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If you're feeling weak, experiencing mood swings, and slurring your speech, you may have low blood sugar.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 3
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht5c.mp3
- Organization Life Extension
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
- Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
- Host Mike Smith, MD
There are lifestyle changes and natural treatments that can reduce your heart failure symptoms.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 2
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht5b.mp3
- Organization Life Extension
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
- Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
- Host Mike Smith, MD
Doctors are still unsure what causes GWI, but natural treatments like CoQ10 have been shown to help.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 1
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht5a.mp3
- Organization Life Extension
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
- Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
- Host Mike Smith, MD
Listen in as Dr. Mike provides the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 5
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht4e.mp3
- Organization Life Extention
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
-
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: March 5, 2015
Host: Michael Smith, MD
You're listening to RadioMD. It's time to Ask Dr. Mike on Healthy Talk. Call or email to ask your questions now. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: 877-711-5211. The lines are open.
Alright. Let's go right to your questions. First one:
"Is it more beneficial to drink bottled water?"
Now, I'm not sure what this email question really is about. Am I comparing bottled water to just faucet water? Non-filtered water? I mean, obviously, in those cases, yes, bottled water is going to be cleaner, filtered. I think the big issue with bottled water is if we're talking about plastics. I mean, make sure you're drinking from a plastic that's at least ranked a number 2. You can see that on the bottom of the water bottle. There will be a little triangle and there's a number.
As a matter of fact, I did a whole segment on how to read plastic numbers and what they mean. A "2" is a good plastic. The higher the number doesn't always mean better plastic, by the way. A "2" is a good plastic. You're not going to see a leeching of the plastic chemicals into the water. But, of course, there's another issue with plastic bottles and that's the environment. Plastic doesn't degrade pretty much at all and we have, even out in the ocean, I can't remember if it's the Pacific or the Atlantic ocean, there's—I think they call it the "Plastic Island". You can just Google it. I'm tempted to Google it right now. But, Plastic Island is exactly what it is. It's an island of plastic that's floating around that the currents kind of have brought all the plastic bottles and all the other plastic materials that we use and it's floating around out there.
So, I think just for that reason, I think we're seeing more of a movement towards either your own filtration system in your home, a filtered water you can do right on your faucet. I have a Brita filter right in my little jug of water. That's probably better. I'm not going through plastic. Or maybe even just going back to glass containers and stuff like that, or, reusable ones. There are biodegradable plastics that are made from plant materials.
So, maybe that's a better route to go. I think they're a little bit more expensive, but when you throw those out, they will degrade. So, we have some other choices there than just the standard plastic. I'm assuming that's where the question was. Bottled water, yes, it's fine. It's filtered. It's good stuff. Just be careful with the plastics. Maybe purchase from a plastic that is biodegradable.
Alright. Next question. "Can I eat too much fruit?" I get this question more than you think.
"Can I eat too much fruit? I consume 2 to 3 bananas a day plus 2 or 3 other fresh fruit varieties."
I would never tell somebody not to eat fruit. I mean, I just wouldn't do that. You just have to remember there is some sugar in fruit. I mean, that's all there is. I mean, there's fructose. Fructose will break down into the simple sugars.
Those simple sugars will impact insulin. Of course, when you're eating fruit, though, not all of that fructose actually gets into your system because there are fibers in the fruit, too, that absorb the sugar. So, the main fiber, it's a soluble fiber called "pectin". It's found in the rind of many fruits and stuff and when you consume the fruit, the pectin surrounds the fructose and doesn't allow a lot of that fructose to actually get into your bloodstream.
So, eating the fruit is probably better than juicing on a day to day basis. That's why, when people juice, I tell them, "If you're going to put a piece of fruit in there, make sure there's 3 vegetables--a 3:1 ratio--because there is more fiber in the vegetables. That tends to be more consistent in the juicing than just with the fruit. So, yes, you are consuming sugar—especially bananas. As matter of fact, I did a lecture once. Let' see if I can remember this.
Okay. I compared a banana to a watermelon and I was looking at glycemic index versus glycemic load. Glycemic index is just kind of the sugar content of something and the watermelon's glycemic index was far higher than the banana, but what is a better number to look at when you're really looking at the impact of the sugar on your body is called "glycemic load" which is taking into account how much sugar per serving type of thing. I don't remember the formula. In the banana, the glycemic load was far greater than the watermelon because the watermelon is mostly water.
So, the glycemic index can be a little misleading. It turns out, it was better to eat the watermelon than the banana. A banana is kind of like a sugar stick—high glycemic load. So, maybe cut back on the 2 to 3 bananas a day and add more of the berries like the deep, dark berries and the pomegranates. Those kinds of things maybe are a little bit better than the 2 to 3 bananas. Maybe go to 1 banana a day.
So, I would never tell you to stop eating that. That' awesome. Just remember there is sugar, right? Stick to eating it, not juicing it so much. Maybe cut out 1 or 2 of those bananas and add some blueberries. How's that? That will help to manage that fructose load a little more.
Next question. "Are energy drinks beneficial to helping maintain overall health?"
Energy drinks. Oh, boy. Energy drinks. Well, no. Listen, it's a market. You know, the situation is pretty simple. We have a chronic insomnia issue in this country. We're stressed out. People need a boost here and there. There's been a move away from caffeine. You know, a little bit of caffeine is not going to hurt you, but drinking cup after cup after cup of coffee at work and you're crashing and you need another cup.
I mean, that's not good. So, really, these energy drinks really came out because of that type of specific person. Then, they kind of moved into exercise, giving you energy during the gym and all that kind of stuff.
Listen, you have to look at the label. We all have to be smart consumers. What's the sugar content? How many grams of simple sugar are you getting? How many milligrams of caffeine are you getting? I know they say things like, "Oh, we've added B vitamins and maybe some other types of like carnitine, which is an energizer, or D-Ribose. But, how much are they adding? I mean, when you really look at it, it's pretty insignificant.
As a matter of fact, in most of the cases, they don't even tell you how much B vitamins they're putting in it or if they do, it's barely 10% of the RDA or RDI, so it's really not about the B vitamins. It's really not about the D-Ribose or the carnitine. It's the caffeine and the sugar. Let's be honest. They're not great replacements at all. Okay? I think you should focus more on internal cell energy health. Cocuten on a daily basis. D-Ribose and carnitine are good choices, but you have to do them daily in the right amount, not what you find in an energy drink.
So, those are other good options. There's ginseng and cordyceps which is a funky mushroom type thing. As a matter of fact, there's a combination extract of ginseng and cordyceps which directly improves cell energy production ATP. That's the kind of stuff you need, not the little jolt once in a while from sugar or caffeine.
The body's resilient. You can probably handle that, but the unfortunate side of this is people are drinking these things all the time and, by the way, mixing them with alcohol. Don't do that because then, you're just an up drunk—an awake drunk. That's just dangerous. So, don't do that, but I think we're just abusing these drinks a little bit too much and getting lots of caffeine and lots of sugar and that's just not the way to do it.
I mean, we've replaced coffee with these things because we were worried about the caffeine, but many of these energy drinks have more caffeine than a standard cup of coffee or they have an equal amount. Well, I thought we were trying to move away from that. You see? So, they're just really good marketing products.
So, again, cocuten, D-Ribose, carnitine, ginseng, cordyceps. Those are healthy, natural ways to improve internal cell energy production ATP. That's how you're going to remain energized throughout your day. That's how you're going to avoid the crash. That's how you're going to improve your cardiovascular health, your mental health, your stamina, your productivity. Not through an energy drink.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I'm Dr. Mike. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
- Host Mike Smith, MD
Listen in as Dr. Mike provides the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 4
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht4d.mp3
- Organization Life Extension
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
-
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: March 5, 2015
Host: Michael Smith, MD
It's time for you to be a part of the show. Email or call with questions for Dr. Mike now. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: 877-711-5211. What are you waiting for? The doctor is in.
So, my first question really isn't a question. It's a request and it's from a really good friend of mine, Dr. Gary Gonzalez. He's one of the physician health advisors with Life Extension. He's been here about as long as I have, maybe going on about 8 years and he suffers from migraines.
They can be pretty devastating for him and he's tried everything and he just can't get relief. When I say everything, I mean everything. I mean, seriously. He's just gotten to the point where because he has to work, I mean, he still has to function, he just deals with it. I mean, he still has those times when he can't and he has to stay at home. He has to keep light down and stimulants down.
But he came across something that looks pretty interesting, so he wanted me to discuss this. He actually sent me an email and said, "Discuss the new migraine treatment!" with an exclamation point.
So, what this is, I don't know if he's done this. He didn't say and I haven't talked to him since I got the email, but this is a procedure. It's a nasal spray, but it's a little more detailed than that. What they do or what they are doing, at least in this one study which used 112 migraine patients is, they took this mixture of Lidocaine, which is an anesthetic, and through a nasal spray application, it had to be done under a guided procedure with a radiologist. They inject it directly on the nerves in the back of the nasal cavity, this Lidocaine.
The preliminary research looks awesome with it.
What's nice about this nasal spray is it's just one treatment. I'm sure they're going to train doctors, neurologists and radiologists. I mean, most offices have the ability to do image guided procedures now with ultrasound and stuff like that. So, this will be, someday hopefully, an easy in and out procedure. You know, you go in and you get the spray and you're done.
It can reduce migraine pain levels by about 35% for up to one month after the procedure. Dr. Kenneth Mandato, was one of the lead investigators of this. He's out at Albany Medical Center. He said that he views this new procedure as a "clear, simple alternative to standard migraine treatments". He went on to say that the nasal spray option is "safe, convenient and very innovative".
So, here's what they did. They took 112 patients averaging about 45 years of age and it wasn't just migraine patients. They looked at migraine patients and cluster headache patients, which are similar to migraines, but the key thing is migraine and cluster headaches are the most severe types of headaches that people get. At the beginning of this study, they asked each participant to rate their pain when they had a headache on a sale of 1 to 10. The average pain number that the subjects gave was 8. So, the average person--these 112 patients with either migraine or cluster headaches--would say that their pain, on average when they had an event, was 8. Okay? That's pretty severe on this scale.
So, what they did then was when the patient presented with the onset of either a cluster headache or a migraine, they did this image guided therapy which there was a catheter that is inserted through the nostril, in through the nasal passage, and it delivers a dose of Lidocaine to a nerve center known as the sphenopalatine ganglion. Now, ganglion is just a fancy word for a cluster of nerves, okay? A ganglion is a place where nerves come in and nerves go out. It's kind of like in a city where you have a bunch of highways coming into an area and then leaving this area. It's kind of like a place where you can get on and off all kinds of different directions. That's kind of what a ganglion is—a nerve ganglion.
So, they sprayed, using the image guided procedure, they went up into the nasal cavity, to the very back of the nasal cavity and sprayed the Lidocaine right on where about this ganglion is and what was nice about this is no one had to undergo any sedation. The patient is wide awake. You can do that because I think they probably coat the catheter a little bit with the Lidocaine as well. So, that kind of numbs any sort of feeling, so you're able to do this without any major, major sedation. So, they sprayed that ganglion with the Lidocaine and what they found was the day after the procedure...So, the subjects came in with the headache on average ranking at about 8, the day after, they were now ranking the headache—by the way, they weren't doing any other stuff. It was just this--just the Lidocaine nose spray. That was it. The next day, they ranked their pain at 4. So, you're talking about a 50% reduction in pain, at least, based on this subjective scale, okay? A 50% reduction in the first day.
Now, interestingly, around day 2 or 3, most of the pain kind of went up a little bit for people, which makes sense, because the Lidocaine wears off a little bit. It took about 3 or 4 days for the patients to kind of get at the true pain reduction level and most people—most of the subjects—said that the pain was about a 5. That was the consistent report. So, they started with 8, they get the Lidocaine nose spray, right? Image guided procedure, no sedation needed, very easy, in and out. The next day, it drops 50% and then, for most of them, it came up a little bit and averaged out to about a 5. Isn't that awesome? Now I know why Dr. Gonzalez—we call him, "Dr. G", by the way—why he wanted me to review this.
The researchers did note the procedure didn't help everyone. Seven of the patients out of that 112, about 6%, failed to get any benefit. However, they go on to say 88% of those in the study reported needing less standard pain relief medication after the procedure. That's really what's exciting most specialists here. They're not really seeing this as a stand-alone treatment. I mean, this was just preliminary research, but if 88% of the people in a decent sized study, 112 patients, if 88% of them are able to use less and less of the migraine medication, that's really good because it's well-known that the migraine medication just doesn't work as well over time and we also know that a chronic migraine sufferer, using those medications, when they're not using them, they have this rebound effect that can precipitate migraines. So, it's getting them to use less and less of the prescribed medication for migraines and cluster headaches.
That's a big, big step in the right direction. So, I think a lot of doctors are seeing this potential treatment as a temporary solution to back off of the drugs and have to use them less and less. As a matter of fact, Dr. Richard Lipton who is out in New York as well—he's like one of the world renowned headache specialists—he said, "Unmet treatment needs in chronic migraine are huge as are the overuse of medications. When a body gets used to having a chronic headache suppressor, the patient can experience a rebound in the absence of that suppressor. So, developing an effective treatment that can reduce the need for acute medicine would be very, very valuable." That was from Dr. Richard Lipton. So, I think most of your migraine headache specialists are going to be seeing this as a way, maybe, to take away the dependency on some of these very potent side-effect prone migraine and cluster headache medication.
So, this is exciting. I don't know if my friend, Dr. Gonzalez—Dr. G—is going to do this. I'm sure he probably is, knowing all of the problems he has with migraines and the failures of treatment he has had.
So, now, whether or not this is in your area, you'll just have to ask your own doctor if the nasal spray is going to be maybe tested in your area, but maybe you want to check that out.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I'm Dr. Mike. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
Why is the adventure playground movement taking off so strongly in the U.S.?
Additional Info
- Segment Number 3
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht4c.mp3
- Featured Speaker Rusty Keeler, Author and Designer
- Book Title Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul
- Guest Website Earth Play Design
-
Guest Bio
Rusty Keeler is an author, designer, and speaker who works to inspire and collaborate with communities to create beautiful outdoor environments for children.
He has designed and built natural play spaces around the world and is the author of the book, Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul (Exchange Press: 2008).
His favorite project in the world that he helped start is the "Hands-on-Nature" ANARCHY ZONE at the Ithaca Children's Garden... a place filled with loose parts and adult playworkers where kids are free to climb trees, dig in the dirt, build forts, cook over fires and more. -
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: March 5, 2015
Host: Michael Smith, MD
Living longer and staying healthier. It's Healthy Talk with Dr. Michael Smith, MD. Here's your host, Dr. Mike.
DR. MIKE: Connect kids back to nature. Maybe we're going to compare kids today versus kids yesterday and then talk a little about the differences there. I'm with Rusty Keeler. He wrote a book called Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul.
Rusty, welcome to Healthy Talk.
RUSTY: Thank you so much.
DR. MIKE: So, you know, you're big into developing these adventure playgrounds. You know, we describe these as places where kids can kind of stretch their boundaries a little bit, take some risky play which means, yes, you're going to climb a tree and you can fall and hurt yourself, but that's part of learning about yourself and developing physically. It's definitely different from those standard playgrounds where everything's fixed. We're talking about letting kids be more creative outside and all of that sounds really awesome.
Let me ask you this. Do you find it difficult to get kids out of the homes and get those video games out of their hands and get them out into nature into these types of playscapes?
RUSTY: You do hear stories of parents trying to do this like, "Let's go in the backyard. Let's build a fort," and the kid kind of holding their video games and looking at them like, "What? What are you talking about?" Or, "We're out here. It's so boring out here. There's nothing to do." But then, you hear stories of parents who kind of give it a little more time and maybe, you know, throw in a shovel or some loose boards or start to get some tools in there. Then, suddenly, the kids start to think, "Oh wait. There is something cool about this." Or, "Really? We can dig a hole in the back yard?" and then they start to get into it. But, sometimes it does take a real pull to get them out of that mindset of screen time.
DR MIKE: What do you think of all the games and the high tech that these kids have and are exposed to, really, at a very young age? Is that doing anything to them? Is this stuff we really should be worried about?
RUSTY: Well, you know, I mean, kids can be drawn in. That stuff is captivating and it's stimulating the mind and the brain and the video game kind of being on screen, and yet, those kids are separated from the world, they're not really using their bodies or they're not exploring. You know, it's a pretty sedentary lifestyle and kids all throughout human history were bouncing around. They were using their bodies just as much as their minds as they were growing, learning and developing.
DR MIKE: Yes, it's true. So, another true story. A friend of mine has a 16-year-old and I was over having dinner and I asked him what he did the night before. I was over there for Sunday and I was asking what he did on Saturday night and he said he hung out with his friends. His mom looked at him and goes, "What do you mean with your friends? You were in your room." He was like, "Yeah. We were playing online together. Games." That's how they define hanging out today, Rusty.
I just don't...I mean, I don't know. Maybe am I just jealous I didn't have that or do I really think that there's...I mean, it just doesn't sound right to me. I do think it's impacting them and I think we need to try to find a better balance for them.
You developed this project The Anarchy Zone? Is that right? Tell us about that.
RUSTY: Yes. That's right. That's right. So, it was this idea. It's at the Ithaca Children's Garden in Ithaca, New York, and it was this idea of having this adventure playground with loose parts where kids can do whatever they want to do. It was inspired by this adventure playground model in Europe that's been going on since starting after World War II in bomb sites where adults would see kids just playing in rubble and building materials and everything.
There was this really amazing, rich, creative play. So, they started designating places to let kids do this and then this whole play/worker field was developed. It was really rich and they're all over Europe. There were a few of these in the states, maybe a couple dozen in the 60's and 70's. They died down, but now there's this new movement where parents and teachers and communities are starting to want to bring more collaborative play, more open-ended play, back to the live children.
So, there's this new adventure playground movement. Anarchy Zone was one of the first of this kind of new movement. Instead of it being like a school playground where there's fixed structure and there's rubber surfacing, it's really just like an open field.
As a designer, I kind of call "anti-design" design. Instead of having a finished design, it was just piles of stuff. So, like, let's get a huge pile of wood chips; a huge pile of tires. Let's get dirt and there's trees to climb and then a shed just with loose parts that kids can build with and mess around with. We have families come; there's after school programs; child-care centers and it's just a place the kids just know right away that they can mess around and they can build stuff.
DR MIKE: Do you see something like that as the future playground in parks? So, are the city parks going to have an area like The Anarchy Zone? Do you think that that's where we're moving towards?
RUSTY: I do, actually. It feels like it's bridging this gap where parents want the best for their kids. They want them to play. Parents, you know you and I have these memories of being free-range kids and going around and doing what we wanted to do and parents want that for their kids, and yet, they're nervous about being outside and the different kind of fears that go along with that. This feels like it's a middle ground where kids are able to do all this wild, great stuff that we may remember doing and yet, there are these trained play workers, adults, who are onsite, not leading the play or trying to change it at all, and yet they're onsite. So, it gives parents maybe a little bit of confidence to have their kids be there.
DR MIKE: That's good. I like that. I like that because a lot of parents, they will tell you, it's just a different world today. There's more violence, more kidnapping. I mean, that kind of fear is there, so having a place that they can go where they know that there's...I mean, I think that that's important.
Let's go back to the kids through. So, I have a lot of listeners, a lot of parents that their kids are playing video games. Do you have a couple of tips that you could share with the parents to help them draw their kids out into these types of playscapes?
RUSTY: Sure. Sometimes, with video games, it's even the fun of exploring. So, the idea is like, "Well, you can explore in nature. You can explore outside." So, I think it's kind of giving some extra material, even something as simple as cardboard boxes, and saying, "Go for it. Let's make forts. Let's make a castle. Let's make stuff with this and then we can tear it apart." Or, the idea of having shovels.
You know, dig that hole in the back yard. Let's see how big we can dig it. Then, you can go further and start to have loose parts. Maybe you can have one corner of your back yard that's The Anarchy Zone, The Anarchy Corner, the Mini-Anarchy Zone and that's a place where kids can do what they want to do—mess around. Maybe it's a private space. Maybe instead of being private and tucked away in their bedrooms, they can be out with neighborhood kids in this private Anarchy Zone space and they're playing with water and mud and digging.
DR MIKE: Oh, I like that idea. I think that's a good idea, right? Of course, that means the parents have to be willing to tear up a little corner of the back yard. You know, we've gotten pretty serious about keeping perfect lawns and flowerbeds.
RUSTY: Right. Right.
DR MIKE: So, maybe we've got to give up some there, too. But, I like that idea of a little corner. Back in the old days, it was the treehouse which wasn't always safe, let's be honest. We had one my dad built and, I don't know, he put it up in like 20 minutes, but it was so much fun to play on. Maybe we need to go back to that.
What are some of the best activities that are received by kids, though? You've mentioned a lot about digging holes. I mean, that would work for me. I don't know. What are some other things that kids say, "Hey, that does sound good"?
RUSTY: You know, sometimes just stocking loose parts that they can just build stuff with. Even elementary schools are starting to do this where they have storage units and they just get out everything from traffic cones and tires and fabric and rope and hoses and stuff. Then, kids start building their own contraptions, building their own stuff and just using their imagination. So, a lot of times, it's just giving kids permission to do what they kind of naturally would be inclined to do. Yes. Yes.
DR MIKE: And they're being physical and they're using their mind. They're being creative. You know, you're getting the best of everything in that type of situation.
So, the book is called Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul by Rusty Keeler. Rusty, what's the website again?
RUSTY: Sure. It's EarthPlay.net.
DR MIKE: Thank you so much for coming on. Keep doing what you're doing. Parents, get your kids out to nature. Get them in these playscapes.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I'm Dr. Mike. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received Yes
- Host Mike Smith, MD
What are schools and communities doing to bring healthy play to children?
Additional Info
- Segment Number 2
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht4b.mp3
- Featured Speaker Rusty Keeler, Author and Designer
- Book Title Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul
- Guest Website Earth Play Design
-
Guest Bio
Rusty Keeler is an author, designer, and speaker who works to inspire and collaborate with communities to create beautiful outdoor environments for children.
He has designed and built natural play spaces around the world and is the author of the book, Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul (Exchange Press: 2008).
His favorite project in the world that he helped start is the "Hands-on-Nature" ANARCHY ZONE at the Ithaca Children's Garden... a place filled with loose parts and adult playworkers where kids are free to climb trees, dig in the dirt, build forts, cook over fires and more. -
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: March 5, 2015
Host: Michael Smith, MD
Anti-aging and disease prevention radio is right here on RadioMD. Here's author, blogger lecturer and national medical media personality, Dr. Michael Smith, MD with Healthy Talk.
DR MIKE: The benefits of risky play for kids. My guest is Rusty Keeler. This is the second time he's been on. I wanted him to come back and talk a little bit more about this idea of risky play. He's a designer, author, speaker. He really works to inspire and collaborate with communities to create beautiful outdoor environments and I've seen some of his videos. It does look pretty cool. He has designed and built natural play spaces around the world and is author of the book, Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul.
Rusty, welcome to Healthy Talk.
RUSTY: Thanks, Mike. Glad to be here.
DR MIKE: So, last time we were on, I don't think we were able to spend enough time with this idea of risky play and what that really means. As a matter of fact, Rusty, I had a listener who was listening to that original time you came on and they were questioning this idea of risky play because it sounded really bad to that person—that listener.
RUSTY: Okay.
DR MIKE: So, I pulled up a definition of risky play by a Dr. Sandseter. I don't know if you've heard of him. He wrote a book, apparently, about risky play and did a lot of research.
RUSTY: Okay.
DR MIKE: And, he does define it as "a thrilling and exciting activity that involves a risk of physical injury". Come on. That's just going to scare most parents today, right? I mean, what is this risky play business?
RUSTY: That's right. That's right. Well, you know, just right away the first thing I think of is climbing a tree and so many of our listeners would say, "Well, that's great. Kids should climb trees and they would have their own memories of climbing trees," and you're connecting with your body and you're making decisions and choices, but there's the risk that a branch could break or that you'd fall.
I conked my head one time falling a little bit out of a tree. Yet, it's something as simple as that. It's like the chance for children to climb trees and do that kind of risky play where they have some control over their environment and they're making choices. Maybe they're feeling like they're trusted by their parents but also that they actually have the opportunity to test their limits and their world.
DR MIKE: Isn't that really the key point with risky play about exploring boundaries and when you do that, you learn about yourself, especially when you do it in free play right? With a bunch of other kids. That helps you to develop socially. Aren't there a lot of benefits to this type of free play or what you'd call "free-range kids"? Aren't there a lot of benefits to this?
RUSTY: Absolutely. Absolutely. So, whether you're thinking about children growing up and having vacant lots and playing and making up their own games, suddenly, there this social collaboration going on and you're having social skills being built up. But then, if it's risky play and you're playing with loose parts, a lot of times, there's construction play and there's all these problem-solving skills that are built up because it's not just a piece of fixed play equipment where everything's kind of solid and there. You can't change it.
There's kind of a new movement of playgrounds where it's loose parts and kids are working together to build their own playground or build their own forts or dens. So really, you get a chance to just kind of change your own world and problem solve and be creative. Then, you kind of get this idea of flexibility. You talk about brain development and stuff and the idea is not having something that's fixed; that every day you come to the playground and it's the same every single day, but that there's this playground that you can change or children are changing or in their back yard and it's different depending on the weather.
DR MIKE: Right. Now, Rusty, please forgive me. I don't know if you sent this to me or if I just found it doing some research, because you know, I research my guests coming on. I found a video about this type of adventurous playground. I'm not sure what you're really calling it, but it looked pretty cool. I mean, there were parts of this playground where there was gardening; there were parts where they were building forts out of tires. All of the kids were very dirty. I mean, maybe some parents wouldn't like that, but it did—it looked...I guess it wasn't really a playground, it was more of an adventure time for these kids.Is that the type of playscapes you're talking about?
RUSTY: That's exactly right. Yes. Yes. So, instead of the kind of playground equipment that you might think of at a kids' school or park, these environments are just like kind of wild landscapes that are filled with loose parts. The one that's in the video is here in Ithaca, New York, and it's a place called The Hands-On Nature Anarchy Zone. It's just a place where kids can climb trees and dig in the mud and build forts and cook over fires and what makes it work, really, is that parents who have their children come there, they want that for their children. They want their children to have the opportunity to kind of use their minds and creativity and get into things. But then, there are also these trained play workers, these adult play workers that are on site, that aren't leading the play, but they're just kind of there around the edges. Just like you said, the kids are just kind of getting into it and doing their own stuff and changing their spaces.
DR MIKE: I think, and correct me if I'm wrong. I'm going to kind of speak for you just for a moment, Rusty. You're not saying that we need to do away with organized sports or organized play. We're not saying that. There are benefits to being on a team and playing baseball and what have you.
RUSTY: Yes. Yes. Yes.
DR MIKE: But, that's about all kids do today, right? I mean, they're either inside playing video games, or they're doing a very organized sport and they're missing out, maybe, on some of this type of adventurous play where they're not really challenging themselves physically. They're not, as some of the doctors talk about, exploring those boundaries. What's the problem with that, though? I mean, what if I just want my kid just to play organized sport? Is my kid going to miss out on something by not engaging in more free play?
RUSTY: Actually, yes. The idea of free play is really a chance for children just to have their own space to do what they want to do. Maybe, at first, if they're not used to it, if they're going to sports, if they're going to violin lessons and language lessons and stuff, they're used to just having a really tight schedule, but what children really need is a little bit of looseness in the schedule to kind of make their own decisions and then, if they have time and space and material, to start to have some of these adventurous play opportunities in there. So, they can kind of just take a breath and start to use their own imaginations and creativity.
DR MIKE: And, I think we both agree. We're not saying organized sports is...I mean, I actually played baseball. I learned a lot by doing that.
RUSTY: Sure.
DR MIKE: But, when I was growing up, we didn't have the video games yet. I think we had PacMan. That was like the big one that you had to go to the 7-11 and play it. We didn't have it at home or anything.
RUSTY: That's right. Yes.
DR MIKE: So, we had the organized sports, but we were also doing just a lot of this type of adventure. Now, we didn't have formal playscapes, the neighborhoods were playscapes.
RUSTY: Yes.
DR MIKE: We just went in people's back yards and did this. Funny story, Rusty. I was just recently with my sister who has some kids, 9, I think, 11, 13. They have phones now, of course. Every kid has phones and the 11-year-old has like a "to-do" list on her phone and I was thinking to myself, "I don't even have "to-do" lists. I mean, should I have "to-do" lists?" Here's an 11-year-old kid...So, I think that's what we need to maybe step back a little bit from, right?
RUSTY: Yes. To have a "to-do" list that might just say "play".
DR MIKE: Play. Right. Or, at least, put that in the "to-do" list, right?
RUSTY: Right. At least get it in there. That's right. That's right.
DR MIKE: Put the phone down and go play. So, Rusty, we only have about 40 seconds left, is there a website you would like to send my listeners to?
RUSTY: Sure. Yes. EarthPlay.net. EarthPlay.net.
DR MIKE: EarthPlay.net. Pretty simple. I'm sure your book, Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul is also on that website as well?
RUSTY: That's right. Yes.
DR MIKE: Okay. When we come back, we're going to move more into talking about kids today versus kids yesterday and I want to talk about The Anarchy Zone that you've developed.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I'm Dr. Mike. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received Yes
- Host Mike Smith, MD
What are four characteristics of an aging immune system and how can you restore a youthful immune response?
Additional Info
- Segment Number 1
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht4a.mp3
- Organization Life Extension
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
-
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: March 5, 2015
Host: Michael Smith, MD
Healthy Talk with Dr. Michael Smith, MD. And now, here's the country doctor with the city education. Dr. Mike.
So, let's talk an immune boosting strategy for living longer. We're going to reverse what's called immunosenescence. Most of my career as a natural medicine doctor is really focusing on helping people be healthy right now; to prevent disease. But there's nothing wrong with trying to add some good years to that as well. So, working with Life Extension, I'm able to see a lot of the current research into living longer. But, I agree with you. I think it's about living healthier longer. I think that's an important point.
Conventional drugs, today, conventional approach, conventional medicine, what we call allopathic medicine, has increased longevity. People are living longer. Now, there are other reasons for that: cleaner water, running water, cleaner cities. But, the chemical prescriptions have played a role. I mean, antibiotics, for instance.
So, conventional medicine is helping us live longer, but it's going to be depressing, but go to like a general practitioner's office or a family doctor's office or an internal medicine doctor's office and just kind of look around the waiting room. What you see is, yes, you see older people—people living longer, but they don't look good. So, conventional medicine has maybe played a role in helping us live longer, but I don't necessarily think it's healthier. So, really, the focus here is, and it's my focus, it's not just about adding years, but healthy years. I mean, what's the point of living 2 or 3 more years and you can't move? You're stuck in a wheelchair. I mean, maybe some people think that's fine.
Personally, not me. That's not for me. So, I like to talk about and discuss and educate on things that you can do now that will add years to your life, but good years—years that you can now maybe take a second trip out to Europe or a 3rd trip or maybe go to China or someplace you've never been before. That's what I'm talking about. In order to do that, we need to talk more about the immune system. We talk a lot about antioxidants, which is important. We talk a lot about hormones and living longer—living healthier longer. That's important, too.
We talk about DNA, your genetics, the anti-aging genes, the sirtuins. I've talked about that several times and that's all important. But, if you don't strengthen your immune system and do things to help it function at an optimal, peak level throughout your life, a lot of those other things you're doing just aren't going to have as much of an impact as they could. So, I know that I want to talk more about the immune system. I'm going to try to make it sexy and fun as best I can, but it's hard because it's the immune system.
Well, there's this concept called immunosenescence. All that means is, an old, dying immune system. The word "senescence" just means "death" basically.
So, immunosenescence. It's just an old, dysfunctional, lack luster, not very sexy, immune system and it's one of the reasons why we eventually pass. We eventually die because our immune system is not strong. What we have found is that there are four components, or maybe I should say, four things that happen to an immune system as it gets older—immunosenescence, okay? What we need to do is, we need to reverse those four things and there are some ways to do that. I'm going to share that with you.
The four things that happen in immunosenescence, an old, aging, dying immune system, number one is you lose a group of cells called natural killer cells. These are your patrol cells. Natural killer cells are awesome. These are the types of cells you want floating around in your blood all the time. They fight cancers that develop quickly, viruses, bacteria, harmful yeast. I mean, anything that gets into your system that shouldn't be there, they're able to recognize very quickly as foreign, attack it and get rid of it. So, you want a lot of natural killer cells. Well, one of the first things that happens to an old, dying immune system is we lose those cells—the natural killer cells. That's the first thing. So, we've got to reverse that.
The second thing that happens is, we lose the production of brand new immune cells, what are called naïve cells. These are cells that are produced in the bone marrow. Some of them will mature in the bone marrow. Some will mature in the thymus.
That's where you get your B-cells, your T-cells. When they haven't been exposed to a certain foreign bacteria or something, they're called "naïve" and as we get older, we just don't make many of these brand new naïve immune cells, the bone marrow and the thymus, they just kind of pooter out a little bit.
The third thing that happens is we build up old memory cells. Now, having memory in your immune system is very powerful, right? The fact that you can remember, I mean, the whole vaccine industry is based on this concept. The fact that if I am attacked by chicken pox virus as a child, my body will develop cells—memory cells—that remember chicken pox.
So, if I get hit again, I have this robust immune response right away. I'm able to take care of it and I'm not even affected at all by it. It's amazing when you think about it. So, we want memory cells, but the problem is, some of those memory cells are never used again and they just sit there decade after decade after decade and they start causing problems. As a matter of fact, the older the memory cell gets, at some point, it's really not a memory cell any more. It's not going to respond to chicken pox anymore. That's why sometimes with vaccines, you have to get boosters, right? So, the memory cells, basically, stop being memory cells, but they're still there and they still have the ability to produce what are called "cytokines". These are pro-inflammatory proteins. I think one, in particular, we've found that old memory cells produce is interleukin 6, a very powerful inflammatory marker. So, you've got these old memory cells that really can't offer you any immune protection any more, yet they're driving inflammation which is the common denominator of all age-related disorders.
Then, the fourth thing that happens in immunosenescence is we lose what are called "helper cells" and we gain what are called suppressor cells. So, your immune system is kind of like a light-switch. Sometimes you turn it on, but once the infection is taken care of, you've got to turn it off. So, you have helper cells that turn on the switch; turn on the light; turn on the immune response, but then, you have suppressor cells that help to control it and then when you need the immune response to go away, it turns it off. You need a nice balance between helper and suppressor cells, but as we get older, we lose the ability to turn on the immune system, we lose the helper cells, but we gain a bunch of suppressor cells. So, as we get older, we have a suppressed immune system. It's compromised. So, those are the four components of immunosenescence.
Loss of natural killer cells. Now, number one, how can you reverse that? How can you get more natural killer cells? I like reishi mushroom extract. That will boost NK cell (natural killer cells). Also, I've talked about before, modified rice bran, enzymatically modified rice bran, is another great way to boost natural killer cells. So, that's one or two suggestions right there to reverse the first part of immunosenescence.
What about boosting naïve cells? Having your body make more young immune cells from the bone marrow or the thymus? There's an herb known as the ginseng of the dessert called cistanche. Taking that in an extract form has been shown to boost those naïve, brand new immune cells. So, we're going to be able to respond to brand new infections better.
What about getting rid of the old memory cells? Well, cistanche will help to get rid of those old memory cells that don't work anymore. Reishi can all play a little bit of a part in that as well. So, a nice extract of cistanche, the ginseng of the dessert, with reishi mushroom, you're going to help to boost natural killer cells; you're going to boost brand new cells and you're going to get rid of old memory cells. So, that's very helpful. Then, it also turns out that cistanche and reishi can improve that helper to suppressor ratio as well.
So, reishi, cistanche. Awesome for immune protection.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I'm Dr. Mike. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
- Host Mike Smith, MD
Listen in as Dr. Mike provides the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 5
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht3e.mp3
- Organization Life Extension
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
-
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: March 3, 2015
Host: Michael Smith, MD
It's time for you to be a part of the show. Email or call with questions for Dr. Mike now. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: 877-711-5211. What are you waiting for? The doctor is in.
Once again, that's 877-711-5211. Maybe you have a question that you always wanted answered. If you haven't learned about me, I try just to be straightforward with it, you know? I don't beat around the bush with my answers. If I don't know, I'll tell you and we'll find the answer together. Maybe you have a question that might stump me. Hmm? 877-711-5211 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Alright. So, let's go on to a question about alcohol use.
"Is alcohol good for us or not? And, if so, which kind?"
I think, yes. It is good for us. It is. Alcohol itself—ethanol. ETOH. That's the chemical abbreviation. It's good for you. Yes. But, of course, there's a level of diminished returns. Alright? How often have I said, whether it's a drug, whether it's alcohol, whether it's supplements, everything has an appropriate dose and if you stay within that appropriate dose range, you get great benefit with very, very little side effect but then the minute you go out of that dose range, especially on the higher side, benefits drop, side effects go up and we all know, I think most adults in this country understand the concept of diminished returns when it comes to ethanol (alcohol).
So, what is the appropriate amount then? I've got tell you, I don't think anybody's really worked this out. The standard doctor answer that I'm supposed to give you—so, sometimes I put on my official doctor hat—"Well, a man can have 2 drinks a day and a woman 1." That's the standard answer.
Now, what kind of drinks? Well, a 12-ounce beer. Maybe I should say it this way: an average 12-ounce beer because beers can be brewed different ways and some of them can be really strong. Some of them are a little bit weak, but just a standard 12-ounce beer, a standard shot. What is it an ounce or so? I'm not sure what a standard shot is, but a standard shot glass of a spirit, whether it's a clear spirit or the darker ones. Whatever. Hard liquor. And, a 5-ounce glass of wine. They all, pretty much, assuming standard brewing techniques, they all pretty much have the same alcohol content. So, a man can have a couple beers, a couple shots, a couple glasses of wine and a woman can have 1. I know. It's not fair. That's the standard answer.
I think you have to take into account, when you're talking about dose. That's what we're talking about here just like with supplement and drugs, you've got to look at the size of the person, their metabolism. I mean, all that plays a role, so they're might be some people out there, some women, that can do 2 or 3 drinks and have that benefit and maybe some men 4 or 5. I don't know. Some not. Maybe there are some women that have a half a glass of wine and that's all they need. That's the benefit for them. Above that, they're losing the benefit and just getting drunk. So, yes. Alcohol is good. Two servings of that for men, 1 serving for women a day and that's the 12-ounce beer, the shot or the 5-ounce glass of wine. It's all the same amount of alcohol.
Be careful with the beer—especially the beer. Because some beers are brewed in a way where they concentrate the alcohol. I mean, there are some beers out there that are upwards of 10-12% alcohol. That's way above the normal standard beer which I think is around like 4% or something. Four percent alcohol which would be the same for the shot and the same for the glass of wine.
Now, with all that said, I enjoy my alcohol on occasion and I like red wine. I'm lucky. I really am lucky because red wine is really good for you, too. So, I'm not only getting the benefit of the ethanol, I'm also getting the benefit of the red, deep, dark grapes which have a lot of the stilbene compounds that I've talked about before, like resveratrol. So, out of all of that, your best bet is a 5-ounce glass of red wine or 2 or 3. No. No. That's enough. One or two.
So, there's your answer. What are the benefits of ethanol? Well, there's been, let's see, some studies showing—I'm just talking about the ethanol now, the alcohol part—benefits to the cardiovascular system. Benefit to cognition, believe it or not. At that 1 or 2 drinks a day, it actually improves cognition, mood, sleep, digestion, all that. It has been shown to be beneficial from ethanol. Nothing conclusive, but those are the benefits that we know of pretty much at this point. Just don't do too much because then you lose the benefits.
The red wine, though, is different, right? The antioxidants in red wine like resveratrol and many more benefits, sugar metabolism, maybe even weight, resting metabolic rate—how many calories you burn at rest—seem to go up with these red wine antioxidant, anti-aging genes. There are genes in your body called sirtuins that are activated by the red wine antioxidants called stilbenes like resveratrol. So, red wine takes it to a whole other level than just the ethanol. So, that is probably the best bet: red wine. Okay. Good. Watch the sugary wines. I'm not talking about the ports and stuff like that. I'm just talking about a standard dry, young, red wine. Okay? Alright.
Moving on. Next question. "I found a blog of yours titled Black is the New Green Tea." I do remember that. "Do you really think black is better than green?"
Well, no, but that wasn't what the blog was about. The blog's not about whether black is better than green, the blog is more about black should up there, should be on the forefront of our minds, just like green tea. That's all. That's what I meant.
Gosh, that was many years ago I wrote this blog. I don't remember the specifics of it, but I remember thinking that maybe black tea was going to become more popular in this country, but it really hasn't. But, black tea in other places has always been more popular. But, yes, black tea has a group of chemicals called theoflavins and there are two broad types of theoflavins and it's real simple.
There's theoflavin 1 and there's theoflavin 2 and most of the research, if I remember—don't quote me on this—but if I remember right, it's the theoflavin 1s that are really good at easing inflammation, having some cardiovascular benefit, specifically, and maybe with, good cholesterol, raising HDL.
So, no, I don't think black is better than green. I don't think green is better than black. I think they're both awesome. By the way, whether it's green, black or white tea, it all comes from the same plant. It's just white tea is the young plant, green tea is the ripe plant and then black tea is when it is picked and it is laid out and exposed to air and it becomes oxidized. I know a lot of times when we think of oxidation, we think of bad things. That's not always the case and when you go from the young tea leaf to the ripe tea leaf to the oxidized tea leaf, that's white, green black, the composition of antioxidants change. White tea probably has the most different types of antioxidants, but at the lowest levels. So, white tea is going to give you a nice array of antioxidants, but at lower levels and it's a little bit sweeter. Green tea, ultimately, is the EGCG, that's the very potent antioxidant and it's just so good for your body in so many ways. EGCG is really concentrated in the ripe green tea leaf.
You'll still get some of those other antioxidants that you get in the white tea, but it's just concentrated now in the EGCG. Then, when you oxidize it, it's the theoflavins that come up. So, that's white, green, black. It's all the same plant, just different ways to handle it and process it. No. I don't think it's any better. Personally, I like black tea better. I'm not a fan of green tea. I'm sorry. I had green tea ice cream. Does that count? That was good. But, I prefer the deeper flavor of black tea. I do enjoy a glass or two. Not every day. Maybe a glass or two a week. I should try to increase that.
Well, this is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I'm Dr. Mike. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
- Host Mike Smith, MD
Listen in as Dr. Mike provides the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions.
Additional Info
- Segment Number 4
- Audio File healthy_talk/1510ht3d.mp3
- Organization Life Extension
- Guest Website Healthy Talk MD
-
Transcription
RadioMD Presents: Healthy Talk | Original Air Date: March 4, 2015
Host: Michael Smith, MD
RadioMD. It's time to Ask Dr. Mike. Do you have a question about your health? Dr. Mike can answer your questions. Just email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call now: 877-711-5211. The lines are open.
So, the first question is about the health of the nails. It's an interesting question because I did an article a long time ago, actually, and I think it was published by Life Extension. It was more like a blog, so it was online and it had one of the largest number of shares and stuff. People are very interested in this and how hair, nails, and skin can really reflect overall health, even the oral cavity like the tongue. Even your eyes. How that can reflect what else might be going on in your body. So, here's the question:
"I have had ridges in my nails--my thumb and ring finger--for years. A friend said that I should see my doctor. Is that true?"
Well, you know, it kind of depends. I think if there is a ridge, and usually a ridge is perpendicular to your finger. That's what a ridge usually is and if it develops quickly, then, yes. I think that's something you want to check. If it's been there a long time and you don't have any other symptoms, I don't know.
I'm not sure how to answer that. It wouldn't hurt. There are some things your doctor can check, but, definitely, if it's something that develops pretty quickly and you have other symptoms, like you feel tired, constipated, or maybe you're having some hair issues, like brittle hair--not just brittle nails, but brittle hair as well—those could be signs of hypothyroidism. So that would be one thing that I would check.
So, again, if the ridges develop quickly, yes. Definitely go see your doctor and your doctor is probably going to want to do a thyroid panel and maybe check your B12 status. One thing about the thyroid panel, too. When I say "panel", I mean, panel. I think too many times conventional doctors only check something called TSH—thyroid stimulating hormone. That's not enough. TSH is just not very sensitive at picking out hypothyroidism. It's weird, the higher the TSH, the lower the thyroid production. So, the higher the TSH means hypothyroidism—low thyroid production. The problem is, is most conventional doctors allow a TSH to get up above 4 on a test and that can test too high.
I think an optimal TSH that reflects probably optimal thyroid health is probably around 1 or 2. But, I think you should do more than just a TSH. If you have ridges in your nails that develop quickly, go get a thyroid panel. That would include TSH, but also a total T4. T4 is the hormone that's actually made in the thyroid gland and then a free T3. See what happens is, the thyroid gland produces T4. That travels out to the tissues and it's converted to T3. T3 is really the active form of the hormone. So, a thyroid panel really should be looking at TSH, total T4 and a free T3.
You might also throw in there some antibodies to make sure you don't have something called "Hoshimoto's". So, maybe ask your doctor for a Hoshimoto's check and they're going to look for thyroid antibodies. Hoshimoto's is the most common cause of low thyroid in this country and it's an autoimmune disorder. So, you might want to check that as well. So, do a thyroid panel.
Also, look at your B12 level. B12 is a little bit tougher because in many cases, if you absorb B12 really well, even just eating fruits, your B12 level can shoot way up and a lot of doctors will look at that and they'll be like, "Oh, my gosh. What are you doing? How much B12 are you taking?" and it doesn't really mean you're overdoing it with a supplement or food, it just means you absorb it really well. B12 is very transient in the body. It goes up and down really quickly. On the flipside of that, some people have really low levels which might be a sign that they're not absorbing B12 really well. So, what we're really looking at in the case of ridges in the nail is that low level and you might want to consider having a B12 level checked. But, if it's high, don't worry about it. If it's low, that might be an indication that you're having ridges.
Now, you can't just take B12 if it's low because what's probably happening is B12 requires something called the "intrinsic factor". It's a protein in the gut to absorb into your bloodstream. So, a lot of people with low B12, you could do all the B12 supplements you want. You can eat all the B12 food you want, but you just don't have that intrinsic factor to absorb it. So, what you need maybe is a shot of B12 or a sublingual B12 that dissolves under your tongue. That would be better than doing a standard supplement. So, check your thyroid. Check your B12. That's definitely for acute ridges.
Now, this question though, is about this person saying they've had ridges in the nails for years. So, it wouldn't hurt, maybe, to check these things so, maybe I'm going to change my answer. Yes. If you get ridges in the nail, whether acute or not, yes. Just go get a thyroid panel. Check your B12. Try to hydrate the cuticles with essential oils. That can help a little bit. If that helps, without doing anything else, then it's probably not your thyroid or not B12, but why not just go get a thyroid panel and B12 check?
Okay. So, yes. I changed my answer. So, the question is, "Should I see my doctor?" Yes. If you've got ridges in your nails. Go see your doctor and have your doctor look at a thyroid pane. and a B12 level and then try some essential oils.
Okay. See, even doctors are allowed to change their mind right in the middle of an answer. How's that?
Okay. We're going to go to a question about acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is an anti-pain, anti-inflammatory. The most common brand name—I'm going to say it. It's okay.—is Tylenol. Just so everybody knows what I'm talking about. So, acetaminophen, the most common brand is Tylenol.
So, the question is: "New research said the dangers of acetaminophen are 'underestimated'. That concerns me because I use it and give it to my kids. Should I stop it?"
Yes. So, there was a report at Life Extension, as the senior scientist, I have the fortunate benefit of seeing a lot of current news stories—health news stories. You know, we produce a daily newsletter and one of my jobs here is to approve the content that's used in that newsletter. I don't think it's daily any more. I think we went to weekly.
So, I'm constantly receiving from the writer of the newsletter, whose name is Dana Dye. She's been with Life Extension for like 30 years. She sends me all this, almost on a daily basis, like, "Here's some ideas. Here's some things I want to write about," and I actually saw this. I saw this, I guess I want to say a couple of days ago, where now a lot of doctors are concerned that we're not teaching people enough about the dangers of acetaminophen. The real danger to this drug is the liver.
What happens is acetaminophen can deplete an important antioxidant for the liver called glutathione. And when the liver loses glutathione, that's really bad because that one antioxidant, glutathione, it's an intrinsic antioxidant. Your body makes it. It's one of the most potent antioxidants known in the human body. It's pretty much used by the liver and when the liver doesn't have any, the liver becomes more prone to damage from all the toxins that it's trying to detoxify. So, glutathione is incredibly important to the liver. Acetaminophen knocks out glutathione levels. There's the problem.
Now, it's all about dose, though, and that's the answer to this question. "Should I stop it?" That's what she's saying. No, I don't think you have to stop it. I just think you have to be aware of how much you're using and here's the problem: acetaminophen is in so many other products. You might get Tylenol that's just pure acetaminophen and then you also get an anti-fever or a cold product that also has some acetaminophen in it that you don't even know about, that you're not even reading the label.
So, it's just really important when it comes to these over the counter drugs, you've got to look at the label and make sure you stick to the suggested dosing of acetaminophen. Don't be mixing it from other products. That's the key thing. And, take some glutathione. That would help.
This is Healthy Talk on RadioMD. I'm Dr. Mike. Stay well. - Length (mins) 10
- Waiver Received No
- Internal Notes NO GUEST
- Host Mike Smith, MD
