Radio Naturopath Episode 451: Sunscreens and Toxicity, Menopause and Exercise

This week, I got deeper into sunscreens. Avobenzone and octabenzone: BAD. And I found out that one of my favorite SPF-containing face lotions has avobenzone in it! And I cleared out most of my sunscreens except for the ones with zinc oxide in them! Sheesh. Turns out those two are the worse offenders, and are hormonal disrupters, and if you go to the drugstore or supermarket and look at the display, most of the sunscreens contain either or both of those! BEST is too find sunscreens with either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which sit on your skin, reflect the sun, and aren't absorbed. The only thing is to avoid sprays, because you can inhale the metallic microparticles. 

We started by reviewing Stacy Sims's recommendations for post-menopausal women and exercise. What's best? Living heavy stuff, and short intervals! Intervals of at lest 60 seconds promote increased cortisol, so keeping it to around 30 seconds is best. She also recommends plyometrics, which can involve a lot of jumping. There ARE ways to do low impact plyometrics, and we'll talk about that next week!

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 428: Detox Preview: Sarcopenia: Keep Your Muscle Mass!

This week we previewed next week's talk, which will be about detoxification, especially as it relates to tick borne illness. We'll review everything from binders to epsom salt baths. Our focus for THIS week was on sarcopenia: muscle loss, especially due to aging. If you want to maintain muscle mass, you've got to move it or lose it! However, ANYONE can increase muscle mass at any age, and there are studies that show that. Retaining muscle mass is a predictor for healthy aging. So eat your protein, get your rest, and GET MOVING! 

Radio Naturopath Episode 426: Too Much Caffeine and Sugar, Maintaining Healthy Bones and Osteoporosis

This week, I talked about how overdoing caffeine and sugar can be problematic, as it is for me. I explained the mechanism, how the neurotransmitters and the energy-slowing compound adenosine play into the highs and lows of caffeine use. Some people break down caffeine quickly, and don't have a problem. But some break it down slowly and can have a variety of symptoms. If you have autonomic dysfunction, like POTS, it can make the whole thing worse!

Then I moved on to more topics on aging, in honor of my just-passed 60th birthday. Today I focused on bone density and how to healthfully protect yourself from osteoporosis and fractures. Good nutrition and exercise are where it's at!

Radio Naturopath Episode 335: Hunker Down to Beat Omicron, Supplements for Bone Density

Today we talked about the origins of the word Hunkering Down! Who knew it was Scottish for hanging out in a squat? We also talked about some other weather terms, like sheltering in place and riding out the storm. Interesting! We had a listener write in wanting to know if she needed calcium supplements for osteopenia, so we did a bone density redux. And then we talked about the latest on the Omicron COVID-19 variant and ideas on how to proceed currently.

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 181: Hering's Law of Cure and How to Raise Testosterone, Naturally!

Today it's all about Hering's Law. It's a law in homeopathy that talks about healing occurring from the inside to outside, from top to bottom, and from most important to least important organs. It's related to Treat the Cause. The idea is that if you treat a condition externally, you'll only palliate it and may even suppress it so that it can go deeper into the body. If you're eating a food that's causing intestinal inflammation, and therefore giving you eczema, it's better to stop eating the food, heal the gut with rest and herbs and supplements and food than it is to just put some steroid cream on the eczema! From the top down: that's about healing the BRAIN, which can be the biggest obstacle to cure!

I also talk about how men can raise their testosterone naturally. Exercise, good diet, fat loss, eating good quality fat, some herbs can all help!

Bicycle Talk Episode 109: Riding with Souplesse and Finesse and Getting Mad Skills; TCC Century; High Intensity Intervals for Performance, Health and Weight!

Ron is away so today I talked about bicycles! My Frant was about speed over finesse,. fast over souplesse! It's all about the beauty and grace of riding a bicycle. You can go fast with souplesse, but a lot of people don't. I encourage people to work on their skills and simply enjoy the pleasure of being on a bicycle!  I also shouted out to the Thread City Cyclers for putting on a great organized ride event this weekend!  And, I talked about bicycling and fitness. If you want to lose weight, have a buff body, and have energy, riding too many miles all the time is not the way to get there. However, cutting back on quantity for quality (there's that theme again) is the way to go! Doing short burst intervals, a couple of days of rest or easy rides, and one long ride of 40-60 miles/week will help to get you there.

Radio Naturopath Episode 137: Fat Loss, The Right Diet is Your Diet, Why and How Exercise Aids Fat Loss (Not Just Calories!)

Today I got interested in fat loss, again. There's a saying that fat loss is 70% in the kitchen, but I don't know how scientific that is. Clearly, fat loss is aided in great part by regular exercise, because people who keep weight off exercise on the average 1 hour/day. The National Weight Control Registry mentions 9 things that people who successfully keep off 30 or more pounds have in common, and it's not one specific diet! I also discuss the physiological specifics on why exercise helps fat loss, and it's not just about burning more calories. Stuff like: they weigh themselves weekly, they follow a program, they don't follow a program, they made a significant change in their initial diet. So, get moving!