Radio Naturopath Episode 343: Herbs, Exercise, and Healing for Women

It's still International Women's Month! This week we talked more about products and activities that can help with women's health. Herbs for hot flashes, probiotics, estrogen balance, stress reduction. Exercise and healing modalities. And why boron is really good for you! Next week we'll get into Being a Woman in 2022, and Being a Naturopathic Physician in 2022.

Radio Naturopath Episode 342: Know Your Farmer Fair 2022, Farmer's Markets, Daylight Savings Time

This week we talked about the Know Your Farmer Fair, which is happening this Saturday, March 19 at the Elks Club Lodge, 198 Pleasant St., Willimantic, CT, from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM. It's a great opportunity to meet with 30 local farmers, sample their wares, and talk directly to the people who grow your food! This is a very important event and directly related to everyone's and the planet's health! For more information about the fair, visit: https://www.grownconnected.org/knowyourfarmerfair

We also talked about Daylight Savings Time, since this Saturday night/Sunday morning we sprang ahead! It's kind of nice to have the long daylight hours but not necessarily so nice for people's health. Here's a couple of experts to weight in. The general consensus is that it's really NOT good for our health! Most alarming to me is the increase in major cardiovascular events and motor vehicle accidents.

Radio Naturopath Episode 341: International Women's Day: Women in Medicine, Women's Health

This week, it's March, and Tuesday is International Women's Day. So I talked about many women who are prominent in medicine, including two of my most admired naturopathic physicians! Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale standing side by side with Tori Hudson and Amy Rothenberg. That's how it should be! I also talked about may items related to women's health: exercise, nutrition, rest, supplements, screenings. I'll expand upon that next week too!

Radio Naturopath Episode 340: Craniosacral Therapy; Natural Help for Cervical Dysplasia

This week, I talked about cranio-sacral therapy, its origins in osteopathic medicine, how it works, how it's helpful. A great, non-invasive, relaxing therapy that can benefit most people! ESPECIALLY great for headaches.

In advance of International Women's Month, I talked about one women's condition, cervical dysplasia and how natural medicine can be helpful. It's fairly common, can be easily treated if caught early, and natural medicine can really help!

Radio Naturopath Episode 339: Natural Therapies for High Blood Pressure

This week it was all about hypertension. How it's so common, how you can't tell who's going to have it, how there's a big genetic component. There's foods you can eat, supplements to take, exercise to do. And there's even herbs and supplements that have similar mechanisms to common hypertension medications! It can be hard to treat but not impossible.

Radio Naturopath Episode 338: Happy Valentine's Day! History, Chocolate, and Love; Herbs To Help With Blood Pressure

This week Ron and I talked about Valentine's Day and our relationship, since it's also our anniversary. 17 years and going strong! We also talked about why chocolate is good for you, and how it came to be part of Valentine's Day. In a word: CADBURY! Richard Cadbury thought up the idea of giving out chocolate in heart shaped boxes with cupids on them! And as usual, and a little history on Valentine's Day. I then went into a number of herbs that have blood pressure-reducing capacity, specifically in the form of angiontensin converting enzyme inhibition. Next week we'll talk more about a number of herbs that have similar mechanisms of action to existing blood pressure drugs!

Radio Naturopath Episode 337: Should You Try To Catch Omicron? Help Me, I'm Anxious!

This week I talked about whether it's a good idea to deliberately try to contract the Omicron COVID-19 variant. My conclusion, in short, is NO. Czech folk singer Hana Horka, who was unvaccinated, died after contracting the Omicron variant while her husband and son were sick. The bottom line is, you just never know how you'll fare with any variant of COVID-19, whether you're vaccinated or not. Chances are you'll do fine but there is the chance that you won't. You could also infect someone else, and unnecessarily take up space in the hospital. If you're vaccinated, eating healthfully, getting good rest and exercise, and wearing masks when appropriate, you're likely to catch a milder case due to lower viral loads. Be patient; summer is coming and we can all go outdoors again!

COVID-19, and life, make many people anxious, so I thought it was a good time to review anxiety and how to help it naturally and with lifestyle. It's genetic, situational, and lifestyle-mediated. There's help for it!

Radio Naturopath Episode 336: Supplement Timing, Red Wine, Food and LDL, QiGong, Natural Feminine Products

Today I had a question about the timing of supplements. We talked about how there are certain ones that are taken at certain times for specific purposes, but I don't like to be too strict about that because it affects compliance. I also talked about red wine and cholesterol; it definitely helps but not necessary for everyone to drink, and there are non-alcoholic foods and beverages that can also help to lower LDL. And don't forget cardio exercise! I've become a big QiGong fan and have been finding it very healing, helpful, and stress-reducing, so I talked all about it. And I advised women, especially those that have menstrual spotting between periods, to consider using unbleached sanitary supplies, or even reusable menstrual cups, that bleached supplies can contain dioxins and other chemicals that can affect menses!

Radio Naturopath Episode 335: Hunker Down to Beat Omicron, Supplements for Bone Density

Today we talked about the origins of the word Hunkering Down! Who knew it was Scottish for hanging out in a squat? We also talked about some other weather terms, like sheltering in place and riding out the storm. Interesting! We had a listener write in wanting to know if she needed calcium supplements for osteopenia, so we did a bone density redux. And then we talked about the latest on the Omicron COVID-19 variant and ideas on how to proceed currently.

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!