Radio Naturopath Episode 450: Brain Freeze, Hydration, Summer Heat, Bug Spray

I thought it would be useful to review help for surviving the heat. We talked about BRAIN FREEZE, which has real medical causes but is generally not a terribly serious condition! We also talked about hydration, how to keep cool in the heat, natural sunscreens like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, and natural insect repellents like lavender, garlic, cinnamon, lemon eucalyptus, and rose geranium. It's that time of year!

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 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 219: How to Be Healthy At Your Outdoor Celebration!

Today we mentioned that we feel sad that our president feels the need to have a very militarily-based event in Washington, DC, reminiscent of more authoritarian regimes, and that some of our military will have to staff this event instead of being home with their families. We are also very concerned that the price of insulin is skyrocketing to the point that insulin-dependent diabetics are dying from rationing their insulin. I think the goverment needs to step in and subsidize the cost of insulin, making it affordable or even no charge to all Type I diabetics.

We talked about all sorts of ways to be healthier on July 4! Sunscreen, marinating before grilling, natural insect repellent, hot dogs and hamburgers, produce, and having some exercise based activities at your gatherings, like games, walks, and dancing!