Radio Naturopath Episode 401: Vaginal Dryness, Tick Repellent, Heart Healthy Foods

This week I talked about three topics. The first is one especially important to peri- and post-menopausal women, vaginal dryness. There are some simple things you can do to help, and not necessarily hormonal! The second is TICKS. My patients are coming in with tick bites and frank Lyme disease. We discuss how to prevent getting them on you, how to look for them, and natural tick repellents. The third is a long list of heart healthy foods! Lots of things that you can eat and generally help your heart to be healthier, and some that are actually studied to do great things like lower LDL, increase LDL size, raise HDL, lower triglycerides, improve endothelial function, and lower blood pressure. 

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 322: Nuts, Collagen, Arthritis and Nutrition

This week, I had a question from a listener about whether it's better to soak nuts before eating. The answer: Ideally, yes, but it's better to eat un-soaked nuts than not at all, unless you have a sensitivity to them. I don't like to make it harder for patients to eat healthy foods if they're in the habit of eating a lot of processed foods. Once they're eating a good complement of healthy foods, then we can discuss whether it's a good idea to soak, sprout, or ferment nuts. For some people, that would be a deal breaker because of the extra time and effort!

I also have been frequently asked whether it's useful to take collagen supplements, and we discuss. For some people it can be very helpful! We distinguish between collagen and general protein supplements. Because collagen is so helpful for joint pain and arthritis, we discuss nutrition to reduce and help arthritis pain.

Radio Naturopath Episode 296: International Women's Day, Women's Naturopathic Healthcare, More on Protein for Health

This week we talked about the origin of International Women's Day. Did you know that it came from the Socialist Party in Russia obtaining suffrage for women in 1917? In the US, the Socialist Party held a Women's Day on February 28, 1909 in honor of women in the labor movement. March 8 was adapted after Russian suffrage, and then it was made official in the United States in 1967, supported by feminist movements here. This year's theme is #ChoosetoChallenge. You can challenge things like old assumptions, racism, classism, sexism, in any area of life: work, sports, relationships, the arts.

I honored one of my woman teachers of naturopathic medicine, the premier naturopathic gynecologist, in the world, Tori Hudson, N.D. She is an adjunct professor at most of the naturopathic colleges in North America, and I learned naturopathic gynecology from her at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

Then, protein! Especially, what are the best vegetarian sources? And why is it helpful to eat protein? Protein is so important that we're going to talk about it more next week.

Radio Naturopath Episode 287: New Year's Goals, Intermittent Fasting and Fat Loss

Today we talked about New Year's resolutions, and also intermittent fasting. Only part of intermittent fasting is really about the temporal nature of it; the rest is common sense about how to eat and exercise. So we went through the whole thing again because it bears repeating.

We also had a few good tidbits from Dr. Alan Gaby's store of great information. Elderberry, pomegranate, and almonds!

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 142: Vitamin E, Mixed Tocopherols and Tocotrienols: Help for Cardiovascular, Immunity, Hormones and More!

Did you know our friend, vitamin E, otherwise known as d-alpha tocopherol, and his buddies, gamma- and beta-tocopherol, and their friends the Tocotrienols, are just WONDERFUL? Great for fighting cancer, helping the immune system, regulating hormone function, and reducing cholesterol and improving cardivascular health! Such a great vitamin, it deserves its own show. It's mostly in VEGAN stuff! The best sources are sunflower seeds and almonds, but there's a lot in most nuts and seeds! We talk about the biochemistry of E too. https://5886e4ebcbc837d13f8e-