On today’s episode of @bendy_bodies,, I answer one of the most common questions I get: “How do I know if a provider is the right fit for me?” Whether you’re navigating hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), or another complex condition, finding a provider who listens, understands, and respects your lived experience can be exhausting. 💡 If you’re looking for guidance on navigating medical appointments, advocating for your health, or understanding complex conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and related disorders, my EduCoaching service can help. This personalized, one-on-one coaching—available worldwide—provides tailored information and strategies to help you access the quality care you deserve. 🎧 Whether you are struggling to get a provider or have other frustrations, Bendy Bodies has you covered. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts and share your experience below! #Hypermobility #EhlersDanlosSyndromes #ChronicIllness #PatientAdvocacy #BendyBodiesPodcast #PosturalOrthostaticTachycardiaSyndrome #MCAS #InvisibleIllness #MedicalGaslighting #ChronicPain #HealthAdvocacy #Dysautonomia 📌 Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized medical care.

In this compelling episode of the Bendy Bodies Podcast, Dr. Linda Bluestein is joined by her longtime mentor and internationally respected EDS expert, Dr. Pradeep Chopra. Together, they tackle some of the most frustrating—and frequently misunderstood—questions surrounding hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). From major flaws in the 2017 diagnostic criteria to the hidden surgical risks that could lead to serious complications like CCI (craniocervical instability), this conversation dives deep into clinical insights and lived experience. Listeners will also hear the surprising story of how Dr. Chopra helped inspire Dr. Bluestein to open her own practice. Whether you're a patient, parent, or provider, this episode just might change how you see joint hypermobility and connective tissue disorders forever. Takeaways Why men and boys may be getting overlooked by the current EDS diagnostic model The difference between dislocations and subluxations—and why that matters A surprising source of CCI: what your dentist, surgeon, and anesthesiologist may not know The 2017 criteria: well-meaning, but are they dangerously outdated? What every hypermobile patient should bring to their next surgery (yes, it’s a hack) References: Episode 70: ⁠https://youtu.be/BoRyQh12X2c⁠ Episode 71: ⁠https://youtu.be/yDT3JTzfiJk⁠ Episode 72: ⁠https://youtu.be/CYhnKkVjIxM⁠ Episode 73: ⁠https://youtu.be/2OxtZGNswfo⁠ Episode 77: ⁠https://youtu.be/d9A1aJB5GRo⁠ Episode 151: ⁠https://youtu.be/ho0rRcjUobI⁠ Perioperative Care in Patients with EDS by Linda Bluestein & Pradeep Chopra: ⁠https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=97524⁠ Diagnostic Criteria: ⁠https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/p/diagnostic-criteria-checklist/⁠ The Incidence of Misdiagnosis in Patients with EDS: ⁠https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/12/6/698⁠ Living Well with Orthostatic Intolerance by Peter C. Rowe: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd/list/2LQLPARJY3CDS?linkCode=sl2&tag=onamzlindablu-20&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d⁠ 2023 Diagnostic Framework: ⁠https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/diagnosis/new-diagnostic-framework-for-pediatric-joint-hypermobility-v2/⁠ Want more Dr. Pradeep Chopra?  Website: https://www.painri.com/ Contact Dr. Chopra’s Office: ⁠snapa102@gmail.com⁠ Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website:  ⁠⁠⁠https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/⁠⁠⁠. YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠  X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda⁠⁠⁠⁠  LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shop my Amazon store ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Use this affiliate link for Algonot to get an extra 5% off your entire order: ⁠⁠⁠https://algonot.com/coupon/bendbod/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about Human Content at ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.human-content.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@human-content.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links

🧠💩 "You gotta poop." That’s the blunt but essential starting point in treating gastroparesis (delayed stomach empyting), according to Dr. Zachary Spiritos (@drzacspiritos) — and I have to agree. On today’s episode of @bendy_bodies, we dive into the elegant but complex pathophysiology behind gastroparesis, a condition commonly seen in patients with hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS). From diet and promotility agents to managing stress, sleep, relationships, movement, and nervous system regulation, this is a multi-pronged challenge that requires patience and partnership. 📈 Progress doesn’t happen overnight — but even a 10% improvement can change lives. 🎧 Tune in to hear why addressing constipation first is often the key to unlocking better GI function. 💬 Have you dealt with gastroparesis or chronic GI symptoms? What’s helped you most? #BendyBodiesPodcast #GastroparesisAwareness #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #HypermobilitySpectrumDisorder #DigestiveHealth #PoopingMatters #GIHealth #ChronicIllnessCommunity #InvisibleIllness #AutonomicDysfunction #BendyBodies #HypermobilityAwareness #FunctionalGI #ChronicConstipation #ChronicPainSupport #POTS #Dysautonomia #SleepAndStress #PelvicHealth #GIRecovery #DrLindaBluestein #DrZacharySpiritos 📌 Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized medical care.

Dr. Linda Bluestein dives deep into the tangled web of gastrointestinal disorders with neurogastroenterologist Dr. Zachary Spiritos. They tackle the silent struggles of patients with EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), especially those whose GI tests always come back “normal.” From misunderstood motility problems to surprising treatment twists, this episode is full of revelations that might change the way you think about your gut. And yes, there’s even a how-to on better pooping. Takeaways: Why your GI test results might be “normal”… but your symptoms are anything but. How slow motility and visceral hypersensitivity often masquerade as IBS. The overlooked connection between hypermobility, dysautonomia, and GI dysfunction. Why some patients are misdiagnosed for years—and how that’s finally changing. A surprising but effective tip to improve your daily bathroom routine. References: Breath-Test for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth): ⁠https://www.triosmartbreath.com/⁠ Mark Pimentel, MD: ⁠https://www.cedars-sinai.org/provider/mark-pimentel-887112.html⁠ Episode 127: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ngUY9VPRcc⁠ Want more Dr. Zachary Spiritos?  Website: ⁠https://www.everbettermedicine.health⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/drzacspiritos/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/zachary.spiritos/⁠ Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website:  ⁠⁠⁠https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/⁠⁠⁠. YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠  X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda⁠⁠⁠⁠  LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shop my Amazon store ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Use this affiliate link for Algonot to get an extra 5% off your entire order: ⁠⁠⁠https://algonot.com/coupon/bendbod/⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about Human Content at ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.human-content.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@human-content.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links

Voice, breathing, swallowing, and cough issues are far more common in people with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) than many realize — but too often, they’re overlooked. In today's episode of @bendy_bodies, Mayo Clinic speech-language pathologist Stacey Menton shares how patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) often go unseen because they “seem fine” or “don’t sound that bad.” But functional deficits can be real and serious, even when they're not immediately obvious. This is a call for greater awareness and better training for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with hypermobile patients. Your voice matters — and you deserve to be heard, literally and figuratively. 🗣️ Have you struggled to get your voice or swallowing issues taken seriously? Share your experience below. #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #HypermobilitySpectrumDisorder #SpeechLanguagePathology #SwallowingDisorder #VoiceDisorder #InvisibleIllness #ChronicIllnessAwareness #BendyBodiesPodcast #SLPAwareness #Dysphonia #VocalHealth #MedicalGaslighting #ChronicSymptoms #FunctionalDeficit #PatientAdvocacy #HypermobileEDS 📌 Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized medical care.

Speech-language pathologist and vocal specialist Stacy Menton joins Dr. Linda Bluestein to expose the surprising links between connective tissue disorders like EDS and common (but misunderstood) issues with voice, breathing, and swallowing. From overlooked diagnostics to cutting-edge therapies and startling new research, this conversation peels back the curtain on symptoms often dismissed or misdiagnosed. A must-listen for patients, clinicians, and anyone who's been told "everything looks normal." Takeaways: Hypermobile patients often experience voice, breathing, and swallowing issues—but go undiagnosed. Imaging and scope studies often miss the root causes of symptoms in EDS patients. Certain vocal exercises may actually harm people with fragile connective tissues. Sniffing can break a dangerous airway cycle caused by inducible laryngeal obstruction. An international team is working to create speech therapy protocols specifically for EDS. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 02:07 Understanding Speech Therapy for Hypermobile Patients 02:48 Common Voice, Breathing, and Swallowing Issues 10:13 Evaluations and Treatments for EDS Patients 37:01 Exploring Speech Pathology Specialties 38:17 Resources and Telehealth for EDS Patients 41:30 Voice and Swallowing Exercises for EDS 52:24 Accommodations and Research Initiatives Want more Stacey Menton? Website: ⁠http://staceymenton.com⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077671590313⁠ Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website:  ⁠⁠https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/⁠⁠. YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast⁠⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast⁠⁠⁠  X: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda⁠⁠⁠  LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠⁠  Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ Shop my Amazon store ⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd⁠⁠⁠ Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at ⁠⁠https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/⁠⁠. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Use this affiliate link for Algonot to get an extra 5% off your entire order: ⁠⁠https://algonot.com/coupon/bendbod/⁠⁠ Learn more about Human Content at ⁠⁠⁠http://www.human-content.com⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠sales@human-content.com⁠⁠⁠ Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links.

In this clip, Dr. Theoharis Theoharides (@dr.theoharides) shares why it’s better to say mast cell activation rather than mast cell activation syndrome - because not everyone has elevated tryptase, and too many people are dismissed because of it. Don’t let a normal lab result be the reason you’re sent home without answers. Lead with symptoms. Lead with activation. Push for doctors who listen, even when the numbers don’t tell the full story. 🎧 Hear more from Dr. Theoharides and guest cohost, Dr. Pradeep Chopra, on the latest episode of Bendy Bodies - available wherever you get your podcasts. #MastCellActivation #MCAS #Tryptase #MastCellDisorder #HereditaryAlphaTryptasemia #HAT #ChronicIllnessAwareness #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #POTS #HypermobileEDS #HistamineIntolerance #InvisibleIllness #BendyBodiesPodcast #MedicalDismissal #ListenToPatients 📌 Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for personalized medical care.

What if your brain fog, fatigue, and hypersensitivity weren’t “just anxiety”—but signs of a much deeper immune malfunction? In this episode, Dr. Pradeep Chopra co-hosts a rare and revealing conversation with Dr. Theoharis Theoharides, the scientist who first discovered that mast cells communicate with microglia in the brain. Together, they dive into groundbreaking research on neuroinflammation, autism, histamine, stress, and why brain fog may not be “all in your head”—but inflammation inside it. From overlooked biomarkers to misunderstood triggers, this episode unpacks the science most doctors still don’t know… but patients desperately need Takeaways: What you didn’t know about the link between stress and mast cell activation in the brain. A surprising breakdown of how mast cells could be fueling neuroinflammation and foggy thinking. Why autism and MCAS might share more than we think—especially in early development. The overlooked role of environmental stressors in triggering immune responses that affect cognition. How one researcher’s journey into mast cells rewrote everything we thought we knew about inflammation. 00:00 Amazon's New Supplement Regulations 00:34 Introduction to the Bendy Bodies Podcast 02:15 Understanding Mast Cell Activation Disorders 09:03 Symptoms and Diagnosis of Mast Cell Activation 40:04 Exploring Histamine and Parathyroid Hormone 41:40 Measuring Mast Cell Mediators 47:23 Histamine Intolerance and Supplements 53:42 Treatment Approaches for Mast Cell Activation Want more Dr. Theoharis Theoharides? Website: ⁠https://www.drtheoharides.com/⁠ Podcast Link: ⁠https://algonot.com/⁠ Blogs: ⁠https://www.nova.edu/nim/neuroinflammation-research/index.html⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoharis-theoharides-ms-phd-md-faaaai-67123735⁠ Want more Dr. Pradeep Chopra? Website: ⁠https://www.painri.com/⁠ Reference Episodes: Episode 70: ⁠https://youtu.be/BoRyQh12X2c⁠ Episode 71: ⁠https://youtu.be/yDT3JTzfiJk⁠ Episode 72: ⁠https://youtu.be/CYhnKkVjIxM⁠ Episode 73: ⁠https://youtu.be/2OxtZGNswfo⁠ Episode 77: ⁠https://youtu.be/d9A1aJB5GRo⁠Episode 139: ⁠https://youtu.be/u1pxvAzXh7M⁠ Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website:  ⁠https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/⁠. YouTube: ⁠⁠youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast⁠⁠  Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠  Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast⁠⁠  X: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda⁠⁠  LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/⁠⁠  Newsletter: ⁠⁠https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/⁠⁠ Shop my Amazon store ⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd⁠⁠ HistaGest DAO is the gastro-resistant, delayed-release DAO supplement mentioned and is the first item in my Amazon store in the supplements section. Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at ⁠https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/⁠. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! Use this affiliate link for Algonot to get an extra 5% off your entire order: ⁠https://algonot.com/coupon/bendbod/⁠ Learn more about Human Content at ⁠⁠http://www.human-content.com⁠⁠ Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: ⁠⁠sales@human-content.com⁠⁠ Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links.