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As chronic, hard-to-treat disorders become more common in clinic, many practitioners are returning to Wen Bing theory for answers.In this conversation with Kerri Westhauser, we explore lurking pathogen theory and how deep-lying evils help explain complex conditions like lupus and POTS.We also discuss why tonification often backfires in chronic disease, and the importance of venting, regulating, and mobilizing Shen to keep the body's pathways open.Listen in for a practical rethinking of the Wei and Qi levels and how to locate disease that has gone into hiding.
Can a single infection permanently change your health, or does it simply reveal something that was already there? In this episode, host Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, welcomes back Dr. Ina Stephens, Associate Director of the UVA Health EDS & Hypermobility Disorders Center, for an in-depth discussion about Long COVID, post-infectious syndromes, and their connection to Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), and immune dysfunction. Dr. Stephens explains why post-infectious illnesses are real and have been recognized for more than a century, tracing the pattern from the 1917 influenza pandemic and encephalitis lethargica to modern conditions including Long COVID, reactivated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Lyme disease, Babesia and other tick-borne infections, and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). She shares the detective work behind her Diagnostic Dilemma Clinic, how a comprehensive history and targeted evaluation uncover hidden diagnoses, and why so many patients with complex chronic illness also have hypermobility. The conversation explores emerging research showing that people with hypermobility are approximately four times more likely to develop Long COVID, with an even greater risk in those with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Dr. Stephens and Dr. Bluestein discuss the underlying biology, including immune dysregulation, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, vagus nerve dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the ways connective tissue disorders may influence recovery after infection. They also review evidence-informed treatment strategies, including supporting mitochondrial health with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), glutathione, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC); the role of low-dose naltrexone (LDN); optimizing iron and vitamin C status; when antiviral medications may be appropriate; intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG); and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Finally, they explain why gradually increasing muscle mass and strength may have a greater long-term impact than any single supplement and share practical strategies for supporting recovery and strengthening your regimen at the first sign of illness. Whether you're living with EDS, HSD, Long COVID, POTS, MCAS, ME/CFS, Lyme disease, or another post-infectious condition, this episode offers practical, science-based insights into why these conditions overlap and what you can do to support healing. Takeaways: • Can a virus, Lyme disease, or another infection permanently change your health? Learn why post-infectious syndromes have been documented for more than a century and how infections can trigger chronic illness through immune dysregulation and autoimmunity. • Why are people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) so much more likely to develop Long COVID? Discover the research linking hypermobility, POTS, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and prolonged recovery after infection. • What do Long COVID, Lyme disease, ME/CFS, POTS, and other post-infectious conditions have in common? Explore the shared biology of immune dysfunction, autonomic and vagus nerve dysfunction, and mitochondrial dysfunction that may explain multisystem symptoms. • Which treatments actually help? Hear the evidence behind coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), glutathione, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), low-dose naltrexone (LDN), iron and vitamin C, antiviral medications, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. • Could building muscle be one of the most powerful treatments for chronic illness? Learn why increasing muscle mass and strength may have a greater long-term impact than any single supplement, plus Dr. Stephens' practical strategy for boosting your regimen at the first sign of infection. Go http://www.AquaTru.com now for 20% off (your purifier) using promo code BENDY. Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Can a single infection permanently change your health, or does it simply reveal something that was already there? In this episode, host Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, welcomes back Dr. Ina Stephens, Associate Director of the UVA Health EDS & Hypermobility Disorders Center, for an in-depth discussion about Long COVID, post-infectious syndromes, and their connection to Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), and immune dysfunction. Dr. Stephens explains why post-infectious illnesses are real and have been recognized for more than a century, tracing the pattern from the 1917 influenza pandemic and encephalitis lethargica to modern conditions including Long COVID, reactivated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Lyme disease, Babesia and other tick-borne infections, and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). She shares the detective work behind her Diagnostic Dilemma Clinic, how a comprehensive history and targeted evaluation uncover hidden diagnoses, and why so many patients with complex chronic illness also have hypermobility. The conversation explores emerging research showing that people with hypermobility are approximately four times more likely to develop Long COVID, with an even greater risk in those with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Dr. Stephens and Dr. Bluestein discuss the underlying biology, including immune dysregulation, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, vagus nerve dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the ways connective tissue disorders may influence recovery after infection. They also review evidence-informed treatment strategies, including supporting mitochondrial health with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), glutathione, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC); the role of low-dose naltrexone (LDN); optimizing iron and vitamin C status; when antiviral medications may be appropriate; intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG); and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Finally, they explain why gradually increasing muscle mass and strength may have a greater long-term impact than any single supplement and share practical strategies for supporting recovery and strengthening your regimen at the first sign of illness. Whether you're living with EDS, HSD, Long COVID, POTS, MCAS, ME/CFS, Lyme disease, or another post-infectious condition, this episode offers practical, science-based insights into why these conditions overlap and what you can do to support healing. Takeaways: • Can a virus, Lyme disease, or another infection permanently change your health? Learn why post-infectious syndromes have been documented for more than a century and how infections can trigger chronic illness through immune dysregulation and autoimmunity. • Why are people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) so much more likely to develop Long COVID? Discover the research linking hypermobility, POTS, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and prolonged recovery after infection. • What do Long COVID, Lyme disease, ME/CFS, POTS, and other post-infectious conditions have in common? Explore the shared biology of immune dysfunction, autonomic and vagus nerve dysfunction, and mitochondrial dysfunction that may explain multisystem symptoms. • Which treatments actually help? Hear the evidence behind coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), glutathione, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), low-dose naltrexone (LDN), iron and vitamin C, antiviral medications, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. • Could building muscle be one of the most powerful treatments for chronic illness? Learn why increasing muscle mass and strength may have a greater long-term impact than any single supplement, plus Dr. Stephens' practical strategy for boosting your regimen at the first sign of infection. Go http://www.AquaTru.com now for 20% off (your purifier) using promo code BENDY. Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Episode 2 of our series on Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), we focus on evidence-based treatment strategies to help children and adolescents manage symptoms and improve daily functioning. Our guest reviews the foundation of POTS management, emphasizing lifestyle interventions such as maintaining adequate hydration, increasing salt intake when appropriate, establishing healthy sleep habits, and implementing a gradual, structured exercise program.The discussion also explores the role of nutrition, compression garments, and heat avoidance in reducing symptom burden, along with practical accommodations that can support patients at school and in everyday activities. Finally, we review pharmacologic treatment options, discussing when medications may be appropriate and how they fit into an individualized care plan. Throughout the episode, the emphasis is on developing a comprehensive, patient-centered approach that helps children and adolescents regain function and improve their quality of life.Have a question? Email questions@vcurb.com. Listener questions will be answered in episode four. For more information about available credit, visit vCurb.com.ACCME Accreditation StatementThis activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Colorado Medical Society through the joint providership of Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics and Utah Chapter, AAP. Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics is accredited by the Colorado Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians. AMA Credit Designation StatementKansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
RabbitRun and Crexendo Expand Recurring Revenue Opportunities for Channel Partners, Podcast , RabbitRun offers an integrated platform that brings together Always-On Internet, enterprise-class SD-WAN, cybersecurity, voice survivability, POTS replacement and business continuity. The goal is to help businesses remain connected and operational when internet connections, networks or other critical infrastructure fail @ Doug Green “There's a tremendous opportunity for partners to deliver more value, improve customer retention and create new recurring revenue streams.” RabbitRun has joined the Crexendo Ecosystem Vendor Partner Program, giving Crexendo, NetSapiens and channel partners new ways to deliver resilient connectivity, business continuity and managed network services to their customers. In this Technology Reseller News podcast, RabbitRun Founder and CTO Pat Saavedra discusses the partnership and the opportunity it creates for MSPs, service providers and telecom resellers. RabbitRun offers an integrated platform that brings together Always-On Internet, enterprise-class SD-WAN, cybersecurity, voice survivability, POTS replacement and business continuity. The goal is to help businesses remain connected and operational when internet connections, networks or other critical infrastructure fail. For channel partners, Saavedra says the opportunity extends well beyond simply selling another connectivity product. Partners can use RabbitRun to address real customer concerns surrounding uptime, security and operational resilience while creating new sources of recurring managed-services revenue. As more business applications move to the cloud, internet connectivity has become essential infrastructure. A failed connection can interrupt voice services, payment processing, customer support, remote access and other core operations. RabbitRun is designed to identify network problems and move traffic to an available connection, helping businesses continue operating with minimal disruption. The platform also gives partners greater visibility into customer networks, allowing them to identify performance issues, manage connectivity and provide ongoing support. That creates a more proactive relationship in which the partner is helping protect the customer's business rather than simply responding after something goes wrong. The conversation also explores the growing importance of voice survivability. Businesses may have backup internet connections but still discover that their voice systems fail during an outage. RabbitRun helps partners address that gap by protecting both data and voice communications as part of a broader continuity strategy. POTS replacement represents another opportunity. As traditional analog lines become more expensive and difficult to maintain, businesses need alternatives for services such as alarms, elevators, fax machines and emergency communications. RabbitRun enables partners to incorporate those requirements into a modern managed connectivity offering. By joining the Crexendo Ecosystem Vendor Partner Program, RabbitRun becomes more accessible to a large community of service providers already delivering communications through Crexendo and the NetSapiens platform. Saavedra says this gives partners an opportunity to expand the value of their existing customer relationships. Rather than competing only on voice seats or connectivity pricing, they can provide a broader solution built around reliability, security and business continuity. For MSPs and communications providers, the message is straightforward: protecting the customer's ability to remain connected can become both an essential service and a meaningful recurring revenue opportunity. Learn more about RabbitRun and its participation in the Crexendo Ecosystem Vendor Partner Program.
If you could listen to just one conversation about Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), what would you need to know? In this listener Q&A episode, producer Aron Korney puts host Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, in the hot seat to answer the questions patients ask most about hypermobility, connective tissue disorders, genetic testing, medications, and managing complex chronic illness. Dr. Bluestein explains why EDS, HSD, POTS, and MCAS are whole-body conditions rather than isolated joint disorders, and how connective tissue affects nearly every organ system. She shares why "less is more," why small, consistent improvements create meaningful long-term progress, and how the placebo and nocebo effects can influence healing. The conversation also covers the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box warning for fluoroquinolone antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, explaining why people with connective tissue disorders should discuss safer alternatives with their healthcare providers when appropriate. Dr. Bluestein then tackles one of the most confusing topics in EDS: genetic testing. She explains why a negative genetic test does not rule out every rare subtype of EDS, how variants of uncertain significance (VUS) and direct-to-consumer genetic reports can be misleading, and why clinical evaluation remains essential, especially when vascular EDS is suspected. Finally, she discusses how mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) can amplify pain, migraines, gastrointestinal symptoms, dysautonomia, and other multisystem symptoms, how to obtain accurate laboratory testing, and why she casts a wider diagnostic net when evaluating complex patients. The episode concludes with a simple hypermobility hack that uses vagus nerve activation to help calm a constant fight-or-flight response. Whether you're newly diagnosed with EDS or HSD, wondering if you have POTS or MCAS, trying to understand genetic testing, or looking for practical strategies to improve your health, this episode delivers the essential concepts every patient should know. Takeaways: • Think EDS only affects your joints? Discover why Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), POTS, and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) are whole-body conditions that can affect nearly every organ system. • Could doing less actually help you feel better? Learn why "less is more," how stacking small wins leads to meaningful progress, and how the placebo and nocebo effects can influence your symptoms and recovery. • Are antibiotics like ciprofloxacin safe if you have EDS or another connective tissue disorder? Understand the FDA black box warning on fluoroquinolones, the risks of tendon rupture, nerve injury, and aortic complications, and when it's worth asking about alternatives. • Can a negative genetic test still mean you have a rare type of EDS? Learn why clinical features, family history, and red flags often matter as much as laboratory results, especially when vascular EDS is a possibility. • Could mast cell activation syndrome be making your symptoms worse? Discover how MCAS can amplify pain, migraines, gastrointestinal symptoms, and dysautonomia, why testing is often misunderstood, and the biggest mistakes patients should avoid. Go http://www.AquaTru.com now for 20% off (your purifier) using promo code BENDY. Head to http://www.cozyearth.com and use my code BENDY for an exclusive 20% off. Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you could listen to just one conversation about Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), what would you need to know? In this listener Q&A episode, producer Aron Korney puts host Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, in the hot seat to answer the questions patients ask most about hypermobility, connective tissue disorders, genetic testing, medications, and managing complex chronic illness. Dr. Bluestein explains why EDS, HSD, POTS, and MCAS are whole-body conditions rather than isolated joint disorders, and how connective tissue affects nearly every organ system. She shares why "less is more," why small, consistent improvements create meaningful long-term progress, and how the placebo and nocebo effects can influence healing. The conversation also covers the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black box warning for fluoroquinolone antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, explaining why people with connective tissue disorders should discuss safer alternatives with their healthcare providers when appropriate. Dr. Bluestein then tackles one of the most confusing topics in EDS: genetic testing. She explains why a negative genetic test does not rule out every rare subtype of EDS, how variants of uncertain significance (VUS) and direct-to-consumer genetic reports can be misleading, and why clinical evaluation remains essential, especially when vascular EDS is suspected. Finally, she discusses how mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) can amplify pain, migraines, gastrointestinal symptoms, dysautonomia, and other multisystem symptoms, how to obtain accurate laboratory testing, and why she casts a wider diagnostic net when evaluating complex patients. The episode concludes with a simple hypermobility hack that uses vagus nerve activation to help calm a constant fight-or-flight response. Whether you're newly diagnosed with EDS or HSD, wondering if you have POTS or MCAS, trying to understand genetic testing, or looking for practical strategies to improve your health, this episode delivers the essential concepts every patient should know. Takeaways: • Think EDS only affects your joints? Discover why Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), POTS, and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) are whole-body conditions that can affect nearly every organ system. • Could doing less actually help you feel better? Learn why "less is more," how stacking small wins leads to meaningful progress, and how the placebo and nocebo effects can influence your symptoms and recovery. • Are antibiotics like ciprofloxacin safe if you have EDS or another connective tissue disorder? Understand the FDA black box warning on fluoroquinolones, the risks of tendon rupture, nerve injury, and aortic complications, and when it's worth asking about alternatives. • Can a negative genetic test still mean you have a rare type of EDS? Learn why clinical features, family history, and red flags often matter as much as laboratory results, especially when vascular EDS is a possibility. • Could mast cell activation syndrome be making your symptoms worse? Discover how MCAS can amplify pain, migraines, gastrointestinal symptoms, and dysautonomia, why testing is often misunderstood, and the biggest mistakes patients should avoid. Go http://www.AquaTru.com now for 20% off (your purifier) using promo code BENDY. Head to http://www.cozyearth.com and use my code BENDY for an exclusive 20% off. Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What if the word uncurable really just means a doctor has run out of ideas? This episode dares you to question that verdict and discover a functional medicine approach built on gut health, trace minerals, and nervous system repair that has helped many people defy impossible odds and rewrite a hopeless diagnosis into a story of hope.Host Jenn Trepeck welcomes Dr. Aaron Hartman to Salad with a Side of Fries, where he shares how chronic illness recovery starts with the basics everyone overlooks, and why patients in remission from conditions like multiple sclerosis prove healing is possible even when doctors say there is nothing more they can do.What You Will Learn in This Episode:✅ Why the label “incurable” often just means idiopathic (unknown cause) and how functional medicine looks deeper✅ How gut health, sleep, and stress form the foundation of true chronic illness recovery✅ The connection between hypermobility, dysautonomia, mast cell activation, and autoimmune disease✅ Why organ meats, bone broth, and trace minerals support the nervous system and healingThe Salad With a Side of Fries podcast, hosted by Jenn Trepeck, explores real-life wellness and weight-loss topics, debunking myths, misinformation, and flawed science surrounding nutrition and the food industry. Let's dive into real-life wellness and weight loss, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Introduction to this episode on functional medicine and rethinking an incurable diagnosis03:47 Dr. Aaron Hartman explains cerebral palsy and his daughter Anna's dire early diagnosis07:17 Why incurable and idiopathic are labels Dr. Hartman refuses to accept and exploring the mast cell activation, hypermobility, autoimmune, gut, and dysautonomia super syndrome15:28 The big three foundations of gut health, stress regulation, and quality sleep for healing21:41 Why trace minerals, organ meats, and bone broth matter for true nutrient-dense nutrition24:38 Practical sleep hygiene tips rooted in circadian rhythm and nervous system regulation28:58 Balancing sugar addiction and dopamine-driven cravings with real food healing habits31:43 How the body's self-healing capacity applies at any age, from childhood through adulthood37:12 Lipid medicine: Using fats to heal your bodyKEY TAKEAWAYS:
Nicole Woodruff, OTD, OTR/L, is an Occupational Therapist, pelvic health specialist, educator, author, and the founder of Intuitive Therapies & Pelvic Health in Tampa, Florida. She specializes in helping people navigate hypermobility (hEDS/HSD), dysautonomia/POTS, chronic pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction. After facing her own journey with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, pelvic health challenges, and a complex postpartum recovery, Nicole became passionate about bridging the gap between traditional rehabilitation and whole-person healing. Her work focuses on helping clients move beyond symptom management to rebuild trust in their bodies through education, nervous system regulation, lifestyle strategies, and compassionate, evidence-based care. Sponsored By: → PUORI | Go to https://puori.com/HEALINGTHESOURCE and use the code HEALINGTHESOURCE at checkout to get 32% off your first Puori Grass-fed Whey Protein subscription order and get a free shaker worth $25. Resources: Nicole's Instagram Nicole's TikTok Nicole's Facebook Free Nervous System Regulation Made Simple Guide OT Private Practice & Virtual Coaching: intuitivetherapiespelvichealth.com Follow the host, Claudia, on Instagram, check out Elham's Liquid Gold 100% Organic Castor Oil, and enjoy her deep-dives on Substack
This month we begin a new series on Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), exploring the diagnosis and management of this increasingly recognized condition in pediatric patients. In this episode, host Paul Wirkus, MD, FAAP and guest Kirti Sivakoti, MD, provide an overview of POTS before discussing current approaches to diagnosis and recent updates in the field. We review the diagnostic criteria, including orthostatic symptoms and the degree of functional impairment, and consider how these factors help guide clinical evaluation and management.The conversation also examines the growing understanding of POTS as a spectrum disorder, with many patients experiencing overlapping symptoms and contributing conditions. Finally, we discuss how to distinguish POTS from vasovagal syncope and review current thinking on the underlying causes and pathophysiology of POTS. This episode provides pediatricians with a practical framework for recognizing and evaluating children and adolescents with orthostatic intolerance.Have a question? Email questions@vcurb.com. Listener questions will be answered in episode four. For more information about available credit, visit vCurb.com.ACCME Accreditation StatementThis activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Colorado Medical Society through the joint providership of Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics and Utah Chapter, AAP. Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics is accredited by the Colorado Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians. AMA Credit Designation StatementKansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Sherri Harrah continues with hour 2 from July 5th from Her garden helping with bougainvillea, watering potted plants during vacation, helping stressed plants and weird caterpillars as heard on SportsRadio 610 The post Bougainvillea, Watering Pots during Vacation, Plant Stress, Caterpillars 260705-H2 appeared first on HomeShow Garden Pros Radio.
Actress Mindy Cohn and singer Carnie Wilson join Jeff and Shane to talk about a new use for pots and updated burglary terms. Plus, Mindy shares an encouraging health update. • • • Want more Jeff Lewis? Click here to sign up for 3 free months of SiriusXM and listen weekdays to "Jeff Lewis Live" from 12-2pE/9-11aP on Radio Andy Channel 102. Plus, tune into The Jeff Lewis Channel for even more Jeff content streaming exclusively on the SiriusXM app channel 789. • • • Host - Jeff Lewis Guests - Mindy Cohn, Carnie Wilson, & Shane Douglas Vice President - Tim Johnson Senior Directors - Lisa Mantineo & Alyssa Heimrich Senior Producer - Jamison Scala Associate Producer & Editor – Oscar Beltran Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Have you ever gone to the doctor with some symptoms and had them not find anything wrong with you? We've all run into medical staff who don't know we were autistic or what that even meant, never suspected EDS, POTS, ME, endometriosis or autoimmune conditions. They either dismissed us right off or ran a battery of tests on us. But in the end, the conclusion was the same: There doesn't seem to be anything medically wrong with you. For this episode I am joined by Simo_tier (pronouns: it/they), so we can rant about some of these frustrating stories that literally take years off our lives. Simo_tier is a multi-media artist and activist, influenced by its lived reality as a disabled, Indigenous, agender, white, gay, AuDHD femme. It is deeply passionate about lifting up and supporting QTBIPoC voices and projects, as well as breaking down barriers to create a community based on Disability Justice and reformative change. If you want to read about Simo_tier's activism (in German), check out its website https://vamky.de/ where you can also find a podcast (also in German) about disabilities and exclusion by society and inside the community. If you want to keep up to date with events it organizes, check out Instagram @simo_tier You can support Aut2Aut on Betterplace and Gofundme, or buy our #ActuallyAutistic designs in our print-on-demand shop. This will help prepped.to go on providing a platform for autistic folks to share locations' sensory info and service instructions. Mentioned in this episode:Aut2Aut, the nonprofit I founded, providing free platforms and content by and for autistic peopleprepped.to is the website I created where autistic folks can upload and consult sensory info and service instructions about places, so folks can prep and script before going thereHow to support prepped.toTheme music composed and produced by Lir Lutau Shahar (pronouns: he/fae/sea): YouTube, Soundcloud. For collaborations: lutaoshzh@]gmail.com Follow Dr. Gal Schkolnik on LinkedIn, Mastodon or Tumblr
What does it really take to build an effective treatment plan for a condition that touches every system in the body, when there is no single magic pill? In this episode, host Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, is joined by recurring co-host Dr. Dacre Knight, Medical Director of the UVA Health EDS and Hypermobility Disorders Center, to complete their series on the MENS-PMMS Method™, Dr. Bluestein's comprehensive treatment framework for hypermobility disorders. Together, they cover the final four components of the MENS-PMMS Method™: psychosocial factors, modalities, medications, and supplements. The conversation centers on a recurring theme: meaningful improvement rarely comes from one breakthrough, but from stacking many small wins across every domain. They explore the physiologic mind-body connection and why validation is one of the most underrated and accessible interventions, alongside nervous system regulation approaches like CBT, DBT, EAET, EMDR, and Dr. Beth Darnall's Empowered Relief program. On modalities, they discuss heat, massage, acupuncture, dry needling, TENS units, bracing, and the often-overlooked power of diaphragmatic breathing, framed by Dr. Pradeep Chopra's "10% rule." The medication discussion covers a start-low-go-slow philosophy, medication sensitivities and pharmacogenomics, the importance of deprescribing to avoid polypharmacy, and options for POTS and mast cell activation. They close with a candid look at supplements, true deficiencies like scurvy and low vitamin D, the marketing traps to watch for, and a reminder to measure progress by function and quality of life rather than chasing a cure. Takeaways: • The MENS-PMMS Method™ emphasizes a whole-person approach, recognizing that meaningful improvement in EDS and HSD comes from addressing multiple domains rather than relying on a single treatment. • Lasting progress is often the result of accumulating many small gains across different interventions, an approach reflected in Dr. Pradeep Chopra's "10% rule." • Validation is not just compassionate care—it is a powerful therapeutic tool that can reduce distress, improve engagement, and support nervous system regulation. • The connection between physical symptoms and emotional well-being is physiologic, underscoring the importance of addressing both body and mind in treatment planning. • When introducing new therapies, changing one variable at a time can help patients and clinicians better identify what is helping, what is not, and what may be causing side effects. • Medication management should balance potential benefits with the risks of sensitivities, side effects, and polypharmacy, making deprescribing an important part of high-quality care. • Supplements are most valuable when they address a documented deficiency or specific clinical need rather than being used as a substitute for a comprehensive treatment plan. • Patients should be cautious of products or programs that promise cures, quick fixes, or dramatic results for complex chronic conditions. • Functional improvement, participation in meaningful activities, and quality of life are often better measures of success than symptom elimination alone. • The most effective treatment plans are individualized, flexible, and designed to evolve as a patient's needs, goals, and circumstances change. Go AquaTru.com now for 20% off (your purifier) using promo code BENDY. Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If you've been struggling with chronic illness, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), mold illness, chronic fatigue, unexplained symptoms, or nervous system dysregulation, this episode is for you.In this episode of Under Contract, we sit down with Alekha Akkapeddi, MS creator of The Ali Protocol, to discuss why so many people stay stuck in chronic illness despite trying every diet, supplement, medication, and treatment available. We explore the connection between mitochondrial health, circadian rhythms, nervous system regulation, trauma, gut health, hormones, and root-cause healing.You'll learn:• What POTS and MCAS actually are• Why chronic illness often begins long before symptoms appear• How your nervous system influences healing• The role of mitochondria in energy and recovery• Why mold exposure and chronic inflammation can keep you sick• The connection between trauma, stress, and autoimmune conditions• Why gut health and hormone health are inseparable• The biggest mistakes people make when trying to heal• How to create an environment where your body can begin healing itselfWhether you're dealing with autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, long COVID, mold toxicity, gut issues, hormone imbalances, or unexplained health symptoms, this conversation offers a different perspective on what healing can look like.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Under Contract for more conversations with leading experts in health, wellness, longevity, and personal growth.CONNECT: @thealiprotocol#Chronicillness #POTS #MCAS #Mitochondrialhealth #Nervoussystem #Circadianrhythm #Guthealth #Hormonehealth #Trauma #chronicillness #Functionalmedicine #holistichealing
What does it really take to build an effective treatment plan for a condition that touches every system in the body, when there is no single magic pill? In this episode, host Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, is joined by recurring co-host Dr. Dacre Knight, Medical Director of the UVA Health EDS and Hypermobility Disorders Center, to complete their series on the MENS-PMMS Method™, Dr. Bluestein's comprehensive treatment framework for hypermobility disorders. Together, they cover the final four components of the MENS-PMMS Method™: psychosocial factors, modalities, medications, and supplements. The conversation centers on a recurring theme: meaningful improvement rarely comes from one breakthrough, but from stacking many small wins across every domain. They explore the physiologic mind-body connection and why validation is one of the most underrated and accessible interventions, alongside nervous system regulation approaches like CBT, DBT, EAET, EMDR, and Dr. Beth Darnall's Empowered Relief program. On modalities, they discuss heat, massage, acupuncture, dry needling, TENS units, bracing, and the often-overlooked power of diaphragmatic breathing, framed by Dr. Pradeep Chopra's "10% rule." The medication discussion covers a start-low-go-slow philosophy, medication sensitivities and pharmacogenomics, the importance of deprescribing to avoid polypharmacy, and options for POTS and mast cell activation. They close with a candid look at supplements, true deficiencies like scurvy and low vitamin D, the marketing traps to watch for, and a reminder to measure progress by function and quality of life rather than chasing a cure. Takeaways: • The MENS-PMMS Method™ emphasizes a whole-person approach, recognizing that meaningful improvement in EDS and HSD comes from addressing multiple domains rather than relying on a single treatment. • Lasting progress is often the result of accumulating many small gains across different interventions, an approach reflected in Dr. Pradeep Chopra's "10% rule." • Validation is not just compassionate care—it is a powerful therapeutic tool that can reduce distress, improve engagement, and support nervous system regulation. • The connection between physical symptoms and emotional well-being is physiologic, underscoring the importance of addressing both body and mind in treatment planning. • When introducing new therapies, changing one variable at a time can help patients and clinicians better identify what is helping, what is not, and what may be causing side effects. • Medication management should balance potential benefits with the risks of sensitivities, side effects, and polypharmacy, making deprescribing an important part of high-quality care. • Supplements are most valuable when they address a documented deficiency or specific clinical need rather than being used as a substitute for a comprehensive treatment plan. • Patients should be cautious of products or programs that promise cures, quick fixes, or dramatic results for complex chronic conditions. • Functional improvement, participation in meaningful activities, and quality of life are often better measures of success than symptom elimination alone. • The most effective treatment plans are individualized, flexible, and designed to evolve as a patient's needs, goals, and circumstances change. Go AquaTru.com now for 20% off (your purifier) using promo code BENDY. Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As a holistic and functional psychiatrist, I see many people who are highly sensitive. Most are deep divers into information and able to connect a lot of dots. Many are gifted. Many struggle with overwhelm and low stress tolerance. Some struggled with anxiety, inner tension, or feeling “too much” for as long as they can remember. Some feel different - that they don't fit in.As a holistic and functional psychiatrist with over twenty years in practice, I've worked with thousands of highly sensitive adults and children. Most are deep divers into information, able to connect a lot of dots — many are gifted. And yet many struggle with overwhelm, low stress tolerance, anxiety, or inner tension that has been there for as long as they can remember. Many feel different, like they don't quite fit in. What I've found is that sensitivity itself is rarely the problem — it's the seeming vulnerability to brain-related or physical conditions. Over the years I've found three different models to be especially useful in explaining some of the vulnerabilities and the strengths of those of us who are highly sensitive: Dr. Elaine Aron's work on the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), the nutritional medicine concept of Pyrrole Disorder, and Dr. Sharon Meglathery's RCCX Theory. Each looks at a similar group of traits through a different lens — psychological, biochemical, and genetic, respectively.Before I start, I want to emphasize that sensitivity is not a pathology or a diagnosis. It is actually a trait that has existed across human history for a reason. My goal is not to pathologize it, but to understand it — and to offer tools to those who have these traits but who are struggling with a condition more prevalent in those with these traits. As I go through these three frameworks, the overlap will be obvious and I'll highlight what each of these has to offer that the others don't.What You'll Learn* The HSP model provides validation and a language for sensitive individuals.* Pyrrole Disorder involves an overproduction of pyrroles, leading to nutrient depletion of nutrients critical for neurotransmitter functioning.* Pyrrole Disorder is common in brain-related conditions.* RCCX Theory connects genetic vulnerabilities to sensitivity and chronic illness.* Stress amplifies the experiences of highly sensitive individuals.* Understanding these models can lead to effective treatment options.* There are meaningful paths forward for those who are highly sensitive.Chapters* 00:00 Understanding High Sensitivity* 02:26 The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Model* 10:23 Exploring Pyrrole Disorder* 18:18 RCCX Theory Explained* 30:11 Intersecting Models: HSP, Pyrrole Disorder & RCCX Theory* 34:40 Conclusion and Path ForwardI. THE HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSONIn the early 1990s, psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron identified a personality trait she called Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) — and the people who score high in it she called Highly Sensitive Persons, or HSPs.This is not a diagnosis. It is a trait, present in roughly 15–20% of the population. It has been found across more than 100 species — from fruit flies to primates. This tells us it is evolutionarily conserved — it confers survival advantages. In any social group, having members who are wired to notice subtle cues, process information deeply, and detect threats before others do is extremely valuable. Fitting with this, many of these individuals, who also struggle with complex chronic health issues are considered the “canaries in the coal mine” since their bodies react to environmental triggers (environmental toxins, chemicals, or stressors) long before the rest of the population.Dr. Aron captured the core features of this trait in an acronym she called DOES:D — Depth of processing: HSPs think deeply, reflect before acting, and notice subtleties that others miss.O — Overstimulation: Because they process so thoroughly, HSPs reach their threshold more quickly in high-stimulation environments.E — Emotional reactivity and Empathy: HSPs feel emotions intensely and are highly attuned to the emotions of those around them.S — Sensitivity to subtle stimuli: They pick up on things — in their environment, in social dynamics, in the body — that others simply don't register.As you can see, traits that are super powers, can become liabilities. The deep diver who loses sight of the big picture. The empath who absorbs everyone else's energy as their own energy becomes depleted. The person who withdraws from the world because the stimulation has simply become too much.HSP ResearchBeyond the clinical observations, there is now a growing body of neuroscience and genetic research supporting this trait. There is evidence that the brains of sensitive people are doing more, processing more and feeling more.fMRI studies (Acevedo, Aron et al., 2014) have shown that when HSPs view emotional images — particularly photos of loved ones expressing happiness or sadness — their brains show significantly greater activation in regions associated with awareness, empathy, and sensory integration.Twin studies show that Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) as defined by Dr. Aron is approximately 47% heritable. Small studies as opposed to large genome wide studies have focused on genetic variants involving dopamine and serotonin systems, such as a serotonin transport gene, a dopamine receptor gene, and COMT, which codes for the enzyme that metabolizes dopamine and norepinephrine.While this hints at a biochemical dimension, the HSP framework doesn't address this as directly as the other two models I'll discuss, nor does it explain the higher prevalence of physical health conditions in those who are highly sensitive.Research published in 2026 (Matsuzawa et al.) found that individuals high in SPS had substantially higher rates of depression (13.8%), anxiety disorder (10.5%), and developmental disorders, such as ADHD and ASD, compared to the general population.Despite this overlap with developmental disorders: unlike, ADHD, HSPs typically have excellent concentration in quiet environments. And unlike the social deficits described in ASD, HSPs tend to have heightened social attunement. They often feel too much of what's happening in social situations, not too little, even if they respond awkwardly at times.Research shows that high sensory processing sensitivity is associated with more frequent physical symptoms — back pain, fatigue, digestive issues, frequent illness.What This Framework OffersThe HSP model has given millions of people validation and a language for these traits that has allowed them to shift from “what is wrong with me” to “this is how I am wired.”It also offers an evolutionary reframe. High sensitivity is not a mistake and is not pathologic. It is a feature of the human population that has served us.What it doesn't offer is a biological explanation for why some sensitive people suffer so acutely — or a path toward biochemical intervention. II. PYRROLE DISORDERPyrrole disorder is a biochemical imbalance that has been recognized for decades, though it remains largely unknown in mainstream psychiatry. It involves an overproduction of pyrroles — metabolic byproducts that, on their own, are not a problem. When they are high, however, they can result in a depletion of zinc, B6 and a few other nutrients.First identified in the 1950s and first treated with zinc and B6 in the 1980s, pyrrole disorder is one of the most common nutrient imbalances found in brain-related conditions — and one of the most treatable. Yet most people who have it have never heard of it. I learned about pyrroles in 2014 when I first trained with the Walsh Research Institute.The Importance of Zinc, B6 & MagnesiumVitamin B6 is required to synthesize dopamine, serotonin, and GABA — three of the most critical neurotransmitters for mood regulation, anxiety, and stress response. Zinc plays a profound role in the central nervous system, the immune system, gastrointestinal tract (which we now know has its own significant influence on brain health) and connective tissue (joints and skin).Pyrrole Disorder Traits & SymptomsThe most consistent feature is low stress tolerance. People with elevated pyrroles are often described as those for whom life seems harder than it should be, every transition can be destabilizing and every large group or new environment feels like too much.The overlap with the HSP profile is striking, but here, we start to see not only traits, but symptoms.- Socially anxious, shy, or fearful since childhood, with severe inner tension- Sensitive to bright light, loud noises, textures, and odors- Avoids crowds, strangers, and new situations- History of reading difficulty- Poor short-term memory- Underachievement- Irritability, mood swings, bouts of depression- Tends to stay up late; little or no dream recall; morning nausea- White spots on fingernails; very dry skin; stretch marks; poor wound healing- Joint pain- Frequent infections or autoimmune tendenciesMost people with pyrrole disorder don't have all of these symptoms — but the inner tension, the high sensitivity, and low stress intolerance are very common.What the Data ShowsThe Walsh Research Institute has collected data on over 30,000 patients. Elevated pyrroles were found in:* 18% of those with ADHD* 24% of those with depression* 28% of those with behavioral disorders* 35% of those with autism* 35% of those with bipolar disorder* 30% of those with schizophrenia* 12% of those with PTSDAnd in only 8% of healthy controls — meaning those with no psychiatric diagnosis.What Causes Pyrrole Disorder?For many, there appears to be a genetic component, but for others, pyrroles appear to have increased due to high physiologic or emotional stress. Examples include candida overgrowth or other forms of gut microbial imbalances, mold toxicity, heavy metals, chemical exposures, illness, emotional trauma, major life transitions or even growth spurts in children.What This Framework Brings UsRelative to the HSP framework, an understanding of pyrroles gives a specific, treatable biological mechanism. When zinc, B6, Magnesium and other nutrients are depleted, we know how the brain's neurotransmitter functioning is affected — and we know what to do about it.Treatment from a Walsh Research Institute trained practitioner typically involves a nutrient protocol of zinc (based on zinc and copper testing), B6 or its active form P5P, and other nutrients for pyrrole disorder and other nutrient imbalances identified. For many patients, a lifetime of chronic inner tension and fearfulness begins to shift within days to a couple of weeks of starting the nutrients.Treatment doesn't change one's personality, but it can improve social discomfort, overwhelm, the anxiety, the depression that has been layered on top of that sensitivity.Where zinc deficiency can impact a lot of the physical conditions that appear to be more common in those who are hypersensitive, it doesn't fully explain the significant hormonal, inflammatory, connective tissue symptoms and autoimmunity we see in many who are hypersensitive.III. RCCX THEORYRCCX theory has been proposed by Dr. Sharon Meglathery, MD — a psychiatrist and internist whose own complex health history (which is very similar to my own) led her to one of the most compelling explanations I've encountered for why hypersensitivity, neurodivergence, psychiatric conditions, MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) and/or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and autoimmunity tend to cluster together in certain individuals and families.RCCX refers to a module of four genes on chromosome 6. Three of them appear to be particularly important to our health, and two of those have very high rates of mutation.The Three Key Genes(1) TNXB codes for a protein involved in connective tissue. Variants range from subtle joint hypermobility to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. But connective tissue isn't just about joints — it's also about the permeability of the gut-blood barrier, the blood-brain barrier, and vulnerability to upper cervical (neck) instability, which can put tension on the vagus nerve and affect the entire autonomic nervous system.(2) CYP21A2 is the most important gene in the module when it comes to psychiatric conditions. It codes for 21-hydroxylase, an enzyme needed to convert 17-hydroxyprogesterone into cortisol. When there is a mutation — and there can be many, of varying degrees — the body may struggle to meet the demand for cortisol under stress. A weakness on this gene could have two primary effects:First — The theory holds that many people with CYP21A2 mutations, even without hypermobility, may develop what Dr. Meglathery calls a “brain wired for danger” — essentially, a nervous system calibrated toward threat detection from early in life, with minimal trauma required. A mutation on CYP21A2 may essentially result in relatively higher androgens impacting the amygdala — the brain's fear and emotional center. Studies have found that hypermobile individuals (who often carry TNXB mutations) have a larger-than-normal amygdala.Second — because of this mutation, the body may not be able to keep up with the body's need for cortisol (especially when under stress). This deficit causes the brain to release corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) to signal the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. CRH binds to mast cells and activates the immune system — leading to secondary brain inflammation. This is the inflammatory pathway that can result in a number of secondary health issues including MCAS, CIRS, POTS, CFS and more.(3) C4 is involved in immune response and autoimmunity, and has been linked to schizophrenia. This gene variant is not as common as the first two referenced, though I do see a number of families who also have autoimmunity impacting multiple family members.The CAPS Psychological ProfileDr. Meglathery uses the term CAPS — CYP21A2 Mutation Associated Neuropsychiatric Spectrum — to describe the psychological profile she has observed in people with this genetic vulnerability. These traits can exist long before any formal psychiatric diagnosis, and they are not inherently pathological. - Anxiety and over-arousal during times of stress — high adrenaline, insomnia, sometimes manic-like characteristics- Under-arousal during low-stress periods — leading to ADD presentations, compulsive behaviors, or thrill-seeking to raise arousal- High emotionality, sensitivity, and reactivity to environmental stimuli- Sensory processing difficulties — typically over-stimulation in loud or chaotic environments- A strong ability to read emotions in others, paired with social awkwardness in response- Easily affected by events others would consider minor — an offhand comment, a disturbing movie- A tendency toward nonconformity- Special abilities: gifted musicians, scientists, creatives, systems thinkers- Hyper-focus and obsession with areas of deep interest, often leading to remarkable accomplishments- High tenacity and determination, when not derailed by overstimulation or past trauma- Strong emotions — positive or negative — that can manifest as obsessional worrying, harm avoidance, OCD tendencies, or very high standards for self and othersDr. Meglathery also notes — and I have observed this clinically — that people with this profile tend to find each other through friendships, partnerships and marriage. They are drawn together by shared sensitivities, emotional depth, and intellectual gifts. This means children are likely to receive a tendency towards CAPS from both sides.Women who are appear to have CYP21A2 mutations often have a male-pattern finger length ratio — the ring finger longer than the index finger — a possible marker of androgen exposure during development.What RCCX OffersRCCX theory offers the broadest biological framework we have for understanding why sensitivity, psychiatric vulnerability, and complex chronic illness so often travel together in the same people and families. It connects the nervous system, the immune system, the hormonal system, and connective tissue under one genetic umbrella.It also points toward specific interventions: nervous system regulation (limbic retraining, vagal work), mast cell management, and addressing the downstream biochemical consequences of cortisol dysregulation.The limitation is that genetic testing for variants on the gene for 21-hydroxylase is not yet widely available, which is why this isn't a gene that you'll see referenced when it comes to HSP, though I would argue it is likely the most prevalent. RCCX remains a clinical theory — but one that explains the constellation of traits and symptoms of most of the people that I in my practiceIV. WHERE THESE MODELS INTERSECTWhere Might Pyrrole Disorder and RCCX Theory Meet?The symptom overlap is almost complete: poor stress tolerance, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, inner tension, connective tissue symptoms, frequent infections, autoimmune tendencies. Relatively low zinc would impact most of these shared symptoms, but there may be a potentially deeper connection.21-hydroxylase contains a pyrrole-like structure — heme — within it. Could a mutation resulting in abnormal 21-hydroxylase lead to a buildup of abnormal heme-like compounds, contributing directly to pyrrole disorder? This is not proven, but in an exchange about this with Dr. Meglathery, she indicated that she also believes there is a strong association, and the biochemical logic is compelling.This matters, because we know what helps pyrrole disorder. We have a treatment — treatment that can complement what RCCX theory makes evident — that the stress response has to be addressed.Stress (again from any cause - physiologic or emotional) is the great amplifier across all three models. Stress worsens the HSP experience, and tips the CYP21A2 mutation from manageable to destabilizing (through the hormonal consequences and the inflammatory cascade) and yes, it even causes pyrroles to increase.BRINGING IT TOGETHERFor someone who is highly sensitive, and struggling with brain related or physical symptoms or conditions, pyrrole disorder and even RCCX theory are worth considering because they offer tools and start to answer, “What Can We Do About It?”The three frameworks work together:The HSP model offers validation and language. It shifts the frame from deficit to difference. It reminds us that sensitivity is not pathology — it is a trait with evolutionary value, and it comes with great strengths.The Pyrrole model offers a treatable nutrient imbalance. It explains, at the neurotransmitter level, why stress hits harder for these individuals. Treatment doesn't take away the sensitivity; it lifts the weight that has accumulated on top of it.The RCCX model offers the broadest systems view. It connects the dots between what the body is doing — the immune activation, the hormonal dysregulation, the connective tissue involvement — and the psychiatric and psychological profile that tends to accompany it. It also provides additional tools: nervous system regulation, mast cell support, hormonal awareness.If any of this resonates — the sensitivity, the inner tension, the feeling of always being at the edge of overwhelm — please know that there are roots to explore and meaningful paths forward.If you are looking for someone trained by the Walsh Research Institute knowledgeable in assessing for and treating pyrrole disorder (and other common nutrient imbalances impacting brain health), or learning more about Dr. Aron's work on HSP and Dr. Meglathery's RCCX theory, I am providing those links below.And as always, I welcome your thoughts, experience and questions.Until next time,CourtneyAbout the AuthorDr. Courtney Snyder MD is a Holistic and Functional Child and Adult Psychiatrist who offers non-patient consultations to individuals and practitioners nationally and internationally in addition to her treatment practice serving FL, IN, KY, OH. Her educational content, shared through her website, Substack Newsletter, the Holistic Psychiatry Podcast and YouTube Channel reaches readers and listeners in over 160 countries.ResourcesWalsh Research Institute: walshinstitute.orgRCCX Theory — Dr. Sharon Meglathery: rccxandillness.comDr. Elaine Aron — The Highly Sensitive Person: hsperson.comOther Sources: Acevedo et al. 2014, “The Highly Sensitive Brain,” Brain & Behavior | Matsuzawa et al. 2026, Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences ReportsMedical Disclaimer:This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit courtneysnydermd.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode the guys break down the seven best muscle building exercises you have probably never done — the bent press, circus press, Zottman curls, weighted windmills, heavy overhead carries, heavy trap bar farm walks, and tibialis raises. They also get into AI being used to expose congressional stock trading corruption (56% of congressional stock purchases are on companies directly impacted by bills they later voted on), the whey protein shortage and a new manufacturing technique that makes it taste even better, the history of sketchy old school supplements like Hot Stuff and what was actually in them, old school protein shakes from the Weider era, and LMNT's new lemonade iced tea flavor. Then they coach live callers submitted through mplivecaller.com. No BS 6-Pack Formula: https://nobs6pack.com Code: 6PACK for 50% off. Updated two phase ab building system with new videos and demos . Mind Pump Fitness Coaching: https://mindpumpfitnesscoaching.com 1.9 NASM CEUsSPONSORS Legion (protein bars and supplements): https://buylegion.com/mindpump Code: MPB2G1 for buy 2 get 1 free. Kion Aminos: https://getkion.com/mindpump 20% off automatically applied at checkout, no code needed. LMNT (lemonade iced tea): https://drinklmnt.com/MindPump Free 8-count sample pack with any purchase, no code needed. New lemonade iced tea flavor discussed on air — 50mg caffeine, no sugar. Dose for Your Liver: https://dosedaily.co/MINDPUMP Code: MINDPUMP for 25% off first month subscription. Clinically backed liquid liver supplement, zero sugar, zero calories. LINKS Submit a live caller question: https://mplivecaller.com Mind Pump Store: https://mindpumpstore.com Maps Fitness Products: https://mapsfitnessproducts.com Instagram: @mindpumpmedia 3:08 - 7 best muscle building exercises you have never done 7:34 - The bent press — how Arthur Saxon pressed 370 pounds overhead with one arm 10:30 - The circus press — the one arm push press that builds shoulders fast 12:19 - Zottman curls — the forgotten arm builder that bulletproofs your elbows 13:44 - Weighted windmills — the best exercise Sal had never done that fixed his SI joint 15:40 - Heavy overhead carries — how walking with weight overhead changed the guys' pressing strength 19:11 - Heavy trap bar farm walk — why carrying 500 pounds makes everyday life feel easy 21:24 - Tibialis raises — the dumbest simplest fix for shin splints that actually works instantly 24:04 - Legion chocolate peanut butter Rice Krispie bars and GLP users who struggle to hit protein 25:10 - AI exposes congressional stock trading — 56% of purchases tied to bills they voted on 35:09 - Retail investors now make up 20% of market trading volume and its impact 37:18 - Leucine is the trigger — why your EAA supplement is probably underdosed where it matters 40:05 - Whey protein shortage and a new manufacturing technique that makes it taste better 44:54 - Old school supplements — Hot Stuff, pro hormones and what was actually in them 51:10 - 1988 study — frail 88-year-olds gained 174% average strength in 8 weeks with no injuries 58:05 - Caller: Bobby (New Jersey) — truck driver, GLP off-ramp, normalized bloodwork at 55, needs a build phase 1:08:44 - Caller: Casey (North Carolina) — Hashimoto's, weekend gluten cheats, overtraining, gets Maps 15 1:23:29 - Caller: Sharon (Connecticut) — hypermobility, POTS, MCAS, gets Maps Starter with isometric modifications 1:36:43 - Caller: Renee (Hawaii) — DV survivor, hysterectomy next week, bikini competitor goals, gets free coaching and certification course
The Grow From Your Heart Podcast - Hosted by Rasta Jeff of Irie Genetics
Welcome back to the Grow From Your Heart Podcast with your host Rasta Jeff! Leave comments and tell me what you think of the show! Check www.iriegenetics.com now! www.dgccup.com Visit AC Infinity and use code IRIEARMY to save 10%. https://www.acinfinity.com/ref=RASTAJEFF&utm_campaign=affiliate_promotions&utm_medium=social&utm_source=affiliate Check out the new Spectron Cameras HERE! https://acinfinity.com/spectron-7-ai-powered-grow-camera-4k-with-thermal-imaging-and-under-canopy-vision/?ref=RASTAJEFF&utm_campaign=affiliate_promotions&utm_medium=social&utm_source=affiliate Don’t get caught speedin’!
Show Notes HOST Melody Hartzler | | Book Appointment In Today's Episode In this episode of Table Talk, Melody sits down with Dr. Liam LaTouche, a naturopathic physician specializing in complex chronic illness, chronic infections, mold toxicity, and post-viral conditions. Dr. Liam shares how his mother's mysterious neurological illness sparked his passion for root-cause medicine and led him to work with patients struggling with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chemical sensitivities, Lyme disease, mold exposure, and other difficult-to-diagnose conditions. Together, they explore why so many patients fall through the cracks of conventional healthcare, the role chronic infections and toxic exposures play in ongoing inflammation, and the foundational strategies that must be addressed before pursuing advanced detoxification or treatment protocols. This conversation offers practical insights for both practitioners and individuals seeking answers to complex chronic health challenges. Key Take Aways Chronic illness is often driven by multiple overlapping factors, including infections, mold exposure, toxic burden, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation. Functional medicine focuses on uncovering the root causes of chronic inflammation rather than simply managing symptoms. Mold exposure and nervous system dysfunction are often priority issues that must be addressed before deeper infection protocols can be effective. Foundational healing practices such as improving lymphatic drainage, bowel function, movement, and stress regulation are critical before advanced interventions. Post-viral illnesses, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and dysautonomia deserve greater awareness, validation, and research support. Topics Discussed 00:00 – Welcome to Table Talk Introduction to today's discussion on chronic infections and complex chronic illness. 00:00:58 – Dr. Liam's Journey into Naturopathic Medicine How his mother's undiagnosed neurological condition inspired his path into functional and root-cause medicine. 00:03:25 – Understanding Complex Chronic Illness Why patients with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and unexplained symptoms often struggle to find answers. 00:08:08 – The Three Drivers of Chronic Disease Exploring trauma, infections, toxic exposures, and the factors that keep inflammation active. 00:09:35 – Chronic Infections, Mold & Environmental Triggers How Dr. Liam evaluates patients for infections, mycotoxins, Lyme disease, and toxic burden. 00:11:32 – Trauma, Limbic System Dysfunction & Healing The connection between nervous system dysregulation, chemical sensitivities, and recovery. 00:14:03 – Treatment Priorities: What Comes First? Why mold exposure, trauma, and chronic immune activation often need to be addressed before deeper detoxification. 00:16:00 – Mold Testing & Mycotoxin Assessment How functional medicine practitioners evaluate mold exposure and determine treatment approaches. 00:20:57 – The Role of Functional Testing When lab testing is helpful and why foundational health still matters most. 00:23:04 – The Foundations of Healing Essential lifestyle and structural interventions that support recovery before advanced protocols. 00:29:37 – Supporting Lymphatic Drainage The importance of movement, lymph flow, and drainage techniques in chronic illness recovery. 00:30:33 – Addressing Digestive Function & Constipation Why healthy bowel function is a critical part of detoxification and healing. 00:42:25 – Dysautonomia, Hypermobility & Connective Tissue Health Exploring overlooked contributors to chronic symptoms and autonomic dysfunction. 00:44:29 – The Future of Post-Viral Research Why long COVID, post-viral fatigue, POTS, and immune dysregulation are finally receiving attention. 00:45:15 – Closing Thoughts & Resources Where to learn more about Dr. Liam's work and upcoming educational opportunities. Resources Mentioned The PharmToTable Team – Functional Medicine Providers Dr. Liam LaTouche – Naturopathic Physician Health Topics Discussed Chronic Infections Lyme Disease Mold Toxicity Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Long COVID POTS & Dysautonomia Functional Medicine Approaches Root-Cause Medicine Nervous System Regulation Limbic System Retraining Lymphatic Drainage Support Detoxification Support Testing & Assessments Functional Medicine Lab Testing Mycotoxin Testing Supportive Therapies Tai Chi Qi Gong Yoga Castor Oil Packs Supplement Spotlight Vitamin D / K2 Liquid - 1 fl oz Purchase Today D3 5000 with K2 60 Softgels Purchase Today
Faith Ashenden is a neurohacking coach, trauma-informed practitioner, and subconscious healing expert who helps women overcome chronic stress, anxiety, nervous system dysregulation, and chronic illness through subconscious pattern healing. After reversing her own diagnoses of Graves' disease, IBS, and POTS, Faith has helped over 30,000 women transform their health by addressing the root cause of symptoms through nervous system regulation and identity-based healing.In this powerful episode, Faith reveals how subconscious patterns, chronic stress, and limiting beliefs impact physical health, autoimmune conditions, and emotional wellbeing. Learn how subconscious healing, nervous system regulation, trauma recovery, and identity transformation can create lasting change beyond traditional wellness approaches.Topics include subconscious rewiring, chronic illness recovery, nervous system healing, trauma healing, autoimmune disease, stress management, mind-body connection, identity shifts, neuroplasticity, and holistic healing.Connect with FaithInstagram: @thathealingfeeling - https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.instagram.com/thathealingfeelingThreads: @thathealingfeeling https://www.threads.com/@thathealingfeeling?xmt=AQG0jr7HPlA2ztkQHML7N98RHIua7bQN_UkS3Svxk3Ur1DkMasterclass: https://thathealingfeeling.faithashenden.com/experience-masterclass-page?utm_source=Link+In+BioPlease remember to rate, review, and follow the show – and share with a friend!Subscribe to the newsletter:https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletterCheck out our new Comedy Wellness Podcast: Anything But Mid, cohosted with Whitney Stropp:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anything-but-mid/id1849386215https://www.youtube.com/@AnythingButMidFind Amy's affiliates and discount codes: https://amyedwards.info/affiliatepageAll links: amyedwards.infoInstagram: @realamyedwardsFight For Her: fightforher.netTikTok: @themagicbabeYouTube: YouTube ChannelPodcast: The Amy Edwards Show PodcastFree Course: The Ageless MindsetFull Course: The Youthfulness HackAmy's hair by https://www.thecollectiveatx.comPodcast editing by https://podcastmagician.com/Get my FREE course "The Ageless Mindset: The Ultimate Guide to Look Younger and Feel Happier!" HERE: https://best-you-life.teachable.com/p/the-ageless-mindset-the-ultimate-guide-to-look-younger-feel-happierGet the full course “The Youthfulness Hack: The Secret System to Reverse Aging Fast and Create a New, Radiant You!” Out now! https://best-you-life.teachable.com/p/the-youthfulness-hack
In this episode of Talk Dizzy To Me, vestibular physical therapists Dr. Abbie Ross, PT, NCS and Dr. Danielle Tolman, PT are joined by Dr. Katherine Deines, PT, NCS and Dr. Jaimy Wahab, PT, NCS, also known as the Neuro Dizzy Duo, for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked parts of the vestibular system: the otolith organs.While many people associate vertigo and dizziness with the semicircular canals and spinning sensations, this episode explores how the utricle and saccule help us sense gravity, acceleration, head position, vertical orientation, and linear movement. The conversation highlights why otolith dysfunction may contribute to symptoms such as rocking, swaying, bobbing, feeling pulled or pushed, floating, walking on marshmallows, disorientation, and feeling “off.”The guests also explain how otolith dysfunction may show up in conditions such as BPPV, vestibular migraine, PPPD/3PD, Mal de Débarquement Syndrome, concussion, dysautonomia, POTS, Parkinson's disease, and other complex vestibular presentations.This episode is especially helpful for vestibular clinicians, physical therapists, audiologists, patients with chronic dizziness, and anyone trying to better understand why dizziness is not always “spinning.”Episode Resources:Where to find The Dizzy Duo on Instagram: @neuro_dizzy_duoEmail address: info@neurodizzyduo.comCourses, publications, or resources:Their Positive Spin on Dizziness advanced vestibular courses cover many lesser discussed topics:otolith dysfunction, the difference between vestibular dysfunction and hypersensitivity, visual motion hypersensitivity, Vestibular Migraine, Mal de Debarquement Syndrome, Meniere's diseaseRecommended products or links: https://www.reactiveeducation.com/storeHosted by:
Why do so many women with pelvic pain struggle for years without answers?In this episode of the Know and Do Better Podcast, Dr. Melanie Carminati sits down with world-renowned vulvovaginal specialist Dr. Andrew Goldstein to discuss the evolving understanding of chronic pelvic pain, vulvodynia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), hypermobility, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), POTS, pelvic floor dysfunction, and the importance of individualized treatment.Learn how pelvic pain is diagnosed, why overlapping conditions matter, the role of pelvic floor physical therapy, and what the latest research is revealing about chronic pain conditions affecting women. Dr. Goldstein also shares exciting updates on clinical trials and emerging treatments that may help patients find lasting relief.Topics discussed:✔️ Vulvodynia and vulvar pain disorders✔️ EDS and hypermobility syndrome✔️ MCAS and chronic inflammation✔️ POTS and autonomic dysfunction✔️ Pelvic floor dysfunction and pelvic pain✔️ Pudendal neuralgia and nerve-related pain✔️ Endometriosis and chronic pain conditions✔️ New research and treatment options✔️ Why patients deserve to be believed and treated
Too many diagnoses. Too many opinions. Too many tabs open. Not enough clarity. If you've ever felt overwhelmed trying to navigate Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), POTS, MCAS, chronic pain, or other complex health issues, you're not alone. In this episode of Bendy Bodies with the Hypermobility MD, Dr. Linda Bluestein is joined by physician assistant Rebecca Gluck, PA-C, who brings specialized genetics experience from working alongside Dr. Clair Francomano and serves on the Ehlers-Danlos Society's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board and Road to 2026 Research Committee. Together, they discuss how patients and families can move from information overload to a clearer, more practical plan. They explore how to evaluate online communities, AI tools, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and conflicting medical opinions without becoming even more overwhelmed. Rebecca and Dr. Bluestein explain why diagnosis is often the beginning, not the end, of the journey, and why there is no single "EDS expert" who can solve every problem in one visit. They also walk through how to prioritize symptoms, identify the most functionally limiting issues, avoid unnecessary "whack-a-mole" interventions, and build a collaborative care team. This conversation is for anyone who has too many diagnoses, too many opinions, too many tabs open, and no clear next step. If you are trying to make sense of EDS, HSD, hypermobility, mast cell activation, POTS, chronic pain, genetic testing, AI-generated health information, or proposed procedures, this episode offers practical guidance to help you pause, sort through the noise, and move forward with more clarity. Takeaways: • Information overload is real, especially for people with EDS, HSD, POTS, MCAS, chronic pain, and complex multisystem symptoms. • More information does not always mean more clarity. The key is learning what applies to you, right now. • AI tools and direct-to-consumer genetic testing can help organize questions, but they are not diagnostic and can make uncertain findings sound more certain than they are. • A diagnosis can provide validation and shared language, but it is usually the start of building a plan, not the finish line. • Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) and HSD currently do not have a confirmatory genetic test. • No single clinician can be the expert in everything. Progress often comes from a collaborative care team and a clinician willing to listen, learn, and help prioritize. • When multiple diagnoses and procedures are on the table, focusing on the most functionally limiting symptoms can help prevent unnecessary or poorly timed interventions. • Addressing underlying contributors such as mast cell activation, dysautonomia, sleep, nutrition, pain, and deconditioning may sometimes reduce the need for more invasive steps. • The goal is not to chase every possible diagnosis at once. The goal is to identify the next best step. Go to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BENDY_ to get UP TO $300 off today! Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
At 20, Tracy Thurman was told she'd never work again. Disabled, written off, handed a lifetime sentence by the same system that put her there. The doctors had a word for what happened to her: bad luck. They were wrong. And what finally brought her back was something the government will send armed agents to seize. This isn't a conversation for people who are comfortable. It's for the ones who already feel that something is off — that the sickness around us isn't an accident, and the people selling the cure keep ending up in court.And stay to the end. Because what starts as one woman's story becomes something bigger: the reveal of where this show is going next, and who's coming with it.
Warning: I use the word “excited” so often in this episode that it starts to lose all meaning. By the end, it could just be a bird call.I cover -neighbor diplomacy (including accepting a beverage to keep things normal and delivering a Costco chicken),my super reasonable theory about Evil Dick and Hitler,a mini spiral involving a car drop-off and a phone call at exactly the wrong time,a hike at Green Lakes where I actually worked with my POTS instead of against it,and all the excitement leading up to our trip to see the Dambo Trolls and spend time in Old Forge.(If you made it this far, message me the word “excited” and I'll comp you one month of my paid Substack subscription. So come on over to Substack if you aren't there already!)***Email: autisticang38@gmail.comBook - Welcome to Yourself: https://a.co/d/8UroSmq Autistic Logic Mini Course: https://angela-walker-s-school.teachable.com/p/why-this-feels-right-the-hidden-logic-behind-your-choicesAdult Autism 101: angela-walker-s-school.teachable.com/p/adultautism101Public Journal series: amazon.com/author/autisticangSubstack: autisticang38.substack.comInstagram: instagram.com/autisticang38Threads: threads.net/@autisticang38Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/autisticang38.bsky.social
Too many diagnoses. Too many opinions. Too many tabs open. Not enough clarity. If you've ever felt overwhelmed trying to navigate Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), POTS, MCAS, chronic pain, or other complex health issues, you're not alone. In this episode of Bendy Bodies with the Hypermobility MD, Dr. Linda Bluestein is joined by physician assistant Rebecca Gluck, PA-C, who brings specialized genetics experience from working alongside Dr. Clair Francomano and serves on the Ehlers-Danlos Society's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board and Road to 2026 Research Committee. Together, they discuss how patients and families can move from information overload to a clearer, more practical plan. They explore how to evaluate online communities, AI tools, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and conflicting medical opinions without becoming even more overwhelmed. Rebecca and Dr. Bluestein explain why diagnosis is often the beginning, not the end, of the journey, and why there is no single "EDS expert" who can solve every problem in one visit. They also walk through how to prioritize symptoms, identify the most functionally limiting issues, avoid unnecessary "whack-a-mole" interventions, and build a collaborative care team. This conversation is for anyone who has too many diagnoses, too many opinions, too many tabs open, and no clear next step. If you are trying to make sense of EDS, HSD, hypermobility, mast cell activation, POTS, chronic pain, genetic testing, AI-generated health information, or proposed procedures, this episode offers practical guidance to help you pause, sort through the noise, and move forward with more clarity. Takeaways: • Information overload is real, especially for people with EDS, HSD, POTS, MCAS, chronic pain, and complex multisystem symptoms. • More information does not always mean more clarity. The key is learning what applies to you, right now. • AI tools and direct-to-consumer genetic testing can help organize questions, but they are not diagnostic and can make uncertain findings sound more certain than they are. • A diagnosis can provide validation and shared language, but it is usually the start of building a plan, not the finish line. • Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) and HSD currently do not have a confirmatory genetic test. • No single clinician can be the expert in everything. Progress often comes from a collaborative care team and a clinician willing to listen, learn, and help prioritize. • When multiple diagnoses and procedures are on the table, focusing on the most functionally limiting symptoms can help prevent unnecessary or poorly timed interventions. • Addressing underlying contributors such as mast cell activation, dysautonomia, sleep, nutrition, pain, and deconditioning may sometimes reduce the need for more invasive steps. • The goal is not to chase every possible diagnosis at once. The goal is to identify the next best step. Go to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BENDY_ to get UP TO $300 off today! Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Your body can hurt in a way that is completely real while your tests still come back normal, and that gap is where so many women get dismissed and mislabeled and start doubting themselves. We talk about chronic pain, chronic illness, and psychosomatic symptoms without the insult that often comes with those words, and we name the real enemy: the belief that mind-body factors make suffering “not real.” I break down how nervous system dysregulation keeps you trapped in survival mode, with high cortisol and adrenaline shaping sleep, inflammation, gut function, headaches, fatigue, and flare ups. We connect the dots to familiar diagnoses and symptoms like migraines, fibromyalgia, IBS, POTS, and chronic back pain, and we make a key distinction: this isn't about imagining symptoms or thinking your way out of disease. It's about subconscious threat detection, meaning making, and the patterns of fight, flight, freeze, and fawn that once protected you but now keep your physiology on edge. We also get honest about why the medical system often doesn't address this, from training gaps to time and insurance constraints, and we touch the research landscape, including the ACE study and the need for stronger trials on trauma treatment and physical health outcomes. If you're ready for responsibility without blame and practical reframes that teach your body “the danger is over,” hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend who feels unseen, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or question.I invite you to join The Ummi Collective. It is a weekly coaching program for Muslim mothers raising children on the autism spectrum.Inside, you learn how to support your child's development in a way that builds independence, confidence, and long-term success... without losing yourself in the process.Apply for a Commitment Rate todayhttps://www.islamiclifecoachschool.com/offers/RRn2EBEC/chec
Dr. Deb Muth 00:03What if your diagnosis isn’t actually your diagnosis? What if the fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and inflammation you’ve been told are normal are actually signals your body is reacting to something in your environment? Something no one ever tested.What if the reason you’re not getting better is because no one is asking the right questions?Today, we’re exposing one of the most overlooked drivers of chronic illness, and why so many people are being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and left without answers.You guys can insert, one of our ads in here, that’d be great.Welcome back to Let’s Talk Wellness Now, the show where we uncover the root causes of chronic illness, explore cutting-edge regenerative medicine, and empower you with the tools to heal. I’m Dr. Deb, your medical detective. And today, we’re diving into the hidden drivers of chronic illness through the lens of functional and environmental medicine.If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a chronic condition or is struggling with unexplained neurological symptoms, like fatigue, brain fog, numbness, or chronic pain. This episode is for you. So, grab your cup of coffee, tea, or whatever helps you unwind.Settle in, and let’s get started on your journey to deeper healing.Today, I’m joined by Dr. Kelly McCann. A board-certified physician in internal medicine and pediatrics, with advanced training in functional, integrative, and environmental medicine. She’s known for her work in mold illness, chronic infections, MCAS, and complex chronic conditions And for helping patients who have been told everything looks normal. She helps them finally get real answers. Dr. Kelly, welcome to the show. I’m so excited to have you here. Share a little bit about what you’re doing these days, and who you are, and who you’re serving with us. Kelly McCann 02:42Thank you. So, my favorite patient population is patients who deal with complex chronic illness, and I didn’t set out to deal with these kinds of patients, but I kept… needing to be able to solve the puzzles, right? So they would come in, and there would be so many things that just didn’t add up and didn’t make sense, and it started with,it started with just doing functional and integrative medicine, and GI issues, and hormone issues, and autoimmune issues, and then it was mold as a driver, and then it was Lyme disease and the other tick-borne infections, and then all of those patients, many of those patients developed mast cell activation syndrome.Which I’ve now gone on and become an expert in, because they all have it.And all the related conditions with MCAS, the Ehlers-Danlos, hypermobility syndrome, POTS, postural orthostatic tachycardic syndrome, and… The one thing that really stuck out to me over the years of treating these patients is the ones who were willing to take a deep look inside. And see how their… their belief patterns, how their thoughts how they perceived themselves, different traumas that they experienced. If they were able to reframe some of the ways that they were thinking about their illness, about themselves, their relationship to themselves, they were the ones who really healed.And not only did they heal physically, they healed emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. I have some patients who started out disabled, and now are running their own companies. One who, again, same thing, terribly disabled, lots of emotional issues, lots of ups and downs, food sensitivities, oxalate issues, and now she’s a medical intuitive. And she’s just doing fabulously, and has blossomed, right? So, this is a missing piece that we’re not really talking about. Dr. Deb Muth 05:04Yeah, I so agree with you. I see the same thing in my practice, and I treat a lot of the same people you do, and you are so right. Like, if we can get down to a deeper level with them, and address the trauma that happened.And it may be a trauma they never even remembered, right? It could be something that’s just seated in their cells and they don’t remember it. And you don’t directly think it’s causing the illness, but it is getting in the way of them healing. If you can address those things, those are the people that tend to do so much better, I think, versus the people who are getting some mileage out of their illness. That there’s a reason they stay stuck, there’s a reason they stay sick, they’re getting something from it, even though they don’t realize it in the moment.So let’s talk a little bit, before we hopped on the recording, you and I were talking about body, emotion, spirit. A little different than what we’re used to hearing with mind, body, spirit. Talk about your philosophy on this. Kelly McCann 06:01So what I’ve really come to realize is that the mind is getting in the way. And we have this perception that our mind is who we are. Right? We really think that who I am are the thoughts that I have every day. That’s me. And when I’m not getting better, it’s because my body is not… Falling in line with what my mind and my will want to do. So we set up this adversarial relationship. And this has been the philosophy in Western culture since Descartes said, I think therefore I am. Where the mind is supreme, and it is the all-knowing, and the body is just a vehicle for the mind. And every… Therapeutic intervention, from trauma-informed therapy, from, you know, wonderful people who have committed a lot of help and given great information. Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score, Gabor Mate, you know, all of these folks who have done such great work in us understanding trauma I think… The next phase is really recognizing that the body is actually not against us. It is not our enemy. In fact, it is… The body that is speaking to us as the voice piece of our souls and our spirits, that is saying to us, hey. you’re not listening. The path that you are walking down and the way that you are being in the world is not really working for you. It’s not who you are. It’s not who you’re supposed to be on the planet. And we’re trying to get your attention, right? Dr. Deb Muth 07:59Yeah. Kelly McCann 07:59I mean… Dr. Deb Muth 08:00this thing, so I’m gonna talk louder. Kelly McCann 08:02Exactly, exactly! It’s like a little toddler who only can speak in so many words, right? There’s only so many ways that a younger version of ourselves, or our bodies, like, how do our bodies communicate to us? Symptoms and sensations. That’s it. Those are the ways that our bodies communicate. And if we don’t listen to sensations, well, it’s gotta turn it up, it’s gotta turn up the volume, and then we have more symptoms. And then if we’re still like, no, it’s gonna do it my way, it turns up the symptoms some more. And when… We are in this adversarial relationship, we can’t bridge that gap. Can’t bridge that gap, so… What… what happens is thatUnderneath the symptoms and the sensations are emotions. Emotions that have not been processed. Because we’ve been stuffing them down, we believe that they shouldn’t exist, we don’t want to face them, we’re afraid of them, they’re not acceptable, we’re ashamed of them, whatever the reason may be, and they’re stuck in the body. And so the way through is to actually just feel our feelings. Dr. Deb Muth 09:26That’s kind of scary for some people. Kelly McCann 09:28It’s… it’s scary for the… it’s scary for the whole planet! Dr. Deb Muth 09:32For all of this, right? Kelly McCann 09:33For all of us. When we start to feel our feelings, we don’t like it. We’ve been taught it’s not okay. Boys, it’s not okay to cry. Girls, don’t be loud, don’t be angry. You’re a B-I-T-C-H if you do that, right? So there’s so many taboos about feeling our feelings. I have patients who say, I can’t be mad at my father or my mother because I was taught to honor thy father and thy mother. Like, yes, but you’re angry, and guess what?] That ain’t going nowhere until you express it, so… you have a choice. Express it, or hold onto it, and then you just kind of stay here in this space where it’s never expressed. Dr. Deb Muth 10:19Yeah, except in your body, in your physical being, right? Kelly McCann 10:22Except in your physical being. And here’s the magic. Emotions are meant to move through us, right? Emotion. They don’t last for that long!60 to 90 seconds, really? Maybe a couple minutes? Yeah. You really, really feel them. Right? Dr. Deb Muth 10:44Yeah. Kelly McCann 10:46And we’re terrified of that 60 to 90 seconds. Dr. Deb Muth 10:50What might we do to ourselves or to someone in that 60 to 90 seconds, right? I may scream, I may cry, I may not be this person that everybody thinks I’m supposed to be. That person that holds it all together is there for everybody, holds everybody else’s space. So well put together, right? If you’re not that person, then who are you? Are you human? Kelly McCann 11:16Oh, you’re more than human. Yeah, I mean, the way that I would look at it is, I would say, well, you don’t have to put on a show, right? This is really for you. Close the door, lock the… close the windows, get out your pillow. Whatever you need to do. I mean, I have some patients who will write it out. There’s a way to just, like, freeform write, where you don’t actually read it, you just write it out, scribble it out, get it all out on paper, and then burn it, or shred it, or something like that. you can pound a pillow, you can, you know, scream, whatever it is, you can cry. I mean, I think crying is, at least for… for me. Crying is the easiest way to think about it. So, you start crying, you’ve got a few little tears, you know, it’s not too bad, and then it’s a full-on sob, and then at some point, you’re like, okay, I think I need a tissue, right? But it doesn’t last forever Dr. Deb Muth 12:22No, it really doesn’t. I had a physical therapy friend who, when I started my practice, and you know, you start your business, and everything’s just chaotic, because you don’t know what you’re doing, and you have all kinds of people that don’t know what they’re doing, and there’s always a problem. Computer, the phone, the this, the that, blah blah blah. And she brought me what was called a Dammit doll. And I had never seen one, I didn’t know what it was, and it was this really… sturdy doll that didn’t look like anything, that had two legs that you could grab onto, that you could just beat at the table whenever you needed to. And she’s like, this is how you do it. And I was like. oh my god, that’s amazing! And I would use it every couple of hours sometimes, sometimes every day, and I would just be like. And then it was over.Yeah, sure, but it was over, instead of me walking around all day long, carrying all this frustration and not having anybody to talk to about it, because you’re busy during the day. And then if you keep talking about it, it just gets worse. But I could do that, and then I’d be done, and I’d be like, okay, I got it out, let’s find the solution, now let’s move on. Kelly McCann 13:28Exactly! Dr. Deb Muth 13:29Coolest thing! Kelly McCann 13:31Exactly! That is exactly what I’m talking about, Deb. Exactly, that’s so cool. I love that. Yeah, I mean, anger is really taboo in our society. Very taboo. And, And, you know, I have a couple patients that struggle so much with expressing their anger, but it’s important. It’s important. We’ve all had so, so many instances. You know, and… of being disappointed. Dr. Deb Muth 14:08Yeah. Kelly McCann 14:08from our… from… All sorts of situations in our lives. And, you know, nobody gets out of life without any trauma. you know, little T traumas. Everybody’s got some. Even if you have the most wonderful, well-meaning parents, something’s gonna happen, and it might be the parents, it could be just life, but things happen that we misinterpret. And then we think.We make decisions about ourselves, or about our families, or about what’s okay and what’s not okay, and those things cause us to forget who we really are. Dr. Deb Muth 14:53That’s okay. Kelly McCann 14:55Because when you look at a 1-year-old or an 18-month-old, they are joy and love incarnate, right? Dr. Deb Muth 15:03Yeah, they are. Kelly McCann 15:05That’s who we are. That’s who we really are. But we forget. We forget, because of all the rules, and all the expectations, and all the disappointment, and all the misinterpretations, we forget who we really are. And… I think… A life journey, especially a health journey, is a way back to who we really are. Dr. Deb Muth 15:32It’s interesting, as we’re talking about this, because I think about people who have really traumatic life events, like life and death. They are so lucky that they’re alive. They were in an accident, or, you know, they had this horrible cancer that they survived, and they weren’t supposed to. And they come out very differently, oftentimes. Because they realize how precious life is, and it’s… they look at life now as a gift instead of whatever else we were looking at it before that time, right? But they do truly look at life differently. I… I’m curious always, like, how do they… how do they do that? But yet, if we have a chronic illness.It’s so much harder to do that same thing when there’s a chronic illness versus an acute thing, and you’ve got this second chance. Kelly McCann 16:20Right? I see it as, The chronic illness is this slow decline, right? And because it’s a slow decline, there’s never that. Wake-up call. Which people get in a car accident, in a cancer diagnosis, where all of a sudden, your life changes in front of you, and you have to really reflect. Where I think with chronic illness, it’s like, oh, this isn’t great, I don’t love this. Oh, this is a little worse. But we keep hoping… which is the part that’s connected to who we really are, right? We keep hoping it’s gonna get better. Keep hoping it’s gonna get better, but it’s getting worse, and it’s getting worse. And… And we… as a… again, as a culture, have an expectation that somebody is gonna throw us a bone or a line, and we’re… they’re gonna pull us back out. We’re gonna find the right protocol, we’re gonna find the right practitioner, we’re gonna get… have somebody else help us get out. And… As healthcare practitioners, we can help people get 50% better, 80% better, you know, sometimes 100% better, but not all the time, because it’s an inside job. Dr. Deb Muth 17:42Well, and I like to tell people, too, like, you’re never 100%, 100% of the time. there’s always going to be something that you’re not gonna like. You wake up, you’re a little more tired, you know, you slept wrong, you got a kink in your neck, whatever it is. But I think you’re really on to something here, too, because if you don’t deal with the emotional baggage, the trauma. the person who said something to you in high school. If you don’t deal with that, and you carry that around forever. you kind of keep inviting the same people into your lives to treat you the exact same way. So then you just kind of keep that same pattern going over and over and over again, and you just keep thinking, why am I the doormat? Why does everybody keep kicking me? And when we truly start to deal with what happened, you start to attract those people differently in your lives, and people aren’t walking all over you anymore. Kelly McCann 18:35Right. And… It’s very easy to get caught up in the whys. And that keeps us up here. Right, and what I’ve found with myself and, you know, many of my patients is that We have to stay in the body long enough with the sensations and the emotions to have it, you know, crescendo on the emotion, and then decrescendo. But when we pop out, and we start asking, well, why did this happen, and why am I a doormat, and why am I a victim, and why, why, why, or… or analyzing, or what have you, we… We stop the emotive process. Which halts the resolution, and we don’t actually get to where we want to be. So, you know, I was just talking to a patient today. She’s like, well, I’ve been feeling my feelings, and I’ve been feeling the fear. I’m like, yes, but did you actually stick with it the entire time, or did you start thinking about it? Because we do this, we pop into our thoughts, and we’re like… oh, yeah, I was emoting. You know, like, oh, that made me sad. And then come back up here, and then we realize, oh, we gotta, we gotta… we’re still stuck in it, we’re still stuck in it. And I’m like. Dr. Deb Muth 19:56Like, when we’re… annotate. Kelly McCann 19:59Exactly! Exactly! It’s kind of like that, yeah. And so we stay on this little, hamster wheel. Because we don’t recognize it. The solution is in the emotion. Dr. Deb Muth 20:15So how do people stay in the feeling instead of letting their mind escape to the grocery list, the kid’s to-do list, dot dot dot dot dot? How do we stay in that emotion long enough to kind of work through it? Kelly McCann 20:30It’s a good question. I think… Having the awareness that that’s what you need to do. is the first step, right? Is to really say, okay, I’m gonna, like, put my mind outside of the door, say I’ll be back in 20 minutes, and then really just give yourself the permission to stay with whatever emotion that’s coming up. And it’s practice. It is a lot of practice. This is not… it’s very, very simple. It is not easy for the vast majority of people, and especially if we’re really patterned. So, I actually started an online program to help people learn how to do this. Because it is… not easy. Dr. Deb Muth 21:16If it was easy, we wouldn’t have so many problems, right? We would just move on and keep going, but that’s where we got ourselves into a lot of trouble, is we just recognize, acknowledge, move on, and say, okay, I’m out of it, good, let’s go, next thing, next thing. Kelly McCann 21:32Yeah, which doesn’t work. Like, oh, I dealt with that. I, you know, talked to my parents before they passed, and we came to an understanding. Like, that’s not the same thing as feeling your feelings, because that 10-year-old, that 5-year-old who felt abandoned, or felt… Abused, or whatever it is that you’re feeling, they’re still in there. The adult you made this agreement with your parents that you’re gonna be okay, right? But that kid you still is upset. So…I think the first… the first thing is recognizing that emotions and thoughts are very different, and to learn the difference. So if I say, I feel like blah blah blah blah blah, that’s not a feeling, that’s a thought. Dr. Deb Muth 22:26Hmm. Kelly McCann 22:27Right? I feel like, this. I’m in… I feel embarrassed. No, that’s the thought. Dr. Deb Muth 22:34That’s not… Kelly McCann 22:35the actual feeling. Feelings are really often located in the emotions. They’re very simple. I’m afraid. I’m sad. I feel terror. I’m angry. I’m enraged. Those are feelings. I… I am mad that blah blah blah blah blah. You know, we don’t necessarily have to know why we feel the feelings. Eventually, we will understand where they’re coming from. But it’s actually just feeling the feelings, and then… oh, I love this one, too. It’s like, well, I’ve forgiven them. I’ve forgiven them for, you know, what they did to me. That’s here. Yeah. If you’ve really forgiven them. it comes from here, and it comes after the feelings. So, we still have to feel our feelings if we’re angry or upset about something, if we’re sad about something, we have to feel them first, and then the beauty is in what’s underneath the emotions. It’s quiet, it’s calm, it’s soft, it’s connected to who you really are. And at that point, then you have a much broader worldview and understanding of things, and you can have compassion for yourself. You can have compassion for other people and their choices. And when I… when it’s… when it’s held in that space, it’s… it’s such a different experience. Yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 24:18Do you think people can have compassion for others if they don’t deal with their own things? Kelly McCann 24:24It’s, again, it’s… it’s from the head, right? Dr. Deb Muth 24:28Not from the heart. Kelly McCann 24:29It’s not from the heart. It’s not from the heart. And it’s a good try, but it’s, like, a carbon copy of the real thing. It’s not really the thing. Dr. Deb Muth 24:39Hmm. What happens if people walk around thinking that they have all this, you know, great compassion and love for the world,but it is truly just coming from the head and not the heart? Kelly McCann 24:54Then, you know, they’re kind of circling and circling, and they’ll find that the thoughts and the beliefs and the things that cause them to be upset will still be there. Right? There’s a… I mean, I have to admit, I don’t really watch the news, because it is upsetting, right? Dr. Deb Muth 25:14I am. Kelly McCann 25:15And I have a number of patients who are very, very distraught about the state of the world.That’s… not seeing the bigger picture. It’s coming from here. Rather than here. And this is a really hard thing for people to grasp. But when we are triggered, By something outside of ourselves. That is because that upset exists inside of ourselves. So, for example, if I call you stupid, Deb, and there’s no part of you believes that you are stupid, it will bounce off you. You know, like you’re a rubber ball, right? Because it’s not true. It doesn’t resonate anywhere in you, so you can’t possibly be triggered by that.But if I say to you something that, you find hurtful, it’s not because of what I’ve said. It’s because that hurt, that upset, is still alive in you. And that… Opportunity, then, Is there for you to say, hmm… Clearly, there’s something inside of me that needs some attention about this.we’ve… we don’t really think about life that way. Right. We think… That person made me mad. Nobody makes you mad. It’s you. That inside of you. Right? I was talking on the phone last night with one of my colleagues whose daughter is in the hospital, and she’s been in the hospital in, like, the best Children’s Hospital, in Chicago for 2 months. Two months with gastrointestinal issues. And… They haven’t done a CT scan yet. Dr. Deb Muth 27:24What? Kelly McCann 27:25I know. I was talking with another, physician colleague of… colleague of mine last night, or this morning, at the time. How… that should have been done in the ER! Dr. Deb Muth 27:38Yeah! Kelly McCann 27:39At least… At least, or maybe the first day of the hospitalization, they didn’t do an endoscopy until Last week. 7 weeks in the hospital with an NJ tube. Dr. Deb Muth 27:53Oh my god. Kelly McCann 27:54Tube feeds. like, what is wrong with these people, right? So, I was so mad on her behalf. And of course, what I realized, too, is then, okay, well, there’s stuff inside of me, like, I have really… I have some stuff about… what is expected of other people in the world, what is expected of other physicians in the world. Like, these are the worst physicians on the planet. They clearly don’t care. They should all be fired. But there’s stuff in me that is really being triggered by this, that I have… I have work to do about. And I still think it’s wrong. Dr. Deb Muth 28:36I had that same experience last week. I had a pharmacist tell my patient they didn’t need a prescription that I had ordered, because she… didn’t fill it frequently enough because she was using it differently than what we wrote it, which so many of our patients do. It’s a hormone, it’s not a big deal, right? Kelly McCann 28:53Yeah, right. Dr. Deb Muth 28:54And… and he said to her, well, I don’t think you need this anymore. Yes. Kelly McCann 29:00choice. Dr. Deb Muth 29:01Right, and that’s what I said, I’m like… I said, who the F is he? To tell you that he thinks you need this or not? He doesn’t know you, he doesn’t know your labs, he hasn’t been taking care of you for 20 years. I have, and you’ve clearly been using it. And so I called the pharmacy, and the conversation went a little differently on his side, of course, than what the patient explained to me, but I had to sit back, too, and I looked at that, and I was like, why was I so angry that he said this to her? And I understand, it was, you know, he was undermining my authority, my knowledge base, and I knew that right away, but I was still so triggered by it, and… and she was just kind of like. Yeah, I was really surprised he said that, but I figured he knew more than me, and I’m like, so I was coming to see you, I would just tell you, and you would tell me if it was right or wrong, and I’m like. okay, that was a good way to take it, but boy, that instantly triggered for me. But again, I recognized exactly why I was triggered with that, and had to calm down a little bit and all of that, but… I think there’s a lot of that that happens. And, you know, when you work hard to know what you know, and I work hard, and we see other people doing not even the basics, it’s kind of like, what is wrong with the world? Kelly McCann 30:18Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, and there’s stuff there, right? So why is it that I worked so hard to become the best doctor that I could? Because I didn’t feel adequate. And so, when somebody else shows up as inadequate, or I perceive them to be inadequate, that triggers that… my own inadequacy, right? Especially since it was a man, so there’s a man under my your authority. Yeah, that would just really get to me. Yeah, so there’s something around that, so I know that, you know, for me, that might be where I explore it, but yeah, it’s, Life is a journey. Dr. Deb Muth 31:00Yeah, it really is. And I think, too, from a practitioner standpoint, like, we take so many of our patients home with us, like, it’s our job to be the medical detective, figure them out.Help them find the answers, make them feel better. And not that we do it from an eco perspective, because I think most practitioners don’t. They truly do it because they care and they want to make people better, and we have this knowledge and this expertise that other people don’t have. But, boy, it gets harder and harder and harder when you get more and more chronically ill people to help them find the answers and help them be well, especially if they don’t deal with their own house, right? We don’t… if they don’t deal with their house, it’s hard for us to come in and say, let me help you deal with your house. Right. So, how does that fit into some of this? Kelly McCann 31:51You know, that’s a really good question. I had to learn that over time to be able to use my own intuition to say, how much is this person willing to do? And really evaluate their… their willingness to change, their willingness to do the hard work. And… And I… and I had to hone my intuition in order to do that, and now I see… I will see there are people that… they’re happy. in their little merry-go-round, in their whack-a-mole game. And I will do my best, and I will kind of, you know, nudge where I think it’s appropriate, but when they push back, I gotta let that go. I gotta let that go, and recognize that it’s their journey, it’s their life, and I can’t be more attached to their healing than they are. Dr. Deb Muth 32:49That’s what I’ve done, too. That’s what I tell my practitioners, my young practitioners that come in by me, too. I say the same thing. Like, I have some that are really young, and we’re all green, right? And we want to just fix the world, and I’ve got so much I can give you, and so much you can do, and then when they don’t do it, you’re like. what did I do wrong that they’re not doing it? And I have to go back and tell them the same thing. This is their journey, not yours. You’re just here to give knowledge and hold space. And they get to pick and choose what they want to do, and if it’s not exactly what we want them to do, that’s okay, it’s their journey. And every time… and I laugh because I always see my younger self in them, too, but why don’t they want to do it? This is gonna make them so much better! We have this tool! And it’s like… they’re not ready yet. It’s okay for them not to be ready yet. We have to be okay with the fact that they’re not ready yet. And I think as a provider and a practitioner, that is one of the hardest things to do, is to sit back and go, okay, you’re just not ready yet. When you’re ready, we’ll be here to hold you and hold space. But right now, you’re not there, it’s okay. Kelly McCann 33:52Yeah, it is okay. Yeah, actually, one of the women that I mentioned earlier, earlier in the podcast, it took her 18 months to get to the point where I felt like she was ready, and it was one of those things, like. You’re ready! I got so excited, and that’s exactly what I said to her. I was like, okay, here, I want you to read this book. Dr. Deb Muth 34:14And he was. Kelly McCann 34:14finally ready, and I gave her the book called How to Heal Yourself When No One Else Can by Amy B. Share, which is just so awesome. And she took that book, and she was like, I am going to do this. And she wrote out journals and journals and journals, and… did lists, and then she would clear them, and then she would clear them. She got so much better, and then it was, like. Biofield tuning, and she did, Gupta, and Amya Piggin’s work, and, you know, so many other things. And then she was doing really well, 80% better, eating all sorts of foods, and there was still this little, like. Mmm, something’s still missing. Something’s still missing. Not quite where I want to be. I still have some mood issues. And then she came and joined my Unforgetting Project program. And that was the missing piece for her. This… whole thing that we’re talking about, like, just feeling the feelings was really her missing piece, because she was clearing, you know, with using EFT, but it wasn’t working anymore, because she actually was bypassing feeling her feelings. Dr. Deb Muth 35:38Hmm. Kelly McCann 35:39So I, you know, these programs, the nervous system programs, the limbic system programs, they are fantastic, and they’re super, super helpful. And then there comes a point in time where we have to shift gears, and we have to go deeper. But it… all of those programs get people, if they’re willing to put in the time and effort, get people to the place where, like, okay, now I gotta go in. Even deeper. Yeah. Dr. Deb Muth 36:07And that can be scary for people. That can be really frightening. I did a 10-day women’s retreat in Spain, with a priestess program, and I had no clue what I was doing. I was going to my first women’s retreat in Spain, no clue, but I had to do. Kelly McCann 36:23It sounds fantastic. Dr. Deb Muth 36:25Fantastic, right? And and when I got there, it was a lot of shamanic work, deep work, and, as we’re all… there’s, like, 30 of us women going through, and all different ages, going through things. And reliving our past as a child, and reliving all these different pieces of us as women that we’ve left behind someplace else. We’ve lost. And, And just sitting in… I still remember it to this day, you know, the crying, the sobbing, the anger, the screaming, the stomping. the silence. Like, everybody had a different way of dealing with those emotions coming out, and we had to be silent from, 10 at night till 10 in the morning. You couldn’t say anything to anybody. And, and that was a little challenging for a lot of us. But it gave you that time that after you went through one of these processes. you could process. You could just sit with those feelings, sit with what came up for you, journal. And it was a really incredible time to watch a lot of women just blossom into a new version of themselves, you know? Their old version, but a new version. A healed version of themselves, in a lot of ways, yeah. Kelly McCann 37:45So what… in the languaging that I’ve come up with, it’s the, unforgetting, right? So it’s actually the remembered self, because we have let go of the things that caused us to forget. So we have unforgotten who we really are, because As you’re right, it’s… it is not new, it’s just remembered, or unforgotten. Dr. Deb Muth 38:12Yeah. Yeah. That’s really awesome. For somebody that’s listening to us have this conversation, and they’re kind of thinking, this all sounds great, but I have no clue where to start with something like this, what kind of recommendations would you give to them? Kelly McCann 38:29Well, I actually have an online program. And… it’s, it’s a 9-week online program, and…What you’re doing in community is learning how to Feel your feelings, and how to understand them, and different access points in to them, and doing it in a community, which is terrifying for some people when they start, but at the same time, it is the most loving container Because these people are also on their complex chronic illness healing journey. And they have chosen themselves, and chosen to show up, and chosen to show up for 9 weeks, which is a long time, but it’s also this beautiful, sacred time. And, half of the class is lecture, sharing, and then half of the class we spend in trios. Which means, my staff divvy up people into groups of three, and then there… each trio goes through a process. They all do the same process.And you do it 3 times, so you have a chance to be, a different role in each iteration that you go through. So one role is the explorer. Those are the people who are actually just feeling the feelings. And exploring what’s going on inside of them. One person is what we call the companion, they’re kind of like the… the, not really the guide or the therapist, but they’re just holding space with them, maybe giving some prompts to help them work through the process. And there’s a handout that works through the process, and then there’s the third person whom is the anchor. And the anchor is holding that loving battery. And it just sets up this…situation where you’re held in such an embrace that you’re able to express your feelings. And one of the things I learned early on was that vulnerability leads to intimacy. And so, when you’re vulnerable with somebody else, they feel… closer to you, and they feel more capable of being vulnerable with you, because you’ve trusted them, right? So, it builds this level of vulnerability, intimacy, and trust in the community, and then each time you do your trio with somebody, with new people, often. Dr. Deb Muth 41:16time. Kelly McCann 41:17And it’s a really, really special program where you’re practicing this, and you’re doing homework, so you take the things that you learned from the class, and then you go home and you practice it with yourself. So that’s what I have come up with to help people start to really learn how to do this. And then it’s gonna grow from there. So I have a foundational class right now. We’re on… we just started our second cohort, And then eventually there will be a second-tier class, and workshops, and the other thing that I’m doing is one-on-one, trainings with… what one-on-one… I call them unforgetting journeys with people. So, you know how you go to a therapist, and you’re in the middle of a story, in the middle of sobbing, and they’re like, oh, well, that’s 50 minutes, it’s Here’s your tissue, we’ll see you next week. Dr. Deb Muth 42:12Yes. Kelly McCann 42:13Yeah, so painful. Dr. Deb Muth 42:16Oh, bad. Kelly McCann 42:16So painful, and I understand, like, we have the same thing, too, as physicians, like, oh, I’m so sorry, your time is up, I gotta go, I have more patients waiting. The unforgetting journey, I don’t have a clock. Dr. Deb Muth 42:29Mmm. Kelly McCann 42:30It’s… we go until you feel complete. And for most people, it’s two and a half, three hours. Dr. Deb Muth 42:37Wow. Kelly McCann 42:37To really process through the emotions that are coming up. Dr. Deb Muth 42:43to get… Kelly McCann 42:43To the point where you’re… they feel… Okay. I feel… I feel complete for today. Dr. Deb Muth 42:52For now. Kelly McCann 42:53For now. Dr. Deb Muth 42:54So the next layer, kind of. shows itself, right? Yeah. Kelly McCann 42:59Yeah, yeah. And for now, the Unforgetting Journeys are for people who have gone through the program, or are in the program, because you really need to… you have to have the skills. Dr. Deb Muth 43:11So, if somebody’s interested in your online program, how do they get in touch with you? Kelly McCann 43:17The website is unforgettingproject.com. And you can sign up right there. The next cohort will start May 20th. It’ll be a Wednesday evening. From 4.30 to 6.30 Pacific time, so I tried to make it so as many people on both sides of the continent could make it. I know it’s a little late for East Coast, but, yeah. And then, you know, every month or two, we’ll start a new cohort, so if you’re interested, and if those… that time doesn’t work for you. You know, I did Fridays initially, I’m doing Mondays, this iteration. We’ll try, other dates and times for people, and try and get a few more dates, on the calendar, so that people have some options. But yeah, that would be my suggestion. You can sign up for our email list, and we’ll be sure to let you know all the happenings at the Unforgetting Project. Dr. Deb Muth 44:17That’s awesome. And for those of you who might be driving or didn’t catch that, we will have it in the show notes as well, so that you can jot it down, check it out, if it sounds like it’s something that really resonates with you. Dr. Kelly, thank you so much for your time tonight. Is there any last words you want to leave with our listeners? Kelly McCann 44:35Of course, of course. There’s always hope. And that hope that burns inside you, that…There is a different life… a different life waiting for you. That is your spirit. That is your soul. Talking to you, and spurring you on. And my encouragement is to really listen to that. Because then you will find your way to people like Dr. Deb, and other practitioners who have heart, who have the tools and the capacity to help you on the physical world journey, and then… You know, my other encouragement would be, really listen to your body. Consider the possibility with curiosity that it is on your side. And if it’s on your side, and it’s talking to you and communicating to you, what might it be saying that it needs from you? Dr. Deb Muth 45:43I love that, that’s awesome. Thank you so much for your time today. Kelly McCann 45:47You’re welcome, my pleasure. I’m so happy to speak with you and to talk with your, audience. I think it’s wonderful. Dr. Deb Muth 45:54Thank you. Boom. Wow, what an episode we just had with Dr. Kelly McCann. This is incredible. It’s a completely different way for us to think about chronic illness, and think about what our body’s actually going through, and how we can repair it from a different aspect. So, thank you for joining me today on Let’s Talk Wellness Now. If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who’s been searching for answers and hasn’t found them yet. And if you’re enjoying our episodes of Let’s Talk Wellness now, we would love to ask the biggest favor you could do for us, which is like and subscribe and share. It goes a long way for us getting our podcasts and our episodes out into the hands of so many people Who need to hear these messages. So, if you’re feeling inclined to do that, we would love that, that affirmation from you guys. So, remember, wellness isn’t just about feeling good, it’s about thriving in every area of your life. If you’re ready to explore the root cause medicine. We can help you. Visit serenityHealthCarecenter.com or Dr. Kelly McCann, and until next time, I’m Dr. Deb, reminding you to take care of your body, mind, and spirit. Be well, and we will see you on the next episode. The post Episode 270 – Chronic Symptoms Are a Hidden Message: How to Listen and Finally Heal | Dr. Kelly McCann first appeared on Let's Talk Wellness Now.
Welcome back to our weekend Cabral HouseCall shows! This is where we answer our community's wellness, weight loss, and anti-aging questions to help people get back on track! Check out today's questions: Lena: Hi Dr. Cabral, I absolutely love your podcast and listen to it every day! Thank you for everything you do to make us all healthy! My question is, how do you feel about taking supplements for 5 days and then not taking them for 2 days? Is this good for the body or is better to take them every day? Thank you so much! Hilary: Hi Doc, Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with all of us! I recently started going to a biological dentist. He said that my gums are inflamed and gave me an ozone treatment. Is there a root cause or a way to find a root cause for inflamed gums? Mohamed: Hello Dr.Cabral.. Ive been a daily viewer of your podcast for a few years now.. really struggling. I've watched all your blood pressure videos. Tried everything to lower my dad's Bp. Magnesium, Omega 3, DNS. To no avail. Ive also tried to increase his potassium. It's frustrating.. he takes a combo of Amplodine (CC blocker and Telmisartan ARB) Even that doesn't help.. what do you recommend. He did his minerals and metals lab. Potassium was green, sodium was borderline yellow at 11. Magnesium was a 5 (exactly green). Calcium 66 (green but close to orange). Ca/Mg ratio is high. Ca/K ratio which is elevated. Na/Mg is low. One thing we haven't tried was proteolytic enzymes.. honestly I think it's hardening of Arteries. He's late 60s. Thanks Doc Karen: Hi, Dr. Cabral I have a lot of health issues: POTS, MCAS, very very low HRV, extreme postprandial heart elevation after eating, extreme fatigue, Ehlers Dahlos/hyper mobility. I saw a functional medicine doctor to try to get on a good health track but it became focused on elimination diet which became too extreme for me because I have a history of an eating disorder. (almost 10 years ago but still, I was losing too much weight for it to be healthy for me) Please advise where to start and if it is possible to get on track without doing elimination diet. Thank you! Aidan: Hi Dr Cabral, roughly 9 months ago I was sick with mono for about 6 weeks. As my symptoms eased I began to notice a lot of tingling and numbness in my limbs, 90% in the left arm. As I returned to fitness and the feeling went away I found my pressing strength in the left side was very diminished. My tricep, left upper pec, and left lat lost a lot of size and I was unable to load them anywhere close to where I could prior. I went to the a neurologist and it was revealed through EMG I have a pinch in my elbow and neck. It is also suspected that I could have some kind of post viral neuropathy as ever since then I do experience lots of weird tingling in my arms and sometimes legs as well as the strength defect and I am struggling to get back. Looking for any advice, I feel like I'm losing hope Thank you for tuning into today's Cabral HouseCall and be sure to check back tomorrow where we answer more of our community's questions! - - - Show Notes and Resources: StephenCabral.com/3788 - - - Get a FREE Copy of Dr. Cabral's Book: The Rain Barrel Effect - - - Join the Community & Get Your Questions Answered: CabralSupportGroup.com - - - Dr. Cabral's Most Popular At-Home Lab Tests: > Complete Minerals & Metals Test (Test for mineral imbalances & heavy metal toxicity) - - - > Complete Candida, Metabolic & Vitamins Test (Test for 75 biomarkers including yeast & bacterial gut overgrowth, as well as vitamin levels) - - - > Complete Stress, Mood & Metabolism Test (Discover your complete thyroid, adrenal, hormone, vitamin D & insulin levels) - - - > Complete Food Sensitivity Test (Find out your hidden food sensitivities) - - - > Complete Omega-3 & Inflammation Test (Discover your levels of inflammation related to your omega-6 to omega-3 levels) - - - Get Your Question Answered On An Upcoming HouseCall: StephenCabral.com/askcabral - - - Would You Take 30 Seconds To Rate & Review The Cabral Concept? The best way to help me spread our mission of true natural health is to pass on the good word, and I read and appreciate every review!
Aujourd'hui, Sandrine Pégand, avocate, Jean-Loup Bonnamy, professeur de philosophie, et Abel Boyi, éducateur, débattent de l'actualité autour d'Alain Marschall et Olivier Truchot.
"Exercise is good for EDS." So why do so many hypermobile people get worse when they try it? In this episode of Bendy Bodies with the Hypermobility MD, Dr. Linda Bluestein is joined by co-host Dr. Dacre Knight, Medical Director of the UVA Health EDS and Hypermobility Disorders Center, and physical therapist Dr. Morgan Groover to discuss one of the most misunderstood aspects of hypermobility care: how to make physical therapy and exercise work for a hypermobile body. Many people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD), chronic pain, POTS, and related conditions have been told to exercise more, only to experience increased pain, injury, or setbacks. Others have been told to avoid activity altogether. In this conversation, Dr. Groover explains why both approaches can miss the mark. Together, they explore how hypermobile joints, muscles, tendons, and connective tissues respond to load, why individualized physical therapy is essential, and how the right amount of strengthening can improve joint stability, function, and quality of life. Dr. Groover shares practical strategies for determining an appropriate starting point, progressing safely, interpreting pain and soreness, and avoiding the common cycle of overdoing it and crashing. They also discuss the powerful role language plays in rehabilitation, how fear of movement can contribute to disability, and why hypermobile patients can often continue participating in activities they love, including running, dancing, yoga, and sports, with the right support and guidance. Whether you're living with EDS, HSD, generalized joint hypermobility, chronic pain, or you're a clinician looking to better support hypermobile patients, this episode offers practical, evidence-informed insights that can help change the way you think about movement and rehabilitation. Takeaways: • Why physical therapy often fails hypermobile patients and what successful EDS-informed rehabilitation looks like • The difference between productive soreness and pain that signals excessive loading • How muscles and tendons adapt to exercise and support joint stability in hypermobility • Why both overloading and underloading can contribute to worsening symptoms • How to safely return to exercise, sports, dance, yoga, and other meaningful activities • Why language matters when discussing joint instability, weakness, and pain • How fear of movement can contribute to deconditioning and disability • Practical strategies for building strength, resilience, and confidence in a hypermobile body Find the episode transcript here. Go to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BENDY_ to get UP TO $300 off today! Want more Morgan Groover? Instagram: @morgan.groover.dpt Website: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/directory/morgan-groover/ Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast X: https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ Newsletter: https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ Shop my Amazon store https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: RUVAEDSCenter@uvahealth.org UVA EDS: https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic UVA EDS FAQ: https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Learn more about Human Content at http://www.human-content.com Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: sales@human-content.com Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today, I am thrilled to connect with Dr. Linda Bluestein, a board-certified anesthesiologist and integrative pain medicine physician specializing in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, hypermobility spectrum disorders, and related conditions, including POTS, mast cell activation, and chronic pain. In our discussion, we discuss the invisible illness problem and complex medical illnesses, and Dr. Bluestein shares how being diagnosed with EDS in her 40s prompted her to pivot her career to focus on what is missing in medicine regarding those complex illnesses. We explore different types of hypermobility conditions and why women are disproportionately more affected by those conditions than men. We clarify what hypermobility means, the cluster of EDS, POTS, and MCAS, what to do when you have unexplained multi-system symptoms, and how AI can be beneficial. We also examine pain science, hypermobility, sympathetic overdrive, kinesiophobia, anesthesia considerations in connective tissue disorders, and the impact of midlife transitions, HRT, medical gaslighting, nervous system regulation, movement, nutrition, and validation and hope for patients with complex medical illnesses. I am delighted to share this informative conversation with Dr. Linda Bluestein with the Everyday Wellness community, and look forward to having Dr. Bluestein back to explore this topic further. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: How patients with complex symptoms often go from specialist to specialist, yet none of them connect the dots. How patients tend to be blamed when treatments fail How POTS diagnosis is often based on heart rate changes, even though it's not primarily a heart rate condition How dysautonomia affects multiple body systems How, apart from joint flexibility, hypermobility can also involve skin, tissues, organs, and multiple body systems. How EDS, POTS, and MCAS can overlap The value of AI tools for helping patients organize complex symptom histories How sympathetic overdrive and kinesiophobia can worsen chronic pain The impact of medical gaslighting Bio: Dr. Linda Bluestein Dr. Linda Bluestein is a board-certified anesthesiologist and integrative pain medicine physician who specializes in Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes, hypermobility spectrum disorders, and related conditions, such as POTS, mast cell activation, and chronic pain. She is the founder of Hypermobility MD and the host of the internationally recognized Bendy Bodies Podcast, where she bridges the gap between patients and clinicians by unpacking complex medicine through a pattern-based, whole-person lens. Dr. Bluestein is also an EDS patient herself, bringing both clinical expertise and lived experience to conversations about diagnostic delays, medical gaslighting, and compassionate, effective care. Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia's website. Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow. Purchase Cynthia's book, The Menopause Gut. Cynthia's Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line Connect with Dr. Linda Bluestein Bendy Bodies Podcast Dysautonomia Support Network
“Everybody's voice and their experience is so important.” - Allie ChandlerOne of the most frustrating realities in healthcare is that clinical excellence and visibility are not the same thing. Some of the most skilled, thoughtful, and effective practitioners struggle to talk about their work, while some of the loudest voices online don't have the depth of expertise to match their reach. For practitioners who genuinely want to help people, marketing can feel uncomfortable, performative, and disconnected from the reason they entered healthcare in the first place.But communication is part of care. If the people who need your help can't find you, understand what you do, or recognize themselves in your message, they never have the opportunity to benefit from your expertise. And that doesn't mean becoming someone you're not. It means learning how to communicate your work in a way that feels authentic, clear, and aligned with the people you're best equipped to serve.In today's episode, I'm joined by Allie Chandler, CEO of Upsell Health, and a marketing strategist who specializes in helping integrative and functional medicine practitioners find their voice and connect with the right clients. Drawing from her own healing journey through Lyme disease, mold illness, POTS, and complex chronic illness, Allie shares why authentic messaging matters so much in healthcare. We talk about identifying your ideal client, understanding your unique communication style, using AI without losing your voice, building trust through education, creating effective lead magnets, transitioning from a brick-and-mortar practice to an online or hybrid model, why nervous system regulation is an essential business skill to develop, and more.Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!---Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/marketing-for-womens-health-professionals-with-allie-chandler/.Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/).Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).
Here's another episode on hoyas - and another episode on learning to look at specifics rather than making generalizations. The human urge to generalize is STRONG, but it only actually saves us time when it's relevant, and in this case it's far less helpful than we think!
Join me in the meadow today as I share my chronic illness must haves and essentials as a gal navigating POTS and graves disease this past year! In todays episodes I'm sharing the tools that have helped me through summer heat intolerance, health flares, and hard days from neck fans, to veggie choppers, and wedge pillows! Whether it's chronic illness, mental health struggles or just a hard day hopefully these pieces of advice will help us all practice a little more self care and compassion.
The vehicle's event data recorder documented the accelerator at full capacity, zero brake application, and a direct trajectory into a commercial building in Strongsville, Ohio at approximately one hundred miles per hour. Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan were pronounced dead at the scene. Mackenzie Shirilla survived. The defendant never provided a statement to law enforcement and did not testify at trial. The case was built entirely on physical and digital evidence.The evidentiary foundation included the data recorder findings, prior threats documented in text messages — Shirilla told Russo weeks before the crash she would "crash this car right now" — and evidence that Shirilla had driven to the same dead-end road days before the fatal night. Monitored jail calls between the defendant and her mother Natalie Shirilla, conducted in a private coded language, were intercepted and decoded by investigators. According to prosecutors, the decoded communications revealed the defendant asking whether they could inform police she had experienced a seizure prior to the crash. The seizure theory — attributed to a blood pressure condition called POTS — became the defense's primary argument. The court rejected it, finding the defendant's actions "controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful."Post-conviction institutional records document thirty-six conduct violations in under three years at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, with guilty findings on thirty-two. Citations include unauthorized medication, altered prison clothing, contraband, refusing work assignments, and more than one hundred video visits with an unapproved former inmate conducted under another individual's name. On recorded calls, the defendant characterizes herself as the third person harmed and continues to describe the incident as a car accident. She has declined participation in institutional rehabilitation programs.The family's conduct compounds the post-conviction record. Natalie Shirilla stated on a monitored call that prison programs are intended for "people convicted of crimes like actual criminals." She characterized the Russo family as "evil." Steve Shirilla publicly challenged the evidence on a podcast while the court's written findings remain in the public record. His contract at Mary Queen of Peace School was not renewed by the Diocese of Cleveland following his appearance in Netflix's The Crash.Coffindaffer and Dreeke examine the complete behavioral arc — from the pre-crash threats and rehearsal drive through the decoded calls and institutional conduct — and assess whether anyone in the defendant's environment has provided genuine accountability at any stage.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MackenzieShirilla #TheCrash #DominicRusso #DavionFlanagan #DataRecorder #Strongsville #JenniferCoffindaffer #RobinDreeke #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
The crash that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan wasn't the first time Mackenzie Shirilla drove to that dead-end road in Strongsville, Ohio. She'd been there days before the fatal night. The data recorder from her car captured the final run — accelerator at full capacity, zero braking, a straight line into a commercial building at close to a hundred miles per hour. Russo and Flanagan were dead at the scene. Shirilla survived.She never talked to police. She never testified. Investigators built the case from the car's data, the prior threats — Shirilla told Russo weeks before she would "crash this car right now" — and monitored jail calls where she and her mother Natalie communicated in a private coded language that investigators cracked. According to prosecutors, the decoded calls revealed Shirilla asking whether they could tell police she'd had a seizure. That claim became the defense theory — a blood pressure condition called POTS allegedly caused a blackout. The judge didn't buy it. He called her actions "controlled, methodical, deliberate, intentional and purposeful."The post-conviction picture hasn't shifted. Thirty-six conduct violations in under three years at the Ohio Reformatory for Women — guilty on thirty-two. Unauthorized medication. Altered clothing. Contraband. Refusing work assignments. More than a hundred video visits with an unapproved former inmate conducted under someone else's name. On recorded calls, Shirilla calls herself the third person harmed by what she still describes as an accident. She told a friend she plans to become a life coach.Her family has reinforced every instinct. Natalie told Mackenzie on a monitored call that prison programs are for "people convicted of crimes like actual criminals." She called the Russo family "evil." Steve Shirilla went on a podcast to challenge anyone to produce evidence of intent — while the judge's written findings sit in the public record. He acknowledged comfort with his daughter's substance use on camera for Netflix while employed at a Catholic elementary school. The Diocese of Cleveland didn't renew his contract.Coffindaffer and Dreeke examine the behavioral pattern from the threats through the rehearsal drive through the crash itself — and why the prison record is the same pattern continuing under a different roof.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MackenzieShirilla #TheCrash #DominicRusso #DavionFlanagan #Strongsville #JenniferCoffindaffer #RobinDreeke #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #OhioCrime
LEARN HOW TO JOURNALSPEAK In this episode, we dive into what it really means to move through life in alignment, especially when stress, symptoms, anxiety, and overwhelm are all trying to pull you into fear. I share a recent experience from my own life, during a season of major transition, travel, work, family milestones, and my youngest child graduating high school, when a strange new neuropathy-like sensation showed up in my face. Instead of spiraling, Dr. Googling (or Dr. ChatGPTing!), or giving the symptom a terrifying meaning, I used it as an opportunity to practice the work in real time: pausing, noticing, refusing to meet it with fear, and asking what my body might actually be trying to communicate. What came through was not danger, but a need for tenderness, self-compassion, and a gentler way of being with myself. I also share the story of sitting with a dear friend who is struggling with POTS, chronic fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and intense nervous system symptoms, and what happened when she was willing to meet those sensations differently. Rather than collapse into the first reaction of terror, she practiced sitting up, letting the symptoms be there, and discovering that uncomfortable does not have to mean unsafe. This episode is about the life-changing power of the pause between your first reaction and your second one. Your first reaction may be a reflex, shaped by everything you have lived, but your second reaction is where your agency lives. When we stop running from symptoms and begin meeting them with curiosity, compassion, and steadiness, we teach the nervous system that we are safe. Join us! XOOX n. I also share an exciting announcement: Lisa and I will be teaching at Miraval Austin from September 25–27 for a relaxing, immersive retreat experience rooted in this work. You can learn more by visiting www.NicoleSachs.com and clicking the Retreats tab. Find me at www.NicoleSachs.com, on Instagram @nicolesachslcsw, and inside my Heal with Nicole community. SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEW SUBSTACK! So excited about this one :)) Want your questions answered directly by me?
Meagan is 44 years old! If you're reading this, you should have called in yesterday to wish her a happy birthday. She mighta been busy bc she is treating herself to a cardiac event or two at a sports game. Is it POTS …or (S)PO(R)TS?? Plus, we lament the rise and fall of blond-haired white boys. Spoiler Alerts for Alias (2001-2006) and Lost (2004-2010). But taking center stage is Judge Meags Lane! We are reviewing three issues for the day:Issue #1: Is Lindy guilty of being a big ol' b-word?-On the bench: Judge Meags Lane-Defendant: Lindy West, representing herself-Prosecution: Lindy WestThe Facts:Lindy has to interpret a TSA line in an airport. A lady in front of her forgets she has a belt on and gets booted from the line. Lindy advances within the line. A lady tries to cut in front of Lindy. Lindy has forgotten that this lady is the belt lady and says no cut-sies. Issue #2: Should we sentence Patrick Ta to 12 years of hard labor?-On the bench: Judge Meags Lane. -Defendant: Patrick Ta, represented by Meagan Hatcher-Mays-Prosecution: Meagan Hatcher-MaysThe Facts:??????Issue #3: Is Robert a lying liar?-Overseeing the case: The Textmebackoytes-Defendant: Jingleheimer Robert, representing himself-Prosecution: Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-MaysThe Facts:Robert is charged with heresy in the first degree in suggesting that other podcasts exist. Robert admits on tape that he has listened to and written music for this supposed “other” podcast. Tune in to hear the verdicts and sentencing! And if you are in the petit jury of Textmebackolytes on Robert's case, please call in ASAP or we will send out a subpoena on your ass (703) 829-0003.NEVER LISTENED TO THE POD BEFORE? HERE IS YOUR STARTER KIT TO BEING BFFS WITH US!Meet Kevin in: Lindy and Meagan Need to Talk About KevinLearn why they keep saying BBW in Lindy and Meagan Are Officially BBWsDiscover the Kayak Dad Lore in: It's Our First Episode!WE NEED OUR ACCOLADES! It helps people find the show.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars only please) on Spotify⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars only please) on Apple PodcastsGive us Rave Reviews and Accolades on Apple Podcasts! The Reason Podcasts Were InventedI have been listening to Text Me Back! since the very first episode and it has only gotten better and more hysterical as it goes along. It is a hilarious beacon of light in these dark times. Thank you Lindy and Meagan for sharing your thoughts with us. Mwah!ORYX_AND_CAKE THANK YOU FOR BEING ONE OF OUR BEST AND MOST LOYAL FRIENDS IN THESE DARK TIMES–ROBERT TAKE NOTE!!!!STUFF TO CHECK OUT:Order Lindy's book!!!! Adult BracesNEWSLETTER ME BACK (A FREE WAY TO SUPPORT THE SHOW!)Check out SWAMP PERSON Subscribe to Lindy's newsletter butt news!Check out our MERCH so we can make MORE merch!! (Patrons get a discount, so check us out at patreon.com/textmebackpod)Listen Ad-Free by joining our $12 Patreon tier Freakaconda!Subscribe to Lindy's newsletter butt news!Join our Discord! We're obsessed with these people.⋆。°✩⋆。°✩⋆。°✩⋆。°If you like this episode and want us to keep making the show forever, please subscribe to our Patreon. This podcast will always be free, but we need your help to produce it -- and if you support our Patreon, you'll get all kinds of goodies in addition to the show itself! Learn more about the different tiers and rewards here: https://www.patreon.com/TextMeBackPodAlso! Please keep in touch with us! You can text OR CALL us at the Best Friend Party Phone: (703) 829-0003.We're on Instagram at @textmebackpod!You can email us at deartextmeback@gmail.com!WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU SO BAD!⋆。°✩⋆。°✩⋆。°✩⋆。°TEXT ME BACK is a production of Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-Mays, proud members of the BFF Network. Our senior producer is Meagan Hatcher-Mays. Our other senior producer is Lindy West. Our show is produced by Alli Slice.Our music is by Chief Ahamefule J. Oluo. Diana Bowen is our video and creative advisor. Our digital strategist is Chance Nichols.You can also follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok @textmebackpod. And for even more bestie content, follow Lindy and Meagan on Instagram at @thelindywest and @importantmeagan!TEXT ME BACK is a comedy podcast where Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-Mays spiral about politics, pop culture, dogs, space, friendship, anxiety, Lord of the Rings, and whatever cursed topic is haunting them that week. Along the way, they've welcomed brilliant and hilarious guests including Lizz Winstead (The Daily Show), Kelsey McKinney (Normal Gossip), Samantha Irby (We Are Never Meeting in Real Life), Guy Branum (Hacks), collaborators, comedians, political experts, writers, and internet icons for deeply unserious conversations.⋆。°✩⋆。°✩⋆。°✩⋆。°See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Rob and Debbie Rivett are a collaboration between thrower and artist making contemporary wheel thrown porcelain slipware. Rob enjoys the challenges that throwing with porcelain present and seeks to emphasize the characteristics of the clay by creating sleek, flowing forms which become a canvas for Debbie to paint on. Debbie brings her love of walking and appreciation of often overlooked areas of grass land to life in her lively landscape paintings. Using a combination of brushwork and Sgraffito, Debbie's experiments with slip see her using it in a unique and painterly way which captures the swaying grasses of the field margins in England. https://ThePottersCast.com/1235
Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of four counts of murder, four counts of felonious assault, and two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide in a bench trial that turned almost entirely on physical and digital evidence. She never spoke to investigators. She never testified. The prosecution's case was built on what was recovered from the wreckage, the surveillance footage, and the digital record she left behind.The data recorder from Shirilla's Toyota Camry showed the accelerator at full capacity in the seconds before impact, with no braking input. Surveillance footage captured the vehicle maintaining a controlled, straight trajectory before striking a commercial building in Strongsville, Ohio, at close to a hundred miles per hour. Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan were pronounced dead at the scene.Prosecutors presented evidence of premeditation extending weeks before the crash. Shirilla had previously told Russo she would "crash this car right now," and had driven the same dead-end route days before the fatal night. On monitored jail calls, she and her mother communicated in a coded language that, once decoded by investigators, allegedly revealed Shirilla suggesting they tell police she suffered a seizure.The defense presented a POTS diagnosis — a blood pressure condition that can cause fainting — as the basis for involuntary loss of consciousness. No medical records or expert testimony confirmed the diagnosis at trial. The court found the evidence of intentional conduct overwhelming, with Judge Nancy Margaret Russo declaring the crash "was not reckless driving" but "murder."Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer and retired FBI Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program Chief Robin Dreeke join Tony Brueski to evaluate the evidentiary framework, the role of data recorders in establishing intent, and how decoded communications factored into the conviction.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MackenzieShirilla #DominicRusso #DavionFlanagan #TheCrash #HiddenKillers #JenniferCoffindaffer #RobinDreeke #TrueCrime #Strongsville #OhioMurder
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
The data recorder inside Mackenzie Shirilla's Toyota Camry captured a story she never told anyone. The accelerator was at full capacity. There was no attempt to brake. The car was aimed in a straight line at a brick building in Strongsville, Ohio, traveling close to a hundred miles per hour. Dominic Russo, twenty, and Davion Flanagan, nineteen, were dead when first responders arrived. Shirilla survived.She never spoke to investigators. She never took the stand. The entire case was built on what the evidence said in her silence — and it said a great deal.Weeks before the crash, Shirilla told Russo she would "crash this car right now." Surveillance footage showed her driving the same dead-end route days before the fatal night, on a road she didn't normally use. Investigators argued the crash wasn't a sudden decision — it was rehearsed.On monitored jail calls, Shirilla and her mother communicated in a coded language that detectives had to decode. Once cracked, prosecutors said the calls revealed Shirilla asking whether they could tell police she'd had a seizure. That claim became the foundation of her defense — her attorneys argued that a blood pressure condition called POTS had caused her to lose consciousness behind the wheel. Prosecutors countered that a person who blacked out couldn't maintain foot pressure on an accelerator at full capacity in a controlled straight line. The judge agreed.Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer and retired FBI Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program Chief Robin Dreeke join Tony Brueski to examine what the physical evidence reveals about the final seconds before impact, how investigators build a murder case on circumstantial evidence alone, and why the coded jail calls may have sealed the conviction.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MackenzieShirilla #DominicRusso #DavionFlanagan #TheCrash #HiddenKillers #JenniferCoffindaffer #RobinDreeke #TrueCrime #Strongsville #OhioMurder
Discover 5 key autoimmune triggers hiding in your past. From COVID and herpes simplex to staph, Epstein-Barr, and strep infections, Nurse Doza breaks down how past infections can reprogram your immune system to attack your own tissue — and what gut health has to do with it all. Gut (L-Glutamine) by MSW Nutrition Gut, featuring 4 grams of pure L-Glutamine per scoop, is the primary fuel source for the cells that line your intestinal wall. When past infections, antibiotics, or chronic stress compromise your gut barrier, your immune system loses its most important line of defense — creating the conditions where autoimmune triggers thrive. Gut helps repair the gut lining, reduce digestive inflammation, and support the immune cells that depend on a healthy gut to function properly. Whether you're managing an existing autoimmune disorder or working to prevent one, healing your gut is where it starts.
The defense raised a medical condition. Never proved it. Had competing evidence that contradicted the prosecution's key witness. Never introduced it. Filed the post-conviction petition with the one expert who might have changed everything. Filed it one day late. At every critical moment in the Mackenzie Shirilla case, the defense failed — and a seventeen-year-old is serving fifteen years to life because of it.Shirilla was convicted of four counts of murder for the crash in Strongsville, Ohio that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. The prosecution built a narrative around surveillance footage, black box data, and threatening text messages. The defense had tools to challenge that narrative — a diagnosed medical condition, a neurologist's expert opinion, text messages that directly contradicted the prosecution's version of a key prior incident. None of it was effectively used.The POTS diagnosis was mentioned at trial but never supported with expert testimony. The post-conviction petition containing a neurologist's conclusion that the evidence was consistent with a medical episode was rejected because it arrived twenty-four hours past Ohio's filing deadline — not because it was wrong. The I-71 incident the prosecution called a rehearsal had a competing account the defense never surfaced.Criminal defense attorney Bob Motta examines every failure in this defense and asks the hardest question: if Mackenzie Shirilla's own legal team had done its job, would she be in prison right now? The answer matters — because ineffective assistance of counsel isn't just a legal term. It's a life sentence imposed by the people who were supposed to prevent one.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MackenzieShirilla #TheCrash #TheCrashNetflix #DominicRusso #DavionFlanagan #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #Justice
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
A medical condition that could explain loss of consciousness — raised at trial but never supported with expert testimony. A post-conviction petition containing a neurologist's opinion — filed one day late. A key prosecution witness whose account was contradicted by text messages — never challenged by the defense. At what point does a defense stop being a defense?Mackenzie Shirilla was convicted of four counts of murder for the Strongsville, Ohio crash that killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. She was seventeen. The prosecution argued premeditated intent based on surveillance footage, black box data, and a behavioral profile built from threatening text messages. The defense argued POTS — a condition that causes fainting — but presented zero medical evidence to back it up. No expert. No records. No connection between the diagnosis and the crash.After the conviction, a Cleveland neurologist reviewed her case and found evidence consistent with a seizure episode. That opinion never reached a courtroom because her attorneys filed the petition twenty-four hours past the statutory deadline. The court refused to consider it.Criminal defense attorney Bob Motta has tried cases at every level. He examines the Shirilla defense failure by failure — the expert who should have testified, the competing evidence that was never introduced, the accident reconstruction that apparently never happened, and whether a client who maintains she has no memory of the crash needed a completely different legal strategy from day one. The question he keeps coming back to: was this a murder conviction — or a conviction by default?Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MackenzieShirilla #TheCrash #TheCrashNetflix #DominicRusso #DavionFlanagan #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #Justice
No confession. No manifesto. No search history about staging a crash. No suicide note. No witnesses to intent. The prosecution's case against Mackenzie Shirilla was built on surveillance footage, black box data, text messages, and a prior threat — and then charged as four counts of premeditated murder. In most cases with that charge, there's a trail. In this one, there wasn't.Shirilla was seventeen when the crash in Strongsville, Ohio killed Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan. The footage shows the car accelerating to nearly a hundred miles per hour before hitting a building. The data shows full throttle and no braking. That evidence is real. But the prosecution's theory required a leap — from "the car did this" to "she planned this" — and the bridge between those two conclusions was built on her personality, her texts, and a prior threat she made and didn't follow through on.The defense had a possible answer: a diagnosed medical condition called POTS that can cause sudden loss of consciousness. But Shirilla's own attorney failed to bring in an expert witness at trial. After the conviction, a neurologist reviewed her medical records and concluded the evidence was consistent with a medical episode. His opinion was submitted to the court and rejected — not because it was wrong, but because the paperwork arrived one day past Ohio's filing deadline.Robin Dreeke, former head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Program, looks at how this case was constructed from the ground up — the evidence that was presented, the evidence that was missed, the charging decision that raised the bar to a level the proof may not reach, and what it means when a narrative becomes so compelling that nobody stops to ask whether the evidence actually supports it.Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-vxmbhTxxG10sO1izODJg?sub_confirmation=1Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspodX Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePodThis publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.#MackenzieShirilla #TheCrash #TheCrashNetflix #DominicRusso #DavionFlanagan #RobinDreeke #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #Netflix #Justice
The Hidden Causes of Brain Fog, Anxiety, and Chronic Illness: Mold, Parasites, Histamine, and Low Cortisol If you're exhausted, inflamed, and can't figure out why, the answer might be hiding in your histamine, your hormones, your home, or something living inside you that your doctor will never test for. Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR Host Dave Asprey sits down with Dr. Jessica Peatross, a former hospitalist turned functional medicine powerhouse who walked away from a conventional medical career after discovering that 90% of disease traces back to lifestyle, environment, and the toxins most doctors ignore. After graduating magna cum laude and earning her medical degree from the University of Louisville, Dr. Jess pursued training in functional medicine, nutrigenomics, and alternative therapies, and now helps thousands of patients reverse chronic illness through her KillBindSweat method and WellnessPlus app. She is also the formulator and CMO of Aegis Formulas and a leading voice at international health conferences. If chronic illness, mold toxicity, or hormonal chaos is on your radar, she is the person you want in your corner. Together, Dave and Dr. Jess go deep into the hidden drivers of mystery symptoms that functional medicine is finally starting to crack open. They cover why low cortisol is more dangerous than high cortisol, how histamine and mast cell activation syndrome explain everything from anxiety and brain fog to endometriosis and POTS, and why most "Lyme disease" is actually undiagnosed mold toxicity. They also break down the parasite epidemic hiding in plain sight across the United States, the B vitamin mistake making millions of people sicker, and why your metabolism, mitochondria, and mental health are all downstream of things your standard lab panel will never catch. This episode also gets into the real story behind Dr. Jess surrendering her California medical license rather than comply with a system she believed was working against patient health. Her firsthand account of the medical board process is something every person who cares about medical freedom needs to hear. You'll Learn: Why everyone who is chronically sick has a low cortisol awakening response and what to do about it How histamine drives anxiety, racing thoughts, palpitations, bloating, skin issues, and hormonal chaos Why 90% of people diagnosed with Lyme disease actually have toxic mold and how to test for both The parasite epidemic in the U.S. and why standard testing misses most of it How the spike protein reactivates dormant viruses and feeds the histamine loop behind long COVID Why synthetic B6 causes the very neuropathy it is supposed to fix, and what to take instead The cortisol, adrenaline, and blood pressure connection that explains "wired but tired" How progesterone stabilizes mast cells and why estrogen dominance fuels inflammation and reactivity Why Dave Asprey uses low-dose cortisol, dexamethasone, and modafinil as part of his daily performance stack The mold binders that actually work, and which popular ones can harm hypermobile people How nicotine at low doses blocks spike protein from ACE2 receptors and protects the brain What the MTHFR gene, methylation, and folic acid have to do with breast cancer, depression, and estrogen detox Thank you to our sponsors! - iRestore | Reverse hair loss at www.irestore.com/DAVE and get exclusive savings on the iRestore Elite, use code DAVE - KILLSwitch | If you're ready for the best sleep of your life, order now at https://www.switchsupplements.com/and use code DAVE for 20% off - Calroy | Go to Calroy.com/DAVE for exclusive discounts on Arterosil HP, Vascanox HP and all Calroy products. - Cowboy Colostrum | Get your gut right by going to cowboycolostrum.com/asprey for 25% off of your entire order. -Amp | If you're ready to make fitness fit into your life, go to amp.ai to check it outDave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights inhealth, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. Keywords: Dr. Jessica Peatross, functional medicine, mast cell activation syndrome, histamine intolerance, long COVID brain fog, mold toxicity, chronic Lyme disease, parasite testing, low cortisol, cortisol awakening response, MTHFR methylation, B6 toxicity, P5P, folinic acid, estrogen dominance, progesterone therapy, spike protein reactivation, Epstein-Barr reactivation, POTS, wired but tired, Kill Bind Sweat, WellnessPlus, vaccine exemptions, mold binders, nicotine ACE2, adrenal insufficiency, RCCX gene Resources: • Go to https://drjessmd.com/ and use code ‘DRJESS' at checkout • Get My 2026 Clean Nicotine Roadmap | Enroll for free at https://daveasprey.com/2026-clean-nicotine-roadmap/ • Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today. • Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15 • My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off) • Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off) • Dave Asprey's BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com • Dave Asprey's New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated • Join My Substack (Live Access To Podcast Recordings): https://substack.daveasprey.com/ • Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com Timestamps: 00:00 – Trailer 00:33 – Releasing Medical License 03:21 – Chronic Illness Root Causes 05:00 – Hospital Nutrition 08:11 – Dave's Health History 10:22 – Parasites 20:02 – Nicotine 23:19 – Low Blood Pressure & Minerals 28:09 – B Vitamins & Methylation 33:45 – Autism & Genetics 40:13 – Toxic Mold 43:11 – ADHD Misdiagnosis 48:27 – Histamine & Mast Cells 50:56 – Long COVID & Spike Protein 58:56 – Cortisol 1:03:56 – Lyme Disease 1:09:58 – Mold Testing & Binders 1:16:37 – Closing See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.