Radio Naturopath Episode 323: Natural Foods and Your Immunity

This week I talked about nutrition and immunity. There are so many great natural foods that we can eat that have constituents that support our immunity in so many ways. Some of them compete for receptor sites and protect cells against invasion from viruses. Others have antioxidants that protect from damage from cells. Others have anti-inflammatory components that work with various systems in our bodies. Others have compounds that increase the activity of immune cells and proteins. We can get all this from food!

Radio Naturopath Episode 322: Nuts, Collagen, Arthritis and Nutrition

This week, I had a question from a listener about whether it's better to soak nuts before eating. The answer: Ideally, yes, but it's better to eat un-soaked nuts than not at all, unless you have a sensitivity to them. I don't like to make it harder for patients to eat healthy foods if they're in the habit of eating a lot of processed foods. Once they're eating a good complement of healthy foods, then we can discuss whether it's a good idea to soak, sprout, or ferment nuts. For some people, that would be a deal breaker because of the extra time and effort!

I also have been frequently asked whether it's useful to take collagen supplements, and we discuss. For some people it can be very helpful! We distinguish between collagen and general protein supplements. Because collagen is so helpful for joint pain and arthritis, we discuss nutrition to reduce and help arthritis pain.

Radio Naturopath Episode 321: Dietary Fats and Your Health

This week I talked about fats. Essential fatty acids, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsatured, medium chain triglycerides. Certain fats are really good for your health, and certain fats really aren't. You need to eat healthy fats for cellular and body structure and to prevent inflammation. We talk about the different kinds of fats and where they're found in your food.

We also started with an update on Ron and his health, and how reducing his dose of metoprolol helped him to feel better.

Radio Naturopath Episode 320: Chromium, Cinnamon, Berberines, and Your Blood Sugar

This week I talked about blood sugar. A listener wanted to know about the best for of chromium to use, so I compared chromium picolinate to GTF chromium, which is polynicotinate. I also talked about a number of supplements that can be helpful in regulating blood sugar, such as berberines, cinnamon, gymnema, probiotics, and more!

Radio Naturopath Episode 319: Migraines: Ocular, Common, Classic, and Help for Prevention and Treatment

This week, I talked about migraines, how they happen, what meds get used, how to help to prevent them and how natural medicine and lifestyle fits in. I'm so lucky, I had an ocular migraine that sent me to the ER thinking I had a stroke! But I didn't, I got diagnosed with ocular migraine. So, more rest, more hydration, more beach and nature, less sugar.

Radio Naturopath Episode 318: Move It or Lose It: Osteoporosis: Keep Your Bones!

This week I was on my own, and I focused on osteoporosis. I talked about what it is, incidence, prevalence and treatments. I talked about the different pharmaceuticals that are used to help it and how they work. I also talked a lot about lifestyle, especially exercise, diet, and supplements that can be helpful. It's not just all about calcium!

Radio Naturopath Episode 317: Ivermectin; Your Health in the Time of COVID-19; Colorectal Cancer

I took a chance and discussed the drug ivermectin, which people are obtaining out of desperation any way that they can for COVID-19. This is very concerning, because ivermectin has not been proven to be efficacious at preventing or treating COVID-19. It also has toxic side effects, and when people are obtaining it without a prescription they are taking toxic amounts and are in need of poison control! Ivermectin IS being studied, but at this time it has nowhere near the efficacy or proven benefit of the COVID-19 vaccines. Plus, in my opinion, NOBODY should be relying only on vaccines or drugs to protect them from COVID-19. We should still be wearing masks in congregate settings and indoors; gargling and cleaning our noses; eating healthy fruits, vegetables, and protein and avoiding food intolerances and unhealthy processed foods and refined foods; getting adequate rest; reducing stress; and getting regular exercise. It's possible that ivermectin will prove to have some efficacy but it should be prescribed by a doctor or used if you unfortunately wind up in the hospital being treated for COVIDI-19.

I also talked about colon cancer: what it is, how to prevent, diagnose, and treat it with both biomedicine and natural medicine.

Radio Naturopath Episode 316: Neti Pots, Nasal Sprays and Gargling; Help for Diverticulosis-Itis

This week we talked about the benefits of nasal rinses, such as neti pots and nasal sprays with salt and xylitol. These can be helpful in preventing and treating respiratory infections. Although they are not strictly proven, it does make sense to have good respiratory hygiene. I think it's a useful practice during the pandemic.

We also talked about diverticulosis and diverticulitis. This is a very common problem so I get frequent requests to discuss it. Acutely, you need bowel rest, probably antibiotics, probiotics, and a liquid diet. For prevention, it's fiber, fiber fiber! Fiber improves bowel tone and makes it so that food does not get stuck in the diverticular pockets.

Radio Naturopath Episode 315: Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Vaccine Hesitancy, Get Some Exercise!

This week I talked about the Novavax vaccine, a new vaccine for COVID-19 that is in its final stages of study before receiving emergency use authorization. It may be more palatable to many people because it doesn't use mRNA or DNA technology, just purified spike protein and a plant immune adjuvant. It may be available as soon as October.

I also talked about vaccine hesitancy and why people think the vaccines were "rushed". They really weren't, many parts of the research process existed already, and they were studied in a fashion that's comparable to how other vaccines have been studied. I go into detail about this.

To finish off, I find various ways to encourage people to get regular exercise! Let's hope they work!

Radio Naturopath Episode 314: Lyme Disease 2021: Update on Prevention and Treatment

This week, I did a review of Lyme disease recommendations for prevention and treatment. I've been seeing more people with Lyme disease lately, and lots of people getting tick bites or pulling them off animals. We've had a lot of rain and dampness and that's an ideal breeding ground for ticks. With such an extreme focus on COVID-19, people may have forgotten that tick borne illness is not cancelled! So, discussion of antibiotics, keeping your yard trimmed and safe, insect repellent, and natural prevention and treatment of tick borne illnesses.