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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InVite Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH: [00:00:40] Now let’s pick up where I left off on Part 1, where we were talking about sexual dysfunction, how this affects over 40% of women, over 30% of men. Those numbers are probably not exactly accurate because, as I mentioned, a lot of people don’t like to talk about this, even with their physicians. Men are more likely to speak with their physician about this than women. Women will go and speak with their physician about premenopausal, postmenopausal symptoms that they’re having. But generally speaking, when it comes to issues with sexual dysfunction, women are less likely to speak with their physician about this, where men will seek out help if they’re experiencing erectile dysfunction.† [00:01:25]
[00:01:25] We know that when it comes to men and erectile dysfunction, this affects millions of men. So just in the United States alone, it’s somewhere around 30 million men have to some degree, erectile dysfunction. So the severity can vary from one male to the next. And of course, we have to look at all of the underlying issues. Cardiovascular disease. Think about diabetes. And it’s the disease state itself. Think about what is actually occurring in those disease states. Think about the vascular assault that occurs when someone has high blood pressure. If you have excess glycation, that’s damaging the nervous system or the blood vessels themselves. So of course, you’re going to have a hard time when it comes to proper blood flow to achieve an erection, say, for example, in a male, if we have damaged vessels, if we have a damaged nervous system that’s brought on because of your chronic disease state.† [00:02:28]
[00:02:29] But that’s neither here nor there, because today I really wanted to zero in on the medications. As I said, this will astonish you. The list of medications that have been directly linked to causing issues with sexual dysfunction. So for the most part, many of these medications create a syndrome in a way of just low libido. No interest. So let me start running through some of these. I’m going to point out one specific class of drugs just right off the bat, because I think it’s ironic in many ways that this class of drugs is so well-known and so many people use them and yet we know that one of the most common side effects from this drug is decreased sexual desire or a low libido. And that is your SSRIs that people use because of depression, anxiety. How many people out there are on these themselves or you know someone who is taking Zoloft or Prozac. It… These drugs, we know are one of the most common classes of drugs that creates sexual dysfunction. And when I say you yourself may use them or you may know someone who’s on one, this is pretty common. We know that in one year, over 70 million prescriptions are written for SSRIs. Now you can go back in time. I mean, this has gone up like two-fold in this country, so I don’t know if that’s a statement of our mental health or what. But back in 2008, I think it was roughly around 36 million prescriptions written for antidepressants. Then that went up to over 70 million in 2018 was the last time that they did this comparative study. So that’s a lot of people taking antidepressants. So SSRI, it’s a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. In Part 1 of sexual dysfunction, I had mentioned how different neurotransmitters can be implicated in being a causative reason for sexual dysfunction. So if we have a drug class that’s targeting a particular neurotransmitter, serotonin, this can be part and parcel as to why you’re experiencing a side effect. So we look at the Prozacs of the world and we look at the Zolofts of the world and we say, “Oh, goodness. These are a cause of sexual dysfunction in both men and women.”† [00:05:28]
HOW SAME CAN HELP AGAINST DEPRESSION – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 153. Listen Now>>
[00:05:30] But let me go on, let me tell you more. So benzodiazepines, many people take benzodiazepines every single year. It could be that you’re incredibly anxious and your doctor says, “Hey, maybe you would do well on a benzodiazepine.” Now, benzodiazepine use should only be, you know, as needed and for short-term use. Unfortunately, when most people start using a benzodiazepine such as Xanax, they start to use it like it’s M&Ms. So that’s a problem, too. Now, when we look and say how many benzodiazepines are prescribed annually in the year, it’s over 60 million. I mean, so we know benzodiazepines, SSRIs, they’re just written like on a regular basis. Here, take your benzos, take your SSRI. These are problems. So we can look at things like Ativan. We can look at Xanax. So they’re short-acting benzodiazepines, there’s long-acting benzodiazepines. But we know for certain that the benzodiazepines and the SSRIs have been linked to creating issues with sexual dysfunction.† [00:06:44]
[00:06:44] But let me carry on because high blood pressure medications… Yes, we already know that one of the reasons for sexual dysfunction is chronic disease states, such as high blood pressure. So what is the remedy for high blood pressure? Being on a medication. And this is the remedy for many people. Now there’s, there’s other ways we can try to regulate blood pressure, and I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about those many different ways. But let’s focus in on the drugs. Common drugs prescribed to every single hypertensive person out there include things like beta blockers, diuretics, things like hydrochlorothiazide. So you can look at things like metoprolol, propranolol, atenolol. Those beta blocker drugs, direct link. It’s not just limited to beta blockers. We can also throw ace inhibitors into the mix and we can look at things like captopril. So we know that the ace inhibitor drugs for high blood pressure, the beta blockers for high blood pressure, as well as your diuretics. So thinking about the diuretics, most high blood pressure regimens, it’s a combination. It’ll be a beta blocker slash diuretic, so it’ll be, you know, a combo of metoprolol plus hydrochlorothiazide. So you’re getting a double hit when it comes to the side effect that those medications can create when it comes to sexual dysfunction. We know that the calcium channel blockers can do this, too. So nifedipine. We can look across the spectrum of every single class of drugs utilized for hypertension, and every single one of them creates a potential side effect of sexual dysfunction in some way, shape or form. We know the thiazides in particular are the most common cause among all of the high blood pressure medications, followed then by the beta blockers, which is interesting because they are the most commonly prescribed, your hydrochlorothiazide along with a beta blocker.† [00:09:07]
[00:09:09] But let’s talk about other drugs, because, like I said, the list just goes on and on and on. Let’s talk about antihistamines. Someone has seasonal allergies. And they’re running out and getting their diphenhydramine, also known as Benadryl. Maybe you have acid reflux and you’re taking ranitidine or cimetidine for your acid reflux, over the counter. These can cause sexual dysfunction. So, drugs to deal with your sneezing and your itchy, runny eyes can cause sexual dysfunction, low libido. The drugs for your heartburn can cause this. Why do I bring this up? Because we know that there are things that you can be doing in terms of dietary modifications, so you’re not getting acid reflux. We know that there’s things that you can be doing that come from nature to target your seasonal allergies. Things like black seed extract, rosemary extract, nettle root. There are so many other options, and we know that the rosemary extract, the black seed extract, the nettle root do not create issues with sexual dysfunction.† [00:10:29]
[00:10:32] So let me carry on here, and we’ll talk about some more drugs. Drugs that target BPH, so an enlarged prostate. You’ve probably seen the commercials, you know, “You got to go, you got to go, you got to go right now.” So drugs for prostate? Avodart, which is finasteride. I said all of the different H2 blockers, the proton pump inhibitors. So your pepcids and your zantacs.† [00:11:07]
[00:11:10] Cholesterol-lowering medications. Yeah. Your statin drugs. So you take someone who has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, they’re on a statin drug, they’re on a combination therapy drug for their high blood pressure and maybe they are also on an SSRI because they’re depressed because of their current health condition. And what are we doing? We are creating an environment of complete sexual dysfunction. These are important things that people need to know.† [00:11:37]
[00:11:38] Did you know that your NSAIDs? Yes, your commonly-used, over-the-counter drugs for your inflammation and your pain, things like ibuprofen, naproxens can create this. Long-term utilization of these medications can set the stage for impacting sexual performance, sexual desire, and these are major problems for so many people. You know, most of the time people think, “Oh, you know, just you have to think about alcohol or you think about, you know, other recreational drugs. And that’s problematic when it comes to sexual performance or sexual desire.” Certainly, we can include those into it, but not the case… Look at all of these prescribed medications, from drugs for mood, anxiety, depression; drugs for high blood pressure; drugs that target cholesterol; drugs that target your acid reflux; over-the-counter NSAIDs, have all been directly linked to being causative to sexual dysfunction.† [00:13:03]
[00:13:04] So I wanted to bring that list to you today because it’s always amazing when I talk to folks who are experiencing issues when it comes to, you know, whether it’s low libido or whatever it is, and then we we start to to analyze, well, you know, let’s walk through a typical day. What medications do you take? What’s your diet like? What’s your exercise like? And it’s amazing how many different components of what they’re doing on a regular basis and the medications that they’re taking can have an impact on how they are feeling when it comes to the topic of sex or performing. And this is critical because, as I always say, as we age, we want to age gracefully. And for many people, part of that process is through maintaining their sexual health. So a lot of moving parts, we’ve got things such as hormones, we’ve got neurotransmitters, we’ve got certainly underlying health conditions, a lot of different factors. But we cannot overlook the direct implications that medications that are prescribed to people for a variety of different health reasons can be implicated in sexual dysfunction.† [00:14:16]
[00:14:17] So that is all that I have for you for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast and remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now, do make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @invitehealth, and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:14:17]
*Exit music*
Many times, discussing sex can be considered taboo, but the truth is that most people experience sexual dysfunction as they age. There are a variety of reasons this may occur, including nutrient deficiencies, stress and more.
Burnout syndrome is extremely common, but the good news is that there are nutrients that can help your body adapt to the stress. Learn about how things like omega-3 fatty acids and CoQ10 can be beneficial.
burnout
Subscribe Today!
Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InVite Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH: [00:00:40] We’ve all said it from time to time, and that is, “I am so stressed out,” or “Oh, I feel burned out.” Today, I want to talk about the difference between stress and burnout because there is a distinct difference and understanding that is key in terms of being able to manage it. And in Part 2, I’m going to talk about nutrients that can be incredibly supportive when it comes to enhancing your energy and giving you that sense of just wanting to get out there and get back to life and do the things that you enjoy doing. So I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH, and let’s get right to it.† [00:01:15]
[00:01:16] Let’s talk about the actual difference between stress and burnout, because the two often go hand-in-hand. And one thing that we do know is that when it comes to stress, uncontrolled stress or chronic stress… It’s one thing to have acute stress. This is when you get startled or you can have eustress, which is actually good stress. Maybe you’re nervous a little bit to get on a rollercoaster. And so that would be a sense of you stress. So it’s not bad stress. And so some stress is actually good. Chronic stress, on the other hand, completely different. It’s kind of like when we look at the difference between acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. We know that acute inflammation is good. It helps our body heal and recover. But chronic inflammation is detrimental to our health. It’s the same thing when we look at stress and everyone has probably heard of this.† [00:02:13]
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, PART 1 – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 498. Listen Now>>
[00:02:14] They’ve actually done multiple studies to assess the level of burnout in people who work. And when you look at the statistics, it’s really incredibly alarming. I’ve done many presentations on stress and burnout through the years and presented to medical students, so they have a better awareness of why they need to be cognizant of the difference. And when you traverse over from stress into burnout, why that’s so detrimental. Because in healthcare in particular, you see a much greater likelihood of developing burnout than from other occupations. Clearly, it’s across all occupations, but we do see that in medicine in particular, it is a really alarmingly high rate and there’s a reason for this. And part of that is because the burnout phase starts in the education process. So starting in medical schools where most people start to go from that stress into the burnout category, and this is where the problem starts to present itself in terms of the long term implications.† [00:03:26]
[00:03:28] So I’ve talked about stress before in different podcasts and how we can go about trying to manage our stress. And as I mentioned in Part 2, I’ll go into different nutrients, but trying to differentiate between the two… When we think about being stressed out, this is when, you know, where emotions are very strong towards something like you really have a lot of care, I guess is one way to put it, put it into perspective. Where you feel very anxious and you feel kind of hyperactive, like, “Oh, I’m so stressed out, I have to race over here and I have to do this.” That is much different than burnout. Burnout is when you feel drained. You don’t, you no longer have that hyperactive component that’s driving you. You feel helpless. So you go from that anxious feeling to just feeling completely run down. And just, “What do I do?” And so you can see, even just from that example, that there is a clear distinction between the two.† [00:04:35]
[00:04:35] We know with stress, oftentimes we feel this in a more physical sense, where maybe your stomach, it’s, you know, people say, “Oh, my stomach’s in a knot.” Maybe you feel a little bit jittery. Maybe you feel like you’re sweating a little bit. When we look at burnout, we transition more over into that emotional component. So there’s also the physical that’s there because remember, we have the low-energy state, so you just feel completely drained. But it’s that emotional toll that really builds up when you have burnout, in a way, you almost have like this blunted emotional response. So when you’re stressed and someone says, “Oh, I need you to do this and I need you to do it right now,” you get yourself worked up and go, “Oh my gosh, how am I going to? I can’t do all of this.” So you’re still having this emotional attachment to it.† [00:05:24]
[00:05:25] When you are burned out, you have, in a sense, kind of checked out. And it’s key, too, to understand this because we know that there is clearly a problem. And with every problem, we know that there are solutions and we don’t want to get ourselves to the point where the stress becomes so unmanageable that we do get burned out because once you’re at burnout, it’s very difficult. So we can kind of look at having a container or our coping reserve. We can have positive inputs into that coping reserve. We can have negative inputs into that coping reserve. In the outcome of trying to get that balance between the negative and the positive is what can dictate if we get burned out or if we can remain resilient, even under stress. So there are a lot of different factors that we have to consider, you know, positive input, such as having a good support system, having a good social life. Having a healthy diet, having someone who maybe mentors you, even in the setting of learning a new task at work, which can be stressful, but if you have someone who’s there and mentoring you, this can make all the difference. When we look at the negative inputs, you know, the stress building and mounting and mounting and having our own internal conflicts of, “Can I do this? Can I take all of this on?” This is when that coping reserve can get incredibly imbalanced. And then you start to see the signs of burnout, a sense of failure. You have a lot more self-doubt. You feel helpless. You feel defeated in many cases. Many times people start to withdraw. You become detached from your normal social setting. You have a loss of motivation. Maybe you become incredibly negative and you think, “I used to always be such a positive person and now I’m incredibly pessimistic. It doesn’t matter what it is, I just have a negative attitude towards it.” And this is a bad thing. And then we can look at even when you do accomplish something that you’re like, eh, and you just have no sense of satisfaction in that. Maybe you find that you are very irritable. Maybe your sleep patterns have become incredibly disrupted. Perhaps you’re sleeping more than you used to. Or maybe you can’t sleep at all. You can become very apathetic. You may start to have signs of different emotional breakdowns.† [00:08:10]
[00:08:11] And these are all things that we need to be aware of, because when they do studies and they say nearly 8 out of every 10 workers experience burnout at some point in their lives, then that’s a big problem. When they did a recent study looking at employee burnout, they surveyed over a thousand respondents, 77% of those said that they’ve experienced burnout at their current position. 91% that, said that the unmanageable stress or frustration impacts the quality of their work. And 83% of them said that burn out negatively affects personal relationships. So even those who they had in the survey that said, “Yeah, I’m still passionate about what I do, I still like what I do,” the 64 of them said “I’m still stressed out.” 64% of them still said, “I’m incredibly stressed out.” I’ve seen this in numerous studies in physicians where they have assessed, the Mayo Clinic has assessed physicians and 88% of doctors… This was years ago. Now you add the pandemic into it, but 88% of doctors, and this is probably 2015 that they assessed, said, “Yeah, I’m moderately to severely stressed.” Over 50% of them said, “Yeah, I think I could classify myself as being burned out.” So we know that this is prevalent.† [00:09:50]
[00:09:51] We know that the World Health Organization has defined burnout as a syndrome resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. So what are we talking about? Acute stress that then becomes chronic stress that then becomes unmanageable stress that then becomes burnout. So then we have these feelings of energy depletion. We feel exhausted. We have this distancing from our emotions. And I said many people withdraw from social interactions. We know that when they’ve done work and wellbeing surveys, 80% of American workers who were assessed said they experienced work-related stress. I wanted to bring this up because I have a lot of people who reach out to me and ask, “You know, I feel stressed out or I have a lot going on right now and I’m taking care of this person, plus I’m working, I’m trying to go to school.” I mean, people sometimes put a lot on themselves. And trying to find ways to cope with that. Remember, we have our coping reserve. It’s creating that balance. We’re always going to have stress. There’s always going to be a certain amount of stressors that we have absolutely no control over, but it’s how we react to those stressors, how we manage that stress to prevent us from falling into that category of being burned out.† [00:11:32]
[00:11:33] And I myself have been in that position. I remember many years ago, you know, finishing medical school, working on my master’s degree in public health. I got to the point where I was technically burned out. I felt like my brain was like Play-Doh, like you could do as you wish with it because it didn’t matter to me anymore. And that’s a really bad place to be. And so through many different modifications in terms of my lifestyle, in terms of, you know, what I eat every day, the nutrients that I take in, being mindful, have made all the difference, that even in the setting of having to multitask and do all of these different things, I’m able to manage it. But we have to be cognizant, we can’t just accept it and say, “Well, I’m just stressed out and this is how it is.” No, you’re going to have stress, but having enough recognition for that stress, because remember, sometimes we think, “Well, maybe someone higher up is going to notice that I’m stressed out.” They’re not because they are stressed out themselves, even though from your, you know, point of view, you may not look and see that they’re stressed. But everyone has stress. So it’s identifying it in ourselves and then saying, “What can I do about this? Because I’m obviously, you know, I’m not going to change my job. I can’t change my job, which is the position that many workers are in. So how do I manage this better? What can I do to not allow myself to become withdrawn and to start to have this apathy towards everything? I have less motivation feeling drained.” Having a difficult time to put any type of effort into what you’re trying to do every day. And it matters to your overall longevity. At the end of the day, it truly does. We can see the, not only the mental health toll that this has, but the physiological effect of burnout. When it comes to the cardiovascular system, when it comes to our cognitive abilities, so we need to reconnect. And in Part 2, that’s what I’m going to talk about. What are things that we can be doing to better support all of the different stressors in our life to try and stop burnout from occurring? So that will be covered in Part 2. So do make sure that you tune in and listen to that.† [00:14:23]
[00:14:23] I want to thank you so much for listening to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Do make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:14:23]
*Exit music*