LIVE WELL PODCAST | EPISODE 14 - Endometriosis as a social justice issue with Angie Alt

It’s an unfortunate reality that women’s pain is routinely ignored or undervalued in the medical system [1]. Women in pain are much more likely than men to receive prescriptions for sedatives, rather than pain medication for their complaints which can affect access to proper treatment [2]. This bias is one difficulty in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to endometrium, the tissue lining the inside of the uterus, is found outside the uterus. This tissue can grow outside of uterus on other organs, commonly the ovaries, uterus, bowel and pelvic sidewall, seriously injuring or even destroying these other organs. In these locations the tissue responds to cyclic hormonal changes, just like the tissue inside the uterus, which causes inflammation, bleeding, and A LOT of pain. 1/10 women experience endometriosis so it’s actually far more common than we think! [3]

I interviewed Angie Alt of Autoimmune Wellness to get her take on why endometriosis has become a social justice issue and what we can do about it. Angie herself manages three autoimmune diseases, Lichen Sclerosis, Endometriosis, and Celiac disease and has used diet and lifestyle shifts to help her live a more vibrant life. Listen to the episode to learn about Angie’s experience with endometriosis, learn about treatment options, and explore important ways to manage this underrepresented condition. Make sure to share this blog post and interview with all of your girlfriends. There is fantastic info in here that can help women get empowered and informed!

LISTEN BELOW (AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE SO YOU'LL NEVER MISS OUT!)

Click here to listen in iTunes

Click here to listen in Stitcher

Or if you’d like to play the episode right now in your browser, use the player below:

Show Notes:

• 0:00 Intro

• 0:40 Introducing Angie Alt

• 3:57 What is endometriosis?

• 5:20 Why don’t we hear about endometriosis more despite it’s prevalence?

  • Endometriosis is a “women’s issue”

  • “Women’s pain is routinely undervalued and ignored in the medical system” - Angie

• 9:00 Angie’s experience with Endometriosis

• 10:40 The phenomenon of women trying to self-manage the pain due to lack of proper treatment

• 12:18 Is endometriosis an autoimmune disease?

• 13:50 What are the available treatments for Endometriosis?

  • Laprascopic surgery

  • Find an endometriosis specialist

  • Hormones

  • Pelvic floor physical therapy

  • Liver support

• 22:10 “The hormonal treatments for endometriosis amount to experimenting on women” - Angie

• 24:10 The role of our liver in hormone production and detoxification

  • Castor oil packs

  • Dandelion tea

  • Supplements

  • Beets, leafy greens and foods that support the liver

• 25:10 How to deal with the severe pain?

  • Don’t let the pain get ahead of you

  • Ok to use pain medications

  • Anti-inflammatory diet

  • Meditation

  • Heat pads

  • Resting

  • CBD Oil

• 31:44 Stages to endometriosis 1-4

  • The stages do not reflect how much pain the person might be in

• 33:00 Finding a specialist for endometriosis

  • Nancy’s Nook as a great resource

• 36:00 Angie’s advice for women going through their healing journey with endometriosis

• 37:10 Outro

---

If you loved this episode, I'd be honored for you to give me a rating on iTunes. This helps me to get content out to others who are interested in getting control of their health through diet, lifestyle shifts and personal empowerment.

---

P.S. I always offer free 30-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and what’s standing in your way. Contact me to set up a consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.

In Health, 

Christina Tidwell, MN, RN, CHC

LIVE WELL PODCAST | EPISODE 7 - DR. STEVE OVERMAN ON HOW TO COLLABORATE WITH YOUR DOCTOR

Dr. Steve Overman is a clinical professor at the University of Washington and a recently retired Rheumatologist and founder of the Seattle Arthritis Clinic. He's also the co-author of the book, You Don’t Look Sick! Living Well with Chronic Invisible Illness.

In episode 7 of the Live Well Podcast, Dr. Overman speaks about the difficulty of diagnosing autoimmune disease and how to best collaborate with your doctor to get the most out of your care.

LISTEN BELOW (AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE SO YOU'LL NEVER MISS OUT!)

Click here to listen in iTunes

Click here to listen in Stitcher

Or if you’d like to play the episode right now in your browser, use the player below:

Show Notes:

• 0:00 Introduction

• 0:21 Introducing Dr. Steve Overman

  • Dr. Overman’s Book: You Don’t Look Sick!: Living Well with Chronic Invisible Illness

• 0:60 The importance of finding a coach

• 0:90 Why is it so difficult to diagnose autoimmune diseases?

• 0:95 What is autoimmune disease

  • Organ vs. systemic

• 1:30 Autoinflammatory diseases - not specific antibodies to measure

• 1:55 Allergies - mast cell activation

• 1:80 Difficulty to get a diagnosis

  • Lack of time

  • Lack of education

• 2:30 How to communicate your story to your doctor to get the most effective care

  • “Don’t read the last chapter first”

• 3:00 Bring one piece of paper to your office visit

  • Download my Appointment Checklist >>

• 4:00 Autoimmune disease as an invisible illness

• 4:30 Fibromyalgia information

  • Amplification of symptoms seen on MRI

• 5:09 Frustration with getting taken seriously by your doctor

• 5:60 Using a response to treatment to help with an ongoing diagnosis

• 7:45 “A Snake in the Mist” - feeling like you’re going to die before you get a diagnosis

• 7:60 Three strikes to firing a doctor

• 8:15 Current treatment of Autoimmune Disease in our healthcare system

  • Dr. O’s Big 5

    • Toxins

    • Sleep

    • Diet

    • Exercise

    • Stress

• 9:90 Advice for those going through the healthcare system with a chronic illness

  • Phases of illness

  • Find support - get a coach

• 10:56 Outro

If you loved this episode, I'd be honored for you to give me a rating on iTunes. This helps me to get content out to others who are interested in getting control of their health through diet, lifestyle shifts and personal empowerment.

---

P.S. I always offer free 30-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and what’s standing in your way.

We're all unique and will implement each of these strategies differently, so contact me to set up a consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.

In Health, 

Christina Tidwell, MN, RN, CHC

---

Why We Shouldn’t Be So Black and White About Our Food Choices

I just spent three and a half glorious weeks working and traveling around London, Paris and Amsterdam (I’m actually writing this on the plane back to Seattle hoping my battery doesn’t die before I get out all of my burning thoughts!) This trip was a very momentous occasion for me because it was the first time, ever, that I’ve been able to work remotely and take my business on the road. I haven’t been away from nursing in the hospital setting for this amount of time in almost 6 years. Having the freedom and flexibility to travel and do work I love is something I’ve always dreamed of, something I always felt was possible for other people but not for me.  It felt really good to make it a reality because it was something I designed and created.

Traveling, exploring and immersing myself in new cultures is what I love and something I value deeply.  If I’m in your hometown I want to eat and drink everything you do and fully embrace what it means to be from that corner of the world. It feels important to me. If I’m in Paris I want to drink wine and eat fromage, pâté and baguettes and be all fabulous strolling along the Seine, ok?!  (I may or may not have purchased a beret…ok I bought two.)

I also want to feel good in my body, eat to fuel myself and keep my stomach, skin and immune system happy. These things are also important to me.

So where do I strike a balance? How do I navigate between these two desires in a way that isn’t totally stressful?

This trip brought up something really powerfully me to me that I’ve been thinking about a lot and exploring with literally all of my clients. That is the “black and white” mindset of being healthy.

I work with so many clients who say they do really well with black and white guidelines, when they have clear restrictions on what they “can” and “can’t” eat. They may avoid dairy, gluten and sugar for periods of time during healing diets and although it’s challenging at first, they feel good with these strict boundaries because there is no ambiguity. When they begin to add in foods and things like travel, work events, holiday parties, and dinners at friend’s houses come up, however, they have a really hard time navigating this grey area.

It’s this gray area that I’ve been thinking so much about. This grey area is so important because really, it’s life.

It’s easy to hand someone a list and say avoid these “bad for you” foods and eat these “good for you” foods.  We know we should eat vegetables and avoid excessive doughnut consumption. But what prevents us from doing so on a regular basis? Where the real transformation happens and the real work gets done is in navigating the gray area with intention.

Five tips for navigating the gray

1. Get clear on your "why"

It is so crucially important to get clear about why you want to eat healthy or feel a certain way and what your real motivations are. For me, the reason why I don’t just go for it and eat chocolate croissants and macaroons every day (just some days) is because I have a genetic predisposition to autoimmune disease. I know how eating those foods makes me feel and affects me at a cellular level, and I do not want to feel that way.

Excess sugar, grains and dairy affect my gut, which affects my immune system and symptoms of autoimmunity, makes my skin break out, alters my mood, sleep and overall sense of well being. I choose to eat whole, nutrient dense foods 90% of the time because they keep me feeling great and not getting sick. That’s a very powerful “why” for me and makes it pretty simple to stick to my guns when choosing how to eat (note: his has been a lifelong journey to be sure). My why is different to yours though and it’s important to get clear on what’s true for you.

What is your why? Do you want to feel good in your body? Reduce symptoms of disease? Improve frustrating bloating? Maintain energy to run around? Look good naked? Take a minute to think about it and write it down.  If you first come up with “feel healthy” go deeper and keep asking “why” to get to the powerful core (there is always one).

2. Start with a good foundation

To be able to make good choices you need to know what works for you and what doesn’t.  We are all so different and thrive with different foods in our bodies. In general it is advised to avoid overly processed foods and refined sugars and eat a diet with lots of nutrient-dense vegetables. From there however, we must take into account our own unique bodies and needs. This involves tuning into your body and experimenting with what works and what does not.  

Once you really know how certain foods make you feel and you consistently incorporate foods that make you feel good while taking out foods that make you feel bad, you create a great foundation and your body responds accordingly. Once you have a solid foundation of health, it’s easier to veer off and come back to your baseline. You become more easily able to tune into how you feel and you know exactly how to bring yourself back. I work with people to uncover sensitivities and move towards a healthy, whole foods diet that works specifically for them in order to create this solid foundation. It can be really helpful to have a guide through this process so message me if you want some assistance!

3. Follow the 90/10 Rule

If you focus on putting good, nutrient dense foods in your body 90% of the time and do whatever the heck you want 10% of the time you are doing great. So great. This rule helps you to maintain a good foundation without restricting yourself on a daily basis. Perfection is not the goal, sustainability is.

5. Cook for yourself

When you are traveling, going to dinner parties, and living daily life, cooking food for yourself is the best tool you have. Nothing fancy, and yes you can do it. I swear. When we prepare food for ourselves we know exactly what ingredients we are eating, and we can make simple, affordable meals and snacks that help give us a good solid foundation. Eating out every single meal and snack while traveling makes it tough to strike a good balance. Also, it makes it less special or enjoyable once you do go out to a lovely place.

If you have access to a kitchen you can easily whip up an omelette, have rotisserie chicken and greens, microwave a sweet potato, boil some eggs, make avocado toast, etc. If you are going to a dinner party and you have no idea what food will be there, bring a nutritious dish you know makes you feel good to share. That way you can load up your plate with 90% of the good stuff and go from there. Cooking is the ultimate act of empowerment. It gives you control over what you put in your body and therefore how you feel.

6.  Everything in moderation even moderation

Sometimes you just gotta do bad things. Even when you know they’re bad (I’m talking about food here not felonies people). Constantly being “good” and vigilant has it’s benefits for sure but it can be exhausting. And boring. What usually happens is that thing we were building up for so long in our heads turns out to not be that great after all, and we learn about what we really want for next time. Sometimes it’s really good though, and in that case you should enjoy the shit out of that bacon-maple doughnut without feeling once little ounce of guilt. Oh and once you enjoy whatever it was you were pining after, move on. No feeling bad and guilty and vowing to do a juice cleanse when you get home or run 20 more minutes on the treadmill. Move. On.

That’s how you live in the gray.

If you are always “black and white” about food and health and feel like you are constantly “on the wagon or off the wagon” without any in between, I've got your back. 

I always offer free 30-minute discovery sessions for you to get crystal clear on your main health goals and the blocks that are holding you back.  There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and together we can create a plan that works for you and your unique body. Book your free session with me by clicking the link below! I can't wait to hear your story :) 

On Gratitude for Illness

View fullsize

What if today, instead of diagnosing, monitoring, analyzing, treating and trying to fix your chronic illness you took a moment to step back, do nothing and simply be thankful for its place in your life. Yes, thankful for the thing that causes you pain, fatigue, confusion, loss of control and at times suffering. If you’re all “Yeah whatever lady, I didn’t ask for this, you don’t know what it’s like,” hear me out.

Illness is our body telling is that something is out of balance. It’s our body trying to get our attention so we can work towards fixing the imbalance. Having an illness in any form is not something anyone asks for, but if we can view illness as an opportunity to slow down, quiet down, and listen to what is going on internally it can be used as a great tool for healing and personal growth. 

Illness, when simply observed with kindness and viewed without judgement can provide us with huge insights into the very core of ourselves.  It can act as a catalyst for personal awakening and growth because it forces us to become really aware of what is going on in our bodies and our lives at the most basic level.  As a busy society, we get pretty good at ignoring the subtle signals our bodies send us when we are burnt out and trying to keep up with the pace of life, and dulling them down when they become inconvenient. As Lissa Rankin eloquently states in her book Mind Over Medicine,

“Illness offers us a precious opportunity to investigate our lives without judgement, diagnose the root cause of what might be contributing to an illness, realign ourselves spiritually, and do what we can to make our bodies ripe for miracles.” - Lissa Rankin, MD

More often than not in life great catalysts of change come in the form of tragedy or sadness.  Illness can be one of these powerful vehicles of change if we let it.

Those who have chronic illness, whether you like it or not, have to become masters at identifying subtle cues in the body and strengthening this mind body connection as a survival mechanism.  This can come in the form of paying attention to food and what we put into our bodies, identification of environmental triggers for disease, knowing when to rest and when to keep moving, etc. Although this vigilance can be tiring, annoying, and cumbersome at times it’s ultimately one of the key pieces of living a healthy, robust life.

View fullsize

Here are a few things that having a chronic disease has given me personally:

• A strengthened connection between how I feel and what is going on in my body in order to detect imbalances before they become unmanageable.

• My life calling and career path in health and wellness.

• The ability to be a better nurse and healer for others because of a deeper understanding of the illness experience.

• A true appreciation for food and how it’s the key to good health.

• Greater connection to nature and the world around me through using food as nourishment and medicine.

• A more grounded outlook on life and the things that truly matter.

• The deeper ability to understand who I am and what I value at my core (a work in progress).

• The ability to know when I need to slow down and take care of myself rather than push through and the wisdom to not judge myself either way (another work in progress).

• An open mind about the myriad methods of healing, conventional and alternative.

• Connection to a community of like-minded individuals who want to change the way chronic disease is managed in our current health care system.

• A fierce appreciation for health, energy and good times!

So today I give you permission (you may totally not need it from me but, hey, sometimes it’s nice to hear!) to give yourself a break, do nothing, and know that what you are doing is enough. Because, OMG it can get overwhelming to be in charge of monitoring and healing these complex bodies of ours on or own.  I encourage you to take a moment today to think about or write down what you are thankful for about having an illness.   Or if not an illness just something traumatic that happened to you where you made it out alive (and if you're reading this you are most certainly alive). If anything just this act of positive thinking can pull you out of a rut if you are feeling stuck. As my girl Lissa Rankin says,  

“Gratitude keeps you optimistic, and as we’ve seen, evidence shows that optimism improves your health. When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful. As long as you keep your gratitude vessel full, you’ll avoid the unhealthy plunge into dark places.” - Lissa Rankin, MD

You may not be in a place where gratitude feels possible right now. Maybe the burden of your disease is greater than anything else and that is ok. No matter where you are today, simply try to take one moment to listen to what your body is telling you without judgment. See if you come up with something you weren’t aware of before and see if there is a tiny space for gratitude just for having this moment. One day you will be able to find one shred of it and it may make all the difference.  

In Health, 

Christina Tidwell, MN, RN, CHC

PS: If you do make a gratitude list be sure to share it with me I would love to see it! As always, if you want to chat more about your health and how you can strengthen this mind body connection I’d love to support you.  Click the button below to schedule a complementary Discovery Session with me and we’ll have a chat.

Eating well is one of the main pillars of living well with autoimmune disease! If you're wanting to eat heathy but have trouble know what to eat and finding the time to make it, I've put together an easy, FREE, meal plan to get you started. Click here to download my free guide to batch cooking >> 

You’ll get:

+ 7 day meal plan

+ Step by step instructions for how to cook an entire week’s worth of food in just two 2-hour sessions (life changing)

+ Grocery lists

+ Twelve of my favorite, easy recipes!

Enjoy making delicious and nutritious meals in way less time!