Radio Naturopath Episode 480: Find Your Max Heart Rate, More Help for Osteoarthritis

220-your age is NOT the best way to go! The Norwegian University of Science and Technology has figured out a way to estimate your ideal max heart rate that uses your age, weight, gender, and height. I used it and it felt much better than the 185 I was using from five years ago, and was also higher and more useful than 220-my age! I had a great workout using it. Also, we return to help for osteoarthritis: foods, weight loss, exercise and more. Those green lipped mussels!

Radio Naturopath Episode 462: L-Carnitine for Muscles and Weight Loss, Irvingia, Autumn Anxiety

This week, I talked about poor Ron and his muscle issues, and realized he might benefit from taking l-carnitine, which will shuttle more free fatty acids into his muscle cells. We're going to get him some and see if it helps! I also talked about autumn anxiety, which happens when people are letting go of the carefree summer and taking on fall responsibilities. And the HOLIDAYS are looming, and it doesn't help that they have Christmas decorations in the stores before Halloween! And then we discussed two weight loss supplements, African mango (Irvingia) and l-carnitine. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 461: Menopause and Weight Loss

This week I'm playing a lecture I recorded a while ago, about menopause and weight loss. I talk about how it's harder to lose fat after menopause, and why. It's all about the cortisol! Get that cortisol down and it will help. Also, having a little extra weight on after menopause is actually good, because the fat makes estrogen for you, and carrying it strengthens your bones. But, if you want to be at a lower weight, here's some tips! Just like all my advice about weight loss, the first rule of weight loss is to not focus on weight loss. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 459: Hypertension, Hibiscus, L-theanine, CBD; Weight Loss and Stress Reduction

This week I talked about how I tried hibiscus tea and it pretty much knocked me out, so if I do hibiscus it has to be in very small amounts! Everyone is different and responds differently to herbs and supplements. I DO feel good taking l-theanine, a calming amino acid from the tea plant, which calms without grogginess! And I also took the gastrodia/uncaria Chinese herbal complex in pill form, and I did better with that than the big cup of tea. 

There's so much to talk about with weight management and loss. This week, I managed to discuss these neat Please Don't Weigh Me cards that you can get, and discussed the merits and detriments of being weighed at the doctor's office. Bottom line: if it makes the patient feel comfortable, no need to weigh them! Also, if you're at the doctor's office, you do not have to consent to ANY physical exam that you don't want to do. At my office my patients always have a choice! We also discussed the most important aspect of fat loss, which is stress reduction. Lowering cortisol is good for ANY condition, but directly helps to lower cortisol so that it's not putting more sugar into your blood for you to store.  And there's lots of ways to reduce stress!

Radio Naturopath Episode 458: Cholesterol and Muscle, Shilajit/LIthium Orotate, Health Not Weight Loss!

This week, I talked to Ron about his muscle building efforts, which are still taking a long time. We talked about how the cholesterol-lowering drug he took didn't allow him to rebuild muscle, and may also have affected his nerves, He's eating a lot of oats, and the beta-glucan in them can help to lower cholesterol; he's also eating a lot of ground flaxseed to help to sweep extra cholesterol out. He's looking forward to his next cholesterol test! We answered a question about shilajit and lithium orotate from a listener in India! I tried a pea-sized amount of shilajit for the first time live on the air, and it give me a mild rush!  Then we went on to discuss my take on weight loss, and went through a Prevention article that is very much in line with my thinking, that weight loss, the numbers on the scale, and BMI are not nearly as important as more direct measures of health, like cholesterol, blood sugar, nutritional status, getting regular exercise and rest, and eating a healthy diet of whole fooods and avoiding processed, chemically laden foods and food intolerances.  There are studies that really do bear out Healthy at Any Size!

Radio Naturopath Episode 457: Chinese Herbs and Hypertension, Weight Loss Surgery and GLP-1s

This week, I talked about going back to conservatively healing my meniscus, and talked about a Chinese formula that my acupuncturist gave me for hypertension, Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin. I have to drink it as tea, and it's pretty good! It helps with blood pressure, migraines, headaches, tremors, and more! If you like at the Chinese indications, it helps to move liver blood out of places it shouldn't be. When I was in ND school, my teacher told me that it was my right as a Jersey girl to have a sluggish liver. Oy! So this may help. Then I got into it about bariatric surgery and how those weight loss drugs work, like Ozempic, Wegovy, Victoza, and Trulicity, and benefits and risks. It may be the only way to weight loss for some! A lot of pratitioners of all kinds are encouraging people to use them as part of their weight loss strategy. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 396: Aging in Men, Health Goals, Enviro Toxins, Stress Reduction

This week was Part 3 of CNPA Conference Redux! This week, the featured speakers were Geo Espinosa who spoke about aging in men; Carissa Fioritto who discussed health goal-setting and used redirecting from weight loss as an example; Kira Halak who discussed the toxicity of PFAS and other environmental toxins; and Doni Wilson who talked about managing stress and even the benefits of ayahuasca! Fascinating stuff.

Radio Naturopath Episode 390: Eat to Increase Your Metabolism and Burn More Fat!

This week, we found out that caffeine can increase fat burning! If you don't get jitters, upset stomach, anxiety, or insomnia from it, it can be your friend. It increases fat burning, can help to prevent diabetes, and improve exercise performance. The trick is to find an amount that you can consume without getting the negative side effects. For some, it just doesn't work, but if you can safely ingest up to 400 mg/day it can help! We also found a whole bunch off foods that can increase metabolism and  help with fat burning. Protein, including fatty fish, beans and other legumes, cayenne pepper, unrefined cocoa, and more!

Radio Naturopath Episode 384: Happy Valentine's Day 2023! Chocolate, Vanilla, and Love Hormones

This week Ron and I commemorated our Valentine's Day anniversary, and then talked about more health benefits of chocolate. We even talked about the health benefits of vanilla, which are somewhat similar! And who knew that Richard Cadbury, the 19th century English chocolatier, started the tradition of chocolate gifts on Valentine's Day. He also created the first chocolate that was affordable for the masses! Milton Hershey and Russell Stover followed soon behind. We also touched on some feel-good hormones, like oxytocin and phenylethylamine. 

Radio Naturopath Episode 383: Too Much Sitting is Bad For You and How to Fix It

This week we talked about how much SITTING people do, at desks, computers, and on couches. It's just not good for your cardiovascular health, and it raises your blood sugar. Conversely, if you sit a lot and get up periodically, you can mitigate these effects! A little stretching, exercise, and walking around has been found to DRAMATICALLY decrease the health risks associated with sitting. So walk up the stairs, down the hall, outside, or just get up and stretch!