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 301: Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine and Blood Clots, Happy Cannabis Day!

This week I talked about the blood clotting situation with the Johnson & Johnson and Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 vaccinations. In the US, the J&J vaccination administration has been put on pause until the government knows who can safely take this vaccine. It's because of an exceedingly rare, but often deadly condition involving platelet factor 4 complexes, antibodies, and blood clots to the brain and gut that uses up platelets and increases bleeding likelihood. The likelihood of getting these rare disorders from these vaccines is astronomically lower than getting these conditions from actually having COVID-19. Having said that, YOU don't want to be the one to have this condition, so the CDC is figuring out who has the most likelihood of getting these disorders and will recommend that those folks take Pfizer or Moderna instead, which are not showing these side effects. it's problematic because these single-dose, easliy refrigerated vaccines are the answer for disadvantages populations here and abroad. It's likely that they'll be re-approved for specific populations.

Tuesday, April 20 is Weed Day! It's the day to celebrate cannabis. We talk a little bit about access and health benefits.