Radio Naturopath Episode 231: Ron's Bout of Gastroenteritis and Hernia Repair, and How to Help

Ron had quite an ordeal! He got acute gastroenteritis while working at an event in the Berkshires, and wound up spending time in the local hospital for hydration. Then he went home, and after a few days of nothing staying down, went to Windham Hospital where they found a hernia and intestinal blockage. Time for emergency repair! He had that on Friday, 10/4 good buddy, and had to stay in the hospital until everything was working again the following Thursday, Meanwhile, I was in Florida until 10/6, and when I returned I had to scour the house of possible Norovirus, the most common and very virulent cause of gastroenteritis! Ron is well on the mend and all's well that ends well. I talked about the clinical aspects of Ron's adventure, how to prevent and treat gastroenteritis, and some things to do after surgery.

Radio Naturopath Episode 230: More Help For Sprains, Preventing Colds and Flu, Genetic Testing for Psychiatric Meds and Conditions

Today we review my progress on healing my sore knee. It's going OK, but now I'm off the bike until Sunday! My chiropractor thinks I need more down time. And then I'll have to go slow and easy when I get back! But I want to heal so I can get in some good fall riding before I have to move indoors.

I've seen so many colds and coughs and so many people with lingering sinus infections and bronchitis that I felt I needed to remind everyone about their cold and cough hygiene! Even Savannah Guthrie on NBC went viral! Neti pots, nasal sprays, lozenges, gargling.

And finally, for people taking meds for depression, anxiety and other psychiatric conditions, I talked about genetic testing to help figure out the meds that will work best and which are contraindicated. I also have testing for which supplements might be more helpful than others, and for vitamin utilization.

Radio Naturopath Episode 229: Natural Help for a Sprained Knee; Why to Not Vape

PHOOEY. I did a dance video that included jumping, and sprained my knee. Now, with all that great fitness I got over the summer, I have to back off on my exercise. I can do light spinning and swimming. I'm also going to the chiropractor and acupuncturist, taking natural anti-inflammatories and stuff to rebuild my ligaments, and (hopefully) getting more rest! I got into specifics on that.

I also talked about vaping today. I don't even think the jury is out; there's just too many health risks for me to recommend it. And it doesn't matter if you're vaping tobacco or cannabis; if you inhale oil, you risk getting lipoid pneumonia. Some people are dying of lipoid pneumonia from vaping. If you inhale oil, and then your lungs become inflamed, it's a vicious cycle of the body mounting an inflammatory response and you not being able to breathe it out! So, people, quit vaping.

Radio Naturopath Episode 228: Remembering 9/11, Eastern Equine Encephalitis

Today is 9/11, so we talked about our hearts going out to those who perished, survivors, people who became gravely ill and even died from inhaling toxins during the firefighting and search and rescue efforts. We talked about how blessed we are that in our country this is not an everyday occurrence and yet we would like to see peace on earth so NOBODY has to experience this. We shouted out to Jon Stewart for championing the rescue workers who became ill so that they could have lifelong federally funded heatlhcare. And we talked about how the town of Gander, Newfoundland hosted the people who were diverted from Europe because the American airspace was closed, and I reminisced about my time there!

We also gave a reminder that Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been found in mosquitoes in Connecticut, and everyone would do well to protect themselves from mosquitoes, although it's rare. I also reminded everyone that tick borne illness is much more common, and we need to protect ourselves from both. For mosquitoes, cover up, bug spray, and stay indoors at dawn and dusk! Bug spray is a good idea to help to prevent tick bites, too.

Radio Naturopath Episode 227: CBD: Benefits and Caveats; How to Treat Athlete's Foot and Other Fungus

Today we checked in with Ron who is mostly well, and is trying to dial in his thyroid dose. We are still waiting to see if his thyroiditis was chronic, genetic and set off by the Lyme, or if it was an acute thyroiditis caused by the Lyme which will ultimately resolve. We'll only know if his thyroid medicine dose gradually appears to be too much, and we'll dial it back.

CBD is continuing to impress me! I am sleeping better, feeling cheerier, and feeling better during exercise. We also had a caller who wanted us to discuss the caveats of cannabis, so we did: genetically it may not be for you, and any substance you use can be problematic if it doesn't work for you. I also talked about candida, athlete's foot and toenail fungus, how it occurs and how to treat it.

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!