Designed for Men, Prescribed to Women

Women’s Health, The Gap, + Reproductive Rights

This episode is a conversation that probably should have been had a long time ago.

We’re not just talking about “women’s health” as a category.
We’re talking about the systems that shape how women are understood, treated, and often overlooked inside of medicine.

 The Women’s Health Gap

There is a measurable gap in how women are researched, diagnosed, and treated.

Not because women are more complicated.
But because the model used to understand them is incomplete.

We get into:

• Why women were historically excluded from clinical research
• How male physiology became the default in medicine
• Why symptoms in women are often dismissed, minimized, or psychologized
• The reality that women live longer—but spend more time in poor health

This shows up as:

• Long diagnostic timelines (think endometriosis, thyroid, autoimmune)
• Symptom management instead of root-cause exploration
• A system that struggles to interpret cyclical, adaptive physiology

Women aren’t difficult cases.
They’re being filtered through a limited lens.

 Reproductive Rights Are Health Care

We also talk about reproductive rights—not as politics, but as access to care.

Because when access changes, outcomes change.

We explore:

• How reproductive care is now dependent on geography
• What happens when women delay or avoid care
• The rise of “care deserts” and long-distance travel for basic services
• The increasing reliance on telehealth and self-managed care

And the part that often goes unspoken:

• The physiological stress response tied to lack of autonomy
• The emotional and psychological weight women are carrying
• How uncertainty and restriction impact the body long-term

When autonomy is removed, the body doesn’t relax.
It adapts to survive.

 The Gaps in Western Medicine

This episode isn’t anti-medicine.
But it is honest about its limitations.

Western medicine excels at:

• Acute care
• Emergency intervention
• Life-saving procedures

But it often falls short in:

• Chronic conditions
• Hormonal complexity
• Nervous system regulation
• Whole-body pattern recognition

Especially in women.

What we’re seeing now is a shift:

• Women asking better questions
• Women seeking deeper explanations
• Women stepping outside of traditional systems to understand their bodies

 The Bigger Picture

This isn’t one issue.

It’s a convergence of:

• Research gaps
• Policy shifts
• Cultural awakening
• And lived experience finally being spoken out loud

Women are no longer quietly navigating these systems.

They’re questioning them.
Challenging them.
And in many cases—outgrowing them.

 Final Thought

Women’s health isn’t broken.

The framework used to understand it is.

*

Connect with Taylor

Connect with Adrienne

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to another episode of TNA. Guys, bubble up and hang on for the ride because we don't actually have one topic. We're going to throw a bunch of shit together in a podcast. But it's all relevant to you, ladies. It's all relevant to you. We're going to be talking about different fronts in female health that are seeing expansion for better or for worse. So that's part of what we're going to debate is whether it's for better or for worse. You're listening to the TNA podcast. Totally not appropriate. We're your hosts, Taylor Sappington, a cosmic cartographer, medical astrologer, and herbalist decoding the intersection of soul, body, and belief.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

And Adrian Irazari, a psychoalchemist trained in East Asian medicine, vibrational healing, and the sacred science of your nervous system.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Together we blend ancient tools, clinical wisdom, and unapologetic truth-telling.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

From main events to metaphysics, tarot to tonics, karma to cancel culture, nothing is off-limits and everything is on the table. This space is for the boldly curious, the ones who crave uncomfortable conversations, crave deeper insight, and are done pretending that they don't feel what they feel.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

So turn it up, tune in, and don't say we didn't warn you. Welcome to Satina. Do we want to start with the reproductive rights? Do we want to start with the gap in women's health finally being named and monetized, which is okay, for better or worse? Do we want to talk about IVF and fertility and reproductive science? Do we want to talk about whole body female health, which I feel is a really positive thing in this space considering our Western model is mechanistic and reductionistic. Period. Like yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

So let's start with the fact that less than 5% of the NIH budget goes to women's health anything. So we'll go there first. Let's start there. And I want to start there because I think that it sets the tone for everything else that comes after it. Okay. Because we end up with a lot of these interventions as a result of things aren't working, people are demanding answers, but there's not enough research in this area because women's bodies have always been treated like little men. So I want to start here. There is such a disparity in men receiving care in our allopathic model and women receiving care. The number of people that reach out to me with questions about doing certain procedures, are there alternatives to things that are being offered by their doctor? Because their doctor literally says, I don't know. And it's because there's no data, it's not studied. Nobody is taking an actual look at the things that are creating quality of life problems as females.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Because of that, women tend to be gaslit because they're a multi-layered systemic blind spot that shows up in major ways, essentially.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

And then if there's anything that can be monetized in someone suffering, then all of a sudden, that is the part that actually gets looked at because you know there's money behind it rather than looking at the woman's lived experience and going, millions of women are suffering with endometriosis. Maybe we should look at that. No, it is not done from that vantage point. It's done from a, oh, there are millions of women that are hitting perimenopause. Let's push HRT because we can charge for that. There are people that are having problems with fertility. Let's start encouraging them to freeze their eggs when they're in their early 30s and tell them that it's like a time capsule. And I take huge issue with this. So it's unethical. It is totally unethical. And we have these things, you know, IVF is a multi-million dollar business, right? No, insurance largely covers that now. It really depends on the insurance. And often there's a cap. Yeah, like one treatment. One treatment, sometimes it's three treatments, or it'll be the transfer, but nothing ahead of it, or it will be the pre-work, but nothing after the transfer. Yeah. If you are freezing your eggs, they won't cover the cryo part until they become embryos. And then once they're embryos, insurance might cover the storage. I want to say this is fucked up.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

I want to say this respectfully, right? We have organizations that are refusing to cover something until it becomes an embryo. Who does that embryo belong to? Oh, that's a great ethical question, too, isn't it? Well, if you go back to how children are brought into this world and you talk about the difference between a live certificate of birth and a birth certificate, there's ownership, guys. I know this is an uncomfortable conversation, but it's one we should really start having out loud and not just behind closed doors. Because the reality of it is your children are not owned by you. Not that they should be owned, but you get what I'm saying. Like they're not yours. They're not yours. This is why child protective services can come in and take them as easily as they can. This is why you have to go to court to get them back. This is why we have so many issues in divorce cases, or one parent is fully present and the other is not. But yet, we're still going to give access to the child of the parent that's not fully present or capable of parenting, if you will. Who does the embryo belong to? And why does it have to be an embryo? That's weird to me.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Isn't that crazy? And I actually don't have a good legal answer to that question, just that it also begs the question of some of our reproductive rights kinds of conversations that we're having right now about whether you can legislate a fertilized egg in a body or not, right? Because like that's the level of minutiae we're at, folks.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

And who determines viability? Let's talk about the placenta. Let's go there, right? How many times in hospital, whether women choose to encapsulate it or not, okay, whether they choose to utilize it postpartum or not, how many times are we one, not given the option of keeping the placenta, right? And there is good reason to keep it. If you understand the black market and how much these things are worth, same thing with circumcision.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

That one bothers me. I can understand the placenta part. The circumcision part really bothers me. What do you mean? The fact that there is actually a monetary incentive for the skin. But they don't talk to you about that.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

It's awful, right? So, like, none of this is part of the informed consent conversation because informed consent is hilariously not actually present in most medical discussion behind closed doors. Like, I would love to hear from anyone listening to this in how many instances where you've interacted with your medical professional did you get full informed consent versus having to go to a podcast like this and hear about what actually happens on the black market with tissues and where it's utilized. Like foreskin from those baby boys is utilized in beauty products.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

And that DNA materials just floating around out there.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Well, and now that we know that we have a bunch of pedophiles running our government, as if we didn't know that before, okay, but now it's like really all out on the table. And we're talking about embryos being frozen, who gets to determine viability, right? And when they say an embryo is not viable, where does that shit actually go? I'm really starting to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but we all know now that the gap between conspiracy theory and true is about six months. Just takes a little research and things surfacing, right? So, like if we have somebody freezing their eggs or freezing a viable embryo, right? When something is deemed non-viable, not capable for use in a transfer, right? Where does it go? Right? I don't who gets to take that? How is it disposed of? Disrespectfully, I was gonna say respectfully, but disrespectfully, I can't even count on the local government to give me an accurate read of my water meter. You want me to trust that they're going to take sustenance and human form substance and treat it the way that it needs to be treated, and don't come at me with like there are rules and regulations. Yeah, rule for thee, but not for me. Like, sorry, we're just here now. Don't care. So when we talk about these things, like, where does my placenta go? They say it's biohazard, but it's mine. Why can't I walk out with it? Yeah, I mean, right? Like, why can't I call somebody in to dry and encapsulate it for me if I want to utilize it that way? I personally I get every other species of animals eats their placenta immediately after delivery. Okay. Like, so there has to be something in it that makes it viable. And at the same time, my logistical brain goes, but it's also a filter. Yes. And it operates as like a detoxifying element in the whole growth of your baby. And humans are exposed to some shit. Okay. Then you add on all the pharmaceuticals that they try to, you know, push at you while you're pregnant. And no, I'm good. But I want to know where it's going.

unknown 9:42

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yes. Well, and you should be able to make choices around that. Yeah. But we could talk about how medicalized birth removes a lot of choices through standard operating procedure, also. And the number one thing people come to me for, weirdly enough, is not solving cycle challenges. It is to ask questions because they're trying to make informed decisions. Like I had a conversation the other day with somebody who had asked their OBGYN Are there any hormonal implications to having their tubes tied or a tube of ligation, just so that you have the formal terminology? And the doctor was like, Oh no, safe, no big deal. I'm really grateful that this person was like questioning. And so she reached out to me and she goes, Hey, can we have a conversation about this? I was like, Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

So the kind of shit that I get off the podcast, and then I go punch shit after we talk about it.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

I mean, like, it's shit. Oh, I have conversations about hysterectomy.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

How many thousands of dollars did you spend in medical school to give somebody that kind of response? What the fuck? Well, it's because they don't have studies.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

This goes back to my opening. I also think we need to change the way studies are done. 100%. We really do because there's no diversity in the population. And a lot of times women's health-related things are based on male data and like there's so many screwed-up things.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

And I feel like we need to look at people in real-world circumstance. Like none of this sterilized bullshit. We need to look at people in their day-to-day lives under immense pressure, whether it's financial, mental, emotional, physical, work-based. Like, I think we need to look at people in real environments.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Yes, I agree. Because that's where you're going to see how this actually plays out over time. But like, let's just at least start working with female bodies. I mean, this is historically products. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Historically, women were excluded from clinical trials. Pre-1990s, let this set in. I know like now when I'm finding my birth date, 1990 feels really far before 1990. Okay. Like, where are the 80s? But like it wasn't that long ago that women were being excluded from clinical trials. And even now, hormonal fluctuations make women quote unquote harder to study, which is why they oftentimes go with male data because males operate off of a 24-hour cycle and 15-minute intervals of testosterone. Whereas women, as we've talked about ad nauseum on multiple other podcasts, follow the cycle of shit that exists outside your window. Like the moon. It's called a moon cycle for a fucking reason. And I saw a post the other day. Sorry, soapbox moment. Okay. Sent it to Adrian. I saw a post the other day. I am gonna rip my fucking hair out if I come across another fucking post on Instagram that blanket talks about how women have a 28-ish day cycle. No, bitch. Women go from 26 to 32. Okay. Ovulation happens between day 10 and day 17. And in some instances, it happens outside of that. Can we stop telling women in these vanilla fucking posts that they save and share with all their girlfriends that they should have a 28-ish day cycle?

SPEAKER_00 13:06

So, yes, and we also want to qualify that with what is an optimal ovulation range if you are trying to conceive, right? Like that data needs to be run through a filter of what are your goals? You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Like not a vanity popularity algorithm filter, but like an actual physiological filter. Swear to God, the experts on Instagram.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Well, and it makes me crazy because vanilla posts like that that are very blanket and very generic get shared like hell. And then those of us who are like giving you actual real world shit, it's like crickets. And it's like, holy crap, man, like I'm giving you the stuff that you can actually apply to your real life. Like this Better Homes and Gardens picture looking girl who's like, I don't know, doing her makeup or cutting vegetables or whatever the fuck that's like has nothing to do with what it is that she's saying in the text on the picture of 28-ish day cycle, right? Like, what?

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Also, like serious question for anyone. I am so open. I was told the other day that I was intimidating. I imagine if the woman who told me that is listening, she'll get a giggle out of that, right? I absolutely have intense energy. There's no if, ands, or buts about it. I have a fire moon, I have a Gemini sun, I have a Leo rising, I'm kind of built that way. But I'm intimidating, but I'm all air, man. So I don't understand it. Maybe it's the resting bitch face that we don't purposely do, but we do it really well. Like, I don't know what it is, but like I'm generally like, once you get through the door, I'll like to toot my own horn, but I think I'm quite funny and great to chit-chat with. Like, I am actually very friendly. But where was I going with that? What was I talking about?

SPEAKER_00 15:04

That you're fiery and spicy. And because of this, sometimes people think that you're intimidating. I don't think so. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

But there was something hormonal that I was gonna say about it. It'll come back to me. We're on day five. I'm just gonna give myself and we have a cold. So if it comes back to me, it'll come back to me. There was like a point that I was trying to make about hormones, though. So yeah, it'll come back.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

So these posts are really frustrating because they're the ones that get the most distributed and yet they're the least helpful. Oh, yeah, I was gonna ask a question.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

What in the actual fuck do y'all take from that? Cool. So you save the post that says you should be 28-ish days. What did you just learn about yourself? And you saved it. So clearly how is your life? How is your life changing with that information? What do you know about your cycle now? Okay, so if you're 29 days, oh shit, I'm outside of the window. Or if I'm no, I think that follows into the ish. I'm just like, okay, why would somebody save this post? Yet I could do a full spread, literally, ladies. Like, I could give you a charcuterie board on endometriosis, and because it requires reading, and I didn't put an aesthetic picture of me at 8 a.m. in golden light hour, which doesn't exist in 99% of houses, PS, by the way. I walk around with hair not done in a wedgie. I'm like half blind in the morning because I have shit to do. Like I have beings to take care of. Okay. Real world, you know, but like, why wouldn't you just take the Adrian's dying on the other side?

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Why wouldn't I put you on this picture in my head?

SPEAKER_01 16:41

I look like I put my finger in a socket, especially when my hair gets long. Like it's just my husband calls me from work. He's like, hello, beautiful. I'm like, I love that you still think I look beautiful because I feel like I look like a little rat right now. Like, but like, I don't understand why. Maybe it's just the way my brain works when I consume something. I'm looking for substance, I'm looking for things to tickle the fancy of my brain. I'm looking to learn something new, I'm looking for interesting information. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

The 28-day-ish, you know what? I actually do have an answer to why people save that. I had to think about it because I'm just like, ugh, you know, but I do have an answer. And it's because body literacy education in this country fucking sucks. That's why. And I'll give you an example. So I had created a class years ago, and it was called Not Your Mama's Menstrual Course. And I thought it was so brilliant, right? This is all the shit that we were taught from our moms or our grannies or our aunties or whoever it was that was the woman in our life, right? So I thought this was like brilliant and kitschy, and I promoted it and all of this stuff, and then realized holy shit, this is too high level because people don't know how to count their cycle. Because all we're doing, that's not a knock. Like if you don't know how to count your cycle, it's not this very real. But this is a real world example of my frustration with the system. Okay. We're not taught how to count our cycle. That the first day of fresh red flow, not sotting, not brown. Yes. That is day one of your cycle. And I know that some of you listening are gonna go, holy shit, I didn't know that. I was in my 30s when I learned that. Okay, so there is no shade, it is merely a statement of how fucking broken our system is around teaching women about their bodies. Okay, so all we get because you know P in the V.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Yes, if you know about your body, we've talked about this in many podcast episodes. And you're powerful.

unknown 18:47

You're so powerful.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

And then you might start to demand things look a little different in the real world because you start to understand that you're not actually built to function like a small man and working at the same pace for the same number of hours four weeks in a row is actually not feasible. And that's not a weakness, it's a superpower. You know, I really do think that businesses at large are super fucking stupid. Even the really successful ones, they're only successful based on one subset of criteria, right? But if everybody came to the table and they were like, we're gonna work with the cycles of a woman and we're gonna learn how they maximize and weaker cycle, that's what I'm trying to say. And then we're gonna lay low in other parts of the cycle, we would have a well-rested, productive, highly creative, sustainable, monetarily successful and sustainable, expanded work environment. And guess what, guys? For all the guys listening, there are some husbands out there that I love, so I'm not gonna give them all shit because you know, like there are some good men out there. We'd all benefit from it, including you. Oh, and then you might have a lady in the street and a freak in the bed. You might just have home cooked meals, certain parts of the month that you both participate in. You might have happier wife, thus happier life, because she's not being expected to operate off of a standard that was never built to be conducive to her. I mean, in Fredian rhythm serves everybody. 100% and rhythms upon rhythms, guys. I don't think y'all understand how if we don't understand how to track our cycle, we're definitely not gonna understand the variety of rhythms our body operates off of. There are rhythms inside of rhythms, there are rhythms inside of the hours that you sleep. You're not supposed to be still all night. This whole mummification of sleep really fucking freaks me out. Like, so you think you're not supposed to move at all? You think you're not supposed to have any wakings at all? You're supposed to have eight to twelve wakings. They're just not supposed to be conscious. Yes, they're not supposed to be disruptive. Like, are you kidding me? You're just supposed to do this. It sounds like our work at day, right? Like, go to sleep for eight hours, lay in this position, don't move, don't wake up. Oh, and feel rested.

unknown 21:09

The fuck?

SPEAKER_01 21:11

Oh, and it needs to look the same every day of every week of every month. Guys, forget robots, they already have them. They're you, yes, organic robots. Melania Trump walks a fucking robot out. I'm like, I would have tripped the motherfucker and walk back the other way.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Guys, this is what I feel about robots. This is how I feel about it. By, you know, like I looked at my husband and I was like, Terminator is here. Literally. He goes, Tinfoil hat, Adrian, and I was like, no, just wait. Like this shit, man. It's crazy. But like, this is why people save those posts because we just don't have it, the basics.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

I want to throw my computer across the room, actually with my phone, you know, like my small computer in my hand. I'm just like, already. You kidding me? Like, I'm gonna keep speaking about what I'm speaking about because it's important for me. It's good practice for me. And you know, like when you produce for you, I think it resonates. Like these are topics of importance to me. These are details that I feel are really important that women should know. You know, so and I'm not gonna be a fucking gatekeeper, right? So cool, like read my shit. And if you want to fix it, come fucking work with me. My shit works. I don't know how else to put it. Like, and I'm probably not a good fit for somebody who doesn't know how to track their cycle.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Well, and that's where I have gone to. Like, I want to teach people how to do this because I feel like when people gatekeep this information, it erodes your sovereignty. I'm a big proponent of body sovereignty, but you can only be sovereign and not be controlled by the fucking legislation that's trying to tell you like what you can and cannot do around your reproductive cycle when you're completely controlled by the government around making decisions around your body and all that shit. If you just knew how your cycle worked, in a lot of ways you can keep yourself out of any of the legislative nightmare. Yeah. Because you know that you're only fertile seven days out of the month, where the fuck those days are and what to do about it. Yep. Like then it doesn't matter. Governments and fucking patriarchy assholes on their high horses can try to legislate you all they want, but they're not gonna win. Because you know how to take care of your body. And the thing is, is they've done such a good job with the propaganda model of scaring women into thinking they have to be on birth control.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

No, you don't. I have been with my husband 10 years. Oh my god, we've been together. Longest relationship of my life. Other than the one with myself, which has been just as tumultuous as my marriage has been. They're all growth containers, right? I'm kidding. We've had our enough patches, but we're good. But like, I have been married 10 years. We were together six months before we got married. So, like, we've been together 10 years. I don't want babies. I am a solo show. Okay. I track my cycle. I'm not on birth control. Like, it's 10 years, ladies. Yeah. I'm gonna knock on every piece of fucking fake wood in my room. I have routine conversations with my uterus too. You might think that's weird. I think it is highly effective. Like, hello, I know we are in this part of the cycle, which means you're feeling a little frisky. I love that. We love this part of the cycle. We feel cute and it feels good. And we have no desire to become a mother again. And no babies. We are not open for business. We are going to be a hostile environment to anything that may slip by all of the precautions that we take. It's a no for me, dog. So I think it's really important to have open dialogue with all parts of your person, too. Because even if we go to the spirit baby realm, we talk to our children that exist beyond the veil, the souls that are choosing to incarnate, if we're like, yo, no, do not pass go. I think they listen. Just sense.

SPEAKER_00 25:13

Well, because it's a contract, uh-huh. Right? It's a contract. That could be a full podcast in and of itself.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

Put a pin in it. Spirit babies, we can put a pin in it. You know, like I'm also at this point, Adrian, where I'm so sick of being diplomatic about what I do and not talking about all the weird parts of it. I'm like, yeah, I work with energy. Yep. While you're sitting with me, I'm talking to five other parts that are in the room too, and they're all yours, and they all belong to you. You know, like, yes, it's real. You don't have to believe me, but it works. Like, if you're curious, come on in. If not, just keep going. Like, I can't wait to see what the comments on YouTube have to say. You know, but when Michael, come back. I'm just gonna keep referencing him. Come on, Mike. Come on. You know, but when it comes to feeling sovereign, I imagine for a lot of women, it's hard to feel sovereign too when you're being gaslit to shit over things that are largely misunderstood. You know, only a tiny fraction of healthcare spending goes to women's specific conditions. Most femtech is funding, if you will, is concentrated on fertility, pregnancy, and period tracking. Yes. Right. So what's not funded is perimenopause and menopause. We can see that gap there, especially as a lot of us walk into it and we're like, what the fuck? Like, where is our support? Mental health throughout the duration of your period, I feel like needs to be a much larger conversation. We talk so much about how our physical body feels in the luteal phase, but we don't talk about how the mental health often declines of women too.

SPEAKER_00 26:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 26:36

No, chronic fatigue patterns, not studied or well funded, hormone and mineral interplay, not funded or well studied, nervous system dysregulation in women. We're just told we're crazy and we're being dramatic.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Yes, hysteria, lunacy is reduced to our emotional state. And yet, our emotions are what make us human, men and women. It is part of our safety and understanding our world mechanism. We all have emotions.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

And it is a critical bridge between your mental and physical body. You cannot exist as a coherent unit, you cannot exist as an operating antenna without all three of them being connected. Otherwise, you're sending fragmented signals, and all three parts of your person are going to different corners of the room. That's why so many of you are sick. It's that simple and also that complex. And that's why you continue to chase these physical symptoms and nothing's fucking changing. It's not your body. Your body is the canvas for your other body's work, your mind's work, your emotional body's work. The physical body is just the final display of art. It's where we can see it manifested in 3D. 100%. But because we are so brainwashed and so conditioned to operate off of a mechanistic and reductionistic trajectory, all we see is the body. So we don't tend to the other parts of the person, which means you're never actually gonna find resolves. You're gonna be broke, you're gonna be bedridden a lot of the time, and you're gonna be completely and utterly broken down mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Like you have got to put the three together. There is a way off of the fucking hamster wheel. They put you on it, you gotta get yourself off of it.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

Because you're profitable on it. Yes, but that's where that sovereignty comes in, right?

SPEAKER_01 28:26

I mean, and again, if you're a woman, you've probably been dismissed as anxious. A lot of your problems are usually like, I don't know if this is true for you, but for me, it was like, oh, it must be a normal hormone fluctuation for you.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

I can't tell you how many things I see that are reduced to just hormones, which again is that siloed approach of you are a sum of parts.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

So you're optimal hormones are a byproduct of an optimally functioning body. So if your hormones are not optimal, guess what? You need to reverse engineer. But this is the problem. It's treated symptomatically, SSRIs and birth control, which PS, by the way, controversial topic here. I have been on plenty of antidepressants slash anti-anxiety medications historically in my life. So let me just put that out there. There is not one clinical study showing the effectiveness of SSRIs and SNRIs treating in quotations what they claim to treat.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

I know that blows some people's minds, right? And I'm gonna jump on to that as well. I had the opportunity to study with one of the herbal titans in the industry, and I took an anxiety and depression seminar with him specifically because those are two very prevalent things that people come into my office either with or for. And I wanted to be more versed in this particular area. And one statistic that he offered that really shock the shit out of me at the time, it doesn't shock me now, but it did at the time, is that those medications only quote unquote work for 23 to 25% of the population. So there is a reason why there are many of you that go, Well, I've tried all the things out there and nothing works. And an herbalist can much more adeptly respond to one of the body patterns that you potentially are walking around with that creates the right environment for that symptom to be present.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

Also, can we talk about depression as your soul's way of reflecting back to you that you're living out of complete and utter alignment with what you're here to do?

SPEAKER_00 30:40

See, and this is why Taylor is my bestie, because I love questions like that. But this is not what you're going to get in the vanilla social media post that says you have a 28-ish day cycle.

SPEAKER_01 30:53

You know, like there is the depth we want on this podcast. There is no medicating your way out of living a misaligned life. It's true. There is no supplementing your way or herbally tending to, like, you know, through medical astrology and astro astrology, because there's an entire branch of herbalism tied to astrology. The two came together, like they were originators together, right? But like there's an entire branch of herbalism attached to astrology. And through the lens of this branch of herbalism, when we look at depression, nine times out of 10, it's a misalignment with your sun in your chart. Like you're not living your true essence through the sun, through the solar theme in your chart. And that means there are energetic gaps in your body, right? Like there are gaps in your energetic body. That's probably a better way of saying it. So for example, don't run with this, please, because I don't know you and I haven't looked at your chart, but I like giving concrete examples. So for example, St. John's Wart, which is so interestingly often said not to be taken. But Saint John's Wart literally comes in and plugs energetic gaps. The plant looks like the sun, guys. 100%. It is a solar herb. It looks like rays of sunlight. It's beautiful. Goldenrod is another good example of this rosemary. Like, there's a lot of different ways we could go about this, but can you imagine working with somebody like Adrian or myself? Toot toot tootin' my fucking horn, you know, who can look at something like your chart or your pattern and be like, hey, we have poor solar activation here. Which means this and this for this amount of time is gonna serve you really well, and then we'll transition to supporting probably Mars, because Mars is the prince that serves the king. Just like Venus is the princess that serves the queen, the moon. And story is beautiful because you understand sorry, right? You listening. So you can call me or it woo all you fucking want. But when I break it down into a story like we had when we were kids, or like so many of us as adults love to get lost in, it all makes sense. It makes a lot more fucking sense than the jargon you're gonna get in the five minutes you have with your PCP.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

Yeah. Where they give you a script and send you out the door, and then it's back and forth and back and forth and back and forth with the nurse because you're like, nope, this med isn't working for me. And then you have to titrate off of it because it does fucked up shit to your system when you come off of it, and like and you have to address the fucked up shit that it did when you were on it, right?

SPEAKER_01 33:39

Like, there's no free lunch. Sorry, you know, like you trade one for another. It's like the Ozempic conversation that is getting louder and louder, and what we're seeing with libido, and what we're seeing with bone density, and what we're seeing with mental health and mood. I just find it interesting. Oh, and the fact that peptides are now being shown to be like they're starting to find counterfeit peptides, guys. Write this down. There are only 500 pharmacies in the United States to serve millions of people, 500, right? And for pharmacies, you have to have a script. But there are only 500 pharmacies that are actually allowed to compound peptides. So that fucking wellness practice that's making money hand over fist off of your fucking vulnerability. Fuck them. One, okay, and two, you're probably setting yourself up for failure in the long run. Are you kidding me? You're playing with your most precious gift.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

And I mean, and it's tempting to have a quick fix, right?

SPEAKER_01 34:38

Because sure, until you realize that you no longer have access to it because it's an outlaw, because all of these things have become counterfeit and they have to actually pull legalities in, and then fucking what? You're not on the thing that you've been taking for how many months? How do you clean up that fucking fire? You've blown up all the fire trucks.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Yeah, and the long-term effects of being on it because it's altering the way that your body signals. It's just look, we've talked about this before.

SPEAKER_01 35:02

I would love a tummy tuck. I'm not gonna lie. And I'm being dramatic. Me too. I've had my boobs put in, I've had my boobs taken out. It's interesting to me like where this all occurred and some of the issues I've dealt with subsequent to it, right? I had a c-section against everything in my body. I had to have a c-section. It was an emergency, like what I would have done to not have a C-section. I have a preview of what major abdominal surgery is like. I had it. There's definitely a little shelf and a little lip that's probably a little more noticeable to me than it is to other people. I don't like it. But the idea of dealing with the long-term effects of interrupting my qi that has already been interrupted, no fucking thank you.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

And that is honestly the hard stop for me because my skin has never gone back. Oh my god. And I struggle with how I feel when I look in the mirror because of all the extra skin that I hold around my belly from pregnancy. But every single time my husband goes, if you really want to do it, and I'm just like, but I do, but I don't. Yeah. I want to feel better when I look in the mirror with how I look, and I'm not looking for a six-pack imperfection. I just don't want to have an extra 10 pounds of skin hanging around my abdomen. Because, you know, you notice it when you bend over to play with your toddler on the floor, and when you try to cut your toenails and like dumb, stupid day-to-day stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 36:24

Or when you're shaving and you're like in all these outward positions, and you're like, What is that? Ew. I love you, ew. You're like, I can't see down there. What the hell? And then you get lost looking at it, and you're like, Where I copy you, I cast your oil you, I rub on you, and I love you.

SPEAKER_00 36:44

Like, I use red light therapy. What the hell? But there's no way that I, in good conscience, can disrupt the flow of my acupuncture meridians in this part of my body. I have celiac's disease. I rely on acupuncture keeping my stomach functioning appropriately.

SPEAKER_03 37:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:05

And I just cannot, I look at the long-term effects of what that would mean for the function of my middle burner. Okay. Yeah. Chinese medicine, my middle burner for the rest of my life. And I'm like, I can't do it.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

I just also how long does it take most of us who have a triple burner issue? I think most women have a triple burner issue. Like in some way, shape, or form. It's too high or it's way too fucking low. Right. But like, I mean, I would say me too low, too, right? So, like, it's taken me how long to get to the point where I don't have cold spots on the bottom of my stomach. Yeah. Years. Castor oil, steaming, taking activities that I love out. I love fucking hot yoga. I love hot yoga. I can't do hot yoga without absolutely wrecking my system, you know, like making sure that I don't go, I fucking love the ocean. If I could be a fish, I would. I would prefer to be a dolphin or a mermaid, really. But, you know, like take one or the other. But like getting in the ocean at certain points in my cycle. Like we all know it's a no, you know. And I'm just like, okay, it has taken such effort that's now very second nature. These are habits I had to build in. Yes. To like becomes a lifestyle. Absolutely. To be mindful and to not feel like my life is super small. You know, sorry. I mean, if you don't like what you see, look the other way. I just don't know what else to say to people anymore. I'm in great shape, you know, like in every way, shape, and form that I can be. I'm not real thin, and nobody talks about how difficult it is to go from I was chronically stressed and skinny for probably a decade and a half. It's where a lot of my skinny came from, right? Like I have a size 10 shoe and I'm five foot seven. Tell me I didn't grow to my full capacity. People pick up my shoes, they're like, How about how big are your feet? I'm like, are you trying to make me feel self-conscious about my boats?

SPEAKER_00 39:04

See, I have dull feet and I get teased for that too. Like I literally was a six and a half until I got pregnant. Oh no, I was a six, excuse me. I was a six. And then my first pregnancy, I was a six and a half. And now that I've had Enzo, I am a whopping seven.

SPEAKER_02 39:20

The sister-in-law was on the beach with us over March break, and she picked up my flip-flop and she's like, Whose shoe is this?

SPEAKER_01 39:30

It's mine. She's like, Why are your feet so big? I was like, Do you see how long my legs are? I was not supposed to stop at five foot seven. Like the top half of me stopped growing. I don't know what else to say. Like, there's no more stretch. My sister is six foot. All of my siblings are over six feet tall. Like, I was not supposed to be as short as I am, you know, but like I just way too much effort to get to where I am. And what I was saying about like the skinny and stressed. Nobody talks about how difficult it is to go from skinny and stressed, or stressed and skinny, maybe that's a better way of saying it, to regulated in the right size. Oh, what a mind fuck that is.

SPEAKER_00 40:12

I wonder what regulated would look like for me. You would probably go opposite if I'm being honest. I'm sure I would.

SPEAKER_01 40:19

And I wouldn't even recognize my I think there are two extremes to dysregulation, right? Like I think there are two extremes, and I tended to go extremely draw. You know what I mean? Like it was not cute at one point. And you know, one point when I was really unwell, didn't matter how much I ate, I was not putting weight on. That's equally not as cute, you know. But it does get a little addicting when you're like, I can fit into a size two, I can fit into a size four, you know what I mean? And then you're like, oh my god, I'm wearing a size fucking 10, you know, but the 10 comes from the fact that your ass has grown because you can finally put fucking weight, like muscle on. Yeah. And you're like, oh, this is what I was probably supposed to look like the whole time.

SPEAKER_02 40:58

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

You know, so we have gone all sorts of all over the place in our mini smorgage board episodes. So, you know, we started talking about issues in female health. I think we've pretty much hit all corners, but this is all part of female health, right?

SPEAKER_00 41:12

Like these are the conversations we have inside of our heads, these are the surgeries that we elect to do. These are the conversations that we have with our practitioner, and our practitioner gives us very little information because there isn't any fucking data. And they're in that position where they can't make an assertion unless there's data because they carry massive malpractice. So then people come to people like me and like Taylor and go, I want to make an informed decision about this. I get this question around hysterectomies, I get this question around sterilization. So, like tube ligation versus tubes removed. I got a very nasty look at the hairdresser a little while back because there was a woman who was in her 40s and she was talking about the fact that she had her tubes removed as a form of birth control because she was done having kids. And now that she was in her 40s, downstream effects, yes, and she was having like all these hot flashes and night sweats, and I need to go and have my hormones tested and done. And of course, me couldn't keep my mouth shut and just like she mentioned it out loud to the client she was working on that she had her tubes removed. And I was like, I'm sorry, I can't help but overhear that fill in the blank. And there are ways to actually help with those symptoms. You know, it is a byproduct of the surgery that you had, and she cut me right off. And she was just like, My doctor told me that there were gonna be no symptoms. And I was like, it's because it hasn't been really well studied. And she like turned her back and refused to talk to me anymore. And I'm like, okay, well, I guess that means you're choosing to suffer with those symptoms then. Sorry, I tried to help because I didn't want you to suffer.

SPEAKER_01 42:52

And I think it has to do with the fact that we live in a world that operates like Amazon Prime. We don't have a lot of consequence, right? So we make lifetime decisions in moments. Yes, and we don't recognize that the decision that we make, and this is not everyone, but a lot of the women that I've met that have chosen to have ablations, that have chosen to have hysterectomies, have chosen to have massectomies, right? It's years later that they're like, or thyroid being removed. Like, how many women have I supported in their 70s? Yes, 70s, ladies. There are women who are 70 that would kick some of your ass that are willing to do this at 70. So if you're like 20, 30 listening to this, let's go. Okay. Like, who had their thyroid removed because that was all that was available at the time. Yes. And they've spent their entire life making up for the fact that this organ system is gone.

SPEAKER_03 43:42

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 43:43

And they were told that the symptoms will be minimized due to medication.

SPEAKER_00 43:47

Lie. Well, it's like gallbladders removed and the tension patterns that come with gallbladders being removed. And it's like they have optional organs, yeah. And that's the part that's really hard because like they make it seem like. Oh well, a hysterectomy is if you leave your ovaries, you're gonna be fine. No, and it's like, no, there are symptoms that people struggle with, and they don't tell you that you're gonna go through, I'm gonna call it a false menopause. Okay. So, like, you're going to go through hair loss and the heat and the moods and all of that kind of stuff before your ovaries ever shut down. And it's because your uterus, just like your tubes, are part of your hypothalamus pituitary ovarian axis. It is part of the chemical reactions that help that communication system play the game of telephone that it needs to play in order for everything to function properly. Hair gets thinner, hair falls out, people start experiencing cavities in their teeth. And they're like, where the hell did this come from? I've never had problems with this before. Like, I could go on and on with the symptoms that come with people who get a hysterectomy. Now, if it's medically necessary, and that has a set of criteria, okay, that is one thing, but people should be prepared going into it with what those things are so that they can be proactive. I've supported people who have made the choice to have a hysterectomy, and it always involves making sure that we have certain tools in place to soften the landing on the other side. But there are so many people that make decisions about major surgery, like a hysterectomy, even if you leave your ovaries, from a place of desperation. And it goes back to what Taylor was saying about that Amazon Prime kind of mentality, is they have just reached a point where they're fucking done. I am exhausted, I'm losing a lot of blood. I need to get this.

SPEAKER_01 45:48

Nobody's listening to me, everybody's gaslighting me. I've been given medication that's inappropriate. I'm being told that I need to explore modalities. And look, advocacy for yourself in the world that we live in, we have never had more resources than we have today. And I don't actually think that makes advocacy easier because it gives people decision fatigue and information overwhelm. And in reality, when we just had community herbalists and we had midwives, like I think I go to three places for female stuff, right? One of them's gonna do it. Now it's like, do I go to the endocrinologist? Do I go to the gastroenterologist? Do I go to the OBGYN and gynecologist? Do I go to the PCP? Do I go to the therapist or the psychiatrist? It's like fucking overwhelming. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:31

You're a sum of parts.

SPEAKER_01 46:33

Just see it in all the biomanistic system. Yep. And you can see it in all of the specialties. And if the specialties understood how to communicate together, and there was one place that they all came together. Oh, and they also like operated by inviting in things like herbalists and energy medicine and medical astrology, like it used to be required in medical school. I'm going to keep hammering that home, right? Maybe, just maybe we'd see a very different outcome. But the outcomes are awful in it's because we exist in a system that is designed for linear physiology, stable hormones, and isolated organ systems. And the female body is opposite all of that. It is cyclic, it is adaptive, which is a superpower of ours, but that superpower has been abused. Right. And then it's mineral, endocrine, and nervous system integrated. And they've ripped them all apart. So, but um bump.

SPEAKER_00 47:28

I know I laugh a lot during these episodes because it she always like hits it like right up. So this is where I'm a lot of air and I'm very heavy. So like there's earth and air in my chart. She has the fire in the chart, and I'm always like, Yeah, sing it, sister, because you're saying all the things that I say to people, but with a tempered level of passion. And I love how passionate that Taylor gets around these topics.

SPEAKER_01 47:52

People take this as rude, and I'm like, no, this is just unfiltered thought.

SPEAKER_00 47:56

Well, and I think it's also it comes from love, right? Like, I want the best for you, and I feel passionately about that. And this is one of the reasons why I love you and why I really think that Taylor and I are a great balance for each other because she brings that part out in conversation. I feel those things, but sometimes I have a hard time, like, although, you know, if you've been following the show for a little while, you know that Adrienne can get an soapbox and get fired up about shit if she really wants to. But I have to get there, right? And we say all of these things and we're sharing all of this with you because one, we want you to get as fucking mad at the system as we are, because that is the only way that things are gonna change, right? If you get fired up about it, we get fired up about it, and then we advocate for the change that we want to see, then change will actually happen. Personal excellence is your primary rebellion. Oh, I like that. It's true. So, like, this is the kind of platform where we have the opportunity to really be able to educate you in the ways that the system has fallen down and we all should have had in the beginning. And I remember when I first started my training, my husband came into my office because I was like, What? I'm like yelling at my computer, right? And he goes, Are you going to rage at that computer the entire time you're doing this? I was like, Yes, I fucking am. Because I am in my 30s. I was like early 30s at the time because I'm coming up on a decade doing this as a full-time gig. And I'm like, Yeah, I'm gonna yell at this the whole time because I should have been taught this from the beginning. Where was this information? I would have made different choices around my sexual partners, I would have made different choices around birth control options, I would have made different choices like how I worked, the way I moved through the world, it would have changed everything about how I lived as a woman.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

They didn't want you to change anything because if enough of us, and I think this includes men too, right? Like there are gaps in health for men disparities much bigger in women's health, but we're not here to compare. Okay, the penis has been gold for a long time, but it is changing. It is changing, but I don't want to see this swing so hard in the opposite direction. You know what I mean? Like, there is a benefit to having both of us here. We both have superpowers, and the goal is not to compete with each other and say, I can do it better. The goal is to be like, This is where my strengths are, this is where your strengths are. We can do great when we put them together. But the system benefits when women don't realize that they have opposite superpowers. It benefits more when women are like, this is so hard, and then they're burnt out and they're overwhelmed and they're disconnected and they don't use their voice and they're stripped of all of the things that it's really dehumanizing to see what has happened. No man anywhere would be like, Yeah, it's cool. You can like call the shots as to what I can do with my penis. This would have been over in like 2.5 seconds.

SPEAKER_00 50:49

Oh my gosh, there's a reason why women's bodies are the ones that they exercise birth control for. Come on now.

SPEAKER_01 50:55

I mean, it's just so I feel complete on this topic. I'm sure we could go for another two hours, but I'm gonna reel it in and save some fire for the next episode.

SPEAKER_00 51:04

Absolutely. So be an informed public. This is the moral of the story. Because when it is quoted to you that it has no risks, get curious. Because there very likely isn't anything done on a woman's body. So that in summation, learn about your body and be an informed public, and you will be able to make decisions that won't have the same kind of cascade of long-term effects that you probably are trying to bail out your boat from right now.

SPEAKER_01 51:34

Oh, and if you've spent years, because most women have spent years, cycling the same symptoms and circling the same resolutions. There is a place that exists where biology and psychology and energy and cosmology all intersect. It's called my office. Please pull up a chair. If you're sick of that shit, please come have a deep conversation with me. Seriously, because this is Adrian and I, we will figure out a way to work together in some way, shape, or form. Because if you put what she does with what I do together, you knowhouse. It's totally a powerhouse. But nonetheless, if you are sick of your own shit and looking through one lens, come on, sis, let me show you another way to look at this. Because there are multiple lenses, and I would be happy to switch out another five for you. So it's cool. It might be a little overwhelming at first. That's okay. You get through that, and then you go, nobody can ever take my power away from me ever again. Yep. The number of times where I'm like, I need to go to the doctor. No.

SPEAKER_00 52:42

I have that same experience on a regular basis. I love it when people are like, When was your last pap smear? I'm like, you don't want to know.

SPEAKER_01 52:50

It's gonna break your brain.

SPEAKER_00 52:52

Oh, I'm at the point where they're trying to push mammograms and colonoscopies on me. And I'm just like, ah, why would I want to spill like a celiac and need to run to the bathroom?

SPEAKER_01 53:04

Not only that, like again, let me just take the pap smears. The colonoscopies are a whole nother story. I've had one in my life, I had one when I was much younger. Like, we could talk about colonoscopies. I'm sure people would argue with me till they're blue in the face about how beneficial they are and how many lives they save, you know? And I'm like, how many times do we catch the body mid-process? You and I are full of cancer all day, every day. I don't know how else to put it, but the body is incredible and extremely capable of addressing that. It's called apoptosis. We even have a technical term. So the dogs are at the door. Let me finish the thought and then we'll go. She is my timer every week. You know, but when it comes to the pap smear, one, the Q-tip has carcinogenic material on it. No, thank you. And two, the cervix is all the way up there. Clearly, it doesn't want to be bothered. I don't need your visual of my cervix. Thanks. I can take out a mirror if I really want to. Like, I'm good. You know, and I think it's interesting to me that we're in a day and age of such increased disease, and people are like, oh, it's because we've got increased screening. And I'm like, listen to what you just said. Yeah, there are risks that come with that too. Yeah. So on that note, I'm done. Also, boxes have been put away. Like, save, share, subscribe, comment, please. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 54:21

We love hearing from you.

SPEAKER_01 54:22

Even if your name is Michael and you've got dickhead things to say.

SPEAKER_00 54:27

Bring it on.

SPEAKER_01 54:28

We're ready for it. People are like, don't play into that. No, you came to my page and you made rude comments. So we're just gonna. It's good. I need the psychologist from the other comment, too, apparently. Like, we're done. On that note, it was lovely chatting with you today. And until next time, guys, stay well.