Radio Naturopath Episode 247: Yet More Coronavirus, Heart Healthy Foods

This week we reviewed the wonderful Know Your Farmer Fair, where I got a great pair of alpaca wool gloves, some fire cider, and a horse hair bracelet. We got to talk with local farmers about their wares! Ron and I both had a great time.

I talked YET MORE about the coronavirus, elaborated on herbs for different purposes: ginger and turmeric to reduce inflammation, marshmallow root, elecampane and mullein to stop viruses from sticking to mucous membranes, echinacea, mushrooms, and eleuthero to support the immune system. We also talked about whether you need masks, washing your hands, and resting. We just have to see what happens as more people contract the virus, or if efforts at containment are successful. 

I also talked about great heart healthy foods! Walnuts, olives and their monounsaturated fats; berries and cherries and anthocyanins; and COCOA FLAVONOLS. Yum!

Radio Naturopath Episode 246: Know Your Farmer Fair 2020, More on Coronavirus, Why Chocolate is Good For You

It’s the 2020 Know Your Farmer Fair! It’s at Town Hall in Willimantic, CT. It’s a great way to get to know the local people who grow your food! There will be produce, meat, eggs, cheese, honey, maple syrup, and jams and jellies for sale. I had a question about more info about the coronavirus, so I discussed it some more. You also get to hear how Ron and I met! And, the health benefits of chocolate.

Radio Naturopath Episode 245: Natural Treatment of Bronchitis, Shingles, and Type 2 Diabetes

I wasn’t on last week because of bronchitis! Will I get to have a year that I don’t catch this malady? Anyway, I rested, ate soup and drank tea, and took immune and lung herbs, and mucolytics. Joe from Coventry wrote in wanting to know about natural treatment for shingles, and Karen from the internet wanted to know how to help her family eat better for Type 2 Diabetes. A good listen!

Radio Naturopath Episode 244: Prevent and Treat the Coronavirus Naturally; Why Chalcones, Pomegranate, and Turmeric Are Good For You

The whole Coronavirus thing is scary. It’s a new strain that hasn’t been seen in humans before, 2019-nCoV. It likely came from an animal vector from a market where exotic animals are purchased for food. This virus is good a mutating and evolving, which is why so many people can catch it. However, you’re much more likely to catch influenza, a cold or the flu! There is no vaccine against coronavirus at this time. So, the best way is to do the usual antiviral prevention: clearing nose, hands, and throat, avoiding processed food, sugar and starch, and too much alcohol and caffeine; get rest, and take certain herbs and supplements. Nothing really exotic!

I also shared some clinical pearls. Learn about chalcones for inflammation, turmeric, and pomegranate.

Radio Naturopath Episode 243: Dr. Oz vs. Mark Wahlberg: Should You Skip Breakfast for Health and Weight?

Mark Wahlberg and Dr. Oz got into it! I think it’s pretty funny but it’s a topic worth discussing. They both got into their corners and said Everyone Should Do Things This Way. The thing is, they’re both right! Dr. Oz thinks you should skip breakfast, because he believes in intermittent fasting. I think there’s benefit to it too. It makes sense to wait until you’re actually hungry to start eating for the day. You also spend a significant amount of time in a low insulin state, which allows your body to do repair, reduces inflammation, and forces your body to burn more fat. However, if you’re like Mark and you have found that your healthy workout is supported by eating a certain way before that workout, then have at it! Mark is presumably very healthy and has found a way of eating that supports him and his workout. The point is not to take a side, but do what makes sense for your body. Dr. Oz is also correct in stating that most people are NOT like Mark Wahlberg. Ron found some CDC stats that said that only 23% of Americans get enough exercise to make a difference in their health, which means 150 minutes/week of moderate or 75 minutes/week of high intensity cardio, plus 2 sessions/week of resistance training. So the VAST MAJORITY of Americans are NOTHING like Mark! So Dr. Oz makes a point in that most people would benefit from doing things the way he suggests. But you should always do what makes you happy and healthy, whatever that is!

Radio Naturopath Episode 242: Normal and Abnormal Body Temperature; Is Food Addiction Really a Thing?

This week we talk about normal body temperature, since a recent study from Stanford University collected 20th century data and found that Wunderlich's data from 1851 was outdated. Body temperature has decreased due to factors like less ongoing infection, sedentary lifestyle, gum disease, and always hanging around in temperature-controlled environments! We also talk about fevers and how to handle them. Also, is food addiction really a thing, given that you HAVE to eat to live, but you don't HAVE to ingest cocaine, heroin, nicotine, or the other substances that addict people? My opinion: the answer is Yes and No.

Radio Naturopath Episode 241: Neem the Antifungal, Body Lotion, Microbiome Food Test, Genetic Testing

All about NEEM, an ayurvedic herb that cured my athlete's foot, I'm so excited! Plus other things Neem helps, like hair, skin and nails, and reducing inflammation and infections. Body lotion can be nice as long as it has natural ingredients. There's this new test, Viome, where you send in a stool sample and it gives you diet information based on your microbiome, very interesting! We talk about the benefits of IgG food allergy testing, and also the pros and cons of genetic testing.

Radio Naturopath Episode 240: Help for Colds, New Year's Resolutions, Those Veggie Burgers!

 I managed to catch a cold while in Florida. The good thing is that I was in Florida, didn't have to work, got to lie about and relax, lie in the sun, and eat fresh-picked citrus! So I was only sick for about 3-4 days. It goes to show you, when you really take care of yourself you don't stay sick long! Ron caught my cold and is going through it now. We're using neti-pots, nasal sprays, elderberry, echinacea/goldenseal throat, spray, and zinc. I'm going to keep up the immune boosters and the cleaning the whole season! 

It's a great time for those New Year's Resolutions, but don't feel like you have to do everything all at once. For example, if you want to lose weight, a good rule of thumb is to plan to lose 10% of your body weight in 7 months. If you give yourself that timespan, you're more likely to make lasting changes and keep it off!  There are numerous top 10 resolution lists available, but some of them are: change your diet/eating habits, exercise more, lose weight, take control of your finances, tidy up the house. Don't overwhelm yourself! A great thing to do is to take some time to take an inventory of your life and write down what you'd like to change. You can review it weekly, or as you'd like, and do small bits of each item as you have time. Trying to tackle everything at once or when you're tired usually results in frustration, and people giving up on resolutions by February! A great one to start with: Be good to yourself. Really, you're doing fine!

We reviewed a couple of the new vegetarian burgers again. We looked at the Impossible Burger, which is being sold at a number of fast food establishments. Well, if you really want to eat a meat substitute, you might try it, but it has oils that concern me, like sunflower oil and refined coconut oil that winds up getting heated and hydrogenated, more carbs and salt than a beef burger. If you want a meat-like treat once in a while, it might be fine, but it's much better to eat the ingredients separately and without added sugar, dextrose, yeast extract, and high sodium. They Beyond Burger is made from pea protein, which I like, but again has refined coconut oil and canola oil, which may present some hydrogenation issues. In the end, have it occasionally and saute the ingredients in real virgin coconut oil or olive oil most of the time!

Radio Naturopath Episode 239: I Got a Kidney Stone for Hanukkah; Glycine for Anxiety, Sleep, and Liver Detox

Last week I got my first kidney stone! Not so unusual; there is about a 1 in 10 chance that anyone will get them, men around 19% and women 9%. Why am I so lucky? Probably a combination of age, dehydration from both dry winter air and sweating while working out indoors, and too many holiday sweeties! i talk about how kidney stones happen, why they hurt so much, and how to help to prevent and treat them naturally. I also talk about the AMAZING amino acid GLYCINE: my new best friend! Helpful for anxiety, sleep, and detox. A great thing to add for the holidays!

Whatever you celebrate, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE! <3 <3 <3

Radio Naturopath Episode 238: Get Better Sleep; Prenatal Nutrition Points

This week (snork) I discussed (blink, shake head) how to get good SLEEP. Rhea Abbott, N.D. gave a great talk about it at the NHAND conference, and I expanded upon some of her ideas. Melatonin, magnesium, nervine herbs like California poppy, chamomile, passion flower, hops, lemon balm, and 5HTP, the precursor to serotonin! But the MAIN thing is sleep hygiene, setting up your sleep space and yourself to optimize sleep. I also discussed a few tidbits of prenatal nutrition information.