Episodes

In this Bendy Bodies podcast episode, we discuss food for EDS dancers (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes) and hypermobility with guest, Kristin Koskinen, RDN. Do you love a fresh start? Have you ever made a new year's resolution and th...

Why are hypermobility disorders painful and what can be done about it? When discussing conditions associated with hypermobility, like Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), pain is often myst...

Living with hypermobility disorders often means learning to live with chronic pain, and as pain is a whole-person experience - physical, emotional, and mental - it stands to reason that pain can have a profound influence on e...

Dr. Jill Schofield, founder and director of the Center for Multisystem Disease, is back to discuss multisystemic diseases and what she wishes everyone knew about them. She offers insight into how to get better care (and what ...

In this second interview with Dr. Svetlana Blitshteyn, board-certified neurologist and director of the Dysautonomia Clinic, we go beyond identifying common disorders such as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), a...

Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used to describe disorders of the autonomic nervous system (which controls all the automatic functions of the body like blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, temperature regulation, etc.). Dr...

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects tens of millions of people each year. Dancers and other high-level athletes are often at higher risk due to low body weight, increased time indoors, and suboptimal nutritional support. R...

In this second interview with Bendy Bodies host Dr. Linda Bluestein, she explores the realities of living with a connective tissue disorder. As a renowned hypermobility expert, Dr. Bluestein discusses issues that can exist al...

How do you prepare a hypermobile student for the rigors of the professional dance world, finding that balance of exploring their gifts while moving cautiously to avoid injury? In this episode, we are joined by Mariaelena Ruiz...

For people working with artistic athletes such as dancers, circus artists, and gymnasts, training the hypermobile body brings its own set of challenges. Shepherding a “wonky body” through healthy training may feel overwhelmin...

Extreme flexibility has permeated social media and influenced every physical art form, from dance to ice skating and of course circus arts. As artistic athletes are asked to explore greater and more unstable end ranges of mot...

Hypermobility is often desired in dancers for the long, beautiful lines it affords. But hypermobility adds its own challenges to dancers seeking a long, healthy career on the stage. In this episode, we chat with principal dan...

Nowhere is flexibility and hypermobility more valued and explored than in the circus arts! But while circus artists are highly skilled and extremely strong, working in extreme end ranges of motion comes with its own set of is...

Many conditions found in "bendy" people have a neurologic basis, impacting both the brain and nervous system. In this Bendy Bodies episode, Dr. Ilene Ruhoy, the Medical Director and Founder of the Center for Healing Neurology...

World renowned expert in autoimmune disorders and the Founder and Director of the Center for Multisystem Disease, Dr. Jill Schofield, generously chatted with us in a recent interview. Autoimmunity (dysregulation of the immune...

In this episode, guest co-host Jennifer Milner interviews Bendy Bodies’ own host, Dr. Linda Bluestein! Hypermobility disorders can be frustratingly hard to diagnose or even define. From symptomatic joint laxity to connective ...

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Dancing with a hypermobile body brings its own set of challenges, from a general lack of stability to a slower recovery time. As a young pre-professional, a dancer might not understand why she must find conscious strength bef...

Your DNA holds many secrets. Why do drugs work on some people and not on others? Why are conditions expressed so differently in different family members? How might hypermobility disorders, dysautonomia (like POTS) and Mast...

PLEASE NOTE***: The following episode was recorded in mid-April 2020, just four weeks after the World Health Organization declared the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes the disease known as COVID-19) as a global pa...

Traits that can make a dancer so valuable in the dance world - drive, perfectionism, obsessing over details - also put them at higher risk for mental health disorders. And while physical health resources become ever more comm...

While many dancers strive to fuel healthily, making the most out of your meals can be overwhelming. In today’s world especially, dancers need strong immune systems and healthy bodies ready for whatever challenge may come next...

Dancers train constantly to attain peak performance, working long hours to achieve physical and artistic perfection. Unfortunately, mental health is often sacrificed for that perfection. Terry Hyde, former dancer with the Roy...

Hypermobility can affect every joint, but perhaps the most complicated one to understand and train is the hip. With a high prevalence of hip injuries in hypermobile dancers and athletes, proper diagnosis and treatment is crit...