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 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 243: Dr. Oz vs. Mark Wahlberg: Should You Skip Breakfast for Health and Weight?

Mark Wahlberg and Dr. Oz got into it! I think it’s pretty funny but it’s a topic worth discussing. They both got into their corners and said Everyone Should Do Things This Way. The thing is, they’re both right! Dr. Oz thinks you should skip breakfast, because he believes in intermittent fasting. I think there’s benefit to it too. It makes sense to wait until you’re actually hungry to start eating for the day. You also spend a significant amount of time in a low insulin state, which allows your body to do repair, reduces inflammation, and forces your body to burn more fat. However, if you’re like Mark and you have found that your healthy workout is supported by eating a certain way before that workout, then have at it! Mark is presumably very healthy and has found a way of eating that supports him and his workout. The point is not to take a side, but do what makes sense for your body. Dr. Oz is also correct in stating that most people are NOT like Mark Wahlberg. Ron found some CDC stats that said that only 23% of Americans get enough exercise to make a difference in their health, which means 150 minutes/week of moderate or 75 minutes/week of high intensity cardio, plus 2 sessions/week of resistance training. So the VAST MAJORITY of Americans are NOTHING like Mark! So Dr. Oz makes a point in that most people would benefit from doing things the way he suggests. But you should always do what makes you happy and healthy, whatever that is!

Radio Naturopath Episode 206: Review of Menopausal Symptoms and Natural Treatments

Time to review MENOPAUSE for we menopausal folks. A nice overview of natural supplements for symptoms. Black cohosh and evening primrose for hot flashes; vitamin E and aloe for sexual comfort; damiana and WEIGHT TRAINING for sex drive; and Vitamins A, K and herbs for heavy menses! It's a rough road but SOMEONE'S gotta ride it. 75%  of women in industrialized society, including me! Preferably on a bicycle.

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.