Ep 154: How Women Can FINALLY Get Doctors to Listen (And Take Control of Their Health)

Have you ever felt dismissed by a healthcare professional when discussing your symptoms? What strategies can women use to advocate for themselves in the face of gaslighting?

WARNING: This episode may contain discussions of medical trauma, sexual assault, and gaslighting within the healthcare system. If you're sensitive to these topics or feeling vulnerable, please listen with care, or feel free to skip this episode.

Today, Philip (@witsandweights) invited two women from the Wits & Weights community, Elizabeth and Brienne, who have firsthand experience with medical gaslighting and will share their stories. Liz, a medical professional herself, will share her journey of fighting for a hypothyroidism diagnosis at a young age when doctors didn't believe it was possible. And Bree will detail her decade-long battle with mysterious symptoms before finally getting to the root of her hormone issues. They also talk about the incredible resilience and self-advocacy of women like Liz and Bree, who had to fight for the care they deserved.

If you've ever had a doctor make you doubt your own reality, if you've ever been made to feel like your pain wasn't real or your concerns weren't valid, this episode is for you. As a nutrition coach, Philip supports everyone's complete agency and advocacy of their health.

If you ARE a healthcare provider, we hope this conversation will be a call to action to ensure you're listening to, hearing, and validating what your patients are telling you. It's time for women to be heard, believed, and properly cared for the way we all want to be.

Today, you’ll learn all about:

4:14 How they found the Wits & Weights community
7:03 Elizabeth's story of hypothyroidism at a young age
12:44 Brienne's decade-long journey before hormone issues were identified
16:30 The emotional toll of having health concerns repeatedly dismissed
26:17 Strategies for self-advocacy and pushing for proper testing/diagnosis
29:01 Red flags and signs that a patient is being medically gaslit
38:12 Advice for listeners facing similar struggles with being heard by doctors
43:36 Thoughts on holistic and functional doctors (alternative / complementary medicine)
48:15 The power of sharing stories to validate others and spark change
55:45 How to connect with Liz and Brienne
56:15 Outro

Episode resources:

• Brienne on IG – @ModernMountainHomestead
• Liz on IG – @fitnurseliz3

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👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram