Integrative Women's Health Podcast

“I always pair the exercise and nutrition plan with the medication because the goal is to foster positive behavior changes to reinforce the changes occurring with the medication. That's what maintains the weight loss.” - Dr. Elizabeth Sharp Losing weight can be very challenging, and many people get stuck in a vicious cycle where they are making positive changes but not seeing their desired results. In these cases, when we understand how to integrate a healthy diet and exercise, having something like a GLP-1 agonist to help jump-start your hormone balance can be a game-changer. Whether it’s pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy are no different. They can be highly beneficial when we view them as morally neutral tools, especially in collaboration with practitioners who can put them in context alongside exercise and nutrition. Today, I’m so excited to introduce you to Dr. Elizabeth Sharp, an internal medicine doctor in New York City who recently started her private primary practice with an additional focus on weight management. Dr. Sharp has a preventative mindset that is rare in conventional medicine, and seeing her approach gives me hope that we're turning a corner in the Western medical system. In today’s episode, Dr. Sharp and I discuss the role of GLP-1 agonists in weight management, the importance of lifestyle changes, what an integrative approach to weight loss looks like, the need for preventative health measures, her approach to longevity, how you can reach your long-term health goals, 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/an-integrative-approach-to-weight-loss-with-dr-elizabeth-sharp/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/an-integrative-approach-to-weight-loss-with-dr-elizabeth-sharp/]. Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/]). Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth [https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth]) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/ [https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/]).

“When we recognize that a stress and trauma response is about movement in the body, then it makes sense that the recovery response is also about movement.” - Richmond Heath Trauma is an underlying factor for many chronic illnesses. From digestive issues to autoimmune diseases and problems with the nervous system, in many instances, one of our physiologic systems is stuck due to a traumatic pattern. The most important thing to know as a practitioner or a patient is that we don’t have to know where the trauma came from to release it. TRE® is a revolutionary technique that utilizes the body’s natural reflexes to allow you to relax your body, calm your mind, and recover from trauma. Today, I’m joined by Richmond Heath, physiotherapist, TRE® Certification Trainer and National Coordinator of TRE® in Australia. TRE® has had a significant impact on Richmond’s life, and he’s passionate about helping people understand TRE® as a pathway for ongoing growth and development in all areas of our lives. In today’s episode, Richmond and I discuss the connection between trauma and chronic illness, how trauma manifests physiologically, the role of movement in recovery, how we can use the body's natural mechanisms for releasing trauma, how to integrate TRE® into your practice, trauma's impact on health and healing, 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/using-trauma-release-exercise-to-heal-chronic-pain-with-richmond-heath/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/using-trauma-release-exercise-to-heal-chronic-pain-with-richmond-heath/]. Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/]). Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth [https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth]) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/ [https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/]).

“All the coaching skills are important, but without the vision, the rest are really hard to put in place.” - Bianca Siravo When you’re in a traditional healthcare field, you can feel boxed into a cog-in-the-wheel role. With most clinical professionals having minimal time to interact with clients and patients, visits are rushed, and you simply don't have time to do the important work of listening and visioning. Instead, clients leave with a checklist of valuable recommendations they often struggle to implement. For many of our students, this frustration led them to look outside of the current corporate model of healthcare. These hybrid models create a space to combine your clinical skills with your life experience and non-clinical skills to empower patients to have the best possible health outcomes. Today, I'm introducing you to one of the recent graduates from our Women’s Health Coach certification program, Bianca Siravo, whose personal journey and career experience provide many insights into how a collaborative multidisciplinary team can significantly transform women's health journeys. In this conversation, Bianca and I discuss her transition from a traditional clinical setting to a health coaching model, her struggles with pelvic pain, the importance of personalized care, the transformative power of coaching, how coaching and traditional healthcare can work together for the patient’s benefit, 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/creating-a-successful-medical-coach-model-for-vulvar-pain-with-whc-graduate-bianca-siravo-np-whc/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/creating-a-successful-medical-coach-model-for-vulvar-pain-with-whc-graduate-bianca-siravo-np-whc/]. Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/]). Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth [https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth]) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/ [https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/]).

“You can't isolate the thyroid from the rest of the endocrine system.” - Dr. Dana Gibbs Thyroid health issues commonly go beyond the endocrine system and involve the metabolic and immune systems. The siloed nature of conventional medicine specialties combined with inadequate testing means that many women continue to live their lives in suboptimal health due to undiagnosed thyroid conditions. Today, I’m excited to share my conversation with board-certified ENT and hormone expert Dr. Dana Gibbs. Dr. Gibbs has a fascinating story of how her healing journey came about after realizing she had never felt completely well in her entire life. Like so many of us, once she learned about the root causes of these issues, her whole career trajectory changed. Our stories ignited our passion for healing others, but one individual’s experience is not enough to safely support the healing of others without further education. We need many people practicing with a broad lens, reading the literature, sharing our stories, sharing our cases, and learning from each other so that we can better serve our clients who are falling through the cracks of a system that is too hyper-specialized. In this conversation, Dr. Gibbs and I discuss the complexities of thyroid health, her surprising self-diagnosis with thyroid issues, the limitations of conventional medicine specialties, why she transitioned away from her traditional practice, the need for comprehensive thyroid evaluations, common symptoms of thyroid issues, the impact of lifestyle changes, how to create sustainable habits, 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/breaking-out-of-the-traditional-healthcare-system-to-heal-thyroid-issues-from-the-root-cause-with-dr-dana-gibbs/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/breaking-out-of-the-traditional-healthcare-system-to-heal-thyroid-issues-from-the-root-cause-with-dr-dana-gibbs/]. Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/]). Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth [https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth]) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/ [https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/]).

“Health happens at home, and it happens with the decisions that you make every single day.” - Dr. Jenn Simmons Cancer doesn't come out of nowhere. An increasing number of factors in our everyday environment contribute to cancer and many other chronic diseases. Unfortunately, changing our habits and eliminating these factors can feel so overwhelming to people that it stops them from getting the best possible care. That’s where a health coach’s skills can be especially beneficial. Most types of cancers are metabolic diseases, and as health coaches, we can teach people how to be metabolically healthy. There's so much that we can do to help people lower their risk of cancer and improve outcomes for those diagnosed with cancer or who have been through conventional recovery. Healing complex chronic illnesses doesn't happen quickly but over the course of collaborative and integrative therapeutic relationships. To explore more about what that support can look like, I’m joined by Dr. Jenn Simmons, who transitioned from breast surgeon to integrative oncologist to better empower her patients to take care of their health. Dr. Jenn believes that if people could shift their thinking to view their cancer as an opportunity to restore health and wellness, we would be much better off. In this conversation, Dr. Jenn and I discuss her cancer journey, why we need to focus on addressing the underlying causes rather than just managing symptoms, the importance of a holistic approach to cancer care, the role of the immune system, the impact of environmental toxins, the need for supportive relationships, how health coaches can make a vital contribution to a healthcare team, 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/innovative-approaches-to-breast-cancer-recovery-with-dr-jenn-simmons/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/innovative-approaches-to-breast-cancer-recovery-with-dr-jenn-simmons/]. Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/ [https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/]). Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth [https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth]) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/ [https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/]).