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In honor of Thank You Public Health Day, here are five public health updates you should know! This episode was recorded over a month ago. Although a temporary funding bill was passed and signed into law on November 12, 2025, ending the government shutdown, many of the issues we discuss are still very real. In this episode, we talk about what was happening at the time and why these problems continue to matter.

We cover federal spending concerns, rising healthcare premiums, ongoing disability discrimination, food security challenges, and other public health issues that affect everyday Americans.

Take care of your spoons!
If you're interested in being interviewed for this podcast or want to let me know your thoughts on this episode, email me at thesickgaze@gmail.com and follow @thesickgazepod on Instagram and Tiktok!

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Welcome to The Sick Gaze Podcast! In this episode, we time-travel through centuries of wild medical myths, questionable “treatments,” and deeply rooted biases that have shaped women’s healthcare as we know it.

From the ancient idea of the “wandering womb” to Victorian “hysteria cures,” to the rise of douching ads and eugenics-fueled clitoridectomies, this episode dives into the bizarre and often horrifying ways women’s bodies have been misunderstood, medicalized, and controlled. We talk about how tuberculosis once became fashionable (“consumptive chic”), why doctors thought cycling caused bicycle face, how midwives were demonized as witches, and how childbirth shifted from community-centered care to sterile hospital rooms.

The three of us - Molly, Tayler @distaaybled, and Amy @amyrosaliee - are all chronically ill women who’ve experienced medical dismissal firsthand. So we decided to dig into the history that built the biases we still face today. Our conversation moves through time and theme, connecting the dots between superstition, sexism, and the modern medical system.

Take care of your spoons!
If you're interested in being interviewed for this podcast or want to let me know your thoughts on this episode, email me at thesickgaze@gmail.com and follow @thesickgazepod on Instagram and Tiktok!

Send us a text

Hi everyone, and welcome to this quick episode. I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share some of my journey with chronic illness. I live with rheumatoid arthritis and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, two conditions that have touched almost every part of my life. For me, illness hasn’t just been about navigating symptoms, treatments, or doctors’ offices. It’s been about confronting the larger systems of ableism and sexism that shape how people are seen, treated, and valued.

Living in a body that doesn’t always cooperate has forced me to redefine what makes me worthy: not productivity, not being “easy” or “convenient,” but the inherent value I hold as a person. That hasn’t been an easy lesson. It’s been a process of learning through frustration, sadness, resilience, and the slow unlearning of the belief that my worth is tied to how well I can perform for others.

By sharing my story, I aim to contribute to the ongoing development of this platform, fostering open and honest conversations about illness, identity, and care. This podcast is about making space for the messy truths of living with chronic conditions, and also about the power we find in telling our stories and building community.

Take care of your spoons!
If you're interested in being interviewed for this podcast or want to let me know your thoughts on this episode, email me at thesickgaze@gmail.com and follow @thesickgazepod on Instagram and Tiktok!