Radio Naturopath Episode 477: Valentine's Day: Chocolate for Health, Home-Cooked Valentine's Day

It's almost Valentine's Day, which is also Ron and my 20th anniversary! 20 years, can you believe it? 20 years of chocolate, bicycles, love, support and healing. And also, food. We talk about appreciating each other! Then, of course, since it's valentines day, I talked about the health benefits of chocolate, a yearly tradition. I also gave some healthy alternatives to going out to eat on Valentine's Day, like making dishes at home with heart healthy omega 3s, and lots of produce. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 443: Lifestyle Changes to Lower Blood Pressure

This week, I started talking about the very important topic of hypertension, high blood pressure. Our focus this week was on basic lifestyle things to do to lower blood pressure. Some of it is SHOCKING! Stuff like: eat more vegetables and fruit, eat more clean protein, drink more water, get more exercise, stop smoking, do stress reducing activities like deep breathing, leisure walks in nature, yoga, and meditation, and get good quality and quantity of sleep. WHO WOULDA THUNKIT??? It's so important that we'll pick up on this next week, and include actual supplements that help with blood pressure. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 433: Health Benefits of Chocolate, Foods and Exercises for Better Sex

This week I just HAD to get in my yearly chocolate is good for you show! Cocoa flavonols are good for so many things: blood pressure, protection against various elements of cardiovascular disease, mood enhancement, and sex drive. There are numerous foods that help with sex drive and performance so we talked about those too! Not to mention exercises that help. We'll get more into the health benefits of sex next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 390: Eat to Increase Your Metabolism and Burn More Fat!

This week, we found out that caffeine can increase fat burning! If you don't get jitters, upset stomach, anxiety, or insomnia from it, it can be your friend. It increases fat burning, can help to prevent diabetes, and improve exercise performance. The trick is to find an amount that you can consume without getting the negative side effects. For some, it just doesn't work, but if you can safely ingest up to 400 mg/day it can help! We also found a whole bunch off foods that can increase metabolism and  help with fat burning. Protein, including fatty fish, beans and other legumes, cayenne pepper, unrefined cocoa, and more!

Radio Naturopath Episode 384: Happy Valentine's Day 2023! Chocolate, Vanilla, and Love Hormones

This week Ron and I commemorated our Valentine's Day anniversary, and then talked about more health benefits of chocolate. We even talked about the health benefits of vanilla, which are somewhat similar! And who knew that Richard Cadbury, the 19th century English chocolatier, started the tradition of chocolate gifts on Valentine's Day. He also created the first chocolate that was affordable for the masses! Milton Hershey and Russell Stover followed soon behind. We also touched on some feel-good hormones, like oxytocin and phenylethylamine. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 332: A Little Chocolate, Hiatal Hernia, and Heartburn/Reflux/GERD

This week we started out with a discussion of ALL the chocolate in the house, from the pedestrian to the sublime. We reminded everyone that high cocoa content is healthiest, but it's OK to indulge in the mundane just for the pleasure of it!

The main focus was on hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux disorder, or GERD. It was good to get a review in and discuss diet, supplements, food intolerances, and some habits that can help to reduce the symptoms. Thanks to Matthew Robinson, N.D., we discussed a couple of ways to reduce a hiatal hernia.

Radio Naturopath Episode 307: Statins: Pros and Cons, More Natural Help for Cardiovascular Disease

This week we have more discussion of cardiovascular health. We touch on how statins actually help to lower cardiovascular risk, but also the problems associated with them. We also suggest ways to mitigate these problems. We talk about supplements that help with healthy blood vessels and to keep plaque at bay. We also list some foods that can help with your heart health.

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 257: Coronavirus, Leaky Blood Vessels, Hypertension, Obesity, Diabetes and Clots

This week I talked about how it's important to keep your endothelium intact! That's the lining of the inside of your blood vessels. If it's leaky, the virus can get in, damage the pericytes that keep your blood vessels elastic, cause more leakage, and encourage clots! This is very bad for people who have chronic inflammation, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. We talk about how to keep those blood vessels strong to help to prevent that from happening with foods, supplements, and activity.

There has also been concern that people taking ACE inhibitors and ARBS for their blood pressure increase their ACE2 receptors, giving more sites in the lungs for the virus to bind. So is it a good idea to keep taking those drugs? Listen and find out! 

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!