Radio Naturopath Episode 403: Natural Help for High Blood Pressure, Hawthorn, Amla

This week, I reviewed natural ways to help with high blood pressure. We talked about the controversy over salt, the DASH diet, and a couple of herbs that can help hypertension, amla and hawthorn. It all gets down to eating healthy, getting exercise, and reducing stress!

Radio Naturopath Episode 401: Vaginal Dryness, Tick Repellent, Heart Healthy Foods

This week I talked about three topics. The first is one especially important to peri- and post-menopausal women, vaginal dryness. There are some simple things you can do to help, and not necessarily hormonal! The second is TICKS. My patients are coming in with tick bites and frank Lyme disease. We discuss how to prevent getting them on you, how to look for them, and natural tick repellents. The third is a long list of heart healthy foods! Lots of things that you can eat and generally help your heart to be healthier, and some that are actually studied to do great things like lower LDL, increase LDL size, raise HDL, lower triglycerides, improve endothelial function, and lower blood pressure. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 398: More on Cholesterol, Cardiovascular Health and Women

This week, I talked more about cardiovascular health especially as it relates to women. Women can have different symptoms of cardiovascular disease than men, especially if they are having a heart attack. We try to help you understand the signs and symptoms! Lots of herbs for heart health. Also, some other cardiovascular markers.

Radio Naturopath Episode 392: Overdoing It; Statins, Side Effects, Anti-Inflammatory Alternatives

We talked about how it can be easy to overdo it when the weather gets nice all of a sudden. Make hay while the sun shines, right? We get really industrious and want to take care of our WHOLE yard. Or we go from riding one hour at a time on our indoor bike trainer to riding 62 MILES. And then we wonder why we're sore all over, hurt our back, or are super exhausted! It's OK to take it easy and ease into the outdoor joys of the season. 

We also continued our series on cardiovascular health. Today we focused on statin drugs: how they work, their side effects, and how to reduce inflammation in other ways. Cardiovascular health is a very rich topic so we'll be getting into this for a few more weeks!

Radio Naturopath Episode 334: Are Eggs, Red Meat, Red Wine, and Saturated Fat Good For You?

Today we talked about food! There ARE actually health benefits to eggs, red meat, and red wine, and it looks like saturated fat isn't really the thing that raises your LDL cholesterol. Naturally, if eggs are free range, if beef is grass fed, if you drink wine in moderation, they are likely good for your health! There are some reasons that are NOT directy eggs or meat that may skew the numbers in the wrong direction. And saturated fat is generally not going to affect your cardiovascular health. Because it's saturated, it doesn't tend to oxidize and therefore damage your blood vessels!

Radio Naturopath Episode 293: Visiting When You're Not Vaccinated, Liver Friendly Foods

Today we discussed whether it's a good idea to visit your vaccinated family if you are non-vaccinated, and the short answer is maybe. The vaccine isn't 100% effective, you can still transmit it, anyone under 16 can't get vaccinated at all, and transmission levels although lower are not dramatically lower. So if you visit, you still have to mask, distance, and wash. And if you're leaving Connecticut for more than 24 hours and going anywhere that's not New York, New Jersey, or Rhode Island, you need to fill out a DPH travel form when you return, then quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of arriving in Connecticut to avoid quarantining.

We talked about how to keep your liver healthy and liver-friendly foods too!

Radio Naturopath Episode 290: Rest After the COVID-19 Vaccine, Sea Buckthorn, Qi Gong, Heart Healthy Food and Exercise

I found that lots of people getting the COVID-19 vaccination are having some symptoms afterward, and are taking anti-inflammatories and going on with their lives. I encouraged avoiding those if possible, and getting rest to maximize the effects of the vaccine.

We had a question about sea buckthorn oil, which is great for cholesterol and skin health. We also had a question about the benefits of qi gong, a Taoist meditative movement form that is linked to the meridians.

We also talked about heart-healthy foods and exercise, and how lipoic acid can be helpful for tinnitus.

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 286: COVID-19 Vaccine Symptom Report; Get Some Rest; How Exercise Improves Metabolic Health

Today I talked about the upcoming New Year and how we're looking forward to 2021 being a better year than 2020. I also wished my mom a Happy Birthday since her birthday is broadcast day, December 30. I reported on side effects that people I know who have had the COVID-19 vaccine have gotten (minor to none). I also talked about graduating from my orthopedic office because my fracture is healed! Still some soreness and reduced ROM but mostly better.

Then I talked about a nice study on the metabolic effects of exercise, There is this protein, DICER, It helps to amplify the effects of ATP and AMPK in fat metabolism, and exercise causes people to produce more. I talked more about metabolic syndrome and the importance of sleep, taking breaks from eating in fat loss, and varying the intensity of exercise that you do.

Radio Naturopath Episode 269: Atherosclerosis in the Aorta, Hip Bursitis

This week on Radio Naturopath I responded to two questions from listeners. The first was about reducing atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta: so the whole thing about reducing oxidative stress, eating less sugar and processed foods, drinking less alcohol, getting exercising, eating healthy fats and avoiding poor quality ones. 

I also talked about hip bursitis: what it is, how it's generally treated, and how to feel better.