Tools to Overcome Crippling Social Anxiety

Many people don’t understand the severity of crippling social anxiety, and how it can prevent individuals from seeking experiences that might involve social interaction. People don’t just experience anxiety in social settings, but before and after those interactions as well. This anxiety manifests as fear of being watched, judged and Read more…

Living with Histamine Intolerance

Many people suffer from seasonal allergies, or have experienced some form of environmental sensitivity in their lives. But for Elizabeth, navigating the world with histamine intolerance means she must be constantly vigilant about the foods and environments she is exposed to. Histamine intolerance sounds like a sensitivity to histamine, but Read more…

Beginning the Diagnostic Journey for a Mystery Illness

Mak lived with health issues for years, but didn’t realize she might have an underlying illness until Covid-19 shut down the world. A musical theater performer and dancer, Mak was accustomed to her body being in pain after strenuous use and assumed it was normal. But when the world went Read more…

Living with Multiple Diagnoses and Multiple Mysteries

Stacey experiences a wide variety of complex health issues that impact her daily life. Doctors have diagnosed and labeled her with many things, including autoimmune diabetes, fibromyalgia, severe anxiety with agoraphobia, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Living inside such a multifaceted symptom picture has been extremely challenging, especially since doctors can’t Read more…

Living with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)

Six weeks before finishing her residency in internal medicine, Summer started experiencing bizarre neurological symptoms in her left leg. Instead of focusing on becoming a doctor she suddenly became the patient, searching for answers to her mysterious symptoms. Summer was initially misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, learning years later that she Read more…

Living with the EDS Triad: Ehlers-Danlos, POTS and Mast Cell Disease

As a child, Morgan didn’t realize it was unusual to be in constant pain. She thought it was normal for joints to constantly pop out of place, to be hyper sensitive to foods and environmental factors, and to experience constant dizzy spells with risk of fainting. As she got older Read more…

Living with a Pituitary Adenoma

Three years ago Andi Alhadeff was stricken with a sudden influx of intrusive thoughts, a condition often associated with OCD, along with extreme anxiety and nausea. Blood tests showed elevated prolactin, a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. Further testing revealed that Andi had a pituitary adenoma (or prolactinoma), a Read more…

Yael

Living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Like millions of others in the US, Yael lives with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). As is often the case, Yael experienced the effects of this disorder from an early age, her reality being that of constant worry and intruding thoughts of disaster. It was not until receiving her GAD diagnosis Read more…

Living in Recovery from Drug Addiction and Alcoholism

Kenny Alhadeff is the chairman of Elttaes Enterprises, the Alhadeff Family Charitable Fund and a Broadway producer. He is also a drug addict and alcoholic, who has been successfully living in recovery for 36 years. In this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Kenny shares the story of learning to Read more…

Living with Seasonal Affective Disorder

Like many living in the Pacific Northwest, pediatric nurse Cara Pierson suffers from seasonal affective disorder, a type of seasonal depression that coincides with the winter months each year. As the science around mental health continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly clear just how much we don’t understand about the Read more…