Radio Naturopath Episode 404: Evaluation of Chest Pain, All About Atherosclerosis

This week, we reminded people to stay hydrated because IT'S HOT OUT THERE. Water, electrolytes, salt, shade, AC, swimming, all good! We moved on to the differential diagnosis of chest pain and how patients are evaluated if they have it. Word to the wise: go straight to the ER. If you're having a heart attack, they are better equipped to treat you if you go to the hospital. It could be just a muscle spasm, but it might be a heart attack or blood clot, which are life threatening. Nobody will think you went unnecessarily! Just go! We then talked about atherosclerosis, what and where it is, and how it's treated conventionally. We'll talk about natural treatments next week.

Radio Naturopath Episode 376: Added Sugar and Health, Natural Sugar Alternatives

This week I talked about how added sugars can affect your health. Mostly, it's not good. However, if you ask people to avoid them completely, they usually have difficulty with compliance. So, we talked about how sugar can adversely affect you, what an optimal amount of added sugar looks like, and even some myths around sugar. Then we talked about some healthy natural sugar substitutes. Avoiding them completely is not practical, so here's some guidance!

Radio Naturopath Episode 373: The Pros and Cons of Sugar

This week we talked about SUGAR, because the eating season has started! Mmmm, Halloween candy. And now Thanksgiving is upon us and it's officially the holiday season. Sirius XM already has its holiday channels playing! So, we talked about the pros and cons of sugar. I've come to the conclusion that if you deprive people completely of sweets, they will crave them and want to eat more. Even people on ketogenic diets have chocolatey goodies with sugar alcohols in them! However, if you eat too much sugar, it can lead to various illnesses, ranging from fatigue and mood disorders, to acne, to heart disease and cancer! So, of course, moderation is key.

Radio Naturopath Episode 306: A Month After Bypass Surgery: Ron's Experience

This week, we talk to Ron at length about his progress, just one month past his coronary artery bypass graft surgery. We specifically ask him about his healing scars, healing bones, how he's doing with exercise, meds, and most importantly, his mental state. People who have undergone cardiac surgery can go through many varied feelings and psychiatric issues, and it's important to attend to those as they are occuring.

Radio Naturopath Episode 305: Chest Pain, Stroke, and Pulse Rate

This week we continued the discussion about cardiovascular health, and checked in with Ron about his healing process. He is getting along great! However, the metoprolol is making him very sleepy, even though it's allowing him a good rest.

This week we talked about the various things that can present with chest pain, from as mild as a pulled muscle to as serious as a heart attack, and everything in between. If you have new chest pain that doesn't let up, it's a good idea to go straight to the ER.

We also talked about the signs of stroke and causes, from ischemic to hemorrhagic and thrombotic vs. embolic. High blood pressure is a major cause of stroke, and most strokes happen in women and are thrombotic or embolic.

We began to talk about heart healthy foods and will talk more next week! We also talked about variations in resting pulse and what that might mean.

Radio Naturopath Episode 289: Heart Healthy Foods; Krill vs. Fish Oil For Health

Today as a follow up to last week's discussion of the Mediterranean Diet, I talked about a whole bunch of healthy foods that can improve cardiovascular health. They can lower LDL, raise HDL, lower triglycerides, reduce stroke and heart attack risk, and help to lower blood pressure. Mostly, stuff with fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and essential fats! Very obvious things, but they bear repeating.

We also talked about the difference between fish oil and krill oil. There's some controversy; they both make sense in different ways.

Happy Birthday to nephew Harry and friend Luci!

Radio Naturopath Episode 234: Cardiovascular Health: Cholesterol, LDL, oxLDL

I went to the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors conference, and it was AMAZING. I learned so much! In the next few weeks I'll use the various talks at the conference as a starting point for the shows. Today, we expanded upon Decker Weiss, N.M.D.'s great talk on cardiovascular health. We talked about who benefits from taking statins, is LDL really the "bad" cholesterol, and how to keep your blood thin and protect yourself from heart attacks and strokes, naturally. Especially with purple produce!

Radio Naturopath Episode 218: Should You Lower Your Cholesterol?

Here’s some common sense thinking about cholesterol, its role in your body, whether you should be taking statin drugs to lower it. It's not as simple as just having low cholesterol to prevent cardiovascular disease. We give a good review of the latest in testing for cholesterol and cardiovascular inflammation markers.