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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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The Keto diet is incredibly popular. Passionate followers say they feel significantly better on the Keto diet, lose weight and even have better lab values. Keto recipes and tips are all over the internet, as it's a favorite diet of many wellness proponents. Yet others claim there is more hype than health benefits to the Keto diet, and that it doesn't really live up to its many claims. Who's right? What does the evidence say? How does it compare long-term to other well-studied diets, such as the Mediterranean Diet? In this Causes or Cures podcast, Dr. Shivam Joshi will discuss these issues, his published paper and more with Dr. Eeks.
Dr. Joshi is a board-certified physician who earned his medical degree at the University of Miami and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. He completed his nephrology (kidney) fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and currently works as a clinician and clinical assistant professor at New York University. He has published over a dozen papers on various topics related to diet and health, including plant-based diets and the management of kidney disease, the Keto diet and its effect on obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, and the effect of unrefined carbohydrates on Type 2 Diabetes. He is currently writing a book on how a carnivorous diet impacts health.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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Alzheimer's disease is frightening, heartbreaking and tragic. To some it seems like an unavoidable disease of aging, but others are more hopeful and believe there are things we can do to prevent it and/or slow its progression. One of those people is Dr. Douglas Watt, who happens to be today's guest on Causes or Cures.
Dr. Watt took time out of his busy day to talk to Dr. Eeks about all the latest research on Alzheimer's Disease, what really causes it, who is at risk and what you should do if you think you are at risk. Most importantly, he talks about evidence-based things we all can do to significantly lower our risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. As heartbreaking as Alzheimer's Disease is, this podcast should leave you hopeful.
Dr. Douglas Watt is a repeat guest on Causes or Cures. In a past episode he discussed the social brain hypothesis of depression, also worth listening to since depression is an independent risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease.
Dr. Watt is a clinical neuropsychologist who is on the faculty of Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Boston Institute for the Study of Violence. He has served as director and chief of two clinical neuropsychology departments in Boston-area hospitals.
In addition to seeing patients with a range of neuropsychological issues, Dr. Watt has published 60 peer-reviewed papers on emotion, cognition, behavior and the brain. He currently lectures all over the world on depression, head trauma, delirium and various forms of dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease.
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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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Most people think that it's impossible to survive a nuclear bomb.
It is if you're stuck in the fallout plume or come outside before it's safe and get a lethal dose of radiation. But.., is it possible to increase your chances of surviving a nuclear bomb?
Dr. Andrew Karam, a world-wide nuclear radiation expert says it absolutely is. In this episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Dr. Andrew Karam. He will talk about where you should go once you hear a nuclear bomb is launched, how much time you have to prepare, what you should eat, drink, what you should do for your kids and pets, and he even talks about when it's okay to use hair conditioner again. And, since Iran was in the news recently, he talks about their nuclear capabilities, which might listen folks from an international relations perspective.
Dr. Karam has a doctorate degree in environmental sciences and a masters degree in geological sciences. He's a graduate of the Naval Chemistry and Radiological Controls School and the Naval Nuclear Power School. Since 1981, Andy has worked in the radiation safety field. He started out working for the Navy and designed numerous radiation safety courses for the military and universities, including The University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, American University of Kosovo and The Center for Advanced Defense Studies. He's a board-certified international consultant for all radiological and nuclear matters, including radiological terrorism, and has consulted for the NYPD Counterterrorism division, NYC Department of Health, NASA Lewis Research Center, Honeywell, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Panama Canal, the Canadian Army, Constellation Energy group and more. He's worked as a professor and has written over 200 peer-reviewed articles, several books and over 100 technical papers on the subject.
Listen, subscribe and please share. :)
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In this episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Amber Romaniuk, an Emotional Eating, Digestive and Hormone Expert who now helps women achieve optimal health through mindful eating and teaching them how to overcome their struggles with food. Amber describes her own struggle with emotional eating that involved her gaining and losing a total of 1000 pounds and spending 50,000 dollars on binge foods. She discusses how to identify if you are struggling with emotional eating, how it may be affecting your relationships, how she overcame it and how you can overcome it. She also talks about her Body Freedom program and how it's helping women all over the world. To learn more about Amber, visit amberapproved.ca.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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Read Manic Kingdom here.
Listen to her short audio parody on the wellness industry here.
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In this episode, Dr. Eeks chats with Julie Ryan, a medical intuitive and psychic who works with clients remotely.
Before Julie started a career as a medical intuitive, she founded several companies and invented surgical devices that are used around the world. Some of the services Julie offers include scanning a person for potential illnesses, energy healings, scanning pets for potential illnesses, accessing past lives, and communication with spirits. She also helps remove ghosts from folks' homes, and in this podcast, discusses a time a ghost's behavior shocked her.
Now, if you're a complete skeptic, good. Dr. Eeks is a skeptic too. But she also knows that the world is full of mysteries that go beyond conventional understanding. Please listen with an open mind yet don't run to the hills with anything as hard truth.
Julie also discusses the "12 Phases of Transition" everyone goes through when he/she is dyings and her new book, Angelic Attendants.
To contact Julie and learn more about her work, visit AskJulieRyan.com.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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Read Manic Kingdom here.
Listen to her short audio parody on the wellness industry here.
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Society loves to shame people for their weight. It's called fat-shaming, and even though it doesn't do anything beneficial for physical or mental health on a societal or individual level, it happens all of the time. It's a form of bullying that often gets a pass under the guise of concern, small-talk or encouragement to lose weight.
Celebrities face constant scrutiny over their looks and weight and when they are fat-shamed, it's in a very public way: a viral social media post, a magazine article, a TV show, etc. And while we can imagine that this is a painful experience for the person being fat-shamed, does it impact the rest of us, and if so, how?
Today's Causes or Cures podcast features Amanda Ravary, a clinical psychologist and researcher at McGill University that researched this topic. Specifically, she analyzed high-profile incidents of celebrity fat-shaming and studied the effects they had on a large sample of women.
Click to listen, subscribe to the podcast! :)
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.c
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What is Comedic Meditation?
Listen to find out, and we promise you'll want to try it.
In this episode of Causes Or Cures, Dr. Eeks (Erin) chats with Carla Collins and Katie Reese, co-founders of Comedic Meditation. Carla Collins is an award-winning comedian who performs all over the country. She's also the bestselling author of Angels, Vampires and Douche Bags. You can watch her reality show Carlawood on Amazon Prime.
Katie Reese is a former comedian and co-founder of Elements of Wellness, a LA-based functional medicine and wellness center.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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The world has an obsession with selfies, and while there are many elements to analyze from a health and wellness perspective, this episode of Causes or Cures focuses on selfies that kill people.
In this episode, Dr. Roger Byard discusses the forensic elements of killer selfies, or when people die taking selfies. Listen to find out who's most at risk, the countries with the highest rate of selfie deaths and how they are responding, and some of the more dramatic examples of selfie deaths. Dr. Byard dives into other interesting topics as well.
Dr. Byard is a forensic pathologist and Professor of Pathology at The University of Adelaide. He has written over 700 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Science Medicine and Pathology. If you watch The History Channel, you might have seen him recently featured in Lawless: The Real Bushrangers. He also has a book coming out called The Pathology of Old Age.
You can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.
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Read Manic Kingdom here.
Listen to her short audio parody on the wellness industry here.
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From the publisher's feed
Causes or Cures is an independent health podcast hosted by "Dr. Eeks" (ErinKate Stair, MD, MPH). It is an offbeat, grassroots show…
Dr. Eeks is a public health professional specializing in applied epidemiology & health communication. By day, she works on challenging public health issues. By choice, she spends some of her free time asking scientists, physicians, researchers, authors, clinicians, and other fascinating people questions she hopes everyone else is wondering too.
Along the way, the podcast has wandered into everything from memory and longevity to self medicating animals, migraines, gene drive mosquitoes, strange public health history, the spiritual realm, and the occasional existential detour. If it has something to teach us about health or what it means to be human, it is probably fair game.
Recurring segments include Public Health is Weird, which uncovers strange but true stories from public health history, WTF Health News, where Dr. Eeks breaks down bizarre or buzzworthy health headlines, and Eeks Speakeasy, a more personal corner of the podcast where curiosity occasionally spills over into life, philosophy, and whatever else deserves a drink and a discussion.
A few housekeeping notes...
This podcast is for information, curiosity, and conversation. It is not medical advice.
Although Dr. Eeks has an MD, she does not practice medicine. She is a full time public health nerd and will never tell you what to do with your own health. If you have a medical question, your healthcare provider knows you far better than a podcast ever could.
Guests are invited because they have something interesting to contribute, not because Dr. Eeks agrees with every opinion they hold. Likewise, she does not endorse miracle supplements, mysterious oils, magic socks, potions, or anything that promises to solve all of life's problems.
If an episode is sponsored or underwritten by a company she genuinely enjoys working with, she will always tell you.
Causes or Cures is also not a news site. It is a place for thoughtful conversations. Dr. Eeks believes people can disagree respectfully, ask difficult questions, change their minds, and occasionally laugh at themselves along the way. Some of the best conversations she has ever had happened in hole in the walls, on sidewalks, and in places where nobody was trying to win an argument.
Sometimes Barnaby, her dog and unofficial executive producer, contributes his thoughts as well. Fortunately, he is a pretty smart dog.
Above all, Dr. Eeks hopes this podcast encourages people to stay curious, compassionate, honest, open minded, and engaged. Freedom of discussion is a beautiful, delightfully messy thing, and one worth protecting.
The views expressed on this podcast are Dr. Eeks' own and do not reflect the views of any organization she contracts with or consults for.
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Want to sponsor or underwrite an episode?
Causes or Cures works with a limited number of sponsors and episode underwriters in health, science, and public health. Partnerships are kept separate from editorial content and guest selection. If your organization might be a fit, reach out at: [email protected]
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