Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

Today’s episode will be about how Physical Therapy can help with Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). I will share with you what POP is, its types, the best providers who can help you with this, and how physical therapy plays a role in helping you heal from POP.

So many people suffer from POP and they may think that it is normal or common with aging, but know that although it is common, it is never normal and it can be treated! Don’t live your life being limited by POP so listen to this episode so you can learn more about how to deal with it!

Let’s discuss:

• Some exciting announcements!
• Introduction to today’s topic
• What is Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) and the different types of prolapse
• What I am able to do and not do as a pelvic floor physical therapist and how I do the assessments
• How POP can sometimes be over diagnosed for normal movement and how do I assess this as a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
• When is POP really a POP
• When is it appropriate for Pelvic Floor Physical Therapists to refer or co-manage patients with POP
• A visualization of how POP happens
• Devices that you can use to support your POP
• How can physical therapists work on the conservative aspect of POP
• When will you need a pessary or surgery
• Conclusion

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!

Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

Today’s episode will be a bit different as I am sharing with you an episode where I was a guest. The podcast is called Babywearing & Breastfeeding: Nurturing Miracles by Meagan Pa, a lactation consultant. We will be talking a lot about pelvic floor physical therapy, its importance, postpartum care, and so much more in this episode so I hope you give this a listen so you can learn a thing or two about your body!

Let’s discuss:

• Introduction for Dr. Shirlea North: What led her to become a physical therapist
• The Pelvic Floor: What is it and why is it important especially for women during pregnancy
• Dr. Shirlea North on Kegels
• Why would you want to figure out your pelvic floor status and how it impacts birth according to Megan
• Dr. Shirlea North on preparing the tissues by getting into different positions and stretching them, does pregnancy hormones help the tissues, and if it’s enough for the pelvic floor muscles
• Accessing the pelvic floor muscles internally versus externally
• Dr. Shirlea North on postpartum: Works that need to be done to strengthen the pelvic muscles again
• Megan on tests that moms can take postpartum and how to take care of yourself while taking care of your babyPre-birth and postpartum pelvic floor care for moms who gave birth via C-section versus moms who gave birth vaginally
• Dr. Shirlea North on whether women still deal with incontinence issues when they gave birth via C-section
• Dr. Shirlea North on diet: Does it affect the pelvic floor as well?
• Dr. Shirlea North on pain with sex postpartum: What’s normal and what’s not through looking at the biomechanical aspect
• Dr. Shirlea on ways to pay her for her services on pelvic health and the difference in terms of patient care between cash-based practice and insurance-based practice
• Dr. Shirlea North on how she does virtual visits/evaluation
• Conclusion and where can you find Dr. Shirlea North

Know more about Megan here: https://holisticlactation.com/

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!

Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

Today’s episode will depart a little bit from the usual pelvic and lymphatic health that I talk about in this podcast. I will be sharing with you all about cash-based vs insurance-based Physical Therapy as this is a question I get asked about a lot!

I get asked by new clients and even returning clients that’s why I wanted to share this topic with you in this episode so that you gain some insight regarding this matter. That way, you are able to understand the pros and cons of both of these ways to access Physical Therapy and make an informed decision in which route to take!

Let’s discuss:

• Introduction to today’s topic
• Insurance-based: What is it, how it works, aspects you need to consider, and things you need to know about your insurance
• Things you need to know and what to expect when you go to an Insurance-based Physical Therapy Clinic
• Cash-based: What is it, how it works, and things you need to know about cash
• Things you need to know and what to expect when you go to a Cash-based Physical Therapy Clinic
• What I tell my potential clients when they ask me if I accept insurance
• Getting to know other providers around me to best serve clients
• Behind-the-scenes stuff in an insurance-based clinic versus what happens in a cash-based clinic
• Conclusion

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!

Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

Today’s episode is all about constipation. This is a topic we don’t always want to talk about but it is very important to know more about it. I will share with you some quick fixes to help you if you are suffering from constipation.

Please listen to this episode so that you can help yourself have better bowel movement! Should you continue to have difficulties even after trying out the quick fixes I have outlined for you, you can always reach out to me so we can schedule you for an appointment and we can assess what is happening to your bowel movement!

Let’s discuss:

• Introduction to today’s topic
• What is constipation
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Bowel frequency
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Bowel consistency
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Hydration, intake, and medications
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Dietary and fiber
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Your anatomy and toilet position
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Breathe!
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Bowel massages
• Things you need to consider in terms of constipation: Mobility
• Conclusion

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!

Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

Lymphedema Day is celebrated in March, and as a Certified Lymphedema Therapist, I want to share with you about the conservative treatments that you can take if you have Lymphedema and/or Lipedema. One of my passions is working with people who are diagnosed or have symptoms in relation to Lymphedma or Lipedema that is why letting you know about the conservative avenues is near and dear to my heart. Note that for both Lymphedema and Lipedema, surgical interventions may be an option, but it is not always the route to choose.

Please listen to this episode so that you can empower yourself and make informed decisions when tackling Lymphedema or Lipedema for yourself or for someone you love!

Let’s discuss:

• Introduction to today’s topic
• What are conservative treatments
• Compression Garments
• Manual Lymphatic Drainage
• Dry Brushing Technique
• Compression Pump
• Hydration and Diet Intake
• How your lifestyle and food choices affect inflammation
• Mobility as a conservative treatment
• Vibration plates as a conservative treatment
• Conclusion

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!

Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

I am super excited for this episode as we will be talking about the Lipolymphedema team. Let’s talk about what Lipolymphedema is and who composes the team and what you should expect.

It would be great if you listen to this episode so that you know about the medical practitioners who must be a part of your village when dealing with this condition. These practitioners will work together to maximize the benefits and outcomes for their patients!

Let’s discuss:

• Introduction to today’s topic
• What is lipolymphedema
• The key players who should be part of your lipo-lymphedema treatment and journey and the role of each
• Conclusion

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!

Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

February is National Self-Care month that’s why for this episode, we will still be discussing about how you can take better care of yourself. Specifically, we will be talking about how we can live up to self-care through a biopsychosocial approach within the healthcare system. I’ll also be talking about what is a physical therapist’s role using this approach!

This is a new wave of thinking and there’s a ton of research supporting it. I truly want you to give this episode a listen so you can learn more about it and how the “bio,” the “psycho,” and the “social” sections are all intertwined and affect your health!

Let’s discuss:

• Introduction to today’s topic
• The biopsychosocial approach in physical therapy
• The “bio” section, what does it mean, and what it encompasses in terms of one’s wellness being
• The “psycho” section, what does it mean, and what it encompasses in terms of one’s wellness being
• The “social” section, what does it mean, and what it encompasses in terms of one’s wellness being
• Conclusion

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!

Hey there, welcome to the NorthStar Physical Therapy podcast!

I am your host, Dr. Shirlea North and I dive into lymphedema, lipedema, and various pelvic health dysfunctions. My goal is to provide to you a better way to understand these conditions so that you empower yourself with knowledge to advocate for yourself. Let NorthStar Physical Therapy guide and navigate you on your journey to optimal health!

Today’s episode will be all about self-care. We are still in the self-reflection mode for this episode, just like the ones you listened to in the past week. I want you to ask these questions to see if you are truly taking care of yourself!

I’ll help you understand the importance of taking care of not only the physical health, but also your emotional and mental health. Further, let’s dive deep into the considerations you have to look into so you can implement a self-care routine effectively!

I hope you listen to this episode so you can start taking care of yourself for you to better care for the people around you and live a high quality life!

Let’s discuss:

• Introduction to today’s topic
• What happens emotionally and mentally when we don’t take care of our physical body
• The power of breathing
• Factors to take into consideration when implementing a self-care routine
• The active stress management and controlling the controllable
• Simple ways that you can do in your day-to-day and incorporate into your self-care routine
• The importance of self-awareness in taking care of yourself
• Little ways that I do to take care of myself
• Conclusion

Check out the website for the services we perform or send me a message at Facebook or Instagram!

If you have any questions about this episode or anything related to the services that we offer, please feel free to reach out so we can help you.

If you have other topics in mind that you want me to talk about, hit me up and I’ll make sure to consider it for my next podcast!

See you in 2 weeks!