that.   of course. Thanks for having me. Yeah, you'll come back. Awesome.  

Test Only Cycles? Lowest Deca for Joints? Primo Tabs? Growing Muscle In Deficit? DNS Podcast with Dave Crosland & Scott McNally TIME STAMPS BELOW 0:00 teaser 0:28 Intro 2:15 Test Only instead of a complicated stack? 11:45 Lowest Deca amount for joints? 16:20 androstenedione 17:30 The Problem of Blended Products 22:30 Test Base and Tren Base 27:20 NPP dosing 30:40 Dave's yard 32:00 Fully recovered with HCG 36:00 Growing In a Deficit 39:10 Primo Tabs vs Primo vs Rimobolan 41:30 Scenario where Primo in off season makes sense 44:00 Blood Types and Gear? 44:36 Dizziness on cycle 50:00 Is L-Carnitine Still Popular ? 52:10 Anadrol or Insulin During Fat Loss Diet 56:00 Anadrol Pulse 1:00:00 Uncle Dave's Advice 1:03:35 Are Dave & Scott influencers ?

After experiencing the heartbreak of miscarriage, I am opening my heart to share my deeply personal journey on the Barbell Mamas podcast. From the initial joy of discovering I was pregnant with our third child to the devastation of a chemical pregnancy and miscarriage, this episode offers an intimate look into the emotional highs and lows that many face but rarely discuss openly. As a pelvic floor physical therapist and a mom, I aim to provide both solace to those who have endured similar losses and insights for clinicians and coaches who support them.The rollercoaster of early pregnancy complications is fraught with uncertainty and emotional upheaval. I recount our struggle with a large subchorionic hematoma and fluctuating HCG levels, which ultimately led to the confirmation of a miscarriage. This journey underlines the critical importance of monitoring, follow-up, and the immense emotional toll such experiences can inflict. The support from healthcare providers and the accessibility of Canadian healthcare became pillars of strength during this difficult time, and I share my gratitude for the compassion and understanding I found in my personal network.In embracing vulnerability, I invite listeners to engage with this heartfelt discussion and reflect on their own experiences. My commitment to being an open book serves as both a form of self-reflection and an educational opportunity for others navigating similar challenges. Whether you're a mom who enjoys exercising, a healthcare professional, or someone who has faced the emotional terrain of miscarriage, this episode aims to remind you that you are not alone, and healing—though gradual—can be nurtured through shared stories and supportive communities.___________________________________________________________________________Don't miss out on any of the TEA coming out of the Barbell Mamas by subscribing to our newsletter You can also follow us on Instagram and YouTube for all the up-to-date information you need about pelvic health and female athletes. Interested in our programs? Check us out here!

In this episode of Hart2Heart with Dr. Mike Hart, Dr. Hart dives deep into advanced and practical health topics with Dr. Abud Bakri, a maternal medicine specialist based in California. Dr. Bakri discusses health optimization, the role of biohacking in modern medicine, and the split between traditional and wellness-focused primary care. They explore the effects of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic, the benefits of DHT and testosterone, and practical strategies for hormone health and lifestyle improvement. Guest Bio and Links: Dr. Abud Bakri is a maternal medicine specialist based in California, known for his expertise in health optimization and wellness-focused medicine.  Listeners can learn more about Dr. Abud Bakri on YouTube, IG @abud_bakri, and X @AbudBakri Show Notes: (0:00) Welcome back to the Hart2Heart Podcast with Dr. Mike Hart    (0:15) Dr. Hart introduces guest, Dr. Abud Bakri to the listeners (1:15) Dr. Abud Bakri's medical background (3:30) The evolution of medicine and health optimization (5:00) The role of GLP-1 agonists in weight management (8:00) Understanding obesity and brain reprogramming (12:15) Mechanisms and benefits of Ozempic (14:00) Challenges and strategies for long-term weight management (17:00) Leptin Resistance and its clinical implications (21:00) Testosterone vs. DHT - what men need to know (24:00) Causes of male pattern baldness (28:00) The role of DHT in cognitive and sexual function (33:00) Pregnenolone and Its importance in TRT (35:30) Testing and ratios: DHT and testosterone (38:00) The debate on HCG and LH stimulation (43:00) Natural supplements and estrogen blockers (45:30) Pheromones and their impact on attraction (53:00) Optimizing sleep for better health (56:00) Closing thoughts - taking charge of your health --- Dr. Mike Hart is a Cannabis Physician and Lifestyle Strategist. In April 2014, Dr. Hart became the first physician in London, Ontario to open a cannabis clinic. While Dr. Hart continues to treat patients at his clinic, his primary focus has shifted to correcting the medical cannabis educational gap that exists in the medical community.  Connect on social with Dr. Mike Hart: Social Links: Instagram: @drmikehart Twitter: @drmikehart Facebook: @drmikehart  

DNS Podcast with Dave Crosland & Scott McNally - TIME STAMPS BELOW 0:00 Teaser - Winstrol Vs Anavar 0:40 Intro and advertisers 1:30 Rest In Peace to Matt Minerod 4:30 Top Best to Worst Steroids 5:45 Last Place Primobolan 6:45 8th & 7th - The Limitations of Oral Steroids 7:20 6th and 5th Place Masteron vs Anadrol 8:00 4th Place : Dianabol 8:30 Tolerance vs Effectiveness : Deca vs Tren 11:30 1st Place : Testosterone 13:45 Transformation Contest 15:30 IM vs SubQ shots on cycle ? 21:10 Test Cyp to Test E for a Cycle or does it matter? 22:05 Dealing with Arthritis 25:20 Mildronate For Bodybuilding 28:30 Timing on doses for Clen, Yohimbine, Winstrol, T3 34:35 Dusty's Debate : What condiments for a hot dog 36:45 M1T ( Methyl 1 Testosterone ) 39:00 pancreatitis and gear 40:50 Arimidex vs Aromasin 41:45 Tendon Injuries : GH vs BPC157 & TB500 OR All 3? 45:40 Rotator Cuff Recovery 46:50 HCG on Cycle? 49:20 Looking for trust worthy places for your supply 53:45 Lifetime Natty watching “the podcast” ? 56:00 MT2 Melanotan 2 changing hair color? 59:10 Uncle Dave's Wisdom

What you know about melatonin & THC is WRONG. Dave Lee is the ultimate expert to men's health, testosterone, & sexual health - From issue resolution to optimization. Things you're taking that are reducing your masculinity, dht-blockers and finasteride, maximizing sexual health, botanicals on reducing libido, nandrolone and tren on pregnenolone and dhea, and everything we thought we knew about melatonin is wrong @imdaveleePlease share this episode if you liked it. To support the podcast, the best cost-free way is to subscribe and please rate the podcast 5* wherever you find your podcasts. Thanks for watching.To be part of any Q&A, follow trensparentpodcast or nylenayga on instagram and watch for Q&A prompts on the story  https://www.instagram.com/trensparentpodcast/Watch The Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqgN2kieCEHwZ9M-QFBxfCgPharma TRT, GH analogs, peptides, IGF-1, var troche, fat-loss/hair-loss treatments, etc | HRT Men's Health Optimization: https://transcendcompany.com/patient-intake-form/?ls=Nyle+NaygaHuge Supplements (Protein, Pre, Defend Cycle Support, Utilize GDA, Vital, Astragalus, Citrus Bergamot): https://www.hugesupplements.com/discount/NYLESupport code 'NYLE' 10% off - proceeds go towards upgrading content productionYoungLA Clothes: https://www.youngla.com/discount/nyleCode ‘NYLE' to support the podcastLet's chat about the Podcast:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trensparentpodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transparentpodcastPersonalized Bodybuilding Program:  https://www.nylenaygafitness.comTimestamps:00:00:00 - Teaser & Intro00:14:00 - Hormones & Sexual Health00:24:16 - Thoughts on HCG & Clomofine00:29:54 - Feminine symptoms00:40:52 - "Testosterone & TRT side effects00:51:38 - Effects of Cialis00:54:17 - Gear & Sexual Health00:58:10 -Finasteride01:02:22 - Bald & Beard01:05:43 - "Japanese Yakuza"01:06:00 - Melatonin01:12:43 - Cycling Melatonin01:16:11 - Optimizing Endogenous vs Exogenous Melatonin01:27:49 - Thoughts on KSM-66 & Ashwagandha01:35:24 - Lion's mane01:41:07 - Effects of Porn01:46:33 - Q & A01:50:37 - Testosterone cream01:55:46 - Pregnenolone deficiency & Sodium sensitivity#podcast #mentalhealth #holistic #health #hrt #story #discipline #fitness #ifbbpro #npc #bodybuilder #bodybuilding #workout #gym #nutrition #physique #classic

#bodybuilding #TRT #Muscle #Contestprep #bodybuildingpodcast ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ROIDS #1 BOOK ON TRUTH IN THE HISTORY OF BODYBUILDING Link - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bodybuilderinthailand.com/ultimate-guide-to-roids/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ Daily Text Msg Training 99/month and 1 Hour Phone Call Consult 59 Send Email to inquire about personal training to steroidspodcast@gmail.com Bodybuilder in Thailand on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bodybuilderinthailand/⁠⁠⁠⁠ My Other Podcast: Grab the Bull Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/X6SzfCrN4NY?si=Ho2T9WIVxLjXo_AE⁠ 0:00 Injecting Orals or Taking them sublingually versus eating them and have a first pass liver metabolism the way that oral steroids are designed to be administered. 8:50 Heartburn and burning in your throat from using orals, Famotidine Calcium Chelator Removes Heart Plaque 11:35 DHB dihydroboldenone previously know as 1-testosterone and the prohormone 1-AD by ergopharm 14:15 Why dont pro bodybuilders seem aggressive like weekend warrior steroid users do 16:30 muscle quality produced from different styles of PED use. 18:00 DHB Internet Rumors vs Reality - expectations - DHB Cypionate Cosmetic Effect 19:38 Test and Deca Cycle, Questions on Fast Esters and their Utility in a Bodybuilding Cycle 22:43 Deca vs NPP nandrolone phenyl propionate 24:23 How do you reduce SHBG sex hormone binding globulin 27:13 Talking about some Vitamin Supplements Citicholine Zinc Probiotics 33:05 New Trend of High Masteron and Low Testosterone For Massive Muscle Gains 38:01 TRT, HCG, and Winstrol 25mg - Expectations 41:03 4 Points: Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, Thyroid Hormone, Insulin / Metformin, HGH Sompatropin 44:29 High Blood Pressure Trenbolone User with Nosebleeds - COMPREHENSIVE BLOOD PRESSURE KNOWLEDGE 51:25 How do you make Cannonball Delts? how Do you get Deathstar Delts? This Podcast is for entertainment and conversational purposes only. Serious Injury and Death can occur from utilizing chemical performance enhancement. This author does not support the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs. If any substances mentioned in this video are illegal in your country do not use them. The purpose of this podcast is not to glorify the use of PED's but to bring to light the reality of what athletes are doing privately. Consult a doctor before beginning any exercise or supplement routine. Do not take anything mentioned in this video as advice. It is simply conversation, not advice.

Why would a 20-year old have low testosterone? This inspiring story explains how environmental factors, such as xenoestrogens, can sabotage testosterone levels in young men today. Meet a remarkable young college student whose journey sheds light on a pressing health issue often overlooked in younger men: low testosterone. At just 20 years old, he found himself grappling with symptoms typically associated with much older individuals - fatigue, brain fog, and a frustrating lack of energy. After a check-up sparked by his younger brother's similar struggles, he discovered his testosterone levels were shockingly low, similar to those of a 70-year-old man. Determined to reclaim his vitality without compromising his future family plans, he opted for HCG therapy, a natural approach designed to boost his body's testosterone production. The results were transformative! He now enjoys improved sleep, consistent energy, and a renewed sense of well-being, allowing him to excel academically and athletically. Join Dr. Hotze and his guest August Jones as he shares his insights and experiences, highlighting the critical need for young men to prioritize their health and the importance of nutrition education in medical training. August is now a pre-med student who wants to practice natural approaches to health in the future. This episode not only informs but inspires, showcasing the power of natural health approaches in shaping a better future for young men. Watch now and subscribe to our podcasts at www.HotzePodcast.com. To receive a FREE copy of Dr. Hotze's best-selling book, “Hormones, Health, and Happiness,” call 281-698-8698 and mention this podcast. Includes free shipping!

In this episode of The OTG Podcast, we dive deep into the truth behind fad diets with our special guest Kayla Straube, the owner of Powerfit Meals. Together, we explore the dangers of diet trends like HCG, and why quick fixes rarely lead to long-term success. We also focus on how Powerfit Meals is revolutionizing meal prep by providing balanced, nutritious options that are ACTUALLY tasty! Other things we talk about are.. What actually works How meal prep can help what is a fad diet examples Why they don't work What is a balanced diet Creating a sustainable lifestyle Tips for how to do so Tune in and get your tupperware ready to learn how to make informed choices about your diet and find out what really works for sustainable health and wellness. Find out more about Kayla and Power Fit right here! https://powerfitprep.com/ Find out more about us https://otgfitness.com/

BSG Coaching QA Podcast 3 Biggest Mistakes Clients Make, Finding the Right Training Frequency For YOU, Superdrol In Contest Prep & Pick ONE Condiment for the rest of your life! Coaches Skip Hill, Andrew Berry, Scott McNally TIME STAMPS BELOW

Type of Loss: Early-term loss, multiple losses, heterotopic pregnancy More about Tara's Story: Tara and her husband were over the excited when they found out they were pregnant with their first child in October 2011. After a few weeks, she started bleeding, after an ER visit, and 2 HCG tests, they discovered that the baby was not growing correctly. At this time, Tara started to experience severe pain on the right side of her abdomen. At her 12 week appointment she was told her baby had no heartbeat. After processing the devastating news, she had a D&C. In the following 6 weeks, Tara explains that she was still experiencing extreme pain. She made countless doctors appointments, had kidney tests, cat scans, saw chiropractors, and more ultrasounds and nothing was discovered. While at dinner in early January 2012, she started experiencing more severe stomach pain and bleeding and was rushed to the ER. She begged for an exploratory laparoscopy where it was finally discovered that her right fallopian tube had ruptured due to an ectopic pregnancy that had occurred at the same time as the intrauterine pregnancy. This is called a heterotopic pregnancy an occurs in only 1 of 30,000 pregnancies. Learn more about Emma's Footprints: www.EmmasFootprints.com Facebook: EmmasFootprints

Oral Only Cycles, Positive Olympic Steroid Tests! Being Progressive In Your Cycles TIME STAMPS BELOW Dave Crosland & Scott McNally DNS Podcast 232 Chapters: 00:00:00 - Teaser - Pros and Cons of Oral-Only Cycles 00:05:45 - Controversies and Problems at the Olympics 00:08:51 - Anabolic Use in Sports 00:12:14 - Athletes without Financial Support 00:15:05 - ORAL STEROIDS - Convenience and Limitations of Oral Steroids 00:17:56 - The Limitations of SARMS 00:20:44 - Duration and limitations of chemical use in bodybuilding 00:23:52 - Potential Side Effects of HCG and Arimidex 00:27:22 - Management of Estrogen Levels 00:30:22 - Estrogen Control: Arimidex vs. Aromasin 00:33:28 - Allowing Levels to Come Down 00:36:26 - The Importance of Time Away from Drugs 00:39:09 - Changing Anabolic Compounds 00:42:32 - Designing Progressive Cycles 00:45:29 - Factors affecting estrogen levels 00:48:27 - Choosing Between Masteron and Primo 00:51:37 - Dosing of and Combining Compounds 00:54:47 - Supplement Recommendations 00:57:43 - Wisdom for the Cardio Session 01:00:46 - Finding Positivity in Challenging Times 01:03:48 - Finding Balance and Self-Reflection 01:06:43 - Finding Gratitude in Work 01:09:48 - Fitness Planet and Monthly Clinic ✅ Amino Asylum code THINK for 20% off research chems, peptides, l-carnitine and more https://aminoasylum.shop/ref/122/

Join guest host, Emma Hinkle, and her guests—Steven Millerman, Alessandra Richardson, and Rajni Parthasarathy—as they delve into the nuances of multicultural considerations in medical communications. This episode stems from an interesting roundtable discussion at the Annual Meeting of ISMPP 2024, highlighting the importance of understanding cultural differences in medical publications. From defining multicultural considerations in the medical communications space to practical insights for improving diversity in clinical trials and medical communications, this episode offers actionable strategies and real-world examples. Emma Hinkle is a Senior Medical Writer at MedThink SciCom, Alessandra Richardson is the Senior Manager of U.S. Medical Communications for Neurology and Immunology at EMD Serono, Steven Millerman is the General Manager of FingerPaint Group, and Rajni Parthasarathy is the VP of SCientific Services and DEI Lead at HCG. Produced by ISMPP (International Society for Medical Publication Professionals), in partnership with Evergreen Podcasts. The views expressed in this recording are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ISMPP or the companies or institutions with which they are currently or past affiliated. This presentation is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or regulatory advice. Thank you for listening to InformED! Please subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app and rate our show highly if you enjoyed it. ISMPP benefits medical publications and medical communications professionals by providing members with knowledge, community, and professionalism. Consider becoming a member! Visit ismpp.org.

In this quick Health Bite, we reveal the hidden dangers of crash diets and quick-fix solutions like semaglutide and HCG. Find out why these approaches often result in water and muscle loss, harming your metabolism and overall health. We'll share essential tips on proper nutrition, understanding your body's needs, and managing stress for sustainable weight loss.***

In this episode of Intermittent Fasting Stories, Gin talks to Kate Weakley from the southern coast of New South Wales in Australia.Are you ready to take your intermittent fasting lifestyle to the next level? There's nothing better than community to help with that. In the Delay, Don't Deny community we all embrace the clean fast, and there's just the right support for you as you live your intermittent fasting lifestyle. You can connect directly with Gin in the Ask Gin group, and she will answer all of your questions personally. If you're new to intermittent fasting or recommitting to the IF lifestyle, join the 28-Day FAST Start group. After your fast start, join us for support in The 1st Year group. Need tips for long term maintenance? We have a place for that! There are many more useful spaces beyond these, and you can interact in as many as you like. Visit ginstephens.com/community to join us. An annual membership costs just over a dollar a week when you do the math. If you aren't ready to fully commit for a year, join for a month and you can cancel at any time. If you know you'll want to stay forever, we also have a lifetime membership option available. IF is free. You don't need to join our community to fast. But if you're looking for support from a community of like-minded IFers, we are here for you at ginstephens.com/community. Kate is a homeschooling mom of 4, a new teacher, and she also helps her husband run his chiropractic business. Kate's personal journey with intermittent fasting began after reaching her highest weight of 231 pounds. Following the challenges of motherhood that led her to put self-care on hold, Kate found a path to sustainable change through IF. She delves into her experience of trying the "Fast 800" diet, and her shift to the Delay, Don't Deny approach to fasting in 2020, detailing how COVID-19 was both a setback due to a return to regular eating and a blessing in disguise that provided her family with more quality time together and improved sleep for her.Kate and Gin candidly share their past battles with extreme diets such as the Fast 800 for Kate and the HCG diet for Gin, acknowledging the difficulties and potential negative impacts of these types of diets that call for severe calorie restriction. They contrast those experiences with the benefits of intermittent fasting, celebrating the freedom and ease it provides compared to the constant restriction they had previously endured. Kate recounts her remarkable weight loss journey, dropping from 220 to 158 pounds at her lowest, and how she experienced body recomposition, resulting in a significant reduction in her clothing size, while her overall health, including her hair, nails, skin, vision, and mental clarity, improved noticeably. Both reflect on finding the right balance in protein intake, with Gin discussing the protein leverage hypothesis, and how they've learned to listen to their bodies to determine individual nutritional needs, rather than adhering to generic dietary advice.Kate's narrative extends beyond her own transformation to include her family's wellness journey. With intuitive eating at its core, Kate's children benefit from the opportunity to eat according to their hunger while her husband practices a 16:8 fasting method. Drawing from her weight loss experience, Kate relays how she embraced a more fulfilling and active lifestyle, recently completing a 54 km hike in New Zealand, and how at 50, she pursued a master's degree in teaching, attributing her renewed focus and clarity to her fasting regimen. Both Kate and her husband advocate for intermittent fasting within his chiropractic practice, suggesting resources such as the book Fast. Feast. Repeat. to those curious about the lifestyle.The episode concludes with Kate offering heartfelt advice to newcomers to intermittent fasting. She suggests that a successful start consists of prioritizing restful sleep, tracking the eating window honestly, and delighting in delicious, nourishing foods. Emphasizing the importance of listening to one's own body and cravings, Kate highlights the mental satisfaction that comes with enjoying what we eat. Beyond diet, she encourages a trust in the process and the self, reminding listeners that the journey to health is as unique as the individual embarking on it. Her final words of wisdom reflect her journey's theme: to find joy and empowerment through intuitive, mindful fasting and eating.Get Gin's books at: http://www.ginstephens.com/get-the-books.html, including her latest bestseller 28-Day Fast Start Day-By-Day, the Ultimate Guide to Starting (or Restarting) Your Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle so it Sticks, New York Times Bestseller, Fast. Feast. Repeat., and Cleanish, available wherever you buy books! Delay, Don't Deny is available on Amazon. Join Gin's community! Go to: ginstephens.com/communityDo you enjoy Intermittent Fasting Stories? You'll probably also like Gin's other podcast with cohost Sheri Bullock: Fast. Feast. Repeat. Intermittent Fasting for Life. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts. Share your intermittent fasting stories with Gin: gin@intermittentfastingstories.comVisit Gin's website at: ginstephens.com Check out Gin's Favorite Things at http://www.ginstephens.com/gins-favorite-things.htmlSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hour 3 for 7/10/24 Dr. Sean O'Mara joined Drew to discuss the efficacy of multivitamins (:51). Callers sounded off about how supplements have helped (9:53), asked how much water during fasting (20:56), asked if we should take vitamins while fasting (26:04), and asked about HCG supplements (46:31). Finally, Drew asked if juicing is good (39:58). 

Just the other day in my University clinic, in one single morning, I had 3 separate patients with three very interesting histories; these became the basis of this episode. It's amazing what's out there in daily practice! so, we will dive into these three main questions which arose from these three patient encounters: 1. What single test is recommended before initiation of combination birth control pills? And if this is recommended, how do online pharmacies prescribe prescription birth control? 2. Does PCOS cause other hormone (Prolactin? HCG?) disturbances? And 3., Is treatment of acne within the wheelhouse of women's healthcare providers? We've got lots to cover in this episode…so let's get started, NOW.

Episode #309. Testosterone: we hear it thrown around constantly as the silver bullet for curing all kinds of symptoms. Join me as I sit down with Dr Adam Hotchkiss, podiatric physician and foot surgeon turned human optimisation specialist, to answer all your burning questions about testosterone, TRT, steroids, and more. This is an important listen for any men considering using steroids to enhance their physique or looking to safely increase testosterone without compromising fertility. We take a deep dive into testosterone in this episode, covering what it is, what's considered normal and healthy levels in men, and symptoms of low testosterone. Dr Hotchkiss breaks down how lifestyle factors can influence your testosterone, explains how to boost it (and whether you need to), and covers concerns about fertility and heart disease. Specifically, we discuss: Introduction (00:00) Adam Hotchkiss' Journey: From Podiatry to Hormonal Health Optimisation (03:55) Understanding testosterone's functions, symptoms of deficiency, and impact on overall health (12:00) How the body makes testosterone? (20:56) Understanding Total, Free, and Bioavailable Testosterone Levels (24:35) Examining Testosterone Reference Ranges and How They've Changed Over Time (29:46) Role of Oestrogen in Testosterone Replacement Therapy Benefits (38:27) Preserving Fertility While on Testosterone Therapy: HCG and Other Options (48:48) HCG and Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT): What You Need to Know (55:17) Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT): When Is It Necessary? (1:01:09) Understanding Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Bioidentical vs Synthetic (1:04:56) The Science Behind Steroid Abuse: What Young Men Need to Know (1:12:39) How Does Testosterone Affect Cardiovascular Health? (1:16:02) Optimising Testosterone Levels Through Lifestyle Changes: Nutrition, Sleep, Exercise (1:20:28) Do Testosterone-Boosting Supplements Really Work? (1:33:55) Should You Optimise Testosterone Levels? Case Study and Discussion (1:36:30) Trenbolone Exposed: Exploring the Evidence on Side Effects (1:44:35) Outro (1:54:11) Connect with Dr Adam Hotchkiss on Instagram and learn more on YouTube. This episode is brought to you by: InsideTracker If you want to improve your health, you need to measure where you're currently at. InsideTracker analyses up to 48 blood biomarkers including ApoB, LDL, HDL, A1C, and more before giving you advice to optimise your health. Get a 20% discount on your first order at insidetracker.com/simon. Eimele Eimele Essential 8 is a comprehensive multivitamin that is scientifically formulated to complement your plant-rich diet, increase and sustain your energy, and support the immune system, as well as heart and brain health. Head to Eimele.com and use code SIMON at checkout for 10% off your first order. 38TERA Consider 38TERA's DMN-01 prebiotic supplement a daily multivitamin for your gut. Formulated by yours truly and gastroenterologist Dr Will Bulsiewicz. Use code THEPROOF for a discount at checkout. WHOOP Whoop, the most advanced fitness and health wearable available. Your personalised fitness and health coach to recover faster, sleep better, and train smarter. Claim your first month free on join.whoop.com/simon. Want to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family. Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Nourish your gut with my Plant-Based Ferments Guide Download my complimentary Two-Week Meal Plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content Sign Up to Receive Peter's Weekly Newsletter Derek is a fitness educator, the entrepreneur behind More Plates More Dates, and an expert in exogenous molecules commonly used and misused by bodybuilders and athletes. In this episode, Derek returns to the podcast to explore the impact of exogenous molecules on male and female health. He covers testosterone, DHT, DHEA, progesterone, clomiphene (Clomid), hCG, and various peptides, alongside updates from the FDA affecting peptide use. Additionally, he addresses the recent hype around increasing muscle mass through myostatin inhibition via follistatin gene therapy and supplementation. Additionally, Derek discusses the various strategies that bodybuilders use for losing fat while preserving muscle, including insights on weight loss drugs. We discuss: Testosterone and DHT: mechanisms of action, regulation of muscle growth, and influence on male and female characteristics [2:15]; TRT in women: the complexities and potential risks associated with testosterone use in women [9:00]; DHEA supplementation: exploring the benefits and risks for women, and the differing effects on men vs. women [22:00]; The role of progesterone in both men and women, pros and cons of supplementation, the importance of tailored doses, and more [28:00]; Measuring levels of free testosterone [37:15]; The trend towards earlier interest in TRT, and the risks of underground sources of testosterone [42:00]; The complexities and considerations surrounding the use of Clomid, E-Clomid, and hCG in TRT [46:00]; Low testosterone: diagnosis, potential causes, treatment options, and other considerations [53:45]; Growth hormone-releasing peptides: rationale and implications of the recent FDA categorization as high-risk substances [1:03:45]; Follistatin gene therapy and myostatin inhibition for increasing muscle mass: the recent hype online, human and animal data, and the need for more research [1:14:45]; Simple tips for lowering calorie intake and losing fat [1:32:30]; Methods of sustainable fat loss with muscle preservation: insights gleaned from bodybuilders [1:40:00]; Could prolonged fasting impact testosterone levels? [1:55:30]; High-protein ice cream [1:57:00]; Exploring fat loss supplements and drugs: L-carnitine, yohimbine, and more [2:02:15]; Potential remedies for individuals experiencing metabolic dysfunction due to hypercortisolemia [2:12:30]; The cornerstones of body composition improvement remain nutrition and exercise, even in the presence of exogenous testosterone [2:19:15]; The importance of approaching health advice found online with a critical eye and a healthy dose of skepticism [2:23:30]; and More. Connect With Peter on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube