Radio Naturopath Episode 476: Green Lipped Mussel, Magnesium, Home Remedies for Osteoarthritis

This week, I talked about green lipped mussel, which has a funny name. It's a little mussel from New Zealand. The omega-3 fats and glycosaminoglycans are balanced in a way that helps joints to heal! I also talked about all the different forms of magnesium and their benefits, and many home remedies to help osteoarthritis. Epsom salts, hot and cold packs, arnica, frankincense, internal stuff and topicals! There's lots you can do! To be continued. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 402: Herbs and Foods for High Blood Pressure and Heart Health

This week in our series about cardiovascular health, we talked about herbs and foods that can lower blood pressure. A lot of foods have properties that are similar to calcium channel blockers, like the commonly prescribed amlodipine. Magnesium, eugenol from thyme, and celery seed all have constituents that has those properties! Other herbs are diuretic or nitric oxide enhancers, and still more reduce inflammation and aid with strengthening blood vessels. They all help!

Radio Naturopath Episode 375: Practice of Stillness/Weight Loss, Eat More Cinnamon, Ginger. Pumpkin!

This week, I talked about something dear to my heart and very important to a lot of people. Many patients, especially peri- and post-menopausal women, are talking about difficulty in fat loss. The fat hangs out right around their midsection. It's known as MENOBELLY! I didn't make that up. It's because our reduction in estrogen and progesterone reduce activity of fat-consuming enzymes, and we become more sensitive to cortisol. In our stressful lives, we spend too much time in high cortisol, and that adds fat to our midsections! So the short answer is to lower cortisol. One simple way to do that: A PRACTICE OF STILLNESS. That's any activity that you can do that involves being still and deep breathing! Listen to find out how.

I also talked about some more yummy foods that we eat around Thanksgiving and why they're good for you: cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin. Listen and eat up!

Radio Naturopath Episode 333: New Year's REST, Then Start On Nutrition and Fitness Goals

we talked about how to deal with the cold weather this year! This week’s discussion turned to healthy habits for the new year, mostly diet and exercise. We also talked about the benefits of taking it easy the first two weeks of the year, since we tend to be overwhelmed from the rush of the holidays and the glut of holiday food and drink. I suggested taking a couple of weeks of no pressure, rest, and once you're feeling like you can't sit still, THAT'S the time to start planning and even implementing healthy habits! For some, that's going to mean getting lots of rest the first two weeks of the year, then starting planning the third week, and getting started in earnest in February. The darkest, coldest time of the year tends to happen in early January, at least in Connecticut. This is a good time to acclimate to the cold weather! We also talked about how to get started on an exercise program. The answer: do what you'll do, and start slowly!

Radio Naturopath Episode 323: Natural Foods and Your Immunity

This week I talked about nutrition and immunity. There are so many great natural foods that we can eat that have constituents that support our immunity in so many ways. Some of them compete for receptor sites and protect cells against invasion from viruses. Others have antioxidants that protect from damage from cells. Others have anti-inflammatory components that work with various systems in our bodies. Others have compounds that increase the activity of immune cells and proteins. We can get all this from food!

Radio Naturopath Episode 291: Happy Imbolc! Healthy Ways to Stay Warm, Fatty Liver

I reminded people to avoid anti-inflammatories and to get rest after getting the COVID-19 vaccine for maximum effect.

Because it's another major snow day, I talked about how to stay warm naturally in the winter, from foods to eat to what to wear to hydrotherapy!

And I talked about fatty liver, an unfortunately common malady with excess consumption of starchy and sugary foods. It can be helped by diet and exercise!

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 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 254: Coronavirus and Clots, Studies on Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin, WHO's Coronavirus Myths

I talked about some French studies on the use of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin together, which shows possible promise. I also went through the WHO's COVID-19 mythbusting page, which contained such food for thought as Taking Disinfectants and Bleach Internally are poisonous and don't cure coronavirus, and 5G EMF do not cause the coronavirus. (Really??) Most of those were somewhat humorous, but some, like eating garlic and nasal washing, are unproven but make sense.

Radio Naturopath Episode 248: The Latest on Coronavirus; Elderberry for Nerve Pain, Cinnamon and Ginger for Diabetes and Inflammation

The 2020 Coronavirus outbreak is not only historic in its scope, but in the response to it. I’ve never seen such an intense global response to an illness. Conferences, sporting events, concerts, public events canceled. Universities and schools shutting down for the semester. People being encouraged to practice social distancing, stay home more, only go to the doctor if it’s a real emergency, change travel plans. Businesses being affected, including my own. And the big question: how long will we be in this status? We try to sort through the info glut for some basic practical information.

Also, elderberry is good for nerve pain, ginger for inflammation, and cinnamon for diabetes!