Born Free Method: The Podcast

Jacqueline Wolf, PhD, is a history profess at Miami University. She has probably read more medical literature pertaining to the history and consequences of c-section in the United States. She is the author of an AMAZING book called "Cesarean Section: An American History of Risk, Technology, and Consequence". 30-40% of babies in the U.S. are born by c-section, and the rate doesn't seem to be in decline any time soon due to the universalization of continuous fetal heart monitoring. Litigation against doctors for things out their control in birth makes matters even worse. With the advent of FHR monitoring, we have seen an increase in c-section rate without any benefits to mom or baby. Womp. This episode is (insert fire emoji)!Made possible by:  Fit for Birth - 20% off pregnancy- and postpartum-specific exercise and nutrition coaching (or courses to become a better coach yourself!)FullWell Fertility - code BELOVED10 (best prenatals and men's virility vitamins on the market)BiOptimizers - 10% off Mag Breakthrough plus free gut health goodies![00:07:30] OBGYNs need to learn the history of c-section In some parts of U.S., >40% of babies are born by c-section OBGYNs are being de-skilled 70% of our training is in surgery C-sections are traumatizing[00:14:00] Gynecology deals with pathology; obstetrics dealing with surveillance of a natural, physiologic process Joke: how do you hide something from an OBGYN? (Punchline is too good to include in show notes…) C-section used to be rare because it was so dangerous WW2 brought blood banking and antibiotics Mortality and morbidity initially went up when birth moved to the hospital[00:30:30] The unforeseen downsides to high c-section rates (e.g. placenta accreta) A maternal death should be a worse case scenario Should there be firm indications for c-sections in the U.S.?[00:36:00] Up until 1940, most births took place at home 25% of births in the US are induced ContInuous fetal heart monitoring has been the greatest reason for high c-section Rates It was initially designed to be used for high risk birth but it has become universal “Physicians began dropping the knife with every drop in fetal heart rate “ Intermittent auscultation > continuous monitoring[00:59:00] Malpractice concerns  Skilled birthworkers generally need to do very little at a birth Midwives should be attending most uncomplicated  vaginal births My c-section rarely goes above 5%[01:16:00] Labor curves should be forgotten Preventing the First Cesarean Delivery, by Spong et alJacqueline's website (buy her books!)and her podcast Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comMusic by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

Angela Bryant has been through a lot…namely a divorce from an abusive relationship around the time of the birth of her son. In moving and changing jobs, she was forced to reconcile my two favorites questions: Who am I? And why am I here? Through this traumatic journey, Angela was reminded of her innate power. In this episode of The Holistic OBGYN, we talk birth stories, tapping into inner wisdom, trauma, and becoming the best version of yourself, flaws and all.[00:07:30] - Feel Free makes sex better Code BELOVED40 saves you 40% at BotanicTonics.com so you can try it for yourself[00:15:15] - Language matters in birthkeeping Broken spirits Relinquishing control Facing mortality in birth[00:28:30] - Relationships can be strengthened or broken through birth Nature rewards authenticity Raising a baby while leaving a marriage[00:40:45] - Motherhood conjures strength Feeling through meditation Self-doubt and loving your 5-year-old self[00:48:00] - Will it ever be enough for a woman to just embrace womanhood or motherhood? Societies fall when women are devalued Angela coaches type A women Angela dropped out of high school to start a business “Education is what’s left when you finish school” If you like being busy, then own it Honor your truth[01:00:00] - The stories we tell ourselves whether or not you think youre enough, you’re right This one time at burning man.. few people feel confortable admitting to others self-loveConnect with Angela: Instagram, WebsiteMy online store (discounts on many other products mentioned in my podcast)Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!BiOptimizers - Use code BELOVED10 at this unique Mag Breakthrough link to save 10% on one of the best sleep aids on the market (and get some freebies with your purchase!)Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

I consider Luke Storey the master of biohacking. When I visited him and his wife, Alyson Charles, of Episode #75 notoriety, in Austin a few months back, I got to experience what a home with the lowest possible EMF-influence felt like…and it was magic. Luke and I got to chatting on the podcast about EMF, geopathic stress, 5G, cell towers, blue light blocking and sleep, and everything else in which he has gone pro in biohacking. This guy is a legend...[00:10:00] - Luke is very likely the king of biohacking (at least when it comes to EMF)[00:17:30] - Where to begin? Turn off your wifi router at night[00:23:45] - Are you living near a large antennae or cell tower?[00:29:15] - Measurable versus immeasurable[00:37:30] - 5G versus 4G versus 3G and interference patterns[00:41:00] - Cymatics and “the field” in embryogenesis[00:47:15] - Many cities in Europe don’t permit wifi in day care centers (duh)[00:50:45] - Blocking blue light and sleep[00:56:00] - Luke’s quick  way to test for flickering bulbs + the downside of dimmer switches[01:03:00] - Luke’s writing a bookLinks from the show:Luke's online store is loaded with EMF-blocking technologiesLuke's podcast "The Lifestylist"Luke on InstagramGilded by Luke Storey (blue light blocking glasses)My online store (discounts on many other products mentioned in my podcast)Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!BiOptimizers - Use code BELOVED10 at this unique Mag Breakthrough link to save 10% on one of the best sleep aids on the market (and get some freebies with your purchase!)Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

I first took note of Nicole from her feature in the documentary "The Business of Birth Control". She is the author of the book "Fix Your Period", which now proudly sits on my shelf. Nicole is regularly harangued by OBGYNs on social media for spreading 'misinformation' about menstrual cycles, but Nicole's message is simple: bleeding induced by hormonal contraception is not the same as a bleed from your natural cycle. And she's right. Her work goes deep on how to remedy any issues that arise without the menstrual cycle, and she is an advocate and educator on fertility awareness methods. In short, Nicole is a gift to the women's health community.[00:09:00] - Nicole is regularly called out by OBGYNs for “misinforming” women that ovulatory bleeding is different from bleeding while on hormonal contraception (they're wrong; she's right...and that's not merely my opinion. It's basic physiology)[00:13:30] - Why is menstruation important?[00:20:45] - An overview of the menstrúal cycle (ovulation is the star of the cycle; not menstruation)[00:26:45] - What do estrogen and progesterone do in the body?[00:31:00] - Fixing your period (your “5th vital sign”) through lifestyle[00:37:30] - Fertility awareness methods[00:47:00] - What do different colors of menstrual blood mean?[00:54:00] - The adrenals and fertility[00:57:00] - Changes to cervical mucus[01:00:30] - Additional fertility considerations (preventing and achieving pregnancy)[01:03:45] - The man’s responsibility in preventing pregnancyLinks from the show:Nicole's website and InstagramBuy her book: Fix Your PeriodNicole's podcast, "Period Party"My online store (discounts on many other products mentioned in my podcast)Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:FullWell Fertility - Use code BELOVED10 for 10% off the best prenatal vitamin on the market (and check out their vitality and nerve support tonic!)Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!Immune Intel AHCC - Use code BELOVED10 to save 10% on the only functional food (in this case, the mycelia of shitake mushrooms) clinically demonstrated to optimize your immune system and clear persistent HPV! Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

In 2020, I left the hospital system. I spent 15 years training, sacrificing, and ultimately becoming disillusioned with "the system" to which I had so desperately yearned to be a part. On my last shift as an OBGYN, I was awakened in the middle of the night to perform a (truly needed) emergency c-section. The noise and inhumane nature of c-sections, including the lights, the chatter, and the dystopic nature of removing a baby from an incision in the abdomen was the final straw for me. I wrote this essay in one sitting as soon as I got out of the operating room. It's an homage to the process of becoming a doctor and not finding happiness or sanity within the medical industrial complex. In some ways, it's also a love letter to my fellow physicians and practitioners, as I hope it will give more OBGYNs permission to lean into the feelings that arise in a system that overmedicalizes death, overpathologizes birth, and underappreciates the sacred art of healing. My online store (discounts on many other products mentioned in my podcast)Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

Luke and Alyson are a rockstar duo. Luke knows just about everything there is to know about EMF and optimizing your home environment through EMF blocking and mitigation. Alyson is a shaman and author of the book ‘Animal Power’. In this episode, we go deep on romance, conscious conception, shamanism, and EMF mitigation! Luke and I have a separate interview coming out that goes even deeper into EMF, but this episode gives you a teaser! Alyson also does a live power animal reading, and my result was quite a surprise![00:08:00] - Alyson and Luke’s love story[00:18:45] - The stoic path and surrendering to love[00:24:30] - How and when did Alyson tune in to her shamanic powers?[00:33:30] - Reference through relationships[00:39:00] - Surrendering to the conception journey after 40[00:47:00] - What has been your hardest conversation through this conception journey?[00:53:15] - Birth control and sovereignty[00:59:00] - Copper IUDs and energetics[01:02:30] - Animal power[01:09:00] - Nathan’s live animal power readingLinks from the show:Alyson's podcast: Ceremony CircleAlyson's website (go buy her book, Animal Power, and its companion card deck)Luke's Lifestylist Podcast (he was gracious enough to have me as a guest!)Luke's EMF Masterclass (Save 10% with this link)Luke's blue-light blocking glasses: Gilded (Save 10% with code NATHAN10)My online store (discounts on many other products mentioned in my podcast)Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:FullWell Fertility - Use code BELOVED10 for 10% off the best prenatal vitamin on the market (and check out their vitality and nerve support tonic!)Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

Doctors losing their licenses. Friends divorcing friends. Whiffs of mass psychosis. And a betrayal of bioethics…What could we learn from the COVID moment? I couldn’t think of a better person to ask than my friend Charles Eisenstein. His newest book, The Coronation, is a collection of essays that he wrote during the last two years. And it’s a must have for anybody who wants to go deep…How do we find courage in these times? What would it look like if we listened more and spoke less? Have Charles and I been wrong about this all along? What might we learn from past witch hunts to guide the current one? How do we untangle our culture’s death phobia?[00:10:00] - Charles lost friends during COVID due to essays[00:15:45] - Pandemic or mass “hysteria"[00:20:15] - Conspiracies against “the weird kid in school” and the perversion of bioethics[00:26:00] - More doctors are doubtful about the COVID response  than meets the eye[00:33:00] - Taboos and evil spirits[00:37:00] - The best way not to be burned during a witch hunt is to accuse your neighbor of witchcraft[00:40:15] - Courage comes with stones; acquiescence with “safety”[00:45:00] - Charles’ essays have been prescient re: COVID[00:49:30] - What if the only way to save your life was for everyone on earth to isolate and no longer have contact with their loved ones?[00:57:00] - Maybe COVID was an opportunity to build something better?[01:03:45] - Direct experience and gaslighting[01:10:00] - The tentacles of death phobia[01:13:00] - Germ and terrain theories[01:20:00] - We always have the choice of sovereignty[01:35:00] - How can we engage in hard conversations instead of locking horns? “What is it like to be you?”Charles' books, including his most recent title "The Coronation: Essays From the COVID Moment"U.S. Public Health Agencies Aren't ‘Following the Science,’ Officials SayEpisode 72 of The Holistic OBGYN Podcast: "A Brief-ish History of Western Medicine, Witches, and Women Healers"My first interview with CharlesThe Psychology of Totalitarianism, by Mattias DesmetCharles' interview with C.J. HopkinsMan's Search for Meaning, by Viktor FranklFind me on Instagram and my website.Sponsored by:Fit for Birth (save 20%!)Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message:... Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

Ricki and Abby have been making great films, two of which have impacted my career in profound ways. The Business of Being Born was the first, and their latest film, The Business of Birth Control, was the second. The film provides a second look at hormonal contraception, which is being offered to women of all ages for every gynecologic issue under the sun, far beyond merely "avoiding pregnancy". The film also highlights the power of education and fertility awareness methods in empowering women (and men) to better understand their bodies as an alternative to synthetic endocrine disruptors, which have wide-ranging consequence in a woman's body...You're going to LOVE this interview![00:16:45] - Ricki and Abby found their way into women’s health unintentionally; these films are personal[00:21:45] - These films are not anti-feminist[00:30:00] - BigPharma prioritizes profit over people[00:35:00] - The good and the bad of planned parenthood[00:45:00] - Why should we be concerned about hormonal contraception?[00:52:00] - It’s not normal to be “stable” throughout the lunar cycles[00:59:00] - How can men show up for the conversation?[01:05:00] - To vasectomy or not?[01:15:00] - Fertility awareness methodsReferences from the show:Screen The Business of Birth Control (code BELOVED50 saves you 50% off the price!)The Business of Being Born (on Prime)Sweetening the Pill, by Holly Grigg-SpallVasalgelFind me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:FullWell Fertility - Use code BELOVED10 for 10% off the best prenatal vitamin on the market (and check out their vitality and nerve support tonic!)Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

If we aren’t willing to study and learn from history, we are bound to repeat it…As far back as human written history can reflect, women have been in the healing professions. When our cosmologies reflected the dignity of the feminine, women healers may have even ruled the space. When men began to understand their role in procreation, these cosmologies shifted to a patriarchal, masculine worldview, which is intact today.This shift is cosmologies and growing interest in power by the State, created an environment in which women were progressively devalued. And their magick was trasnsmutated culturally from a source of healing to a source of perceived threat to the Church, State, and the ruling white, upper classes. This solo cast takes you on a journey from Ancient Sumer to our modern industrial complex. Spoiler: things are not going well in our society. As women and healers are devalued, societies decline. This is not speculation; it’s written history.[00:07:00] - Early creation myths and ancient Sumer, Greece, and Rome[00:29:00] - Early Christianity and the Dark Ages[00:37:00] - Hildegard von Bingen[00:40:00] - The war against nature was a war against the feminine[00:47:00] - The Witch hunts[01:02:00] - 18th century and the Renaissance[01:15:15] - “Regular” doctors and the movement of healing to hospitals[01:19:15] - The Popular Health Movement[01:30:00] - Germ theory[01:35:00] - The birth of the nursing profession and the father of gynecology[02:02:00] - The AMA and the Flexner Report[02:13:00] - Current stats on US maternity care and practitionersReferences (just a sampling):Woman as Healer, by Jeanne AchterbergThe Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine, by Lindsey FitzharrisCesarean Section: An American History of Risk, Technology, and Consequence, by Jacqueline Wolf, PhDWitches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers, by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre Englishhttps://history-of-obgyn.com/uploads/3/5/4/8/35483599/1966-kobrin-american-midwife-controversy-rev-dec2015.pdfFind me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:FullWell Fertility - Use code BELOVED10 for 10% off the best prenatal vitamin on the market (and check out their vitality and nerve support tonic!)Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe

Jodi Pawluski, PhD, is a real scientist. Not "science" that can be subjected to belief systems or political propaganda but a real clinical researcher who focuses on the neuroscience of motherhood and parenthood. In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss everything from the neurochemistry of peripartum depression to the impacts of isolation on families and child development. She's a rockstar, and she's got 65 PubMed entries to prove it...[14:30] - Pyschotherapy versus pharmaceuticals for peripartum depression[23:45] - Modifiable risk factors and depressoin[24:45] - Mommy brain and memory in the perinatal period[34:30] - Societal pressures and perspectives on motherhood[41:45] - Does it take a village to raise a kid? To become a parent?[46:00] - Impacts of isolation (ie COVID) on child development and new parents[55:30] - Mental health support for pregnancy lossLinks from the show:Jodi's website, Twitter, and InstagramThe Neurobiology of Postpartum Anxiety and Depression, Pawluski et alSerotonin and motherhood: From molecules to mood, Pawluski et alLess can be more: Fine tuning the maternal brain, Pawluski et alMy online store (discounts on many products mentioned in the podcast)Find me on Instagram @nathanrileyobgyn and my practice at: www.BelovedHolistics.comSponsored by:FullWell Fertility - Use code BELOVED10 for 10% off the best prenatal vitamin on the market (and check out their vitality and nerve support tonic!)Fit for Birth - With this link, you'll save 20% on personal prenatal exercise coaching (for individuals) or courses to improve your coaching practice (for coaches)!Music by: Labrinth and Preservation Hall Jazz Band--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theholisticobgyn/message Get full access to Born Free Method: The Podcast at nathanrileyobgyn.substack.com/subscribe