Advertise on podcast: Itchy and Bitchy

(00:00:00) 238: Poops - Poots - Farts and Sharts: Everything you Didn't Know about Your Poops (00:00:05) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:02:01) The Science of Poop and Gas (00:03:44) The Anatomy of Defecation (00:06:49) Serotonin and Bowel Function (00:07:41) The Art of Farting (00:08:56) Sponsorship Message (00:09:25) The Formation of Poop (00:20:15) Sponsorship Message (00:20:24) Healthy and Unhealthy Poop (00:29:25) Poop Screening and Colon Health Think you know poop? Cute. Your gut hosts trillions of bacteria, and how often you go may be quietly shaping your health. Science says the sweet spot is one to two times a day. Constipation lets gut microbes brew toxins linked to kidney damage. Scrolling your phone on the throne is linked to a 46% higher hemorrhoid risk. We cover poop frequency, farts, fecal transplants, the toilet habits that wreck your butt, and what your stool is secretly telling you. Legit science, zero fluff, maximum sass. Visit itchyandbitchy.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

Stand up too fast and your heart rate goes full rave? Welcome to POTS, the autonomic disorder that affects up to 1 in 100 Americans and still gets dismissed as "just anxiety." UK Google searches for POTS roughly tripled after COVID. A new 20-year follow-up found that just under half of patients improve, but most keep symptoms for decades. We unpack dysautonomia, long COVID, salt, compression socks, and new drugs in trials. We also cover how to tell real science from TikTok self-diagnosis. Legit science, zero fluff, maximum sass... Visit itchyandbitchy.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 236: Heart Brain Axis - Your Heart and Brain Are Toxic Besties, and Science Has Receipts (00:00:05) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy Podcast (00:00:48) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:01:24) Heart-Brain Axis: A Complex Connection (00:04:46) The Three Pathways of Heart-Brain Communication (00:16:00) Stroke-Heart Syndrome: A Deadly Connection (00:27:13) Therapeutic Targets and Prevention Strategies (00:39:31) Closing Thoughts and Call to Action (00:40:21) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements Think a heart attack is just a plumbing problem? Adorable. New research in Cell shows your heart immediately tattles to your brain through the vagus nerve. Your brain then overreacts and sends in the immune system, which trashes even more heart tissue. When scientists cut that phone line in mice, the hearts healed better. We also get into why cardiologists and neurologists really need to start talking to each other, and how heart health, stress, and brain aging turn out to be one messy group chat. Legit science, zero fluff, maximum sass. Visit itchyandbitchy.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 335:The Dignity Gap: Your Dog Gets a Kinder Death Than You Will" : "Death With Dignity - An Honest Talk (00:00:05) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy Podcast (00:00:48) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:01:25) New Music and Podcast Updates (00:02:05) The Veterinarian's Role in Euthanasia (00:04:36) The Veterinary Euthanasia Process (00:17:11) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:17:31) Medical Aid in Dying for Humans (00:31:05) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:31:06) Recognizing the Right Time for Euthanasia (00:37:11) Closing Thoughts and Resources Here's an uncomfortable truth: when your dog is suffering with no good options, a vet offers a gentle, dignified exit and we call it mercy. When a terminally ill human wants the same, they get a legal obstacle course, a 15-day waiting period, and a lecture. This episode tackles medical aid in dying without the theatrics. As of 2026, it's legal in 13 states plus D.C., with New York the newest to sign on yet in nearly three decades, fewer than 13,000 Americans have actually used it, under some of the strictest oversight in medicine. We unpack the ethics, the safeguards, the disability-rights concerns, and the strange fact that "self-administration" laws can exclude the very people who need help most. Pets, patients, mercy, and control this one earns its silence. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 234: Denied: How Your Insurance Company Gets Rich Watching You Suffer (00:00:11) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:01:06) Insurance Frustrations and System Failures (00:02:27) The Broken Lens and Broken System (00:04:31) Insurance Woes and Personal Experiences (00:08:19) Pre-Approvals and Administrative Burdens (00:15:31) The High Cost of a Broken System (00:20:04) Concierge Care: A Growing Alternative (00:28:17) The State of Healthcare in the US (00:31:50) Medical Debt and Systemic Issues Welcome to American healthcare, where a college dropout in a call center overrides your doctor and an algorithm denies your chemo before lunch. This episode rips the curtain off the profit machine: prior authorizations, surprise bills, and "peer" reviewers who couldn't spell the disease they're denying. The receipts are ugly — physicians now grind through ~40 prior auths a week, burning 13 hours; 94% say it fuels burnout; and 1 in 4 doctors reports a denial caused a serious patient harm, up to and including death. Claim denials jumped 25% while AI quietly batch-rejects thousands at a time. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 233: Docs Answer Listener Questions: Global Edition III (00:00:11) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:01:05) Global Reach of Itchy and Bitchy (00:03:14) Addressing Listener Questions (00:06:26) Cyclospora and Food Safety (00:09:51) Tick-Borne Illnesses and Prevention (00:12:35) Break Announcement (00:12:53) Creatine Supplements: Benefits and Risks (00:15:51) Raw Diets and Food Safety for Pets (00:17:57) Break Announcement Listeners from around the globe send in questions for the Docs to give their best answers: most common countries for listenership, dog skin cancer, lumps and bumps, cardiac questions, diets and food science, cyclospora, toxins, vital monitoring and wearables, and more .... Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 232: Bald & Bougie: Why Your Hairline Is Ghosting You. HAIR-LOSS TRUTHS AND TREATMENTS (00:00:06) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:00:28) Hair Loss Statistics: A Growing Concern (00:05:34) Medical Treatments: Hormone Manipulation (00:14:40) Blood Flow Therapies: Minoxidil and Beyond (00:18:46) Surgical Solutions: Hair Transplants and More (00:21:57) Platelet-Rich Plasma: A Natural Approach (00:26:28) Over-the-Counter Options: Microneedling and More (00:36:52) The B******t Bin: Unproven Hair Growth Claims (00:38:30) Doc Itchy Pet Supplements Your part is widening, your ponytail is now a pony-tail, and TikTok swears rosemary oil and a $200 derma roller will fix it. Spoiler: they won't. This episode drags age-related hair loss into the light — androgenetic alopecia, DHT, menopause shedding, postpartum thinning, "cortisol hair," and the receding hairline you've been hiding under a hat since 2019. We separate legit from b******t: what minoxidil and finasteride actually do. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 231b: "I am Allergic to EVERYTHING: Really?" Docs Discuss Allergy Immunology (00:00:11) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pet Supplements (00:01:06) The Allergy Enigma (00:03:03) Genetic Predisposition to Allergies (00:05:49) The Complexities of Allergic Reactions (00:08:41) Immunological Mechanisms of Allergies (00:18:40) The Allergy Epidemic (00:23:48) Treatment Options for Allergies (00:31:12) Monoclonal Antibodies: A Breakthrough in Allergy Treatment (00:34:45) The Final Frontier: Steroids and Other Powerful Medications Your immune system is a bouncer with a hair trigger. This episode breaks down the actual allergy cascade, T helper cells barking orders, mast cells detonating, histamine flooding the scene — and why your dog's itchy, oozy ears run on the exact same wiring. Then we get to the good stuff: monoclonal antibodies (Mabs), the designer proteins quietly rewriting allergy medicine. Cytopoint muzzles IL-31 so your dog stops shredding the couch; Dupixent blocks IL-4 and IL-13 so humans stop shredding their own skin. Same playbook, different species. Finally, the patient who's "allergic to literally everything", every antibiotic, every dye, every vitamin. Spoiler: the research points less to true allergy and more to anxiety, somatization, and the nocebo effect. Legit reaction or brain doing a bit? We referee. Get the receipts and the reading list at itchyandbitchy.com. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 230: Medical Mayhem: Sh*t They Don't Tell You! Impactions; Necrosis; GLP1A; Testosterone-Fat; & more (00:00:11) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pets Supplements (00:01:02) Introducing Medical Mayhem (00:03:50) GLP-1 Agonists and Testosterone (00:08:26) Impactions and Constipation in Older Adults (00:13:57) Perineal Necrosis: A Serious Complication (00:19:01) Coronary Calcium Score: A New Heart Health Indicator (00:24:59) IV Drips and Health Risks (00:27:35) Sex Education and the Horny Health Index (00:33:13) Closing Thoughts and New Listeners Docs are trying out a new segment that will explore and explain weird and crazy medical problems that everyone wants to hush about because they are weird or embarrasing: Concrete Poops, Corinary Calcium Scores, IV Needles, Hormonal-Fat, Penis and Vaginal Necrosis, Sex-Drive, Erectile Dysfunction, Orgasm Education, and much more.... Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 229: Doctor W.H.O. on Lubes - A World Health Issue! (00:00:11) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:01:32) The Surprising Variety of Sex Lubricants (00:04:51) What Makes a Good Lubricant (00:09:51) Personal Preferences in Lubricant Selection (00:15:25) Types of Lubricants Explained (00:21:20) The Importance of Provider-Patient Communication (00:22:32) Legit or B******t: Sexual Health Quirks (00:28:19) Closing Remarks and Call to Action The Art of the Perfect Lube: Because Your Vagina Deserves a Craft Cocktail Nobody talks about personal lubricants the way they talk about a perfectly balanced Old Fashioned, and honestly that's a crime. Both require the right ingredients, the wrong ones will absolutely ruin the experience, and yet most people are just grabbing whatever's cheapest off the shelf with zero regard for the recipe. Turns out formulation matters enormously; pH balance, osmolality, silicone versus water base, parabens, glycerin - these are your bitters, your base spirit, your garnish. Get the ratio wrong and you're looking at irritation, infection, and a night that ends far earlier than planned. Just like a great bartender wouldn't dump corn syrup into a Negroni, your body deserves better than petroleum-based mystery ingredients. We're breaking down exactly what's in your bottle and why the right cocktail recipe changes everything. Visit itchyandbitchy.com Itchy & Bitchy is the podcast for anyone who has ever felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 228: Foods That Can Kill You; and What You Can't Do About IT! (00:00:11) Welcome to the Itchy and Bitchy Podcast (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pets Supplements (00:01:02) The Dirty Dozen: Pesticide Contaminated Produce (00:07:07) The Pathogen Problem: Foodborne Illnesses on the Rise (00:15:28) The Controversy: What to Do About Contaminated Food (00:25:56) Practical Steps to Reduce Food Contamination Risk (00:31:32) Closing Remarks and Future Episode Preview (00:31:39) Doc Itchy Medical Pets Supplements (Repeat) Cyclospora and Cyclosporosis is infection tens of thousands of AMERICANS causing some deaths. More and More food pathogens are affecting us through contaminated food items and they are making us sick. Add to that the unavoidable contamination of our food with chemicals and pesticides and we are experience a food crisis. Even if you try to eat "Healthy" food items, these may be inthe "dirty Doozen" most contaminated foods available in stores. The Docs discuss the problem, the pathogens, and the pesticides and how we came to find ourselves in this crappy toxic and dangerous time. The Docs will also discuss - argue over what you can or can't do the avoid or prevent your exposure to the pathogens and poisons on and in your foods. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 227: The Spreading Years with More of Me to Love: Geriatric Weight-Gain (00:00:11) Welcome to the Itchy and Bitchy Podcast (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pets Supplements (00:01:02) The Complexities of Midlife Weight Gain (00:04:18) The Four Key Factors Contributing to Weight Gain After 40 (00:09:12) Hormonal Changes and Their Impact on Weight (00:14:13) The Importance of Sleep and Behavioral Factors (00:18:11) Sarcopenia, Body Composition, and Inflammation (00:22:51) Legit or B******t: Muscle-Skin Communication and Fecal Microbiota Transplant (00:28:17) Closing Remarks and Call to Action Thanks Hormones, Very Cool: Why Your Body Decided Middle Age Was the Perfect Time to Expand Congratulations, you survived your twenties, powered through your thirties, and your reward is a metabolism that has apparently gone into witness protection. Nobody told you that simply existing after forty would require a completely different operating manual, and yet here we are, buying pants with "comfort waistbands" and calling it self-care. The science is as delightful as you'd expect: declining estrogen, tanking testosterone, and a thyroid that's essentially on vacation are conspiring in real time to redistribute your body in directions you never requested. Your muscle mass is ghosting you, your cortisol is throwing a party, and your fat cells got the memo to settle permanently around your midsection. Itchy & Bitchy is the podcast for anyone who has ever felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health and hormone health to autoimmune disease and chronic pain, we investigate what science actually says. We examine functional medicine, holistic health, and alternative medicine with the same skeptical If it’s pseudoscience, we’ll call it. If it’s medical gaslighting, patient advocacy failure, or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too. For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers, and wellness skeptics WE OFFER  No filters. No BS. Just the truth your doctor didn’t have time to tell you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 226: Itchy & Bitchy ClinicCrawl: Plastic in Your Penis and Herpes Contagion (00:00:11) Welcome to Itchy and BITCHI (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pets Supplements (00:01:02) Microplastics in the Human Body (00:04:38) Shingles and Canine Quarantine (00:08:00) Closing Remarks and Contact Information (00:08:23) Follow and Contact Information Scientists have confirmed microplastics are now showing up in human penile tissue, with four out of five samples from men with erectile dysfunction containing seven different types of microplastics. Microplastics have also been detected in human brain, placenta, and testes .... because apparently your body is now a landfill. Meanwhile, everyone's favorite lurking virus is back for revenge: shingles itself isn't contagious, but the varicella-zoster virus absolutely can spread to ONLY people who NEVER had chickenpox or the Vaccine.  Visit itchyandbitchy.com From gut health and hormone health to autoimmune disease and chronic pain, we investigate what science actually says. We examine functional medicine, holistic health, and alternative medicine with the same skeptical If it’s pseudoscience, we’ll call it. If it’s medical gaslighting, patient advocacy failure, or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too. For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers, and wellness skeptics WE OFFER  No filters. No BS. Just the truth your doctor didn’t have time to tell you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

GLP-1 was completely under estimated by the medical community and has turned out to be ALMOST a MIRACLE therapy for ALMOST everything. We review how we got this SO wrong and missed the potential of this therapy and ALL of the NEW and POTENTIAAL benefits. We also review the down side and potential Adverse Effects - Mild to Deadly .... From gut health and hormone health to autoimmune disease and chronic pain, we investigate what science actually says. We examine functional medicine, holistic health, and alternative medicine with the same skeptical If it’s pseudoscience, we’ll call it. If it’s medical gaslighting, patient advocacy failure, or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too. For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers, and wellness skeptics WE OFFER  No filters. No BS. Just the truth your doctor didn’t have time to tell you. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS

(00:00:00) 224: DOCs Itchy&Bitchy Answer YOUR Questions - Global Edition! (00:00:11) Welcome to Itchy and Bitchy (00:00:42) Doc Itchy Medical Pets Supplements (00:02:32) Hormone Replacement and GLP-1: Navigating Medical Decisions (00:08:06) Brain Fog and Alzheimer's: When to Worry (00:11:11) Menopause in Dogs: A Misunderstanding (00:16:48) The Truth About Alcohol Consumption (00:22:10) GLP-1 and Addiction: A Complex Discussion (00:27:41) Probiotics: The Unknown Frontier (00:32:05) Closing Thoughts on Supplements and Health Ask Docs Itchy&Bitchy: Your Questions on Weight, Hormones, and the GLP-1 additction ... You're writing in from everywhere, and your questions don't hold back, so neither will we. Why is your dog carrying extra weight even though nothing about mealtime has changed? On the human side: does Ozempic actually rewire your brain's reward system, not just your appetite? Emerging research says GLP-1 drugs quiet the same dopamine pathway that drives cravings for food, alcohol, and drugs which raises a wild question we're tackling this season: could a diabetes drug end up treating addiction? We're also digging into whether "Ozempic personality changes" are real, why weight-loss drugs hit women differently at midlife, and what nobody's telling you about pet supplements. Got a question? Send it — nothing's off limits. Visit itchyandbitchy.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/itchy-and-bitchy-podcast--4303608/support. Itchy & Bitchy: Have you felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, or gaslit by a broken medical system.  From gut health, hormones, autoimmune disease, chronic pain, holistic health, and alternative medicine ... medical gaslighting, patient advocacy , or misdiagnosis we’ll call that too.  For chronic illness warriors, self-advocacy seekers: WE OFFER  No BS