the founders
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Miriam Baker, MPH, PhD
Miriam is a Sex Therapist and Sex Educator.
She was the associate of the late Pioneer of Sex Therapy Helen Singer Kaplan MD.
Miriam has been in practice treating couples and individuals in all aspects of sexual problems in addition to couples treatment.
Her anthropologic research is in sexuality in the domestic milieu.
As an educator and expert Miriam has appeared on all major news networks and in print (Dr Oz, NY Times, Men’s Health, CBSDoc.com)
Miriam is the Sex columnist for Bedtimenetwork.com
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Alyssa Dweck, MS, MD, FACOG
Dr. Dweck is a practicing gynecologist in Westchester County, New York. She provides care to women of all ages; she has delivered thousands of babies. A graduate of Barnard College, she has a Masters Degree in Human Nutrition from Columbia University and her Medical Degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, now named Drexel University. Dr. Dweck trained at Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, where she was Chief Resident in 1994.
Dr. Dweck practices in Mount Kisco, NY and admits to Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY. She has been voted “Top Doctor” in New York Magazine and in Westchester Magazine. Dr. Dweck has apperared on The Today Show and Good Day LA. She is a frequent contributor to multiple media outlets online and in print. She has co-authored three books.
She is proficient in gynecologic surgery. She has a special interest and expertise in menopause and medical sex therapy. She is an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology at New York Medical College and a consultant at Massachusetts General Hospital, Vincents Memorial Ob/Gyn Service. She has served on the board of directors of a large multi specialty medical group in addition to ethics, quality assurance, and peer review committees.
She served on the medical advisory board of Hope’s Door, a shelter from Domestic Violence and as a medical consultant for, Stepup-Speakout.org, a web community dedicated to resources and support for breast cancer related lymphedema.
She is medical consultant, key opinion leader and influencer in women’s health. learn more at www.drdweck.com
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Nyiri Grigorian L.C.S.W, PhD
Nyiri is a psychotherapist/psychoanalyst and relationship expert. She has been in private practice for 28 years treating adults, couples and families.
She is an expert in anxiety, depression and addiction. She has extensive experience working with couples navigate many developmental stages in marriage through the years. Her practice includes many women and couples who are experiencing the numerous effects that menopause has on their relationships.
She has contributed to the body of research on treating siblings together as an alternative to traditional individual treatment. She has been sited in various articles on relationships and sleep
founder’s story
by Dr. Miriam Baker
It began.
When a Sex Therapist and a Psychotherapist meet each weekday on the school carpool line, the mysteries of life are bound to be discussed.
Miriam and Nyiri mused on the nature of relationships, theories of psychoanalysis, women’s rights, attachment parenting, politics, food and social order.
One 98-degree day in August with carpool in repose they agreed to meet at the town pool a block from the town dump.
Miriam arrived first and settled her twins by the pool, herself in the shade.
She was once again rattled by the lack of air to breathe.
Suffocated by the plastic strapped lounge chair, she found herself slipping towards the hot damp ground.
For a woman in menopause this was too hard to endure, even bare legged in a diaphanous skirt.
Begging her child for a plastic cup of ice water from the snack bar she waited as the mere seconds and her hot flashes kept in time until it’s delivery.
As Miriam glanced about looking for Nyiri she placed the cup between her legs in order to slather her pale children’s faces with number 85.
Something interesting happened next.
She realized in an unforgettable moment; the hot flash receded almost instantaneously.
Reaching down to make note of the position of the cool cup, she grabbed her ever present note pad.
Could it be that given the vast nerve endings in the clitoris a rapid conduction of cool sensation might be reaching her brain in an important way?
If a broken thermostat in the brain contributes to hot flashing, could the very ‘real spot’ that brings women the most pleasure, bring them relief?
She looked up from her writing as Nyiri arrived chanting “I am melting”?
Miriam said, sit down; try this.
A day and uncountable hours of brain labor later; v-qool was born.
Their task lay in front of them; how to deliver this finding into a resource for flashing women.
Nyiri said we must think of how to make the conversation about the clitoris palatable.
Miriam made her first drawing of a delivery system; a small pad filled with a cooling substance to be worn inside underwear.
The visual of a heart came to her mind as she thought of how blood flows in the body.
They agreed the pad would need to be in contact with the upper vulva and clitoris but not the urethra.
An upside-down heart would work!
It would be in contact with “the real spot”.
The ability to keep the cooling pad in place was important so it would need a sticky side.
They began to experiment.
Cutting tiny pieces of cotton dousing them in water putting them in plastic snack bags normally housing goldfish crackers and freezing them, they set out to find subjects.
This was easier than they anticipated.
Many of their friends were peri-menopausal and everyone was eager for relief.
One day on an assignment to interview Dr. Dweck the author of the new book V is for Vagina for her column on Bedtime Network Miriam said to Nyiri, “come with me, let’s see if we might ask her about our mission”.
Dr. Dweck was not just a regular OBGYN!
She was an astute scientist with much knowledge in the field of women’s health.
They met in Starbucks.
Her enthusiasm was authentic, motivating and a lightning rod.
Within moments they were off to the pharmacy to look at supplies.
They found themselves on the pavement cutting up minipads and jumping for joy in the parking lot laboratory.