Radio Naturopath Episode 277: Should You Get The Flu Shot? Feeling Down? Maybe It's Acedia

This week, Ron really wanted to know if he should get a flu shot, since Medicare and the media are marketing to him that he's high risk and should absolutely get one. I discuss the pros and cons of getting one, and remind everyone that a flu shot is NOT a pass, you still have to take care of your immunity and follow COVID-19 and other hygiene and nutrition precautions!  I talk about some supplements to take for possible flu prevention. 

I also talked about that feeling that a lot of people have during the pandemic, ACEDIA. There was a great article posted by Jonathan Zecher. It's a kind of spiritual ennui, a deep directionlessness and angst. GREAT.

Radio Naturopath Episode 276: Dexamethasone and the President; How to Stay Healthy in the Autumn; Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

This week I talked about dexamethasone, the drug that may well be affecting the president's behavior. I explained what steroid are, the different types, and how they affect the body. I also talked about potential harm of this drugs. 

Today is October 12, the second Monday in October. It's Canadian Thanksgiving! I talked about that and its origins, and about celebrating it in Canada when I was there.  

I also talked about some ways to stay healthy in the autumn. Food, exercise, rest , hygiene!

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 274: COVID-19 and Aerosol Spread; Swimming and Health, Uterine Fibroids, Gray Hair

This week, I talked about contested evidence that COVID-19 is spread in great part by aerosols, in addition to droplets. It's not spread as easily by fomites, by touching objects and transmitting to your face. Also, even though it is spread by aerosol, in order to contract it you really need sustained, close contact with someone who is shedding virus. There are households where only one member contracts the virus while others are able to distance from that person. This virus is apparently not as easily caught as measles, where 90% of people surrounding a measles-infected person can contract it. So, distancing, masking, sanitizing really do help. The worst situations for contracting this virus are those where people are talking, shouting, or singing for sustained periods: bars, parties, events, indoor areas with lots of people and poor ventilation, or anywhere where people have sustained close contact, especially if they are not masked. This is helpful to know how to avoid it, but it makes schools, bars, restaurants, gyms, yoga and dance studios, and house gatherings, and large events very problematic. 

We also talked about the health benefits of swimming; red root for uterine fibroids; and pantothenic acid for graying hair. It's on Owncloud. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 273: COVID-19 and Variolation, Iodine and COVID-19, High Fiber Foods for Health

There have been more developments in COVID-19. This week, I talked about the concept of variolation. This is taking from hundreds of years ago where practitioners in the East either powdered dried smallpox scabs and blew powder with a pipe into people's noses, or took fluid from smallpox vesicles and rubbed it into the skin of patients, so that they developed a few small lesions on their skin. In both cases, patients would experience mild illness and then immunity. This is before the process of vaccination was discovered. This process is called "variolation" because smallpox is caused by the variola virus. Well, two physicians, Monica Gandhi, M.D., and George Rutherford, M.D., wrote a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine describing this process, and assert that mask-wearing contributes to variolation. They describe several settings, including factories and cruise ships, in which there was mandatory masking and the vast majority of people got asymptomatic or mild cases of COVID-19. This is very promising, because if there is finally universal mask wearing, more of society can be reopened.

I also talked about a UConn study in which it was found that if people gargle with a 0.5% solution of povidone-iodine for 15 seconds, any COVID-19 is inactivated. This makes it possible that gargling and nasal rinsing with this low concentration of povidone-iodine could significantly slow down rates and severity of infection. This was studied intentionally to help people in the dental industry, where aerosolization of oral fluids is a feature of that work. 

I also talked about some high fiber foods that are good for you!

Radio Naturopath Episode 272: COVID-19: Sorting Out the Statistics, Testing Recommendations, The Bradykinin Theory and How to Calm Yours

This week I talked about: you guessed it, COVID-19. There were reports that only 6% of the people who had COVID-19 as one of their diagnosis codes had that as the only diagnosis; the rest had other conditions at the same time. Our dear leader and some of the right interpreted this to mean that only 9000 people actually died of COVID-19, not 200,000+. I sort this out; it's clear that these poor folk simply had comorbidities at the time of their death, and 6% of these deaths had no other diagnosis codes. This doesn't mean that they only died of COVID, but they could have comorbidities that were simply not listed. Nope, you don't get a pass, you still have to mask, distance, and wash. Also, the new head of the COVID-19 task force is now a neuroradiologist, Scott Atlas, who is in line with moving the economy and schooling forward, perhaps too quickly.

There was a study at Oak Ridge National Lab in Texas that suggested a bradykinin model of disease in COVID-19. Bradykinin modulators may be helpful in reducing the severity of the illness. There are many foods that you can eat that have polyphenols in them, which calm bradykinin. I list them off for you!

Radio Naturopath Episode 271: COVID-19 Safety Reminder, Bowel Habits During Travel, Gout

I gave a review of good COVID-19 safety practices, reminding everyone that the way we're still spreading this virus is spending time with too many people in close quarters, especially indoors and without masks. This is not a great time to go to bars or attend parties, and probably not even to eat in restaurants! The virus will die out without hosts, so if we mask, sanitize, limit how many people we come in contact with, and do it in a safe way, the virus will eventually die out. We are by no means there yet, so all those practices still need to be followed. 

Ron asked a great question: why do my bowel habits change when I travel? Mostly because of the stress of not being in your own, safe bathroom! Also diet change to some extent, but I think it's mostly that we need to feel safe when we're in the bathroom, and the hotel or highway bathroom doesn't cut it!

I talked about gout: what it is, where it tends to occur, how to eat and drink to prevent it, and some meds and supplements that are used. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 270: Notes on the Amish, Help for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Ron and I went to Pennsylvania Dutch Country! It was really interesting to learn that there are about 40,000 Amish in greater Lancaster County, PA, the difference between Amish and Mennonite, that church is in each other's homes, and that they DO use electricity as long as it's not attached to the grid. Some still have ancient coal stoves, but coal is very expensive, so many have gas-powered stoves and refrigerators, and air compressor powered small appliances. Some are so newfangled that they're getting solar panels! Apparently church is on alternate weeks, so we saw TONS OF BUGGIES on the road, and late in the day we saw young folks in buggies a-courtin'! We knew this because the boys had no facial air and the girls had white pinafores. We learned all this stuff at the museum of the Amish Village! https://www.amishvillage.com/ I also ate whoopie pies and shoo-fly pie and went to the DUTCH HAVEN! https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tZP1zcsSY9Pjy80M2C0UjWosLBMNjO2NEtJTEqzTEuzMLUyqDA3szBISUxOSjYzTUpOTTH04k4pLUnOUMhILEvNAwB3nBQD&q=dutch+haven&oq=DUTCH+HAVEN&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0j46j0l3j46j0.4987j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 I think my parents took me there when I was a kid. 

This week's big topic was IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. I thought lots of people would appreciate the topic; somewhere between 3-20% of my listeners. All about what it is and isn't, and how it's usually some combination of stress, anxiety/depression, and eating foods that just don't work for you. We talked about some meds ,and more supplements that can help.

Radio Naturopath Episode 269: Atherosclerosis in the Aorta, Hip Bursitis

This week on Radio Naturopath I responded to two questions from listeners. The first was about reducing atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta: so the whole thing about reducing oxidative stress, eating less sugar and processed foods, drinking less alcohol, getting exercising, eating healthy fats and avoiding poor quality ones. 

I also talked about hip bursitis: what it is, how it's generally treated, and how to feel better. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 268: Avoiding Food Intolerances and Allergies Can Help You; Those Pesky Bumps On Your Arms

This week I talked about the various kinds of food allergy testing you can do. IgE or IgG, skin prick, blood draw, or finger stick. This can be helpful for improving many conditions, including any kind of digestive upset, skin conditions including eczema, respiratory conditions such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, joint pain, and so many more. I broke down the different types and methods of testing.

I also had a question about Those Bumps On Your Arms. I explained that it's hyperkeratosis pilaris, and that it's caused by nutritional insuffciencies. You can also do some exfoliating and apply nourishing lotions or oils, but you have to correct the nutritional issue before it improves.