This week on Calling in Sick, I'm sitting down with THE Dr. Linda Bluestein (!!!). She’s a board-certified physician, hypermobility specialist, host of the Bendy Bodies podcast, and someone who didn't get her own hEDS diagnosis until her 50s.
We're diving into:
🦴 What hypermobility actually is — and the four types most people have never heard of (peripheral, localized, generalized, and historical)
🩺 Dr. Bluestein's personal journey — from teenage ballerina with chronic injuries to anesthesiologist to hypermobility specialist, and the Tarlov cyst surgery that finally connected all the dots
⏱️ The 17-year literature lag — why it takes nearly two decades for published research to reach clinical practice, and the cost to patients NOW
🧠 Central sensitization — why pain begets pain in hypermobile bodies, and how the nervous system gets rewired over time
🛠️ The MENS-PMMS framework — Dr. Bluestein's approach to managing hypermobility (try these TODAY!!)
💊 Dr. Bluestein’s TOP 3 high-impact tools (!!!) — LDN, vitamin D optimization, and magnesium
🔮 The new EDS criteria — what's changing, what it means for the community, and Dr. Bluestein's role in the International Consortium on EDS
xx,
Alex
💬 Comment: What is something YOU are constantly doing to make yourself more comfortable throughout the day that you don’t even think about?!
TIMESTAMPS:
Intro:
00:00:00 Welcome back to Calling in Sick!
Hypermobility, Pain & Dr. Bluestein’s Diagnosis Story:
00:01:34 Defining Joint Hypermobility & Muscle Guarding
00:04:45 Types of Hypermobility: Peripheral, Localized, Generalized & Historical
00:07:05 Dr. Bluestein's Story: Ballet, Early Illness, and Diagnosis
Why Patients Struggle Getting a Diagnosis:
00:17:08 Connecting Connective Tissue Disorders to Systemic Symptoms 00:19:30 Why Hypermobility Is Misdiagnosed
00:28:15 Why patients see normal labs and normal imaging but have symptoms + the Role of Systemic Interconnectedness
00:29:46 The Spectrum of Hypermobility: From Dancers to Bedbound Patients
00:33:00 The Psychological Toll of Medical Gaslighting
How to Manage Hypermobility:
00:35:36 Proactive Management: The MEN'S PMMS Framework
00:37:03 Building Momentum with the 10% Rule
00:39:53 Reapproaching Movement & Avoiding Kinesiophobia
00:42:06 Overcoming Pain Catastrophization & Reclaiming Power
00:44:18 Reclaiming Agency Through Micro-Joys
00:48:05 High-Impact Interventions: Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
00:50:10 Optimizing Vitamin D & Magnesium Levels
00:53:28 Central Sensitization, Neuroinflammation & Unique Pain Wiring
The 411 on the New EDS Criteria:
01:03:43 Insights on the New EDS Criteria & Community Advocacy
Conclusion:
01:09:48 One Brain Cell Show: Slow Horses (Apple TV+) & Clarkson's Farm (Prime Video)
01:14:27 Thank you for listening!
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Connect with our guest, Dr. Linda Bluestein:
• Instagram, Personal - https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hypermobilityMD
• Website - https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/
• Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@BendyBodiesPodcast
• Instagram, Podcast - • Instagram, Personal - https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/
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Produced by: Alexandra Wildeson — https://www.instagram.com/alexandrawildeson/
Powered by: Just Media House — https://www.justmediahouse.com/
#Hypermobility #hEDS #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #JointHypermobility #BendyBodies #DrLindaBluestein #ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #POTS #MCAS #CentralSensitization #LowDoseNaltrexone #MedicalGaslighting #SpoonieLife #InvisibleIllness #ConnectiveTissueDisorder #TarlovCyst #CallingInSickPodcast #AlexWildeson
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