Radio Naturopath Episode 459: Hypertension, Hibiscus, L-theanine, CBD; Weight Loss and Stress Reduction

This week I talked about how I tried hibiscus tea and it pretty much knocked me out, so if I do hibiscus it has to be in very small amounts! Everyone is different and responds differently to herbs and supplements. I DO feel good taking l-theanine, a calming amino acid from the tea plant, which calms without grogginess! And I also took the gastrodia/uncaria Chinese herbal complex in pill form, and I did better with that than the big cup of tea. 

There's so much to talk about with weight management and loss. This week, I managed to discuss these neat Please Don't Weigh Me cards that you can get, and discussed the merits and detriments of being weighed at the doctor's office. Bottom line: if it makes the patient feel comfortable, no need to weigh them! Also, if you're at the doctor's office, you do not have to consent to ANY physical exam that you don't want to do. At my office my patients always have a choice! We also discussed the most important aspect of fat loss, which is stress reduction. Lowering cortisol is good for ANY condition, but directly helps to lower cortisol so that it's not putting more sugar into your blood for you to store.  And there's lots of ways to reduce stress!

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 416: POTS Advice, Vitamin C, Bedrotting and Stress, Cryptolepis for Immunity

I then discussed the health benefits of getting plenty of Vitamin C from food and supplements. Reduced gout, improved collagen, lower blood pressure, better immunity. All terrfic things! And, there is a Gen Z TikTok trend called BED ROTTING. I'm a fan! There are naysayers who say it will prevent people from accomplishing more, but I think the point is that people are already trying to accomplish too much. Hanging out in bed is great for your sanity! Then I got started on a newer-known herb for Lyme and immunity, cryptolepis. More on Lyme herbs next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 404: Evaluation of Chest Pain, All About Atherosclerosis

This week, we reminded people to stay hydrated because IT'S HOT OUT THERE. Water, electrolytes, salt, shade, AC, swimming, all good! We moved on to the differential diagnosis of chest pain and how patients are evaluated if they have it. Word to the wise: go straight to the ER. If you're having a heart attack, they are better equipped to treat you if you go to the hospital. It could be just a muscle spasm, but it might be a heart attack or blood clot, which are life threatening. Nobody will think you went unnecessarily! Just go! We then talked about atherosclerosis, what and where it is, and how it's treated conventionally. We'll talk about natural treatments next week.

Radio Naturopath Episode 403: Natural Help for High Blood Pressure, Hawthorn, Amla

This week, I reviewed natural ways to help with high blood pressure. We talked about the controversy over salt, the DASH diet, and a couple of herbs that can help hypertension, amla and hawthorn. It all gets down to eating healthy, getting exercise, and reducing stress!

Radio Naturopath Episode 402: Herbs and Foods for High Blood Pressure and Heart Health

This week in our series about cardiovascular health, we talked about herbs and foods that can lower blood pressure. A lot of foods have properties that are similar to calcium channel blockers, like the commonly prescribed amlodipine. Magnesium, eugenol from thyme, and celery seed all have constituents that has those properties! Other herbs are diuretic or nitric oxide enhancers, and still more reduce inflammation and aid with strengthening blood vessels. They all help!

Radio Naturopath Episode 347: Happy 4/20! All About Cannabis, Marijuana, CBD, THC for Health

This Wednesday is 4/20/22, so I thought it only fitting to talk about the latest on cannabis! I talked about the history of the use of 4/20. I also talked about the many health benefits of CBD, THC, and CBD's parent compound, CBG. They all can be helpful for things like anxiety, depression, seizures, pain, insomnia, cancer treatment, high blood pressure, and more! I talked about some health caveats and drug interaction issues. I also talked about the status of legalization in Connecticut.

Radio Naturopath Episode 339: Natural Therapies for High Blood Pressure

This week it was all about hypertension. How it's so common, how you can't tell who's going to have it, how there's a big genetic component. There's foods you can eat, supplements to take, exercise to do. And there's even herbs and supplements that have similar mechanisms to common hypertension medications! It can be hard to treat but not impossible.

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 257: Coronavirus, Leaky Blood Vessels, Hypertension, Obesity, Diabetes and Clots

This week I talked about how it's important to keep your endothelium intact! That's the lining of the inside of your blood vessels. If it's leaky, the virus can get in, damage the pericytes that keep your blood vessels elastic, cause more leakage, and encourage clots! This is very bad for people who have chronic inflammation, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. We talk about how to keep those blood vessels strong to help to prevent that from happening with foods, supplements, and activity.

There has also been concern that people taking ACE inhibitors and ARBS for their blood pressure increase their ACE2 receptors, giving more sites in the lungs for the virus to bind. So is it a good idea to keep taking those drugs? Listen and find out!