The Optimal Body Podcast

Diving into nutritional and training considerations through menstruation to post-menopause. #womenarenotsmallmen. Dr. Stacy Sims discusses why you may lose your period, and how to get it back. She explains what to eat during and post-exercises and why eating times matter for women. She deciphers how to optimize nutrition and training during the menstrual cycle. Moreover, she addresses the fad diets that are non-beneficial for women, transferability issues in research, and how to optimize the perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause phase of life.

DocJen & Dr.Dom discuss if taping or manual therapy actually puts the kneecap back into alignment, the extent to which the appearance of structure actually matters, and the anatomy and physiology surrounding the patella. They provide insight into how symptoms can rise with patella tracking, how to begin addressing your patella tracking, and how to focus on function over appearance. Finally, they address the VMO muscle and explain how it integrates with the rehabilitation of patella tracking-related issues. Let’s tune in!

Dr. Chris Daprato walks us through his path to and experience with cupping. Soon after, he deciphers the science behind cupping, addressing range of motion, blood circulation, and fascial lubrication. Then, Dr. Chris explains the term ‘fascial decompression,’ and how cupping can pull in fascial slings. Furthermore, he debunks myths around cup coloration, the ultimate goal of cupping, and his best tips on how to perform cupping on yourself. He provides insight into heat and non-heat cups.

DocJen & Dr. Dom decipher the massage gun and the mechanism behind it function in a simple manner. They hay down the truths about how massage guns truly work within the body and its effects on range of motion, debunking myths. Finally, they provide insight into when to use massage guns, and how to choose the best soft-tissue tool depending on different intentions.

In this episode, Dr. Kyle unpacks pain science and how it relates to the nervous system. With a high emphasis on protection and survival, Dr. Karl deciphers how modulating pain relates to breathing, novel movement, stress threshold. He discusses the dichotomy on the origin of pain, the role neuro-tricks play in the rehabilitation process, how tools can optimize an individual’s rehabilitation journey, and how touch may help you pain.

In this episode, DocJen & Dr. Dom present the literature and statistics on the prevalence of chronic instability. They discuss the preditors, the anatomy, the different types of ankle sprains, the tests, and the symptoms that can indicate chronicity. They describe how instability may present in the ankle, and guide you on how to prevent ankle re-injury.

In this episode, Cara speaks about her path to nutrition, provides simple principles that focus on nutritionally optimizing health, and the benefits of the elimination-reintroduction techniques to creating an individualized program for you. She redefines success as her challenge, suggests the benefits of food-logging, and provides tips into committing to a challenge to kickstart your journey and educate yourself. Finally, she discusses 2 ways eating according to season is optimal. Join in on her hormone health challenge!

In this episode, DocJen & Dr. Dom break down IT band anatomy, its function, and explain how symptoms can arise from the IT band. They address foam rolling and how to optimize it for the IT band, why it is common for runners, and 3 ways to address your symptoms. Let’s build from the inside out!

In this episode, Dr. Liz Letchford, Athletic Trainer with a P.h.D in Kinesiology, uncovers the current perspectives on how trauma impacts pain and performance, shares an empowering example, and the importance of getting to the root cause of your chronic pain. Furthermore, she provides her top tips to understanding if your pain has a deeper emotional root cause, and addressing it, because “it likely does.”

In this episode, DocJen & Dr.Dom describe the anatomy and physiology of the Piriformis. They explain what may be happening and the possible causes of your pain. Debunking common misconceptions about stretching, digging into the piriformis, and whether your Piriformis is truly the culprit, they provide their step-by-step process to approaching your piriformis syndrome.