Uninvisible Pod with Lauren Freedman Lauren Freedman (she/her)

Izabella Wentz, PharmD, FASCP, is an internationally acclaimed thyroid specialist and a licensed pharmacist who has dedicated her career to addressing the root causes of autoimmune thyroid disease after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in 2009. She is the author of three books on Hashimoto’s: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause, Hashimoto’s Food Pharmacology, and Hashimoto’s Protocol, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her latest book, Adrenal Transformation Protocol, was released on April 18th, 2023. The book focuses on resetting the body’s stress response through targeted safety signals and features a 4-week program that has already helped over 3,500 individuals. The program has an impressive success rate, with over 80% of participants improving their brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, sleep issues, and libido. Dr. Wentz currently lives in Austin and Los Angeles with her husband, Michael, and their son, Dimitry.
Tune in as Dr. Wentz shares:
- how she became interested in thyroid health
- what symptoms she experienced when she was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s
- how she applied her pharmacological knowledge to reverse her own Hashimoto’s
- how lifestyle changes (especially nutrition shifts) supported her healing
- how the concept of adrenal dysfunction became a new focus for her — and allowed her to reverse sleep and anxiety issues
- that if you have a thyroid issue, you’re likely also experiencing adrenal dysfunction
- what adrenal dysfunction means: that your body is stuck in a chronic stress response
- what a cortisol rollercoaster feels like
- how ME/CFS and fibromyalgia patients can also experience adrenal dysfunction
- why the adrenal response to stress makes sense biologically — even if it doesn’t feel like it’s serving us
- where the term “adrenal dysfunction” came from — and why it’s an oh so real biological response, despite the naysayers
- why so many people who identify as female live with adrenal dysfunction
- why it’s so important to balance our blood sugars and eat more protein in order to begin to treat adrenal dysfunction
- the success rates of her Adrenal Transformation Protocol, and how it works
- suggestions for supplementation (which should always be reviewed with your MD!)
Key links mentioned in this episode:
The Thyroid Pharmacist
Books


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Chris Armstrong, PhD was first introduced to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) through research into metabolomics at the University of Melbourne, Australia. As he delved deeper into his work, he discovered its connection to ME/CFS patients, and empathized so much with their plight – and the lack of resources, funding, and research available to both patients and clinicians – that he made it his mission to continue research in this field in the hope of finding a cure. Since publishing his first ME/CFS metabolomics study in 2015, he has continued research into the disease, spurred on by patients whose stories have moved him. As the Open Medicine Foundation’s Science Liaison, Chris works on collaborative studies with their partner organizations and helps to translate scientific language for the public. He is also a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.

Key links mentioned in this episode:
Open Medicine Foundation
OMF on Facebook
OMF on Twitter
OMF on Instagram

Tune in as Chris shares...
- how he got involved in ME/CFS research
- his main area of expertise: metabolomics
- that ME/CFS outbreaks can be traced back as far as the mid-19thC, with symptoms  commonly related to significant concerns with fatigue, sleep, pain, brain fog, and a 50% loss of general function
- a description of PEM – post-exertional malaise – which is the main component of ME/CFS
- that there are up to 50 symptoms associated with ME/CFS, but the main five are: PEM, fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, cognitive impairment, and pain
- that ME/CFS is highly comorbid with fibromyalgia and other invisible illnesses
- that ME/CFS was originally described as a flu- or polio-like illness; and was first properly explained by the Ramsay definition and given the moniker of “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis”
- that patients need to have ME/CFS for 6+ months in order to receive a diagnosis
- one of the major schools of thought with regard to ME/CFS: that it stems from a dysfunction of stress response in the body; it’s possible, however, that bacteria and other pathogens may also play a role in onset
- that 1 in 200-300 people has ME/CFS
- that ME/CFS is NOT categorized as a rare disease; but it’s treated by the medical community as such – creating stigma through lack of research and understanding
- that ME/CFS has been commonly misdiagnosed as a form of hysteria – both in the past and in the present
- that very few clinicians dig in deep enough with their patients in order to give them an ME/CFS diagnosis – but that burden is not just on doctors, as diagnostics and treatment guidelines need to be standardized in order to support their work
- that the Open Medicine Foundation was built to provide effective treatments for ME/CFS patients
- that meeting patients has inspired him in his work, even from the very beginning
- the desperate need for funding for continued research into ME/CFS
- the politics of funding medical research
- that ME/CFS is often considered to be more a psychological than a physiological illness
- that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been more receptive than some Aussie governing bodies when it comes to research into ME/CFS
- the biggest bright spot in ME/CFS: the momentum of funding for research
- OMF’s collaborative research initiatives with Harvard, Stanford, and others
- that ME/CFS could be a collection of several diseases, and not one disease in and of itself
- the importance of specifics in diagnostics
- why medicine needs to be patient-centered
- the importance of pacing in order to avoid a crash related to PEM


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Andrew Gurza is an award winning Disability Awareness Consultant and the Chief Disability Officer and Co-founder of Bump’n, a sex toy company for and by disabled people. Andrew uses they/he pronouns and identifies proudly as disabled. Their work has been featured on BBC, CBC, Daily Xtra, Gay Times UK, Huffington Post, The Advocate, Everyday Feminism, Mashable, Out.com, and several anthologies. He was the subject of an award-winning National Film Board of Canada Documentary, Picture This. Andrew has guested on a number of podcasts, including Dan Savage’s Savage Love and Cameron Esposito’s Queery. He has spoken all over the world on sex, disability and what it means to be a Queer Cripple. He is also the host of Disability After Dark: The Podcast Shining a Bright Light on Disability Stories, which won a Canadian Podcast Award in 2021, was a Queerty Award nominee, and was chosen as an Honoree at the 2020 Webby Awards. The show is available on all platforms. Andrew  is also the creator of the viral hashtag #DisabledPeopleAreHot. You can find out more about Andrew by going to www.andrewgurza.com and connecting via social media @andrewgurza_.
Tune in as Andrew shares:
how they were diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) at the age of one and a half their more recent diagnosis of IBS, and how it has presented its own challenges how COVID has affected their sex life, and why they hire sex workers where they can see room for disability discourse to grow how they emotionally process ableism from day-to-day the nuances of caregiving, and how bad management can lead to dehumanizing experiences for patients how care management can be improved from the top-down how they have cultivated their mindset — and how their #1 advocate, their mom, was key in encouraging them to develop a thick skin and a sense of humor a nuanced conversation about accessibility — and why it’s more difficult for disabled creators to create accessible content, even if we’d like to how we can work to get out of the public health crisis of bias in healthcare: by hiring those of us who are historically excluded to positions of power, to reshape the system from the top-down why and how they were inspired to create Bump’n — the world’s first disability-driven sex toy

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Dailyn Santana is a first-generation Cuban-American actress, keynote speaker, spoken word poet, and mental health advocate. Her work focuses on eradicating mental health stigma and her personal experience of living with bipolar 1 disorder, depression, and anxiety. Her mission is to be an example that those living with mental illness CAN live a happy, fulfilling life. She believes that living in your truth is the most powerful tool you can have, and performs her spoken word poetry at events and schools/universities across the country. Her work has been featured on or at The Dr. Oz Show, ALL DEF Poetry, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Swaay Magazine, I and I Outfitters, We All Grow Latina, and Spiritú, and she has collaborated with Mitú, the BeVocal SpeakUp for Mental Health initiative, BeRemarkable Foundation, The Womens Empowerment Network, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the National Alliance for Mental Illness.
Tune in as Dailyn shares:
when she first experienced mania and psychosis — but that she lived without diagnosis for at least a decade how she was haunted by stigma and shame from the early days of her diagnosis how her diagnosis affected her relationship to her creative outlet: poetry the role her cultural background played in her relationship to her diagnosis and care why she came out of her “bipolar closet” how she interviews potential practitioners, and her tips for others looking for a new therapist why her diagnosis doesn’t define her how she became a mental health advocate what a “warm line” is, and how helpful it can be (see the links in show notes for some directories!) why asking for help is a sign of strength

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Phoebe Lapine is a food and health writer, gluten-free chef, culinary instructor, recipe developer, wellness blogger, Hashimoto's advocate and speaker, and the voice behind the award-winning blog Feed Me Phoebe. Named by Women’s Health Magazine as the top nutrition read of 2017, Phoebe’s debut memoir, The Wellness Project, chronicles her journey with the autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. She is the host of the SIBO Made Simple podcast and author of the new book by the same name which helps those newly diagnosed or chronically fighting small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Phoebe’s work has appeared in Food & Wine, Marie Claire, SELF, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Mind Body Green, who named her one of 100 Women to Watch in Wellness. She was born and raised in NYC — where she continues to live and eat.
Tune in as Phoebe shares:
how she was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis how her health has impacted her relationship with food how much work it takes to be well, especially when one is impacted by chronic illness what SIBO is, and how she was diagnosed how the symptoms of SIBO can manifest in the body about the state of SIBO research and clinical practice what it was like to humble herself with her own advice after writing The Wellness Project how big a role stress can play as a root cause in chronic illness about the close correlation between IBS, SIBO, and autoimmune disease what a low-FODMAP diet is all about how she accesses and optimizes her own wellness what she thinks the next frontier of gut health will be

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Nikita Williams is a mindset business coach and the host of the podcast, She’s Crafted to Thrive. She was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2009 and fibromyalgia in 2010. These diagnoses inspired her to use the training she received from previous jobs to jump-start her career as a business coach. Nikita learned that having a chronic illness did not limit her potential. In fact, it helped her to see the possibilities for herself and for her clients. Her aim is to help all creative women — especially those who live with chronic illness — to go from feeling limited to limitless so that they can create a life and business that thrives, in their unique way.
Tune in as Nikita shares:
that she first noticed debilitating pain on her honeymoon, but noticed irregularities in her cycle from its appearance at the age of 15 the learning curve of “not knowing what you don’t know” that she’s been additionally diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), adenomyosis, IC (interstitial cystitis), and vestibulitis (which she now has as a result of medical trauma caused by a healthcare provider) why she decided to take a year off all medications that she has never been offered mental health support for her conditions how she discovered she was a highly sensitive person (HSP) why she only sees female doctors how seeing a urogynecologist was a life-changing experience for her why self-advocacy is so vitally important why finding a way to cope with her pain has always been her first priority — and yes, even before the question of her fertility that the depth of her chronic pain and surgical intervention forced her to face her mortality how essential oils and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) have helped her manage her pain and anxiety why her hysterectomy triggered depression and anxiety how sharing about her chronic illnesses helped her find healing why she chooses to be intentional with her energy that in order to embrace your future, you have to face your past

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uninvisiblepod.substack.com/subscribe