Radio Naturopath Episode 454: Summer Produce and The Farmers' Markets

Speaking of summer, I felt inspired to talk about the health benefits of all the great produce that's available right now. Tomatoes for lycopene and cancer prevention. Berries for antioxidants. Cherries for sleep! Also, we discussed all the terrific benefits of shopping at your local farmers market, not the least of which is if you're going to buy celeriac from Anita, she'll tell you a great way to cook it! But even better, fresh, nutritious, low carbon footprint, meet your friends and neighbors, and DOGS!

Radio Naturopath Episode 443: Lifestyle Changes to Lower Blood Pressure

This week, I started talking about the very important topic of hypertension, high blood pressure. Our focus this week was on basic lifestyle things to do to lower blood pressure. Some of it is SHOCKING! Stuff like: eat more vegetables and fruit, eat more clean protein, drink more water, get more exercise, stop smoking, do stress reducing activities like deep breathing, leisure walks in nature, yoga, and meditation, and get good quality and quantity of sleep. WHO WOULDA THUNKIT??? It's so important that we'll pick up on this next week, and include actual supplements that help with blood pressure. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 354: What's Good and Bad For Your Skin, Bursitis Part 1

Today we finished up on why some things are bad for your skin, and things to eat to improve your skin. Turns out, those things are good for your general health, and the skin is a window into the rest of your health! Don't exfoliate too much, drink you water, eat your produce. We also began a discussion of bursitis, a painful condition that affects a lot of people, and can be helped by natural medicine. We'll get more in depth next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 346: How to Digest Your Beans and Veggies; Low FODMAPs

Since it's spring and we're all trying to eat a little healthier and get more produce in, I talked about how to make it easier to do that. Not everyone digests beans and vegetables well, but there may be some things you can do short of not eating them at all! We talk about easing into it, soaking, slow-cooking, and sprouting beans, and which foods to avoid or eat if you have trouble with FODMAPs, fermentable carbohydrates. Hopefully this advice will help people to eat their fruits and veggies more!

Radio Naturopath Episode 344: Important Women to Me, Spring Cleaning and Eating and Your Health

Today I wrapped up International Women's Month, talking about what it's like to be a women in 2022, a woman naturopathic physician, and honored some of the important women in my life. I also talked about spring cleaning and why it's good for your health, and foods to start eating now that it's spring. Time to get that produce on board!

Radio Naturopath Episode 323: Natural Foods and Your Immunity

This week I talked about nutrition and immunity. There are so many great natural foods that we can eat that have constituents that support our immunity in so many ways. Some of them compete for receptor sites and protect cells against invasion from viruses. Others have antioxidants that protect from damage from cells. Others have anti-inflammatory components that work with various systems in our bodies. Others have compounds that increase the activity of immune cells and proteins. We can get all this from food!

Radio Naturopath Episode 312: Organic On a Budget, Onion, Broccoli, and Pigments

Today I discussed ways to make organic produce more cost effective: things such as buying local, frozen, store brands, and more. I also talked about choosing organic produce that is more likely to have significant amounts of pesticides if not organic, and buy non-organic for items with heavy skins and peels, as recommended by the Environmental Working Group.

We also discussed why particular vegetables and constituents are good for you: onions, garlic, and other alliums, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, and those colorful pigments you find on your vegetables.

Radio Naturopath Episode 288: Why Ron and I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine; Why the Mediterranean Diet Is Good For You

Ron and I got the COVID-19 vaccine! We talk about why we made the decision to do it, what we experienced, and some ways to help mitigate side effects.

We got a great question about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet so we talked about that! You can't go wrong eating vegetables and fruit, a little cheese, olive oil, fish at least 2x/week, nuts, seeds and beans, and a few glasses of wine per week. Like Ron and me! It's also a good idea not to eat too much starch and sugar.

Radio Naturopath Episode 275: The President Has COVID-19; Overweight/Obesity and COVID-19 and Risk Reduction

President Trump has contracted COVID-19. As is often the case when a president falls ill, there seems to be some confusion and protection about the president's actual health status. I wish him well and a full, speedy recovery, and same to the at last count 22 White House staff who have also contracted the virus. I expect there will be more. But I believe that the President and all of his staff and advisors behaved irresponsibly. In the time of a pandemic, or in any crisis or situation where there are leaders, it is incumbent upon the leaders to set a good example. By not wearing or requiring masks, by holding outdoor and indoor events without masking or social distancing, the president and his staff put countless people at risk. This virus is mild to most and deadly to some, and when anyone contracts it they don't know which they'll be. I believe that the Trump administration set a poor example for the American people in not taking COVID-19 seriously, and now that the president and many of those around him have shown that their actions definitely result in contracting the virus, they need to change their approach. From a public health, leadership, and human standpoint, the Trump administration has failed to set a good example for the American people. This is NOT how to lead. They should have been masking, encouraging and modeling physical distancing, and following the science. Let's hope that going forward they change their ways. 

Also, it is unfortunate to report that overweight and obesity contribute to the outcome of COVID-19. People with obesity are more than 2x as likely to be hospitalized, have 75% greater risk of going to the ICU, and 48% greater risk of dying. This does not mean that ALL overweight/obese people will have severe disease, but a greater percentage. I talk about ways to mitigate the risk using basic health practices, eating whole foods, hygiene, and supplementation. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 261: Avoid Large Gatherings; Hydrate in the Heat; Why Fruit is Good For You, Especially Strawberries and Watermelon

I talked about the folly of the Trump organization having a large gathering where they didn't push mask-wearing, and that this could potentially become a super-spreader event. I continue to encourage people to wear masks in public; more and more studies are showing they really do stop the spread, and that if 90+% of people wore them the virus would die out.

Since we're in our first heat wave of 2020 I encouraged everyone to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! A short bit on the benefits of water vs. sugar and electrolytes. Then I talked about the health benefits of fruit in general, and specifically strawberries and watermelon.