Radio Naturopath Episode 461: Menopause and Weight Loss

This week I'm playing a lecture I recorded a while ago, about menopause and weight loss. I talk about how it's harder to lose fat after menopause, and why. It's all about the cortisol! Get that cortisol down and it will help. Also, having a little extra weight on after menopause is actually good, because the fat makes estrogen for you, and carrying it strengthens your bones. But, if you want to be at a lower weight, here's some tips! Just like all my advice about weight loss, the first rule of weight loss is to not focus on weight loss. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 453: How Sleep Affects Hormones

Ron and I are happily improving! I'm back on the bike and we're both getting our strength back. Rest, treatment, smart training, the right supplements. I hope it all keeps progressing! 

This week I talked about the interaction of sleep and hormones. Ideally, we should generally get between 7-9 hours of sleep for good health and specifically hormonal function. In order to have a good interaction of melatonin and cortisol, one sleep-inducing, the other for energy, 7-9 hours is ideal! Also for healthy reproductive function, weight, mood, and immunity: all the hormones that manage these bodily functions benefit from adequate sleep. So don't skimp! Have a wind-down routine, make sure the room is dark and cool, don't overdo sugar and carbs. Sleep is one of the most healing things you can do!

Radio Naturopath Episode 445: Helminths, Naturopathic History, Natural Hormone Replacement

This week, I had MORE to talk about from the CNPA conference. So much great stuff! I started with Lyme disease causing arrhythmias. Lindsey Wells talked about the use of HELMINTHS, yes, WORMS, as a probiotic treatment epecially in the autism spectrum, and for PANS and PANDAS. Then we moved on to a GREAT talk from my friend and classmate Lorilee Schoenbeck all about the history of naturopathic medicine. Way to get inspired again! Then Robyn Kutka gave a great talk about natural hormone replacement therapy. Seems we don't need to be as cautious as we thought, and it can be very helpful!

Radio Naturopath Episode 392: Overdoing It; Statins, Side Effects, Anti-Inflammatory Alternatives

We talked about how it can be easy to overdo it when the weather gets nice all of a sudden. Make hay while the sun shines, right? We get really industrious and want to take care of our WHOLE yard. Or we go from riding one hour at a time on our indoor bike trainer to riding 62 MILES. And then we wonder why we're sore all over, hurt our back, or are super exhausted! It's OK to take it easy and ease into the outdoor joys of the season. 

We also continued our series on cardiovascular health. Today we focused on statin drugs: how they work, their side effects, and how to reduce inflammation in other ways. Cardiovascular health is a very rich topic so we'll be getting into this for a few more weeks!

Radio Naturopath Episode 375: Practice of Stillness/Weight Loss, Eat More Cinnamon, Ginger. Pumpkin!

This week, I talked about something dear to my heart and very important to a lot of people. Many patients, especially peri- and post-menopausal women, are talking about difficulty in fat loss. The fat hangs out right around their midsection. It's known as MENOBELLY! I didn't make that up. It's because our reduction in estrogen and progesterone reduce activity of fat-consuming enzymes, and we become more sensitive to cortisol. In our stressful lives, we spend too much time in high cortisol, and that adds fat to our midsections! So the short answer is to lower cortisol. One simple way to do that: A PRACTICE OF STILLNESS. That's any activity that you can do that involves being still and deep breathing! Listen to find out how.

I also talked about some more yummy foods that we eat around Thanksgiving and why they're good for you: cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin. Listen and eat up!

Radio Naturopath Episode 358: Help for your Poison Ivy, Stool Shape and Your Health

This week it was about less fun but necessary topics. Poison ivy is no fun, super itchy, and can range from annoying to problematic to even dangerous. Here's some useful tips to deal with it naturally. Of course, if the rash is progressing over your whole body, going into your mouth, throat, nose, eyes, or genitals, it's time to go to the doctor or urgent care. Sometimes it's just safer to get a steroid pack. But if it's merely annoying and not in a dangerous spot, there's lots to try, from menthol to grindelia to clay! I also had an interesting question from Eliana, a listener in Israel. She wanted the lowdown on stool shape and consistency! So we talked about the Bristol Stool Chart and what conditions can cause various stool changes. Somewhat unpleasant but necessary. And wasn't the bathroom called the "necessary" in Revolutionary War times?

Radio Naturopath Episode 343: Herbs, Exercise, and Healing for Women

It's still International Women's Month! This week we talked more about products and activities that can help with women's health. Herbs for hot flashes, probiotics, estrogen balance, stress reduction. Exercise and healing modalities. And why boron is really good for you! Next week we'll get into Being a Woman in 2022, and Being a Naturopathic Physician in 2022.

Radio Naturopath Episode 308: COVID-19 Vaccination by State, Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding

I was curious to see what the COVID-19 vaccination rate and also the absolute number of vaccinated people ranked by state in the United States. Unfortunately, the states with the lowest rates are in the south, Missippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Wyoming, and Louisiana at the bottom 5. This may be due to access, education, politics, and mistrust. All of the New England states are in the top 7, and the only reason they AREN'T the top 6 is because Maryland is #6! They edged out New Hampshire by just a little. Again, access, education, politics, trust.

The main topic of the day was dysfunctional uterine bleeding. It's a very important topic because the prevalence in the United States is somewhere between 10-30%. To me, this means there's something about our lifestyles that is promoting this. I do note that I seem to see a lot of women in my practice with the condition. There are various causes and sometimes the cause is unknown, but there are lots of things to try, both biomedical and natural.

Radio Naturopath Episode 265: Richard Redfield and Masking, Stay Hydrated in the Heat, Menopause 2020, Part 1

It's like Ground Hog Week! This week, I quoted Richard Redfield, the director of the CDC, who said that if we all wore masks, we could get a handle on this virus in about 2 months. I keep repeating it, but it's important. I went on to remind people that it's hot and they need to hydrate. Then, as requested by a listener, I started on my latest information about helping with menopause symptoms. There's so much to discuss that I'm going to continue next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 208: Help Allergies with Herbs; Guide to Bioidentical Hormones for Menopause

It’s time for SPRING! This week I reminded people that if they are sneezing, there IS tree pollen in the air, and they might want to break out the neti pots and xylitol nasal spray. And drink nettle and eyebright tea, and eat local honey!

The main topic was bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms. If you've tried the natural stuff and it just wasn't working, it might be time to try bioidentical hormones. I talk about the difference between horse-extracted, synthetic, and bioidentical hormones, and why it's better to go bioidentical. I also talk about which hormones to take and where, whether it's testosterone for sex drive, topical estrogen cream, or oral for everywhere. In 2 weeks I'll review delivery systems.