Natural Md Radio | Feel Better, Live Better

Did you know that spending too much time stuck survival mode can impact your thyroid health? It does so through a profound adrenal-thyroid connection. And what is one of the main things that triggers survival mode? Chronic stress!Because each of us is a living, breathing, complex whole organism, when any one aspect of our lives is affected, each of our internal ecosystems is impacted.. In this episode I focus on the very specific impact of stress on a gland that has enormous influence on our metabolism and weight, mood, and hormones: your thyroid. The important takeaway here is the while stressors may now be a chronic part of our lives, there are things you can do to rein it in so it doesn't wreak havoc on your health - or tank your thyroid. And there are things you can do to reverse it if it is already affecting you.You can read the accompanying article at avivaromm.com/heal-your-thyroid-get-out-of-survival-mode

Happy New Year! …and happy Thyroid Awareness Month! Your thyroid — a little butterfly-shaped gland in your neck — is responsible for controlling your energy and metabolism. Thyroid disease affects an estimated 40 million Americans, and nearly 90% of these are women. Studies show that 1 in 8 women can expect to develop hypothyroidism in her lifetime. In this episode, I discuss how to recognize the symptoms of hypothyroidism, why hypothyroidism is a feminist issue, why the medical community is ignoring this epidemic, and what we can do to change the story.“You are the expert on your own body.” - Aviva RommTo read the article that accompanies this episode of Natural MD Radio and for the Show Notes, go to www.avivaromm.com/hypothyroidism-feminist-issue/

Join me for my conversation with journalist Jennifer Block, author of Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care and Everything Below the Waist: Why Health Care Needs a Feminist Revolution. Jennifer recently found herself at the center of a social media storm over an article she wrote for Scientific American titled "Doctors Are Not Gods." We talk about why she wrote this article and the controversy it created, as well as the state of women's health in a medical system that is often closed to the alternatives women are seeking. For an excerpted transcript and show notes, go to avivaromm.com/jennifer-block/

Acetaminophen (Tylenol). Most people reach for it for everyday headaches like it’s no big deal. Acetaminophen has also long been considered generally safe for use during all stages of pregnancy, making it the first-choice pain and fever medication for pregnant women. Yet acetaminophen is not benign. Given the large number of pregnant women using the drug, even a small increase in risk of adverse outcomes in offspring can have important implications. Join me in this episode where I review the research on Tylenol in pregnancy and share my favorite effective and safe natural alternatives. For the accompanying article, go to avivaromm.com/headaches-in-pregnancy/

In her New York Times bestselling book, Come As You Are, Dr. Emily Nagoski, says that the most important factor for women in creating and sustaining a fulfilling sex life, is not what you do in bed or how you do it, but how you feel about it. This means that things like stress, mood, trust, connection, and body image are not peripheral factors in a woman’s sexual wellbeing; they are central to it. Join me in this episode of Natural MD Radio as I talk with Dr. Nagoski about what we can do to cultivate sexual wellbeing in our lives and for the next generation. And catch the transcript and show notes at avivaromm.com/emily-nagoski/

The use of herbs for the treatment of common pregnancy symptoms is very common. Studies and surveys estimate that up to 45% of women use an herbal therapy at some point during pregnancy. For better or worse, there are a lot of “experts” on the internet “wild-west” giving advice that may not always be accurate, so it’s important to get your information from reliable sources that you can trust. This episode, from a midwife-herbalist-MD will give you a glimpse into the potential benefits of herbs in pregnancy, and what's safe and what's not.For the accompanying article and episode links, go to avivaromm.com/herbal-medicines-in-pregnancy-safety/

Thalidomide, DES, the Dalkon Shield, Essure, Pelvic Mesh. The list of medical devices and treatments for women that have gone very wrong is extensive. Learn how big business has put profits over women's safety and health, and my top 5 recommendations for avoiding unnecessary, inappropriate, or possibly unsafe medical treatments. For an accompanying article and episode links, go to avivaromm.com/medical-devices/

If you’ve been exploring women’s hormone wellness online, you’ve likely come across articles touting the miracles of seed cycling for regulating the menstrual cycle. In case you missed it, seed cycling is a protocol where you consume specific seed combinations during distinct phases of the menstrual cycle in order to balance female hormones. The excitement is understandable. The promise of a simple, food-based solution to heal your hormonal woes is certainly compelling. However, overall, the science on seeds does not support the claims that are being made - eating this or that seed at a certain time in your cycle doesn’t regulate your hormones. Have a listen to this latest episode of Natural MD Radio, or read the article at avivaromm.com/seed-cycling/

Loss. Abuse. Violence. Bullying. Workplace mistreatment. None of these are experiences we want to have. Yet few humans get through life without being touched by one or another, in some way. This is particularly so for women.For many of us, these experiences create trauma that seems to settle into our bones in ways that shape the fabric of our lives.In this episode my friend Dr. James Gordon, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and a world-renowned expert in using mind body medicine to heal depression, anxiety, and psychological trauma, shares his views on the trauma faced by women in the US, including the impact of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and microaggressions against women, on physical pain, weight, mood, and self-sabotaging habits, and his wisdom and experience on how to reframe trauma into growth. We also talk about how we can address our concerns and fears as parents in light of school shootings and other random acts of violence we're exposed to in our world at this time.For show notes to avivaromm.

The idea that gut health is central to our total health goes back thousands of years, but it's been largely absent from modern medicine and science until very recently. In my practice as a medical doctor and herbalist, I see the gut as the epicenter of health. It's often one of the first areas of the body that I work on for helping my patients with many, many different types of conditions.What we know about the health of the newborn and the newborn's microbiome for example, how childhood and lifelong health can be altered by cesarean section or introduction of antibiotics to the mom in labor or at the time of the c-section, is eye-opening and just a tip of the iceberg on why the microbiome is something we should all know how to support and protect.Today I want to introduce you to one of the world's leading microbiome experts, Dr. Joseph Petrosino. Dr Petrosino is a Professor and Interim Chairman of the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine where he's also the Director

Can you relate to this? Do you suddenly find yourself catastrophizing when you’re on the verge of something great happening for you? Do you get stopped in your tracks by a fear just when life feels good and happy? If you have "happiness anxiety," you know it’s a real thing and can be a serious impediment in your life, keeping you from taking chances on relationships, opportunities, growth – and even just freaking enjoying your life in a big way. I promise you, you’re not crazy, you’re not alone, and it’s something you can totally transform. How? Listen to this episode of Natural MD Radio and read the show notes at avivaromm.com/anxiety-anticipation/

Strident debates about vaccinations have erupted in the public sphere which aren't helpful to parents trying to interpret lots of conflicting information about vaccine safety. In this episode of Natural MD Radio I share both my own story as I weighed whether to vaccinate my own four children in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as my experience as a healthcare provider, first as a homebirth midwife and then as a medical doctor. I also share links where you can find information about catch-up schedules, and some guidance on what to do - and avoid - if you are now choosing to implement vaccinations for any reason, including being able to send your kids to school in the absence of vaccine exemptions.

If you’ve been given an HPV diagnosis or have been told that you have ‘precancerous’ cervical changes or cervical dysplasia, there’s a good chance you’re freaking out. It’s a scary thing to hear, and often, the information isn’t delivered with the whole picture: namely that most HPV infections clear up on their own and most pre-cancerous lesions resolve spontaneously, with very little risk that they will progress to cancer.While appropriate conventional follow-up testing and treatment are absolutely essential with HPV and all cervical changes, and are part of a safe, healthy integrative approach, I'd like to share what's known about the natural approaches that have been researched with some promising results that women might want to use, not as a substitute, but while waiting to do follow-up testing for mild to moderate cervical changes. To read a companion article to this episode, go to avivaromm.com/natural-approaches-hpv/

Most women don't think about their cervix until they have to get a Pap smear. As if the pelvic exam wasn’t stressful enough, getting the news that you had abnormal Pap or positive HPV results, especially when accompanied by words like “cervical dysplasia,” “biopsy,” or “pre-cancerous,” can spin you out with worry. I get it. We’re not given much intel on what all those test results and terms really mean. On top of it, HPV vaccine marketing has put the fear of cervical cancer out there in a big way - so hearing you have HPV can make you panic.In this episode I break it all down for you, explaining the most common abnormal results that show up on these tests, what they mean, and what next steps are recommended for you, at your specific age. Hopefully it will put these results into perspective, and help you breathe a little more easily.To read a companion article to this episode, go to avivaromm.com/abnormal-pap-positive-hpv/

The Pap test, HPV screening, pelvic exams. As if hopping onto an exam table butt-naked wasn’t stressful enough, knowing what to do about these tests can be super confusing. I’m going to break it all down so you know what to say yes to, when and why, and when to say, “Thank you, but no!” To read a companion article to this episode, go to avivaromm.com/pelvic-exams/

Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/natural-treatments-measles-symptoms/

Thousands of chemicals used in beauty products, a $70 billion a year industry, are governed by federal regulations that haven’t been updated in decades. The laws that govern the FDA's authority over the cosmetics industry are just two pages long and have not been updated since 1938, when they were first enacted. Such meager tools leave federal officials nearly powerless to regulate the makeup, lotions, toothpastes, deodorants and other elixirs that often are applied to the most intimate parts of the human body.Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/clean-beauty-matters/

If nobody ever told you what a healthy vagina is supposed to smell like, join the club. But knowing is incredibly important because what makes a vagina’s odor healthy – or not – has an impact on your overall health. Listen to this episode of Natural MD Radio to learn all about the deadly douche story that never should have happen, how to sort out healthy scents from problem-signaling odors, and what you can do to get your vaginal ecology in top form.Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/healthy-vagina-smell/

If you have decided it’s time to come off the pill, have no fear. Most women transition off it without much problem. You’re not doomed to a life of hormonal imbalances. With the targeted strategies I walk you through you can reset, your hormone balance so that you, too, have healthy, natural cycles.Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/post-pill-reset/

At a time when the pace of medical advances can be breathtaking, the rate of maternal death in the United States remains stubbornly high at 14 for every 100,000 live births. The United States is one of only two developed countries whose maternal death rate actually worsened between 1990 and 2015. Unfortunately, African American women have the highest infant mortality rate of any group in the U.S. Why aren't we saving black mothers? Well, it's a matter of poor obstetric practices in the U.S. combined with overt racism. Women are more likely to be dismissed for pain than men. Our pain is often treated as stress or anxiety -- and black women fare worst.Did you know that black mothers die at three to four times the rate of white mothers? And did you know that black mothers are an astonishingly 243% more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes? In a national study of five medical complications that are the common causes for maternal death and injury, African American women in the United Stat