This Endolife

In this week’s episode we are continuing on the ADHD and endometriosis theme, and I have another guest for you - this time, one you may recognise from the show previously; Natalia Kasnakidis.Natalia is an award-winning Career & Performance Coach, Speaker and women’s health advocate – recently recognised by Management Today as one the UK’s 35 Women Under 35.After being diagnosed with hEDS at 21, she rebuilt her health and confidence whilst growing multi-million-pound brands and high-performing teams at top global ad agencies. Now, as founder of The Limitless Collective, she helps women achieve their career ambitions in a way that's sustainable, fulfilling & supports their wellbeing. She specialises in supporting women who are neurodivergent or managing chronic health conditions – bringing a holistic, mind-body approach to professional growth.Today we are talking about her story of how she navigated chronic illness early on in her career, and how it forced her to make essential changes that were out

Following on from last week’s episode about ADHD and menopause, I am resharing my interview with Adele Wimsett, who is talking to us about ADHD and the connection with endometriosis.In this episode we discuss:What ADHD isWhy it presents differently in females and cyclical people and what this means for diagnosisHow hormones affect ADHD traitsWhat impact hormones have on traits during different hormonal phases of a cyclical person’s lifeHow we can support our hormones to live an adhd friendly lifestyle.Show Notes: Adele’s websiteAdele’s InstagramResearch:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.786916/fullhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395621004258Need more help or want to learn how to work with me?Free resources:This podcast! ⁠Endometriosis Net Column⁠⁠Endometriosis News Column⁠⁠Substack ⁠⁠Instagram⁠ Ways to work with me:⁠This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast digital cookbook⁠⁠Masterclasses in endo nutrition, surgery prep and recovery and pain relief⁠⁠Live and Thrive w

Dr Helen Wall is an NHS doctor, who runs a menopause clinic and is passionate about spreading awareness of ADHD in women, especially in perimenopause. She is a resident doctor on the BBC and a columnist for Woman Magazine. With those of us with endo more likely to have ADHD, and symptoms worsening during perimenopause, I invited Dr Helen onto the show, to help us understand what ADHD is, how to look for the signs and symptoms, what we can expect of this condition during perimenopause and how to seek support and treatment.For those of you who aren’t aware, ADHD presents differently in women, and is often missed for decades, if not for a woman’s entire lifetime. I have seen first hand how undiagnosed ADHD can hugely impact quality of life, and how it worsens in my clients during perimenopause. As a result of what I’ve personally experienced and witnessed, I think that this is one of the most important interviews I’ve ever had on the show. Dr Helen is a wealth of knowledge and I highly recommend you follow her w

Seed cycling. You might have heard of it, you might have tried it, you might have had your doctor dismiss it or you may think it’s just another wellness trend. But admittedly, whilst it’s trendy, it’s not just hype. Show notesFlax studieshttps://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/77/5/1215/2649961?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=falsehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14749240/Zinchttps://ovarianresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13048-024-01442-zhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36920672/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3275394/https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessionalVit Ehttps://ovarianresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1757-2215-2-1https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-09082-3https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1477-7827-7-54https://rbej.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12958-023-01126-1https://www.clinicalnutritionespen.com/article/S2405-4577(22)00500-9/abstractMagnesiumhttps://www.ijwhr.net/pdf/pdf_IJWHR_624.pdfhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articl

Okay so last week I said I had finished with the low FODMAP series, but I changed my mind! I wanted to do one more on the topic, and that’s for my endo peeps who also have postural tachycardia syndrome or dysautonomia, and/or Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.Show notesLow FODMAP diet infohttps://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4918736/EDS definitionhttps://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/POTS definition https://www.standinguptopots.org/POTSsubtypesLong covidhttps://nurosym.org/blogs/in-conversation-with/dr-david-strainhttps://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/03_24_2025/covid-19-brought-about-a-large-rise-in-pots-cases#:~:text=The UToledo study, however, points,COVID may actually have POTS.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10166245/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12079877/#:~:text=The pooled prevalence of long,the forest plot in Fig.EDS and endometriosishttps://www.ehlers-danlos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/N-Blagowidow-2018Baltimore-OB-GYN-and-EDS-HSD-S.p

Recently we’ve been talking about the low FODMAP diet and how it can be helpful for histamine issues and endometriosis symptoms… but what about what it was designed for - IBS, and by default, SIBO?Show notesLow FODMAP diet infohttps://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4918736/IBS and SIBOhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv8LjTgpmP0https://www.ibssmart.com/sibo-symptoms-and-diagnosishttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-05933-1https://www.msjonline.org/index.php/ijrms/article/view/15048SIBO and endometriosishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39959963/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9660426/IBS and endometriosis https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9357916/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11668458/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18715239/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28303579/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18715239/Microbiome and endohttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10747908/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10904627/https://www.fro

Last week I talked about the low FODMAP diet for lowering histamine levels and helping to improve MCAS or histamine intolerance symptoms, but today I want to talk about the low FODMAP diet specifically for endometriosis and what the research shows so far.Show notesLow FODMAP diet infohttps://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4918736/Studies referencedhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28303579/https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-025-03715-1https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12107219/Need more help or want to learn how to work with me?Free resources:This podcast! Endometriosis Net ColumnEndometriosis News ColumnNewsletterInstagramWays to work with me:This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast digital cookbookMasterclasses in endo nutrition, surgery prep and recovery and pain reliefLive and Thrive with Endo: The Foundations DIY courseOne to one coaching info and applicationProduced by Chris Robson

Today I wanted to talk about the low FOMDAP diet, but not for the reasons you may think.Today, I don’t actually want to talk about it specifically for IBS/SIBO (though we will touch upon that again), I want to talk about its benefits for histamine, because the low FODMAP diet can actually be a way to lower histamine levels. Show notes Low FODMAP diet infohttps://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4918736/Endometriosis and histamine/MCAShttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22332753/https://www.emjreviews.com/reproductive-health/article/targeting-mast-cells-as-a-viable-therapeutic-option-in-endometriosis/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31998139/https://www.eds.clinic/articles/the-role-of-mast-cells-in-endometriosishttps://www.gynecologiconcologyinstitute.org/news/endometriosis/endometriosis-news/mast-cell-activation-syndrome-and-endometriosis-a-potential-link-for-unexplained-symptoms-in-women/MCAShttps://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/dx-2020-0005/htmlhttp

Finally, about two months later, I am wrapping up my series on certain vitamins and minerals and their association with period/endo pain when low.Now, just to recap and highlight, the key nutrients we see associated with more severe menstrual or endo pain when low, or shown to improve menstrual/endo pain are:Vitamin AVitamins B1, B6 and B12 (for those of you wondering, folate - otherwise known as B9 - hasn’t been associated with menstrual pain, but does improve ovulation and hormonal health)Vitamin CVitamin ECalciumZincMagnesiumOmega 3 fatty acidsSo today, we’re focusing on the last one in the series, and that’s vitamin D. Show notes Endo, vit D, inflammatory pathways, menstrual pain researchhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2666571922000202https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4512562/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7834752/#b31-ogs-20205https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6790261/Vit D and chronic painhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10260782/Calcium and vitamin D in

Some of you may know that I recently completed the elemental diet for SIBO treatment, and today, I wanted to share my experience with the particular formula I used.Show notes Endometriosis, SIBO, LPS and the microbiome connectionhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9660426/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39959963/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5902457/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4519769/https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/16/12/1696https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(14)00666-9/fulltextAdhesions and surgeryhttps://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-belly-after-endometriosis-surgery?rq=adhesions surgerySIBO test results interpretationhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28323273/https://endometriosisnews.com/2020/08/06/how-to-interpret-results-sibo-breath-test/https://www.theendobellycoach.com/this-endolife-podcast-episodes/how-to-treat-sibo-with-dr-allison-siebeckerSIBO treatment optionshttps://endometriosisnews.com/2020/12/17/elemental-diet-sibo-treatment/https://endometriosisnews.com/2

Most people with endo are struggling with symptoms, and so the last thing they need is to also struggle with nutrition changes.That’s why today, I wanted to offer you a quick change that can make a big improvement.Enter kiwis.Show notes Kiwis and gut motilityhttps://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/kiwis-for-constipation?rq=kiwisEndo and oxidative stresshttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1477-7827-7-54https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5625949/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22728166/Endo and vitamin Chttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1477-7827-7-54https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0020729207005772Kiwis and vit Chttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6267416/ https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/1102667/nutrientshttps://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/#:~:text=How much vitamin C do,in your diet every day.https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/21/4657https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles

Today I want to do a short episode on a slightly different topic, and that’s how to think of or how to approach your healing journey.So, in my training with Dr Jessica Drummond at the Integrative Women’s Health Institute, we were taught to always start each coaching session with a celebration - typically, this celebration is tied to our work and the client’s well-being. So, it might be something as small as they ate an apple that week, and apples are a fruit that client doesn’t eat often, or it might be something big, like a low pain period. Often though, client’s love to celebrate things that happen in their lives too, from a sunny day or a nice meal out for their birthday.But the reason we do this is two fold: Often, because we’re working with chronic illnesses, and usually multiple, sessions can get heavy and we might cover some difficult topics. Starting the session with a win starts the conversation on a lighter, more positive note, that can help the client to not spiral and to notice the good parts of l

So last week I shared my number one strategy for ensuring your meals are blood sugar balancing.Today, I want to provide you with some key blood sugar super foods that can really help you on your way to balancing your levels in the short term and in the long term, which in turn, will improve your inflammation and oxidation levels - essential for endo management.Now, obviously, we’ve already discussed the role of fibre from veggies, protein and healthy fats, and I shared how each of these slow down the release of glucose from foods, so you know the importance of these key foods groups.But today, I want to give you some specific foods, that have been shown in the studies to give our blood sugar efforts a little (well actually, pretty big) boost. Show notesNutshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9965730/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30395790/ - peanut butterhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9965730/ - almondshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21364607/ - pistachios https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24424

Okay so the past few weeks I’ve been talking about blood sugar and how to identify if blood sugar dysregulation is an issue for you.This week, I want to give you the number one strategy for beginning to stabilise your blood sugar. Now, I have talked about this before in the context of other episodes, I’ve done some lives on the topic and put them out as episodes, and I’ve linked to articles I’ve written, but I don’t think I have ever done a solo episode on this key strategy, so I decided, so you didn’t have to hunt for it, just to do an episode dedicated to this one tool.Now, of course there are other factors here, like how much sugar you’re eating between meals, but this strategy is key to building an approach to your daily meals that keeps blood sugar levels stable consistently, and as a result, that tends to reduce cravings and improve symptoms, which can allow you to start taking on bigger changes, like reducing sugary snacks for example.Show notesFibrehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18287346/https://link

Last week we discussed signs and symptoms of dysregulated blood sugar levels. Now, if you were concerned, I recommended speaking to your GP, however, often if you’re not pre-diabetic or diabetic, they’re not very concerned about your levels, and won’t really spend the time to get them under control.So, today, I wanted to share how to take your own glucose readings, so you can see what your blood sugar levels are doing over the day, and so you can tweak your meals to better suit your blood sugar needs.Read more.Show notesReference ranges info and toolshttps://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html#google_vignettehttps://www.levels.com/blog/what-should-my-glucose-levels-be-ultimate-guidehttps://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/tests/blood-sugarHelpful resourceshttps://endometriosis.net/living/diet-sugarhttps://endometriosis.net/living/how-to-balance-your-blood-sugar-levels-to-reduce-endo-symptomshttps://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-blood-sugar-gargi-parikhhttps:/

If you follow my work or have coached with me, you’ll know that blood sugar balance is an absolute staple to my approach for managing endo. Whilst this isn’t an episode into how blood sugar affects endo, to give you a short explanation - blood sugar imbalances can have a significant negative impact on hormones, gut inflammation and the microbiome, and raise both oxidative stress levels and prostaglandin levels, both are key to endo growth and pain. I’ll link to some episodes and articles I’ve done on the topic, but maybe in the future I’ll do an updated episode covering these areas.Show notesHelpful resourceshttps://endometriosis.net/living/diet-sugarhttps://endometriosis.net/living/how-to-balance-your-blood-sugar-levels-to-reduce-endo-symptomshttps://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-blood-sugar-gargi-parikhhttps://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/glycemic-index-load-endohttps://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-and-pms-the-key-to-reducing-mood-swings-anxiety-and-low-moods-in-your-luteal-phasehttp

This one is a super quick episode today, as I didn’t want to do another replay, but also I don’t have the time at present to continue with our series on pain and nutrients, as those episodes take about a day to research and write up. So, today I want to talk about something that I’ve been discussing with two clients lately, and it occurred to me, that you might benefit as well. Regulating the nervous system and our stress response can have a profound and positive impact on our endometriosis pain levels and our energy levels (and of course, our stress levels and mental health). I won’t go into the science of it here, because I have other episodes on this and this is supposed to be a quick episode, but in short, our cortisol levels and our stress response don’t just influence our experience of stress, but our entire sleep-wake cycle and energy levels over the day. They also influence our pain signals and can turn up the volume on pain. If you want to learn more about this, I’ve linked to two previous episodes i

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a group of 13 conditions which all affect connective tissue (collagen) in the body. Most are rare, but one type called hypermobility EDS is common. Because the intestines are made from soft tissue, EDS affects digestion and often causes IBS symptoms. It is a major risk factor for developing SIBO, because it slows down motility. If you have EDS and SIBO, you will be chronic - but you can still live well! And we’ll get to that in the bonus lesson with Dr Allison Siebecker. And just to hammer this point home about the connection between EDS and IBS, one study of 228 IBS patients found 48% also had EDS.Now the reason why I want to bring EDS to your attention is because I am seeing it more and more in my clients with both endometriosis and SIBO.Despite these statistics, to my knowledge, most experts do not consider EDS and endometriosis to be significantly connected. At present, it is thought that most of the period pain and menstrual problems of those with EDS is not caused by endometrio

Dr. Linda Bluestein is a board-certified anesthesiologist, integrative pain medicine physician and former ballet dancer who specialises in coaching and educating dancers and other athletes and individuals at increased risk of hypermobility disorders.Dr Linda’s own experience with h-EDS eventually led her down a career path change that has seen her help countless others to live well with hypermobility and avoid chronic pain development. She is widely published, considered an expert on hypermobility disorders, and has lectured internationally.In this episode, Dr Linda and I sit down to discuss the link between Hypermobility spectrum disorders, hypermobile-Ehler’s Danlos syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome and endometriosis.Here’s what we cover:What we mean by generalised hypermobility, hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobility-EDS, and how they differ.What are the signs and symptoms of these conditions. The link between h-EDS and menstrual disorders, bladder dysfunction and pelvic pain and Dr Linda

Do you get full body pain? Does it affect your muscles, nerves or joints? Do you find that you need to rest after walking or find you tired more easily than others?It might not just be endometriosis. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a group of 13 conditions which all affect connective tissue (collagen) in the body. Most are rare, but one type called hypermobility EDS is common - and out of those with this type of EDS, 6-23% have endometriosis. But that’s not where the connection ends…32-77% of those with EDS have vulvodynia and or pain with sex.33-75% have heavy menstrual bleeding. 73-93% have painful periods.Additionally, histamine intolerance caused by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is a co-condition of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and we also know that overactive mast cells play a role in endometriosis. Not only can this cause more painful periods, but it can also create problems like allergies and eczema to name a few.Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is also a huge risk factor for SIBO, and as you may now know, at present SIBO