There are two truths about pain. #1: your pain is real.  And #2: your pain is an interpretation that your brain makes about your situation and safety.  Hmm…

The International Association for the Study of Pain organization defines pain as: 

"An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage" 1. 

Acute Pain

To explain pain, here’s an example of how you can feel pain after an acute injury (when you first get injured): 

Let's say you're crossing a traffic-filled NYC street, cars waiting to jump ahead as soon as the light turns green, and suddenly you twist your ankle in the middle of crossing (thanks, potholes!).  Either you feel immediate pain, fall, and need assistance to continue the intersection, or you can miraculously run on the newly torn ankle to the safety of the sidewalk without feeling pain. 

How are these two entirely...

Constipation is more than the inability to have regular bowel movements.

Having abdominal bloating, passing hard stone-like stool, straining excessively, sensing that there’s more that can’t come out, and resorting to manual maneuvers for a bowel movement are symptoms of constipation.  

If you’re experiencing any of the above with 25% of your bowel moments, first visit to your GI or Functional Medicine doctor to rule out medical causes, and if all is good check out these tips to help reverse constipation. 

Help Your Gut Get Happy

Eat a variety of colors which include a balance of soluble and insoluble fibers.  

Soluble fibers dissolve in water, making a gel-like substance that protects the gastrointestinal tract, slows down digestion, and gives you that “full feeling”. Examples of soluble fibers include: oatmeal, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.

Insoluble fibers adds bulk to stool, and stimulates the digestive tract. Examples of...

Use PelvicSense, an online pelvic healing program!

If you experience chronic pelvic issues such as bladder pain, pudendal neuralgia, vulvodynia, constipation, or other pelvic floor dysfunction, the optimum steps to take are:

1. consult a doctor familiar with your symptoms
2. get medical tests to rule out underlying infection/inflammation
3. follow prescribed treatments
4. consult a pelvic PT

However, if you’ve done the above without much change, or unable to find a knowledgeable  practitioner, for long-lasting healing, there's usually one aspect of care that's been missing. 

What's this missing piece?

YOU - precisely your engagement in mind/body self-care.  What you do, say, and practice every day can significantly enhance or detract from your healing process.

Modern science is uncovering the mysteries of healing from chronic pain/distress. 

How can some women without underlying medical issues achieve optimum pelvic function and...

Exercises to Calm Frazzled Nerves & Lower Pelvic and Bladder Pain 

If you’re experiencing lower pelvic pain, bladder pain or pelvic floor dysfunction for more than 4 months, your nervous system may need some extra loving care.  

Once your doctors and their tests ruled out any active infection, pathological tissue causes, and perhaps you’re on medication that gives some help, but still feeling symptoms, your nervous system may be contributing to ongoing discomfort.  

Our autonomic nervous system helps us breathe, digest and eliminate without us ever having to think about it!  There are 2 parts to this system: the sympathetic - ”fight or flight” and the parasympathetic - ”rest and digest”.  To feel good and have optimum pelvic/bladder function, it’s best to have a harmonious balance between the two systems. 

If you experience regular emotional threats, high stress or anxiety, your sympathetic...