OffTheCharts Health: Nobody Taught Us About This

Amy Papermaster
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Semiweekly

There is so much information out there about our bodies and health. OffTheCharts filters it down to what you can use today and share with the people you care about. Amy is a PhD-trained Family Nurse Practitioner who built her career across emergency medicine, complex women's health, academia, and health technology. She's also been the patient. That combination is why she started this. Each episode is an unhurried conversations with clinicians, researchers, and founders working on what's next. No soundbites, supplements to sell, or medical advice. Future projects explore the body below the belt and practical health for the decades ahead. Sign up on OffTheCharts.Health for future updates!

  1. Lichen Sclerosus, Lichen Planus, Vulvar Itching & Burning | Dr. Melissa Mauskar

    3d ago

    Lichen Sclerosus, Lichen Planus, Vulvar Itching & Burning | Dr. Melissa Mauskar

    The average woman with vulvar lichen sclerosus waits 5 to 15 years for a correct diagnosis. Most see three or more providers along the way. One in three women lives with a vulvar condition at some point in her life, and uncommonly is told what is really happening to the skin of the most sensitive area of her body. Dr. Melissa Mauskar is a board-certified dermatologist at UT Southwestern, a leading vulvar disease researcher, and the founder of one of the few specialty clinics in the country dedicated to vulvar dermatology. She has built her career around finding the answers women have been told do not exist, and her work is changing what these women can expect from medicine. We cover: Why the vulva is its own organ and behaves differently than skin anywhere else on the bodyLichen sclerosus: who gets it, what it actually is, and the 1 to 3 percent prevalence that doesn't get spoken about enoughThe autoimmune debate and what the research is showing nowLichen planus, eczema, psoriasis, and Crohn's on the vulvaWhy the diagnostic delay is so long, and what is being done to close itTopical steroids: how to use them correctly, and the myth that they thin the skin when there is disease presentCompounded and emerging treatments, including JAK inhibitors and the international clinical trial Dr. Mauskar is leadingThe vulvar microbiome and hormone research that may rewrite how we treat these conditionsSurgical considerations and when to optimize before any procedureVulvar irritants, allergens, and the over-the-counter products doing more harm than goodDiet, irritants and allergens connectionVulvar cancer surveillance and what women need to knowThe new clinical trials and research consortium reshaping the field Sign up for more at OffTheCharts.Health Find Dr. Mauskar's work at melissamauskar.com

    49 min
  2. Autoimmunity & The "Good Girls": How Self-Compromise Compromises Immunity with Sara Hirsh Bordo

    Jun 4

    Autoimmunity & The "Good Girls": How Self-Compromise Compromises Immunity with Sara Hirsh Bordo

    Autoimmune diseases affect roughly 5 to 10 percent of the U.S. population, and women carry about 80 percent of the burden. The science is clear that chronic stress and adverse childhood experiences raise the risk in a dose-dependent way, with each additional ACE increasing autoimmune disease prevalence by about 10 percent. A large Swedish cohort found a 36 percent higher risk of autoimmune disease in adults with stress-related disorders, rising to 46 percent for those with PTSD. That's what the science says. Sara Hirsh Bordo went further. Filmmaker, founder of Women Rising, and author of Autoimmunity & The Good Girls, she funded the first survey at the intersection of female empowerment and autoimmunity in 1,000 American women and found a striking pattern: more than 6 in 10 with autoimmune disease were the eldest or only daughter, and more than half were raised as the family caretaker. Her thesis: a self compromised creates immunity compromised. We cover: The eldest daughter, only daughter, lifelong caretaker patternHow chronic self-betrayal correlated with Sara's own diagnoses and relapsesReframing self-prioritization as foreign, not wrongThe little-T trauma of being raised to fear disappointing othersPracticing safe disappointment as a muscle to rebuildThe body speaks story, not just scienceRaising daughters who can fall, get dirty, and get back upImperfection as the path forwardReadiness, healing, and what it takes to live differently Autoimmunity & The Good Girls is available now wherever books are sold. A portion of Sara's proceeds benefit the Society for Women's Health Research. Sign up for more at OffTheCharts.Health

    40 min
  3. Sleep Training & House Call Pediatrics with Dr. Tim Porter, Co-Founder of Modern Pediatrics

    May 26

    Sleep Training & House Call Pediatrics with Dr. Tim Porter, Co-Founder of Modern Pediatrics

    Dr. Tim Porter is a board-certified pediatrician and co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Modern Pediatrics, a concierge house call practice serving Central Texas and the Dallas metropolitan area. Same-day messaging, in-home visits, someone always on call, and a model built around removing the barriers between families and their pediatrician. Tim is also one of the country's most thoughtful voices on infant sleep, having worked with thousands of families navigating the hardest stretch of parenting. We cover: Why Tim left traditional pediatrics to build ModernWhat concierge pediatrics looks like for a familyThe peace-of-mind piece: knowing someone is always thereWhy pediatrics is the perfect fit for the concierge modelThe science of infant sleep from birth through age fourWhy babies cluster feed at night (and why it happens with formula too)Avoiding the overtired stateSleep training: extinction, gradual extinction, what the attachment research showsCapping naps, drowsy but awake, feeding to sleep, holding babies to sleepThe biggest infant sleep myths that need to go Sign up for more at OffTheCharts.Health

    34 min
  4. Women's Heart Health with Dr. Caitlin Giesler

    May 7

    Women's Heart Health with Dr. Caitlin Giesler

    Dr. Caitlin Giesler is a board-certified cardiologist, fellow of the American College of Cardiology, and founder of The Heart Center for Women in Austin. She left the traditional system to build a practice where women get an hour, get answers, and get someone who picks up the phone. Heart disease is the number one killer of women, more than all cancers combined. Women have been under-researched, over-dismissed, and misunderstood. Dr. Giesler does not stand for it. We cover: Why heart disease is the leading cause of death in women but the message isn't landingHow women's hearts are biologically different and why microvascular disease is missedSex-specific troponin thresholds and the heart attacks women are sent home withPregnancy as a cardiovascular stress test (preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes)Perimenopause, menopause, and what estrogen loss does to the heartHRT and the heart in 2026: timing hypothesis, transdermal vs oral, the FDA black box removalPalpitations, chest pressure, anxiety in menopause and when to push for a workupAdvanced labs: hs-CRP, ApoB, lipoprotein(a) Coronary artery calcium scoring, the mammogram of your heartStatins for women: muscle aches, brain fog, and the real conversationPCSK9 inhibitors and other options when statins aren't toleratedThe statin-Alzheimer's connection and vascular health as brain healthCalcium, vitamin D, K, omega-3s, CoQ10 and the supplement landscapeGLP-1s and cardiovascular benefitVO2 max, weighted vests, strength training, and the Life's Essential EightOral microbiome, periodontal health and the heartAutoimmune disease, inflammation, and HSCRPTakotsubo (broken heart syndrome), MINOCA, ANOCA, SCAD: the female-predominant conditions you've probably never heard ofMental health, depression, PTSD and cardiovascular riskWarning signs of a heart attack in womenWhat concierge cardiology offers women who want more than 15 minutes Find Dr. Giesler at HeartCenterForWomen.com Sign up for more at OffTheCharts.Health

    1 hr
  5. Men's Sexual Health: Erectile Dysfunction, Penis Size & Girth Enhancement with Dr. Tyler McClintock

    Apr 23

    Men's Sexual Health: Erectile Dysfunction, Penis Size & Girth Enhancement with Dr. Tyler McClintock

    What is normal for penis size? Why do most men seeking enhancement fall in the normal range? And do men talk about any of this? Dr. Tyler McClintock is a board-certified urologist at Midtown Urology in Austin, and specializes in men's sexual health, including erectile dysfunction and penile enhancement. We cover: Normal penis size: flaccid and erect measurementsGrower vs shower: what the research showsBody image, locker room comparisons, and male insecurityPenile girth enhancement: what Phallofill is, how it works, who is a candidateHyaluronic acid filler for the penis: procedure, recovery, resultsDo women report girth matters more than length?Erectile dysfunction (ED): prevalence, causes, progression with ageViagra, Cialis, and how these medications workWhy only a very small percentage of men with sexual concerns seek helpUse it or lose it: protecting penile length over time Sign up for more at OffTheCharts.Health (http://offthecharts.health/)

    48 min
  6. Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: Incontinence, Prolapse, Pain & Postpartum with Dr. Kimberlee Sullivan

    Apr 9

    Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: Incontinence, Prolapse, Pain & Postpartum with Dr. Kimberlee Sullivan

    Leaking when you laugh? Pain during sex? Pressure down there that won't go away? Told to just do kegels and it's not working? Dr. Kimberlee Sullivan is one of the most respected pelvic floor physical therapists in the country. She's spent over two decades treating the conditions no one talks about and built her career making this care accessible to more people. She now leads clinics at Origin and still sees patients because she says it reminds her why she does this work. We cover: What pelvic floor physical therapy actually is and what happens at your first visitKegels: when they help, when they backfire, and why many people do them wrongLeaking urine, bladder urgency, and incontinence after pregnancy or with agingPelvic floor exercises that can helpPain during sex, vaginismus, and conditions doctors dismiss as "all in your head"Postpartum recovery and how the U.S. is behind other countriesTight pelvic floor vs weak pelvic floorHow to find a pelvic floor PT near you and what virtual pelvic floor therapy looks like Sign up for more at OffTheCharts.Health Find Origin at theoriginway.com

    46 min
  7. Early Detection and the Future of Care | Jani Tuomi, Serial Health Tech Founder & Investor

    Mar 26

    Early Detection and the Future of Care | Jani Tuomi, Serial Health Tech Founder & Investor

    His brother was misdiagnosed for over a year while cancer spread. One blood test could have caught it. That experience pulled Jani Tuomi out of fintech and into healthcare, where he co-founded Imaware, one of the first companies to bring lab-grade autoimmune and cardiovascular screening to your home with a finger prick. He has since helped build companies across ALS therapeutics, neurotechnology, and physician workforce, including Coya Therapeutics, Coherence Neuro, and Matchday Health. We talk about the difference between screening and diagnosing, what to look for before you trust an at-home health test, and why your doctor might throw out results that don't meet a specific standard. Jani now invests in early-stage health tech founders in Austin, co-authors the Austin Bio and Health Report, and is working to make the city a national leader in health innovation. If you have ever wanted more answers about your own health than you were getting, this one is for you.

    44 min
  8. Stress, Sleep & Your Vagus Nerve | Povilas Sabaliauskas, Pulsetto Co-Founder

    Mar 5

    Stress, Sleep & Your Vagus Nerve | Povilas Sabaliauskas, Pulsetto Co-Founder

    Povilas Sabaliauskas is a biomedical engineer who spent years working on implantable nerve stimulators before co-founding Pulsetto, a wearable vagus nerve stimulation device designed to reduce stress, improve sleep, and calm the nervous system. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body, running from brainstem to gut, touching your heart, lungs, and digestion along the way. It is the main driver of your parasympathetic nervous system, the off switch. And most of us never flip it. We cover: What the vagus nerve actually does and why it mattersHow vagus nerve stimulation works (and how it differs from a TENS unit)The science behind Pulsetto and what clinical evidence supportsWhere wellness claims outpace the researchImplantable vs wearable devices and who benefits from eachThe personal story behind Pulsetto: his father's illness, cluster headaches, and 100+ VCs who said noRegulatory challenges of selling a wellness device that affects health outcomesStress, anxiety, sleep, inflammation, and yes, sexual health Sign up for more content on OffTheCharts.Health Check out Pulsetto here Discount Code: OFFTHECHARTS

    52 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

There is so much information out there about our bodies and health. OffTheCharts filters it down to what you can use today and share with the people you care about. Amy is a PhD-trained Family Nurse Practitioner who built her career across emergency medicine, complex women's health, academia, and health technology. She's also been the patient. That combination is why she started this. Each episode is an unhurried conversations with clinicians, researchers, and founders working on what's next. No soundbites, supplements to sell, or medical advice. Future projects explore the body below the belt and practical health for the decades ahead. Sign up on OffTheCharts.Health for future updates!

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