Radio Naturopath Episode 437: Lyme-Bartonella Fatigue and Tremors, Cholesterol and Athletes

This week, we continued our saga of treating chronic fatigue of tick borne illness, and Ron's detox from cholesterol-lowering medication. I have found some energizing herbs like cordyceps and eleuthero, and that low dose lithium and the herb sida acuta are good for tremors. I talked what I'm doing to manage all these symptoms. We talked about how to help Ron with his ongoing healing from medication-induced muscle damage and cramping, including protein, magnesium, antioxidants, and milk thistle. Then I started to discuss cordyceps for energy and immune support and will continue next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 439: Statin-Induced Myopathy in Athletes, Post-Exertional Malaise

This week, we talked more specifically about statin- and cholesterol-lowering medication induced myopathy. Ron is only a tiny bit better but still can't ride his bike outdoors. We talked about studies showing that athletes and people of lower body habitus tend to have more bad reactions to cholesterol lowering medications. My hypothesis is that doctors often don't dial in lower doses for these people, that they're using the same doses they would for larger people. We're still helping Ron with various natural medicine supplements. We also talked about post-exertional malaise: how it's a feature of chronic fatigue syndrome and other illnesses like autoimmunity, long COVID, and tick borne illness, and how to circumvent it Adaptogen herbs help too! We got started on the use of shilajit and will pick up on that next week. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 438: Musculoskeletal Side Effects of Repatha, Cordyceps, Sida acuta

Poor Ron. He had to get off his bike after less than 2 miles on a gravel ride. The evolocumab is still exerting its effects. We're thinking critically about the mechanisms of action of his musculoskeletal distress and responding accordingly. We are reducing inflammation, helping him to rebuild muscle, offering items to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic buildup, and something to help to break down any leftover drug in his body based on the pharmacokinetic of the compound. We are hoping he will be back to riding happily in a few weeks! Meanwhile, we also continue on the health benefits of cordyceps and my new friend, the mallow Sida acuta. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 436: Cholesterol Meds Side Effects, Benefits of Eleuthero, Spirulina, Chlorella

This week, we continued to review my ups and downs with chronic tick borne illness, and some new things that I learned, like the benefits of spirulina, chlorella, eleuthero, and other adaptogens. We also talked about Ron and how his latest cholesterol meds have likely dropped his cholesterol too low for his health, and what other options he has. Then we went on to find out the specific health benefits of spirulina, eleuthero, and got started on chlorella. Blue green algae! Great antioxidants!

Radio Naturopath Episode 435: Ron's Cholesterol and Thyroid Labs, Bicycle Positioning and Sciatica

This week, Ron handed me his recent blood work and had me talk about it. We talked about his elevated TSH and how his doc needs to adjust his thyroid medicine. We talked about his target-low cholesterol numbers, and how his Repatha drug is starting to give him a lot of side effects. We talked about the mechanism of that. We also answered a question from a listener about whether cycling negatively impacts sciatica, and how it's necessary to get the position right on the bike and also do stretch and strengthening exercises. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 400: Starch, Sugar, Fat and Cholesterol; Two Newer Drugs

This week, I talked about how starch, sugar, saturated and hydrogenated fats affect cholesterol. It's not as simple as you think! Saturated fat is NOT shown to be that bad for cholesterol, and too much starch and sugar are what mostly raise it. Hydrogenated fat too! We help you sort through that. We also talk about two newer cholesterol lowering meds, bempedoic acid and the PCSK-9 inhibitors. Are they any better than statins? Hmmm.

Radio Naturopath Episode 393: Statins, Ezetimibe, PCSK-9 Inhibitors, Cholesterol and Health

This week I continued with my series on cardiovascular health. We explored how statin drugs work to lower cholesterol and how they cause detrimental side effects. We talked about another commonly used drug that also has side effects, ezetimibe. And there's the somewhat newer PCSK-9 inhibitors, which lower cholesterol by an alternate mechanism. For some people, they have less side effects, but not necessarily. We also began to discuss some of the natural ways to lower cholesterol, and some cholesterol testing besides the common LDL, HDL, and triglyceride testing that can go deeper into helping the decision on whether to medicate.