The Science of Women’s Health: Ob/Gyn Reveals 10 Truths You Need to Know (YouTube Video Transcript)

(00:00:00) Your YouTube transcript will appear here (00:00:00) today you and I are busting medical (00:00:02) myths and misinformation what are we (00:00:05) getting wrong about our (00:00:08) vaginas that's a loaded question I wish (00:00:11) people would just like forget the word (00:00:12) Hyman it is probably the most (00:00:15) misunderstood body part so let's talk (00:00:18) about pubic care everybody wants to talk (00:00:19) about pubic it's so fascinating I saw (00:00:22) online that if I eat pineapple that my (00:00:25) vagina is going to smell better is that (00:00:27) true yeah no that that's a load of (00:00:29) garbage so it's a vagina not a pic Cola (00:00:31) like your vva shouldn't be smelling like (00:00:34) like a tropical fruit drink but I want (00:00:36) my husband Chris to go down and drink (00:00:38) the P (00:00:39) [Applause] (00:00:41) col hey it's Mel do you ever feel (00:00:43) completely overwhelmed by the (00:00:45) conflicting medical and health advice on (00:00:47) the internet well today you and I are (00:00:50) busting medical myths and misinformation (00:00:53) with a world renowned double board (00:00:55) certified medical doctor that's right (00:00:58) the amazing Dr Jen Gunter is in the (00:01:01) house and look if you're shy about these (00:01:03) kinds of TMI things don't you worry your (00:01:06) friend Mel is going to go ask the (00:01:08) embarrassing questions on both of our (00:01:10) behalves I will go first like should you (00:01:13) sleep in underwear at night is wearing a (00:01:15) thong bad for your vagina how do you (00:01:18) properly clean your lady Parts anyway (00:01:20) what are the shocking period symptoms (00:01:22) that nobody talks about don't lie to me (00:01:25) you've thought about these questions (00:01:27) before and I know you want the answers I (00:01:29) sure do and that's exactly where we're (00:01:31) going today on the Mel Robbins podcast (00:01:34) Dr Gunter thank you for jumping on a (00:01:36) plane and coming all the way to the (00:01:38) Boston for the Mel Robbins podcast we (00:01:40) are thrilled that you are here well (00:01:42) thank you so much for asking me and I'm (00:01:44) thrilled to be here so I'd like to start (00:01:46) by having you speak directly to the (00:01:49) person that is listening right now and (00:01:52) can you tell them what they may (00:01:55) experience in their life and with their (00:01:56) health if they listen to everything that (00:01:59) you're about to share and they take the (00:02:02) research back advice that you're about (00:02:03) to give them yeah so I would say that if (00:02:06) you take home one thing from what I'm (00:02:08) talking about today is that the (00:02:09) importance of facts of evidence-based (00:02:13) information because that will help you (00:02:15) advocate for yourself in the doctor's (00:02:16) office it'll help you figure out what (00:02:18) you're seeing online is truth or trash (00:02:21) and it'll help you feel less alone with (00:02:23) your own body if you actually know the (00:02:25) facts about it well one of the reasons (00:02:27) why I was so excited to talk to you Dr (00:02:28) Gunter is because you are the number one (00:02:32) OB gen that people turn to around the (00:02:36) world to debunk all the myths that are (00:02:38) out there about women's health and we (00:02:40) are going to get into every aspect of (00:02:42) women's health we're going to talk about (00:02:44) menstration and menopause and how to (00:02:46) take care of your body and before we do (00:02:49) though I just want to know how did you (00:02:52) get into being a ob Jin and why have you (00:02:58) become the doctor (00:03:00) of reason and the doctor of research (00:03:03) online well I I'm probably more (00:03:06) motivated by anger than than anything (00:03:09) else when I was in medical school I was (00:03:11) really bothered by the fact this was in (00:03:13) the you know mid1 1980s I was really (00:03:15) bothered by the fact that everybody who (00:03:18) was teaching me about the women's (00:03:20) women's bodies were men and they were (00:03:22) like all good men they weren't like (00:03:23) creepy me two men but still it was like (00:03:25) wait a minute like I thought this was (00:03:27) like the second wave of feminism and you (00:03:29) know you know I was reading my you know (00:03:31) my feminist literature and here I was (00:03:33) being taught about a woman's body by all (00:03:36) men and so that bothered me and I (00:03:37) thought well I'm going to go into OBGYN (00:03:40) so that was the motivation for that and (00:03:42) the myth busting also kind of came from (00:03:45) that I had a significant uh personal (00:03:48) health problem that you know resulted in (00:03:50) a lot of uh city of health issues for my (00:03:53) kids and I got sucked into a lot of (00:03:56) disinformation and found myself in that (00:03:59) weird spot between medicine and not (00:04:02) knowing and was trying to navigate it (00:04:04) and I thought you know if it's really (00:04:05) hard for me what is it like for other (00:04:07) people and I was always this you know (00:04:10) annoying person in Grand RS at the back (00:04:12) like correcting everybody and I thought (00:04:14) you know if it could affect me then how (00:04:16) does it affect everybody and so I just (00:04:18) decided that I was going to try to clean (00:04:20) up the medical internet and here I am (00:04:23) thank God why is real information about (00:04:28) women's health so hard to find you know (00:04:30) I think that we do a bad bad job about (00:04:32) teaching people about their bodies in (00:04:34) school so people start out without the (00:04:37) information they need they have limited (00:04:39) times with doctors they don't uh get (00:04:42) listened to many of the times some of it (00:04:44) because the doctors aren't trained (00:04:45) appropriately some because they have a (00:04:47) 12-minute visit and then disinformation (00:04:50) is sexy right it's a lot easier to tell (00:04:52) people that you can solve their problem (00:04:54) with some crazy restrictive diet or with (00:04:57) some supplement or something else as (00:04:58) opposed to talking about you know the (00:05:00) things that are much more complex and (00:05:02) harder to distill to sound bites so I (00:05:04) think it's this really sort of complex (00:05:06) array of things that is all together (00:05:09) affecting women so you do a ton of (00:05:12) debunking online what is the current (00:05:15) state of social media in terms of what (00:05:17) it's talking about and what Rises to the (00:05:20) top when it comes to women's health and (00:05:22) how is that making so many of us feel (00:05:26) like we're in the dark when it comes to (00:05:27) our bodies yeah I mean fear cells on (00:05:30) social media if fear sales in general (00:05:31) with the media but you see a clip and (00:05:33) someone's telling you if you don't take (00:05:35) this hormone this is going to happen if (00:05:37) you don't take this supplement this is (00:05:38) going to happen and you you watch it and (00:05:40) and this person may be their doctor or (00:05:42) researcher or or they seem like they (00:05:44) know what they're talking about and so (00:05:45) you become afraid and then you're much (00:05:47) more likely to watch that and then what (00:05:49) happens is the algorithm feeds you that (00:05:51) over and over and over again because the (00:05:53) algorithms are so smart I mean it's why (00:05:55) I get fed shark attack videos all the (00:05:57) time cuz like I'm scared of those so (00:05:58) once I see them I watch them to the end (00:06:00) so you know the algorithm is not your (00:06:02) friend when it comes to Women's Health (00:06:05) what is your approach to Alternative (00:06:08) Medicine well I believe women deserve (00:06:11) facts and evidence-based medicine and (00:06:13) alternative medicine is existing outside (00:06:15) of that universe and so I would say to (00:06:18) anybody who promotes that do not think (00:06:21) that women deserve science do not think (00:06:23) that women deserve studies do you not (00:06:25) think that they deserve the funding to (00:06:26) know what's actually happening to their (00:06:28) bodies so yeah think that if your (00:06:30) therapies are good you should prove it (00:06:32) we shouldn't be going based on what you (00:06:34) say we should be going on facts women (00:06:36) deserve facts it's true and I I feel so (00:06:40) bad for all the young girls that are out (00:06:44) there probably getting all their (00:06:45) information from influencers on social (00:06:47) media yeah I mean there's you know (00:06:49) there's good influencers and there's (00:06:51) ones that are not at all and you know (00:06:52) it's difficult to have a changing body (00:06:54) as it is whether you're going through (00:06:55) puberty whether you're going through you (00:06:57) know the menopause transition but then (00:06:59) if you don't have the facts to have that (00:07:01) Foundation it just makes it so much (00:07:03) harder and that's really why I do what I (00:07:05) do because I don't I don't want people (00:07:07) to be going like what the you know I (00:07:09) want them to to have have the (00:07:11) empowerment that comes with knowledge (00:07:13) well it makes a lot of sense because if (00:07:14) you also don't know and then you're (00:07:16) experiencing this on your own and then (00:07:18) you're too embarrassed to ask a question (00:07:21) even when you do see a doctor you're (00:07:23) going to just completely start going oh (00:07:25) there's something wrong with me oh like (00:07:26) my body is the the bad one or the one (00:07:28) that smells bad or I'm abely and you (00:07:31) might not even bring it up with your (00:07:32) doctor because you think it's normal for (00:07:35) you to be like that let's talk about (00:07:38) hair growth and taking care of your hair (00:07:42) that is growing around your I guess what (00:07:45) would I even say the V pu your pubic (00:07:47) hair thank you I'm trying to be fancy (00:07:49) here so let's talk about pubic hair (00:07:50) everybody wants to talk about pubic hair (00:07:52) it's so fascinating it's so I'll tell (00:07:54) you why as a 56y old woman I'm I'm going (00:07:57) to I'm going to share something that I (00:07:59) don't think I've shared publicly okay (00:08:01) when I got engaged uh at the age I guess (00:08:04) I must have been 26 27 I had this (00:08:06) bachelorette party and my friends bought (00:08:08) me this ridiculous thing to dress up in (00:08:11) that just was this weird kind of series (00:08:14) of ribbons that was tied together like a (00:08:16) teddy and when I stepped out everybody (00:08:20) was like because I didn't do anything (00:08:24) right to my pubic hair I mean this would (00:08:26) have been back in the early 90s like (00:08:28) trimming waxing Brazilian wa like this (00:08:31) was not a thing and so I had my first (00:08:36) ever pubic hair grooming at my (00:08:38) bachelorette party where my girlfriends (00:08:41) were literally trimming around this (00:08:43) thing that they had put me on and it was (00:08:45) the first time that i' had ever even (00:08:47) known that this was a thing right and so (00:08:49) when I look now fast forward and I'm 56 (00:08:52) and I look at how obsessed even (00:08:55) teenagers are yeah about their pubic (00:08:58) care first of all it's kind of sad and (00:09:00) secondly I just think that there's (00:09:02) probably a lot of misinformation about (00:09:04) what you should do down there what you (00:09:06) shouldn't do down there why to be (00:09:08) careful around it and so I'm just going (00:09:10) to turn the mic over to you yeah well (00:09:13) and it's not surprising that people have (00:09:15) those questions because I swear like (00:09:18) every second month every woman's (00:09:19) magazine talks about pupic care like (00:09:21) it's the most important thing in a (00:09:22) woman's life so yeah I mean we have (00:09:25) pubic care for a reason most likely it's (00:09:28) to protect the skin to help maintain the (00:09:31) pH help to trap moisture in you know so (00:09:34) you know it's probably less important (00:09:37) now as it was say 10,000 years ago when (00:09:39) we you know didn't have the kind of (00:09:41) coverings and you know ability to you (00:09:43) know uh protect ourselves from the (00:09:45) elements that that we have you know now (00:09:48) um and so you know it's it's a personal (00:09:50) choice like any hair removal and (00:09:54) obviously with Society it has sort of (00:09:56) waxed and waned pardon the pun (00:10:00) um with importance a lot of it I think (00:10:02) our our current sort of obsession with (00:10:05) it is is related to the fact that (00:10:07) showing pubic hair used to be a sign of (00:10:09) nudity that was the sign of public (00:10:11) nudity so when people started removing (00:10:14) more and more like in you know um clubs (00:10:17) and things like that they could start to (00:10:18) show more and more and more so that was (00:10:20) kind of part of the definition of public (00:10:22) nudity so I think it's got that sort of (00:10:24) titilation associated with it but you (00:10:26) know no one gets worked up if they see a (00:10:28) dude's pubes hanging out out from his (00:10:30) swimsuit right like that's okay it's (00:10:32) okay that it sort of melds into the hair (00:10:34) on his thigh no one's freaking out going (00:10:35) oh my God so you know I think it's just (00:10:38) a personal thing if if people do all (00:10:40) kinds of body modifications people (00:10:42) pierce their ears they pierce their nose (00:10:43) they get tattoos they you know they (00:10:45) remove pubic care some of these things (00:10:46) are more reversible than others and I (00:10:48) just think if if you like it that's fine (00:10:51) um just to keep in mind that if you (00:10:53) start developing irritation if you start (00:10:55) developing problems then that could be (00:10:58) part of it and sometimes we see issues (00:11:00) when people have been removing pubic ha (00:11:01) chronically their skin starts to get (00:11:03) drier if that doesn't bother you and (00:11:05) you're just like well I'm just going to (00:11:06) use a moisturizer that's okay you know (00:11:08) you're adults and you make a choice uh (00:11:10) but there really isn't a medical reason (00:11:12) that we would recommend it apart from (00:11:14) there is a condition called hydradenitis (00:11:16) septiva which is a chronic inflammatory (00:11:20) condition of a sweat glands on the vva (00:11:23) it also can affect um in your armpits (00:11:25) and other places you have these (00:11:26) specialized sweat glands and for people (00:11:28) with that condition removing pubic hair (00:11:30) with laser can sometimes be helpful but (00:11:32) people have to remember when you remove (00:11:34) pubic hair it's traumatizing to the skin (00:11:36) you know you're bring you're raking a (00:11:37) razor over the skin so that's causing (00:11:39) you know irritation or inflammation it (00:11:42) can introduce infection we see lots of (00:11:44) infections related to you know pubic (00:11:46) hair removal we see injuries and all (00:11:48) kinds of things so it's just something (00:11:50) you know it's people make choices all (00:11:52) the time is it normal to feel (00:11:55) embarrassed by the fact that you didn't (00:11:57) know any of this the reason why people (00:11:58) don't know is nobody talks about it so (00:12:01) if nobody explains to you the names of (00:12:04) your body parts when you're first using (00:12:06) them if nobody talks about it in school (00:12:09) if every message you've seen has been (00:12:12) damaging or you know that you're dirty (00:12:14) and disgusting you walk through all the (00:12:16) stores and you see all of that you watch (00:12:18) a movie and there's no foreplay and no (00:12:22) pubic hair and all so everything that (00:12:25) you've seen you see women's magazines (00:12:27) that tell you the most important things (00:12:28) is your pubic hair you know and you see (00:12:31) all this of course it would be normal to (00:12:34) say well how how did I not know this you (00:12:35) didn't know this because the system was (00:12:37) stacked against you because you know we (00:12:40) haven't even been able to say vagina in (00:12:42) print until when was it like maybe 15 (00:12:44) years ago 20 years ago I I might be (00:12:46) wrong and maybe this is one of these (00:12:47) truthy sounding things but I heard it (00:12:49) wasn't until The Vagina Monologues that (00:12:51) the New York Times could put vagina in (00:12:52) print so if saying the word vagina has (00:12:56) been basically forbidden in public until (00:12:58) what like 1990 is how could people know (00:13:03) so what are we getting wrong about our (00:13:07) vaginas that's a loaded question I would (00:13:10) say that there is a large industry out (00:13:14) there trying to make you think that your (00:13:15) vagina is a broken heap of you know (00:13:19) something that is the worst possible (00:13:21) thing you could imagine if you walk into (00:13:23) any grocery store drugstore you see (00:13:26) shelves and shelves and shelves of (00:13:27) products designed for the vagina and the (00:13:29) vault (00:13:30) and you know none of them are necessary (00:13:32) really except menstrual products but you (00:13:35) see all these things and of course even (00:13:37) if you don't have any symptoms at all (00:13:39) how could you not be affected by all of (00:13:41) that so I think the big thing that we're (00:13:42) getting wrong is that the vul and vagina (00:13:45) needs some kind of extra special care (00:13:48) they don't no they you know the vagina (00:13:50) is a self-cleaning oven takes care of (00:13:52) itself you don't need to do anything (00:13:53) there and the vulva is just skin you (00:13:55) know I mean people have been taking care (00:13:57) of their vulvas for tens of thousands of (00:13:58) years without you know special wipes and (00:14:00) washes and you know nobody died out (00:14:03) because of that so I think it's really (00:14:05) important for people to remember that (00:14:06) there's really nothing special that's (00:14:08) needed you know you can use a cleanser (00:14:10) down there if you want to on your vulva (00:14:12) on the outside where your clothes touch (00:14:13) the skin not inside um just like use a (00:14:15) cleanser Elsewhere on your body um and (00:14:18) you know that you're good to go so just (00:14:20) so I get the terminology right and I'm (00:14:22) embarrassed I'm about to clarify this as (00:14:25) a 56-year-old woman but I'm going to ask (00:14:27) anyway so the Volva is the stuff on the (00:14:30) outside it's like the curtains and the (00:14:32) vagina is the inside yeah so the (00:14:34) vagina's inside where you would reach (00:14:36) inside to pull a tampon that type of (00:14:38) thing the VV is where your clothes touch (00:14:40) the skin and the vestibule is where the (00:14:42) two meet okay wait so now you just added (00:14:44) a third thing so the vve is the outside (00:14:48) so as you're sitting here listening to (00:14:51) Dr Gunter if you're sitting it's what's (00:14:54) pressing against your pants or your (00:14:55) underwear if you're wearing exactly and (00:14:58) then when you open that up you call that (00:15:00) the vestib yeah so think about a doorway (00:15:02) right so if you're outside on the street (00:15:04) you're looking at the building face (00:15:05) that's the vulva if you step in the (00:15:07) doorway yes that is the vestibule and if (00:15:09) you open the door and go in that's the (00:15:11) vagina so does your Volva and vagina (00:15:15) have a pH sure everything your skin has (00:15:17) a pH so your skin has a pH your mouth (00:15:20) has a pH every part of your body has (00:15:21) that has water has a ph and so the (00:15:24) vagina has a pH that's between about 3.5 (00:15:26) and 4.5 it's a it's acidic and that (00:15:30) exists as part of controlling the (00:15:31) vaginal ecosystem that is what allows (00:15:34) the good bacteria to grow that stops the (00:15:36) bad bacteria from growing it it's what (00:15:38) keeps sort of the whole thing as it (00:15:40) needs to be the skin pH is a little bit (00:15:43) higher and so what you don't want to do (00:15:46) is introduce products into the vagina (00:15:48) even water because that can actually (00:15:50) damage that ecosystem and that actually (00:15:53) can cause the pH to rise so an elevated (00:15:56) pH in the vagina is a sign that there's (00:15:58) something wrong it's not a cause it's (00:16:01) the result and so the you can't change (00:16:04) it with a with any kind of product it's (00:16:06) an inside job so is there a pill or a (00:16:09) supplement or some sort of product that (00:16:12) we need in order to clean or balance the (00:16:16) pH of our Lady Parts no so the whole (00:16:18) balancing a pH is this big myth anyone (00:16:21) who tells you that you can balance the (00:16:23) pH of your vver vagina has outed (00:16:25) themselves as being a an idiot on the (00:16:28) subject so you can't do that there's no (00:16:30) product that can do that and I always (00:16:32) tell people you should be blocking (00:16:33) people online if they're talking about (00:16:35) that so how do you know if your pH is (00:16:37) off well if you don't have any symptoms (00:16:39) you don't need to worry about it and (00:16:40) what symptoms would I be looking for so (00:16:42) if you have um a discharge that's (00:16:45) different for you if it's yellow or (00:16:47) green or has a smell or it's got blood (00:16:50) in it um if you have itching either (00:16:52) inside or on the outside you should see (00:16:54) your doctor we check your pH of the (00:16:56) vagina to help us make a diagnosis of (00:16:58) some conditions but an elevated pH in (00:17:01) itself is not necessarily um a sign for (00:17:05) that that anything needs to be done (00:17:06) medically also in menopause the pH of (00:17:09) the vagina Rises if you're not using (00:17:11) estrogen you said that the vagina is a (00:17:13) self-cleaning oven what does that mean (00:17:15) well that you don't need to do anything (00:17:17) to it when you think about a (00:17:18) self-cleaning oven if you took any (00:17:19) abrasive cleaners to it you would damage (00:17:21) the inside of it right and so it's that (00:17:23) that's kind of that was that's what that (00:17:25) analogy is all about so you don't need (00:17:26) to add anything to it because you're (00:17:27) just going to you're going to damage it (00:17:29) got it well now I'm thinking about my (00:17:31) oven because I always spray something in (00:17:33) there before I you know turn the dial so (00:17:36) I'm both being marketed to incorrectly (00:17:38) for my oven and I'm being marketed (00:17:41) incorrectly for my vagina well I just (00:17:43) want to say I am certainly not an expert (00:17:45) in oven technology and I get around oven (00:17:47) cleaning by just not doing (00:17:49) it so I saw online that if I eat (00:17:53) pineapple that my vagina is going to (00:17:56) smell better is that true yeah no that (00:17:58) that's a load of garbage so and I think (00:18:00) it's really important for people to know (00:18:01) that anytime they hear someone saying (00:18:03) that the underlying message is they want (00:18:06) you to believe that your vagina stinks (00:18:07) it's this all based in this idea that (00:18:10) they want you to think that there's (00:18:11) something wrong or bad or dirty with (00:18:12) your body to sell a product or sell a (00:18:14) diet or to just get attention and clicks (00:18:17) right so you can't change the odor of (00:18:20) your vagina with any kind of food what (00:18:22) if you don't like the odor well if you (00:18:25) think that there's something different (00:18:26) medically different you should go in and (00:18:27) get evaluated and get tested Ed to make (00:18:29) sure that what's going on is not a (00:18:32) medical condition and if there isn't a (00:18:34) medical condition then I think it's (00:18:36) important to talk with your medical (00:18:37) provider what's bothering you but many (00:18:39) many people are really affected by that (00:18:42) disinformation I spoke about earlier (00:18:44) about all the shelves and shelves of (00:18:47) products that they've been subjected to (00:18:49) they've often had awful things said to (00:18:51) them by men about how their body smell I (00:18:54) spent a lot of time undoing harmful (00:18:57) words from Men you know I'm sitting here (00:19:00) reflecting on what you were saying about (00:19:03) the way that there's been so much (00:19:06) misinformation and I've always been (00:19:08) completely paranoid about smell and I (00:19:12) can think all the way back to college (00:19:14) and hearing a male friend talking about (00:19:18) somebody he had hooked up with and that (00:19:21) she smelled bad and I for the first time (00:19:24) I think it was the first time I ever (00:19:25) thought to myself wait a minute you like (00:19:30) do does everybody talk about this like (00:19:32) do we smell bad and it it has been (00:19:34) something that stuck in my mind and has (00:19:36) made me absolutely paranoid so do not (00:19:39) worry about it unless there is something (00:19:41) that makes you worried and then go talk (00:19:43) to a doctor yeah so your experience is (00:19:46) really common I would say that I have (00:19:48) this conversation once a week in the (00:19:50) office I'm I'm not kidding once a week (00:19:52) I'm undoing damage created by careless (00:19:56) awful commentary from Men (00:19:59) and often this is commentary that comes (00:20:01) in the bedroom imagine you're you're (00:20:03) supposed to be with somebody who loves (00:20:04) you and they tell you that you stink (00:20:06) like what kind of person does that so (00:20:09) yeah there's this whole industry this (00:20:12) industry of feminine freshness if you (00:20:14) look at even today the marketing they (00:20:17) tell you if you can invest in feminine (00:20:19) freshness you'll have more confidence (00:20:21) you'll have more confidence uncrossing (00:20:22) your legs I've seen that in an (00:20:24) advertisement you know this is all built (00:20:28) to sell product and I would say that the (00:20:31) least educated person about a normal (00:20:34) vulin vagina is a man well they don't (00:20:37) have one so you know it helps to (00:20:40) actually understand the the uh the the (00:20:43) equipment that you're trying to fix you (00:20:46) mentioned that you can clean the outside (00:20:49) but you don't want to put anything on (00:20:51) the inside so is there a particular type (00:20:53) of product or product to avoid when (00:20:56) you're thinking about cleaning your body (00:20:58) and your Volva and the vestibule yeah so (00:21:00) generally I tell people to avoid (00:21:02) everything associated with the feminine (00:21:03) hygiene industry if the wash is (00:21:05) specifically for the vulva it's just o (00:21:08) it's just part of the pink tax that's (00:21:09) the best thing about it is you're paying (00:21:11) more but studies tell us actually that (00:21:13) using these feminine hygiene products (00:21:15) are associated with a higher risk of (00:21:17) infections and other problems so you you (00:21:19) don't want to use those and they often (00:21:21) have fragrance and there's also the (00:21:23) destructive messaging like it's a vagina (00:21:25) not a pinic cola like your vulva (00:21:26) shouldn't be smelling like like a (00:21:28) tropical fruit drink right it should (00:21:30) smell like a body part so there's all (00:21:32) that destructive messaging so so what (00:21:35) happens is you know you can get a (00:21:36) buildup of sebum on your skin just like (00:21:38) you can anywhere else and uh and some (00:21:41) people want to wash that off and so a (00:21:43) cleanser just a cleanser like you would (00:21:44) use for your face a gentle facial (00:21:46) cleanser you know I use either a cavey (00:21:49) product or us sarin just whatever is you (00:21:51) know on the market but you want to be a (00:21:53) cleanser not a soap because soap raises (00:21:55) the pH of the skin and soap is drying so (00:21:57) a cleanser is the best thing but it (00:21:59) doesn't have to be a special vulva (00:22:01) cleanser a gentle cleanser that you use (00:22:02) for your face is just fine unscented you (00:22:04) know I I had to laugh at the P colada (00:22:07) thing because I literally was sitting (00:22:08) here thinking but I want my husband (00:22:10) Chris to go down and drink the P colada (00:22:13) you know what I mean so I'm so I am (00:22:15) literally subject to the marketing yeah (00:22:17) but you know what he should think that (00:22:19) that your normal body is like that it's (00:22:23) exciting it's you know that that you (00:22:25) don't need sort of this artificial smell (00:22:29) to make you enticing you know that's all (00:22:32) marketing I had never thought about it (00:22:35) that way now let's talk about discharge (00:22:37) is discharge normal yeah it's normal to (00:22:39) have up to 3 to four milliliters of (00:22:41) discharge a day and so your vagina is (00:22:44) constantly shedding cells uh that's part (00:22:46) of the way it protects itself there's (00:22:48) mucus coming out and the cells actually (00:22:51) bad bacteria attach to the cells and (00:22:53) it's kind of like a way to flush things (00:22:54) out so it's a constantly sort of (00:22:56) cleaning process if you will I mean (00:22:58) cleaning is not the exact right term but (00:23:01) it's an analogy so go with it um and so (00:23:04) yeah so the discharge is just part of (00:23:06) the normal healthy you know ecosystem (00:23:08) just like you have saliva that's part of (00:23:09) your normal healthy ecosystem in your (00:23:12) mouth everything's lubricated so it (00:23:13) doesn't feel dry stuck together and yeah (00:23:16) so you'll have up to 3 to four (00:23:17) milliliters of discharge which is pretty (00:23:19) significant and I actually had a viral (00:23:20) moment on Tik Tok where I showed people (00:23:23) what normal discharge look like on my (00:23:25) underwear and people freaked out cuz (00:23:27) they hadn't seen that you know we use (00:23:29) all these euphemisms to talk about (00:23:30) discharge and I'm like look this is (00:23:32) normal it's a normal amount of discharge (00:23:34) and you know get over it so is it like a (00:23:37) blowing your nose in a Kleenex sort of (00:23:39) situation well it can vary some people (00:23:40) can have very little they might have (00:23:42) almost nothing and some people can have (00:23:43) a healthy stripe on their underwear and (00:23:46) anything in between and that's okay I (00:23:49) have never heard anybody explain (00:23:52) discharge and connect it to saliva but (00:23:54) when you talk about it in that (00:23:57) context it makes perfect sense (00:23:59) and again 56 years old anytime I see (00:24:03) discharge I'm like something's wrong (00:24:05) with me that is bad I don't want that in (00:24:07) my underwear what is you said 3 to four (00:24:10) milliliters like how much is that like (00:24:12) how much is too much well um you know (00:24:15) everybody's different and obviously when (00:24:17) we talk about the that volume you know (00:24:19) we're talking about within sort of two (00:24:21) standard deviations so you know if (00:24:23) you're soaking a mini Pad you should (00:24:25) probably go in and get that checked out (00:24:26) that would be at the upper limit of (00:24:27) normal but many many times I have women (00:24:30) come into the office and they think that (00:24:31) their discharge is abnormally heavy and (00:24:33) they show me and I'm like no that's (00:24:35) that's (00:24:36) normal wow and also when you ovulate too (00:24:39) you'll get this really heavy thick mucus (00:24:41) that's um you know that can even be (00:24:43) dripping out of your vagina into the (00:24:45) toilet what should you look for in terms (00:24:48) of okay I want to go see my doctor when (00:24:50) it comes to discharge because I having (00:24:52) two daughters this is one of those (00:24:54) things that I hear them kind of (00:24:56) complaining about or like if they ever (00:24:58) complain about anything bodywise it's (00:25:00) like is this normal is discharge normal (00:25:02) and so other than it seems like too much (00:25:05) is there a color is there a smell like (00:25:07) what should you look for yeah so (00:25:09) discharge a white to clear discharge is (00:25:12) normal even a little bit of cream uh if (00:25:14) you have discharge that is dark yellow (00:25:17) if you have discharge that's green if (00:25:18) you have discharge that's got blood in (00:25:19) it those are all reasons to see a (00:25:21) healthcare provider if there is an odor (00:25:23) associated with it if you have an itch (00:25:26) if you feel irritation if you have pain (00:25:27) with sex those would all be reasons to (00:25:29) see a healthcare provider and also if (00:25:32) you think you could have been exposed to (00:25:33) a sexually transmitted infection there (00:25:36) must be so many myths and misinformation (00:25:39) when it comes to the female (00:25:41) orgasm so Dr Gund where do you want to (00:25:45) start yeah um so I would say one of the (00:25:47) biggest myths is that um you know a (00:25:50) penis is a reliable way to achieve (00:25:52) orgasm and I would say it's probably the (00:25:54) least reliable way so many many women (00:25:56) are made to feel that if they don't have (00:25:59) an orgasm with penile penetration that (00:26:00) there's something wrong with them and (00:26:02) that's actually normal lots of people (00:26:03) don't you know there's nothing wrong (00:26:05) with you if penis and vagina sex isn't (00:26:07) what gives you an orgasm this idea that (00:26:10) both people should orgasm at the same (00:26:12) time is also you know that's Hollywood (00:26:14) you know which has invests what like (00:26:16) zero seconds in foreplay right so you (00:26:19) know the idea that you need some people (00:26:21) need a lot of foreplay some people want (00:26:22) a lot of foreplay right so the idea that (00:26:25) that you should just orgasm like that (00:26:27) also that's a Hollywood myth um and the (00:26:30) idea that orgasm is needed for pleasure (00:26:32) right so pleasure desire all of these (00:26:36) things are important in the sexual (00:26:37) experience and so if somebody feels very (00:26:40) satisfied with their sexual encounter (00:26:42) and they haven't had an orgasm that's (00:26:44) also okay we shouldn't be making you (00:26:47) know or sex necessarily goal oriented (00:26:50) obviously if that's what you like that's (00:26:52) different but it's important for us to (00:26:54) understand there's a big wide range of (00:26:56) what people like I think that's really (00:26:57) important because I would imagine if (00:27:00) you're having trouble having an org (00:27:02) orgasm with penetration or if it's (00:27:05) taking you longer than you think it (00:27:06) should and you start to develop a story (00:27:09) in your head that there's something (00:27:10) wrong with you or that this is very hard (00:27:12) for you to do I would imagine that all (00:27:15) of that stress and the story you're (00:27:17) telling yourself also interferes with (00:27:20) your ability to have an orgasm (00:27:22) absolutely things that take you out of (00:27:23) the moment right so you know mindfulness (00:27:26) plays a big part in a good sexual (00:27:28) experience and things that are taking (00:27:29) you out of that you know just like is (00:27:31) there a pilot or a laundry you know (00:27:33) different things can take you out of (00:27:34) that moment right uh so yeah I think (00:27:37) it's just really important for people to (00:27:39) understand that you know it's a pleasure (00:27:41) is generally the goal again people have (00:27:43) different desires different things that (00:27:46) they want to get out of sex and so it's (00:27:47) important to think about that whole (00:27:49) range of experience but in general I (00:27:51) would say the the biggest myth that I (00:27:53) undo is this idea that you know the (00:27:55) penis is the bringer of the orgasm I (00:27:57) mean obvious see there's lots of people (00:28:00) who you know you know lots of women (00:28:01) having sex with women who have a (00:28:03) fantastic amazing sex there's people who (00:28:05) have fantastic amazing orgasms with (00:28:07) vibrators like you know that get over (00:28:10) the penis I mean it's you know it's (00:28:11) great but it doesn't it's not the be all (00:28:13) in the end all um if somebody's (00:28:16) listening and they do have trouble (00:28:18) having an orgasm do you have particular (00:28:20) advice or recommendations that you would (00:28:23) give to somebody well there's a couple (00:28:25) of good books that I would recommend um (00:28:28) come as you are I think it's a really (00:28:29) great book um by Emily nagowski and um (00:28:33) better sex through mindfulness by Dr (00:28:35) Lori BR so those are those are a couple (00:28:37) of good books that I recommend um you (00:28:39) know a sex therapist can be helpful just (00:28:41) learning the mechanics understanding (00:28:43) things uh and you know an exploration (00:28:46) you know getting a vibrator you know (00:28:48) trying different things seeing what (00:28:50) Pleasures you know you know really sort (00:28:51) of um you know thinking about all the (00:28:54) different tools that might be available (00:28:55) to you so if you're having sex and it's (00:28:59) pleasurable but it's painful what do we (00:29:01) need to know yeah so I would like people (00:29:04) to know that pain with sex isn't a (00:29:06) normal experience and if you have pain (00:29:08) with sex your healthcare provider should (00:29:10) be helping you out too often I see (00:29:12) people who just said well I told my (00:29:14) doctor he said that was normal and it's (00:29:15) it's not normal so pain with sex is a (00:29:18) medical condition and it can be caused (00:29:21) by many different things so a yeast (00:29:22) infection can cause pain with sex for (00:29:24) example uh the changes with uh with (00:29:28) menopause can cause pain with sex people (00:29:30) can develop tight muscles around their (00:29:32) vagina condition called vaginismus which (00:29:34) can cause pain with sex people can have (00:29:37) um a nerve pain condition they had can (00:29:39) have skin conditions that can cause pain (00:29:41) with sex there's many many different (00:29:43) things that can cause it endometriosis (00:29:44) can cause scarring at the back of the (00:29:46) vagina and that can cause pain with sex (00:29:48) there's a condition called a painful (00:29:49) bladder syndrome so you think about all (00:29:51) the different structures that are around (00:29:52) there so many many different things can (00:29:54) cause pain with sex so it's important to (00:29:56) get an evaluation and get a d diagnosis (00:29:59) so then you can hopefully get the right (00:30:00) treatment Dr Gunter do all vaginas self- (00:30:04) lubricate so everybody makes vaginal (00:30:07) discharge but there's going to be a (00:30:08) spectrum and with sexual activity (00:30:11) there's also going to be a spectrum (00:30:12) about how much um lubrication is made in (00:30:15) response to it and there could be a (00:30:17) whole different reason for that you know (00:30:18) stress could play a role your physical (00:30:20) health you know the amount of foreplay (00:30:22) you've had how you're feeling at the (00:30:24) moment and so if you need Lube great you (00:30:27) need lube and if you don't need Lube (00:30:28) great you don't need Lube if you just (00:30:30) like Lube because you like it great you (00:30:32) like Lube you know why not try different (00:30:34) things I take it we should be avoiding (00:30:36) the lube that smells like a p colada (00:30:38) well I would just be tell people to be (00:30:41) mindful that there are lubricants that (00:30:43) can be irritating and um they're (00:30:45) lubricants that have what's called a (00:30:47) high osmolality and those can actually (00:30:49) cause damage to the vaginal mucosa they (00:30:51) can be irritating over time they can (00:30:53) even cause some changes that might make (00:30:55) it easier for you to contract HIV if (00:30:58) you're exposed um so to just be mindful (00:31:01) about like the warning the the warming (00:31:03) ones the things like that you know so (00:31:06) you know that there's um there is there (00:31:09) is certainly potential for irritation (00:31:10) with some of them and uh you know some (00:31:13) of them I think have Menthol in which (00:31:14) can also be you know that provides that (00:31:16) warming or cooling sensation that could (00:31:18) be very irritating to the tissues so you (00:31:20) know as a gynecologist I always (00:31:22) recommend people you know if they're (00:31:24) having any kind of issues a silicone (00:31:25) based lube tends to be really very well (00:31:27) tolerated but there's lots of good (00:31:29) water-based lubs there's you know you (00:31:30) can use oil so there's lots of different (00:31:32) options available and obviously if you (00:31:34) use something and it irritates you you (00:31:36) know don't use it again um that was a (00:31:38) big word the osma osmolality yeah how (00:31:41) would I even know if it has osmolal I (00:31:44) can't even say it yeah well you would (00:31:46) have a copy of the vagina Bible you or (00:31:49) you would go to my blog the agenda and (00:31:50) you'd be able to look up some of that (00:31:52) stuff so osmolality is basically the (00:31:54) concentration of of you know the (00:31:56) molecules in water and when you have a a (00:32:00) substance that has a high osmolality (00:32:02) it's going to pull water away so you (00:32:04) know we know the osmolality of the (00:32:06) vagina you know is around like 180 200 (00:32:09) and so if you have something that's much (00:32:10) higher than that it actually again this (00:32:13) a bit of analogy but can dry out the (00:32:14) vagina it can pull water out and that (00:32:16) can actually cause some damage to the (00:32:17) cells and we see some of these products (00:32:20) have you know very very high (00:32:22) osmolalities especially the things like (00:32:24) you know the warming or the cooling or (00:32:26) other types of things so um what are (00:32:28) like nose so as a gynecologist what are (00:32:31) if I'm looking at a Lube what do I want (00:32:33) to get like what's your favorite Lube (00:32:35) well you know so obviously as a (00:32:36) gynecologist we're going to give the (00:32:38) more you know sort of uh sort (00:32:41) of General answer because there's you (00:32:44) know different situations but I would (00:32:45) say in general the least irritating Lube (00:32:48) is a silicone based lubricant but not (00:32:49) everybody likes the way that feels so (00:32:51) each Lube has a different like slip or (00:32:53) feel to it so there's water-based and (00:32:55) you know there's oilbased lubricants and (00:32:57) obviously you can't use oil based if (00:32:59) you're using a latex condom because it (00:33:00) can weaken that wait okay I didn't know (00:33:02) any of this so hold on a second so so (00:33:05) oilbased so does that mean like coconut (00:33:08) oil olive oil like what kind of oil do (00:33:10) you recommend so some people use oils (00:33:12) but they also are commercial oilbased (00:33:14) lubricants as well so anything that's (00:33:16) oilbased or an oil can weaken latex so (00:33:19) you can't use that but you can use (00:33:20) water-based and silicone based (00:33:22) lubricants with latex condoms so Dr (00:33:24) Gunter what is the Heyman does it break (00:33:28) when you have sex like what what is this (00:33:29) thing I I wish people would just like (00:33:32) forget it forget the word Heyman that (00:33:34) just just erase it from the collective (00:33:37) knowledge because it's it is probably (00:33:39) the most (00:33:40) misunderstood body part you know when (00:33:43) we're infants we have a pretty large (00:33:46) high and it's a sort of a big what we (00:33:48) call sort of um mucosa this big membrane (00:33:51) that covers a large part of the vagina (00:33:53) and if you think about uh when you're an (00:33:56) infant you know you're leaking stool and (00:33:57) you're Le urine and it would kind of (00:33:59) make sense that you might have a bit of (00:34:00) a barrier there but then as you grow um (00:34:04) the highman sort of basically becomes a (00:34:07) nothing Burger you know and when you get (00:34:09) exposed to estrogen when you start to go (00:34:11) through you know puberty it just becomes (00:34:14) like the vagina and you know some people (00:34:17) a very very very small percentage might (00:34:20) have a little bit of tightness left in (00:34:22) that Heyman when they're older that (00:34:24) would be the minority that would be like (00:34:27) you know I I run a specialty clinic (00:34:29) where I see people have pain with sex (00:34:30) and I might see that like once every two (00:34:32) years so so again that shouldn't be (00:34:33) something like in somebody's common (00:34:35) Collective it's you know I tell people (00:34:37) think about the Heyman like baby teeth (00:34:39) it's something you had at one point in (00:34:40) time it served some kind of purpose and (00:34:43) now it's not an issue so the Hyman (00:34:45) doesn't break with sex there's no like (00:34:47) Cherry to pop it's not a freshness seal (00:34:50) it's you know most people don't have any (00:34:52) bleeding the first time they have sex (00:34:54) right so this is this whole myth that (00:34:55) has sort of been you know created by I (00:34:58) would say the Virgin industrial complex (00:35:00) this like you know virginity is a social (00:35:03) construct it's nothing physical you (00:35:05) can't tell there's actually been studies (00:35:07) we can't tell looking at somebody (00:35:08) whether they're sexually active or not (00:35:10) we can't tell you know based on physical (00:35:13) exams really yeah I didn't know that (00:35:16) yeah so it's this whole awful industry (00:35:18) and there's these awful doctors offering (00:35:20) to rebuild a which isn't even a thing (00:35:22) like it's just it's so awful and it's so (00:35:25) predatory and it's all made to make (00:35:28) women feel as if they're damaged or (00:35:30) spoiled right which is how different is (00:35:32) that than making women feel that they (00:35:34) stink everything is about making women (00:35:36) feel smaller and damaged and whenever (00:35:40) you hear any message you always want to (00:35:42) want to think okay is that making if I (00:35:45) keep that thought along the rest to the (00:35:48) conclusion does that make me less of a (00:35:50) person and if it is then that thought is (00:35:52) wrong right it's so true I'd never (00:35:55) really thought about the enormity of the (00:35:59) messaging like I don't ever hear women (00:36:02) or men standing around talking about how (00:36:04) somebody's ball sack S stinks or that (00:36:07) you know once a guy loses his virginity (00:36:10) that something happens to his penis (00:36:12) right or the more erections the guy has (00:36:14) the more you know rubbery and flaccid as (00:36:16) penis might get right that's another big (00:36:18) myth right the more you have sex like (00:36:19) your vagina's going to get stretched out (00:36:21) I'm like have you even ever like seen a (00:36:23) woman like what is wrong with you does (00:36:25) your mouth get stretched out from eating (00:36:27) like what is wrong with you as a person (00:36:30) to say that well I'm sitting here (00:36:31) laughing cuz I'm like it doesn't like (00:36:34) I've bought into all of these myths (00:36:38) right I mean but if if those things got (00:36:40) stretched out then what would happen (00:36:41) when you had a big bowel (00:36:42) movement like like seriously your body (00:36:45) is designed your muscles everything's (00:36:46) designed to stretch and come back and it (00:36:49) has elasticity and this idea that the (00:36:52) only body part that gets worn out or (00:36:54) overstretched is the vagina is this big (00:36:56) patriarchal awful myth that's so true (00:37:00) yeah I mean cuz it bounces back after (00:37:02) you have a kid you know again if we (00:37:05) worried about things getting stretched (00:37:07) then how how does that work with an (00:37:09) erection right like think about how the (00:37:11) the skin is stretched and then it goes (00:37:12) flaccid well my gosh if you have four or (00:37:14) five of those your penis is going to be (00:37:18) ruined (00:37:20) unbelievable you're the best oh my God I (00:37:23) wish I knew you when I was like in my (00:37:25) teens i' I've spent decades (00:37:28) living as if these myths were true well (00:37:31) you know I think if I ever write an (00:37:32) autobiography it's going to be titled (00:37:34) wait a minute that's a great great title (00:37:37) for you um so wait a minute do you need (00:37:40) to wear underwear no I mean you can you (00:37:44) don't have to if you like to that's (00:37:46) great you know I'm a practical person I (00:37:48) don't like to get discharge on my pants (00:37:51) cuz you know some of them are dry clean (00:37:52) only I don't have to wash them more (00:37:54) often but you know what it's each to (00:37:56) their own it's totally fine it's not (00:37:58) serving any any specific Health purpose (00:38:00) again you know people managed without (00:38:02) you know underwear for for Millennia um (00:38:07) right so yeah if if you want to wear it (00:38:09) great if you don't want to don't um you (00:38:11) know it's all good now I remember (00:38:13) growing up my mom always used to say you (00:38:16) got to sleep without underwear on (00:38:18) because you got to let it all air out (00:38:19) and that seemed to make sense to me but (00:38:22) now I'm sitting here going wait a minute (00:38:25) does your vagina need to breathe at (00:38:27) night now you're vagina doesn't have (00:38:28) lungs so (00:38:30) no God no I mean it's a you know no you (00:38:33) don't need to air it out um you know you (00:38:37) know the the one minor exception might (00:38:39) be of you're you know wearing latex (00:38:43) against your skin all day something that (00:38:46) that traps moisture and causes rubbing (00:38:48) and irritation um you know so in the (00:38:51) same way you know if you think about a a (00:38:53) baby in a diaper right that it's so (00:38:56) occlusive because it's meant to stop any (00:38:59) urine from getting out right so the idea (00:39:01) that if you've had something occlusive (00:39:03) on your skin for long periods of time (00:39:05) yes it is good to give your skin a break (00:39:07) from occlusion but that's not what (00:39:09) underwear is I'm always like when people (00:39:11) say that have they seen underwear you (00:39:13) know like what underwear is like that (00:39:15) you know well what about shapewear do (00:39:17) shapewear like is it bad for your vagina (00:39:20) health no it's not your vagina's on the (00:39:22) inside nothing on the outside is going (00:39:24) to affect it so you know if your (00:39:26) shapewear is irritating your V then you (00:39:28) know it's probably a bit too tight just (00:39:29) like if it's irritating and your groin (00:39:31) or something else you know um just like (00:39:33) if your shoes are too tight and they're (00:39:34) uncomfortable you know but if it's (00:39:36) comfortable and you're fine then where (00:39:37) would you like um I saw something online (00:39:42) where a person was going off of course (00:39:44) about the fact that lace underwear can (00:39:47) give you a yeast infection (00:39:50) no I don't know where people come up (00:39:52) with these things I think though again (00:39:54) follow it through to the end you know (00:39:56) who wears lace loose girls right black (00:39:59) lace so if you think about this white (00:40:01) cotton underwear myth where does that (00:40:04) come from well who wears black lace (00:40:07) underwear you know in the 50s that would (00:40:09) have been you know those kind of girls (00:40:12) right I mean awful patriarchal ideas and (00:40:15) so yeah I mean the idea that the color (00:40:18) of your underwear is going to have some (00:40:19) kind of like Health repercussion well (00:40:21) then why isn't my green shirt affecting (00:40:24) my skin right why isn't your black shirt (00:40:26) affecting your skin how does the color (00:40:27) color of fabric only uniquely affect the (00:40:31) vva right that make any sense at all so (00:40:34) no I mean you lace is fine if again if (00:40:37) it's irritating you like if it's in the (00:40:39) wrong you know we've all put on (00:40:41) underwear where it's just like caught in (00:40:43) the wrong place and you're groin or just (00:40:44) like the wrong place then put a (00:40:46) different pair on you know that's that's (00:40:48) really about the (00:40:50) fit so obviously a thong is fine as long (00:40:53) as it's not irritating you yeah exactly (00:40:55) everything's fine as long as it doesn't (00:40:57) irritate look if (00:40:58) want to wear something that's too tight (00:40:59) look I personally don't cuz I like to be (00:41:02) comfortable but I'll admit I have worn (00:41:04) uncomfortable shoes cuz they looked cute (00:41:06) so each to their own so you say that (00:41:10) yeast infections and uh (00:41:14) bacteriosis in the vagina are common but (00:41:18) that they are often misdiagnosed and (00:41:20) misinterpreted so as a gynecologist what (00:41:23) do you want us to know yeah so (00:41:25) unfortunately you know diagnos in a (00:41:28) yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis (00:41:30) over the phone or remotely is very (00:41:33) difficult because the symptoms can (00:41:34) overlap a lot and there's lots of things (00:41:36) that can produce identical symptoms to a (00:41:38) yeast infection what are the differences (00:41:40) between them so bacterial vaginosis is a (00:41:43) change in the vaginal microbiome that (00:41:45) has allowed um emergence of what we call (00:41:48) Anor robic bacteria so bacteria that is (00:41:50) you (00:41:51) know less healthy for the vagina (00:41:54) normally that bacteria is kept in check (00:41:56) by the good bacteria but so it's been (00:41:57) allowed to overgrow and it has changed (00:42:00) the um the bacterial makeup of the (00:42:02) vagina and it can produce an odor uh it (00:42:06) can produce a discharge and that can be (00:42:08) a little bit irritating as well (00:42:10) sometimes people get an itch everybody's (00:42:11) different a yeast infection is an (00:42:14) overgrowth of yeast the pH of the vagina (00:42:16) Remains the Same where the pH Rises with (00:42:18) bacterial vaginosis and we don't really (00:42:21) understand why people get recurrent (00:42:23) yeast infections or you know we all have (00:42:25) yeast in our vagina we have yeast on our (00:42:26) skin we all have yeast everywhere in (00:42:28) small amounts and why for some people (00:42:31) yeast starts to overgrow we don't really (00:42:33) know there are certainly are some (00:42:34) factors that are linked to it but um so (00:42:36) sometimes it could be that people (00:42:38) acquire a strain that's more virulent (00:42:40) more aggressive uh there may be local (00:42:42) immune system issues with the vagina as (00:42:44) well um uh estrogen in the vagina can (00:42:48) sometimes increase the risk of yeast (00:42:49) infections that's why we see more in (00:42:50) pregnancy as well so there can be lots (00:42:52) of different reasons for that but other (00:42:54) things can cause itch as well so people (00:42:56) can develop a dermatitis of their um (00:42:59) vulva and it can be very itchy and they (00:43:01) can be misdiagnosed as having a yeast (00:43:03) infection so so it can be hard to tell (00:43:05) over the phone so you know I always tell (00:43:07) people if you believe you have a yeast (00:43:09) infection you know I it's ideal to talk (00:43:11) with a healthcare provider but if you (00:43:13) end up using an over-the-counter product (00:43:14) and you don't get better then you (00:43:17) absolutely need to be seen because the (00:43:19) majority of yeast will be treated with (00:43:21) an over-the-counter product so that (00:43:23) should work about 95% of the time so if (00:43:26) it hasn't worked worked then you need to (00:43:28) be seen because then either if you do (00:43:30) have a yeast infection you might have a (00:43:32) resistance strain so you need to have (00:43:33) that checked out but you the more likely (00:43:36) thing is that you never had a yeast (00:43:37) infection to begin with so you kind of (00:43:39) get like one one remote treatment and if (00:43:42) that doesn't work then you really need (00:43:43) to escalate it gotcha and again it's the (00:43:46) same factors if you're having pain while (00:43:48) having sex if there's a smell that's not (00:43:51) normal or bothers you if the discharge (00:43:53) has changed if you're itchy those are (00:43:56) all the same symptoms those yeah and the (00:43:58) problem is is they can overlap with many (00:44:00) different conditions so you know you can (00:44:02) get itch and irritation from low (00:44:04) estrogen to menopause you can get itch (00:44:06) and irritation from BV bacterial (00:44:07) vaginosis you can get itch and (00:44:08) irritation from yeast you can get itch (00:44:10) and irritation from a dermatitis on the (00:44:12) vulva so you know so sorting those (00:44:15) things out it's actually if you're a (00:44:16) specialist it's not that hard if you ask (00:44:18) the right questions and do the right (00:44:19) tests um but it's important if you have (00:44:22) those symptoms to you know to see (00:44:23) someone who can help you you know (00:44:25) there's a lot of stuff online about (00:44:27) boric acid being used to balance the pH (00:44:31) of your (00:44:32) vagina is that true no you can't balance (00:44:35) your pH of the vagina if you put acid in (00:44:37) the vagina it's just going to return (00:44:39) back to its pH you know the pH that it (00:44:42) was very shortly after that um boric (00:44:45) acid doesn't work by raising the pH of (00:44:47) the vagina by the way or affecting the (00:44:49) pH of the vagina um it works because (00:44:51) it's basically a detergent it's a it's (00:44:54) um it's like bleach basically it kills (00:44:56) everything so which which if you have a (00:44:59) serious yeast infection that can't (00:45:00) respond to other medications then that (00:45:03) might be an option and we also use it as (00:45:06) part of a multi-step regimen for (00:45:07) bacterial vaginosis because the sort of (00:45:10) the boric acid can destroy biofilms (00:45:13) which are complex sort of bacterial (00:45:16) colonies in the vagina or complex (00:45:18) colonies that um that can allow bacteria (00:45:21) to persist is that something people buy (00:45:23) over the counter yeah and there's been a (00:45:26) huge explosion of this and you know I (00:45:29) see people come in who've been using (00:45:30) boric acid for months or using it all (00:45:32) the time and the thing is it kills your (00:45:33) good bacteria too so you don't want to (00:45:36) be using it you don't want to use it to (00:45:37) just touch up your pH or touch things up (00:45:39) that's people do that all the time and (00:45:41) it's advertised there's there's (00:45:43) influencers on social media that (00:45:45) advertis because they're paid to and um (00:45:47) I would say that boric acid is probably (00:45:49) the most misunderstood thing out there (00:45:51) and I'm not the only person who's sort (00:45:53) of seen this explosion of people using (00:45:54) it I was talking at a you know a medical (00:45:57) conference a few years ago and I (00:45:58) mentioned that and these other you know (00:46:01) OBGYN who do the same thing I do like oh (00:46:03) my gosh I've seen the same thing and (00:46:05) yeah it's it's a tool that we use in (00:46:07) very specific situations but it's not (00:46:09) something that you should be using (00:46:10) chronically and the very rare situations (00:46:13) where we may recommend that you should (00:46:14) really be under the guidance of someone (00:46:16) who understands chronic yeast (00:46:18) infections wow I I I'm I'm just kind of (00:46:22) letting all this sink in because you're (00:46:25) right the internet is this this huge (00:46:28) wild west of misinformation and if you (00:46:31) also put that against the backdrop of a (00:46:36) history of chronic shaming of women for (00:46:40) just normal body function and being (00:46:44) marketed to for all of these products (00:46:47) that we don't need and in fact can (00:46:49) damage the way that your body is (00:46:51) naturally designed to work like it's (00:46:52) kind of scary yeah I mean the internet (00:46:54) is an amazing propaganda tool it's also (00:46:56) an amazing res SE Arch tool right and so (00:46:59) like any tool it's like a car if you (00:47:01) drive it correctly you can go and see (00:47:03) amazing places you can visit the Grand (00:47:05) Canyon you can go to the redwoods in (00:47:07) Northern California you can go to New (00:47:09) York City you can do amazing things in a (00:47:11) car and you can also drive on the wrong (00:47:12) side of the road and kill someone right (00:47:14) so it's like any tool if it's used (00:47:17) correctly and you're taught how to use (00:47:19) it it can be amazing and if it's used (00:47:21) incorrectly by and again there are (00:47:23) people who are wanting to use it (00:47:25) incorrectly for malice people wanting to (00:47:27) it incorrectly just to sell products and (00:47:29) people who just don't know any better (00:47:30) right so you get all that as well and so (00:47:33) if you don't know how to sort it out it (00:47:34) can be a problem holy cow you are just (00:47:37) lining these things up and knocking them (00:47:39) down Dr Gunter I feel like right now is (00:47:43) a great moment to take a break and (00:47:44) during the break here's what I want you (00:47:46) to do digest what we just talked about (00:47:48) but share this with anybody that you (00:47:50) care about because we all need this (00:47:53) information everybody deserves the truth (00:47:55) and that's what you're getting from Dr (00:47:56) Gunter today today and when we come back (00:47:58) we're going even more TMI stay with us (00:48:03) cuz we're going there and we'll be (00:48:04) waiting for you after a short break hey (00:48:07) it's your friend Mel and because you're (00:48:08) here with me on YouTube I took out my (00:48:10) own ad because I wanted to say one thing (00:48:12) first of all hit subscribe because that (00:48:14) really helps support this channel helps (00:48:16) me bring you free videos second make (00:48:19) sure you take advantage of this free (00:48:21) workbook that I have created as a thank (00:48:23) you to you for subscribing to this (00:48:25) channel this workbook is going to help (00:48:26) you answer the single most important (00:48:29) question you could answer in life which (00:48:30) is what do you really want it's a (00:48:32) surprisingly hard question to answer but (00:48:35) now it's not because you have the (00:48:37) science back approach that I use in my (00:48:40) work in my marriage in my life to help (00:48:42) me get to the truth about what I (00:48:44) actually want this workbook uses science (00:48:47) it is free to you you can get your hands (00:48:48) on this puppy in just a minute click the (00:48:51) link below and it is yours as my thank (00:48:53) you for being here and supporting this (00:48:54) channel again this is going to help you (00:48:56) answer the question what do you want (00:48:58) because if you can't answer that (00:48:59) question there's no way you're going to (00:49:00) get it so use science and let me support (00:49:02) you in answering the question and (00:49:04) gaining the clarity and the courage that (00:49:06) you need to figure out what your next (00:49:08) move is all righty take advantage of (00:49:10) this melrobbins.com whatat hit subscribe (00:49:14) and let's get back to the (00:49:16) video Welcome back it's your friend Mel (00:49:18) Robbins and you and I are here with Dr (00:49:20) Jen Gunter and I am asking her all the (00:49:23) questions that we've been afraid to ask (00:49:25) our doctors and Dr Gunter is showing up (00:49:29) so Dr Gunter what are the biggest myths (00:49:31) about (00:49:33) periods well I think uh one of the (00:49:35) biggest myths is uh that um that you're (00:49:38) releasing toxins or impurities during (00:49:40) menstration and and you're not it's just (00:49:43) blood like the blood from your arm uh (00:49:45) with some endometrium which is the (00:49:46) lining of the uterus and uh some (00:49:48) inflammatory fluid and some cervical (00:49:50) mucus and then you by the time it comes (00:49:52) out is picking up some of that vaginal (00:49:53) discharge so what are the shocking (00:49:56) symptoms of periods that no one talks (00:49:58) about well I don't think anybody talks (00:50:00) about period diarrhea although I've (00:50:01) certainly made that my personal mission (00:50:03) to talk about that so about 12% of (00:50:05) people who menstrate get period diarrhea (00:50:07) and if you've had it you know and if you (00:50:08) don't then you're really lucky and I had (00:50:11) terrible period diarrhea I mean there (00:50:12) were days where I'd have to go to the (00:50:13) bathroom 10 times like just you know I (00:50:15) think I'm a prostagland and (00:50:17) overproducer and uh yeah so that's a (00:50:19) symptom that people can have and it's (00:50:21) always amazing to me you know whenever I (00:50:23) talk about menstration I ask people in (00:50:25) the room to lift up their hands they had (00:50:27) menstrual diarrhea and usually yeah you (00:50:30) had usually it's higher than 12% but I (00:50:32) also think that you know my audience (00:50:34) probably skew more to people who've had (00:50:36) is you know medical issues so that's (00:50:38) probably why but then I ask you know and (00:50:41) they're almost all women in the audience (00:50:42) who's never heard of it and there's (00:50:44) always women who put their hand up and I (00:50:46) don't fault them nobody talks about it (00:50:48) well I didn't think it was a thing I (00:50:50) just thought it was obvious because (00:50:52) you're having cramps so wouldn't (00:50:53) everything be impacted by The Cramps (00:50:55) that you're having yeah I mean not (00:50:57) everybody gets it it's due to the (00:50:58) prostag glin and we all have this sort (00:50:59) of different I would say sensitivity for (00:51:02) lack of a better word with prostag glin (00:51:03) probably some people make more maybe (00:51:05) some people have more uh pranon (00:51:07) receptors you know because there's (00:51:09) there's a scale in which people have (00:51:11) menstrual cramps right there's people (00:51:13) who are like I like know what you're (00:51:14) talking about like I don't feel anything (00:51:16) ever and there's people have really bad (00:51:18) menstrual cramps and and not due to (00:51:19) another medical condition like (00:51:21) endometriosis or something like that so (00:51:23) there's this whole spectrum and you know (00:51:25) some of that may be the fact that you (00:51:27) know some people just either make more (00:51:29) prostaglandins which are the hormones (00:51:30) that are produced during menstration (00:51:32) that um that are you know part of the (00:51:34) menstrual cycle so Dr Gunter is there a (00:51:38) uh cleanse that actually works to clear (00:51:40) out the pipes and drop PL pounds (00:51:42) medically speaking no cleans if when you (00:51:44) hear the word cleanse you should think (00:51:45) scam you should translate that into your (00:51:47) head because it hearkens back to the (00:51:49) time when when we were trying to get (00:51:50) closer to God you needed to cleanse (00:51:52) yourself to be closer to your you know (00:51:54) your deity and if you think back you (00:51:56) know several hundred years we thought (00:51:59) about bodies in the sense of humors (00:52:01) right you had black bow yellow bow flam (00:52:04) and blood and it was this imbalance and (00:52:06) we wanted to get Back in Balance we (00:52:07) wanted to get more pure we wanted to get (00:52:09) you know closer to God and uh you when (00:52:12) germ theory was discovered you know (00:52:14) there's kind of the branching off but (00:52:16) it's really fascinating that the (00:52:17) wellness industry has really tapped into (00:52:19) that sort of that sort of Purity culture (00:52:23) I mean it's been with us for you know (00:52:24) thousands of years um but but yeah so (00:52:27) cleanse is really a very Purity culture (00:52:29) type of term is there a term that you (00:52:32) would use instead because I do feel like (00:52:35) there's this desire at least when I (00:52:36) think of Wellness like I want to do a (00:52:37) reset I want to you know if my gut's not (00:52:40) in good health I want to do something (00:52:42) that's going to reset it I I see you (00:52:44) furrowing your brow at me yeah there's (00:52:46) no reset I've been brainwashed is that (00:52:48) so you're saying you want to you want to (00:52:50) have a you know that sounds like a (00:52:51) religious experience at a temple or (00:52:53) church right obviously how you feel (00:52:55) about your body is different for (00:52:56) different people and there's lots of (00:52:57) people like wow I feel really reset when (00:52:59) I go away for a weekend and again that's (00:53:01) meaning different things to different (00:53:02) people but is there something medically (00:53:03) that you should you know do to kind of (00:53:05) reset your body no you just like if you (00:53:07) want to start eating healthy start (00:53:08) eating healthy if you want to start (00:53:09) exercising start exercising there's no (00:53:12) purity test that you need to pass or you (00:53:14) know supplement that's going to get you (00:53:15) there do you actually need to poop every (00:53:17) day I mean you the the the normal range (00:53:20) is anywhere from three times a day to (00:53:23) every 3 days so you know it's there is (00:53:26) isn't a isn't a sort of a set what you (00:53:29) should do but a lot of Wellness (00:53:30) influencers love to talk to you about (00:53:32) that I love to push that because there (00:53:34) aren't going to be that many people than (00:53:35) who poop exactly once a day right I mean (00:53:37) the best way to look after your body (00:53:39) from a gastrointestinal standpoint I (00:53:40) mean this a very generic example is to (00:53:43) eat 25 grams of fiber a day and you know (00:53:46) the average American diet I think has (00:53:48) like 10 or 11 or 12 and if people are (00:53:50) looking to make like one dietary change (00:53:53) you know unless there's a specific (00:53:54) reason your doctor's advised against it (00:53:56) um you know adding fiber to your diet it (00:53:59) reduces your risk of breast cancer it (00:54:00) reduces your risk of colon cancer it red (00:54:03) you know reduces your risk of type two (00:54:04) diabetes it's you know it's interesting (00:54:07) there's all these sort of miracle cures (00:54:10) that are out there but they're just not (00:54:12) sexy right like add more fiber like you (00:54:14) know like it's easier to call it the (00:54:16) stand on one arm you know uh reflex diet (00:54:19) you know and but yeah it's it's just you (00:54:22) know fiber you know people could take (00:54:24) away two things for good health I would (00:54:25) say you know whether it's for your (00:54:27) menstrual cycle whether it's for (00:54:28) menopause whether it's for your vagina (00:54:30) whether it's for any body part it's (00:54:31) would be exercising and and eating more (00:54:33) fiber those would be the two take-home (00:54:35) messages what are your favorite ways to (00:54:37) get fiber I am a big fan of high-fiber (00:54:40) cereals because I'm lazy so if I have a (00:54:43) high fiber cereal in the morning then (00:54:45) I'm like a third to a halfway there I (00:54:47) love um Kellogg's uh brand buds call me (00:54:50) Kelloggs I would like totally advertise (00:54:52) for you um so they have 13 grams of (00:54:56) fiber in of a cup so you're like halfway (00:54:59) there and it's like 70 or 80 calories (00:55:01) and I mix it with a little bit of raw (00:55:03) oatmeal a little bit of walnuts a little (00:55:04) bit of blueberries put bit of milk on it (00:55:06) you're good to go I have had more people (00:55:08) tell me that have changed their lives (00:55:09) with brand buds than with anything I've (00:55:11) recommended I'm feeling a new sponsor of (00:55:13) the Mel Robbins podcast we're going to (00:55:14) make sure that they know that you're the (00:55:16) one that recommended it other than (00:55:18) exercise and 25 grams of fiber a day is (00:55:21) there anything else you can do to boost (00:55:23) your immune system no boosting your (00:55:25) immune system isn't even a thing you (00:55:26) want to do like and what do you mean (00:55:28) boost your immune system what part of it (00:55:29) your T cells your B cells your adaptive (00:55:31) immunity like I have no idea I just (00:55:33) think I'm supposed to No in fact there's (00:55:35) some diseases that are related to an (00:55:36) overactive immune system right so it's a (00:55:38) boosting your immune system is a like a (00:55:40) medically nonsensical term wow okay you (00:55:44) know everyone is talking about seed oils (00:55:46) online at least are they bad are they (00:55:49) good what is a seed oil I don't even (00:55:51) know well I guess say seed oil is oil (00:55:52) made from seed like you know canola and (00:55:55) and it's not bad I don't (00:55:57) know somebody somewhere came up with an (00:56:00) idea that they're inflammatory and (00:56:01) they're not they're fine to use and you (00:56:04) know they're great like I love my canola (00:56:05) oil it doesn't have much of a flavor to (00:56:08) it as it's good neutral oil it's got a (00:56:09) high smoking point it's really good to (00:56:11) cook with so so yeah I mean people love (00:56:14) to jump on these like all or none things (00:56:18) you know and and they sound truthy oh (00:56:22) it's inflammatory you know it sounds (00:56:24) truthy you know well on one hand (00:56:26) listening to you I feel so empowered (00:56:29) because you're bringing the research and (00:56:31) you have such a level of like in terms (00:56:36) of just cutting through the crap and (00:56:38) appealing not only to your common sense (00:56:41) as you're listening as I'm listening (00:56:43) anyway and I know the person listening (00:56:45) to you is like well yeah that's right if (00:56:47) I really did stop and think about it it (00:56:48) doesn't really make any sense but I (00:56:50) think for somebody who doesn't have a (00:56:51) medical degree and doesn't have the time (00:56:54) to just sift through all this research (00:56:56) research it's so overwhelming of course (00:56:59) it is cu one person says this and the (00:57:00) other person says that and then this (00:57:02) influencer is trying to sell me this (00:57:03) protein powder and then I'm doing this (00:57:05) cleanse and then I'm doing the reset and (00:57:07) then I'm trying to get to pick my kids (00:57:09) up at school and then I'm thinking about (00:57:11) the this and the that and I don't know (00:57:12) which pill to take and and it's (00:57:14) overwhelming it absolutely is and so (00:57:16) that's why I always try to think about (00:57:17) how I feel when I'm in a situation where (00:57:19) I don't know things so either at the (00:57:21) computer store or the with my car CU I'm (00:57:23) like I have black holes with those and (00:57:26) so I think like you can the secret of (00:57:29) medicine is it's not most of it's not (00:57:32) that hard there's just a lot of it and (00:57:35) so there's certain things that you do (00:57:37) need to know now if you want to be a (00:57:39) doctor it's really good to know all the (00:57:40) stuff that's around it but but as a (00:57:43) patient there's certain core things that (00:57:45) that you need to know and I do think (00:57:47) that one of my superpowers is kind of (00:57:49) weeding through and saying like you know (00:57:50) this is this is a core thing and this is (00:57:53) a core thing and it's always hard (00:57:55) because you're trying to (00:57:57) take a complex subject and make it (00:57:59) available to a lot of people and there's (00:58:01) always exceptions and things and so I (00:58:02) always tell people you know you have to (00:58:04) when you're listening to a podcast when (00:58:06) you're reading a book you have to (00:58:07) appreciate that that you know this is a (00:58:10) a more General conversation and there (00:58:12) are people who can have individual (00:58:13) reasons that things that might work for (00:58:15) them but the general truths are true the (00:58:17) general truth is you don't want to put (00:58:19) soap on your vva the general truth is (00:58:21) you don't need to clean inside your (00:58:22) vagina the you know the general truth is (00:58:24) you know removing body hair is a choice (00:58:26) it's nothing that you have to do you can (00:58:27) do it if you want to there might be some (00:58:29) some risks and you're a grown-up and you (00:58:31) get to you know that's what being a (00:58:32) grown-up's all about and then also just (00:58:35) understanding that there's so many (00:58:36) forces trying to (00:58:38) weaponize the way we don't talk about (00:58:40) women's bodies against us and there's so (00:58:43) many people out there you know trying to (00:58:44) make a buck and you know the at the end (00:58:48) of the day the reason I do this is when (00:58:51) I was pregnant I had a very complicated (00:58:53) pregnancy I had triplets one of my sons (00:58:54) died at Birth my other two boys were the (00:58:56) Intensive Care Unit for a very long time (00:58:59) they were 1B 11 o and 1B 13 O and my son (00:59:03) Oliver also had a complex congenital (00:59:05) heart defect and he needed his first (00:59:06) heart Sur when he was um three pounds (00:59:09) and they both came home on oxygen and my (00:59:11) son Victor also had cerebral py and I (00:59:13) know what it's like to be overwhelmed (00:59:15) and I know what it's like to to have (00:59:18) people offer you an easy answer and and (00:59:21) and to get head head down the wrong path (00:59:25) I made choic for my kids that I wish I (00:59:27) hadn't done and and so I get how hard it (00:59:32) is to take all of that stuff in and I (00:59:35) just want people to know that I'm coming (00:59:37) from that place that I've been there and (00:59:41) I know how awful it feels and I just (00:59:43) don't want other people to feel like (00:59:44) that if I can have any part of fixing it (00:59:47) well thank (00:59:48) you you have cut through so much crap (00:59:52) for us today and I'm sure that the the (00:59:56) person listening uh just like me is (00:59:59) feeling a mixture of tremendous (01:00:02) gratitude and empowerment and then also (01:00:05) the question I always have which is what (01:00:06) do I do what do I do what do I do other (01:00:09) than sending and sharing this episode (01:00:12) with everyone that you know and checking (01:00:15) out all the resources which there will (01:00:17) be so many resources uh listed in the (01:00:21) show notes for this if you were speaking (01:00:24) directly to the person listening who (01:00:26) just wants to feel empowered and our (01:00:30) audience more than anybody is really (01:00:32) about action like what can I put into (01:00:34) action in my life what what is the most (01:00:36) important (01:00:37) thing oh well I would say that something (01:00:42) that I think it's a very important thing (01:00:44) to consider is to always fact check the (01:00:47) information that you get and so (01:00:49) investing in learning how to to check (01:00:52) information I think is a really great (01:00:54) tool you know not just for or the (01:00:57) disinformation that's all around about (01:00:58) medicine there's all kinds of (01:00:59) disinformation about so many different (01:01:01) things so investing in learning and and (01:01:06) the other thing I would say is that (01:01:08) anybody who's trying to tell you that (01:01:10) you need to fix something urgently that (01:01:12) there's you're wrong you've got to act (01:01:13) on this that you know that's a sales (01:01:15) pressure tactic there is you know you're (01:01:17) not in unless you're in the emergency (01:01:19) room and you're you're literally (01:01:20) bleeding to death there's always time to (01:01:23) step back and gather the information and (01:01:26) to not act out of a place of of you know (01:01:29) anxiety or panic and so you know Urgent (01:01:33) health situation different but you know (01:01:35) in general kind of the stuff that you (01:01:37) see coming at you on social media you (01:01:39) have time to stop and reflect and absorb (01:01:43) and look for other sources um that one (01:01:46) certainly hips home because I uh have a (01:01:48) situation I think everybody probably has (01:01:50) one in their family with somebody that (01:01:52) they love where my husband's father was (01:01:55) diagnosed with a sop a geal Cancer and 6 (01:01:57) days later he was in an emergency room (01:02:01) no second opinion and the surgery went (01:02:03) horribly wrong and there's no doubt in (01:02:07) my mind that that rush to surgery and (01:02:09) not taking a breath and reminding (01:02:12) yourself that we have time here that (01:02:15) that ultimately killed him oh and so I (01:02:18) do think that that's a really important (01:02:21) thing for you to hear that you have time (01:02:23) is there a particular way that you would (01:02:26) recommend that we research because of (01:02:28) course most of us go into our doctors (01:02:30) with the printouts from WebMD and (01:02:32) probably get the giant eye roll from the (01:02:34) docks you know like oh here we go here (01:02:36) we go done the research but is there (01:02:38) some way that you would recommend that (01:02:42) we conduct our research or that we or (01:02:45) other sites that you can think of that (01:02:47) you (01:02:48) would send us to yeah so I'm not a (01:02:52) believer in hacks but I'm going to give (01:02:53) you my number one (01:02:55) hack uh (01:02:57) so Google is not a medical Library (01:03:01) Google is a repository of information (01:03:04) and it's not curated for you in a way (01:03:06) that's helpful for you it's a popularity (01:03:09) contest there's so much search engine (01:03:11) optimization that goes along and so what (01:03:13) comes up first is not always going to be (01:03:15) accurate and we all take what comes up (01:03:17) first or second and you know what if the (01:03:19) first second or third thing isn't what (01:03:20) you want instead of going further we all (01:03:22) just start the search again what you can (01:03:24) do is (01:03:26) have your topic and then find out the (01:03:30) name of the Medical Professional (01:03:32) Organization that is governs that area (01:03:35) how do I do that so for example for (01:03:38) menopause you would put you would put (01:03:40) your question and you put hot flashes (01:03:42) and then you'd hot flashes treatment and (01:03:45) you would either put menopause Society (01:03:46) or n they used to be called the North (01:03:48) American menopause society and that (01:03:50) probably still going to come up on the (01:03:51) search that will force everything that's (01:03:53) menopause Society related to come up (01:03:55) first now if I were doing that on a (01:03:58) typee of cancer or on a certain type of (01:04:00) bone break if I use the word Society (01:04:02) does something come up so you could (01:04:03) start with the American Cancer (01:04:05) Society got it and then on that page (01:04:08) then you might find okay um you know (01:04:11) esophageal cancers under this you could (01:04:13) also ask the doctor so what's the (01:04:16) organization that writes the guidelines (01:04:18) for this condition or you could just (01:04:20) Google that what is the organization (01:04:21) that writes no they're not all what you (01:04:24) think so there's you know there's (01:04:27) there's I can never remember the name so (01:04:28) I'm not going to say it but there's one (01:04:30) p Pediatrics organization that's (01:04:33) actually basically a hate group but (01:04:36) they've got their name that's almost (01:04:38) identical to the American Academy (01:04:39) Pediatrics so so you have to be very (01:04:42) careful there are Bad actors out there (01:04:45) so ask the physician who writes the (01:04:48) guidelines because there are guidelines (01:04:50) um you or you could put who World Health (01:04:52) Organization you could put CDC because (01:04:55) there's guidelines like if you're (01:04:56) dealing with cancer well there's you (01:04:58) know somebody's come up with the (01:04:59) guidelines for esophageal cancer (01:05:00) someone's come up with the guidelines (01:05:02) for you know for endometrial cancer (01:05:04) what's the organization and start going (01:05:06) there but in the American Cancer Society (01:05:07) be a great place to start and you know (01:05:10) try to you know try to get articles from (01:05:13) there and then often you can find you (01:05:15) know references in those sites and going (01:05:17) but it's it's not going to happen like (01:05:19) that right also some places have me have (01:05:22) medical libraries and you can go and (01:05:24) talk to the medical librarian now (01:05:26) smaller hospitals don't necessarily have (01:05:28) that but there are some places that do (01:05:29) my son who's um who's got the heart (01:05:32) problems having um open heart surgery (01:05:33) next month and that's how you know I (01:05:36) sort of looked up all the things that (01:05:37) you know his doctor told me and you know (01:05:40) I I believed her and and I trust her and (01:05:42) she's fantastic but you know what you (01:05:44) you I wanted to look things up as well (01:05:46) and so you know that was the strategy (01:05:48) that I took well drct Jen Gunter the (01:05:51) entire Mel Robbins podcast family is (01:05:53) going to be sending your family all (01:05:55) kinds of loving energy oh thank you for (01:05:58) a wonderful outcome thanks thank you so (01:06:00) much for being here and pouring into us (01:06:04) um I feel really empowered and it feels (01:06:07) really good knowing that somebody as (01:06:10) smart as you is out there cleaning up (01:06:12) the internet and busting the Miss and (01:06:15) the misinformation on behalf of all of (01:06:18) us so thank you thank you thank you so (01:06:20) much for having me it's been great (01:06:21) you're welcome and to you I want to (01:06:23) thank you for being here with us today (01:06:25) and and I'm sure you feel as empowered (01:06:28) as I do make sure you send Dr Gunter and (01:06:30) her family incredible healing Vibes (01:06:33) there is so incredible healing energy (01:06:36) and of course we are linking to all the (01:06:38) resources that we have cited in the show (01:06:40) notes and I wanted to be sure to tell (01:06:41) you in case nobody else does that I love (01:06:43) you I believe in you and I believe in (01:06:45) your ability to create a better life and (01:06:48) today you learned so much Common Sense (01:06:52) research back medical advice that will (01:06:55) help you take control of your health (01:06:57) Advocate on behalf of yourself and your (01:06:58) family I hope you go do that and I'll (01:07:01) talk to you in a few days and of course (01:07:04) I know that you want even more awesome (01:07:07) videos to watch and so I want you to (01:07:09) check out this one next