#FAQF… “How come my symptoms don’t always coincide with the ones on webMD?”…There are a million and one ways to answer to this question, but in honor of Father’s Day this weekend, lets break it down to the physiological basics.  Birds and the Bees. Pathophysiologically there are many discrepancies between men and women.  This means that based on our DNA, the way men and women manifest disease is actually quite different.  During late 70s to early 90s, women of reproductive age were excluded from medical studies for ethical reasons. This skewed medical research results in favor of male symptomatology. This is why, for example, left arm and severe chest pain were known as the heart attack symptoms but women rarely present this way. 

Understanding these variances during your rehab or training will make you safer and more successful in achieving your goals. Please be mindful that they are not for judgement, but for your own health. 

In gross terms, men have larger hearts and lungs, and women have larger livers, stomaches, kidneys, and thyroid glands.  Men have a higher oxygen carrying capacity but women more efficiently convert glycogen into energy. Men have larger and longer bones providing a better foundation for muscular leverage yet women have a wider set pelvis and lower center of mass allowing for better balance.  To allow for babies, women’s ligaments are more lax making them more flexible but predisposing them for injuries in sports.  

Makes you think that perhaps not everyone’s body is intended to do a squat exactly the same way? Or maybe not everyone’s downward dog should look the same? Maybe there isn’t one perfect shoe? What about the perfect pillow? Diet? You catch my drift

These differences need to be kept in mind when comparing to normative values, setting goals, prescription exercise and analyzing movement.  We are so lucky to have access to so many exceptional blogs, websites, and instagram accounts with health, wellness and fitness advice but it is crucial to have some input from a professional to ensure that you are doing the right thing for YOUR body and who YOU are.  It is just like fashion, just because it looks good on someone else doesn’t mean it will look good on you!