Sensitivity to light, sounds, and sometimes smells, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes hours spent in darkened rooms. If you suffer from migraines, then you're all too familiar with these symptoms, which may affect you infrequently or as often as several times each week. Migraines are three times more common among women than men, and are worse prematurely and in menopause when women may experience them for the first time. But it's not just the numbers that are different, women are perceived and treated differently.
Today I'm sharing the rich and relevant conversation I had with Dr. Joanna Kempner, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Rutgers, who is doing important work on gender politics and pain, specifically the striking difference between how men and women with pain are treated by doctors.
In this episode, we explore the historical emergence of the 'migraine personality,' hysteria, and further disparities in pain treatment for women of color. We explore the societal factors that lead women to feel guilty for speaking up about their pain, whether it be chronic pain caused by a condition like migraine or acute pain for example, with a heart attack, and the ways that the stigma of pain affects pain research and the implications of this for the current and future treatment of women's pain.
Joanna and I discuss:
Tune in to learn why these disparities in pain treatment still exist, how they are affecting our care, and how we can address this in our own lives.
Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow your host on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Check out Joanna’s incredible work and grab a copy of her book Not Tonight: Migraine and the Politics of Gender and Health at www.joannakempner.com
70 Bacterial Vaginosis - What’s a Gal to Do?
69 Why Condoms Are a Women’s Issue
68 No Appetite for Bullying
67 Healing Arthritis Naturally
66 Healing Menstrual Pain Naturally
65 Taina Asili - Music of Resistance & Resilience
64 Vaginal Ecology - What You Need to Know
63 Natural Remedies for Kids' Ear Infections
62 Mindy Green - The Healing Power of Plants
61 The Pill - What You Need to Know That Your Doctor Probably Didn't Tell You
60 Herbs and Supplements for Migraine Prevention
59 Supporting Your Thyroid Under Stress
58 Meet The OB Speaking Out on the US Cesarean Section Rate
57 Could You Have Histamine Intolerance?
56 10 Things Your Brain Fog Could Be Telling You
55 Terry Wahls - Eating for Life
54 Adaptogens & Burnout - A Good Combination?
53 UTI - The Natural Approach
52 WTF is MTHFR?
51 FLO Living with Alisa Vitti
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good Mood Revolution
HyberNation: Sleep Stories and Meditations
The Fertility Conversations Podcast
Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep
The Gary Null Show
Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories