<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Menopause & Autoimmune Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Flash or Flame]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:21:57 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.flashorflame.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Help or Hinder]]></title><description><![CDATA[A couple of months ago, I visited a dear friend of mine. She lives two hours away from me now, so we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, but our time together is always special. Our last visit, though, was a little different. My friend has dealt with severe health issues for a few years now—severe enough that she’s had to cut way back on work, personal obligations, and most of the fun stuff. Just getting through day-to-day tasks has become extremely difficult for her. As we...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/help-or-hinder</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6ca3025cf1d22b8d759e44</guid><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:43:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_e72f18666f1a423984d0ae48e248b6a9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_490,h_490,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Letting Go]]></title><description><![CDATA[I'm curious... what feelings do those two words elicit in you? For me, it's a mixed bag. I've let go of a lot over the last five to ten years: material items that weren't being used, relationships that no longer served me—or actually never did (energy vampires, anyone?), and ideas of what the future should hold, to name a few. In recent months, I've had to let go of expectations of what my body "should" be able to do, hobbies I can no longer enjoy (and the gear that goes with them), and my...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/letting-go</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a60eaa5bc66ff1e99e12815</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:15:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_c256096007154e75aea90941f4cd62d8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_679,h_450,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[It's Complicated]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I first went to my former primary care physician with a long list of symptoms, I was convinced I had long COVID. Later, after doing more research and developing additional symptoms, I began to wonder if peri/post menopause was a more likely explanation. What struck me most, though, was how often different providers tried to simplify everything. It's just depression. It's just menopause. It's just hearing loss. It's just... One symptom I couldn't make sense of was the tinnitus. I...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/it-s-complicated</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a52e25d5c421b82021e0533</guid><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 01:33:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_812abd9ad6534c1494659376a7a7539c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Less Is More]]></title><description><![CDATA[This concept is extremely difficult for my brain to accept, but it’s one my new care team is helping me embrace. I grew up in an environment where there was always work to be done, and if you were old enough and able-bodied, you did it. Downtime wasn’t a thing, and vacations were foreign to me. I remember going camping once, and staying in a hotel on the Oregon coast with my grandparents once. On a farm, you don’t have the luxury of locking the door and disappearing for a few days—or...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/less-is-more</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4a689cfa58f0a255d48d48</guid><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:38:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_f7260cde36874376a66dca3a46c88d7c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_519,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Drives You]]></title><description><![CDATA[I’ve always loved to drive. That passion started in my childhood on the farm—a place where the rules around driving were, let’s say, a bit more relaxed. I was behind the wheel of my grandfather’s GMC Sierra, Oliver tractor, and International (I think) log truck long before I had a permit. Whether I was cutting thistles in the field or helping during hay season, I found any excuse to drive. That love never faded, and I’ve already owned more vehicles than my husband believes any one person...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/what-drives-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a46d382258f25aaabaee560</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 22:32:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_f0702cba776b4247825cc23b58c0a10f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Can't Wipe My A$$...]]></title><description><![CDATA[After my failed attempt at HRT, I was lost. I spent months researching and testing supplements, convinced menopause was the root of everything going wrong. I tried creatine for better brain function — which only made my restless leg syndrome worse. I added B vitamins, fish oil, collagen, biotin, vitamin K… if the internet suggested it, I tried it. But nothing helped. In fact, I was getting worse. My joints began stiffening; slowly at first. It started with my left elbow — I self‑diagnosed it...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/i-can-t-wipe-my-a</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4548d63711ac3161d8a19d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:23:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_0784f3b4dede4ada90b5a3fb688fac99~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_853,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Storm on the Horizon]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Top of the World Well, my friends… shall we dive in? This photo was taken in September 2021, after climbing 3,159 feet of elevation with one of my kiddos. I remember how strong I felt. How healthy. How grounded in my own body. I remember feeling proud — not just of the hike, but of the life I was living. I didn’t know it then, but that moment was the calm before a storm I never saw coming. My Current Activities: My Current Supplement Stack: So how did I go from feeling like a total bad ass...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/storm-on-the-horizon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a428bdd5bc5795a0134bae1</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:31:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_30ddd611cf2f4606a50b5a39a773ac42~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I'm Here]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hello, my friends. This moment has been four years in the making—a stretch of time filled with disbelief, frustration, exhaustion, and pain. And yet, finally, there’s a sense of hope. How did I end up here? That’s a long story, one that will take several posts to tell. But for now, I want to share where I am today. Although my journey began in 2022, it wasn’t until this May that I started receiving real answers. I’m a visual learner, and pictures often communicate what words can’t. So, I’ve...]]></description><link>https://www.flashorflame.com/post/why-i-m-here</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a41ac2d3c06bdad5424ba59</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:47:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5c1959_68d0a460a7e8461292072caba43b52bb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Catina Piliaris</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>