On Health for Women

Can you relate to this? Do you suddenly find yourself catastrophizing when you’re on the verge of something great happening for you? Do you get stopped in your tracks by a fear just when life feels good and happy? If you have "happiness anxiety," you know it’s a real thing and can be a serious impediment in your life, keeping you from taking chances on relationships, opportunities, growth – and even just freaking enjoying your life in a big way. I promise you, you’re not crazy, you’re not alone, and it’s something you can totally transform. How? Listen to this episode of Natural MD Radio and read the show notes at avivaromm.com/anxiety-anticipation/

Strident debates about vaccinations have erupted in the public sphere which aren't helpful to parents trying to interpret lots of conflicting information about vaccine safety. In this episode of Natural MD Radio I share both my own story as I weighed whether to vaccinate my own four children in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as my experience as a healthcare provider, first as a homebirth midwife and then as a medical doctor. I also share links where you can find information about catch-up schedules, and some guidance on what to do - and avoid - if you are now choosing to implement vaccinations for any reason, including being able to send your kids to school in the absence of vaccine exemptions.

If you’ve been given an HPV diagnosis or have been told that you have ‘precancerous’ cervical changes or cervical dysplasia, there’s a good chance you’re freaking out. It’s a scary thing to hear, and often, the information isn’t delivered with the whole picture: namely that most HPV infections clear up on their own and most pre-cancerous lesions resolve spontaneously, with very little risk that they will progress to cancer.While appropriate conventional follow-up testing and treatment are absolutely essential with HPV and all cervical changes, and are part of a safe, healthy integrative approach, I'd like to share what's known about the natural approaches that have been researched with some promising results that women might want to use, not as a substitute, but while waiting to do follow-up testing for mild to moderate cervical changes. To read a companion article to this episode, go to avivaromm.com/natural-approaches-hpv/

Most women don't think about their cervix until they have to get a Pap smear. As if the pelvic exam wasn’t stressful enough, getting the news that you had abnormal Pap or positive HPV results, especially when accompanied by words like “cervical dysplasia,” “biopsy,” or “pre-cancerous,” can spin you out with worry. I get it. We’re not given much intel on what all those test results and terms really mean. On top of it, HPV vaccine marketing has put the fear of cervical cancer out there in a big way - so hearing you have HPV can make you panic.In this episode I break it all down for you, explaining the most common abnormal results that show up on these tests, what they mean, and what next steps are recommended for you, at your specific age. Hopefully it will put these results into perspective, and help you breathe a little more easily.To read a companion article to this episode, go to avivaromm.com/abnormal-pap-positive-hpv/

The Pap test, HPV screening, pelvic exams. As if hopping onto an exam table butt-naked wasn’t stressful enough, knowing what to do about these tests can be super confusing. I’m going to break it all down so you know what to say yes to, when and why, and when to say, “Thank you, but no!” To read a companion article to this episode, go to avivaromm.com/pelvic-exams/

Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/natural-treatments-measles-symptoms/

Thousands of chemicals used in beauty products, a $70 billion a year industry, are governed by federal regulations that haven’t been updated in decades. The laws that govern the FDA's authority over the cosmetics industry are just two pages long and have not been updated since 1938, when they were first enacted. Such meager tools leave federal officials nearly powerless to regulate the makeup, lotions, toothpastes, deodorants and other elixirs that often are applied to the most intimate parts of the human body.Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/clean-beauty-matters/

If nobody ever told you what a healthy vagina is supposed to smell like, join the club. But knowing is incredibly important because what makes a vagina’s odor healthy – or not – has an impact on your overall health. Listen to this episode of Natural MD Radio to learn all about the deadly douche story that never should have happen, how to sort out healthy scents from problem-signaling odors, and what you can do to get your vaginal ecology in top form.Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/healthy-vagina-smell/

If you have decided it’s time to come off the pill, have no fear. Most women transition off it without much problem. You’re not doomed to a life of hormonal imbalances. With the targeted strategies I walk you through you can reset, your hormone balance so that you, too, have healthy, natural cycles.Join Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/post-pill-reset/

At a time when the pace of medical advances can be breathtaking, the rate of maternal death in the United States remains stubbornly high at 14 for every 100,000 live births. The United States is one of only two developed countries whose maternal death rate actually worsened between 1990 and 2015. Unfortunately, African American women have the highest infant mortality rate of any group in the U.S. Why aren't we saving black mothers? Well, it's a matter of poor obstetric practices in the U.S. combined with overt racism. Women are more likely to be dismissed for pain than men. Our pain is often treated as stress or anxiety -- and black women fare worst.Did you know that black mothers die at three to four times the rate of white mothers? And did you know that black mothers are an astonishingly 243% more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes? In a national study of five medical complications that are the common causes for maternal death and injury, African American women in the United States are two to three times more likely to die than a white woman with the same condition.Today I am thrilled to be joined by a woman that is a student in my course on herbal medicine for women. She is making inroads to changing the culture of birth in the US -- both one mother at a time and on a larger organizational level. Aza Nedhari is a certified professional midwife, family counselor pursuing a PhD in organizational leadership, and the founding executor of Mamatoto's Village, a perinatal support organization in Washington D.C. She has more than 15 years of experience in youth development, reproductive and sexual health, and program development and curriculum design.Fiercely dedicated to women, Aza is doing something I have never seen before and her model has a real opportunity to create global systemic change. In addition to helping pregnant women identify and work through any needs they may have, teaching women what the mother's role is as a co-creator in the birth process, and tailoring their perinatal program to the mothers' needs, Mamatoto's Village also offers massages for pregnant women, helps these women learn how to grocery shop healthily, and offers overnights and regular checkups for post-partum women."We walk that journey with her to have her be in a better place and position than when she walked through the door." - Aza NedhariJoin Dr. Aviva Romm as she dishes up a weekly dose of the whole truth on health and medicine. To learn more about this episode of Natural MD Radio go to avivaromm.com/saving-black-mothers/