Your Health Toolkit

Today’s episode is about sex drives and aging, a topic that isn’t talked about enough if you ask me. As we age, certain things are expected to wain - our health, our energy, and our desire for intimacy. But for many people, a healthy sex drive is very important, both for themselves, and their relationships. According to a recent study of adults between the ages of 65 and 80 years old, more than 50 percent of men and 30 percent of women reported being sexually active - and in truth, more might want to be.
But even if that’s true, having a conversation with your doctor about sex in your 60s and beyond might feel awkward and uncomfortable for many. And that’s why we’ve put this episode together today, with some great experts and plenty of knowledge to help get you - and your libido - where you want to be.
With me in the studio are Dr. Anthony Pascucci and Dr. Mary Tracey from our practice, Collaborative Natural Health Partners in Connecticut.
Dr. Pascucci is a Naturopathic Physician with a focus on gastrointestinal disorders, men’s health issues, and chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and diabetes. He honors the power of the mind and body to heal using traditional naturopathic techniques married with modern functional medicine testing and clinical nutrition.
Dr. Tracey is also a Naturopathic Physician whose areas of focus include women’s health, pain management, and chronic disease intervention. She is passionate about the inner workings of the human body and utilizes methods that promote long-term states of health and wellness for her patients.
Additional resources mentioned in the show:
www.menopause.org
www.isswsh.org

Here on Your Health Toolkit, we often talk about how conventional and naturopathic medicine can play complementary roles in our overall health. We call this “collaborative medicine” and through the work that we do at Collaborative Natural Health Partners, we are able to give people the knowledge and the tools they need to feel great every single day. If you’re interested in learning more, head over to our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram for information, articles, and resources to take the guesswork out of your health.
Your Health Toolkit is a podcast presented for general information and educational purposes only. The discussions presented by Dr. Lauren Young and the show’s guests should not be considered medical advice but rather a conversation starter with your doctor. Everyone’s body is unique, and we recommend having a discussion with your personal healthcare team before trying anything discussed on the show.

Welcome to the show! Today we are talking about inflammation which is pretty buzzy in the medical world right now. It seems like every ailment we talk about has some kind of link to inflammation both as a cause and a symptom, which is interesting because it's certainly not new. So what is the deal with inflammation? Why are we suddenly so obsessed with it? Is it as bad as it’s portrayed or is there more to the story?
That’s what we are going to chat about today with two fantastic experts that we are thrilled to introduce you to.
Dr. Julia Vitali is an Osteopathic Physician who practices alongside me at Collaborative Natural Health Partners in Connecticut. Dr. Vitali lives and breathes an integrative approach to medicine and she uses a lot of bodywork in her practice to ensure that her patients can move freely and heal naturally.
Dr. Nick Edgerton is a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist who has a fantastic background in botanical medicine, from wildcrafting in Jamaica to his own backyard to nutrigenomics where he studies how nutrients and herbs impact gene expression.

Here on Your Health Toolkit, we often talk about how conventional and naturopathic medicine can play complementary roles in our overall health. We call this “collaborative medicine” and through the work that we do at Collaborative Natural Health Partners, we are able to give people the knowledge and the tools they need to feel great every single day. If you’re interested in learning more, head over to our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram for information, articles, and resources to take the guesswork out of your health.
Your Health Toolkit is a podcast presented for general information and educational purposes only. The discussions presented by Dr. Lauren Young and the show’s guests should not be considered medical advice but rather a conversation starter with your doctor. Everyone’s body is unique, and we recommend having a discussion with your personal healthcare team before trying anything discussed on the show.

If you’re feeling extra nervous, stressed, or just not yourself these days, you aren’t alone. According to the most recent Pew Research Center analysis, four-in-ten U.S. adults have experienced high levels of psychological distress at least once since the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. That’s 41% of Americans and the percentage skyrockets to 58% when you isolate the data to people aged 18 to 29.

This data is terrifying and what makes it even harder to grapple with is that our healthcare community is already under so much pressure. People are feeling the effects of mental health issues more frequently and younger, and the resources to combat them are harder to come by. With so much demand, quick fixes in the form of anti-depressants are becoming the go-to solution. A study referenced by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in the UK found anti-depressant prescriptions rose by 35% in six years and yet another study published by U.S. News & World Report in 2022 found that anti-depressant use over time may do little to improve the overall quality of life.

So where are we with all of this? Are there ways that we can help ourselves to find some calm, alleviate our symptoms, and teach ourselves how to repair in a more beneficial way for our long-term health?

Dr. Julia Vitali is an Osteopathic Physician who practices alongside me at Collaborative Natural Health Partners in Connecticut. Dr. Vitali lives and breathes an integrative approach to medicine and uses a lot of bodywork and mental health practices to help her patients achieve optimum wellbeing.

Dr. Megan Fortin is a Naturopathic Physician and she is passionate about individualized care and works to treat the whole person while utilizing clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, and lifestyle counseling.
A few resources that are mentioned in the show:
Dr. Young's book pick "Listening to Depression" by Dr. Lara Honos-Webb
Find a Therapist at

Here on Your Health Toolkit, we often talk about how conventional and naturopathic medicine can play complementary roles in our overall health. We call this “collaborative medicine” and through the work that we do at Collaborative Natural Health Partners, we are able to give people the knowledge and the tools they need to feel great every single day. If you’re interested in learning more, head over to our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram for information, articles, and resources to take the guesswork out of your health.
Your Health Toolkit is a podcast presented for general information and educational purposes only. The discussions presented by Dr. Lauren Young and the show’s guests should not be considered medical advice but rather a conversation starter with your doctor. Everyone’s body is unique, and we recommend having a discussion with your personal healthcare team before trying anything discussed on the show.

Difficulty using the bathroom, painful sex, lower back pain? These might sound like average post-partum symptoms or even another delight of aging. But what many people don’t know is that there is another, lesser-known medical issue that could be the root cause.

Pelvic floor dysfunction affects one in every three women and it’s a problem that many general practitioners and even OB/GYN’s fail to address. We see this issue so frequently in our practice that we decided to dedicate an entire show to it! Our goal today is to ensure that people don’t feel embarrassed by pelvic floor issues and that they talk about it with their doctor to get help.

So let’s get right into it. It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to our experts.

Dr. Mary Tracey is a Naturopathic Physician whose areas of focus include women’s health, pain management, and chronic disease intervention. She is passionate about the inner workings of the human body and utilizes methods that promote long-term states of health and wellness for her patients. She is also certified in holistic pelvic care.

Dr. Jennifer Loos is a highly skilled physical therapist and the owner of Worthy of Wellness PT. With over 16 years of experience in the field, her passion for women's health was sparked by her firsthand experience with physically challenging pregnancies and postpartum pain. Jennifer has completed several specialized courses in women’s health and pelvic health and is a member of a Global Pelvic Health Alliance.

Here on Your Health Toolkit, we often talk about how conventional and naturopathic medicine can play complementary roles in our overall health. We call this “collaborative medicine” and through the work that we do at Collaborative Natural Health Partners, we are able to give people the knowledge and the tools they need to feel great every single day. If you’re interested in learning more, head over to our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram for information, articles, and resources to take the guesswork out of your health.
Your Health Toolkit is a podcast presented for general information and educational purposes only. The discussions presented by Dr. Lauren Young and the show’s guests should not be considered medical advice but rather a conversation starter with your doctor. Everyone’s body is unique, and we recommend having a discussion with your personal healthcare team before trying anything discussed on the show.

Welcome to Your Health Toolkit. My name is Dr. Lauren Young and I am thrilled to have you with me.

Here on the podcast, you’ll meet a group of doctors who are so passionate about educating our patients that we decided to make a show about it. Our goal is to empower you to ask questions about your body and get the answers you need to improve your health every day.

You are going to hear us talk a lot about collaborative medicine which is an approach that might be a bit different from what you’re used to. As physicians, we believe in teaming up with our patients and working together to optimize their overall well-being. Our philosophy creates a bridge between conventional primary care and naturopathic medicine to create an integrative approach. It’s a “best of both worlds” model that offers so many resources, modalities, and tools to improve every aspect of your wellness.

Each episode of Your Health Toolkit will tackle a different topic and I’ll be bringing in specific experts to talk about what’s ailing people. From common problems like fatigue, pain, and anxiety to more intricate diagnoses, we dig deep into both the root cause and potential solutions to help you feel better.

We hope that Your Health Toolkit will be a resource to answer your questions and give you the confidence to take your health into your own hands. So dive into an episode and feel free to send us a message to suggest a topic for a future show. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Here on Your Health Toolkit, we often talk about how conventional and naturopathic medicine can play complementary roles in our overall health. We call this “collaborative medicine” and through the work that we do at Collaborative Natural Health Partners, we are able to give people the knowledge and the tools they need to feel great every single day. If you’re interested in learning more, head over to our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram for information, articles, and resources to take the guesswork out of your health.
Your Health Toolkit is a podcast presented for general information and educational purposes only. The discussions presented by Dr. Lauren Young and the show’s guests should not be considered medical advice but rather a conversation starter with your doctor. Everyone’s body is unique, and we recommend having a discussion with your personal healthcare team before trying anything discussed on the show.