Radio Naturopath Episode 284: Happy Hanukkah! COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout, New Drugs and Natural Treatments; NrF2 Enhancers

This week, there's great excitement over the initial rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination by Pfizer. We talked about the rollout, how it works, who is likely to be in line for it, and what it may contain. More info on that next week!

I also talked about some meds and natural treatments for COVID-19 as presented by Heather Zwickey, PhD, microbiologist and infectious disease researcher. Then a bit about NrF2 and its wonderful antioxidant properties.

Radio Naturopath Episode 226: Vegan Burger Ingredients; CBD for Athletic Performance; Gummy Nutrition!

Today I found out that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is not a huge fan of pseudo-meat products. There were some ingredients of vegan "hamburgers", and some are better than others. They might have beans and vegetables, or they may have refined coconut oil and GMO canola oil. If you're vegan, probably better to make your own, or get a brand with really clean ingredients! (Do you have a fave?)

Also talked about CBD (cannabidiol) for athletic peformance. Floyd's of Leadville was at the Farm to Fork Fondo PA Dutch and they're marketing all sorts of products for athletes. I think CBD is helping me to be less anxious and more present! Good ol' Cannabis. They often come in GUMMIES, so I discuss the pros and cons of getting your nutrition in a gummy. (TBH I like it!)

Radio Naturopath Episode 225: Gun Violence as a Public Health Crisis, Again

We had a good talk about the contagion of gun violence, how it's a health hazard and a public health issue, how nutritional status can affect the likelihood of people to be violent. Also, statistics for gun violence in other countries. Important, sad, sobering.

Radio Naturopath Episode 224: Lyme Check and Blue Zones: Rules for Living to 100!

We checked in with Ron again to see how he's doing with his unfortunate Lyme and Hashimoto's, and the reality is he's got good days and bad days, but seeming to get some more of the good days. This is a long haul! I'm going to have to check his thyroid hormone levels to see where he's at and if we need to adjust his meds.

Today I talked about Dan Buettner's Blue Zones! Those are locations in the world where they have an unusually high percentage of healthy centenarians. Dan Buettner quantified 9 life characteristics that people in all the Blue Zones share: move naturally, purpose, downshift, 80% rule, plant slant, Wine at 5, right tribe. loved ones first, and belong! So they get good rest, eat until only 80% full, eat a lot of plants especially beans, drink moderate alcohol, have a spiritual practice, good family and social connections. Good common sense for a happy life! Also great for reducing stress and maintaining health.

Radio Naturopath Episode 223: More on Lyme and CT Incidence, Hashimoto's, and Babesiosis; Insect Repellants; How Stress Affects Your Health

MORE stuff about Ron and his Lyme and Hashimoto's, and also the incidence of Lyme in the state of CT by county. New London has the highest incidence, but we wonder if it's underreported elsewhere. Ron makes the point that there is a lot of effort put into West Nile Virus which has an incidence of 23 cases/year in Connecticut, and less effort into Lyme disease which has 1800+ reported cases! And remember that these are the properly REPORTED cases, where the doctors have been presented with a state reporting form AND have managed to fill them out and send them back in. I made sure to encourage everyone to use bug spray, whether natural with essential oils, Bio UD from tomatoes, or even DEET if you must! I also make the point that the danger of antibiotic resistance is far outweighed by the need to eradicate a tick borne disease from a person, which can go on to have lifelong consequences, especially musculoskeletal and neurological.

We also talked about how stress affects your health. It can, of course, affect every system in your body, from headaches to digestion to muscle pain! And some suggestions to help.

Radio Naturopath Episode 222: More Update on Lyme, Babesia, Hashimoto's; Tips To Help You Live Longer!

Update on Ron's Lyme: turns out he has Hashimoto's thyroiditis and is frankly hypothyroid! So, we prescribed him 50 mcg levothyroxine and will play with the dose to get it right. Then we discovered that he has a Lyme coinfection: babesiosis! He will be getting a week of atovaquone and azithromycin for that, and also other natural medicine.

I also talked about some basic things you can do to live longer. They're things like keep your weight down, eat less food, don't smoke, get exercise, get rest. Basic stuff that you know, but it bears repeating!

Radio Naturopath Episode 221: Lyme Update, Why Is Constipation Bad For You?

This week, we once again did an update on Ron's Lyme treatment because we changed some things, and we talked about how we were going to handle his supplements based on his symptoms. We talked about the importance of binders and substances to carry the Lyme toxins and remnants of killed bacteria out of the body. We also talked about ways to deal with "Lyme brain", the cognitive deficits that can happen during Lyme disease.

I got a great question: WHY isn't it good for me to only have a BM 3-4x/week? I explained the whole thing! Toxins that are supposed to be excreted and can be reabsorbed; hormones marked for excretion that can cause high hormone problems, like PMS and enlarged prostate and even cancer; the need to slough off old bowel cells and have them regenerate; the need to maintain the tone of the colon so that regularity can be perpetuated. Such a simple everyday function and it's so important!

Radio Naturopath Episode 218: Should You Lower Your Cholesterol?

Here’s some common sense thinking about cholesterol, its role in your body, whether you should be taking statin drugs to lower it. It's not as simple as just having low cholesterol to prevent cardiovascular disease. We give a good review of the latest in testing for cholesterol and cardiovascular inflammation markers.

Radio Naturopath Episode 214: The Return of Karl Goldkamp, N.D.: More About Healing with the Ketogenic Diet!

Once again, I interview my friend and colleague Karl Goldkamp, N.D. again, who talks more about the ketogenic diet and how it can be helpful for inflammatory conditions. He also talks about how it works in terms of macronutrients, and the hormones insulin, glucagon and cortisol. It seems that it's not right for everyone but it's EXACTLY right for some. Thought-provoking, radical and interesting! 

Radio Naturopath Episode 211: Protein and Collagen are Good For You!

I talked about the difference between protein and collagen, mostly the specific amino acids, and all the reasons they're good for you. Protein helps you build muscle, burn more fat, and feel fuller! Collagen helps to rebuild hair skin nails organs joints. What could be bad!