Radio Naturopath Episode 427: Treating Lyme and Coinfections with Buhner Herbs; Sarcopenia

Today I talked about focusing on treating Lyme disease with herbs using the Buhner protocol. Stephen Buhner was instrumental in elaborating specific herbs that work on different issues with tick borne illness. Some of the herbs support immunity; some are antimicrobial; some are nutritive; some are antioxidant and neuroprotective. These herbs tend not to upset the digestive system the way that antibiotics do. They also tend not to produce or maintain persister cells, that is Lyme cells that are able to evade the immune system using biofilm proteins or round/encysted forms. It takes a lot of herbs but in my experience it's worth doing! We also managed to start next week's topic of sarcopenia, losing muscle mass past age 50. We'll elaborate more on that next week. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 425: Israel/Palestine, Hanukkah, More LymeBytes

This week, I talked about my perspective on the Israel/Palestinian conflict, mostly about how our Jewish, Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian friends are struggling right now. The majority of people just want PEACE, and for there to be a solution that stops all the killing and hate. We need NOT to enact anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim/Arab/Palestinian sentiment in this country. We are struggling right now! Then I talked about Hanukkah, the joyous celebration, and why we eat latkes and other oily things. I guess stirfry counts! I finished with reviewing the last bit of information I gleaned at the LymeBytes conference. Conferences are so great; you get so much information but it takes a while to process it all!

Radio Naturopath Episode 424: Sleep and Melatonin, Collagen and Joints, More LymeBytes

This week, I talked about how the best time to go to sleep is when your cortisol is lowest and your melatonin is highest, which for most people is somewhere between 8 and 11 pm, depending on when you get up and your genetics. If you go to bed too late, your cortisol is starting to rise and melatonin is starting to drop and it's harder to fall and stay asleep! I also talked about how collagen and natural anti-inflammatories are beneficial for joint and disc repair. Then I continued to review and give information gleaned from the LymeBytes conference. I'll do that for one more week and then we'll move on!

Radio Naturopath Episode 410: Anti-Inflammatory Herbs and Supplements

This week I gave more updates on my disc, how PT went, and my return of dysautonomia symptoms, which we think might be Lyme disease. We're going through steps to help with that. Then we talked more about inflammation: great supplements and herbs that can help, and there are a lot of them! From curcumin to rosemary to holy basil to ashwagandha, we've got them all!

Radio Naturopath Episode 396: Aging in Men, Health Goals, Enviro Toxins, Stress Reduction

This week was Part 3 of CNPA Conference Redux! This week, the featured speakers were Geo Espinosa who spoke about aging in men; Carissa Fioritto who discussed health goal-setting and used redirecting from weight loss as an example; Kira Halak who discussed the toxicity of PFAS and other environmental toxins; and Doni Wilson who talked about managing stress and even the benefits of ayahuasca! Fascinating stuff.

Radio Naturopath Episode 338: Happy Valentine's Day! History, Chocolate, and Love; Herbs To Help With Blood Pressure

This week Ron and I talked about Valentine's Day and our relationship, since it's also our anniversary. 17 years and going strong! We also talked about why chocolate is good for you, and how it came to be part of Valentine's Day. In a word: CADBURY! Richard Cadbury thought up the idea of giving out chocolate in heart shaped boxes with cupids on them! And as usual, and a little history on Valentine's Day. I then went into a number of herbs that have blood pressure-reducing capacity, specifically in the form of angiontensin converting enzyme inhibition. Next week we'll talk more about a number of herbs that have similar mechanisms of action to existing blood pressure drugs!

Radio Naturopath Episode 326: 2021 NHAND Highlights Part 2: Natural Help for Viruses, Senior Fitness, Brain Fog, Hiatal Hernia

This week, we did Part 2 of the highlights of the 2021 NHAND conference. We talked about natural help for viruses and summarized a talk about one doctor's use of natural medicine for COVID-19; about why fitness is important for seniors; about brain fog; and about hiatal hernias. We also filled in with a few tidbits about cherries for gout and the Mediterranean diet.

Radio Naturopath Episode 325: NHAND Highlights Part 1: Diabetes Meds, Alcohol and Food Addiction, Calming Herbs, Repro Microbiome

This week, I did a highlight episode for the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors convention. There was so much great information that I have to do a Part 1 and Part 2! This week, the topics were about new drugs for Type 2 diabetes; herbs for anxiety, sleep, and relaxation; the reproductive microbiome, beneficial bacteria that live in the vagina, uterus, and ovaries; alcohol's effect on women's health and evidence for reducing intake, and The Science of Food Addiction! All really great speakers and topics and I'll highlight more next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 283: Happy Hanukkah! Our COVID-19 Quarantine and Helpful Supplements, Pelvic Pain

Last Thursday, Ron had an acute GI bug, from which he recovered very quickly. However, unknown bugs are COVID-19 until proven otherwise. Here's how Ron and I handled it; it included getting tested and quarantining! I also answered a listener's questions about supplements to help to prevent or mitigate the illness.

Happy Hanukkah! I talked a little about that.

I also did a review of pelvic pain and natural treatment, as taken from Lise Alschuler's lecture at the NHAND conference.

Radio Naturopath Episode 278: Happy Halloween! COVID-19 Uptick in CT; Is It Allergies Or Is It COVID-19?

I talked a little about having a safer Halloween. I reminded people that sadly, there is an uptick in COVID-19 cases all over the country, even in Connecticut, although it's not as severe here as in the Midwest. I listed the 11 towns that are now considered hot spots, many in eastern CT, and one of them is WINDHAM, but not Mansfield, thankfully. The main topic was Is It Allergies or Is It COVID-19? Many people have fall allergies, and currently those are mostly dust and mold. There's really not much pollen to be had right now, so people are sneezing from being indoors, breathing in the dust and mold that was sitting in their heating ducts and is now blowing out, mold from interaction with firewood, and dust from putting on jackets, sweaters, and sweatshirts that have been sitting since April. Wash 'em! Use a HEPA filter! I gave a lot of good suggestions.