Radio Naturopath Episode 435: Ron's Cholesterol and Thyroid Labs, Bicycle Positioning and Sciatica

This week, Ron handed me his recent blood work and had me talk about it. We talked about his elevated TSH and how his doc needs to adjust his thyroid medicine. We talked about his target-low cholesterol numbers, and how his Repatha drug is starting to give him a lot of side effects. We talked about the mechanism of that. We also answered a question from a listener about whether cycling negatively impacts sciatica, and how it's necessary to get the position right on the bike and also do stretch and strengthening exercises. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 391: Back Pain: The Ol' Reach 'n' Seize; ApoB100 and Cardiovascular Health

Last week, I did the ol' Reach 'n' Seize with my low back. You know how you were just fine a minute ago, then you reached for the mayo in the fridge and your back just SEIZED UP and now it hurts to tie your shoes? Well, I did that a week ago, only I was on my bike trainer and reached for the iPad. I was very fortunate to be able to see the chiropractor that day. I talked about what can lead up to that, how to prevent it, and nutrition, exercise, and topicals to use to help it. 

We then finally got started on cardiovascular issues, and focused on Apolipoprotein B100. This is an important measure that most doctors don't do. Specifically, if your doctor is about to order you statins or you've already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, it's important to know your ApoB100/ApoAOA1 ratio. The ApoB carries LDL, while A carries HDL, which is cardioprotective. If you have high cholesterol but also a low ApoB/A ratio, you have much lower cardiovascular risk! More on cardiovascular issues next week.