The Blood Vessel Problem Behind Period Pain
Prostaglandins, squeezed blood vessels and why painkillers fall short.
Your labs came back normal. You still don’t feel right.
We explain the science behind autoimmune and hormonal symptoms in plain language, so you can walk into your next appointment with better questions. From a mother and daughter who have lived with it since 1992.
What are you looking into?
The stiffness clueFrom our RA videos
- What you notice
Morning stiffness lasting more than an hour
- What may be happening
Inflammation in the joint lining (synovium), not wear and tear
- What to ask your doctor
“Could this be inflammatory arthritis? Should we check anti-CCP?”
Every topic we cover ends the same way: with questions to bring to your appointment. See the RA page
Start with your condition
Each page brings together our explainers, the research behind them, a free tool and the questions to ask your doctor.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Antibodies years before symptoms, flares that start early, and how RA differs from wear-and-tear arthritis.
Lupus
Fatigue that doesn't match the labs, sun sensitivity, and the overlap with fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia
Fibro fog on real memory tests, the antibody research, and look-alikes like low B12.
Hashimoto's
What a normal TSH misses, the celiac connection, and the stomach acid and B12 link.
Periods & Hormones
Prostaglandins and blood flow, when painkillers fall short, and iron stores versus blood count.
Newest explainers
Animated, 8 to 9 minutes, with every study listed in the description. New videos every Tuesday and Friday.
Lupus: Quiet Labs, Still Exhausted
Why lupus fatigue doesn't always match your blood work.
Positive Anti-CCP but No Symptoms? How RA Begins
Why the antibody can show up years before the first swollen joint.
Coming up
Hashimoto's: Normal Labs, Still Exhausted
What a normal TSH doesn't tell you.
RA Flares Start Before You Feel Them
What researchers see happening before a flare becomes obvious.
Fibro Fog Is Real. Tests Show It
What memory and attention tests show in fibromyalgia.
1992
The summer Annesse came home from her 20-year reunion exhausted, and the tiredness never left.
Hi, we’re Annesse and Kristin
Annesse spent years in bed with lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Her labs didn’t always match how she felt, and no one could tell her why. Kristin was a teenager eating plain salad with her fingers at the kitchen table, because her mom was allergic to almost everything they tested.
Annesse read every book she could find and kept following the clues. Decades later, the research has caught up with many of the questions she was asking. We wrote two books, and now we make videos, guides and trackers so you don’t have to start from zero the way she did.
This is our family’s story, not medical advice.
Annesse & Kristin
Free guides
Pick the one that fits. Each comes with a short welcome series explaining how to use it.
For any condition: RA, Hashimoto's, B12 and more
Appointment Prep Pack
Seven printable pages to walk into your next appointment ready: a symptom summary, the questions from our videos, and a place to write down what your doctor says.
Get the Prep PackFibromyalgia
Fibro Flare Tracker
A 7-day flare and symptom tracker that helps you spot what comes before a bad day: sleep, weather, stress, food.
Get the fibro trackerLupus
Lupus Fatigue Tracker
Track energy three times a day for a week, so you and your doctor can see your real pattern, not just how you felt on the day of your visit.
Get the lupus trackerPeriods & hormones
Period Pain & Pattern Tracker
Log pain, flow and energy across a full cycle, plus the questions to bring to your next appointment.
Get the period trackerPlanners, guides and books
Printable, instant download, US Letter and A4. Sold through our Etsy shop.
Bundle
Best seller
Rheumatoid Arthritis Planner Bundle
RA tracker, meal plan, doctor planner and food list together.
$27.99View on Etsy
Bundle
Fibromyalgia Planner Bundle
113 pages: flare tracker, fillable doctor visit kit, kitchen companion and fridge sheets.
$27.99View on Etsy
Bundle
Lupus Planner Bundle
Symptom tracker, meal plan, doctor visit kit and food list in one download.
$27.99View on Etsy
Guide
Better Periods Naturally
Our 62-page guide: the 28-day plan, foods, teas, label checklist and tracker.
$28.00View on Etsy
From our kitchen
Mediterranean and Blue Zone style, organic every time, food first. No supplement sales, ever. We share the exact brands we buy and what to check on the label, plus the recipes our family actually eats.
Breakfast
Dad's Overnight Oats
One big bowl that lasts about four days. Organic oats, chia, fresh-ground flax and homemade kefir.
FermentedOur Family Sauerkraut
Raw, crock-fermented, a spoonful with every protein.
FermentedHomemade Kefir
Buy the grains once; they multiply for years.
Broths & soupsSlow-Cooker Chicken Bone Broth
Pasture-raised bones, a long slow simmer.
How we research
Peer-reviewed sources
Every explainer is built from published studies, listed in full in the video description and on each condition page.
Honest about the evidence
We say when a finding comes from a large trial, a small study or early lab research, and we don’t sell certainty we don’t have.
Food first, no supplements
We don’t sell supplements or make cure claims. We explain mechanisms and help you ask better questions.
One email a week, in plain language
The newest autoimmune and hormone research explained in three short paragraphs, plus our newest video. Start with a free tracker or the Appointment Prep Pack.