6 Powerful Places You’re Prooobably Forgetting to Look for Answers to Your Health Questions

Health…we all want it. In fact, I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t work towards, think about, or even stress (and maybe obsess) over being healthy in some form or fashion on the regular. And while “health” looks different for every person, and the “how” behind reaching physical, mental, and emotional health goals is an individualized endeavor, we can all agree getting our health questions answered and arriving [there] with the least amount of time, energy, and effort is ideal.

Before the good ol’ world wide web came on the scene (yes…I was alive pre-internet), answers to our health questions were primarily found in a doctor’s office. Those who were especially enthusiastic might have read books or browsed printed articles, but overall the licensed medical professionals were the only ones directing the next best step to decrease anxiety, lose weight, balance hormones, get clearer skin, relieve back pain, [insert *literally* any & every health concern here].

But nowadays…there are virtually (literally and metaphorically) ~~thousands~~ ~~millions~~ billions of resources at our fingertips to ask our health questions, increase our medical knowledge, and improve our wellbeing. No more geographically limiting options, waiting for an appointment, relying on one person’s opinion, or blind trust – because opportunities for women to get quality, holistic health information and care has exponentially grown, and there’s no reason we can’t be setting and reaching our health goals with this newfound accessibility.

Not a day goes by that I’m not learning or trying something new to improve my health. From my sleep habits to a regular menstrual cycle, stress management, and biohacking…none of that information came from a traditional doctor’s visit, yet I’m understanding the science and personally seeing progress in how my body looks, moves, and feels more than ever before.

I want nothing more than for women to be educated and empowered to take their health into their own hands. I want women to feel comfortable standing up for their health concerns and confident making their own medical decisions. The potential to impact and improve our health in this day and age with the unending access to information is limitless. Mix that newfound knowledge with intention, discernment, and a willingness to experiment (aaaaaaand make a few mistakes along the way), and you’ve got a recipe for healthier and happier days ahead.

I’m sharing my favorite, kinda unlikely, but super helpful places to get my health questions answered, and if you’re not taking advantage of all these opportunities to glean help and get support with your health, it’s about dang time you start, friend. Grab your bluelights and let’s get to it!

Digital self learning

The amount of resources with free health information available (on the very screen you’re looking at right this moment) is mind-blowing. From social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to search engines such as Youtube, Pinterest, and good ol’ Google, there are blog posts, videos, infographics, reels, and podcast episodes a-flippin’-plenty available at the click of a button and filled with easy to understand answers to your health questions just waiting to be consumed. And thanks to the ~lovely~ online algorithm, the more wellness accounts and pages you subscribe to and follow, the more regular exposure you’ll get.

Now…unlike home decor recommendations, fashion advice, or gardening how-to’s (can you tell what’s most often in my search bar!?), it’s *especially* important that your health information is from a credible source. While there are plenty of fakes and frauds looking to make a quick buck, I genuinely believe – or at least like to think – most quality content is thoughtfully created and ethically produced by the same medical professionals you know, like, and trust, but it’s important to look for licensed, credentialed, or certified individuals just the same.

Once you’re active in the apps and confident in those influencing you…learn away! Between (selective) scrolling & searching & sidebars & sound bites, there’s no reason you can’t consistently gather worthwhile nuggets of wisdom to answer your health questions. Finding and understanding the ideas and information is often half the battle, but once you stumble across that “why did no one tell me this before!?”, life-changing kinda stuff, the potential from there is endless.

Online groups & forums

Sometimes it’s just nice to know you’re not alone in health struggles and medical concerns, and learning from people who are in the trenches with you – sharing their wins and worries along the way – can be oh-so valuable in the middle of a sometimes frustrating & confusing & overwhelming health journey. Between Facebook groups, women’s wellness Q&A platforms like AskHer (where I’m a resident “expert” *wink wink*) and subscription-based memberships like Substack, there’s likely a community out there with the answers to your health questions and discussing the topic you want to learn more about.

My favorite thing about these platforms – they’re a place to feel seen and heard, stay up to date on the latest and greatest information, get exclusive access to experts, and meet new people. The potentially not-so-helpful part is that members tend to share more negative than positive, and online forums can quickly turn into a hub for pessimism and complaints.

As long as you enter each group with caution and consistently monitor how it makes you feel, they’re typically a low barrier, high reward alternative for more in-depth solutions to your health questions without relying on the algorithm or getting sidetracked by the endless scroll. From gluten-free recipes to workout programs, postpartum recovery, meditation, journaling, etc…there’s liiiiiiikely a group for that and the regular accountability and participation can be a great starting block for most.

Email

Take it from this “zero unread messages” kinda gal (those little red notifications give me hives) – my email address is a sacred, sacred thing. But beyond sales from my favorite shops, electronic bill statements, and my mom sending yet another link to a cheesy video, I will gladly and willingly trade access to my inbox for useful resources from my favorite wellness experts. I can’t even begin to tell you how many guides, challenges, newsletters, and video trainings I’ve signed up for and learned from (in the convenience of my inbox for the simple cost of my name and email address) and gone on to use for my or my family’s health benefit.

As a consumer and creator of free health guides myself (click here to join my email list and get ~actionable & realistic~ pelvic and women’s health information sent directly to your inbox weekly), I can vouch that emailed content goes deeper, provides more value, and yields better results than any of the other options listed so far. The subscriber is saying “I want this!” and the health expert on the other end is more than excited (like…straight up giddy) to share their expertise without a caption character limit or having to scream into the social media abyss.

Books

For my fellow readers (and “wish I had more time for reading” readers) – books are a cheap and accessible way to get answers to any and every health question. This type of long-form content requires a greater time commitment and usually has some sort of associated cost, but the breadth and depth of information covered in a book is unlike any other option available. Add in the fact that there’s now e-book and audible versions of nearly every book out there, and you’ve got zero reason not to crack open a few covers and start turning (or swiping or listening to) the pages on your chosen health topic.

While I love a good Romcom at night before bed and adventure novels while I’m on vaca, I prioritize time to read health and/or self-improvement books every day at lunch, even if just for ten minutes at a time. Many are written with the layman in mind, and not only contain solid, research-backed information, but follow it up with step-by-step guidance for life-changing results. Google “best books for [insert health topic here]”, then order it online, call up your favorite local book store, check it out at the library, or download it on the Libby App…and let the fun begin.

Online courses

Online courses are quite possibly my favorite way to get answer to health questions (*squeals in delight*), because they’re convenient, time efficient, and often more cost effective than working with a specialist one-on-one. They’re typically made to help a certain population with a specific problem, and are created by someone who’s personally seen success or helped others get results and is now sharing their methods in a one-to-many format so more people can achieve that same benefit and outcome.

I believe so strongly in health-related online courses that I’ve purchased and completed multiple (lots of them, tbh)…and even created one! The Bladder Blueprint is a self-paced, online program to resolve bladder leakage, urgency, frequency, and nighttime urinating with the same proven roadmap I personally used to fix my bladder issues and continue to implement in my pelvic floor physical therapy clinic.

The beauty of online courses compared to all other digital resources is that they condense the information, deliver it in a step-by-step process for optimal results, and often provide opportunities for guidance and support along the way. Short of working with someone directly (we’re gettin’ there next!), this is the fastest and most effective way to learn about and confidently implement the answers to your health questions.

Virtual health consults

I try really hard to forget the covid days, but one positive from that time is the influx of virtual health opportunities. Wellness specialists (including myself) are now evaluating and treating people online, making many previous barriers like geographic location, busy schedules, limited childcare, and insurance restraints essentially disappear. Out of all the options shared here, virtual health consults tend to be the most expensive due to the individualized and detailed nature of care, but are worth it as they often yield the fastest and most effective results.

As someone whose dream is to make pelvic health more accessible to women everywhere, I jumped on this bandwagon and offer one-on-one online pelvic health consults for self-led women who want to make their bladder, bowel, and sexual wellness a priority. I’m now able to share the same information I give in the clinic and guide people towards the same amazing results, but from the comfort of their home and with a specialist, which they may not have been able to do otherwise.

What’s the right avenue for you?

While every opportunity to get health questions answered has so much potential and is ridiculously exciting, it can also feel noisy, overwhelming, confusing, and straight-up paralyzing if you overthink it or attempt too much at once. Even if you don’t know the exact steps to reaching your wellness goals, starting the process with clarity and intention will help determine where to start and can make all the difference in your learning experience and eventually your results.

Identify your goal(s). Narrow your focus to the one or two most important health questions you want answered, and go deep, not wide, in your research efforts and energy. Get as detailed as possible on your goals and learn as much as you can about one topic before moving on to the next. The saying “Jack of all trades, master of none” isn’t necessarily a narrative we want applied to our health journey, since consistency and dedication are necessary to see success.

Determine your stage of healing. Whether you’re just getting started on your healing journey, are looking to tie up the lose strings at the end, or land somewhere in-between, acknowledging where you are in the process will more specifically define your area of focus and establish where to best spend your time and energy. For instance- an experienced runner might not benefit from following someone on social media who gives “couch to 5k” tips, but they will see improvement with an online course that dives deeper into strength training to become a faster runner.

Establish your values. Your values will determine which routes and resources feel most aligned and like the best way to get your health questions answered. If time is your most treasured currency, you’re more likely to spend money on the online course or virtual consult to see results faster. If money is your most valuable asset, you may be willing to sacrifice efficient learning and lasting results for the free or lower cost content. Neither circumstance is “right” or “wrong”, but being honest about your available resources, current season of life, and level of commitment is key to remaining realistic in your expectations.

Pick a few voices from the (very large) crowd. If you were to pick one health topic and then follow, make appointments with, buy online courses from, and read the books of every single person who created content around it, you would confused, overwhelmed, and have no time to actually implement allllllllll the things each of them were recommending. Instead, find a handful or less of people who (1) resonate with you and your lifestyle, (2) offer information, products, and/or services that align with your goals and values, (3) appear knowledgeable and trustworthy, and (4) just feel good in your gut, and go all in (then modify as needed) on those select few.

Now the important (and fun) part…take action!

Once your social squares contain wellness words of advice, the book on your desk answers your health question of choice, and you’ve enrolled in an online course or have a virtual consult scheduled, …good news (!!!!)…the hard part is done! Identifying your health concern, prioritizing your wellbeing, and taking the steps to learn more is thee biggest barrier for most, but then you’re ready for the next step.

The important part, the fun part, the part that actually makes a difference and gets you where you want to be is taking action on your newfound knowledge from there. You can soak up and be excited by all the statistics, infographics, and promising possibility, but execution is where you go from answering health questions to seeing healing and life-changing results.

When learning how to safely get off birth control, naturally manage my endometriosis, then try to conceive, I used each and every one of the above resources to reach my health goals. I found success with trying one new action item each week(ish), saved, bookmarked, and tabbed the rest for later, and before I knew it I was symptom free and pregnant with my sweet babe.

The dance between learning and doing is a delicate one and you don’t want to get so burned out on one that you neglect the other. Once you find that sweet spot and start seeing results…it’s a beautiful, beautiful moment. Choosing health, day in and out, isn’t always easy, but the more you choose it, the easier *everything* gets. Trust me.

I don’t know your health questions and goals, or what you’ve tried so far to answer and achieve them, or where you are in the healing process. I do know the average person isn’t taking advantage of all the resources our modern wellness community has to offer, and if you’re not surrounding yourself with these useful tools and opportunities, you’re missing out.

If pelvic health – bladder, bowel, and sexual pain and dysfunction – is one of your current concerns, then look no further! You can find alllllmost all of the above right here at Make + Manifest because I’m dedicated to making pelvic health accessible and actionable so you can learn more about your body and take confident action to see improvement in your symptoms.

There is no (and I mean NO) reason nowadays most health questions can’t be answered and wellness wishes can’t be granted. It takes mindfulness & intention & effort & grit, and once you apply those energy in all the right places, I have a feeling the results will blow your mind.

– Amanda

Disclaimer: The content provided here does not constitute medical advice, nor is it a substitute for personalized healthcare. I’m a doctor, but I’m not your doctor. If you have concerns about a medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment, you should consult with a licensed healthcare professional.