Navigating Healthcare as a Hypermobile Human
An online course where you'll learn the most important tools and strategies for hypermobile humans that have been recently diagnosed, or suspect they may have symptomatic joint hypermobility.
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Do you suspect that your bendy body is at the root cause of a lifetime of cryptic and unexplained symptoms?
Things like
- Chronic pain
- Joint subluxations/dislocations
- Severe fatigue
- Brain fog
- Lightheadedness/dizziness
- Poor tolerance for being upright (orthostatic intolerance)
- Heat intolerance
- GI dysfunction
- Food sensitivities
- TMJ and pelvic floor issues
- Headaches/migraine
- Anxiety/depression
Many people struggle for years with these seemingly unrelated issues.
Often basic medical work up will be normal and you may have gotten a diagnosis of "stress" or "anxiety" to explain all of it. Even though you know deep down.....this is not the cause of your issues.
But what many providers aren't educated about is that....
Symptomatic joint hypermobility including EDS and HSD, affects connective tissue, which causes symptoms in EVERY SYSTEM in the body!
In most medical training, providers learn connective tissue disorders are rare and often only learn about the musculoskeletal symptoms like joint dislocations.
However, what current research shows is that the hypermobile type of EDS (hEDS) and Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder (HSD) are NOT rare and are much more common than previously understood.
People with EDS and HSD very commonly have co-conditions including
- Dysautonomia
- Mast Cell Activation Disorder
- Slow GI motility leading to gastroparesis, SIBO and more
- Neurodivergence (ADHD, autism)
- Craniocervical Instability
These co-conditions very commonly explain most if not all of the symptoms listed above in hypermobile humans!
In this course, you'll learn the biggest dial movers that would have saved me YEARS of struggle with this journey, and that I teach all of my 1:1 patients and clients.
As a Physical Therapist, I learned about EDS in PT school (in about one slide btw..) we discussed the genetic nature of this condition and that joint dislocations were involved. We did not learn of the multi-system involvement that can change day to day, and range from mild or very severe.
So for many years, even though I knew that I was by far the most hypermobile person I knew, I had no explanation for symptoms that made me feel like absolute garbage, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
It took years of research on my own, and seeking providers all over the country in order to get to the root of my issues.
Once I was properly diagnosed with hEDS and treated for dysautonomia, MCAS and SIBO, I made signifiant improvements in my health, as do many of my patients and clients.
We often end up being the smartest people in the room when discussing EDS and HSD with health care providers.
Medical gaslighting and trauma are real concerns.
That's why I put together this course to give you a concise but thorough overview including loads of scientific evidence to back it up, so you'll be better equipped to advocate for you own care.
And...
To help you start feeling better ASAP, there will be a big emphasis on easy to implement DIY strategies.
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this course is medical advice and is presented for educational purposes only.
What you'll learn
- How EDS and HSD is diagnosed and by whom
- What types of providers to see and how to find them
- What medical testing to ask for
- Pain management strategies
- Medications to consider
- How to get the most out of rehab even with a non-EDS aware provider (PT, chiro, trainer etc)
- Testing, treatment options and self management of dysautonomia and MCAS
- Testing, treatment options and self management of GI disorders - with highlight on SIBO
What you'll get
- Lifetime access to the recordings, broken into chapter for easy reference
- List of helpful scientific journal articles to discuss with your providers
- 19 page E-book PDF guide to bring to your movement professional to get them quickly up to speed on how to best support you, as well as how to avoid triggering worse symptoms
- Links to helpful websites, social media accounts, books and favorite products
- This will be dynamic and I'll be adding additional resources over time!
Hi! I'm Dr. Melissa Koehl
I'm a Physical Therapist and Pilates instructor, and I live with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS).
Like many of you, my journey with hypermobility has been long and complex. In addition to pain and injuries, I've also struggled with dysautonomia, MCAS, and GI dysfunction all of which lead to severe fatigue and brain fog that was so severe that I almost quit working as a PT because I was spending most of my time off work recovering, and researching just what the heck was wrong with me.
I understand the struggle, frustration and despair of hypermobility and chronic illness.
Thankfully, there are things you can do that REALLY help, and it's my passion to share what I've learned with my fellow zebras in order to feel strong, stable and in control of their bodies.
FAQ
I don't have a diagnosis, but I think I might be hypermobile, this for me?
I'm a health care provider or fitness professional, can I receive continuing education units? (CEU)
Can I invite others to join?
I've done years of research on EDS and related conditions, will I learn anything new?
What if this information doesn't apply to me?
Sounds great, I'm in! How much?
For less than the cost of 2 one on one sessions ($175 each), you'll get lifetime access to the educational information I share with my patients and clients typically sprinkled out in over 12-15 sessions.
The complexity of dealing with a connective tissue disorder, makes it necessary to understand all of the body systems impacted by hypermobility. Understanding aspects impacted in the rest of the body beyond just the muscles and joints absolutely key in being successful in rehab or in a general fitness routine.
Imagine trying to do your PT exercises but you're so dizzy and fatigued from POTS that you just CAN'T.
Or
Trying to get your pain managed by a massage and it only ends up setting off a massive mast cell flare.
Both of these situations and many more happen regularly to hypermobile humans, but with the right tools and knowledge, they can be significantly minimized.
This is why learning more about dysautonomia, mast cell activation disorders, GI dysfunction and more is so important as a hypermobile human.
And, yes....there's a LOT to learn about all of these things. And the education you may get from medical providers, online, or on social media can be overwhelming and confusing even when it is high quality accurate info.
So having this info all in one place, with detailed explanations and resources allows you to absorb this information at your own pace and come back to it whenever you need it!
What People Are Saying
Caroline
As a patient with a complex health history who has worked with around a dozen different physical therapists throughout my life and a clinician who works in healthcare, I can confidently say that Dr. Koehl is both the best physical therapist I have worked with and one of the best healthcare providers I've ever met.
Ash
"Even my specialists don't know as much about vitamins and supplements to best keep up daily health with MCAS/POTS/chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia! Though I've been through multiple intensive programs over the last 15 years to help get my body and movement back on track, not even the most-recommended local ones had a third of the information she's able to pass on,
Debbie
I FINALLY found someone who deeply understands how to work with hypermobile people! Some of Melissa's approaches to emergency pain can be like magic! I have overall less pain and more self-acceptance and -understanding because of our work. I'm so glad to have her on my care team!
Amanda
Melissa has been an amazing resource on my journey managing EDS and POTS. She's always ready to listen to what's been going on and to offer insights and educational materials. My pain has been so much better since I started working with her!
Linda
If you need an experienced and overall phenomenal PT (and not to mention a very cool person), to help you...she's IT. I give her the highest recommendation possible. For anyone, but especially for those with hypermobility and related issues.
Sarah
I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Melissa and the benefits these classes have had on overall health. Every hypermobile person needs these classes in their lives yesterday.
