Recent Posts
Is There an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Diet to Improve Pregnancy Success?
While there is no one-size-fits-all IVF Diet, focusing on your nutrition can certainly improve your IVF success. Let’s discuss a few important strategies for supporting your health to improve your chances of having a healthy pregnancy with IVF. The IVF Diet is a...
We Stand for Planned Parenthood
When my friend, Alex Jamieson sent me an email a couple of weeks ago asking if I would join her and 100 of my colleagues in taking a stand to support Planned Parenthood as a woman and women’s health leader who cares about the health of ALL women… I hesitated. You see,...
Physical Therapy and Nutrition: A Powerful Combination To Heal Pelvic Pain
She’s been dealing with increasing pelvic pain symptoms for years. Newly married and ready to start a family, she worries about the effect that her pelvic pain will have on her relationship with her husband and whether she will even be able to get pregnant. She’s been...
3 Steps to Using Nutrition to Naturally Balance Hormones
She started her day with coffee just to get moving. Didn’t have much time for breakfast, maybe grabbed a piece of toast or a banana on her way out the door (or took a few bites of her kid’s leftover oatmeal.) After the school drop off and commute to the office,...
The Three Magic Pills Method: The Secret to Optimal Health for Women
The Three Magic Pills Method(TM): The Secret to Optimal Health for Women My clients are always asking me, “What is the magic pill that I need to take to relieve my pain?” They go from doctor to doctor, therapist to therapist, nutritionist to nutritionist, and...
The Ultimate Guide to Preconception & Fertility
At the Integrative Women’s Health Institute, we are continuously seeing clients who are seeking a more holistic approach to pregnancy, through the following article we intend to provide you, the reader, with a research-backed approach to preconception and proven wants...
Are You Suffering from Compassion Fatigue or Burnout?
Healthcare and wellness providers have been through so much in the last few years, and burnout and compassion fatigue are more prevalent than ever. Are You Suffering from Compassion Fatigue or Burnout? I want to share with you The 5 Root Causes of Women’s Health...
Can Probiotics Help Female Athletes to Perform Better?
The short answer to this question is… Yes! Probiotics and probiotic foods are an essential part of any active girl or woman’s nutrition plan for two important reasons: 1. Athletes who use probiotics have direct performance benefits. In a placebo-controlled study of...
Delicious Collagen Smoothies for Postpartum Moms
Supporting postpartum recovery for new moms is an essential skills for all women’s health physical therapists, fitness professionals, nutritionists, and other women’s health and wellness professionals. The postnatal year is a time when women need emotional support,...
From Carb Loading to Gluten Free: Field Notes from an Active Mom
What are the benefits of going gluten-free for female athletes and active moms? Please enjoy this guest post from Dr. Carolyn Dolan, DPT of Renosoar As a past college athlete and now an everyday athlete in the form of an active mom and occasional Crossfit...
Vulvovaginal Pain and The Immune System: Practical Steps for Vulvovaginal Pain Relief
It is well accepted that the nervous system is the ultimate “decider” when it comes to an individual’s pain response in any given moment. You have surely experienced this yourself when a paper cut feels like your whole hand is on fire, or when you wake up with a...
Being a Healer and a Woman During The Modern Healthcare Revolution
It is well understood that the Western Healthcare System is broken. A 2013 survey revealed that 60% of healthcare workers feel burned out in their jobs (Healthcare Traveler Newsletter, 2013). Hospital mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States...
Healthy Comfort Food: Italian Sausage Minestrone Soup Recipe
As the weather gets colder and we are knee deep in the holiday madness (I mean excitement!), it’s helpful to have a few recipes on hand to soothe your soul, your hormones, and your digestion. One of my favorite healthy comfort food recipes is my Italian Sausage...
Celiac Disease and Infertility
What is the impact of gluten sensitivity and celiac disease on unexplained infertility? A recent study prospectively examined the role of undiagnosed celiac disease in couples with unexplained infertility (Karaca et al., 2015). Several important pieces of information...
Have a Healthy Holiday Smoothie
This is a holiday recipe that I hope that you won't need. But, sometimes we all overdo it, push a bit too hard, eat a bit too much holiday sugar, sit next to the coughing guy on the plane, or end up on the receiving end of our kid's snotty sneeze. This recipe is for...
An Interesting Pilot Study on Diet and Exercise to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
It is well known that eating healthfully and exercising can help to reduce breast cancer risk. But, there are still many questions about what specific influences diet and exercise can have on cancer risk factors. Researchers performed a pilot diet and exercise...
The Future of Lifestyle Medicine: Health Coaching, Physiotherapy, Nutrition, Fitness, Bodywork, and Herbalism
It is well known that the global health crisis is being caused not by acute illnesses, but by chronic disease such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. Sixty percent of all global deaths are caused by chronic illness, and many...
Are Sunscreen Chemicals More Risky Than Sun Exposure?
Do sunscreen chemicals cause more damage or risk than sun exposure? Sunscreens are highly recommended by dermatologists, let's talk about safe sunscreen options. According to Stotarczek and colleagues, modern sunscreens use completely insoluble compounds that are...
Probiotics and Anxiety
When working with clients with pain, anxiety is often present as well. Personally, anxiety was the trigger that finally brought my own hormonal imbalance to my attention. Anytime the stress hormones are out of balance (and certainly chronic pain can trigger...
The Impacts of Air Pollution on Fertility
Fertility health is often indicative of general health. But, when women struggle with infertility for no apparent medical reason it can be extremely frustrating. It turns out that supporting the health of the planet is as essential as getting enough sleep and eating...
Inspiring Health through Beautiful and Delicious Pizza
Here at The Integrative Pelvic Health Institute we believe that it's essential for health and wellness professionals to understand the research (or lack there of) supporting their clinical practice. We encourage our professional students to participate in informal...
What Does It Mean When Your Pelvis Hurts?
What does it mean when your pelvis hurts? Pelvic pain is pain in the muscles, joints, nerves, or organs of the pelvis. It can be vague pain that is difficult to isolate to any particular organ, muscle, nerve or joint, or it can be related to a number of more specific...
How Fermented Foods and Probiotic Supplements Can Help Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain
There is a growing understanding that the microbial composition of the digestive system, urogenital system, and urine of women with pelvic pain conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), interstitial cystitis (IC), and chronic yeast infections varies from...
THE Chicken Soup for Women Recovering from Birth or Surgery
Recovery from birth or surgery both require similar care for the soft tissue to regain it's strength. Collagen is important for healing from surgical incisions, C-section incisions, and episiotomies or tears. Collagen is also essential for maintaining bone density...