358. It Was Never All In Her Head with Dr. Elizabeth Comen

This week on You Are Not Broken, I sit down with breast oncologist and historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen to talk about her powerful book All in Her Head and the long, complicated history of how women’s health has been misunderstood, minimized, and medicalized.

If you’ve ever been told your symptoms are anxiety… stress… hormones… or just part of being a woman — this episode is for you.

We explore the historical roots of dismissal in women’s healthcare and how those patterns still show up today, especially in cancer care. Dr. Comen walks us through how breast cancer treatment has evolved, what we’ve gotten right, what we’ve gotten wrong, and why quality of life must be part of the conversation — not an afterthought.

We also talk about:

• Why women’s pain has historically been labeled “hysteria”

• How medical bias still affects diagnosis and treatment

• The real tension between longevity and quality of life

• Hormonal therapies in breast cancer — and how nuance gets lost

• Why advocacy matters more than ever

• The double-edged sword of social media and AI in health information

• How understanding medical history helps us build better medicine today

This episode isn’t about blaming the past. It’s about understanding it — so we stop repeating it.

Because when women are dismissed, care suffers.
And when women are informed, everything changes.

If you care about evidence-based medicine, health equity, and empowering women with real information — this is a must-listen.

Dr. Comen's IG

Dr. Comen's Book

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