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In this Causes or Cures episode, Dr. Eeks chats with artist Elsha Stockseth.

Elsha is a 37 year old woman, award-winning artist, racer and the world's greatest U2 fan. She was born with Werdnig-Hoffman Disease, a form of Muscular Dystrophy and progressive muscle weakness. The doctors told her parents that she wouldn't be able to do anything, and although Elsha has never been able to walk, she has accomplished a lot. Elsha is also the designer of the Blooming Wellness ZENBands, the headband, pillow speakers and eye-mask combo that Dr. Stair sells through her website.

In this episode, Elsha discusses her journey as an artist. She used to use her arms, but as her muscles grew weaker, and she lost the use of her limbs, she devised a new way to create art without having to use her limbs. It seems there are no obstacles this woman can't overcome. She also describes the races in which she participates and how she participates in them, what inspires her, and what it was like to meet Bono and U2 13 times.

To learn more about Elsha and view her art, please click here.

To contact Dr. Eeks, do so through bloomingwellness.com
To read or listen to her new comedic parody on the sleazy side of the wellness industry, check out Yours in Wellness, Krystal Heeling on Amazon.
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There has been a lot of chatter in the news about COVID-19, increased clotting, and the possibility of strokes in old and young people in their thirties and forties. How does this happen? And what can we do about it?

In this episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Ricardo Jose who has over ninety publications in the area of respiratory (lung) infections and how they affect us systemically. He is a Respiratory Consulting Physician at the Royal Brompton and HareField NHS Hospital in London who has a special interest in how inflammation caused by lung infections relates to coagulation (clotting). He has published several papers on COVID-19, one of the most recent ones being in the Lancet: COVID-19 cytokine storm: the interplay between inflammation and coagulation.

You don't have to be a doctor or have a scientific background to listen to this. In easy-to-understand terms, he will explain what causes the cytokine storm, how that relates to coagulation and clot formation, how doctors are currently addressing it and what we have to worry about. He also covers the latest evidence, including the use of steroids for certain cases, and provides ideas on future approaches. This is a great episode for anyone who wants to learn more about COVID-19 and how it affects the body, as well as anyone concerned that he/she or his/her loved ones might become affected one day.

Please note: This isn't medical advice! This is a conversation with the hopes of shedding more light around the medical side of the pandemic in an easy-to-understand way.

You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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While this podcast focuses on what's happening with COVID-19, it could be applied to any public health intervention in present times.
In this episode, Dr. Eeks discusses inconsistencies in public health messaging, political and industrial biases, and how those factors interact and impact how people will respond. She explains why consistent and objective public health messaging is more important now than ever. She discusses how inconsistent messaging and underlying biases will affect who people trust when it comes to healthcare advice, who wears a face mask and who doesn't, who complies with future lockdown or social distancing orders and how these factors will affect vaccine hesitancy, which is clearly on the rise.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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 CBD products are incredibly popular and marketed for numerous health ailments. But do they do what they claim to do? Do they contain what they claim to contain? When it comes to CBD products or supplements, how do we know who to trust?
In this episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Bill Gurley, the principal scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Gurley has studied commercial supplements for over 25 years and recently did a study analyzing the content in commercial CBD Products vs the claims made on the label. He talks about the study's findings, CBD products in general, the supplement industry and things to watch for, and tips for distinguishing "good" CBD products and supplements from "not so good" ones.


To contact Dr. Eeks, do so through bloomingwellness.com
To read or listen to her new comedic parody on the sleazy side of the wellness industry, check out Yours in Wellness, Krystal Heeling on Amazon.
Or you can listen to it from Google Play or Walmart!
Or follow her on Instagram here.
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Subcribe to her newsletter here!

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 What is the evidence for wearing a face mask? Can it significantly slow the spread, or no? Who should wear a face mask and when should a face mask be worn? What's the most effective face mask? Should we keep them handy for a second (or third) viral wave? These questions and more are answered in this podcast.

 In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks has a conversation with Dr. Benjamin Cowling, who recently published a study on the effectiveness of face masks in Nature Medicine. But more than that, he's been researching the pandemic since its initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, and authored several of the first papers, like this one in the New England Journal of Medicine, on the characteristics of the virus as well as its transmission dynamics.
Dr. Benjamin Cowling is the Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Public Health at Hong Kong University. He earned his PhD in medical statistics at the University of Warwick and did his postdoc fellowship at the Imperial College in London. In addition to leading the Epidemiology department, he is a co-director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control.

His primary area of research is infectious disease epidemiology, including modes of respiratory virus transmission, influenza vaccination effectiveness and immunity to infections on the individual and population level. He works closely with China CDC and the NIGMS-funded Harvard Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics. Dr. Cowling's has over 426 publications, is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, and an Associate Editor of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

To contact Dr. Eeks, do so through bloomingwellness.com
To read or listen to her new comedic parody on the sleazy side of the wellness industry, check out Yours in Wellness, Krystal Heeling on Amazon.
Or you can listen to it from Google Play or Walmart!
Or follow her on Instagram here.
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Subcribe to her newsletter here!

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In this episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Eeks  interviews Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy about the effectiveness of the most popular commercial supplements for male fertility and erectile dysfunction. He recently published two papers on these topics and provides the most up-to-date evidence. He also discusses his recommendations for both of these issues, lifestyle interventions and provides interesting information on how marijuana may affect both male fertility and erectile dysfunction.

Dr. Ramasamy is the Director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at the University of Miami in Florida. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Urology. He specializes in male infertility and sexual dysfunction. He completed his Urology residency at Cornell Medical College and then a fellowship in Male Reproductive Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He has published over 100 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and is on the editorial board of several journals. He also created the "Urology" App.

You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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In this episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Piotr Rzymski, who is a researcher with the Department of Environmental Medicine at Poznan University of Medical Sciences. He has over 140 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has a strong interest in analyzing the ingredients in commercial supplements, as well as the presence of any contaminants or teratogenic compounds, meaning things that can harm a developing fetus. This particular conversation will focus around his paper, "Essential and toxic elements in commercial microalgal supplements." The microalgal supplements include Spirulina and Chlorella, both of which are very popular and often called "Superfoods."  The podcast covers his research findings related to these supplements and others, his recommendations to consumers and his advice on how to make the industry safer.

You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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In this episode, Dr. Eeks talks with Emily Copland, a registered nurse and nurse educator who has been diagnosed with EMF-Sensitivity. EMF-Sensitivity is also sometimes called EHS, or Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. The World Health Organization classifies it as IEI-EMF, or Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance to Electromagnetic Fields. (EMF stands for electromagnetic fields or frequencies.)

In the first part of the podcast, Dr. Eeks presents background information on EMF-Sensitivity, including what's known about it and what's not. In short, there are a lot of unknowns. Then Emily tells her story, from when mysterious and frightening symptoms first started to appear to figuring out what was wrong and finally to discussing how she manages it.

You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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In this episode of Causes or Cures, host Dr. Eeks discusses intermittent fasting with Dr. Mark Mattson. Dr. Mattson talks about his paper on the potential health benefits of intermittent fasting, recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Potential health benefits include Alzheimer's Disease prevention, reduced memory and cognitive decline as we age, improved balance and coordination, prevention of Type 2 Diabetes and obesity and improved prognosis for other diseases, like Multiple Sclerosis. Dr. Mattson also discusses how intermittent fasting may be an effective lifestyle intervention for children with autism. In addition, Dr. Mattson gives his opinion on how intermittent fasting compares to the Keto diet ( discussed on a previous Causes or Cures episode) and how it compares to calorie reduction.
Dr. Mattson is a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University and founding editor of NeuroMolecular Medicine and Ageing Research Reviews. He is the former Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute of Aging and The National Institute of Health considers him "one of the world's top experts on the potential cognitive and physical health benefits of intermittent fasting." 

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This is a  podcast for diligent, dedicated dog and cat parents on topics that have been in the news lately.
Recently, the FDA issued a report citing 16 dog food brands linked to cases of dilated cardiomyopathy ( DCM), essentially a form of heart failure. Specifically, the FDA linked grain-free products and "exotic" foods to DCM. The proposed mechanism of action is that grain-free diets lead to a depletion of taurine, a non-essential amino acid made from cysteine and methionine in the liver, which then leads to cardiomyopathy. As one can imagine, the FDA's report caused massive panic amongst dog parents who worried that their dogs, if on a grain-free or exotic diet, may be at risk for DCM. In the second half of this podcast, Dr. Dodds discusses the FDA report, the data for and against the notion that grain-free diets cause DCM, benefits vs risks of a grain-free diet for dogs, and what dog parents can do if they are worried about their dog having DCM.
Vaccines are always in the news. In the first half of this podcast, Dr. Eeks and Dr. Dodds discuss Dr. Dodds' recommended vaccination protocol for dogs and cats, the concept of vaccinosis, dogs at the highest risk for vaccinosis, lifestyle vaccines ( Leptospirosis, Lyme Disease, Bordetella and Canine Flu) vs core vaccines, and why she recommends getting titer tests vs getting boosters.
Dr. Jean Dodds received her doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1964 and has been a clinical research veterinarian and hematologist for over 5 decades. She was a grantee of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications in top journals. She started HemoPet, the first national nonprofit blood bank for animals, in 1986. Some of the services HemoPet provides include: Providing canine blood components, adopting retired Greyhound blood donors as companions and the Hemolife diagnostic division which focuses on hematology ( the study of blood cells), blood banking, immunology, endocrinology, nutrition and holistic medicine. She invented NutriScan, a food sensitivity and intolerance diagnostic test for dogs, cats and horses and is also a Co-Trustee of the Rabies Challenge Fund, a nonprofit project for assessing the duration of immunity and safety of current rabies vaccines in animals. She's an active member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation.
*Please keep in mind that this podcast is not medical/veterinary advice. It's a conversation. If you have questions or concerns about your pet, ask your veterinarian! 
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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