RUNGA Radio

Shanais Pelka is a nutritionist, herbalist, and the Research and Development Manager at Organifi, where she is responsible for sourcing high-quality ingredients for their organic, glyphosate-residue-free superfood blends. Shania is an expert in natural health and herbal remedies. She’s also a mom, an entrepreneur, and the owner of Seven Springs Farm, an 18-acre organic family farm in North Carolina.

Today, Shanais shares her experience of using adaptogens to heal her autoimmune disorder and cure her adrenal fatigue. She explains how adaptogenic herbs and medicinal mushrooms help the body cope with stress, fight fatigue, and build immunity. As an expert in medicinal plants and herbs, Shanais recommends adaptogens as a safe and effective alternative to conventional medicine, and she sets out how to limit our exposure to harmful toxins, particularly glyphosate, in our environment. 

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 Today I talk about how I evolved from a hyperactive, pharmaceutically medicated kid into a breathwork loving, low-carb eating, holistically healthy guy. Plus, I explain why, at the age of 36, I feel happier, healthier, and fitter than ever. Above all, I stress the importance of questioning the perceived wisdom about what is conventionally considered good for us, and I encourage everyone to think independently and remember to do what feels best for them when it comes to making important decisions about their health and wellbeing.

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Dr. Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen is a foraging instructor, a healer, and a modern-day medicine man. He has a master’s degree in medicinal chemistry, a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry, and an encyclopedic knowledge of plant medicine. Due to his outdoor lifestyle and background as a hunter and a forager, Mark has been described as “the scientist raised by wolves,” and his Merriwether nickname refers to the legendary explorer Meriwether Lewis.

Mark previously worked as a chemist developing environmentally friendly products for the oil industry, but he is currently responsible for formulating potent natural remedies for the Medicine Man Plant Co. His aim is to reconnect people with nature and the healing powers of plants, and we discuss the long history of plant medicine and its proven ability to support our health.

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This Friday, I want to share a talk I recently delivered to an audience in Switzerland. It’s entitled How to Prioritize Healthy Decisions for Maximal Sustainability, and it’s intended as a follow-up to my 2016 TEDx talk on breathing and heart rate variability. My new presentation sets out the principal practices to follow for vibrant health and longevity, and it stresses the importance of proper hydration, adequate sleep, and nasal breathing. First and foremost, I encourage the audience to take a thoughtful approach to their health that empowers them to make healthier lifestyle choices and build a broad base of foundational fitness.

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Today’s guest is Howard Martin, the Executive Vice President of HeartMath, an organization that teaches people how to cultivate positive emotions, enhance their wellbeing, and perform to the best of their abilities. HeartMath’s techniques are used by Fortune 100 companies, military organizations, and government agencies to help their employees build resilience and cope with stress, and its unique training system has enabled countless individuals to lead more balanced and rewarding lives. Howard is HeartMath’s key spokesperson and the co-author of The HeartMath Solution and Heart Intelligence, Connecting with the Intuitive Guidance of the Heart. 

 In this episode, Howard explains why breathwork is only the first step on the journey to connecting with the heart’s intuition and intelligence, and he emphasizes the importance of purposefully activating uplifting emotions, such as love, compassion, and appreciation. He also shares some simple techniques to help us change how we feel and improve how we communicate and relate to each other.

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Dr. David Dodick is a Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Headache Program and the Sports Neurology and Concussion Program at the Mayo Clinic. He’s also the Chair of the American Migraine Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology Sports Concussion Conference. Dr. Dodick has recently developed a supplement that provides nutritional support for the brain and is particularly beneficial for athletes who participate in contact sports and are at risk of incurring a brain injury. The supplement is available in two forms, SynaQuell, which provides daily support to the brain, and SynaQuell Plus, which should be taken after developing symptoms of an injury. 

We talk about how athletes who play contact sports are likely to experience repetitive subconcussive head impacts during a season. Plus, Dr. Dodick explains how people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury are at an increased risk of developing adverse health outcomes, including coronary artery disease, psychosis, anxiety, depression, and epilepsy. He recommends taking a proactive approach to brain health that concentrates on optimizing cognition and helps protect against neurological impairment, dysfunction, and disease.

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In my recent show with Graham Wardle, we talked about finding our why and following what we’ve been called to do. Today, I suggest adopting the same approach to our health and wellness. As a coach who wants to help people live longer, perform better and feel healthier, I believe we need to ask ourselves what we want to achieve from our fitness programs in order to adapt and tailor them to suit our individual needs. Above all, I believe we need to be flexible in our approach to our well-being and always remember that it’s healthy until it’s stressful.

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Today, my guest Graham Wardle talks about mustering up the courage to move out of your comfort zone and create more personal and spiritual growth in your life. Graham has been acting since he was a child, and until recently, he played the part of Ty Borden in the long-running Canadian TV drama series Heartland. However, after years of inner work and self-inquiry, he made the decision to leave the series and pursue a new career as a podcaster and producer. 

Nowadays, Graham is committed to helping people live more authentically and adventurously, and his “Time Has Come” podcast inspires listeners to cultivate the strength and faith they need to move beyond the fears that hold them back. We discuss meditation, journaling, and self-knowledge, and Graham describes how he found the courage to embrace change and leave the comfort and security of his old life behind.

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Today, I explore the correlation between nasal breathing and maximum aerobic heart rate and set out the criteria I use to define heart rate zones. To keep things simple, I break the zones down into Easy, MAF, Grind, and Max, and I explain what happens when you move out of the aerobic MAF zone into the more intense anaerobic zone. Plus, I advise how to avoid fatigue and declining performance and describe how to build up a strong base of aerobic fitness before adding more high-intensity exercise.

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