In this solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I open up about the recent health scares I’ve been dealing with during my pregnancy, alongside the chronic heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) I’ve managed since childhood. Beginning with a cough and cold at the start of the year, these symptoms persisted despite rest and medication; I share how I eventually found a diagnosis, the importance of self-advocacy, and trusting your intuition when you know something is wrong. My medical mystery revealed a link between heartburn and GERD and pulmonary symptoms like a chronic cough, asthma, and bronchospasms.  Tune in to this episode to learn more about heartburn and GERD, the signs and symptoms, triggers and treatments. I cover both lifestyle and medical management approaches, discussing the place for food as medicine and how diet can be adapted to improve symptomatology. Medicinal nutrition is an important consideration for many conditions, including diabetes and gastro-intestinal illness, and I talk about how this can be approached with food freedom rather than restriction.  Follow me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition  We have a huge announcement! We are launching patreon! Female Athlete Nutrition podcast patreon is now LIVE and we are excited to offer our community unique perks. Join today and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition  Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation?  Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com/riseup for 20% off the entire store for a limited time only! THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY: Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders. Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp  Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order In this episode we talk about: 2:15 Lindsey’s recent and chronic health challenges: managing cough/cold symptoms long-term, heartburn and GERD  9:50 Heartburn/ GERD during pregnancy; nutritional strategies for symptom management  13:20 Lindsey’s mystery illness; acute illnesses and ongoing symptoms when pregnancy 22:30 Heartburn and pulmonary symptoms  25:30 Major reasons for a chronic cough 26:00 Dietary triggers and lifestyle treatments for heartburn and GERD 35:25 Dairy and inflammation myths  41:00 Medical management of heartburn 43:15 Where Lindsey is now 46:00 Time and a place for nutrition management; learning what’s best for your body with food freedom